I stare at him. Not really sure what to say.
“I was pregnant,” I blurt out. “Twice.”
Dane’s head whips up to stare at me. I can see a rush of thoughts and feelings pass across his face. Confusion seems to be the one he settles on because his brows furrow and his eyes narrow. I can’t say I blame him. Even I’m confused. I’m not quite sure why I blurted that out, other than I wanted him to know he doesn’t have to explain anything to me, for me to be his friend. My friendship doesn’t come with any clauses, except being a good and true friend.
So I take a deep breath and decide to start explaining my life, or at least the important parts, so he can get to know me better. It’s what he seems to want. I have nothing to hide anymore. I want to let him in. I only made a resolution thirty minutes ago that I was going to start living, and that means opening up and trusting. I already feel safe with Dane.
“Most of the things, big and small, good and bad, that have happened in my life are connected with Con.” I almost miss it when he lets a low growl slip out his mouth. I look over at him and see a scowl on his face. “Dane, you need to understand, Con has never really done anything to hurt me. Some of the shit I’m going to tell you, he doesn’t even know.” I close my eyes and draw in a long breath through my nose. I’m not sure I should be telling him any of this. I haven’t even told Con or Soph most of what I am about to say. I shake my head.
“Pea?” He startles me when he says my name. I was lost in my internal battle. I look up at him. “Pea, listen, you don’t need to tell me anything. Don’t get me wrong, I want to know about you, but in your own time and when you’re ready. You don’t rush me, and I will never rush you.” I can see sincerity in his face.
I’m trying to work out what I need to say to him when the doorbell rings. I glance up at the clock and it’s nearly 10:00 p.m. It’s certainly unusual to have a caller at this time of night.
I move to get up when Dane speaks, “Pea, I’ll get it. Don’t know who the fuck would be knocking at this time of night.” As he strides out of the room I chuckle to myself, it’s not like its 1:00 a.m. and what does he think I do when I’m here by myself? That’s what I have a peep hole in the door for. I mean hell, what if I fancy a pizza at 11:00 p.m.?
I hear him open the door then say, “Fuck Soph!”
I’m out of my chair and striding to the door immediately, wondering what on earth would bring Soph to my door at 10:00 p.m. without calling first. Before I get through the lounge door to the hall, Dane is walking toward me with Soph in his arms. Her eyes are closed. She has scratches across her face and what looks like a bruise coming up on her forehead, and blood is trickling from a cut on her bottom lip.
I stand staring at the sight before me for a minute, then I snap back to reality when Dane lays Soph on the sofa and turns to me. “Pea, get some warm water and something to clean her up, but for fuck’s sake call an ambulance first!”
“No… no… no, hospitals,” Soph murmurs in a stutter.
Dane turns around and says softly, “Soph, babe, you may have concussion or internal bleeding. Your ribs could be broken. Fuck… anything! We need to get you checked out.”
He whips his head around to me. “Pea!” he reprimands.
I twist around and grab my phone, place a call for the ambulance and then go to the kitchen and grab anything I think might help while we wait for the professionals to arrive.
Dane is surprisingly good at this stuff. He cleans her face while softly telling her everything will be fine. I watch him gently stroking her hair from her eyes. I feel slightly helpless, but also know there’s nothing that I can do that he isn’t already doing, and I need to listen out for the paramedics to arrive.
I hear a bang on the door and practically run to fling it open. The earlier idea of the peephole at this time of night, completely forgotten. Thankfully, it’s the ambulance. I’ve been getting more concerned for Soph as the minutes have been ticking by.
I show them into the lounge room and then stand out of the way while they work on her. Every time they pull her this way or that and she whimpers, Dane growls. It makes me wonder if there has ever been more than a working relationship with the two of them. I know from Soph mentioning work before and people names in passing that he’s the Public Relations Director within the modelling agency she worked for. What he actually does to earn that title I have no idea. Of course, now she’s freelance, she can afford her personal manager, but she still works with Dane’s company occasionally.
