Page 39 of Pretty

I glanced up to see a group of people hustling into the space I was in. I knew who they were, but that was only because I spotted Maël leading the pack. I had met him when he came to her house to go house hunting.

His eyes landed on me, and his jaw clenched. He could believe what he wanted to about me, but I wasn’t on that shit now.

I stood. “Hey, Maël,” I greeted.

“Hey. Any word on how she’s doing?” he asked.

“Nah, not yet. I just sent an intern to figure it out, but they won’t tell me anything. Hopefully, he can get news soon,” I answered.

“Maybe we can find something out,” an older man stated from behind Maël as his green eyes assessed me.

Maël turned and introduced me to his family: his sister, Chloe; his parents, Yanis and Renee; and his brothers, Enzo and Maxime.

“How did you find her?” their mother, Renee, asked.

Pretty looked just like her mother except her body shape and coloring. Her lighter, caramel color was several shades lighter than her mother’s deep, beautiful, mocha complexion. I knew she must have gotten that from her father’s creamier, olive complexion. Pretty said her father was mixed with black and white, and her mother was of Nigerian descent. Where Pretty was slim but shapely, her mother was a thick, curvy woman, who looked damned good for her age.

“I went to check on her because I heard something crash, and I found her laying on the ground outside her studio.”

I wanted to spare some details, so I didn’t tell them about the rock. I figured the doctor could do that when he gave an official update.

When the ambulance arrived, I’d gone into her house and searched for her phone. I knew there was someone she needed me to call. By the time I got to the hospital, I had finally decided on Maël. I knew nothing about her family relationships and didn’t want to create an uncomfortable situation for her. I did know that Maël was cool with her, so I figured he could decide who to call from there.

“Hey, can you hear me?”

My head was pounding, and the voice in my ear was extremely loud, but not as loud as the light that appeared to be shining in my eyes. I couldn’t take the throbbing.

“I think she’s awake.”

Quiet down. I thought I said it from the fog, but somehow, my voice was muffled, weak.

“Did she say something?”

Yes, you idiot, I said quiet down. In reality, I hadn’t said anything. Everything was so murky, like I was lying underneath water. I pulled myself through the water because I was afraid that I was going to drown. I felt stuck in a dark, watery place that was scary.

“Calm down. It’s okay, just breathe,” another voice coached me.

“Pretty, reviens chez nous, bébé.”

I would love to come back. That’s what I’m struggling to do. Can’t you see that, Papa?

“Je t’aime, Bulles.” I loved it when he called me “Bubbles.” Papa had given me that nickname as a kid because of my happy disposition. It had been a while since I’d been that happy.

Oh, je t’aime, aussi, Papa!

But again, the words didn’t come out. I felt a warm, large hand wrapped around mine. The long, cool fingers were familiar, and I knew it was my papa’s touch.

I heard a soft sobbing in the background.

“Maman, she’s going to be fine,” Enzo stated.

My big brother was here too.

“It’s a good thing Drew found her when he did. I couldn’t imagine the damage she would have suffered had she been alone much longer,” Maël declared.

Drew. Where is he? I missed him, and I couldn’t wait to see him again. Drew made me feel secure and comfortable. With that thought, the water that I appeared to be struggling with receded, and I could make out blurry images.

“Jolie Anouk Mercier-Brightwell, you wake up right now, and I mean it!”