Colby's POV
It broke my heart seeing Julia like this. It was hard seeing such a strong girl be so broken.
She had been through so much that I couldn't blame her even a little bit.
I just wished I could make it better.
I sat with her all night, trying to just be there for her while she hid away behind my dresser.
She looked so uncomfortable and would probably feel a little more normal if she could get a nice warm shower, but I wasn't going to pressure her.
Clearly this whole experience was extremely traumatic and she was going to have a hard time for a while.
We spent all night sitting on the floor before Julia shifted slightly.
It couldn't have been comfortable being smashed against the wall with her legs tucked to her chest.
"You okay?" I whispered and looked over at her. I watched her eyes fill with tears as she shook her head.
"I can help you, sweetheart. I won't hurt you." I said gently as I reached my hand out to her. She flinched slightly then looked at me.
Her eyes were bloodshot and wide with a fear that was so deep seeded that I didn't know if I would ever get my Julia back again.
She reached over and took my hand after staring at me for a minute. I sighed with relief and gently ran my thumb along her knuckles.
"How about a nice hot shower and a change of clothes. That might make you feel a little better." I suggested as she flinched.
"Only if you want, sweetheart. No pressure." I said as she sniffled and looked away from me.
It was hard seeing her like this, it was almost like she wasn't even in there.
She was a shell of a human, scared to do anything. It absolutely broke my heart.
After a second she looked over at me again and nodded.
"Yeah?" I asked with a hint of hope that she would come out from her hiding spot.
I felt my heart soar as she nodded again. "Okay, let's get you up." I said then stood up, reaching my hands out of her.
Julia sniffled and took my hands with hesitation, letting me help her up.
"Shower or bath?" I asked as we slowly made our way towards the bathroom. "Shower." Julia mumbled, her voice cracking.
"Okay. Do you want me to help you?" I asked as I walked towards the shower, turning the water on and checking the temperature.
When I turned towards her again she was looking down, picking her nails.
"Hey." I said and walked up to her, taking her hands. "I need you to know how much I love you." I said then took her hands and brought them to my lips.
"You're away from those horrible people now and I promise that no matter what, I'm gonna take care of you." I said as her eyes watered.
"Whatever makes you more comfortable, we'll do. If you want me to help you, I will. No matter what it is." I explained as she nodded, a tear slipping down.
"Do you want me to help you?" I asked and wiped her tears away. She shook her head then looked towards the bathroom door.
"Okay, I'll be here when you're done. Take your time and call if you need me." I said then kissed her forehead.
I felt her flinch but tried to ignore it. I knew she had been touched by a lot of people who didn't respect or love her.
It was going to be hard to break down that wall of fear, but I was going to be patient and gentle with her.
When I left the bathroom I went into the closet and picked out some comfortable clothes for Julia.
I decided on one of my hoodies and a pair of her sweatpants. It was the most covered up she could be which I think she would appreciate.
The next step was to get some sort of food. I would have loved to get her her favorite, but it was the morning and no Chinese places were open.
I went out into the living room, shocked to see that Sam was still here.
"Oh. Hey." I said as he waved. "Hey. How's Jules?" He asked as I sighed.
"She's uh..well she's hanging in there." I said as he nodded. "She's been through a lot." He said as I nodded.
"I feel so fucking bad." I said then closed my eyes and sat on the couch.
"Yeah, is she asleep?" He asked as I shook my head. "Showering. I don't want to leave her alone in there, but I don't want to make her uncomfortable." I said as he nodded.
"Yeah, just keep being patient with her. She went through something so unimaginable, it's gonna take some time." He said as I nodded and pulled my phone out.
"What are you still doing here anyways? I told you that you could go home or to the hotel." I said and started ordering Julia some breakfast.
"You didn't tell me what happened when we left." Sam said as I nodded.
"Right." I said with a sigh. "Adam nearly killed me. I wouldn't be here if Will didn't shoot him." I said with a sigh.
"Wait, seriously?" Sam asked as I nodded. "Yeah, he killed him." I said then showed him my phone. "Want any breakfast?" I asked as he nodded and took my phone.
"Did you kill Will?" Sam asked as he ordered some food. "Surprisingly, no." I said then leaned back. "Dude, what the fuck?" Sam asked as I shrugged.
"He's not free. I just didn't kill him because I'm confused about him." I said as he nodded. "He could have killed me but he didn't. I thought that was weird." Sam said then handed me phone again.
"I really don't know what to do about him. I want to kill him or at least torture him for what he did to Julia, but I want to understand why he's been helping us." I explained as I heard the bathroom door open.
"Pause this conversation. I'm gonna check on Jules." I said then stood up and went towards the bedroom.
I sighed when I walked into the room and didn't see her. I knew she was hiding again, which hurt my heart.
I walked over to the dresser and saw her wedged back into the spot she was previously in.
This time she was wearing my hoodie and her sweatpants. Her hood was up and she was absentmindedly chewing her sleeve.
"Do you feel a little better?" I asked quietly, causing her to flinch and look up at me. She nodded then looked away, resting her head on her knees.
"I got you some food, you must be hungry." I said and sat down, leaning against the wall.
"Sam is here. He wants to make sure you're okay." I said as she looked over.
"Please, sweetheart...just let us help you." I begged as she started to cry again. "Don't cry, baby." I whispered, reaching my hand out to her.
She wiped her face then took my hand. I noticed her hand was shaking this time but I couldn't tell if it was from fear or if she was going to have a seizure.
I rubbed my thumb along her hand, offering her as much comfort as I could.
I understood that this was going to take some time but I needed her to take care of herself by eating and sleeping.
We sat like that for a while before Sam knocked on the door gently. "Hey, the food is here." Sam said as Julia pulled her hand back.
"Let's get you some food. Come on, darling." I said then stood up and offered my hands to her. Julia looked up at me then grabbed my hands, letting me help her up again.
I was so proud of her for taking this step again with me.
I knew she was having a war in her brain, but the last thing I wanted for her was to bottle it up.
Julia was strong and she would get through this, but she was going to need help and reassurance. The fact she was hardly even speaking at this point was proving how fucked up she was.
I held her hand, leading the way out to the living room. "Hey, Jules. How are you feeling?" Sam asked as Julia took a step closer to me.
"You don't have to talk, just know how proud of you everyone is." Sam said with a smile.
Julia sniffled and turned her face into my arm so she could hide from Sam. "It's okay." I whispered and turned to hug her.
"Take your time, Jules." Sam said as she cried into my chest. I looked up at Sam, seeing how in pain he looked.
I knew he was worried about her and that he was thinking the exact same thing as me.
I didn't know if we would ever get Julia back to normal.