“That’s good enough,” the doctor told Alex.
His hands shook as he stepped back. The adrenaline that had fueled him earlier had dissipated. He was only left with his own strength, which faltered. It was difficult to see Danielle go through so much. He felt helpless. Danielle’s hand in his, they watched as their child came on the screen.
Danielle gripped him harder when she faintly saw a heartbeat. Our baby’s still alive. Her eyelids began to get heavier. She wanted a nap. They told her to stay awake because she had a possible concussion, although the scan showed no injury. The bruise on her forehead was evidence of the possibility, though.
“We found some things we need to talk about.” The doctor put the wand down and adjusted Danielle’s gown. She waited for their attention, and then continued, “During my exam, I found extensive evidence of long-term sexual abuse.” She paused for an explanation but didn’t get one. “There’s damage to her cervix.”
Alex muttered, “The fucking bastard.”
Dr. White saw fear in Danielle’s eyes and anger in Alex’s. He was obviously not the abuser. “Is there going to be a case for the abuse as well?”
“Same fucking guy!” Alex yelled, unable to control his anger. Then: “Sorry.”
“OK. Then I will hand over my findings with the rape kit.” She put a hand over theirs. “The cervix damage could cause an issue with the pregnancy. If weakened enough, it may not support the baby to term. You need to report pain, cramps, bleeding or anything unusual to her doctor quickly.” The doctor looked at the frightened girl in front of her. She hoped she would be OK. “And get her in counseling. Maybe for the both of you.”
Alex squeezed Danielle’s hand and kissed her unblemished right cheek. “You’ll have everything you need, babe.”
“The policemen in the hallway are waiting to talk to you two.” She hoped Danielle could handle it. “They already interviewed your brother and your mother.”
He kissed Danielle’s hand. “My mom should have clothes for you. I’ll be right back.”
Danielle watched Alex leave the room. He had barely a scratch on him. Fear welled up. Brian was at the hospital too. Then she realized he was in police custody. She shivered and hoped he would stay there. He knew how to work the law to his advantage. He had gotten out of several tickets that way.
Alex found almost his entire family in the waiting room. Most of them stood up as he approached. The looks on their faces told him they needed to know her condition. He hadn’t been out there once yet, although Nathan had come in several times to check on them.
“They’re both gonna be fine.” He felt relief as he said it. He finally believed it. Then exhaustion hit him. “She needs clothes—”
Nathan rushed to put a shoulder under Alex before he collapsed. He caught him just in time. “You need to sit and relax.” Michael helped Nathan set Alex in a chair. “Carol, get him a soda.” He looked into Alex’s eyes. “I’ll take you guys home. So you can get some sleep.”
* * *
Danielle jumped at the knock on the door. The nurse opened it a crack and spoke softly to someone. Then it opened wider, and a man came in the room.
“Ma’am, we need to take your statement.” The detective took a few cautious steps toward the bed, aware the situation. He took out his identification. “I’m Detective Marshall.” He took out a pad and paper, since he was an old school kind of detective. “I want to hear your side. OK?”
Dr. White glanced over to make sure he kept his distance. The last thing Danielle needed was more stress. “Do you want to sit up, Danielle?” she asked as she moved next to the bed. While she helped her up, she looked at the detective. “My report will show all her injuries, including several previous ones the perpetrator caused.”
* * *
Nathan put a cheeseburger in Alex’s open hand. He was sure he had not eaten in hours and had already refused several times. “You gotta eat something, man. You almost passed out before.”
“I’m fine,” Alex insisted. It wasn’t true. His head pounded, and he was hungry.
Michael, the oldest, felt he needed to lend a hand. He stood in front of Alex. “Eat it before Mom starts nagging you.” He smirked when Alex gave him a half-smile, and then took a bite. With a hand on Alex’s shoulder, he said, “We’re all here for you guys.”
