“How about a nice hot shower?” Jackie asked.
Nina picked her head up off Acker’s chest. “Really?” she asked hopefully.
“Really. We’ve got some private rooms available. One of them is just down the end of this hallway. I’ve got some clean scrubs you can change into, or I can run over to my place and get you a change of my clothes. They’ll be a little big on you, but so will the scrubs.”
“Yes, please,” Nina answered.
“You can say no, but, can I make notes of the scars and injuries while you get ready for your shower?” Jackie asked. “It’s my job and it could really help us if we need to serve proof when we take this whole thing public.”
“I don’t want my face shown anywhere.”
“I’m sure you can remain anonymous,” Jackie answered.
“Okay then,” Nina answered reluctantly.
Acker followed Jackie down the hallway with Nina in his arms. When they stepped into the private room, he put her on her feet and stepped back out of the way.
“Come on in the bathroom. It’s usually shared between this room and the next, but I’ve locked the door from the inside so no one can open it. No one is in that room anyway, but just in case,” Jackie said.
Nina threw a glance toward Acker who still stood near the door. “I’m going to be right here when you finish. No matter how long it takes, I'm not leaving you here,” he said, offering her a smile.
“Okay,” she agreed, following Jackie into the bathroom.
Ten minutes later Acker heard the water turn on for the shower, and the bathroom door opened and Jackie walked out. She was clearly shaken.
“She alright?” Acker asked, pushing off the wall and taking a step toward the bathroom.
“I don’t know how she’s even half sane. She’s got scars and cuts and bruises all over her body. She let me snap photos of them on my phone. She got scars on her temple and her cheekbone. When I started to take a picture of them, she stopped me. She said those weren’t from the males or the doctors, they were from before,” Jackie said.
“Before what?” Acker asked.
“I’m guessing that’s why she doesn’t want to go home,” Jackie answered.
“Sonofabitch!” Acker snapped. He paced around the small hospital room, still shirtless with his hands on his hips.
“I’m going to run over to my place and get her some clothes. When I get back, why don’t you go ahead and join your men? You’re too close to this one, Acker. You need some distance before it gets personal,” Jackie said.
Acker stopped pacing and faced Jackie. “Too fucking late for that. This one’s got me. I promised her nothing else would hurt her, and nothing will.”
Chapter 22
Jackie assured Nina that she could take as much time as she wanted with her shower, so she did just that. After standing beneath the hot, steamy water and allowing her tears to flow for what seemed like hours, she finally reached for the shampoo and then the body wash. She cleaned her body, then rinsed it all off and started all over again. When she finally couldn’t justify standing in the shower any longer, she turned off the water and took a towel from the hook beside the shower curtain.
As soon as the water turned off and she stood in the tub toweling off, she heard Jackie’s voice. “I have clothes for you out here whenever you’re ready.”
“You can bring them in,” Nina answered.
The door opened and Jackie walked in. “Hi, I’m back,” she said, grinning. “But you knew that already,” she teased. “I brought you a couple of teeshirts and some leggings, a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of sandals. We can order you whatever else you need. Brought you some panties, too. They’re used, but they’re clean,” Jackie said.
“Thank you, Jackie. I don’t know how to thank you,” Nina answered.
“No need for all that. Where do you want the clothes? Here beside the sink, maybe?” Jackie asked.
“That’s fine. Thank you, again.”
“They supply a toothbrush and toothpaste and a hairbrush and all, but the hairbrushes aren’t very good. I brought you one of mine, too, if you’d like it,” Jackie said, holding out a small bag of toiletries.
Nina smiled but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s very thoughtful of you.”
“It’s the least I can do,” Jackie answered.
Nina raised her eyes and met Jackie’s gaze. “Where do I go from here?” she asked with more than a little apprehension in her voice.
“Well, we have established a women’s barracks, and you could go there. I know Acker said he plans to watch over you,” she added, paraphrasing a bit, because she thought the woman had spent enough time being told who she’d belong to already. “But, he lives in another barracks with his team as well as several other groups of men.”
“No,” Nina said, her nerves rising again. “I don’t think I can do that.”
“I didn’t think you would,” Jackie said. “I was going to suggest that you stay right here for at least a little while. The room isn’t needed by anyone. It will give Acker access to you if you so wish it, and it will give you access to the doctors and to the psychologists and to me if you decided you needed someone. It’s a simple thing for me to recommend you stay here in medical for a little while.”
Nina looked around the room, before focusing on Jackie again. “I think I’d prefer that if you don’t mind.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Jackie answered.
“The doctors want to examine me, don’t they?” Nina asked on a whisper.
“Just to do a routine examination and make sure you don’t have any ailments or injuries that need to be treated. You can, of course, refuse to allow it, but I think you should go through with it, just for safety’s sake. Why regret later what you could have prevented today, you know?” Jackie explained, encouraging her to submit to an examination.
Nina didn’t answer.
“I’ll stay with you. And Acker will too, I’m sure,” Jackie said.
“I will! I’ll stay right beside you!” he called from the hospital room he waited in.
