Page 29 of Watch Her Bleed
“Damn,” I say. “What about Aurora?”
“Uhm…” Luca says.
“What?” I ask. When he doesn’t answer, I start to worry. “Will you say something?”
“Aurora Anderson doesn’t exist,” he says. He turns his phone for me to see.
“What the fuck am I looking at?” I ask.
“She didn’t exist until she was nearly two years old. She just popped up,” Luca says. “I can’t find a birth certificate, medical records, or literally anything. Rita Anderson doesn’t have any medical records of having a kid twenty-four years ago.”
My phone starts buzzing in my pocket and I already know it’s Maria. “Keep digging. It’s Maria,” I say. “Hello?”
“Hey. Is she okay? Is she awake?” Maria asks hurriedly.
“Yeah. She’s okay. She’s awake. She’s with the doctor and Kaia right now,” I say.
“Oh, thank God,” she sighs. “I didn’t realize she was that bad off. I was watching her all day, Matt. The second I noticed something, I planned to cut her.”
“I know. This isn’t your fault. She was just being stubborn and didn’t eat is all. She’s okay,” I say. “I’ll have her call you though, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you for taking care of her. She doesn’t have many people on her side,” Maria says.
“So I’m learning. I’m not going anywhere. She’s okay,” I say. “Have a good night.” I end the call and look at Luca.
“So, she does exist… Kinda,” Luca says. “I found her birth certificate. I looked up the notary who signed it, and he’s never worked in anything medical-related before. He also died five years before it was dated.”
“There is no way she is a part of this if she was that young,” Milo says. “Keep digging on the parents. I’ll look into the papers.”
“You all can come back,” Maggie, the nurse, says as she steps out into the hallway,
Chapter Eleven
Aurora
“Hey,” Matt says as he sits beside me. “You okay?” I shake my head and try to stop myself from crying again. I had a complete meltdown with the doctor. I didn’t realize how fucking triggering it would be to get a simple fucking swab, but it’s like I was right back in that room with Enzo. That swab felt like his finger for just long enough that I panicked. The doctor was great though. He was patient with me and when I told him to just do it fast and get it over with, he distracted me with a cheesy joke for long enough that he was able to swab without me freaking out again.
“It was just a bit triggering for her,” Kaia says, rubbing my back. Matt wraps his arms around me and I lean into him instinctively.
“Can she leave now?” Kaia asks.
“Yes,” The doctor says as he types on the computer. “Aurora, you should get a call from Megan Williams’ office sometime this week. She will have everything back by then. I will call you if anything comes up with the swab or the blood test, okay?”
“Okay,” I say quietly.
“She’s okay otherwise though?” Kaia asks.
“Yeah, she’s okay,” Doctor Williams says. He glances at me before continuing. “She has some bruising that will take some time to go away, but she’ll feel better in the next few days.”
“Let’s go get some food,” Kaia says to me and I nod. She takes the papers from the nurse and puts them in my bag.
“You already know I have to report it, so you might get a call or visit from a detective, but understand that you absolutely do not have to answer their questions. Okay?” he asks.
“Okay. Thank you,” I say.
“You’re welcome, Aurora. If you need me, you are more than welcome to schedule an appointment with my office,” Dr. Williams says.
“If I switch my primary stuff over to you, does that mean my family can’t see any of it?” I ask.
