“Good girl. Now come and lie down while I give him a call.” I took her hand and led her into the lounge. She sat on the sofa, still clutching the t-shirt across her front. I directed her to lie down and covered her with a blanket from the back of my sofa. She seemed to get a little comfier and relax somewhat, which I was pleased to see. “Try and rest sweetheart. I’m going to call Jack. Don’t worry, I’ll tell him not to say anything to Matt.” She nodded and closed her eyes, so I slipped through to the kitchen.
“Hey Rob.” Jack greeted on the second ring.
“Hi man. Where are you?” I was antsy, annoyed that I hadn’t just called Jack as soon as I found her. Who knew what shit was in her system?
“Just finished up a shift. Heading home for some shut eye. Why? What’s going on?”
“I need you to come over to mine Jack and whatever you do, don’t tell Matt you’re coming.”
“Why? Is it Lucy? Matt told me she was at yours, something about a nightmare?”
“Yeah, it’s definitely a fucking nightmare.” I said, more under my breath.
“Rob, what the fuck is going on?” Jack demanded.
“Just get round here, please Jack. I’ll explain when you get here.”
“Fine. I’m on my way. Am I gonna need supplies?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Now I’m worried.”
“Just get here as soon as you can.”
“On my way.” With that Jack hung up and I returned to the beauty now fast asleep on my sofa. She seemed peaceful and it was one of the very few times I had seen her that way since I had met her. You could always see in Lucy’s face that she was struggling, that she was in pain and fighting to stay above water. Sure she tried hard to hide it behind that beautiful smile, but I saw it and I longed to take it away for her, to make her as peaceful and content awake as she seemed in that moment as she slept. I sat on my coffee table opposite her, just staring and wishing I could sweep her up and hold her close while she slept. Finally, after what felt like an eternity I heard my front door open and I knew Jack was finally there. I jumped up to intercept him before he woke her.
“Rob, what’s happened?” He demanded as soon as he saw me.
“Ssssh, Lucy’s sleeping,” I whispered hurriedly. I indicated for him to follow me through to the kitchen, which he did. He sat at my kitchen table and stared at me, just waiting for me to begin, so I did.
“Lucy called my office about five thirty this morning. I got a message to call her back because she didn’t have my number, so I did. She begged me to go and pick her up from the Hilton in the city.”
“The Hilton? Hotel? What the hell was she doing there?”
“She was a state when I got there Jack. She could barely string enough words together to tell me what had happened. I managed to get her in the car and finally she confessed to me that she’s been having really bad flashbacks for months and she’s really lonely Jack. She’s been slipping out to that dive bar a few blocks over from your building, most evenings when you guys are working.”
“Has she been drinking?” Jack seemed as shocked as I had felt when Lucy told me.
“Yeah, quite a bit. I think she’s seriously depressed Jack.”
“Christ Rob! How the hell have we missed this?”
“That’s not the worst bit Jack. She went to the bar when Matt left for work last night and she got chatting to some older guy. He bought her a load of drinks and she says she got wasted and agreed to go to his hotel with him. Only she blacked out as soon as she got in a cab with him and didn’t come around again until early this morning when she woke up naked next to him in the hotel room.”
“Jesus Rob. You think he spiked her?”
“I’m pretty sure he did.”
“Why so sure?”
“Because of what he did to her, without her having any recollection of it.”
“What are you talking about?” Jack growled.
“I think you need to see it Jack. We should wake her anyway. I want you to check her over, if that fucker did drug her God only knows what harm it could have done.” Jack simply nodded and followed me through to the lounge.
“Sweetheart” I gently tapped Lucy to wake her and her eyes fluttered open. “Jack’s here now. Let him check you over, ok?” She nodded and looked up to Jack who stood behind me. I moved aside and let Jack get to her.
“Hey sweet.” He whispered softly as he crouched down in front of her.
“Oh Jack…..I’m so sorry.” She whimpered as she began to cry again.
“Hey, hey, enough of that. Everything is going to be ok. We’ll sort it out sweet, don’t get upset.” Jack soothed as he pulled her into an embrace.
