Chapter 7

Stat

2.21.2005
1:30 am

The screen of darkness lay over the land. The town square was crowded. The night was crisp and bitter to the bone. The groups were together, those who could actually speak with each other. They were no bigger then seven people to a group. It doesn't change from high school, society is built upon the foundation of the school systems. Change doesn't blow live our of proportion anymore. Though tonight was different. One white sheep walked through a den of lions.

People looked towards the lady walking down the street. She was the embodiment of hope. Her face shined in the night. Her body was as bare as the air. People pointed and glanced. People made fun and jutted insults. She walked for a purpose, making a stand in a world shattered. She didn't know where she had awoke or why her clothes were off. As she passed each person, their eyes whitened, they were unable to view the miracle. There was darkness in their hearts and it could not comprehend the light.

Miracle lady reached her destination but few saw her or remembered her as she walked through the darkened town. The small wooden hand painted sign affixed to the yard in from of her life. This building was her legacy and she was here to find the hurt one. The lady arrived in the room; she had last been with the hurt here before her vision was shut by death's door. She fell to her knees when her vision filled with emptiness. The room barren completely. The receiver left. How could she provide the hurt girl with her hope?

Light slid across the darkness and the darkness left; once the light burned out, the darkness set back in.

Something reverberated a slam throughout the house and a creak sounded behind the closed door. The knob turned swiftly and a presence entered the room.

~

"Mrs. Eliana?" The presence questioned.

The moonlight shone into a basin of clear liquid, illuminating the room. The little girl took a small step forward. "Mrs. Eliana? Are . . . are you OK?"

The woman turned to face the child. The girls eyes plastered with the color of snow. There was darkness in her heart. The woman was still void of clothing.

"My child, remove your shoes. For the ground you stand on is hallowed. I must ask for your forgiveness. For when I first was told about your sin, I thought you had done something to deserve what you had done."

Outside the room lay to bodies paralyzed, the girl's future parents. They weren't allowed to enter the room. The girl removed her shoes, even without her vision. She placed her weight on the floor, and sat there awaiting what the women's next demand was.

The woman moved closed and placed the basin at her feet. "You haven't done anything to deserve what has happened to you. You are perfect in His eyes. So there is something that I must to show myself that I am still the servant to everyone and that I am no better then the next person."

She lifted the girls feet and placed it in the basin, took her hands and started to wash her feet. "For you see, the Master washed those who served Him, feet. To teach them a lesson in humility, you must place yourself below people before you may raise other up. Even if they don't raise you up, you must give them a gift freely give without reward or recognition."

The woman finished washing the girl's feet and dried them with the towel she had on her lap. After she finished, her body fell to the ground unmoving, though, she was still breathing. The scales fell out of the girl's portals. She could finally she that this was in fact Mrs. Eliana.

"Mom, dad. Help. Mrs. Eliana has fallen again."

The parent's had started to awaken just after Mrs. King had finished. Kris ran in, Ace ran to to get help by calling 911, Julie sat there in awe of what had just happened. The basin was glowing still but there were impurities in the water. They didn't dull the glow at all. Instead, the water shone even brighter.

~

Eliana was back in the hospital, awake. They wanted to test her to make sure there wasn't any latent problems, such as blood clots or other dangers. Really they just were wishing to find the Fountain of Youth in her body some where.

~

Two Months Later
3.21.2005

"Sweetie, are you going to get ready to go to Aunt Eliana's?"

"Yes, I was just making her a card."

"Great, we need to meet Ace at His law firm. We are going to leave here in about a half hour."

"OK, mom. I'm going to get dressed so we can leave here. Then can I work on my card for Aunt Eliana."

Julie ran up to her room. She took out a green dress shirt. Next she opened her pants drawer and to out a pair of tan jeans. She undressed and redressed in better clothes, clothing that made you looked dressed up. Julie went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. She then went back down to work on her card. Her mother was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.

"Honey, could you get your crayons and card for Eliana? She called and wants us to go pick up a couple things she forget for supper tonight. She also wants you to pick out a movie to watch while we talk about out lives, so we also need to stop at the movie store to get you a movie, then we need to go clear back up town to get you father, so we can get to Eliana's to give her the stuff for tonight."

