A Broken Fate (The Beautiful Fate Series book 2) Read Online Free Page A

and brought me some of the clothes I had asked her to bring.
    “I looked everywhere for your Cubs shirt, Baby, but I couldn’t find it,” she said.
    Ari shot her a warning look and she gulped and shut up.
    My dear grandmother Margaux came for a visit, too. She was dressed in a flowing summer dress, slightly the worse for having been rained on, and, as usual, improbably high heels. Oh, and huge, sparkly, yellow diamond studded earrings. After setting a vase full of cut flowers on my stand, she immediately turned to talk with Ari. Shortly after, she saw herself out of my room.
    Toothy nurse came to my room and removed some of my bandages and my IV. She said I could shower if I wanted to and even change out of my hospital gown. Ari offered to come with me to the bathroom to help me clean up, but I refused. I asked Aggie to help me instead.
    My declining his help hurt Ari’s feelings, but I didn’t want him to see my bruised and beaten body. I didn’t want those images of me in his head.
    Ari helped me out of bed and holding his arm , I shuffled slowly to the bathroom. I ached all over and my legs were beyond weak. Aggie was waiting for me at the bathroom door, but Ari was hesitant to turn me over to her. Aggie put her hand on Ari’s cheek and smiled up at him reassuringly.
    “I ’ll be right here,” he said, pointing to the spot just outside the bathroom door.
    “We know, Honey,” Aggie said to Ari as she took my hand. She closed the door behind him and helped me out of my hospital gown.
    Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I was appalled at what I saw. I was much worse than I had expected. My left side was completely black and blue. I had broken the same ribs that had been hurt the last time, only much more seriously. My point of balance was nonexistent and I wobbled even when standing still; walking by myself was impossible.
    My arms and legs were like sticks , fragile and frail. My left arm and the fingers of my left hand were swollen and liquid oozed from them. I looked again in the mirror. My sunken eyes were rimmed by bruised purple flesh and bits of blood stained my hair. My neck was bright red and the flesh there was raw and meaty.
    Aggie watched me watch myself and her tears threatened to roll down her cheeks.
    “We ’ll get you cleaned up, Ava Baby, and you will feel so much better,” Aggie said, her voice full of sorrow and love as she tried to reassure me. I think that perhaps she was trying to reassure herself.
    Aggie knew I had issues with close contact and with modesty, so she made quick work of helping me wash. Over and over she had to wipe tears from her cheeks with the backs of her hands. She washed and rinsed my hair, then wrapped a big towel around me. Aggie started on my hair. She brushed the long strands carefully with long, soft strokes that were soothing for both of us. She was quiet as she helped me get dressed in a loose white tee and a pair of Ari’s sweats. She even pulled up the legs the way I like them and rolled down the waistband.
    “You know me well,” I said, smiling at her.
    “I like to think so,” she said, returning my smile. As we finished, there was a knock at the door and Miss Tooth came in to replace the dressings on my burnt fingers and on the slash in my arm.
    When she opened the bathroom door, Ari was there, pacing the floor. He stopped as she slipped past him and looked at me. Relief washed over his face. He wrapped his arm around me and helped me to my bed. He peppered my face with kisses as he lay back down next to me. Julia, Lauren, Gianna and Aggie were in the room. He tuned them out almost as though none of them existed for him now that I was near.
    “They got our lab results back today,” he whispered. I could tell the others were straining to hear his words, but they were meant only for me as he whispered them almost soundlessly into my ear.
    I drew in a sharp, painful breath. Ari held me more closely and more gently.
    “We’re good; nobody there but