Here you go another chapter..

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It's been 3 hour since all that commotion happened. Cassandra was sleeping peacefully almost as if she was not awake a few hours ago. 

Jeremy forced Catherine out of the room and took her somewhere to eat. Austin went to visit Maryln who was staying with Lisa after checking on Meera.

It almost seems like a silence before the storm.

Cassandra woke up,  blinking her eyes. Her whole body ached. Her eyes slowly adjust to the light. With all her strength she sat up. Blood was sipping through her stitched wound. She can feel that burning pain. It calmed her down. For a moment she wondered if she could reopen those cuts and let her bleed to death. The more time she spends with herself the darker her thoughts become.  She felt empty.  

With lots of thought Cassandra pressed the bell. A nurse went in later on she called a doctor. Who smiled at her.

Smile??

"I need to go through a thorough examination" He said as if she will oppose it.

Cassandra let him do whatever he wanted.

"Your blood pressure is a bit low other than that everything is fine. Now I  need to change your bandages and apply medicine" He again explained.

"You know" the doctor looked up. She glared at him, growing annoyed at every passing minute.

"I know what I did. I am not a kid neither have I retarded. So could do whatever you want and get the hell out of here?" Cassandra snapped. His smiling face was annoying. Smiling without any reason.The doctor nervously smiled again. That's it.

"Get out. Get out. I said get the fuck out of here" Cassandra  screamed with all her might. Everything was crashing on her. She is not in her right mind. Tears filled her eyes. The doctor looked at her shocked. After getting over his initial reaction. He looked scared.

"It's fine, I will do it," Austin told him. Taking the medicine from his hand.

"Calm down Cassey" She looked up, pouting a bit and tears fell from her eyes. Austin silently takes her hand in his opening her bandage. He softly applied the medicine wrapping it up. He was on his way when he heard her scream. 

"Well there" He finished it. He had already dealt with her emotional trauma once so going through it again might be a bit too much for him to.

Coltrane was staring at them. He was outside sitting on the chair. 

After saying what he wanted, he went straight to the receptionist  calling for the doctor who was in charge of her.

"When will you discharge her?" He asked.

"I need to have a check up and change her bandage. So it will take time. Please wait" Doctor told him before going back to his routine check up. Coltrane was waiting for him to come. And when he did this happened.

"What happened?" Austin's calm voice soothes her.

"I don't know,"Cassandra told him, tears constantly falling from her eyes.

"I don't know. What is happening to me?" She asked him frantically.

"Sh... sh" Austin hugged her.

"Tell me why did you scream at him" He asked when she abruptly pushed him away.

"He was smiling" Austin froze, that does not seem right. 

"Cassandra..???" 

"I was jealous. I was jealous of him... I ... I" She sobbed.

"How could I?... how could I be jealous of that..? Austin? Something is wrong with me...I am being pitiful. I.." Cassandra cried tears falling. Austin stood there and he did not know what to say. Should he say it's normal? Is it normal? But if it's normal why is she suffering like this?

"Calm down" Austin looked at the guy who hugged her as she cried. Holding her closer.

"Just because you are jealous does not make you a bad guy here. People are always jealous of one thing or another. It's a normal thing. What is not normal is that you are crying over that. If you are jealous, be jealous, let your emotions out" Coltrane softly ran his finger through her trying to calm her down. After a while she stopped crying. He let her go. Even though her eyes are red and fluffed. She took a deep breath.

Even crying does not make her feel any better. It seems like she is in a circle. As much as she tries to break through, the more trapped she gets.

"Here we got something for you to eat." Catherine walked into the room. The silence was dreadful.

Cassandra stared at the food before playing with it. Catherine sighed, taking her food plate and started feeding her. She did not even protest. After eating the food without a word. She took her medication and went to sleep.

***********

"Did you see what happened?" Austin asked Coltrane who took a seat in the waiting room.  There were two beds and sitting chairs. It's  luxurious Jeremy booked yesterday. 

Austin was standing right outside. How could he not see that?

"Do you still insist on forcing her?" Austin asked calmly.

"Yes," Coltrane's cold monotonous reply shocked him.

"She is not in her right mind, damn it" Austin glared at him trying to control his temper. 

"So what?" Coltrane glared back.

"Did you not see how she reacted that way just by seeing someone smiling?"

"I did"

"How many people are you going to stop from smiling?" Austin asked.

"What do you want me to do? Send her to a mental hospital?" Coltrane said, glaring right back at him.

"If it means she stays comfortable I will make sure no one smiles in front of her" Coltrane's determined words shocked him.

"That's not what I mean" Austin gave up talking to him and it was like going in a circle. Catherine was also sitting there.

"Coltrane?" She said.

"What?" He does not want to go through that again. 

"Austin just wants to give her a break from all this emotional traumas. He just wants her to rest and recover. Please be considerate about her" Catherine said.

"Considerate?" Coltrane mocked himself. If he starts being considerate, he will have a mental breakdown.

"I was never considerate towards her. Why should I start now?" Coltrane asked her coldly.

"Why don't you just let her stay with us for the time being?" Catherine asked.

"I can't. She will come with me the moment she opens her eyes. That's final" Coltrane said.

"We will see about that" Austin growled, he had enough of his bulshit. Austin walked out.

Jeremy was silent throughout the whole ordeal,not bothering to say anything. He walked out too leaving them there.

Coltrane sighed. He looked at the woman sleeping peacefully. 

Catherine fell asleep. She might have been exhausted since everything happened. He slowly walked up to her putting her on the bed making sure to keep her warm. She has a dark circle under her eyes.