Julie had already retrieved her jacket and card making utensils. "OK, mommy. I'm ready to go."

"OK, honey. Just let me get my jacket, purse, and car keys then we can get going."

"OK, I'm heading out to the car to wait for you."

"Alright, I be out soon."

A Christmas melody preceded from the van, "Why you singing those songs now?"

"Because mommy it's the most important season. If Jesus was never born then we wouldn't really have any point to live or celebrate other holidays."

"Yeah, that's right. Where'd you hear that from?"

"My Sunday school teacher."

"Isn't that who it always is, I shouldn't even have to ask."

The clicking of a right light flashing sounded, brakes skidded, and the car barely passed without ramming into their side.

"Whew, that was close!"

"Mom, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to get there alive!"

"I hear you, and second that."

They rushed the store and took it by surprise, they quickly and efficiently retrieved what they need for dinner later.

"OK, once we get through this stinkin' long line, we are going to go rent a movie. Is that great?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I just can't wait to see Elia . . ."

"Julie, where are your manners?"

"Mrs. Eliana. Sorry."

"That's fine."

It was finally their turn to go through the congested checkout line, after the person in front of them needed a price check that took about five minutes. "Goodevening, how are you doing this evening?"

She phrased her greeting into one word. "Fine, thanks."

The cashier quickly check her out.

"That will be twenty three dollars and eighty cents," she handed her three tens, "Out of thirty."

"And you're change is six dollars and nineteen cents. That's eighty, ninety, twenty four, twenty five, and thirty. Thank you have have a wonderful day."

They were out packing the back of the van before anyone around them had left. Kris slammed the trunk shut. "Let's go get that rental."

Ding. The door bell went off alerting the personnel their was a intruder, until proven otherwise. "Hello, is there anything I can help you with today?"

The brunette finally appeared from under the counter. Her beauty was priceless. The outfit only added to it. She reminded Kris of that one angel from Touched By an Angel, the one that looked good no matter what she wore.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we were just looking for a good kid's movie that just came out but we're not sure what we want. Could you help us find that?

"Yeah, I think I have just what your looking for," she looked at Julie and gave her a wink. "If you could just follow me, I'll show you were it is."

"Thank you, so much. Your a life saver. Excuse me but I didn't catch your name?"

Chapter 6

Human Error

11:25pm

Kris and Ace waited for hours to hear something on Mrs. King. They kept getting the same response from the doctors.

"Are you family or relatives of Mrs. King?"

The answer was obvious, "No."

"Well, then you will just have to wait! Like everyone else is doing!"

They wanted the slightest clue that she was going to be OK. The girl waited between the parents. She moved very little and hadn't spoken a word since Eliana dropped to the floor.

Ace looked at Kris, "They could surely tell us something of the sake of . . ." He lipped the rest of the message to her and pointed to the child in between them.

They sat for a moment without speaking , finally a doctor started walking straight toward them. They thought they were finally going to get some answers until he turned down a hallway aways from their current position.

Julie lifted her weight and strolled down the corridor. She quickly closed the gap between them and the passage the doctor had descended down. Julie grabbed hold of the doctor's coat.

"Doctor, could you peas tell me what is happened to my mommy?"

"Um, is your father around?"

"No, she's the head at my orphanage. I was brought in with her."

"I guess your close enough to family then. I don't think I can tell you information though cause of your age."

"My adoptive parent's would like to know then they can tell me."

"OK."

"Thanks you."

Julie and the doctor came around the corner. They were headed straight to them this time.

The girl took the dollar the doctor had given her towards the vending machines. "Nurse! Could you please stay with her till I update these two on the status of Mrs. King?"

"Yes."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs . . . I didn't caught your name."

"James. I'm Ace and this is Kris."

"Good to meet you," greeted the doctor. "Julie tells me she one of the closest things that Eliana has to family, and she told me to tell you the status on Mrs. King. So, that you could update her on it."

The doctor describe to them how Mrs. King was admitted as a heart attack patient. The ambulance had started the treatment, then the team at the hospital had finished the treatment.

"But Mrs. King has currently been moved to a room. Their she entered cardiac arrest, and died around 12:02 pm. The reason is still unknown they are going to take her down to the morgue, if you want you can all go in and see her."