“Mind her back!” I warned hurriedly and Jack moved so he could see around to the cuts. I saw him study the word and then he turned to look at me again with a look of anger and concern. I gave a slight nod that I understood his feeling.
“Ok sweet, I need to see these cuts properly. Do you think you could lie on your front for me?” Lucy agreed and moved so Jack could tend to her. I sat back and watched as he cleaned the cuts and dressed them so she could put on her t-shirt. He checked for any sign that there were still drugs in her system and took a sample of blood to test for what had been used on her, if anything.
“Are you hurt anywhere else Lucy?” He asked awkwardly. Lucy swallowed hard and looked from Jack, to me and back to Jack again.
“Bruised…..and a little sore, but I’m ok.” She whispered with embarrassment. My jaw ticked with rage, at the thought of her being hurt again.
“No bleeding?”
“No.”
“Ok honey. We’re going to need to take you to the hospital to see a gynaecologist and have that checked out and for some tests. I want to get some swabs taken to check for STIs and I’m going to get you the morning after pill just in case.” I knew he hated making her think such awful things could have happened, but he had to.
“Oh God.” She sobbed. “But there was a condom Jack, in the sink. I can’t be……..can I?” She was in pieces and again all I longed to do was sweep her up and take her away from it all.
“It’s unlikely if a condom was used, but we better be safe honey, ok?”
“I….I suppose so, but I don’t want Matt to know.” She whimpered.
“We’ll go later then when he’s off shift. I’ll get you the pill then too. He doesn’t have to know, but I do think you should tell him.” Jack coaxed.
“I can’t. He’ll be so disappointed. I was supposed to be moving forward. I don’t think this is what he had in mind!” She cried.
“Ok Sweet, calm down. We won’t tell him for now. Just try and relax a little, try to slow your breathing down.” He got her to take some deep breaths and then gave her a handful of antibiotics and painkillers and sat with her until she was once again fast asleep.
“So?” I asked when I was sure she was sleeping.
“I’m fairly sure she’s been drugged. Whatever it is it’s still making her sluggish and her pupils are very dilated. I’ll take the blood for testing as soon as I leave here, and we’ll find out for sure. The cuts on her back aren’t that deep, they’ll heal, but they were made with a sharp blade. This guy has serious issues. Who was he?”
“I don’t know, but believe me, I am going to find out!” I said with anger.
“Good, this guy needs taking care of. I highly doubt Lucy is the first girl he’s put through this.”
“Don’t worry. I’m on it. I’ll take care of this fucker! What about her sneaking off to the that bar and the drinking? You think she’s depressed?”
“I haven’t noticed anything up until now. She’s really good at putting a brave face on it, but I think you might be right, she may be suffering some depression. I’ll keep an eye on her and I need to talk to her about it all when she’s calmer, but there are meds we can try if she is struggling. Now that we know, we can help. We just need to watch her a lot more closely. She’s obviously not as ok as we all t
hought she was. She needs us more than we realised. It’d be easier if we told Matt.”
“She made me promise I wouldn’t Jack. She thinks she’s let him down and she doesn’t want to disappoint him again”
“I hope you told her that’s bullshit!”
“Of course I did, but she fragile and I don’t want to push her. She’ll tell Matt eventually, but right now she’s not ready and I think for her sake we have to respect that. Matt will be pissed when he finds out, but eventually he’ll understand.”
“I get it man, but I’m gonna need your help if we’re not telling him. She needs us to be there for her as much as possible. I don’t want her left alone more than absolutely necessary in the state she is, and you know I can’t be there all of the time.”
“I know Jack and I’m all in. Whatever she needs, I’m there.” I said firmly.
“Jesus Rob, we should have seen this coming. I can’t believe we didn’t!”
“I think, like you said, we all just assumed she was stronger than she is and less messed up than she is. The bruises might have healed, but the mental scars obviously run deep.”
“Yeah, I’m realising that now.”
If only we’d all realised it a lot sooner, maybe we could have spared her the added pain she’d been forced to suffer that day. No more assuming where Lucy was concerned. I knew now, she was in pieces, tiny pieces and I would do all I could to help her put them back together.
