Page 65 of Isabela

Gael’s eyes soften as he hits the nurse’s call button, taking the water cup from me.

“She needs the bathroom,” he says as the nurse bustles in.

“Get out, I’m going to need to figure out if she needs the bed pan or not,” she says. Aria wakes up at her voice, sitting up.

“What’s going on?” Aria asks.

“I have to pee,” I sigh. My cheeks heat because I’m really embarrassed.

“Unhook her and I’ll take care of it,” Gael demands. “She’s being discharged today. May as well take her to the bathroom properly and let her shower. I don’t really care if I have to get in there with her. Not the first time.”

I’m on fucking fire with embarrassment as I get a judgemental stare from the nurse as she unhooks me. This is a different person from the nurse who was on duty earlier, and definitely not as nice. She unhooks me from things with a scowl, and Gael scoops me up into his arms.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Isa,” he says softly as he strides into the bathroom. Gael closes the door with his foot, carefully placing me on my feet in front of the toilet. My legs are shaky, making his eyes narrow, and he pulls up the gown and helps me sit.

“I don’t know if I can pee in front of you. Fuck, I really have to go though,” I whimper as my bladder cramps. I bend over in pain, and Gael sighs as he turns on the faucet, spinning and giving me his back.

“Please, pee, Isabela. I’m going to start singing very off key if you don’t,” he threatens.

My bladder starts to relax enough that I can begin to go, making me sag in relief. “I don’t think that’s the threat you think it is,” I gasp. “Fuck, this is the stream that doesn’t end.”

“Maybe I’ll sing for you another day,” he says with a chuckle. “God, sometimes I forget how young you are. I don’t care about things like this. Urine, blood, shit, they’re just bodily things. I’m not saying you have to pee with the door open, but you shouldn’t be embarrassed because I’m helping you right now.”

“It’s still weird to me,” I grunt. I wipe myself and flush, trying to figure out how I’m going to stand. My legs are weak from the drugs and probably the stress.

“Are you done?” he asks, peeking over his shoulder. Gael is sweet as he helps me up, his arm holding me to him as he turns on the shower. There’s a chair already in the stall, so he helps me undress and sit down. He’s attentive and wonderful as he helps me get clean.

While Aria and he did their best to wipe me down, there’s nothing like a true shower.

“I wish I could kill him again,” Gael rumbles as he sees the thin red line from where Charles cut me.

“He died pretty terribly,” I confide in him. “I don’t even know how I managed it. I wasn’t as weak as I am now, but my body was jerky from the stress. I didn’t know if my muscles would do what I wanted them to do.”

“Completely normal,” he says, turning off the water. My hair and body are clean, and I feel like a new person. Gael grabs a new gown and a towel, helping me to dry off and dress. My steps are a little stronger as I walk back into the room with his arm tightly around my waist.

Helping me into the bed, he arranges my blankets around me. “This is a private hospital the Society runs. Records are kept differently here, so no one will ever know you were here,” he explains. “I’m also paying for everything, so you don’t need to worry about this.”

I wrinkle my nose because I think my middle name may be “worry” now, and Gael shakes his head.

“I mean it,” he insists. “I couldn’t take you to another hospital, and you were showing signs of shock. After everything, I needed to know you were medically taken care of. They ran every test known to man.”

“I don’t really like your nurse, so I’m going to run through what I overheard,” Aria says. “The STD panels came back clear, the mayor didn’t have any blood borne diseases, either. The doctor I’m sure can confirm all of this.”

“You were severely dehydrated, and you have some bruises. Otherwise, you’re clear to go, I think. The doctor examined you while you were sleeping. It doesn’t appear as if the mayor raped you?—”

I interrupt Gael as I shake my head carefully. “He didn’t. Charles wanted to coerce me into consenting to things. I didn’t want to be tied down to the bed, because it would be harder for me to get to his knife, so I convinced him to untie me. He agreed because he wanted his cock sucked,” I tell them. “He said he had me to himself for now, but he would give me to his sons to rape if I was difficult.”

“I need to know if his sons were aware Isa was in the warehouse,” Aria murmurs. “If they’re as twisted as their father, I don’t think they should be allowed to continue on this earth.”

She’s so serious, and reminds me of an avenging angel. Gael nods and shoots off a text message before he continues. “Your uncle has been picked up by the Society, and Lily is being detained as well. You can decide what you want to do with both of them, but I would like to move on getting him removed by the board first,” he says. “I want you at the head of your company, being the beautiful badass that you are.”

“I wish I saw myself the way you do,” I say. “I feel so broken and out of control. Just… ragged.”

“You’ll get there, baby. For now, your options are open. Gael is taking care of it so you can come home, heal, and burn the world down,” Aria says. “You’re allowed to feel however you want about this. Please don’t shut us out?”

I look between Gael and Aria’s earnest faces, realizing I’m in too deep to even think of distancing myself. I allow myself to imagine a life without these two people inside of it, and burst into tears. They look alarmed, but I shake my head.

How do I explain that my mind is fucked? My thoughts are running wild, and none of it particularly makes sense.

---