I woke up dizzy. I didn’t know where I was, or why I was in pain. Pain in both my sides, my legs, and my head. Scrap that, I was in pain, all over my body. there was a general throbbing oozing out of my head and my pants felt wet.

I opened my eyes but it felt like they were glued together. Getting them open by only a tiny margin, I saw my own floor and hallway. I tried to get up but couldn’t. My limbs feeling like they were submerged. Trying to lift my hand up I felt pain spiking through my arm but I pushed it towards my pocket where my telephone should be.

Ever since the endless stream of people calling me I didn't forget to bring it anymore. I reached out and felt its cold edges on my fingertips. Five more minutes to wiggle the piece of technology out of my trousers. Bringing it toward the general direction of my face so I could see it.

There were two phones in my hand. Now three. Two again. I tried to focus and after the eight time I filled in my passcode correct before I stumbled my way to recently dialed numbers. There were three, so I pressed the one I could read and hit the one saying “SLUTTY DAUGHTER”. Glad that I once had the foresight to write it in all caps as I brought the phone to my ear. Trying to hold on to it through the shaking of my arm and trying to stay conscious. The world still spun. A deep freeze pizza tried to make its way back up and my whole body felt like it was about to burst like a giant piñata.

I heard the chiming of the phone as it tried to make contact. It felt like an age had passed before Norma picked up “Dad? What is wrong, you never call?” She asked.

When I heard traffic in the background and music of some sort I wasn’t sure anymore what I was doing. Why had I called again? Pain. So much pain. I became clear for a few seconds and whispered, “Please come over, I’m not feeling too good…” My throat felt sore. Knives stabbing into it with every syllable. I had no clue what was happening anymore. This was either the worse hangover I had ever had in my life or something real fucky had happened.

I dropped the phone, and the world spun until everything went black again. The last sounds coming from far away sounded like a small Norma shouting at a giant “Dad? Dad! Hang in there I’m calling an ambu..”

I woke up, head pounding, eyelids heavy. Pieces of information were fighting in my head for attention while I tried to make sense of the whole. I had pissed myself. The crazy bitch might still be in the room.

Panic came over me like a tsunami. Its great wave washing my body in cold sweat until it hit my head with a crash. I opened my eyes wide and tried to sit up straight. Ready to army crawl my way into safety. Adrenaline preparing to carry my wounded body on its shoulders. I couldn’t move and all I saw was a white ceiling that looked like mine. Well couldn’t move was not the word. Someone was holding me down.

“Leett goo ogf mheea yiu crezie hoooreee” I squeezed past my painful throat. But nothing more than croaking hoarse whisper came out. Like I smoked three packs of cigarettes while trying to karaoke the complete Slayer collection. It only made my panic go into extreme rage mode as I did everything in my power to escape her disgusting clutches. Which was next to nothing.

“Dad, calm down, you are in the hospital, you are safe.” the worried voice of a woman said in a soothing manner. Some strings inside my head unwrapped itself from the tangled mess it had become. I tried to calm myself and did another attempt at looking around. Everything went spinning again, and I felt vomit coming up. Whoever was holding me down, was getting the full threatment.

“Ah for fuck sakes dad, I told you, you are in the hospital, no need to vomit your way out of the attackers hold anymore. Isn’t there a freaking robot for this? Nurse!” I heard the woman complain, the words melodious, I also heard a girl laughing. It gave me some hope I was, like the woman said, safe and in the hospital.

I opened my eyes a third time. The projectile vomiting seemed to have worked. I felt my vision was stationary once more and I could lift my head a little. The whites of the ceiling changed into the familiar shapes of Norma. Wild anger, worry, and disgust held her face in a weird mixture. It didn’t look good on her. She also had the contents of my stomach over her cheek and neck, dripping onto her black suit. I should chew better, I could still see salami.

“What is happening...“ I whispered, calmed down a little by the comical scene.

“You tell me, dad, I came to your house, and the ambulance had already taken you away and the police was there. It seems they trashed your whole place. Who did this to you dad?”

I felt anger boiling inside me as I was about to tell them what this molded piece of beef jerky had done. Then I remembered her treat and my brain came to a violent halt. I felt my inner-self sliding face first on a rock-filled piece of moist clay. I blanked out for a moment.

“Dad?” I heard Norma, worry back into her voice.

“Is he having a seizure again?” I heard the girl ask, less worry more annoyance. A teenager. I looked her way. She was the new thing in the room and in my blank state, my mind went for the curiosity. Like how a newborn looks at new things.

The girl had long brown hair, a short way past her shoulders. She looked skinny and dead tired. Her face held bruises and her forehead a big cut. Recent, judging by the fresh stitches. Her nose looked pointy, lips thin, cheekbones and jaw small but firm. Her eyes though, they were bewitching. Anger, curiosity, despair, hope, joy, hate all swimming in a pool of deep blue and pure chaos. She winked. A weird sense of déjà vu coming over me and my mind cleared up.

“Hey Riley, what’s up?" I whispered, throat hoarse. Something tempted me to ask her to join the dark side. I asked the important questions first "Got any recommendations for the food in this place?”

“Don’t touch the cauliflower, but the beef stew is kind of all right,” Riley said as she sat back in her chair next to my bed. They discharged her a week ago, and she was now in her trial period as my adopted grandchild.

“Shouldn’t you add grandpa to that sentence, show respect for your elders?” I gave her a weak smile as I whispered back to her.

“Ha, sure. Don’t touch my cauliflower grandpa or I will turn you into beef stew. How was that? Better?” She smiled at me before getting her holophone out her pocket and opting out of our conversation.

I turned my head back towards Norma, who was busy cleaning my deep freeze pizza of her face and neck. The suit ruined forever. I whispered “I am going to like her. Good choice.”

She smiled at me and said “Thanks. You always had a weak spot for people who talk back to you. Even more so if it is inappropriate. I would call you the teen whisperer but that sounds very bad.”

Then her face turned serious again, and she asked “But serious dad, what the hell happened? Who the hell would taser you and smash up your whole place but not take anything. Even that disgusting jerk off sock of yours was still full of cash. I know it's genius, but holy shit is it disgusting.”

I was quiet for a few seconds, unsure what to do. But then the stubborn asshole deep inside kicked in and I whispered her name.

“Beverley.”

I would not sit back and let this fuck face ruin the rest of my life.