“She seems to have sustained a bump to the head, which we need to make sure she isn’t concussed from. She has some bumps and bruising, but it doesn’t look like there’s anything broken. We’re going to take her to the hospital for a doctor to check her over,” one of the paramedics says as he looks between me and Dane.
“That sounds good. Better to be safe,” Dane answers him.
“Yes, of course,” he replies. “Would one of you like to come in the ambulance with her?”
My eyes widen and I look at Dane to see he’s staring at me blankly.
“I… I… Maybe you should?” I start, but he cuts into my rambling, “Pea, you go with her and I’ll follow in the car,” he states not allowing any room for manoeuvring.
“Dane,” I hiss as the paramedics are dealing with putting Soph on a stretcher, so they can carry her out. He looks at me and narrows his eyes, then he walks over and grabs me by the elbow to steer me slightly out of earshot of the others.
“Pea, I know you freak out… I know!” He pulls his hand down his face and sighs. “Look she needs you. But if you want, you can get in the car with me, seeing as you have managed that before?” he says resigned.
I look over at her as they carry her out on a stretcher and then look up to the ceiling thinking about being upstairs in my bedroom only one hour ago, deciding I was going to get myself back to being the woman I used to be.
“No, I’ll go with her. She needs me. She needs a good friend, and that’s exactly what I’m going to be from now on,” I answer him.
He smiles down at me with what looks like pride shining in his eyes. Then I turn away, grab my bag and jacket and quickly pop my Uggs on aware that I didn’t put socks or any underwear on before coming downstairs from the bath to answer the door, but who cares? No one is going to know I’m going commando, I hope.
We make our way to the door and I snag my keys. I walk over to the ambulance, just as they’ve put her in, and take a couple of deep breaths then step up onto the metal stairs to get into the back. Dane is behind me waiting in case I need any help. I glance around at him.
“Dane. Go… get your car so you can meet us there as soon as possible. Don’t stay here to help me. She needs us more.”
He tries to read me for a beat, but then nods and spins around on his heel and jogs to his car. I turn around and take the second step and get myself seated, before the paramedic pulls up the temporary steps, shuts the back door, and we’re off.
When we get to the hospital everything seems like it’s on fast-forward. Before I know it, Soph has been taken into a room and I’m waiting outside. I hear footsteps coming toward me and see from the corner of my eye that Dane has arrived. He walks across and envelopes me in a hug.
“You did great, sunshine,” he whispers.
I look up to him and feel tears slipping down my cheeks. “What happened to her, Dane?” I turn my face into his chest and he rocks me gently making me feel safe.
I feel his head jerk and look up to see the doctor walking toward us. “Are you here for Sophie Rawlings?” he asks and I nod at the same time Dane says, “Yes.”
“Are you her family?” he questions and without batting an eyelid Dane answers, “Yes, this is her sister, Pearson.” The doctor nods and accepts the lie and continues, “Okay, well she has cuts and bruises, the main one being on her forehead. She has a slight concussion, enough that I’m going to keep her in tonight. She’s sprained her wrist which I have strapped up,” he pauses then c
ontinues, “She doesn’t seem to have any internal injuries. We also checked for any signs of rape.” I feel Dane turn as stiff as a statue next to me. “Thankfully there was no sign of rape. Do you have any idea what happened? It would help to know if there’s anything else I should be looking for.”
“She came to my house tonight in that state. I have no idea what happened,” I answer.
“But we’re sure as hell going to find out,” Dane states through gritted teeth. I look down and see his knuckles are white. “Can we see her?” he asks.
“Yes, but visiting hours are long over and she will be taken to a ward shortly. So you won’t have long,” he replies, then he looks down at me and whatever he sees makes his face soften.
“Your sister will be fine. Before she gets moved, ask the nurse who is dealing with her where they’re taking her and the visiting hours. Please also make sure she has your contact details.” Then without a backward glance he walks off. I stand there thinking how busy doctors must be in accident and emergency. This is small fries to them, to me it’s half of my current world. With Con currently lost to me and Saul not around, I only have Soph and Dane. I need them both. They’re my family.