They talked quietly for a while. Then suddenly, shouts came from beyond the triage rooms. Alex looked up. A policeman and several security guards ran toward the noise. Alex stood, worried about Danielle. Then he started to walk to the entrance. What the fuck’s going on?
Minutes later, Brian emerged from the area, gripped by police officers and screamed, “I didn’t do anything!”
Alex scowled. Anger washed over him.
“He did it. I swear!” Brian struggled to break free from the officer’s grip on his arms. They couldn’t handcuff him because one wrist was in a cast.
Nathan was right behind Alex. He grabbed him just as Alex lunged at Brian. “He’s not worth it.” Alex tried to shrug him off, but Nathan held tight. “She needs you.”
Alex sighed. His brother was right. He had already given Brian some payback. The rest would be a long jail sentence. When they had removed Brian from the building, he pulled away from Nathan. “I’m OK.” He turned to his family. “I’m gonna go check on her.”
* * *
Danielle saw her room door open. “Alex!” she cried out. The questions had brought it all back, and then Brian… She held out a hand and closed her eyes when he grasped it. “Where is he?”
“It’s OK.” Alex hugged her head to his chest gently. “He’s gone.”
She sobbed, “He… He…”
Detective Marshall stood up. “The guy ran in here a bit ago when a nurse opened the door. He’s off his freaking rocker. He tried to strangle her with me right here.” He waited for a minute to see if Danielle had anything else to say. “Let me know when you’re ready to give yours, Alex.” He placed a business card on the counter next to the bed, and then left the room. “I’ll wait around for a few more minutes.”
* * *
Within 30 minutes, Alex wheeled Danielle to his car. Aware of how his brother drove when angry, Nathan sat in the driver’s seat, while Alex got Danielle into the back seat. Carol was to follow them, along with Sara in case she got lost.
An hour into their trip, Danielle woke up from a nightmare. “I’m gonna be sick!” she shouted from the back seat.
Alex scrambled to get her an empty fast food bag. He climbed into the back just in time. Then he held her as she cried. He wished he could make it better somehow.
“She OK?” Nathan looked in the rearview mirror. “Do you need me to get off at the next exit?”
Danielle’s eyes met Alex’s as he lifted her chin. “I have to pee.”
“Yeah. Bathroom break.” Alex kissed her nose, and then reached up front for the bottle of water his mom had given him. “You need to drink something.”
* * *
When they arrived at the campus, after the three-hour journey, it was almost 9:00 Sunday morning. Nathan pulled everyone’s bags out of the trunk while Carol parked their rental in the next spot. “Alex, what room you in?”
“218,” Alex whispered and lifted Danielle out of the car.
Nathan looked at the pile of backpacks and duffel bags. Then he grumbled to himself, “Great, had to be the second floor, huh?” He put on a backpack and threw two straps over his shoulder before Carol grabbed the other two.
“We can help, you know.” Carol looked at him with bags under her eyes. She was exhausted. One bag in each hand, she headed for the dorm building.
Sara put a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “You did good today. Relax.”
Nathan gave her a half-smile. “Thanks.” He glanced at Alex, who climbed the few steps to the front door. “He really grew up these last few months. Didn’t he?”
“Yep.” Sara watched Alex carefully open the door. “If anyone told me last month Alex would fall in
love, I would’ve laughed. She’s his whole world now.”
Alex lay Danielle on his bed and cocooned her in the blanket. His phone had gone off twice while he carried her. He pulled it out and saw Marie’s picture. Quickly, he called her back.
“Oh my God, Alex. What fucking happened?” Marie was frantic. “I just saw your mom, and she was crying. Your sister told me Brian was here, and Danielle was in the hospital. Why the hell didn’t you call me?”
Alex pulled the phone away from his ear as she went on about how worried she was when he didn’t come to the party. “Marie, chill out,” he said, a bit louder than he expected. He waited for her to be quiet, and then continued, “Brian broke into our room.”
Nathan stopped at the door when he heard Alex’s voice. He nodded to Carol and Sara, who also stayed in the hallway.
