Breo's POV
I open my eyes slowly, allowing my vision to adjust just to the bright overhead lights in the room. I look around slowly, realising where I am- taking a moment to process that I'm not dead, because for a little while I thought I was going to be.
Turning to the left the large figure next to me becomes clear, or as clear it can be without my glasses. My eyes widen immediately as soon as I realise who it is, I attempt to open my mouth to speak but a sharp pain surges through my face.
"It's okay." I hear J say reassuringly, as I watch him walk closer to me. I look to him, conflicted by the fact that I went through so much to get away from him, just to wish I was in his arms again, and to feel his arms wrapped around me as I get lost in his scent- part of me wishes I never left.
I reach for my face and he watches my arms move up slowly, before he explains what happened. All I can do is sit in shock as tears stream down my face, wondering what I could've done to deserve all this, why didn't Nathan just kill me?
"You want me to call the doctor?" He asks gently, still standing a few inches away from the side of my bed- the distance making my heart ache more than I can comprehend, he probably hates me for leaving.
I shake my head and lift my arms out in a hugging motion, wanting to be in held by him for a moment, before reality sets in and I can no longer repress what Nathan did to me or what J did to that man that night.
"I'm sorry." I try to mumble, but he quiets me down as soon as I try to speak. "It's okay I'm not mad at you, you're okay Bre."
He pulls me into him softly, as if I'm going to break-allowing me to sob into his chest until I run out of tears, my eyes stinging from the irritation.
I pull away from him gently, looking up into his eyes as he places a kiss on my forehead, wiping away my tears with the back of his thumb. How can a man so gentle hurt someone the way he did?
"Wait, I have something for you." He says before reaching into his jacket pocket. I gasp, recognising his furry yellow body and bright red T shirt instantly. I can't believe he brought Tiny Pooh bear. Tears fill my eyes again, but this time they're tears of joy. Happy that Javi brought him here for me, and even happier that I get to see my best friend again. I look at pooh with apologetic eyes, hoping he'll understand that I didn't mean to leave him behind.
"Thank you." I try to mouth slowly but the pain makes me stop mid sentence.
"Shh." He continues soothingly, cupping my swollen cheek gently, "It's okay gorgeous." He responds, giving me one more forehead kiss before a knock on the door interrupts the moment.
A small-ish man in a lab coat walks through the door. "Breo, it's so nice to see you're awake, how are you feeling?"
I look up at J and he nods at me reassuringly before the man in front of us walks towards the end of the bed I'm laying in. "I'm Dr Webber, I performed your jaw surgery." He continues with a smile. I nod and try to smile back but stop, remembering how much it hurt to talk before.
"This might help in communicating." He hands a note pad and pen to Javi and he places it in front of me slowly.
"Don't worry if you can't write fast, you can take your time, we just want to make sure you're okay."
I look back at Javi who is focused on me, I nod at the both of them and exhale, trying to regulate my thoughts so I don't end up being overwhelmed again. We stay in silence for a moment and I reach for the pen with my right hand, noticing the robust cast that has been wrapped around it, instantly panning to my other arm to notice I have a wrist support bandage strapped around it in a similar fashion too. I had no clue I was this broken.
Javi notices me struggling a little and places the notepad in my lap, before I write the words 'I'm okay.' on the paper.
The doctor walks a little closer to me, reading the words from a reasonable distance, I think he can tell how nervous I am.
"That's good." He says with another smile. "If it's okay a therapist would like to speak with you, the police would also like to ask you a few questions too."
My eyes widen as I anticipate the kind of questions the therapist will ask me, I've never been good with things like this. They'll think I'm stupid for doing what I did- I shouldn't have assumed my dad was messaging me, I should've run away at the bus station, I should've done something. Anything but blindly follow Nathan to his car.
The words 'police' finally register in my mind and I remember Nathan, instantly feeling guilty for doing this to him. He could be in trouble because of me, everything is all my fault. I try to recollect the events of the past few hours but my mind draws blank. For a moment I feel frustrated- wanting answers, before appreciating the fact that I won't be haunted with those memories, even if it's just for a short while.
