Chapter 9: Starting to Mend the Broken
I think I could have probably stayed laying there with them surrounding me forever. I had never experienced such a warm and safe feeling. However the stress and pain of the last couple days suddenly feels like it is catching up to me all at once.
Looking at their handsome faces surrounding me, I suddenly feel ashamed. They are all perfect and I am so very, very flawed. Gabriel is still stroking my hair and I am suddenly conscious of the fact that I haven't been able to shower in the last four days and am wearing the same clothes I had on when they last saw me.
When I had awaken the first day, despite how badly I hurt I had gotten up and tried to change into something more comfortable, but the pain of twisting and stretching to remove my clothes was too much, so they had remained on.
Using my good hand I pluck at my sweaty shirt, wishing I had been able to change it before I had left.
"Pookie, before I look over your injuries, would you like to change?" Dr Sean asks gently.
"Oy, she's wearing the same shi-stuff she had on days ago," Gabriel suddenly points out, making me lower my head in embarrassment.
Mr. Blackbourne uses his hand to gently raise my head up. "No need to be ashamed Miss Sorenson, Mr. Coleman wasn't judging you."
"Fuck no! I wasn't judging you Trouble!" Gabriel looks stricken at the thought. "Let's get you out of those clothes and get you more comfortable." He scoops me into his arms and starts carrying me out of the room. "Nate get her one of your shirts and some sweats," he calls over his shoulder as he exits the room.
The thought of wearing one of Nathan's shirts again has me clutching at Gabriel's shoulder as I suddenly remember my backpack.
"Oh no!" I cry out in dismay, "I left my bag behind, it wasn't much but now I have nothing." Tears well up in my eyes at the thought of leaving my few precious books behind, but I don't dare go back.
"No, no, no, don't cry, Trouble! Please don't cry!" Gabriel's tone is frantic.
"Sang, what's wrong," Nathan says when he sees my tears. "Why is she crying?" His voice is almost as frantic as Gabriel's.
"She left her bag behind, run and go get it. Shh Trouble, Nathan's going to go get your bag," Gabriel presses a kiss to my forehead. "Oy! Nate, give me that shit and run and get the bag, and don't fucking get caught." Gabriel demands as he cuddles me close.
Nathan passes over the clothes before stepping close and running a hand over my hair. "I'll be right back with your bag, Sang, I promise."
Nathan takes off and Gabriel carries me into the big bathroom. "I'll leave you here to change, Trouble," he says as he puts me down gently. "One of us will be right outside if you need us," he hands me the clothes and then steps out, gently closing the door behind him.
I stand up and wince at the pain in my ribs, I carefully try to take the shirt off but it still hurts too much. I cry in frustration and pain as I sit back down on the toilet seat. I can't do it, I'm going to be stuck in these nasty clothes forever, I think, and then squeak in surprise when a soft knock sounds at the door.
"Aggele Mou, are you okay?" Silas' deep voice ask through the door.
"No.. I'm not," I weakly call out, but he must hear me because he slowly opens the door and comes in.
"What's the matter Aggele, I thought I heard you cry out?" He asks gently as he comes to kneel before me.
"I can't do it," I whisper painfully, "it hurts too much. I want to get out of these clothes, but I can't do it. I just can't."
Silas gentle cupped my cheek, "I can help you, Sang, if you'd like," he offers. "I won't look, you can trust me. Let me help you."
I let Silas help me back up and he turns me so our backs are to the mirror and I am facing the wall. He carefully helps me lift the shirt over my head, I hear his intake of breath as the full damage to my back and side is shown.
"Oh Sang," his voice is tortured, before he lets out an angry word in another language. Having him so close, and then hearing the anger in his voice has me flinching away from him and cowering.
I try to step away, but he gently captures me pulling me back against his chest. I am intensely aware that I am standing in his arms practically naked, with just my worn bra on. "Silas, wha.."
"Just let me hold you for a moment Aggele Mou, I'm not upset with you. But your poor back is black and blue." Silas explains as he hugs my back to his chest.