“Come on, let’s go see her,” Dane says and gestures me toward the door with one hand while he places the other at the small of my back and urges me forward.
When we go in the room Soph is laying in the bed with her eyes closed. She has some nasty bruising around her face and a gauze over her hairline. She also has some tape covering some of the nastier smaller cuts on her face. She opens her eyes and there’s a vacant expression in them.
“Soph?” I say more like a question, unsure of what the look on her face means.
She blinks and it’s like a light flashes on behind her eyes. “Pea,” she breathes out my name in a raspy voice.
“Do you want some water, sweetheart?” I ask.
“No thanks, can I have a Diet Coke?”
I smile. “Sure, whatever you want.” I turn to leave.
“Wait!” Soph calls, I spin around and notice an alarmed look spreading across her face. “Please, don’t leave me,” she pleads.
“It’s okay, Soph. I’ll get your Coke,” Dane pipes up from the back of the room. Soph jerks like she’s only just realised he was there, but she says nothing. Dane slips out and she just stares at the door.
“Hey Soph, what’s going on?” I ask while taking a seat next to her and grabbing hold of her hand.
“I just… I just forgot he was at your house. It surprised me is all.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Soph,” I say to gain her attention back to me. When she looks at me I press the issue. “Soph, what happened tonight?”
“I don’t know. I think I know but it’s a bit fuzzy,” she answers.
“What do you remember?” I reply at the same time Dane walks back into the room.
Soph looks up at him while he opens her Coke and pours some into a plastic cup that he’s acquired from somewhere.
He passes it to her. “Here Soph, take a sip.”
She tentatively takes the cup from his hands and sips. As she tries to drink, it becomes obvious that she needs to sit up. Dane moves to help her, but as he goes to take hold of her she flinches. Although we both notice the flinch, Soph doesn’t try to stop him from helping her, but Dane stops instantly and steps back, clenching his fists. Then he turns to look at me and says softly, “Do you want to come over here and help Soph sit up, sunshine?” I can see Soph visibly relax.
I move to help her sit up then squeeze my bum onto the side of her bed.
“Do you want to tell us what happened tonight, Soph?” Dane questions, obviously tired of waiting for answers. I glance at the clock and see it's now 11.40 p.m.
I grab Soph’s hand and stroke the back of it with my thumb.
“I went out,” she starts, “to that bar, Vox.” She fiddles with her blankets while we wait patiently, not wanting to push her. “I started dating this guy…” With that statement, she glances at Dane, who’s standing behind me. Soph looks back to me and continues, “A couple of weeks ago this guy from one of my workplaces, Wes…” as she says his name she glances very quickly to Dane and then back. Dane growls.
I then interrupt, “Soph, why haven’t you said anything to me?”
“Sorry Pea, I didn’t want to bother you as you have your own thing going on and I haven’t seen you that much, and when we have seen each other we’ve been caught up in other stuff.” She looks at me sheepishly and then it becomes clear how much of a bad friend I’ve become. While moaning that I only have a limited amount of people there for me and yet here I am, all take and no give. Shit! And Soph is the one feeling guilty?
“Soph,” I say quietly. “Don’t feel bad not telling me. I’ve been a shit friend lately, but I’ve seen the error of my ways, trust me!” I lean over and give her a light hug, not wanting to hurt her.
“So what does dickweed Wes, have to do with tonight?” Dane ask stiffly.
She looks across at him and swallows. I gain her attention by rubbing the back of her hand again.
“So, Wes wanted me to meet him tonight at Vox,” she starts again.
“That little prick wanted you to meet him there? He wasn’t coming to pick you up?” Dane asks really pissed off now.
“Yeah, he wanted me to meet him Dane, but the thing was that I wasn’t feeling great so at first I said no, but he was pissed off with me and said he couldn’t rely on me for anything.”
I can now feel Dane’s anger emanating from him like it has its own presence in the room.