Nina gave half a smile. “Okay. But, can I eat first?” she asked.
“Can we take a blood sample first?”
Nina looked up, meeting Jackie’s gaze again. Slowly she shook her head.
“No blood test now, or at all?” Jackie asked.
“At all,” Nina confirmed. “Nothing invasive. I just can’t.”
“I’ll tell them. But they’re probably going to try to insist. Just remember you have the right to say no,” Jackie said.
“They can insist all they want, she’s not doing it if she doesn’t want to!” Acker yelled from the hospital room again.
The corner of Nina’s mouth turned up and Jackie laughed out loud.
“You get dressed and I’ll send someone for food. It’ll just be a couple of minutes,” Jackie said, turning to leave the room.
Jackie came out of the bathroom and stopped in the hospital room to speak to Acker. “You need to understand she’s traumatized. You can’t be all alpha ‘this is what’s going to happen’. She needs time and space to decompress and become herself again. You start bossing…”
“I’m not. I’m not bossing her around at all. She’s doing the bossing. She tells me what she does or doesn’t want or need, and I’m handling it,” Acker said.
“What happened out there, Acker? What has you so focused on this woman?” Jackie asked.
Acker thought about it and shook his head slowly. “I don’t know exactly. Just, the way I found her, the things she’d endured. She touched me, ya know? I didn't even realize exactly how deeply until I found myself wanting to protect her from everything and everybody. I’ve been broken. I’ve been through my own private hell since returning. When General Ferriday called and asked for my help on this mission, I was inches from hitting bottom. He gave me purpose, and this woman… this woman calls to me. She’s got no more worries. No one will ever threaten her again,” he said, tryi
ng to understand it himself.
“I hear you, I do. But you need to take a step back. You have no way of knowing what she’s going to want or expect as she heals. She may want to move past this ordeal and everything that makes her think of it. You need to step back and prepare yourself for that if you’re expecting more.”
“All I know is she needs me right now, and she seems to trust me, at least more than most right now. We’ll take tomorrow when tomorrow comes,” Acker said calmly, fully aware that what he was feeling was completely out of bounds and unacceptable under the circumstances, but damned if he could turn it off.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Acker was standing over by the windows looking out over the greenery of the oval shaped park that sat in the middle of the small community that was Alliance Ranch. He heard the bathroom door behind him open and turned toward the sound.
Nina stepped through the door back into the hospital room and stopped right there, her eyes glued to the floor.
“Hey!” Acker said happily, trying to remain positive. “All clean and fresh now. Feeling at least a little better?” he asked.
Nina nodded, but didn’t look up at him.
“Want to lie down and wait for dinner to arrive?” he asked, looking around at the only bed in the room.
“Okay,” she answered with a voice slightly above a whisper.
Acker moved toward the bed as she did the same from the opposite direction. They both arrived at the bedside at the same time. “Let me help you up,” Acker said, gently lifting her up and onto the mattress. “There you go. Just lie back and rest. Let me see if I can find the clicker,” he said, opening the drawer in the bedside table before rummaging around and then closing it again. He walked over to the T.V. mounted on the wall and realized the remote was stuck to the side of it with a strip of Velcro. “Aha!” he said triumphantly before retrieving it and bringing it back for her.
“Here you are, you can watch whatever you want. General had satellite put in, we get so many channels you’ll surely be able to find something to watch.”
“Thank you,” Nina answered, accepting the remote from him. Nina took a moment to watch Acker as he walked across the room to a large, cushioned chair and dragged it across the floor toward the bed she was reclining in. He was tall, and while he was muscular, his frame was slender and his muscles long so he wasn’t bulky or uncomfortable looking. He also didn’t remind her of the enhanced males she’d been subjected to for the last however long it was she’d been in captivity. He was wearing a uniform, and she couldn’t see his skin except for his neck, face and hands. But on his neck, and the back of his hands, she noticed tattoos covering those areas. He’d not put his helmet back on for the flight home like all the rest did, preferring to be able to have her see him at all times.
His hair was very light-brown, with some sun streaks in it making it appear a bit lighter than it actually was and it was pulled back at the base of his skull in a small bun. His facial hair was scruffy and the same color as his hair, but not long and shaggy. Just looked like he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. He wasn’t a beautiful man, but he wasn’t ugly either. Acker was a manly looking man, not pretty by any means. His face was hard and told of a hard life if anyone took the time to notice it. But then he smiled at her when he caught her watching him and the hardness melted away.
“You okay?” he asked, watching her lie back on her pillows and study him as he moved the chair over closer to her bed. “You mind if I sit this close?” he asked.
Nina shook her head, and he gave her another smile as he settled into the chair.
“So, what are we watching?” he asked, glancing at the television.
Nina shrugged and held the remote out to him.
“You choose,” he said.
Nina shook her head again and laid the remote on the mattress beside her pillow before letting her gaze drift to the windows.
Acker picked up the remote and began to flip channels until he landed on a show he recognized. “Aw, here ya go. I don’t know a woman alive that won’t stop to watch this if it’s on.”