I shiver at the touch of his strong hands surrounding me. He cuddles me close for another long moment before he steps back. I look over my shoulder at him and am surprised to see his ears are tipped pink. "Aggele, did you.. did you need.. help, with your bra?" he asks as his eyes look everywhere but me.
At first I'm not sure what he is asking and then as the meaning of his words trickle in my tired brain, I too am blushing and shaking my head. "No Silas, it's a front clasp, and Nathan's shirt is so big, I should be able to take it off under it."
Silas looks briefly at my eyes then nods before turning to get Nathan's shirt off the counter. He eases it over my neck and helps me with my arms, holding my injured hand steady so I don't jar my wrist anymore. He gently tugs the shirt down, and I can't help the whimper of pain when he touches my side. Silas quickly pulls his hand away and turns me around so we are facing each other.
"Did I hurt you, Aggele?" he asks anxiously as he cups my cheek again.
I shake my head no, it wasn't his fault and I don't want him upset. My breath catches as I look into his dark brown eyes, he is so handsome and he looks at me like I am the most precious thing in the world.
Time seems to stop as he slowly bends down, his eyes focus on my lips and I have a moment to think that he is going to kiss me. He closes the space between us and I close my eyes in anticipation.
"Oy! What's taking so long?" Gabriel demands before popping his head in. His eyes widen when he sees Silas with me in his arms but he doesn't seem upset, just surprised. "Is everything okay, Trouble?" he asks.
I nod, "Silas was helping me," I tell him quietly, afraid that he will be mad at me but not sure why.
Gabriel's eyes linger on me before doing the silent talk thing with Silas. "Well at least he's good for something," he says with a teasing twinkle in his eyes. "If you are done, why don't we get you back to Doc so he can check you out."
Silas gives a chuckle, and mumbles something about being sure Dr. Green would want to check me out and I am confused. Isn't that what he is supposed to do, check out my injuries? I think as I watch Gabriel glare at Silas.
"Come on Gabe," Silas says, reluctantly letting me go, "Sang needs a moment to herself."
Once the door is closed again I quickly get rid of the sweaty bra, wishing I'd thought to remove it before as I can breathe a bit easier once it is gone. Slipping out of my jeans, I sit down and pull up the sweats, wincing a little but happy to be in clean clothes.
I cautiously open the door, embarrassed that Silas had seen me so close to naked and Gabriel had walked in on him almost kissing me. Get real Sang, I tell myself firmly, he was just being nice, there is no way he was thinking about kissing you.
Instead of Gabriel or Silas standing in the hallway waiting for me, like I half expected, I'm surprise to see Luke leaning against the wall.
He straightens when he sees me. "You okay, Sweetie?" he asks carefully, the bright smile he had when we first met is gone and I find that I miss it.
I nod and start to walk back into the living room, I don't get far down the hall before my damaged body starts to protest. Feeling light headed and gasping in pain, I start to sway. Before I can even worry about falling, I find myself in yet another pair of strong arms.
"I've got you," Luke says as he effortlessly shifts me his arms, careful of my damaged wrist and ribs. "North would kill me if I let you get even more hurt." Luke carries me into the living room and sets me gently back on the sofa.
Nathan comes and sets my worn bag at my feet and then steps back to join the rest of the guys who were standing across the room.
Mr. Blackbourne looks at me with his accessing gaze and he must like what he sees because he gives me a small nod before meeting each of the other guys' gaze. Nathan and Gabriel come toward me, they both gently touch my hair before heading out of the room like a men on a mission. I wonder where they are going, I think, as Dr. Green steps forward and kneels in front of me.
"Ok, Pookie," Dr. Green said with a smile. "Let's have a look at you."
Mr. Blackbourne, North, and Kota each stop to give me a soft, comforting touch before they head to the kitchen. "They are going to make some food for us," Dr. Green tells me as I look after them.
