by Rene Folsom
The ride was bumpy, but I had the comfort of both Aiden and Coda holding my hands. The EMT hooked me up to an IV to start rehydrating my body. Since we were deep in the National Forest, it took us almost an hour to get to the hospital.
Through the ride, Aiden and Coda kissed my hands and told me how worried they were.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
Aiden spoke first and said, “Someone saw you struggling with a man in the school parking lot and got the license plate number. When school security found your purse, they called the police, which led to your open case and Detective Gowan. He immediately tracked down Rob’s SUV, but he was smart. Instead of pulling him over and arresting him, he followed him to the dirt road just off the highway. Unfortunately, Rob noticed someone was following him and didn’t go further than the first turn off. Gowan knew he would flee, so he cuffed him then, but Rob refused to reveal your location. We’ve been searching this area of the forest for four days with the dogs, hoping they would lead us to you.”
“I tried to make a scene and be as loud as possible when he took me. I dropped my purse just hoping someone would know it was me…”
“You did a great job, love,” Coda said as he kissed my forehead.
“How bad do I look?” I asked them, hoping for honesty.
Aiden looked at Coda and then back at me before he said, “He worked you up pretty good. It looks like the gash on your left cheek is infected and whatever happened to your jaw on the right needs to be cleaned up.”
“He bit me,” I admitted without looking either man in the eye.
“He bit you?” Coda all but yelled.
I just nodded, ashamed of what transpired. “He tried to kiss me, and I turned my head. So, the bite was my punishment and warning. He said he wanted to scar me.”
“What a bastard,” Aiden muttered, as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Julia, the police are going to take pictures of you before the doctors treat your injuries. They did take some in the cabin, but that was after Aiden was holding you, so some of them do not show all of the wounds,” Coda informed. “We need to prosecute him and the only way to do that is to document everything that happened. You’re going to be asked a lot of questions. I will be with you through every moment. If anyone tries to question you while I’m not around, even if I’ve only stepped out for a moment, you stay quiet until I return. If you feel confused, uncomfortable, or just plain tired, you tell me and I will make it stop. But, if we are going to nail his ass to the wall, we need you to get some rest and tell it like it is.”
I just nodded and felt tears beginning to well up in my eyes. As one fell, I touched my face, amazed and relieved I actually had tears.
“I’m crying,” I gasped. I tried to smile, but it hurt too badly.
“You’re excited about crying?” Aiden asked, perplexed at my enthusiasm.
“I haven’t been able to cry for days. I wanted to, I was emotional enough to, but I just couldn’t. I didn’t have any water since… well, I don’t remember. Two days, I think. Even then, my water was limited so I took it slow, trying to save every bit of it…”
I trailed off as I saw the grim expressions on their faces. Then I remembered my desperate blood message.
“Did you see my note?”
“You mean, the smearing on the sheet?” Coda asked.
I just nodded.
Aiden smiled and said, “Yes, Angel. We saw. As touched as I am, I can’t bear the idea of you bleeding enough to write something.”
“I was worried after I heard the dogs barking yesterday and then they disappeared. I thought that was my only chance and it was gone. If I was found too late, I at least wanted you to know. I didn’t leave the house on great terms, and I couldn’t bear for you to not know how I felt.”
Just as they both were about to say something, the back doors to the ambulance swung open and I was swarmed with medical personnel.
Chapter 26
“A shower and a toothbrush are just calling my name.”
Pushing through the hospital doors, I reached my hand toward Aiden and Coda.
“I told you already, we’re not leaving you. Just relax and let them make you better,” Aiden scolded.
The nurses pushed my men aside and told them they had to stand out of the way if they had any hope of staying in the little cubby hole of the emergency room.
Immediately, they removed the dirty sheet from around my body, causing me to be completely naked in front of several people. At that point, I didn’t care. I just felt very dirty, grimy, and would give my left leg for a shower.