Nina’s attention moved to the T.V. and she smiled. “Good choice,” she admitted softly.
“Yep, The Nanny is always a safe move if a woman lets you choose the show,” Acker said, smiling and handing the remote back to her.
“Thank you,” Nina said softly.
“You’re welcome. You could have found it, just didn’t feel like channel surfing.”
“No, I meant thank you for finding me. Thank you for bringing me back here.”
Acker sat up and leaned toward the bed, resting his hand just next to hers, leaving the option for contact her choice to make. “Sweetheart, there’s no way I’d have left you there, or anywhere else. I meant every word I said. No one will ever hurt you again. It’s why I’m sitting here right now. It’s why I’m not going anywhere. You’re gonna get through this. And I’m going to help you in any way you need me to. Okay?”
Nina wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand before they had a chance to fall. “I know you have a job to do. You don’t have to stay with me. I’ll be okay now.”
“I’m sure you will. But I’m fine right where I am. They have other teams they can send out. I’ve been nonstop for almost three weeks now. I can take a break to be with you. It’s what I want to do. Is that okay?” Acker asked.
Nina nodded. A few minutes later she surprised him with a question. “Have you saved other women?” she asked.
“Yeah. I have. But none of them got me like you did. Can’t walk away from you. Feel like I need to watch over you. Heart won’t let me do anything else,” he admitted while he smiled at her. “So, humor me a little and let me stay beside you a while longer. I won’t be much trouble,” he promised.
Nina smiled at him, but didn’t answer.
“Alrighty!” Jackie said, pushing the hospital room door opened with her back since her arms were supporting a tray. “I’ve got food! And I even brought some for you, Acker,” she said, walking over to place the tray on the rolling table beside Nina’s bed.
“Smells good,” Acker said.
“Fried fish, potato salad, and corn on the cob. I swear it’s some of the best food I’ve ever had. I wait each day to see what they’re going to serve,” Jackie agreed. “The paper bag has ketchup and tartar sauce and forks and knives. I’m going to run grab your drinks from the downstairs nurses’ station. I’ll be right back,” she said, after she rolled the table into place over Nina’s lap where she now sat up in bed.
“Thank you,” Nina replied.
“Not a problem. Enjoy. I’ll be right back.”
Acker reached for his plate and popped it open, taking a bite of fish right away. “It’s good, you should eat it while it’s hot.”
Nina used her fork to break off a bite of fish and place it in her mouth. She closed her eyes as she chewed appreciatively. “So good,” she said, breaking off another bite.
Jackie came back and handed them both drinks, then disappeared again, but not before she showed Nina how to get her if she needed her. “That green button right there?” Jackie said, indicating the small switch mounted on the wall just above her head, “that’s how you contact the nurses’ station if you need me. Since I’m one of only two nurses on duty at the moment, one of us will come. If you prefer me and the other lady comes, just ask her to send me.”
“Thank you, Jackie. I appreciate all you’ve done.”
“Nah, no big deal. It’s just what I do,” Jackie said as she moved toward the door. She glanced back at Acker and the woman he refused to leave. “You know what? I’m going to see if I can have an extra bed or a cot brought in here. Maybe a couch at least since Acker doesn’t seem to be leaving and I’m sure you don’t want him all in your space,” Jackie said, grinning and making it sound like she was teasing. But she was actually warning Acker not to frighten the woman while letting them both know she’d provide him with somewhere to sleep other than beside her.
> “That’d be great!” Acker said.
Fifteen minutes later Acker sat quietly watching the woman who now had his undivided attention as she napped after her dinner. There was a knock on the door and he hurried to get to it before whoever it was knocked again. True to her word, Jackie had sent a foldaway bed. Acker pressed his finger to his lips to indicate to the man delivering it that he should be quiet, as he stepped back, holding the door open to allow the man to enter the room.
The man rolled the bed into the room, and smiled when he saw the woman sleeping soundly. “Where you want it?” he whispered.
“Right here,” Acker answered, “between her bed and the door.”
Chapter 23
The moon was high in the sky when Lethal stepped from the trees into a clearing that was all too familiar to him. “This is it,” he said, holding his weapon at his side and walking around the ground he remembered as clearly as if it was yesterday.
“Yeah, it is,” Steel agreed.
“Okay, so, now what?” Feral asked. “We found a spot you remember, what do we do with it?” he asked, walking through the clearing kicking sticks and small branches out of the way as he walked.
“We start from here, and expand outward,” Scorn answered.
“Looking for what?” Feral asked.
“The beginning,” Two answered.
Feral paused as he realized that the squad he’d aligned himself with knew approximately where they came from, and they were prepared to take out the entire facility. “Fuck yeah! About time for some payback,” he said excitedly, stomping over to where the rest of the squad was gathering to look over some papers Valor produced from inside his jacket.
Valor used a small red pencil, like a golf pencil to mark their spot on the map.
Lethal looked from the map out in the direction of the woods to their right. “Now we find the rendezvous spot, and from there the pickup location.”
“Let’s move,” Scorn said, falling into step behind Lethal as he began to stalk toward the trees.
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