Luke, Silas, and Victor each come forward and take turns touching either my hair or cheek before stepping back and settling down on the other side of the sectional sofa. Maybe it is odd how they all seem to feel the need to touch me, but I can't help but revel in each small touch.
Dr. Green gets up and sits next to me on the couch as Gabriel rushes back into the room. Gabriel approaches us and I try to scoot over so he can sit on the other side of me but he surprises me by choosing to sit by my feet instead.
He settles himself and places one of my feet in his lap with a notebook and pen in hand. I'm still not sure where Nathan went, but before I could ask, Dr. Green distracted me.
"So, Gabriel is just going to take notes for me, Pookie. Is that alright?" He says as he gently rubs my injured hand.
I glance at Gabriel and see him focusing on his notebook, I nod at Dr. Green and he smiles softly down at me.
"Okay, Miss Sang, where does it hurt?" His tone of voice sounded very... doctor-like. Or what I have heard doctors sound like in movies.
"Um, everywhere?" I didn't mean for it to come out as a question, but it was a bit hard to concentrate and pin point the hurt when it hurts everywhere. Gabriel has already started writing and I wonder what he is putting down in his notes.
"Let's look you over from head to toe then, shall we?" He asks maintaining his professional tone.
I nod, still unsure I want to do this in front of the other guys. Dr. Green starts by asking if my head hurts or if I have blurry vision or dizziness. I shake my head, since at the moment I don't have that, and he moves on to my arms. Slowly moving down my right arm, he calls out any bruises or cuts he finds and I see Gabriel writing quickly. He switches to the other arm and repeats the process. As soon as he touches my left wrist, I pull it back and yelp at the pain.
"I'm sorry, Sang," Dr. Green whispers. He reaches for my wrist and takes it even more gently this time. He lightly pushes on the swollen part and I bite my lip to keep from crying out. Out of the corner of my eye, I see several of the boys fists tighten and swear that I heard one of them growl. "It isn't broken, just a bad sprain. I will wrap it up for you when we are finished." Dr. Green tells me and his voice sounds strained.
He gently sets my wrist on a couch pillow that Luke brings over. He tells me to keep it elevated for now. He goes to my feet and searches up my legs, again calling out all the bruises and scrapes he finds. When he gets to the bottom of my shorts, I tense up. He doesn't go any further, for which I am grateful. I'm not sure I would be okay with him checking there, even if he is a doctor.
"Sang, can I lift your shirt a bit?" My eyes shoot to Dr. Green's and widen with surprise. "Just to see your ribs, Pookie."
"I guess," I whisper. This is so embarrassing, I think but then tell myself that Silas had seen more helping me change.
He slowly pushes my shirt to the bottom of where my bra would be and I hear a few gasps around the room. I look down at my stomach, knowing what they are gasping about. I am covered in long, purple, crisscross bruises. My ribs are the worst, I am a little shocked I am still alive actually.
"Sang," Gabriel's soft voice comes from his spot by my feet. "Why the fucking hell did she do this to you?"
"My step mother," I try to explain, but my voice catches in my throat. I clear it and try again. "She found out that I was stealing food. She got mad and came after me."
"Wait! Back up," Nathan's voice comes from the hallway. I look over to see him holding a few blankets and a pillow. He sounds deadly, but for some reason I don't think he is mad at me. "Why would you have to steal food?"
"One of her stranger punishments is to lock me in my room, usually for 24 hours, with no water or food," I explain quietly. "I learned to hide bottles of water and packets of crackers under my bed, so I have something in there." My voice quivers and I try to talk around Dr. Green gently probing my injured ribs.
"When I got home the other day, the day I ran, I remembered I had very little in my stock pile, so I grabbed some more. Marie, my step sister, saw me taking them and she told her mother that night. I was asleep and my step mom came in my room. she had a bat-"
"Fucking crazy bitch," Gabriel growls. I look at him to see him glancing toward the direction of my house.
"I am going to help you sit forward, so I can take a look at your back, okay?" Dr. Green's voice is a bit more shaky now.