"Honey, I don't want to she her I have seen enough for the night."

"I . . ." Her lips puckered up and she began to cry, "I would like to see her."

It was Julie, there without the assistance of the nurse.

Ace stood up, "I'll take her to the room. Which way is it and what room. Hun wait here. We'll be right back."

"That way," the doctor pointed to the right hallway. "The room is number two twenty-five."

Ace lead Julie to towards the room. Julie's head hung low.

"Ace, you don't have to come in with me. I would like to see her alone for a few minutes before . . ."

"You can just see her. I really don't need to."

"Here's the room. Yell for me, if I'm needed."

She slowly cracked open the door, and then shut it behind her.

The machines attached to Eliana were dead; no noise, no beeping, no flashing, no glowing lines, no rhythm. The tubes snaked out of the unmoving body everywhere at least it seemed to be everywhere for the little girl. Light illuminated the body that lay supine on the bed.

The vision brought tears to the little one's eyes. Her mother, her guardian, was dead. She walked over to the body and put her hand on the slightly warm hand, it was more cold then warm. The joints didn't move very much, they were stiff. Her veins were visible all over, popped out.

Julie leaned down to kiss her guardian one last time. A tear gradually formed at the corner of her eye. This tear was different, it produced a flash of light. She was unable to see. Her eyes turn white. Blind from the miracle being produced by her eye.

The clear-twisted-with-crimson tear fell right into the opened mouth of the lady on the bed.

Julie's white eyes slowly changed back to their original colors. Eliana had a red and clear lump on her lower lip. Was it was a drop of blood and water? Julie quickly wiped it off.

That's strange.

When it touch her skin, it produced another flash of light. Julie feel to the ground. Eyes white. Chest unmoving.

~

Vision formed in the mist of her unconsciousness.

The guild one of past dreams came unto her.

"Mom?"

"Do not fear, for I AM is with you. My dear, the Almighty has heard your cries. Most of all He has felt your pain, and saw this moment in your life so unbearable that he has chosen to bring your guardian back to you. For you see it was not her time, and she is just resting there a while."

The winged one disappeared.

". . . yo . . . alri . . .t?"

~

The vision was replaced with her father's face, his lips were moving slowly. His speech was hard to understand.

"Are you alright?"

She slowly shook her head up and down.

"Yes, I sorry. What happened?"

"I don't know I came in looking for you after twenty five minutes of you not coming out. I was worried."

"Is Eliana alive?"

"No, honey. She's still there on here death bed. See," he pointed toward the bed. "Don't you remember she died?"

"But . . ." She couldn't finish her statment.

"But what?"

"Nothing, I must have been dreaming."

"Come on let's go home."

As they departed from the room, Julie looked back just to make sure death was present.

~

The family of three went home. They gathered things for a meal in no real hurry. No one touch much of what they had on their plate. Two spoonfuls was the most that was eaten by one of the individuals.

Kris and Ace told Julie that she could get a bath then get around for bed. She summoned a tube full of water from the well for a bath. She laid in it for about a half hour, cleaned herself, let the water go down the drain.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

It the middle of the third ring, someone answered the phone.

Moments later Kris was yelling, "Julie get done quick. We have to go back to the hospital, now."

She dried off in a flash, got dressed and ran out the door.

Kris quickly put on her shoes. Ace burst out of the downstairs restroom, "What's with all the shouting and rushing?"

Kris looked up at Ace, her mouth dropped, "Honey, we have a guest. Get a towel on."

He quickly covered his private region with both hands, and his checks filled with blush, "Sorry, not used to her yet. I think I'll go wrap a towel around me, now."

"Thank goodness, there was a wall between you and our guest!" She yelled after him. "You need to get dress with more then a towel we're headed to the hospital. They called and said, 'We need to go in for an emergency.'"

"They just said an emergency?" He came up pulling up on his pants, his black tight underwear wher visiable. His muscular hair chest was uncovered. He fiddled around with his botton and zipped his pants, and looked up at Kris, "HONEY."

"I forgot we have a guest," he quickly pulled his shirt on. "Sorry about that sweetie. Your dad isn't used to little one, and I'm used to freedom walking around in whatever I . . ."