His finger softly trailed to her cheeks, "Sorry" his soft whisper did not reach her.

Coltrane walked out of the room.

**********

Next time Cassandra woke she feels even more distanced from this world. As if she does not belong here. She just stared up blankly, not bothering to call the doctor this time. She looked outside. This must be the 3rd floor. Will she die if she jumps off of here?

Live on..

How easily people say that? Those who are actually struggling could they really live on. Her life felt emptier now. But that has nothing to do with how she feels.

What should she do? Or is it worth it doing anything? She sighed. The more she stays with her thoughts the more weird thoughts she gets. But staying with another human being is scarier. She cannot handle any of them. Her jealousy is not the only reason. She is just sick of herself.

Will she spend the rest of her life being jealous of other people? Has her life reduced to this? Then what is the meaning of living? Again her eyes wander to the window which does not have any railing. Will she die? 

"Your life is pathetic.Is it worth living for?" a small voice whispered. She gulped down.

"Stop," Cassandra said.

"Your own mother adorned you" She flinched, tears filled her eyes as she trembled. 

"Stop" She screamed. Coltrane walked in.

"Coltrane just used you because you look like her. A mere replacement"

"Stop. Stop. Shut up. I said shut up. Shut up" she pushed everything around her.

"Cassandra??" 

"You don't even have a name. How pathetic?" 

"Ahhhh" she screamed and yelled , tearing her bandage. Trying to get away from Coltrane hold. She struggled.

"Let go of me. Let go. Tell her to stop. I said stop" she crouched down coughing.

"Let me go," Cassandra yelled, crying tears streaming down her face as she shakes sobbing. He hugged her tightly she hit him trying to go away from him.

"Sh.. Calm down love. I am here" Coltrane rubbed her hair. She let go of her body exhausted after all that screaming. After all that she just blankly stared at nowhere.

Austin stands there horrified. Again the past is repeating but in a much worse way. Austin fell down tears fell from his eyes.

Coltrane scooped her up and made her sit on the bed. He felt something break looking at her.

The doctors came sedating her.

"We need to tie her up," The doctors said.

"What are you saying?" Coltrane asked, glaring at them.

"Please don't interfere with medical treatment" they said and started trying her to the bed as if she had gone mental.

"Austin?" Coltrane turned to Austin for help but words left his mouth. Austin for the first time seems broken, Jeremy was standing beside him.

" I asked you to resolve yourself if you want to know her past but I don't know the past will repeat itself in the worst way" Austin said. Coltrane looked at him shocked.

Three years it took him three years to get her out of that dark pit. Why?

Why is she there again? How much does she need to go through? When will it end?

"You want to take her home and help her right?" Austin mockingly asked.

"Go ahead" he smirked painfully, aware of the never ending tears falling from his eyes.

"Best of luck"

"After all you and that fucking family of hers did a good job in pushing her to hell. I want you burning in the same fire she is burning now" He stood up staring at her being tied to the bed.

"Now I wished she should have died. It will have been better than going through this nightmare again" Austin said.

"What the fuck are you saying?" Coltrane punched him on his face. Austin punched him back harder.

"Tell me how to save her," Coltrane asked, shaking him as blood trickled down his face.

"Save??" Austin  looked at him.

"Haven't you noticed even though the medicine that was prescribed is strong? It only has an effect of 2 to 3 hours" Coltrane looked at Austin shocked as well as Jeremy.

"It means she have been under powerful sedative enough to have developed a resistance against it"

"If they use powerful sedative at an interval of 2 to 3 hours which should be 1 per day the damage to her nervous system will be immense. She might be mobilized for the rest of her life" Austin said closing his eyes trying to stop those falling tears. He needs to stay strong and think of a way but everything seems cut off.

They don't even know what will trigger her. At least when it happened in the past he had a list of things but now nothing.

"Discharge her" Coltrane said.

"What? We can't. She is not mentally stable. Don't you see how she tore her bandages?" The doctor whose name he still does not know said.

"I don't give a damn. She is coming with me" Coltrane said walking up to her bed opened those belts which tied her up.

"Stop it. Coltrane" Jeremy for the first time stopped him.

"You can't do this," The doctor said.

"This is a regulation violation" his words tricked him.

"Violation, you say?" He smirked looking coldly.

"I will shut this hospital down for giving false reports and assisting in murder. Try and stop me"  The doctor took a step back scared about his job.

Coltrane pulled her up, "I need a nurse to take care of her 24/7" he told Austin. 

"This is not going to work" Austin words were cold and straightforward.

"Have you seen those bandages put her on the bed? I will redo it" Coltrane did as Austin asked. He carefully wrapped the medicine.

"You want to take her home. Do you even know what will trigger her?" He asked. Coltrane shook his head.

"What will be the result of pulling her out of this? What will she do when she will get to know her own mother tried to kill her? Is it worth it? Pulling her out of the hell only to push her back in?" Austin asked. It froze them.

"She was strong but how strong a person can actually be?  She is broken.  Even if you try to put all the pieces back those cracks will remain" Austin held her hand close to his eyes.

"Let her sleep for now" Austin walked out. Coltrane followed him.

"What exactly happened 5 years ago?" Austin paused.

"Something similar but it is much worse this time" his voice broke at last.

"I think letting her stay here is much safer" 

"Did you not see how they treated her?" Coltrane stared at him.

"She would have opened her wound and let her bleed. They need to stop her, that's why they did it" Austin  replied.

***********

To be continued....

Do comment and share your thoughts and the next update will be after 20th December...

Thank you for reading dear readers.

Until then take care..

(15th December 2019)