SCORNED WOMAN'S FURY

Two days had passed since my brother's unconscious body was discovered at the base of a cliff. I had called my parents late that night, long after we had finished celebrating while I was still tipsy. My failing logic remained intact long enough for me to give an award-winning performance over the phone. My voice depicted shock, horror, and even grief; my smile on my face was almost rivalling that of the sun. Brian was still in a coma, and based on the doctor's diagnosis, he would remain so for the foreseeable future, given the severity of his condition. He had sustained a lot of blunt force trauma to his head and had to through brain surgery to relieve the swelling in his brain. His body had also been torn and broken; it would take a miracle for him to fully regain his mobility.

Although Brian was still alive, he was barely hanging on. Worse still, for those who cared, his quality of life was going to be subpar at best. My parents asked me if I could visit my brother. It would do him a world of good to know everyone he cared about was there for him. According to the doctors, there was a fifty percent chance that although he could not wake up, he could still be able to hear. 

I wanted to laugh at the absurd idea, but held my tongue, not wanting to implicate myself. I hung up after promising to pay the hospital a visit. If there was a fifty percent chance of my making my unconscious brother feel worse, then there is no chance I would miss it. I was also eager to put space between us after our raunchy three-way kiss. Although it did not progress further after we broke off, there had been a tangible tension that raised the small hairs at the back of my neck-in a warning. I did not know what a kiss could change, but the change hung suffocating me in its intense need. It was as if they were scared of doing sexual activities in my absence. The need to initiate any experience had long dissipated, probably a one-time fluke, but I could feel their longing spilling into the air around us whenever we were together.

 I was up at the crack of dawn, unwilling to share another sexually charged breakfast. I did not know what game they were playing, given their previous initiative when it came to such matters. Despite it being obvious I had introduced them to each other, and there was no mistaking the attraction they had for one another. I was not in touch with my feelings, and I would not be hypocritical enough to impose my opinions on either one of them. Their feelings were mutual, or they weren't.

Once again, I found myself looking down at a patient whom I had directly contributed to their demise. His face was still battered and swollen even more than the last time I had seen him. His entire body was covered in bandages save for his eyes, which were peeking through a sea of white. Although shut, his pupils seemed to be flitting behind their lids as if he were simply asleep. Despite its sole occupant being unconscious, the room boasted of luxury despite the drab circumstances. The long drawer, which took up half the room, was covered in flowers and get-well cards, and balloons. I pulled away the edges of his silk covers from the chair and took a seat close to his head. I did not want to risk my message not getting home.

"Dear Brian , how are you today, how is it in your head? Is it a cozy space or you trapped in a nightmare much like you made the live of those around you. Don't worry, you are in a hospital, so I can't finish you off neither do I want to. If all goes well and you wake up, you will either be crippled or at least have irreversible brain damage; either way, I get to have so much fun with you when you wake up. Hopefully, you will also lose your ability to talk, wouldn't that be great?

If you are thinking right about what a demon I am, I would like to remind you that I was an angel until the day you decided to completely ruin me. If karma won't have a go at you, then why shouldn't I take matters into my own hands?"

The hospital door swung open, revealing a doctor with my parents trailing behind them. They took a second to look at me before turning their attention back to the doctor. I did not pay attention to what the doctor was saying beyond the 'it might take years for him to wake up.' l did not have years to wait, but I had done everything I wanted. My anger towards my brother had diminished, almost vanishing entirely and the hate I had stewed in thanks to what he had done was now gone. My brother lay in a hospital bed, his fate uncertain, yet his potential was no longer in the equation.

I felt a trickle of tears fall my face before I had the chance to even acknowledge the emotion. For the first time since I was raped, it felt like an invisible knot that had until now held me together unraveled, allowing the ocean of tears it had held back to flow. My parents and the doctor looked at me, startled, when a strangled sob escaped my lips and another and another until I was hysterically sobbing in the hospital room. The doctor offered comfort while my parents looked on, their shock morphing into annoyance. 

I stepped out, barely saying a sentence to my parents. I heard my father throw in the word emotional before entirely dismissing me. His pride and joy lay wounded and broken beyond repair. All the money they had, and there was nothing that could be done for their precious baby boy. My mother's eyes were red and swollen; clearly, she had been crying for a long time. I felt a sliver of happiness bridge my flooding heart and almost smiled underneath my tears. Their son had received his share of his own actions' consequences; his cheerleader would soon catch a glimpse of the hell he had been plunged into. By the time I got to my car, I was humming a tune to myself, my smile visible from a hundred miles.