I looked down and noticed my ankle had a huge welt around it, probably from the cuff abrading my skin. My body had several welts that turned into nasty bruises, I’m only assuming from the belt lashing I got when I passed out.
A female detective came in and took pictures of my injuries. The nurses helped me turn over so the detective could take some photos of my back as well.
As several nurses turned me to the other side, I saw both Aiden and Coda. They stood against the wall, staring at the battered sight before them, and I could see the fear in their eyes. Even though it seemed selfish, I was happy to see they were so worried about me. I needed to know that they truly cared.
I tried to smile, but winced when pain seared through my face. I wouldn’t doubt it if I had a broken bone somewhere with all the pain I felt in my cheek.
“Okay, Juliana,” a kind nurse said as she came into view. “We are going to try to clean up your face as best as we can so the detective can get a clear photo of your injuries without all the blood. While we clean you up, I want you to tell me any pain you feel. We will do x-rays later, but I still want to know what I’m dealing with as I clean you up, okay?”
I just nodded and then thought I should give her a little more info.
“It hurts pretty bad up here when I try to smile or open my mouth wide,” I explained as I pointed to my left cheekbone. “And, he bit me down here. I’m sure the detective will want to get a very clear shot of that. He bit me hard enough that blood was dripping for quite some time.”
“Oh, darling. I’m so sorry you had to go through all that. I will try to be as gentle and as thorough as possible,” the kind nurse said.
“Thank you. What’s your name?”
She smiled and answered, “The staff here know me as Mrs. Willis, but I would like it if you call me Peg.”
Peg was very gentle and helped me through every step as she busied herself with cleaning up my face. The female detective quickly took the photos and wished me luck as she scurried out.
“We’re going to take you to get some x-rays now, Juliana,” Peg explained. “Is there any way you could be pregnant?”
“All my friends call me Julia. Do you think I could get a shower soon?” I asked, purposefully ignoring her question. “I feel really gross and would love to clean up some more,” I added, hoping she would say yes.
“We need to get your x-rays first, just to make sure we’ve assessed all your injuries before we try to move you. Your friends cannot come with you though. Are you going to be okay with that?”
“As long as you’ll be staying with me, yes,” I said honestly.
Peg just smiled and began to wheel me with the help of a few other orderlies. As we passed Aiden and Coda, I made an attempt to give them a little time to catch their breath.
“Peg is going to take me for some x-rays. She’s really nice, so I’m okay if you two want to go get a bite to eat or something.”
Peg immediately chimed in and added, “She’ll be taken to room 614 immediately after the x-rays, which should only take about thirty minutes at the most. You boys can meet us up there then. All right?”
“Are you sure you’re okay, Julia?” Aiden asked as he kissed my dirty knuckles.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll feel much better once I can get cleaned up. A shower and a toothbrush are just calling my name.”
“All right, love. We’ll
meet you up in your room,” Coda said as he kissed my forehead.
“Thank you,” I said as Peg began to wheel me further down the hall. While rounding a corner, I shouted out to both men, “Love you…” Before I could see their reaction, they were out of sight.
As Peg and a few orderlies took me up the elevator, she asked, “So, not to be nosy, but are they family?”
“No,” I answered honestly. I wasn’t embarrassed of them or our unconventional relationship anymore. I was proud to have them at my side. “My parents have never been a big part of my life and my brother passed some time ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Friends then?” she prodded.
“Yes… and no. They’re my boyfriends.”
“Wow. You’ve managed to land a set of twins, and they’re okay with that?” she asked with astonishment in her tone.
I just looked up at her as she stood at the head of my bed. “Yes. They share everything, even me,” I said proudly as I tried to smile. I immediately winced in pain.
“Oh, hon. Don’t try to smile if it hurts so bad,” she scolded.
“I didn’t mean to. I can’t help but smile when I think of them. They’re so wonderful to me.”
