Twisted (Torn Series) Page 0,46

of the water out of my lungs. I felt it leaving my mouth and nose in streams and I panicked because I still couldn’t breathe.

“Jesus Christ, breathe Chloe! Breathe!” Jordan shouted as he hit me on the back.

I laid my head on the ground when I was finally able to take a breath. My lungs and throat felt like they were on fire.

“Jordan,” I croaked, “Mom.”

“Shhh, you’re safe. She ran when I pulled her off of you,” he said as he gathered me into his arms and cradled me there. The movement caused pain to shoot through my ribs and I cried out.

“What is it Chloe?” He asked, sounding frantic.

“My ribs.”

“Holy shit!” He shouted as he finally took a good look at me. I knew I had to look a mess from the beating she had given me. “You’re face is fucking bleeding from everywhere! We need to get you help!”

He started shouting at the top of his lungs, trying to get someone to hear him and get help. Within a few seconds, Allison came running out of the house with Danny right behind her.

“Oh my God!” Allison shrieked as she saw me.

“What happened?” Danny demanded.

“I left her alone for a couple of minutes because I thought her mom wasn’t home. Call 911, it looks like she’s going to need an ambulance as well as the cops.”

Allison was gone in a flash as Danny leaned down in front us to inspect me closer. “Where does it hurt Chloe?”

Sobs were overtaking my body, causing my ribs to hurt worse and I couldn’t bring myself to speak through the pain.

“She cried out and said her ribs hurt when I picked her up. It looks like the bitch kicked the shit out of her before she tried to drown her.”

I felt cool fingers gently press against my ribs and I cried out again.

“I’m going to bet they’re broke, or at least cracked. Jesus.” Danny growled.

“This is all my fucking fault!” Jordan shouted, “I shouldn’t have left her alone.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, you said you left for just a couple of minutes. Even with the way Andrea reacted earlier, I never thought she would do something like this,” Danny said quietly.

“How can I not beat myself up? Look at her! If I had been there this wouldn’t have happened. She nearly killed her, all because I needed to make a fucking call!”

“Not your fault,” I wheezed.

“Don’t try to talk Chloe Bear, just stay still.”

I heard the patio door slide open and then footsteps approaching. I tensed, afraid my mother was coming after me again.

“I called 911, they said not to move her until they get here in case her back is injured,” Allison said as she approached.

Danny and Allison sat with us as Jordan continued to hold me until we heard sirens in the distance. I felt myself drifting in and out of consciousness as the pain increased. My eyes flew open when someone started to pull me from Jordan’s grasp.

“No!” I managed to get out as I clung to him for dear life.

“It’s alright, my name is Aaron and I’m a paramedic. I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to take a closer look at your injuries.”

I looked up to see a middle aged man crouching in front of us. He gave me a small smile as his eyes went down my body, searching for injuries.

“It’s alright Chloe, you need to let him check you over.” Jordan said as he looked down at me.

I was lifted from Jordan’s arms and placed on a stretcher next to him. My body screamed in protest at the pain as everything went black.

Chapter Eleven

Chloe

I awoke to an annoying beeping sound. I tried to open my eyes to see where it was coming from, but failed miserably; it felt like they had been glued shut. I laid there and listened to the never-ending beeps for several minutes before trying to open my eyes again. I made a little more progress this time as I managed to open them enough to see my surroundings. I was in a plain white room with bright lights beating down on me. The light hurt my eyes and I blinked several times, trying to adjust to the brightness of the room.

After my eyes adjusted, I glanced around the room and realized I was in a hospital bed. The annoying beeping sound was coming from some kind of machine sitting next to me. I looked around, confused, as I tried to figure