“I thought I’d better get ready and meet him like he wanted. It took me a bit longer than usual because I was feeling shit. Anyway when I got there Wes was with a group of people and had two women hanging off him. I stopped in front of him, and you know what I’m like, I was pissed, so I asked him what the fuck he thought he was doing. He laughed in my face and told me he had no use for me anymore and I was dismissed. Those were his exact words. Fucking arse!” Although I’m stunned at what is transpiring I’m glad to hear the fight back in Soph’s voice, it means she’s not completely broken. Dane, on the other hand, is now breathing through his nose. I can hear his measured breaths while he’s trying to contain himself.
Soph then starts again, “I went outside of the bar, needing to get away. I couldn’t find my phone and realised with not being well, and in my haste to get out of the house, I’d left it at home.” She looks at the hand I’m not holding. “I stupidly walked. Just wanting to get away from the humiliation as quickly as possible. My plan was to find a passing taxi,” she stops for a moment then takes a breath and shakily continues, “I’m not sure what happened? I know that I was grabbed from behind, a hand was put over my mouth and a guy whispered in my ear something along the lines of, ‘If I was quiet and kept facing forward I would get away alive’.”
Suddenly I feel the atmosphere in the room change. I glance around and see Dane, his eyes are cold, hard and flinty I can hear his teeth grinding and his fists are held so tightly that I can see the whites of his knuckles.
“I thought he was going to rob me, so I figured I should do exactly what he said. It was then I realised that wasn’t his plan, he reached under my dress and ripped my underwear from my body.” Soph starts to cry and Dane explodes.
“Fuck!” He punches the wall three times, making large dents in the plaster. His knuckles are bleeding now, and he’s standing but pacing trying to calm himself down.
I look back at Soph to see her sobs have subsided enough that she’s about to carry on, “I couldn’t, Pea. I just couldn’t let him violate me. I freaked out. When I say freaked out I mean I was like a savage monkey. I clawed and scratched, kicked and tried to punch, I did everything I could to get away. I must’ve been too much hassle for him, thank fuck because he pushed me to the ground and took off. The only problem with that was he really used force when he pushed me and I smacked my head hard against the kerb. I felt my
body relax while small bright lights were sparkling before my eyes and then darkness. I must’ve been out for a bit, and when I came round I was scared shitless and just ran most of the way here.”
“Where were you when this happened?” Dane asks in a clipped voice.
“Erm… I think I was near that new bank they opened last week.”
With her answer, Dane storms out of the room already holding his phone to his ear ringing someone. Blood still dripping down to the floor from his hand.
“Well,” I say and turn to Soph.
I don’t think the hospital staff will be too happy with him if they see him using his phone,” Soph pipes up and we stare at each other for just a second or two and both burst out laughing, and as the laughter subsides I feel tears well in my eyes.
“Soph, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there tonight. I’m sorry that I didn’t take the time to find out what’s been going on with you lately. I’m sorry that I haven’t taken into consideration that you, as well as me, have lost both Saul and Con lately.” She closes her eyes in pain with that statement and I finish on a whisper, “Mainly I’m sorry I’ve been such an awful friend.”
Tears well in her eyes. “Pea, I love you. You’re not a bad friend. You just need to let me in sometimes.”
We hug and I can’t let her go. A few minutes later a nurse walks in.
“Right, you’re being transferred to the ward for the night. The doctor will reassess you in the morning to see whether you can go home.” She smiles.
“I suppose that means I have to leave?” I ask hoping she’ll let me stay.
“Sorry, yes, you’ll have to leave. She is going to the ward now and most of the patients will probably already be asleep. There aren’t facilities for you to stay I’m afraid.”
Mmm… no such luck!
“It’s fine Pea, I’ll be okay,” Soph says with a crooked grin.
“Just make sure you’re back here tomorrow.” She winks and I feel my chest expand. She’s going to be okay because she’s a fighter and I can see that fighting spirit in her right now.
Love Reflection (Entwined Hearts Series Book 1) Page 11
