Her eyelids felt heavy. She tried opening her eyes but couldn’t. It felt like a bus had hit her. The sound of voices whispering caught her attention and focused on what they were saying. 

“Is she going to be alright Doctor?” a voice asked. Jenny knew immediately who the voice belonged to. It was Jared.  ’Why is he talking to a doctor? Where the Hell am I?’ Jenny asked herself.

“Jared.” Jenny managed to speak out. She was still groggy and managed to finally open her eyes but her surroundings were still blurry. She saw that all sorts of tubes, IV’s, and things that beeped were surrounding her.

“Jenny. Thank God you are alright.” said Jared as he sat on the edge of the hospital bed. 

“What’s going on?” a confused Jenny asked.

Jared sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “You’re at St. Vincent’s hospital. I got a call three hours ago from a nurse asking me I knew anyone by the name of Jenny Reilly. When I got here they said you were unconscious and barely breathing.” explained Jared as his voice began to crack while retelling the details to Jenny. 

“How did I get here?” she asked. 

“A cab driver dropped you off. He said that some guy put you in a cab and told the driver to take you to a hospital.” said the doctor and added, “We’re going to have you admitted to the Special Care Unit because we want to observe your levels the rest of the day. Just to make sure that everything is okay.”

After being wheeled into the Special Care Unit, the doctor asked Jenny if she had taken any drugs, recreational or prescription. “No. I didn’t take anything. I swear.“ she confessed. 

Jenny tried her best to piece together the nights events that lead her to admitted to the hospital. All she was able to remember was leaving Jared after their fight and headed to the nearest bar which was crowded. When Jenny got her drink she found a seat with some guys that offered to shared their table.

One thing about Jenny is that she is a friendly person by nature and you put a couple drinks in her she becomes Miss Chatty Kathy. The group of guys were funny, making Jenny laugh, and forget about her problems. They were all having a good time. 

When one of the guys bough a round of drinks for everyone at the table, Jenny happily obliged and downed the drink in one shot. 

“I do remember taking a drink that someone gave me.” Jenny explained. Big mistake. She should have known better. The big rule a girl should know is that you do not take a drink from a stranger. Doesn’t matter if they come off friendly or trustworthy. You never take a drink from someone who do not know. “After that I can’t recollect what happened except waking up here.” she added.

“Then the only reasonable explanation for what happened to you was that something could have been slipped into you drink. Your blood alcohol level was very low so it wasn‘t the case of having too much to drink.” The Doctor told Jenny then excused himself from the room to evaluate other patients.

“Oh God.” she chocked out and began crying. Jared quickly sat by Jenny and held her.

“It’s alright Jen. You’re gonna be okay.” he said trying to sooth his girlfriend but was unsure if he was right. 

Earlier, when Jared found out that the doctor asked for a rape kit on Jenny, he felt his anxiety start to take over. Immediately, Jared’s mind went to a dark place. ‘Please, God, let the test come back negative. That can’t happen to her. I’ll kill the son of a bitch that touched her.’ 

“Jenny, everything is going to be fine. We will get through this together. I’ll be there for you. I promise.” Jared declared.

“I’m so sorry.” sobbed Jenny and put her head on her hands. She felt ashamed.

“What the Hell do you have to be sorry about? You did nothing wrong. If…if I hadn’t been such a prick earlier tonight then you wouldn’t have…you…I’m the one who should be sorry and I am. I’m so sorry for everything. I should have stood up for you.”

“Jared, will you just hold me?”

He didn’t need to be asked twice. Jared got on the hospital bed and positioned himself next to Jenny. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. Jenny and Jared didn’t speak. The two just laid next to each other as they listened to the sound of the hustle and bustle that was going on outside the hospital room.

No matter how close Jenny was to Jared or how safe she was, in that moment she felt far away. As if she were in a dream like haze hoping that at any moment she would wake up.

It was funny to Jenny how quickly everything can change. Earlier in the week, Jared told her that he loved and that she loved him. She was thinking of finally getting everything in gear and really pursue her dreams of making something with her music. Her fear of failure wasn’t going to hold her back anymore.

Maybe what Jenny needed most of all was a new scene, a new town. After high school, she tried making it in New York but that was a bust. Then she opted for the city of Nashville, but was too caught up in her fear of rejection that she wasted any opportunity that came her way. The last place she wanted to go back to was Texas and end up living at home with her parents. 

However, it had been a long time since Jenny had visited her parents. As she had gotten older, it had become easier talking to them about things. She knew that whatever was plaguing her mind that her Mom and Dad would always help her in figuring out what to do.

‘Home is where the heart is.’ Jenny said to herself as she snuggled closer to Jared. She wouldn’t tell him of her plan just yet. In truth, Jenny didn’t want to invite Jared to meet her parents. At least not yet. She needed time to think and figure things out for herself. She needed a break from Jared.