I nod at the doctor again, watching as he adjusts his glasses before leaving the room, making me instantly remember my own.
'Glasses?' I write slowly, turning to J as I place a small smiley face next to the word, wanting him to know I'm okay.
He places a hand around me gently, clearing his throat before speaking. "They uh- they aren't here but I'll get you new ones, I promise." He smiles at me and I nod again, feeling trapped in my own body. The only person I've ever felt truly comfortable talking to is J, and now I can't even do that.
Another knock sounds through the room and a slim brown skin woman with long curly hair walks through the door, alongside the doctor from before.
"Hi Breo, I'm Laura, I'm a therapist at this hospital." She moves some of her hair away from her shoulders before picking up a chart at the end of my bed. "I'm here to support you through the investigation process, I'm also here if you need to talk about anything, anything at all." She explains with a smile.
'Investigation?' I write quickly, showing her once finished so she can read. "Yes, there are some officers here that would like to speak with you if that's okay."
Keeping my head down I try think of all the ways I can escape this, but I can't- I can't even walk. I just wish I could have a moment to breathe and calm down from all this, but I don't know how to ask.
I nod again and lean back against my pillow a bit more, my forehead throbbing from all the thoughts running through my mind.
"Would it be okay for them to see you now?" She continues, smiling at me again with bright eyes, she seems really friendly, even if she is a stranger.
I write 'yes' and watch her turn to leave the room, leaving the door open before returning with two officers, one man and one woman. They look at J before looking at me and I freeze. I can't tell them why I left, I can't tell them J killed that man even though I know I should, or do they know already?
The officers introduce themselves and I try to remember their names but fail, still feeling groggy after just waking up. I just want to get this over with, if I let them question me now I won't have to do this again- then I can go home. My heart sinks for a moment, remembering I don't have a home to go to.
"Hello Miss Williams we just want to ask you a few questions about your recent attack, is that okay?" The male doctor from before leaves the room, looking at the therapist before turning to me and smiling- Javi follows after the doctor but I reach for his hand tightly, shaking my head so he knows I don't want him to leave.
"Bre baby I don't think I can stay." He says while looking into my eyes, and for the first time I notice how red they are, they're puffy too- did I make him cry?
"He can stay if you like, however we will be covering some sensitive topics, so please know that you are entitled to your privacy." One of the officers says, adjusting her vest while she looks at me.
Letting go of J for a moment I write the word 'Stay.' on the notepad, and not long after they start their questioning process. I answer them as honestly as I can, appreciating their patience as they wait for me to write down my answers with very shaky hands. Javi holds me as they ask about that night, why I went to see him and what happened at the motel. A lump forms in my throat as they show a still image from the security camera at the motel car park.
"Can you confirm that the man in this picture is Nathan Jones?" The lady officer asks me, I nod without hesitation- the image may be blurry but I can recognise him anywhere, I don't think I'll ever know how to forget him.
The officer thanks me for my cooperation before being interrupted by the therapist who is standing to the right of me, a few steps away from my bed. "Now Breo there is something I need to inform you of."
I turn towards her to the best of my ability, wiping my eyes from the tears that I've been trying to blink away throughout this whole experience.
"We have reasonable belief to suggest that you may have been sexually assaulted by your attacker." Her words cause my heart to beat rapidly, hoping she's mixed me up with someone else, or she doesn't know what she's talking about.
Looking at me sympathetically she continues, "It would definitely help the police in their investigation if you consented to a rape kit, it would also help with your medical care, to ensure we know how to treat you best."
"Rape kit?" I mutter, my words heavily muffled by wiring in my jaw.
All of a sudden it comes back to me, what he did to me on that bathroom floor, how I pleaded with him and he ignored me, the pain and the agony.
I instantly burst into tears, wishing I had asked Javi to leave, wishing I never consented to answering all these questions, wishing I was dead.
I immediately feel backed into a corner, unable to look up at anyone in the room, all I feel are shame and guilt. I try to shift further into the bed but my arms give out beneath me. I hear J try to calm me down but I can't hear him over the sound of my heart practically beating in my ears.
I don't think I can do this anymore.