Page 19 of An Unhinged Wedding

He folds his arms across his chest and glares at me, “I was in the vehicle. I’ve already met her.”

Jessica reaches up to him and squeezes his arm affectionately, “Mia is right, Trev. I need to assess how she is emotionally before bringing a man into her bedroom. We need that room to be a safe place. We don’t know yet, but men may be a trigger for her.”

He sighs, “Fine.”

We walk upstairs to find Savannah thrashing in the bed, screaming, begging for someone to stop. I sit beside her on the bed and attempt to wake her gently. I touch her arm, “Savannah, you’re safe. It’s a nightmare, wake up.”

She lifts her arm without opening her eyes and punches me in the eye.

“Jesus Christ, Savannah, wake up!”

Her eyes flash open, and her breathing is heavy. Sweat covers her face, “What happened?”

I laugh, “You had a nightmare and punched me in the face.”

A horrified expression crosses her features as she covers her mouth in shock, “I’m sorry.”

I shake my head, “It’s okay. I wanted you to meet someone.”

Motioning for Jessica to come closer, I take her hand when she does, “This is my friend Jessica. Jessie, this is Savannah.”

With my free hand, I take Savannah’s hand in mine, “She’s going to help take care of you, and you can talk to her about what happened.”

She shakes her head and presses her lips tight in defiance.

Jessica looks at her with a caring expression, “Let's not worry about talking yet. Do you want to play a game?”

She pulls Uno cards out of her purse and asks, “Can I sit on the bed with you?” Jessica places her purse on the floor beside the bed.

Savannah nods hesitantly, “Okay.”

“I’ll let you two play your game. I will be downstairs,” I look at Savannah, “If you need me, press the button.”

“Mia?” She squeaks.

“Am I allowed out of the room? Or do I have to stay here forever?”

Does she think she’s still a prisoner? Fuck. I feel awful for that. I guess I haven’t done a great job of explaining how things are now.

“When Dr. Cruise gives you the all clear, you’ll have free run of the house. There’s even a swimming pool. You have to stay in bed until the doctor says otherwise.”

She nods, “Okay.”

Finding a little girl who has been through what you have is difficult at best. It’s like seeing your pain for the first time. You can always feel it. But this is different. I can visibly see the trauma. The hurt. The devastation. Looking at Savannah makes me feel like my own wounds are fresh, gaping, and causing me to bleed out. I thought I had healed. Now, I’m not so sure. Maybe you never get over being kidnapped, raped, and beaten repeatedly.

I paste a fake smile on my face as I leave the room. I don’t want Trevor to see me dying inside. He likes it when I’m strong, unhinged, and psychotic. There’s nothing attractive about a weak woman. And right now, I am weak.

MIA

When I make it downstairs to the living room where Hunter, Jade, Max, and now Willow are sitting, Trevor takes my hand and pulls me to the kitchen.

“Kitten,” he wraps his arms around me and pulls me tight against his hard chest. His scent surrounds me. So manly. So strong. Just like that, all the walls I built before I came downstairs are tumbling down. He has this sneaky ability to break down all my defenses. I love it and hate it at the same time.

“Talk to me,” he says in that gravelly voice that makes me weak in the knees.

“I can’t.”

He steps back from me slightly, places both of his hands under my jaw, and tilts my head back, “Don’t hide from me, baby. I want every part of you. Even the damaged, broken parts.”

---