Page 35 of Silent Betrayal

I’ve been living with the guys for two weeks now, and today, I’ve returned to the hospital to get my stitches removed. All seven of the guys wanted to come with me, but I convinced them that only two of them could come into the room. Atlas and Dom are waiting in the entrance like a couple of security guards, and the other three are outside in the SUV. I knew there wouldn’t be room for all of them in here and I wanted this done quickly.

I had asked to book this appointment with a female doctor, and when she enters the room and gives me a warm smile, I start to relax a little.

“Hi, Mina Stevens?” she asks, looking at my chart. Luckily, Ben was able to get an ID for me, so I’m able to use my real name again.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m Doctor Young. I’m going to take a look at your stitches and see if we can remove those for you today. Does that sound good?”

I nod, and she directs me to the table. Ben helps me up and moves to my side, and Gideon stands beside him. She gives them an amused glance.

“Are they your bodyguards?”

“Something like that,” I mumble, making her smile as I remove my shirt. I’m wearing one of the modest sports bras that the guys bought me, making sure they didn’t touch any of the wounds on my torso, making me feel covered and comfortable. But having Gideon and Ben see so much of my exposed scars makes me internally cringe. I’ve seen what I look like, and the scarring isn’t pleasant.

“Hmm, yes, these are looking very good. I can take out all the stitches today.”

I smile and glance at the guys. Ben's smile is big as he squeezes my hand, while Gideon just gives me a tight-lipped smile. He’s been doing that a lot lately and I don’t know what to make of it.

Shortly after I moved in, he stopped holding my hand, and stopped kissing me on the cheek or head. He still spends time with me in the evening, as do all of them, but I can’t help but feel like he’s taken a step back from me. I felt closer to him when he was my guidance counselor and not my… friend? Housemate? I wasn’t even sure what to call these guys half the time.

Dom and Atlas have been taking turns sneaking into my room every night after everyone has gone to bed. Atlas hasn’t kissed me again, but he always holds me through the night. Dom was the same way, he was soft and tender with me, kissing my head or neck, but never taking it any further. I tried to ask him a couple times about his comment that first night, but he keeps gently brushing off my questions and telling me togo to sleep. I feel a deep need to do whatever he asks of me, so when he tells me to go to sleep, I do.

The twins are still very flirty with me, but there was no more truth or dare. They did help to bathe me every few days, but they seemed to be able to do so without kissing me again, something I was frustrated by. I could see the want in their eyes, and I wasn’t sure what had changed. I felt like I was biding my time with them all, waiting for one of them to crack. Or, more likely,hopingone of them would.

The problem, as usual, is that I still want all seven of them, even Gideon, despite the distance he is putting between us. I know I’m just being greedy, wanting him to be as close to me as the others, but I can’t help myself. Why does he have to be so attractive, anyway?

As Dr. Young starts to remove my stitches, I study both men. Gideon is wearing a light blue dress shirt, with a navy vest and tie, and navy dress pants. Ben is wearing a white and blue checkered dress shirt that shows a hint of his chest hair out of the top, and he’s rolled up the sleeves to show off his forearms. He might not be huge like Atlas, but his arms still do it for me. He’s wearing dark blue jeans to give him a more business casual look.

As appealing as their bodies are, it’s their faces that I enjoy looking at the most. Gideon, as always, has his wavy brown hair styled perfectly, while Ben’s straight hair is sticking out in random places. It gives the impression that he just got out of bed but somehow also looked styled that way. Ben has beautiful brown eyes, accentuated by his glasses, while Gideon’s are more of a hazel.

The process of taking out the stitches doesn’t hurt too much, it’s just uncomfortable pulling and pinching on my skin. When she’s finally done, I look nervously at Ben and Gideon.

“Umm, would you guys mind giving me a couple of minutes alone with the doctor?”

They look a bit surprised but nod and say they’ll wait in the hall.

Once the door shuts, Doctor Young turns to me. “What can I help you with, Mina?”

“I know it might not be necessary, but I was hoping to talk to you about birth control.”

“Did your previous doctor talk to you about the damage to your uterus?” she asks carefully.

I nod. “Yes, he said it had been nicked, and they weren’t sure if I’d be able to have children.”

“That’s right. Everything looks okay, but you won’t know until you try. It sounds like you aren’t ready for that just yet?”

“No, definitely not.”

“I can understand that. You’ve been through a lot. Speaking of which, are you seeing a psychiatrist?” she asks as she starts pulling things from her drawers.

“No, I… I don’t think I can talk about it with a stranger yet.”

“That’s okay. I’m going to give you a card from someone I recommend. When you’re ready, they’ll be there.” She hands me a business card, and I put in my pocket. “Now, as for contraceptives, do you know your options?”

“Yes, I did some research, I was hoping I could get the implant, the one that goes in my arm,” I say pointing at it. “I can do that right now for you. When did you start your last period?”

“About four days ago.”

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