Page 20 of Savage

“I don’t have a phone,” Donna said as she moved to sit on her own sleeping mat.

“Not there.” Something in Savage’s voice stopped her mid-movement. She turned and frowned at him, not sure what he wanted. “Come sit over here.” He patted the mat next to him. “Or I’d prefer here,” he laid one hand on top of his crossed legs, “but I’ll let you make the final decision with what you’re comfortable with.”

Donna looked at the hand, then up to his face with a scowl.

“What? You’ve already been in my lap once. I didn’t molest you then and I won’t now. I just thought we’d both enjoy that more. And while it might feel a little odd at first, I like having you in my arms. It seemed, at least to me, that you didn’t mind being there either.”

Donna watched him for a moment, suspicious. But he was right. She had liked the taken care of feeling when he’d held her that morning. On top of that, he’d never been anything but gentlemanly toward her. Besides, she reminded herself, if he tried anything she didn’t want, she’d be in the perfect position to use her elbows against him.

After making her decision, she wiggled around until she sat in his lap, facing her side of the tent, her back to his chest. His arms came up around her, crossed low on her belly and after a few seconds, she leaned back, letting the warm strength against her back comfort and relax her.

“Why don’t you have a phone?” he asked.

Donna closed her eyes a moment as she let the low rumble of his voice vibrate through her, making some of the tension sitting like a rock low in her belly unfurl and seem to not weigh so heavily. She took a deep breath, trying to find the right way to say it, then realized it would probably sound naive and stupid any way she put it, so might as well get it over with.

“I gave it up before I joined the commune, and while some people had them, it was only the higher ups and people in charge. There were only four or five phones at the compound. The ones in charge kept them. It sounded reasonable at first. Fewer bills, but they would be available if anyone needed one for some reason.” She shrugged.

“But it wasn’t what it seemed when you joined, was it?” Savage’s voice was gentle as he spoke.

Donna didn’t say anything, only shook her head. She didn’t want to say how stupid she felt for falling for the scheme that was the commune.

“Let me guess, if you asked to use the phone, either it was unavailable with some reasonable excuse, or there was some reason you couldn’t make your call privately. They were making sure you didn’t say anything to anyone that might come get you, or help you escape.”

She started to twist around to look at him, she wanted to ask how he knew that, but as she started to move, Savage’s arms tightened around her.

“We’re good. You’re fine.”

She tensed for a moment, not liking that he held her but after a moment she relaxed again.

“I don’t know how you know that, but yes. I eventually gave up on getting a hold of a phone or having a chance to call for help, though I’m not sure who I would have called.”

“What about your parents? Wouldn’t they have helped?”

“They probably would have, if they were able.” She took a deep breath and mentally braced herself. “I was a surprise baby, long after my parents had given up on having children. My parents were older.”

“Were?”

“Dad was almost 70 when he died last year. Mom is only a few years younger, but she’s been dealing with dementia for several years. Last time I had a chance to go home, she didn’t know me, she didn’t even remember having a child at all. And her doctor told me she was going downhill fast.” She stopped, forced herself to swallow and took several deep breaths while ignoring the tears that welled in her eyes and slipped silently down her face. “I know I should go and see her again, but it hurts so much to have the person I love the most look at me and not know who I am.”

“Oh, babe. I can’t imagine. That has to be heartbreaking.” Savage’s arms tightened his arms around her and rocked side to slide slowly for a moment.

“It is. And to make it worse, I can’t bear to go see her because it breaks my heart every time she has no idea who I am. A little more of my heart dies every time and I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

“And it’s not like she can miss you if she doesn’t remember you, right?”

“Exactly. I feel guilty, but I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

“That’s understandable.”

Donna wasn’t sure if he was justifying her actions or just trying to keep her calm, either way she appreciated it.

Something vibrated in his pocket. Savage shifted, pulled his phone from his pocket, and used one hand to navigate to see what the notification was, then after a moment, spoke again.

“You said you’re how late again?”

“Two weeks.”

“Okay, I thought so, I just wanted to be sure. I have a brother who’s an NP. I texted him this morning asking questions about care for you, how soon do we need to get you to a doc, what it’s safe to do, like riding a bike, that kind of thing.”

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