Fiona’s face for the first time, wondering what they’d found. He’d clearly heard the grimness in each of his friends’ tones.
Benny gestured toward her leg. They all saw what they’d missed before. The dirt and grime had hidden a bullet wound. It looked like just a graze, but it was now slowly oozing blood over her leg and onto the sheet. The washcloth had obviously removed the scab that had been forming and allowed it to start bleeding again.
Both men looked at Abe, wondering what he’d been alarmed about. He simply gestured to her arms. The inside of Fiona’s elbows were covered in needle marks and bruises. Cookie had seen them before, but it’d obviously come as a surprise to the other men.
No one questioned Cookie, no one looked disgusted. They just continued to work in silence to try to wipe away this courageous woman’s time in hell. And it’d obviously been a hellacious experience. Besides the track marks and filthy condition of her body, bruises were revealed as the dirt was wiped away. She had different colors of finger marks on her upper arms, and more alarming, on her waist. There was a boot sized fading bruise on her back, but the most alarming were the bruises on her inner thighs, all different colors, alerting the men to the fact that some were older than others.
The track marks on her arms were ugly, but it really didn’t matter in the long run. Even if Fiona had taken the drugs eagerly, which none of them would blame her for; this woman had saved their teammate’s life. She’d saved their friend’s life. They all had questions, but they’d wait. Her health came first.
All went well until Wolf tried to put an IV into Fiona’s arm. One second she was deadweight in their arms, allowing them to move her limbs wherever they needed to in order to get her undressed and clean, and the next she fighting them as if her life depended on it.
“No no no no, ” Fiona screamed out, fighting with all she had. She kicked out with her feet and narrowly missed Abe, who was standing near her. She was obviously remembering how she’d been drugged, or worse, been violated.
“Get off me, assholes,” Fiona snarled, while still twisting and turning in the men’s grasps. Fiona almost managed to twist off the bed and onto the floor before Wolf and Benny got a hold of her limbs and held her down, which only made her fight more frantically.
Cookie quickly leaned down toward Fiona’s head. “Fiona, snap out of it,” he said harshly, trying to get through to her. He put his hand from his good arm on her forehead. She stilled. Cookie continued, leaning in until his lips were right at her ear. “It’s me, Hunter. You’re safe. You’re back in the States; you aren’t in that shack anymore. Do you hear me?”
Fiona didn’t respond, but she didn’t fight either.
“I’m here with you and you’re in the hospital with me. We aren’t drugging you. I swear on my life you’re safe. Do you hear me? We’re trying to put in an IV. It’ll give you fluids; it’ll make you feel better. We aren’t drugging you. I promise.”
Still no movement from Fiona. “Trust me, sweetheart,” Cookie tried again. “Please, just trust me.”
Fiona finally sighed and turned toward Hunter. Her eyes opened into slits, just enough to see. “Hunter?” she said tentatively. “You’re really okay?”
“I’m really okay,” Cookie was touched in a way he’d never been before at her unselfishness. She had to be hurting and was confused, and still, she was worried about him. Cookie moved his hand from her forehead to the side of her face. Her skin was hot and sweaty, but Cookie could feel her lean her head into his hand as he spoke. The thought that in the midst of her terror, she’d trust him, made his stomach clench with an unfamiliar, but not unwelcome, jolt. “Just relax, Fee, everything is fine. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”
Fiona sighed and nodded. Her eyes went to Wolf and the other men and
Benny gestured toward her leg. They all saw what they’d missed before. The dirt and grime had hidden a bullet wound. It looked like just a graze, but it was now slowly oozing blood over her leg and onto the sheet. The washcloth had obviously removed the scab that had been forming and allowed it to start bleeding again.
Both men looked at Abe, wondering what he’d been alarmed about. He simply gestured to her arms. The inside of Fiona’s elbows were covered in needle marks and bruises. Cookie had seen them before, but it’d obviously come as a surprise to the other men.
No one questioned Cookie, no one looked disgusted. They just continued to work in silence to try to wipe away this courageous woman’s time in hell. And it’d obviously been a hellacious experience. Besides the track marks and filthy condition of her body, bruises were revealed as the dirt was wiped away. She had different colors of finger marks on her upper arms, and more alarming, on her waist. There was a boot sized fading bruise on her back, but the most alarming were the bruises on her inner thighs, all different colors, alerting the men to the fact that some were older than others.
The track marks on her arms were ugly, but it really didn’t matter in the long run. Even if Fiona had taken the drugs eagerly, which none of them would blame her for; this woman had saved their teammate’s life. She’d saved their friend’s life. They all had questions, but they’d wait. Her health came first.
All went well until Wolf tried to put an IV into Fiona’s arm. One second she was deadweight in their arms, allowing them to move her limbs wherever they needed to in order to get her undressed and clean, and the next she fighting them as if her life depended on it.
“No no no no, ” Fiona screamed out, fighting with all she had. She kicked out with her feet and narrowly missed Abe, who was standing near her. She was obviously remembering how she’d been drugged, or worse, been violated.
“Get off me, assholes,” Fiona snarled, while still twisting and turning in the men’s grasps. Fiona almost managed to twist off the bed and onto the floor before Wolf and Benny got a hold of her limbs and held her down, which only made her fight more frantically.
Cookie quickly leaned down toward Fiona’s head. “Fiona, snap out of it,” he said harshly, trying to get through to her. He put his hand from his good arm on her forehead. She stilled. Cookie continued, leaning in until his lips were right at her ear. “It’s me, Hunter. You’re safe. You’re back in the States; you aren’t in that shack anymore. Do you hear me?”
Fiona didn’t respond, but she didn’t fight either.
“I’m here with you and you’re in the hospital with me. We aren’t drugging you. I swear on my life you’re safe. Do you hear me? We’re trying to put in an IV. It’ll give you fluids; it’ll make you feel better. We aren’t drugging you. I promise.”
Still no movement from Fiona. “Trust me, sweetheart,” Cookie tried again. “Please, just trust me.”
Fiona finally sighed and turned toward Hunter. Her eyes opened into slits, just enough to see. “Hunter?” she said tentatively. “You’re really okay?”
“I’m really okay,” Cookie was touched in a way he’d never been before at her unselfishness. She had to be hurting and was confused, and still, she was worried about him. Cookie moved his hand from her forehead to the side of her face. Her skin was hot and sweaty, but Cookie could feel her lean her head into his hand as he spoke. The thought that in the midst of her terror, she’d trust him, made his stomach clench with an unfamiliar, but not unwelcome, jolt. “Just relax, Fee, everything is fine. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”
Fiona sighed and nodded. Her eyes went to Wolf and the other men and
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