***
“Mason! Why the fuck have I not received the hotel background checks yet?!” I yelled at my cell on hands free in my car. I had just dropped Lucy off with Matt back at their apartment. She had still been quiet and distant, but she assured me she would be fine with Matt and I was glad for that because I had something else to take care of!
“I have all of the background checks boss, but there’s just one I can’t get anywhere with.”
“Why not?”
“This guy had a room for one night in the name Steve Cotton. He booked it with a fake passport and paid cash. I have a photo from the ID, but this guys a ghost. I ran him through every database we have and nothing.”
“That’s him, it must be. That’s the guy I’m looking for. Keep digging Mason. I’m on my way in now.” Goddamn sonofabitch! He’d used a fake ID! This obviously wasn’t his first rodeo! You can run fucker, but you can’t hide! I’d get him, that much I knew. I wouldn’t stop until I had made him pay!
LUCY
I was falling apart once again. I had been home with Matt for a few hours and the flashbacks had really kicked in. I could feel Phil’s hands on me, the heat of his venomous words in my face, I felt each and every blow as he hit and kicked me. I needed to make it stop, but I couldn’t. Rob had been unsure about leaving me when he dropped me off because he was worried this would happen, but I had sent him away saying I would be fine. Now more than anything I wished he were there.
Jack had picked me up a couple of hours ago and we’d been to the hospital to see the gynaecologist. She had been kind and done an exam, confirming some very rough sex had taken place the previous night. I still had no idea if I had been awake or not and had completely broken down when she told me the specifics of my injuries. She had taken samples and blood tests to check for STIs and other nasties, then Jack had taken me to get a morning after pill. I had just cried throughout the whole ordeal and I was so grateful for Jack being there with me. He had held me and reassured me throughout. I had fought to gather myself in the car on the way home. I knew Matt would be at the apartment when I got home, and I didn’t want him seeing I was upset. Jack had told him we were going for ice cream and so I needed to look like I’d had fun when I got back.
“You sure you’re going to be ok sweet? I can stay with you. Matt’s asleep anyway.” Jack asked when he walked me through to my room at the apartment. I wanted to take him up on that offer, not wanting to be alone, but he looked beyond exhausted. I knew he’d worked all night and he really needed to sleep.
“I’m sure. I think I’ll just get some sleep too.” I lied. No way was I sleeping.
“Ok, but just call me if you need me. I’m only next door.” He said as he held me tight.
“I will. Thank you for being there with me. I love you Jack.” I whispered as I fought to hold back more tears.
“I love you too.” He replied. He gave me one more squeeze then pulled away. “Get some sleep. I’ll call round later.” I nodded and he smiled once more reassuringly, then left, closing the door behind him.
A couple of hours later and I longed for him or Rob to come back. Things were getting very dark in my mind and I was losing my fight to cling to the present. Terrifying flashbacks of Phil were invading my mind and I couldn’t seem to claw my way out of the darkness. I was curled up in the corner of my room, trapped in the horror that was my life four months ago and unable to escape. I tried to focus on something to take my thoughts from that monster, and there was only one person I wanted to see to take Phil from my thoughts, Rob. I tried to imagine those eyes, that smile, tried to picture him and the feeling he gave me each time I saw him. As though he knew I needed him, I saw his name flash up on the new mobile phone he had left for me when he dropped me off earlier.
“Rob?” I cried as I hurriedly answered.
“Hey sweetheart. I hope I’m not disturbing you, I just wanted to see how you were doing?” The sound of his deep, strong voice brought me out of the flashback a little and I tried to cling to it.
“I…..I’m not great Rob.” I admitted.
“Did Jack come to take you to the hospital?”
“Yeah. It was…..r-really horrible.” I whimpered.
“I’m sorry honey. I’m so sorry you have to go through any of this.” Rob almost growled.
“They won’t go away Rob…..I keep seeing him….feeling him hurting me. I can’t get him out of my damn head.” I sobbed.
“Tell me what you need sweetheart.” Rob urged.
“Can you…….would you just talk to me for a while? Please.”
“What about?”
“Anything. Your voice….it’ll help.” I whimpered.
