AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Please,” Iris answered. “Thanks, Eagle.”
“Sure thing.” Eagle nodded at Dorothy and gave her a small but friendly smile. “Welcome to the family, lil’ bit. We got your back.”
“Thank you.” Dorothy’s answer was soft, but she managed to eke out a smile for Eagle. I didn’t like her giving her smiles to the other man, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.
The next couple of hours was filled with Stitches infusing antibiotics and fluids. Stitches found non-narcotic solutions instead of narcotics. Not as immediate, but it took the edge off. The IV fluids seemed to help her more than anything.
“Aren’t you gonna ask me embarrassing questions?” Dorothy spoke so softly I wasn’t sure Stitches heard her. Wasn’t sure I would have if her mouth hadn’t been so close to my ear.
“No, honey.” Stitches gave her a smile. “At this point, what happened doesn’t matter from a medical standpoint. I gave you a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It’ll kill most infections. If you start hurting or have unusual smells or discharge, we’ll reevaluate. At some point, you may want to talk to someone. When you get there, I’ll find someone you can be comfortable with.”
“That’s just it. It’s all a haze. I didn’t even know how long I’d been there. I think that, maybe for the first few weeks, they kept me so doped up I had no hope of being aware of everything. I’ve never even smoked a joint or had more than a wine cooler to drink.”
“Yeah. I could see that. You’re lucky you didn’t overdose.”
She tilted her head, seeming to think about what he said. “If I remembered what they did to me, I might well have wished they had given me an overdose. So maybe me not remembering is a good thing.”
Stitches shrugged. “Not a bad way to look at it, honey. Just keep the offer in mind. I’m a doctor so I look after your medical as well as your mental needs. Ain’t no therapist, but I know several good ones.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re here with us, Dorothy.” Then Stitches glanced at me. “Take care of her, Morgue.”
I grunted.
Finally, when everyone was gone and it was me, Dorothy, and Sparkles -- the dog hadn’t moved other than to lick Dorothy’s ankle occasionally -- she lifted her head and looked up at me. She took several deep breaths. It was obvious she was trying to get her thoughts together because she opened her mouth a couple of times like she was going to speak but didn’t.
“Just rest. You need something, you tell me.”
“Am I in your home?”
I nodded. “Yeah. If you’re uncomfortable with that, we can move to a different room.”
She pushed away slightly then, looking at me on more of an even level. “We? I mean, you don’t have to go with me. I just don’t want to take over your space.”
A disgruntled growl escaped before I could censor it. “Stayin’ with you.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I’ll sleep on the couch, so you’ll still have your bed, but I don’t want to be all up in your shit.”
“You won’t be. And you’ll sleep in the bed. Not the couch.”
She fidgeted a little, picking at my shirt. “I don’t…” She swallowed, two tears overflowingbefore she swiped at them with her hand. “I don’t want to be alone.”
I let go of a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I wasn’t sure I was capable of leaving her alone while she slept, even if it was my bedroom and I’d be right outside the room. What if she had a nightmare? I wanted to be there to soothe her immediately. “You won’t be. I’ll be with you.”
She was quiet for a time, not moving, but she didn’t close her eyes. I’d give my right nut to know what she was thinking. Was she scared? Of me?
“Thank you, Morgue. I’m sure I’m cramping your style, but you’ll never know how much I appreciate you letting me melt down like this.”
I grunted. It was becoming my go-to response. Why? Because I couldn’t seem to get my bearings around the woman! She was battered and broken. Had been drugged out of her mind. There was no hoping she hadn’t been raped or sexually abused in God knew how many ways in the time she’d been there. She’d simply been a captive too long. I was surprised she wasn’t beaten worse than she was. My guess was they kept her so doped she couldn’t do much more than lie there and take it.
What I wanted to tell her was that she never had to worry about anything ever again, least of all being hurt by anyone. She was mine and I protected what was mine. Somehow, though, I doubted that would help matters any. She might feel comfortable with me now, but laying claim to her would change the dynamic.
I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that. I think I might have dozed off at one point. Dorothy did too. It wasn’t until Stitches came back to change out her fluids that either of us stirred.
“Just swapping out bags,” he informed us softly. “How you feelin’, kiddo?”
“Better,” she replied. “My head doesn’t hurt as much, but my belly is still in knots.”