Alex glanced at Danielle and took a deep breath, glad Brian didn’t have her too long. “He beat her and tried to kill her.” His anger built again. “The dickhead threatened to kill the baby, too. She’s OK, though, for the most part.” He noticed the crowd at the door and waved them in.
Marie let out the breath she held in. “You stopped him, I’m guessing.”
“Yeah, and then security hit him with Tasers.” Alex grinned, when he remembered Brian’s screams. “They arrested him, finally.”
Logan woke up to the noise. “Who’s on the phone?”
“Alex.” Marie covered the mouthpiece. “Brian came back and tried to kill Danielle.”
Eyes open wide, Logan sat up fast. He grabbed the phone. “Do you need me? Anything I can do?”
With a sigh, Alex replied, “Just come back to school. She’s in bed now. The fucking asshole was gonna rape her again, man.” He struggled to keep his emotions in check, but he was always able to open up around Logan. “He tried to kill my Danielle. I want to kill him.”
“OK, calm down.” Logan kept his voice even. “Where is he?”
“Jail.”
Logan let out a long breath. “That’s good. What’d you do to him?” He expected to hear his best friend was about to be arrested for attempted murder.
“Not what I wanted.” Alex seethed within. “I broke his hand and his nose, maybe a rib or two.” He glanced at Danielle, who was sound asleep. “When you see her, it’s gonna shock you.”
Nathan put a hand on his shoulder when his brother put the phone down. “You gotta stop thinking about it.” He looked at Carol, who moved closer to Danielle. “We need to take a walk. Come on.” He forced Alex into the hallway. “She’ll be fine. You, on the other hand, need to blow off some steam.” They went out of the room.
Danielle awoke with a groan. Then she realized she was in bed. “Alex…”
“He’ll be right back.” Carol sat on the bed. “Nathan took him outside.” She brushed Danielle’s hair from her face. “Knowing my husband, they’re going for a run.”
Sara sat on the other side of the bed. “Can I get you anything?”
Danielle’s eyes closed, and she mumbled, “A drink, please.”
Carol looked around the room. “I heard Alex talking about a refrigerator.” She double-checked the far wall, and then saw it. It was used as a TV stand. “There.” She pointed it out. “He should have something for her in it.”
* * *
Nathan and Alex ran, just as Carol thought. Alex pushed himself, which meant Nathan was near his breaking point. He didn’t run every day like his younger brother did.
“God…” Nathan gasped for air. “Need… Break… Please…” He panted heavily, desperate to ease the pain in his limbs. When Alex finally slowed, Nathan collapsed to the ground. “Damn, you got fast.”
Alex laughed as his brother whined. “You’re just slow…” He paused as he watched Nathan struggle. “…and old.”
With a scowl, Nathan swatted at Alex’s leg. “Fuck you!” He was glad the run had gotten his mind off the past few hours. “If I played football, I’d be as fast as you.”
“Hell no, you wouldn’t.” Alex jogged in place, still full of energy. “Get up. Let’s go, old man.” His mind was clear for the first time in several days. Working out usually helped him. “Come on. I can’t be gone too long.”
* * *
When Alex arrived at the door to his room, he glanced down the hall. His big brother panted and slowly followed him. With a huge smile, he turned the knob. Then reality hit again. The cuts and bruises on Danielle’s face reminded him how bad their night had been.
Immediately he lay next to her and caressed her cheek gently. With a hand in her hair, he softly kissed her lips. “I love you, babe.” He looked up at Carol and whispered, “Did she sleep the whole time?”
“Basically.” Carol looked to Sara. “I had to give her more pain pills. She said the aches are pretty bad.”
Sara quickly added, “She’ll heal fast, Alex. Don’t worry.” She knew her baby brother would smother her until she was well again.
“Maybe we should get going.” Carol stood. “You guys don’t need us around anymore.”