"Wallace Owen James!" Kris shout louder then need be. "She only a kid, she doesn't need to know that kind of stuff yet." She exclaimed and added in a rushed manner, "Never, make that never. She never needs to know that!"

Ace blushed. He was glowing as red as a stop light. Julie smiled and giggled. Ace smiled, it was the first time he had seen the child smile and heard her laugh. Kris was already out the door starting the car.

"Come on, Honey. Let's go get in the car."

~

The family sat in the doctor's office of the hospital. He finally came in, they had only been waiting twenty minutes.

"Good evening, again."

"Good evening," Kris and Ace said in unison.

"Hel-wow," said Julie.

"We found out what happened to your friend. We found a package, the one the syringe was in, laying on the table. Someone administered the wrong medicine. After the discovery was made, we called down to the morgue to make sure they took blood work. Of course they had. They were just about ready to do the autopsy."

"Doctor," Ace interrupted. "I don't see what the emergency was, though, could you just get to the point."

"I'm getting to it. After about fifteen minutes, the mortician flew into my office sreaming that the body was gone."

"Eliana, Eliana is gone?"

"Wait how's that possible?"

"We know of a few bodies that have been stolen from the morgue and brought back the next day violated. We take sample from around that area, and have found them to have been raped."

"What?"

"Yeah, sick isn't it? Some people are strange. So all I can tell you is to wait till morning that's when most other's had been returned. The police have tried to catch the perpetrator but some how he get's past them or gives back the body somewhere else in the hospital. One he even laid outside the front door."

"Could you stop?" Kris yelled. "We have a young on in the room."

"Oh, sorry I didn't remember."

"Would you like to take her out in the hall now?"

She answer in a harsh tone. "You're done now, right? Then what's the point."

"I guess your right."

"I know where she is," said Julie.

Chapter 5

Heart Attack

2.20.2005
9:30 pm

The words hurt as they came out of my mouth. It was the first time to tell someone about it. It wasn't the first time they had raped me. They touched me, all over my body. They hurt my body, so much that I couldn't have children in the future, or so that is what the doctors thought.

~

Kris was slammed with the words. They hit like a rhinoceros charging after someone on their territory. She had the same story, Kris' uncle had raped her but she had never told and had forgotten about it. The brain is a powerful anesthesia, it blocks out what it can't process, and hinders memories that are to painful for us to work through. Tears fell down her blushed checks, she was burning up from the memories processing through her mind. Every time she had stayed with her uncle or that he had came over, he had abused her body in some sexual way.

Ace looked at Kris with a strange look. He couldn't image why she was crying so profusely, the scene taking place was emotional enough to produce a few tears from a bystander but only the victim should be crying as much as his Wife was. He quickly drew her close to his warm body to comfort her. She had to let it all out.

"He raped me."

Was that my wife's voice?

"My uncle raped me as a child till becoming an adult when I could tell him if he did it again he wouldn't be able to reproduce anymore. Of course that didn't stop him from trying at night or even during the day, he had become a sex addict. When he couldn't get any from me, because I began to sleep with a knife under my pillow, he raped the girl next door from where he lived, in front of her mother holding a gun to her head. The husband came home and tackled my uncle, the guy was wounded in the shoulder but his wife had escaped to the neighbor's house to call the police. The police barracks was located about two blocks away; it didn't take them long to get there and surround the place. My uncle was dead in about forty-five minute, they shot him about ten times, he just wouldn't stop coming towards them. Finally a shot to the head finished him off. I asked my parents if we were going to his funeral, I was the person that had cried the most. No one else shed a tear. I couldn't image how his soul must have been saddened at how people acted that attended his funeral."

Kris had to recollect her thoughts.

"The coffin was even defamed, spray painted with the words sicko on the sides by teenagers that had broken into the funeral home and thought it would be a good joke. But as much as my aunt was mad at him she was more angry at the teens who had played the stupid joke, not that the situation wasn't bad enough on her."

Kris stopped for a moment, the memories were becoming too painful and the temperature she had reached wasn't helping her concentrate.

