Chapter 5

CARA

Henry hissed in anger, “You spiteful witch, you still have the nerves to think you can demand something of me?” 

I could not believe it, there was absolutely nothing left of the man that I had married, the person standing before me breathing out these harsh words was something entirely different.

I was done, done taking all this humiliation and maltreatment from him, done trying to repair what was already beyond repair, I was done with it all, I just wanted everything to come to an end, my marriage, my pain, even my life.

“I want a fucking divorce!” I screamed more emphatically as the policemen held me on either side and dragged me away from the hospital ward.

My entire body hurt, I was nowhere close to being in good health but right then, I didn’t care, I just wanted it all to be over with.

“Oh you will get your divorce, you child killer!” he fired back. “Take her away from my sight.”

The pieces of my heart broke into even smaller fragments and a tear rolled down my left cheek.

I knew that I said that I was done with it all but hearing Henry say that about me, to know that he really believed what he was saying, that I tried to kill Jade’s child… hurt me badly.

Jade was the one to blame for all this, this was the one that made me lose my child not the other way round, why won’t anyone believe me?

The officers were dragging me through the hallway now.

Patients, doctors and nurses alike just stepped to the side and looked at me with curiosity. I must have seemed like a mad person to them, disheveled hair, rumpled hospital gown and a wild look on my face as I struggled with the officers.

“No, No, let go of me, Jade is the criminal here, she is the killer not me, arrest her, arrest her!” I yelled.

“You have the right to remain silent as anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law,” the officer to my left read me my rights.

I could not believe this was happening, could the day get any worse?

 In under a day, I lost my baby, my husband and now my freedom, this was too much to bear.

At some point, I just gave up struggling, I did not have the energy to continue anymore. I just let them drag me out of the hospital and into the waiting police car.

I was put into the back seat and then zoomed away from the hospital, as I looked through the window, I saw Henry at the entrance of the hospital watching the car drive away, a look of disgust and rage on his face.

Even when I was being taken away, he still refused to show any compassion to me, truly, my marriage was lost.

The 5th precinct was located on the busy 23rd and 8th street overlooking the boutique that Henry and I visited for our third anniversary, the last good year we had before things went to shit.

Never in a million years would I have thought as I stood in front of the boutique that I would be on the other side of the road, being brought up to the station in a police car.

But that was my reality now.

The officers took me out of their car and led me up the short flight of stairs into the precinct.

The place was bustling with activity and nobody paid me any particular attention even with how I was dressed and how I looked.

They took me towards a booking officer, she was a tall blonde in her mid to late forties and she had a nonsense look on her red face.

“What did this one do?” she asked as she yawned in boredom,

“Tried to kill a pregnant lady,” one of the officers responded before I could.

“That’s not true, I am innocent, I am being framed!” I protested as they handed me over to her.

“Sure Darling, sure you are,” she said as she let me to the side.

I hated how patronizing her voice sounded, it was almost like she was making fun of me. “I am telling you the truth, you have to believe me,” I still pleaded with her.

She nodded, “Sure I do, this way, Ma’am.”

I obeyed, “You are not listening to me, you have to go arrest her now!”

“Sure I am,” she reached for a camera and began fiddling with it, “Who is it that I am arresting?”

“Her, Jade! The woman who framed me!” I responded in desperation.

She looked at the two officers.

“That’s the pregnant woman who is in a coma right now,” they informed her.

“Ahh,” came her response, “Stand this way please!”

I obeyed, “You have to believe me…” the sudden flash of the camera cut me off.

It was then I realized what was happening, I had seen it in movies all the time, “Are you taking my mug shot?” I was flabbergasted.

“Of course ma’am, that’s what we do to criminals… we take their mug shots,” she said that last part slowly.

“But I am not a criminal,” I cried.

“Sure you aren’t!” came her reply.

With the same nonchalant attitude, she completed the mug shots and then put my prints on file before leading me towards the cell areas.

This was it, I was really getting locked up, this was unbelievable!

Towards the left, there was an inbuilt phone booth and that was the direction where we headed. 

“You get your one phone call, make it snappy!” the lady officer said and shoved me towards the phone booth.

I winced as my ribs ached from her shove and limped inside the phone booth.

I sniffled to clear my nose of the mucus and cleaned my eyes of the tears that were still hanging around the edges.

The payphone felt cold to the touch, a lifeless piece of metal that had the possibility to save my life or ruin it depending on whom I called.

I took a deep breath and tightened my grip around the phone and then put it to my ear and dialed a Brooklyn number and then waited, my heart was thumping in my chest as I listened impatiently to the ringing on the other end.

“Hello?” a hoarse voice responded, sounded like the person was just waking up from sleep.

“Sorry to wake you from your sleep…” I started.

“Cara?” came the reply cutting me off. “Cara?” this time around the male husky voice sounded much more alert, “Oh my gosh, Cara, is that you?”

The enthusiasm on the other end was too much for me to bear, I bit my lower lips to stop myself from crying. To just hear someone call my name with such compassion and joy… who thought I would miss something that simple.

I sniffled.

“Cara, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” the male voice asked.

I smiled and then a tear streaked down my cheek, he was still as observant as possible, never could get anything past him.

“Philip, Philip please I need your help!”