Nathan walked in and held onto the door. “I… need… a… nap… Shit!” He gulped air and didn’t continue until he could keep his voice steady. “You girls drive. I’m sleeping in the back seat.”
Alex got up and hugged them all. When he held his brother, he gripped him tightly. “Thanks for being here for me. I couldn’t have gotten through it without you.”
Sara put her arms around them both. “Call us if you need anything.” She kissed Alex on the cheek. “Give me an update on her later.” She worried her little brother would be lost alone with what had happened. “When’s your roommate coming home?”
“They’re on their way.” Alex took a deep breath as he stepped back from everyone. “I’m glad you all came back with us. If she wasn’t asleep, I’d show you around or something.”
Carol put a hand on his back. “We understand.” She smiled when he turned to her. “Next time, it’ll be under better circumstances.”
As soon as they were gone, Alex sighed. Unable to leave her alone, he stripped off his sweat-soaked clothes, rubbed his body down with a dry towel and crawled under the blanket with her. He was exhausted, mind and body. After he carefully wrapped his arms and legs around her, he finally let himself relax. She was safe and his. All his.
Chapter 25
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Alex asked as he stood behind Danielle.
She looked into the dresser mirror at him. “Yeah. I feel a lot better.”
“But it’s only been a week.” Alex slid his hands over her abdomen. “Hell, it’s not even a week yet.”
Neither of them had been to class that week because Dr. White recommended bed rest for the baby’s sake. Alex took that to mean he was to trap her in her room unless she had to use the toilet. Even then, he stood outside the stall. She was so sick of the smothering, she called Carol, who told him to back off. That had been Wednesday.
It was Friday night, and Dave wanted to host an end of the season party. It was tradition, even though they would still play Alabama in the SEC Championship game the next day. Danielle just wanted to get out.
“I’ll sit on the couch the whole time, if it’ll make you feel better.” She stared at her image. Her face healed quickly. Thankfully, Brian had done more damage to her body than her face.
Alex pulled her hair back and winced. The dark purple ring around her neck had faded to yellow and brown, but it was obvious. “You sure you wanna face the questions?” No one but Marie, Logan and Gary had seen what Brian had done to her. Only Alex had seen what wounds lay under her clothes, most of which were almost healed as well. “Not everyone knows what really happened.”
That was true, but only the hermits on campus had not heard how Danielle was taken away in an ambulance during the party that night. Rumors spread like wildfire that Alex attacked her. Most of the students knew of his MMA past and the death that happened at his hands. He didn’t acknowledge them, but the whispers were annoying.
&
nbsp; “I won’t go, either,” he insisted. “We’ll watch a movie.”
She frowned and put her hands on her hips. “I’m tired of being cooped up. I wanna go. I’ll wear a scarf, if it’ll make you feel better.”
He sighed with defeat. “Fine, but if you get tired, we’re going home. Got it?”
“Yep!” She excitedly searched her top drawer for a scarf that matched her outfit. She wrapped a white one with a red rose print around her neck. “Let’s go.” She grabbed Alex’s hand and gently pulled him to the door.
Alex lifted her hand and kissed it while they walked down the hallway. It was the first time they went anywhere without her fear that Brian could discover them. It felt good to be completely open about their relationship. He pulled her closer, and then draped an arm around her shoulders.
She felt secure even though Brian was out on bail. He was home in Fort Lauderdale, and she had a restraining order against him. He knew if he broke it, things would be much worse. With an ankle monitor, she was sure he wouldn’t leave Broward County.
On the other hand, Alex did not trust him for a second. Brian might no longer have a right to Danielle, but he was not about to give up, either. Alex had extra security on campus since the restraining order was issued. His parents paid for it. He also didn’t leave her alone for more than a few minutes. The guard posted in the hallway of their dorm was his doing as well.
Once in the car, Danielle smiled. She was relieved they could act like any other couple. When Alex sat down next to her and patted her hand, she looked at him. “It’s really over. Isn’t it?”
from Pain to Pleasure (Gainesville Book 1) Page 22