"She committed suicide two weeks later. She left a note telling us that she couldn't take it anymore, couldn't take the pranks that the teens were playing on her. I don't blame her I couldn't imagine some of the stuff they did, I think I would have killed myself too if someone kept reminding me that your husband had committed a heinous crime. We are only human and can only take so much. I cut myself to relieve the pain, it was the only pain that I could control. The truth was I was trying to kill the memories and myself, not control my pain. My mother found me one night in the bath tub, both wrists slit, well really one and a half; I had fainted before I got to finish the other. They said it was a miracle that I had lived, and the scars were nearly impossible to see after about two years. Though, I did spend the whole three years after the incident in a state hospital for the mental people. I did at least have a female therapist that I told my whole story to as long as she didn't tell anyone, well she didn't tell anyone. So I just went on with my life and eventually forgot about it till this girl brought up her story with the chef and the gardener. I can't image having two grown men using your body as they pleased."

Ace now understood why his wife was crying so much.

"I know I can't either, we will talk about you later tonight. For now, we have to get the girl some help. Who knows they could do it again tonight?"

"Come on you two, let's go wake up Mrs. King. I think it's time for her to know what's going on here."

~

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Mrs. King finally replied to the knocking after she awoke from her sleeping, "What is it honey?"

Eliana though it was one of her precious gems.

"Eliana, this is Ace. We have something here that you might want to be privy of."

She rose up out of bed, clothed herself in more acceptable clothing, and walked to her office. She opened the door of the office to a scene that swept her soul off it's feet. She join in on the weeping fest. Her heart was moved as the people before her began to tell her the story of the defaming of her child's body.

She was on the phone with nine-one-one demanding them to send the police immediately to the addresses that she rendered to the dispatcher. Eliana quoted the orphanage's address from memory, and the chef's and the gardener's location for the little note cards, which she kept on file for all the past employees.

The police arrived at the orphanage within fifteen to twenty minutes, the police also arrested the two rapists, by the time the others arrived at the orphanage.

The ambulance also arrived soon after the police. The dispatch said that they had ordered a female medical examiner to be pick up from the hospital to make sure the orphan wasn't simply trying to get out of the orphanage for the night.

Dr. Lione, Mrs. King, and Kristen entered the room they had designated "examination room". No one was to enter the room except the doctor and the witnesses. The entered the room the little girl sat on the table wrapped in a blanket, just in case someone had accidentally came in. The door was looked behind the three.

"Please, stand up and remove the robe please," the doctor told her softly, her instruments were already thrown out of the bag.

The room was dark, the windows were covered so no one could see in. The child didn't need a peeping tom, she already had enough distress to last a life time.

"This is a special light. It will allow me to use my super power to catch the bad guys. It is going to produce a very low glowing blue light. If at anytime you feel uncomfortable please tell me I don't want to cause you anymore hurt."

Lione turned on the light. The image that filled the Three's sight was atrocious. The doctor hadn't seen anything like it ever in her career of examining young girl's for rape. The young girl had a blue glow from her stomach down to her knees on the front. The back was glowing from the buttocks clear up to the middle of her back. This was too much, she quickly did the torn membrane exam. Both entries were torn tremendously. These perverts were ruthless.

The examiner ran from the room and quickly called the proper personnel. She was running from the inevitable darkness was descending on her consciousness.

"Through those," she cursed, as would anyone that was as furious as she was, "in jail where they belong."

The girl would never have kids, was the last thought before her mind turned to darkness.

~

Eliana was slammed against the wall when the examiner gave them her report. Mrs. Kind noticed it was difficult to move. She couldn't take the news of her little baby. She also notice a shart pain in her left arm, but it was quickly gone.

"Eliana, you don't look so good! Do you need some water or to take a step outside for some fresh air?"

Just before she finished her sentence, Eliana grab at her chest, her muscles started to restrict. Mrs. King dropped to the floor.

"Help. We need the EMTs in her, Eliana has fallen and I'm not getting a very strong pulse."

A few minutes later, the EMTs rushed through the door quickly assessed Mrs. King and lifted her on the stretcher before Kris could get out a question. As they left, the questions escaped through her mouth.

"How is she? Is she going to make it? Could you just tell me? Please? I need to know, is she going to be alright?"

They continued to ignore her battery of question and swiftly got her out of the building to the ambulance.