I give him a small smile and sit up with his help.
"Shit," He whispers as he looks at my back. "Sang, you said this happened four days ago? How long have you had trouble breathing?"
"Yeah, this was all done four days ago," I tell him, "there is pain when I breathe, and it feels like it is getting worse. However I'm not wheezing or anything like that."
"Good," He lets out a breath, like he was holding it in, awaiting my answer. "Well, it looks like a few cracked ribs, some serious bruises just about every place, and a sprained wrist," He pauses and seems to think for a moment, rubbing a hand across his face.
Suddenly he takes my good hands and looks at my fingers. "You are also very dehydrated. We need to get you some water and some food. Luke, go check on the progress with lunch. Silas, grab me my bag from the back seat of my car please. I need to wrap her ribs and wrist. Gabriel, stop writing every single word I say, I wasn't being literal when I said write down everything." He finishes with an eye roll, making me giggle.
"No! No giggles, Pookie. If you start to giggle, then Luke starts to giggle, then we all start to giggle! It will be anarchy!" His little rant only succeeds in making me giggle harder. I notice his lips twitching.
"Sang, this is serious! No giggles! They are bad for you, or me, or us... I'm not sure but I know they are bad!" He takes a deep breath, and holds it. Like he is trying to keep his laughter in. "Pookie-"
"Lunch is ready!" Mr. Blackbourne's authoritative voice cuts off whatever Dr. Green was about to say.
"There is no fucking way we will be giving that to her," I hear North bellowing from the kitchen. Who is he talking about?
Dr. Green shakes his head and smiles at me, ignoring North's yells. "Let's get you food." He takes my good hand and helps me stand, leading me to the dining room, which is filled with all of the boys, and a table of food. My stomach lets out a very loud growl at the thought of eating all of this. I blush and look down, when I see a few eyes widen.
"Baby, what did you have to eat last?" North asks curiously, as my stomach continues to loudly announce how hungry it is.
"Er... Grilled cheese with bacon, with you guys," I say quietly, not wanting to lie to them.
There is dead silence at the table. I look up to see half the boys staring at me with sadness and shock. The other half staring at a bright red North with worry and warning.
"North, let it go," Victor whispers. "We will discuss it later."
I don't think I was meant to hear this, but I do anyway. I don't mind them telling the rest of the guys about what happened. I think if they are going to help me at all, then they should all know the full story and what they are getting themselves into.
"Here, Sang Baby," North stands up abruptly and fills my plate full.
It looks like they grilled outside. There is a burger, a hot dog, corn on the cob, fruit salad, potato salad, and baked beans. I stare at the overfilled plate in front of me with wide eyes. Does he expect me to eat all of this? Does he expect me to eat even HALF of this?! I look around the table for some help, but all I get are a few snickers and sympathetic looks.
"North," I whisper. "I really appreciate all of this, but I don't think I can eat it all."
"Just eat what you can, Baby," He grunts and plops down in his chair.
"Aggele Mou, if you are going to be sticking with us, you will have to just go with the flow when it comes to North and his food obsession," Silas whispers to me from his spot across the table.
If North's crazy food obsession is the worst these guys have to offer, then I am more than willing to stuff myself silly for a chance to stick with them.
"Hey, Sweetie," Kota says, getting my attention. "Doc has access to some new medicine that will help you feel a bit better. Can you trust us enough to go ahead and take it? I promise it won't hurt you. It's actually really quite amazing, how much better you will feel."
I think about it for a moment, then shrug. "Yeah, I guess." What do I have to lose? "I've never taken medicine before, what do I have to do?" I ask curiously.
Kota hands me a small vial of clear liquid and tells me to drink it. I do as he asks and drink it. It tastes like bubble gum, that's odd I thought medicine tasted bad.
"You should feel much better by morning, Pookie," Dr. Green tells me with a smile. "It really is a miracle cure."
I look around to see most of the guys have relieved smiles on their faces, but a few of them, Victor and Gabriel in particular, look worried.