“That’s so nice to hear,” she said, pausing for a moment. “I couldn’t help but notice you avoided my question earlier. I need to know if there’s a possibility you could be pregnant.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I have a hard time answering questions like that because what does the word possibility even mean?” I asked rhetorically. “I am sexually active but on birth control.”
“Well,” Pat replied. “Then it’s not very likely you are if you’re diligent with taking your pill—”
I cut her off. “I was supposed to start my period this weekend. It’s probably just stress though.”
“We will have you take a test then. It’s likely just the stress of everything that has happened,” Pat said as she patted my shoulder. “We’ll keep things quiet for now until we know more.”
The rest of the x-ray trip was fairly routine. Nothing was broken, just bruised up pretty good. Aiden and Coda were both waiting in my room as I was wheeled in.
Two nurses assisted me with a much-needed shower, and I was finally able to brush my teeth. Feeling much better, I sagged against the hospital bed and began to stare at the two men now fast asleep in the uncomfortable hospital chairs.
Pat came in a few minutes later. Whispering, she said, “Julia, the urine test came back inconclusive. It may be too early to tell with urine, so while the lab is running your routine blood tests, we’ll check for pregnancy as well.”
“Shh,” I hushed her as I nodded over to the guys. “Thank you.”
“No problem. We should hear something back in less than a week,” she said as she nodded and left the room.
About thirty minutes later, Aiden’s phone rang, startling him awake. He quickly grabbed it and answered, “Mom.”
With the sound of that word, Coda sat right up and paid close attention.
“Yes, she’s been found. We’re at the hospital with her right now… she’s pretty battered, but she’s okay. I think the hardest part will be the detectives questioning… yeah… she’s strong though. She’ll be fine. Yes, Coda is here and plans to be present while they question her. Don’t worry, Mom. He’ll handle it well,” Aiden said as he rolled his eyes so Coda could see.
“We want to, yes. It will depend if the doctors release her and if she’s up to it.”
Coda held his hand out and motioned for Aiden to give him the phone.
“Mom, Coda wants to talk with you. Hang on.”
“Hey, Momma. Yeah, I definitely want to. It will also depend if the detectives allow her to leave the state. We’ll see. Uh, huh. Hang on a sec,” Coda said as he covered the phone and leaned in to whisper something into Aiden’s ear. Aiden nodded and Coda got up, gave me a kiss on the forehead, and told me he would be right back.
Just as Coda walked out the door, I asked Aiden, “What was that about me leaving the state?”
“My mom wants us to come up to North Carolina and visit like we planned to do for spring break. But, of course, that depends on several things. Mostly, it depends on whether you feel up to going anywhere.”
“Well, I look like shit, Aiden. Should I really meet your mom looking the way I do?” I asked.
Aiden made the few short steps to my bed and sat on the edge. Grabbing my hand, he said, “You always look beautiful. Plus, we were so worried about you, we told her you were missing. We didn’t give her details about him, just that you may have been in trouble. So, she knows you’ve been a little roughed up. Now that they’ve cleaned you up a bit, the injuries don’t look quite so bad. You’ll heal up in no time.”
“Aiden?”
“Yes, Angel.”
“Kiss me, please?”
I didn’t have to ask twice. Aiden gradually lowered his lips to mine and gave me the sweetest, most loving kiss I’d ever experienced. He was tender and his lips tasted like sweet honey.
As I still melded my lips to Aiden, the other side of my bed dipped and a gentle hand circled my waist.
I broke away from Aiden marginally enough to look at my Coda. As if reading my mind, Coda leaned down and kissed me reverently, just as Aiden had moments before.
After several moments of breathless kisses, I sighed and said, “God, I missed you both so much.”
Just as they were about to lavish me with more kisses, Detective Gowan and Detective Meadows entered the room and made their presence known.
Chapter 27
“I’d like to get this over with now, please.”
Both Aiden and Coda stood and shook the detectives hands, thanking them for days of relentless work to try to find me.
