Page 7 of Nothing To Lose
"We're coming in!"
Something bangs against the door, louder than the bottle breaking against the side of the metal dumpster.
He swings, catching the side of my head. Pain shoots through my temple, and my knees buckle. He keeps slashing, my forearms catching the jagged edges of the broken bottle when I hold them up to protect my face and neck. I fall back, and he straddles me. He lets out a pained 'oof' as my fists connect with his stomach, but I can't do more than turn over and scramble a few feet away before he's on me again.
"Don't fucking ignore me!"
“Tyler!?”
“I fucking own you, Tyler. Your father wants to give you to me, you know that? He’ll give you to me, and I can do whatever I want with you…”
A sharp pain lances up the back of my leg. Heavy grunting breaths on the back of my head, an arm barred against my shoulder blades. Something pulls at the back of my pants, and panic rises like bile. It burns in my throat and leaves an acrid taste in my mouth. The surge of fear brings a dose of adrenaline, but he's too strong to fight off. I'm weak, and dizzy, and I'm going to be sick.
Laughter. "Oh, please. As if I'd want anything to do with this scrawny body. You're built like a twelve-year-old girl….”
“…Or is that what you want? Need a real man to show you what goes where? I guess I’d fuck you, just to show you who’s boss."
"Tyler!"
“I bet you’d take me like a bitch, wouldn’t you?”
The frozen asphalt digs into my cheek, there’s water and God knows what else in my eyes and nose and mouth as I gasp for breaths through the sharp pain in my ribs and the heavy weight on my back. Numbness tingles in my fingertips. Cold seeps into my limbs.
Blackness.
"Tyler!"
My eyes clear and I blink up into the same dark, troubled eyes that found me before. The haze clears, and I look around. The linoleum floor and walls are wet and dotted with little specks of red. My IV came out, but the tube is still taped to my arm, dripping blood everywhere. It's getting on him.Isaac. He doesn't look upset, or even the slightest bit put off by it. His tattooed hands are holding my biceps, firmly but gently, and he's bent down to look me directly in my eyes. His are full of concern and kindness.
"Are you alright?"
No, I'm not alright.My heart is beating a trillion miles a minute and I can't catch my breath. Hot tears are pouring down my face, stinging the raw flesh beneath my eye.
"Shhh. Breathe, Tyler. In and out, with me."
Aisha stands off to the side, watching us as Isaac coaxes me into taking a few deep, calming breaths. The more my head clears, the more mortified I am. Groaning, I push myself up to stand, all too aware of my bare ass hanging out of the back of my hospital gown. I angle my body away from Isaac so he can't see, but Aisha comes to my rescue, putting another hospital gown around the back of me like a coat, so I'm covered on both ends now.
"I—I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. I got dizzy, I guess." I don't want them to know the truth, that my brain got away from me and I was reliving the mess of things I’d rather forget. What if they make me stay longer?
"You're alright. It happens," Aisha says soothingly. "Let's get you back, and I'll clean you up before shift change."
I apologize again, but she waves me off.Isaac and Aisha each take a side and guide me back to the hospital bed. While she cleans me up and asks me questions, Isaac sits back down in his chair. I keep my eyes on him until Aisha is satisfied I'm not going to run off or have a fit of some kind. She leaves to find a janitor, leaving me alone with Isaac.
"You're still here," I croak, pointing out the obvious.
"Yeah, I just went to get some coffee. And I got you some toast and fruit. I’m assuming you're allowed to eat. I wasn’t sure."
"You can eat," Aisha says, returning with an orderly following behind her. I flush, embarrassed that someone has to clean up the mess I made. "I asked about your IV, and it looks like we can leave it out for now. As long as your checkup with the new doctor on call goes well, you might get out of here. It's shift change now, so rounds will be soon. Is there anything else I can do for you before I go, sweetie?"
I look down at my hands and the neatly wrapped bandages. I feel a swell of gratitude for the woman who has been by my side all night. "No. Just… Thank you. I really appreciate everything."
She squeezes my unbandaged hand gently. "You've been through a lot. Promise me you'll be gentle with yourself, and patient. And," she says, slipping a card under my palm. "You think about calling Officer Hendrick. Whoeverheis, you deserve to know he's being dealt with."
I nod, even though I know I'll never call him. It wouldn’t matter.
The nurse taking over for Aisha comes in to introduce himself. He's a short, older man named Tim with a no-nonsense attitude and a kind smile. He keeps looking from Isaac, who hasn't left his post again, back to me. I understand his confusion. Isaac is model gorgeous, and the tattoos and permanent broody set to his jaw give him a bad-boy edge that definitely doesn't mesh with my overall aesthetic. Then again, it's not like I look like me right now. But it wouldn't help if I did. I'm a scrawny nerd, and not someone a guy like that would ever want. Not to mention he's probably straight. He definitely gives off macho straight guy vibes.
It's another two hours before the new doctor on shift makes it in. If her frazzled appearance is anything to go by, Saturday morning is giving her a run for her money. She barely looks over my chart, asks the obligatory questions, and flashes a penlight in my eyes. A lot of instructions are thrown at me, but she's talking too fast for me to process all of it. Tim seems to notice and says it'll all be in my discharge paperwork. The most important things to watch for are increased dizziness, nausea, severe or persistent headaches, or any changes to behavior or memory. Tim says all of this to Isaac, who sits stoically, cutting his eyes to me when Tim asks him if he has any questions.
