Page 44 of Disturbed Lucidity

The woman leaned back in her chair, her eyes focused on Logic as I watched her take a deep breath right before she closed her eyes and her body slumped in the seat. Moving fast, Logic caught Ivy before she hit the ground and gathered her in his arms.

“What the fuck was that?!” I shouted, jumping to my feet while Logic carried Ivy to his medical room.

“Alias, I need 10mg of lorazepam.”

“Got it right here,” Alias said, handing Logic the syringe so he could administer the dose into Ivy’s arm. After checking her vitals, Logic turned to Saint. “Brother, I’m calling in a few prescriptions for Ivy at the pharmacy in town. I’m putting a rush on them. I’m sorry, Slash, that shit in that bag isn’t what she needs.”

“I’m leaving now.” Saint nodded, running from the room.

“Logic, what the hell was that?” I asked, getting my brother’s attention. When he turned to me, I saw the worry in his eyes, and I knew whatever he was about to tell me, I wasn’t going to like.

“That was a D.I.D. episode. In layman’s terms, Ivy has split personality disorder, though it’s not called that now. Previously known as multiple personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder is a complex psychological condition characterized by a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. But what has me worried is Ivy’s other personality said it started when Ivy was born, which means Ivy suffered something very traumatic. Traumatic enough for her mind to create this other identity.”

“What kind of trauma would cause a kid to develop multiple personalities?” Indigo questioned.

“Her surroundings, life events, any kind of relationship could have influenced her personality. Childhood experiences, family dynamics, and social circumstances will have all contributed to the development of her personality traits. Trauma, abuse, neglect, or adverse childhood events could have impacted her personality development. These experiences shape how she perceives herself and others. As to what caused this particular episode, I won’t know until she wakes up and tells me.”

Turning to Slash, I glared.

Waiting.

“She will kill me,” my brother groaned.

Stepping forward, I growled, “Pick.”

I didn’t need to clarify. Slash knew either I would, or she would. I didn’t give a fuck. I wanted answers, and the fucker knew he better start singing like a fucking canary. Fast.

“Fine,” he groaned, running his hand through his hair, agitated. “You already know that I met Ivy on the streets in the city. My mom took her in. We didn’t know how messed up she was until some asshat tried to rob Father Dominic. Ivy appeared out of nowhere and sliced the fucker’s throat. She was only sixteen, Luc, and she took down a grown man like it was nothing. I’ve seen nothing like it since. When the police showed, Ivy panicked and ran. It took me, Mom, and Father Dominic damn near a week to find her, and when we did, she had no memory of what happened or why she was on the streets again. Mom got Ivy into a doctor fast, and after several months of exhausting tests, it was determined that Ivy had a split personality. For months, Dr. Lansing worked with some therapist who prescribed several different cocktails, until he found the right ones. When she’s on her meds, she’s calmer, more relaxed. But when she stops taking them, she’s more. And I mean more. Drug free Ivy is hell on wheels. She’s snarky, stubborn, challenging, just a plain pain in the ass.”

“Seems to me that’s every fucking woman I ever met,” Indigo snarked, frowning.

“What about her past? The person who caused this?” Hannibal asked, worried as he looked down at her sleeping form.

“I don’t know. She’s never said. All we were able to find out is that Ivy hails from Miami, Florida. She generally steers clear of the place. Wants nothing to do with the area. Which is why I was shocked when she told me she had made a trip down south before coming to California. She said she found information about her birth mother.”

“And?” I groaned, getting annoyed fast.

Slash shrugged. “I blew her off. Told her she needed to let it all go and move on. Start over fresh here. Which was what I thought she was doing. I’m telling you, something happened last night. I know Ivy. She wouldn’t just flip her switch like that. Someone or something got to her last night and triggered this episode.”

Memories of my time in her room last night filled my head when I turned to look at the woman I jacked off to.

Curious, I asked, “Can a person with her condition subconsciously be aware of her surroundings while sleeping?”

“With her past, it’s possible.” Logic nodded. “Without knowing the extent of her trauma and considering she was sixteen when Slash found her, I’m betting her trauma stems from a very young age. Hell, man, diagnosing D.I.D. in a young teen is hard to do because the brain is still developing. Most doctors or psychologists would think early onset schizophrenia or psychopathic tendencies, or any other disorder before D.I.D.”

“Frost, get the kit. Fingerprint her. Then run her prints though our database. Logic, I want a DNA sample. If Ivy’s running from someone, I want to know who the fuck it is. Any idea who this savior is?”

“My guess,” Logic said, taking a deep breath. “The person who freed her.”

“Then we need to find this fucker, and fast. Maybe he can shed some light as to what we’re dealing with here. In the meantime, she fucking stays here. I want a brother on her at all times. Not risking her going off the deep end with all this shit we have going on. Slash, call your mother and tell her you found her and she’s safe, but say nothing about what state she’s in. I don’t need your mother showing up, mothering all of us.”

Chapter Thirteen

Ivy

I’d been laying in this bed for the last hour, contemplating fifty different ways to beat Slash’s ass. I knew he couldn’t keep his fucking mouth shut. Rat bastard narked on me. Now they all knew. To make matters worse, Logic seemed giddy to have a new plaything to head shrink.

Had news for him.

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