Detective Gowan pulled a chair close to my bed, and Coda followed suit, pulling the other chair to my opposite side. Meadows stayed standing at the foot of my bed with Aiden.
“Julia, I need to ask you some very difficult questions and the more detailed your answers are, the better chance we have of locking the bastard up for life. If you need a break or feel you’re not up to it now, we can come back another time…”
I held my hand up and interrupted him, “No, I’d like to get this over with now, please.”
“Very well. I would like that too. I just don’t want to push you,” Gowan said with remorse oozing from his tone.
“I’m fine,” I assured him.
I began telling him about everything, from the moment Rob snatched me up, to when he left me handcuffed for hours.
“This is where things start getting fuzzy. Even though it was still the same day he took me, he didn’t give me much in the way of food or water. So, things started running together,” I explained.
“That’s fine, Julia. Just tell me whatever you can,” Gowan comforted me.
“Well, I remember he left me handcuffed by my wrists for several hours. I ended up falling asleep and woke in total darkness when he finally came back. He force-fed me canned SpaghettiOs and crackers with just a little bit of water. Instead of allowing me to use a real bathroom, I had to use a bucket, which was filthy to begin with. That is when he came back with the chain and tethered me to the foot of the bed.”
I looked to Coda and then to Aiden. They both nodded to me, encouraging me to continue.
“The next part is a bit embarrassing. Well, embarrassing is the wrong word. It’s more like… well…” I stammered, before looking to Coda and Aiden again for support. “I really don’t want to upset you. I know I need to tell you. You both need to know. I just…”
“Julia, we know none of this is your fault. Please, don’t worry about upsetting us. Tell us what he did to you so we can get him locked up for good,” Coda comforted as he grabbed my hand and held it tight.
“Okay. I can do this,” I said as I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. “After he cuffed my ankle, he bent me over the bed and held me down at the center of my back, right where my tattoo
is. He was holding me down so hard, I couldn’t turn my head and definitely couldn’t bring my arms up to push or reposition myself. I started having trouble breathing as he…” I trailed off and began to shake. Coda gently rubbed his thumb against my hand and Aiden tenderly caressed my leg, both men letting me know they were there to support me.
I sighed, took another deep breath, and continued, “I had trouble breathing as he raped me. I begged for him to stop, even going as far as telling him I didn’t take my birth control, hoping he would stop to avoid getting me pregnant. He just said it happened before and he managed to take care of it then, so he didn’t care.”
“What did he mean, he took care of it?” Gowan asked.
“Did you get a chance to read the full medical reports back from a few years ago?” I asked.
Gowan shook his head as he said, “I had trouble reading the doctors handwriting. I’ve been waiting for the hospital to send me the typed transcripts.”
“Okay, well… He got me pregnant. When he found out, he went ballistic and said I tricked him, accusing me of slacking on my birth control pills. He wanted me to have it aborted, but he felt because it was my fault, he shouldn’t have to pay for it. So, that is why I ended up in the ER and needed stitches. He tied me down and used a coat hanger to terminate the pregnancy.”
All the men in the room gasped. To avoid all the comments and questions about that past nightmare, I continued.
“So, that is what he was referring to. Anyway… back to Wednesday night. As he continued, he kept pressing harder and harder against my back, to the point where I couldn’t breathe. I tried to tell him but, before I knew it, I blacked out. I woke up on the dirty floor while he hit me with his belt, yelling at me to get up. I attempted to grab the belt from him and stand up to him, but I was rewarded with more forceful lashes. He pushed me down and held my wrists because I scratched his face. That’s when he tried to kiss me. But because I turned away from him, he bit me instead. He said he wanted the bite to scar so I would be reminded of how bad I was. Then, he continued to rape me. Once he was done, he said I wasn’t worth all the trouble and left. I didn’t see him again after that. He just left me there, shackled to the bed.”