Unfiended

Chapter 7

After she stepped into the oversized robe, Seth pulled it shut, overlapped the sides and tied the sash tightly around her waist. "Everything's so grey," she murmured, drawing her hands up into the long sleeves and pressing them to her face.

"Hang on." Seth's fingers shook from the cold as he tested out the MP3 player to make sure the audio track from the attack video hadn't wormed its way onto it. He hadn't been under the cold water nearly as long as Becky must have been, and he shuddered to think of how long the ordeal had gone on, the echoes of her own voice assaulting her from all sides before she sought shelter in the shower. "Okay, come here." Seth tucked the small MP3 player in the robe's pocket and held up the large headphones. "This will block out the voice, okay? Then I'll stop the shower and we'll find you something to wear." He waited until Becky nodded to settle the headphones over her ears, then tapped his own ear in question. When she nodded again, he stepped back into the shower and turned off the water, bracing himself for a deluge of Let me out!

Everything he heard was shattered, stricken: Kevin's panicked barks, Becky's small whimpers, the erratic drops of water falling off the shower head and from his hair. The loop, apparently, had ended.

Seth didn't want to assume it was safe, however, so he kept the headphones on Becky and tugged off his own soaked clothes, tossing them in the shower before drying off and looping a towel around his waist. "I'm sorry," Becky blubbered, repeating it over and over until Seth wrapped his arms around her again. "I just want it to stop. That's all I want." Her breath came in great heaving sobs and he slowly eased her out into the bedroom.

Glancing down at his phone, Seth was relieved to see the screen was black. Still holding Becky with one arm, he cautiously pressed the power button and waited for his phone to reboot. "I know." Becky wouldn't be able to hear him over the music, so he didn't say anything more. He just held her for a while, rubbing her back and arms to help warm her up. Her pupils were still huge, though, and given her history of head injuries, he wanted to get her to the hospital. "Sit," he said, pointing to the comfy armchair near the bedroom window. As Becky hesitantly curled up in the chair, Seth tugged the blankets off the bed and draped them around her.

While Becky calmed down and warmed up, Seth quickly got dressed and jammed his phone—double- and even triple-checking that it was indeed his this time—into his pocket before picking out clothes for Becky. It would have to be something easy to get on and off, since she would likely have to change into a gown at the hospital, but he still tried to pick from her favourite things, hoping the familiarity would help settle her. When he held up one of her favourite Pearl Jam shirts, she tried to smile; her lips were pale and shaking, but at least it was a sign of recognition.

"I'm making a mess of everything," Becky repeated softly, and when Seth looked closer, he was surprised to see tears slipping down her cheeks. He had learned early on that Becky was neither a quiet crier nor a graceful one, and with her pupils still so huge, her tears seemed bigger somehow. "So many messes. . . ."

"Hey." Seth knelt in front of her and gently pushed the headphones back off her ears, hating how Becky winced in anticipation of the haunting chorus that had mercifully—and mysteriously—gone silent. Since there was no way of knowing when it might resume, he wanted to get her out of the house as soon as possible. "You're just having a rough patch, okay?" He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. "We'll get through this together. I promise. I just want to check something and then I'll be back to help you get dressed, okay?"

Becky nodded shakily, reaching up for the headphones. "Can I . . . ?"

Seth hesitated, looking back at the bedroom door. He didn't trust the electronic devices not to flip at any given second, but if the music was giving Becky some solace, it was hard to argue against it. "Yeah. Go ahead. I won't be long." He kissed her again and rose to his feet, heading to the guest bathroom first to comfort Kevin. "Sorry, bud," he murmured, ruffling the dog's fur. "But you're going to have to stay in here a while longer. I have to make sure Becky's okay." Not wanting to leave Becky alone for any longer than necessary, Seth did a quick walk-through of the house, but everything seemed to be back to normal. He grabbed Kevin's food and water bowls and brought them to the guest bathroom, giving his dog one last cuddle before returning to the master suite.

When he entered, Becky was already half dressed. The robe was draped over the bed and she had the MP3 player tucked in her shirt as she struggled with her leggings. Seth motioned for her to sit and grabbed a pair of her yoga pants instead, easing them up her legs. As soon as she was fully dressed, she wrapped the robe around herself again and Seth didn't bother protesting. She was still mumbling, still shaking, and it was more important to get her to the hospital than to argue about fashion choices. If they were in Los Angeles, they might have to worry about paparazzi and unflattering photos making it online, but in Davenport, they were relatively safe.

After he put his Bluetooth earpiece in and connected it to his phone, Seth hugged Becky again, motioning to the door. "Let's go." He grabbed her purse off the dresser as an afterthought and led her downstairs by the hand. After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed her phone and tucked it in his other pocket just in case before jamming his feet in the first pair of his shoes he could find. Becky struggled a bit with hers, so he knelt to help. When something brushed the top of his head, he glanced up to see Becky looking down at him, looking scared and sad all at once. Seth sighed as he stood, taking her face in her hands. "I love you." With the headphones on and the music playing, she probably couldn't hear him, but he said it just as much for himself as for her.

Becky smiled, though it looked like the expression was fighting her face, and she followed him without hesitation to the SUV. Seth held open the passenger door for her, but she climbed in on her own, holding up the hem the long robe so it didn't drag. "Coffee?" Most people wearing headphones tended to speak too loudly, but her voice was soft and unsure.

Seth shook his head. As much as he would have loved a coffee—he couldn't remember where he had left the ones he brought from his cafe—he knew Becky might need an empty stomach for any tests the doctors wanted to run. "Later," he promised.

Since coffee wasn't forthcoming, Becky's interest in staying awake apparently dimmed, because she curled up on the passenger seat and shut her eyes. Seth nudged her every few minutes to make sure she was okay, having to pull his hand away once when she tried to cuddle his arm. They were about five minutes away from the hospital when his phone rang, taking him by surprise, and it took him a moment to remember which button to press on his earpiece. "Hey, Seth." Charlotte's cheery voice came over the line. "Sorry to be that friend that calls you looking for your wife, but Becky's not picking up and—"

"We're on our way to the hospital," Seth answered tersely, glancing over at Becky. She was lightly dozing and instead of nudging her again, he let her be; they were close enough to the hospital now that she wouldn't be able to sleep for long.

"Oh shit." Charlotte sobered up quickly. "What's wrong?"

"It's hard to explain. . . ." Seth fought to focus on traffic, reaching over and placing a hand on Becky's knee. She squeezed his fingers lightly, which helped him relax. "And I'm probably overreacting, but—"

"No, no. I was just calling to say I was in Chicago for a couple days and wanted to know if you two had time to hang out. If you give me the name of the hospital," Charlotte added, "I can meet you there."

Seth's first instinct was to decline, to say he had everything under control, but he hadn't been truly sure of anything in months. "That would be great. I'll text you the name as soon as I park."

"I'm already heading your way. Take care of our girl, okay? And yourself. I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't forget to send me the info."

"I won't. Drive safe." Seth disconnected and forced himself to keep both hands on the wheel. It would take Charlotte almost three hours to arrive, give or take, so he didn't have to rush to send her the address. He did, however, have to get Becky to the hospital safely. Maybe things will come full circle, he thought as he pulled into the parking lot. Becky's attack on Charlotte had signalled the beginning of this latest bunch of strangeness, and maybe Charlotte's presence would help bring it to an end. At that point, Seth was willing to believe just about anything, as long as it resulted in Becky being safe, sane, and whole.