“Ok honey, Just try and breathe and focus on my words, ok? Block everything else out” I collapsed back on the floor against my bed and thought about every word that he said, just trying to hold on to every one of them, each one pulling me further out of hell. “So, I’m on my way home again now. I’ve been up since about eight am yesterday morning and I am totally beat. I’m going to hit the shower and collapse into bed for a few hours before I head out to do a job tonight. You still with me Lucy?”
“Yeah……yes, I’m here Rob. Please don’t stop.” I whispered tearfully.
“Well my job tonight is one of the weird ones. It’s for this lady who came to see me about a month ago. She thought her husband was having an affair and she asked me to get her proof so she could file for divorce. It’s not really the type of work we do, but the lady was paying well, and I couldn’t turn it down. Anyway, one of my guys followed the husband for a couple of days and found nothing unusual until one night he checked into a really cheap motel just out of the city. We thought he was going to meet a woman there and that would be job done with a few photos. So my guy staked out the room for an hour or so until he started to hear really loud music. He went to the window for a closer look and there in the room was the guy dressed as some kind doll! He had on a full rubber suit and mask, like some kind of giant Barbie doll. My guy was so freaked out he got out of there sharpish. Now I have to go back tonight and get his wife photos of him all dolled up as Barbie, so she can file for divorce on different grounds, like the guys a fruit loop!” I was giggling at Rob’s story, actually giggling with a genuine smile on my face for the first time in months and the flashback was gone.
“That’s so creepy Rob! Why would he do that?”
“Apparently it’s like some kind of fetish or whatever. There are whole companies that make these rubber outfits!” Rob chuckled.
“Oh my God!
No way! I can’t believe you’re going back. You’re mad!” I laughed and he was laughing too, suddenly we were having a normal, albeit a very odd topic, but happy conversation.
“You’d be amazed the things I’ve seen in this business sweetheart” Rob joked. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah, it stopped. Your voice, it brought me back.” I admitted.
“Good, that’s good Lucy. You call me anytime if they start again, ok?”
“What if you’re staring in Mr Weirdo’s window?”
“Then I’ll call you back on facetime so you can have a good look.” He joked, making me smile again.
“Don’t you dare! That is one freak I do not need to see, thank you very much!”
“It’s nice to hear you laugh Lucy. I want to hear a lot more of that.”
“You and me both.” I sighed.
“Hey, how about me and you spend the day together tomorrow? I can take you to the mall and we could do some shopping, get some lunch and maybe catch a movie or something? What do you think?”
“I’d like that, but when will you sleep?”
“I won’t be long getting the photos tonight and then I’ll get to bed. I’ll pick you up about ten if that’s ok?”
“If you’re sure. I don’t want to take you away from work or anything?”
“Honey, it’s my company. I can have a snow day whenever I want.” He joked, making me smile for a record number of times.
“Ok Rob, you’re on. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too honey. See you in the morning. Get a good sleep, ok?”
“Ok” I agreed and then he said goodbye and was gone. I sat for a while just holding the phone as if it was actually a piece of Rob. Shopping, dinner and a movie, was that a date? No stupid! Of course it’s not a date! He’s so far out of your league it’s unbelievable. He just feels sorry for you after today. Stop dreaming of the impossible and just have a nice day with a friend! I may be becoming unable to deny my feelings for Rob, but it didn’t mean he felt anything near the same.
ROB
Oh fuck! That sounded like a date didn’t it? Had I just asked her out on a date? Had she just agreed to go on a date with me? If she had that meant she was interested in me too, didn’t it? I felt like a confused, lovesick teenager all over again. This wasn’t me; I wasn’t a nervous man. If I wanted to take a woman out I was confident about it and I’d never been turned down yet, but Lucy was different. She wasn’t some passing pretty face I thought I could have fun with. I was falling in love with her, I wanted her to be mine so I could love, care and protect her forever. I wanted to marry her before I’d even dated her! It was crazy really, but I just knew she was it for me from the moment I set eyes on her. I also knew that she was far from ready for some idiot to try and date her after everything she had been through. And then there was Matt too. Judging by his tone on the phone earlier that day, when I told him Lucy was with me, he didn’t like the idea of me dating his sister. He’d kill me!
Something Other than Fear Page 16
