Chapter 24. The beginning of exposure.

Her uneven breathing made too much noise in the new deadening silence. She had been recovering from the nightmares haunting her when she heard a scream from downstairs, followed by a crash.

A slither of sweat traveled down the middle of her back,  a remnant of the viscous dream. She flipped the switch and watched as the light glow bathed the room. The shabby couch where Helen slept on most nights,  was turned over and the woman herself faced down flat on the floor.

"Mom?" Her voice came out tight with nerves. "Are you okay?"

Dear God!

As she got closer, the blood rushed away from her face and her heart ran for the hills. A crimson pool had formed around Helen's head, her eye which was visible from this side was wide open and staring at nothing, shards of glass peppered on the floor around her. Adana covered her mouth at the stench that seeped from the body.

Who did this?! Adana screamed internally as she stumbled back and ran up the stairs not able to stand the gruesome scene. Now shaking violently, she played the sound of glass smashing in her mind. Someone had broke in and smashed a vase or bowl on Helen's head.

Pausing in her sway back and forth on her bed, something came to mind. There was no way she would stay put in this house knowing well that her mother was unconscious and probably... No! She wouldn't let herself think of it. The mere thought of becoming an orphan and possibly being taken to an orphanage, scared her even more than the thought of all the pain she would receive if Helen recovered.

She picked up her phone from the bedside table and didn't think twice about dialing the number.

The call was picked on the fifth ring. "911. How can we help?" The nasal feminine voice on the other end asked. Adana pressed the phone to her ear. How do you tell the emergency team that someone broke into your home and possibly murdered your mother? How?

"Do you need police, fire, or ambulance?" The voice asked again.

The severity of her situation seeped in. Helen was lying unconscious in the living room and she was about to leak information she never saw herself leaking even on her death bed.

"Are you alone?" The voice, a calm balm to her troubled mind, asked again. "Press the keypad twice if you are and once if you aren't."

Her sweaty finger pressed the keypad once thankful she wouldn't have to say anything as her voice had receded to the depth of her fear. Fear of discovery.

"Are you injured or hurt?" The voice asked, not rushing her. "Press once for affirmative and twice for negative."

She pressed twice and sniffed.

"Are you alone?"

She found her voice. "N-no." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "My mum is here too."

"Good, good." The voice sounded like it was patronizing her for finally speaking up. "Is your mother hurt or injured?"

"I-I don't know." She swallowed. "She is unconscious."

"Did you touch anything?"

"No." She took in a shaky breath already feeling her voice recede. "I was upstairs when I heard something break downstairs and I ran there and found her..."

She choked on a sob as the woman on the other end instructed her to stay put and not move or touch anything. Adana put her phone in her pocket and ran back downstairs, tried to ignore the messy scene in the living room and went outside to stand on the porch.

***

Twenty minutes had never felt longer when she watched two police cars followed loosely behind by an ambulance drive up to the house. The cars parked in front of the house and two officers stepped out.

The male officer who could be considered a  mini giant with his uniform snug on his body walked beside the small, dark female officer. They stopped at the base of the porch steps.

"You called emergency service?" His gruff voice reached out to her as he adjusted his cap to get a better look at her.

She nodded, her throat tight.

"What about your mother?" He asked again and Adana pointed to the door.

"Do you feel okay with following officer Riss here to the car while we take a look?" He gestured to the parked cars where other police officers stood around the front of the house.

She took a step forward, glad to be away from the house. Despite the absence of a chill in the atmosphere her fingers felt numb and she shivered and rubbed her arms.

"Do you feel any pain?" Officer Riss asked from beside her.

She shook her head and settled into the seat in the car. "Just cold."

Everything happened so fast. Helen discovering her job then the phone call with Storm had left her elated just to be crushed again the next morning.

Both passenger doors of the car were open and Adana sat close to the door while the officer stood beside the car, keeping a safe distance between them. Riss bent and reached into the car,  over Adana's body and she flinched back on reflex with widened eyes causing Officer Riss to pause before continuing.

Officer Riss picked up her notebook. "I'm sorry." She opened the notebook and read something. "Just wanted to take my notepad."

Adana jerked her head in a nod and they settled into silence. They waited for what felt like an eternity and Adana avoided watching the scene turn busier.

The other officer walked up to the car to talk with Riss in hushed tones . When the officer was a good distance away, officer Riss turned to Adana.

"We will take you to the hospital for basic health checks now in the ambulance." Riss announced. "I'll walk you to the ambulance if you want."

"N-no." She hiccupped. "I don't want to be in the same place with her."

Officer Riss caught the drift and nodded. "It's okay, we'll take you in the car."

For the first time since their interaction, Adana looked into the officer's eyes. "Thank you."

***

The doctor was gentle and strategic in his questioning as he checked her vitals and response rate before handing her a blanket for warmth. Adana answered to the best of her knowledge but still felt she didn't know enough with how many questions she couldn't answer clearly.

When the doctor returned she was still wide awake and staring into space. "Do you have any close relative you want to call and inform about this incident?"

"No." She bit her lip. "But I'd love to call somebody."

"Alright then." The doctor picked up her phone on the table beside her, handed it to her and walked out to give her some privacy.

With batted breath, she dialed another number that would further expose her. "Hello?"

"Adana?" His voice sounded excited as if he had just been laughing. And she was about to ruin that tone. "What's up?"

"I'm in the hospital." She rushed out. "Someone broke into our house and attacked my mom. I don't want to spend the night here and nobody else came to mind."

"Dios!" Shuffling came from the other side. "Are you hurt or injured?"

"No, I'm fine but I can't sleep in the hospital overnight." She swallowed. "Could I stay at your place for the night?"

The line buzzed for a while then another voice answered, "Oh poor thing, me and the boys will be on our way there as soon as you give us the name of the hospital."

Adana relayed the name of the hospital to them and settled back into the bed just as the doctor came back. She wondered if Helen had been revived or not but didn't want to ask just yet.

"Your vitals are good but you'll need rest before the police can ask you a few questions."

By a few, he meant a lot. Adana knew how this whole thing worked. They ask her question after question, leaving her drained only to leave and possibly come back with more questions. The small wall clock above the box television informed her that it was only ten minutes pass eight.

Diego was the first to get into the room followed closely by Lucas as they both cautiously approached her. Lucas's clothes were in some sort of order but Diego contrasted that with his unruly hair and rumpled shirt.

Diego spoke first. "We are so sorry about what happened." He held her hand. "Just as you called, the news appeared on the TV."

"Though you and your mom weren't shown on the news for confidential and security purposes, it was still horrible seeing the scene." Lucas concluded and stood on her other side. "We won't ask you too much questions not to pressure you any more."

"Thanks guys." She made eye contact with both of them. "For even coming here."

Diego gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's no problem sis, you can call us for whatever."

Mrs. Briggs bustled through the door in full floral plaid dress, and a handbag in one hand. She didn't waste time to approach Adana, worry etched on her face. "Oh dear lord, child are you okay?"

"I'll be better when I leave this place." She offered a smile which only felt like a twitch of her lips. "Thank you Mrs Briggs for this."

Mrs Briggs waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "No need for that. You're the daughter I never had and I'm here whenever you need."

"Now enough talking, let's get you home and rested. Your morning has seen enough drama." Lucas stood.

Adana rose from the bed and followed them out to the car and they drove to their house. At least she would experience some peace before the police started their poking.