by Drew Sera
Chapter 2
January 24th
Sydney
I hurt everywhere.
Everything seemed hazy.
I’m so cold and hungry. There have been lots of doctors all around me and Colin hasn’t left my side. I’m in the emergency room and it has been very busy with lots of people moving about.
Colin.
Where’s Anthony?
Why hasn’t Colin said anything about Anthony? Maybe Colin hasn’t found him!
Oh, my god! They haven’t found him! I gripped Colin’s hand and looked up at him, hoping he’d understand. I opened my mouth but all that came out was a pathetic noise.
“It’s okay, baby. You’re safe. Please try to relax.”
Tears burned a trail down my face. He didn’t understand. He needed to find Anthony. Paul was going to hurt him.
What if Paul hangs Anthony in the closet like the other girl?
I traced my fingers over a bandage that seemed to cover most of my side. What was under there? I could feel something bumpy and raised under the bandage. What was wrong with me under the bandage?
“Sydney, baby, leave the bandage alone. Remember, there are stitches under there, honey.”
Stitches?
I could hear the doctors and nurses talking, but I didn’t make out any of it. I tried focusing, but couldn’t seem to pull anything together. It was all just noise to me. But I was safe now. I was away from that horrible cabin. Colin was right here.
But not Anthony.
Chapter 3
Saturday, January 25th
Colin
Ihad been awake for hours next to Sydney.There were so many things on my mind and so many images that I can’t shake from my memory. Each time I close my eyes, I see Sydney lying curled up in that puddle of blood. She was facing the closet where the dead woman hung from. I wonder how long she stared at the woman. Had she seen Paul kill the woman or cut open the bottoms of her feet?
A doctor I hadn’t seen before came in around 6:30 a.m. and introduced himself to me as Dr. Rahim Kaleb. He looked at some papers in a slot on one of the monitors, then at the monitors, and then back down at Sydney.
“Dr. Reese will be back in the afternoon, but I will be keeping charge until then. Has she been asleep for a while?” Dr. Kaleb asked me.
I nodded and sat up in case he needed to check anything and needed me out of the way. I wasn’t going to press my luck with doctors. So far no one had said anything to me about being on the bed holding her. The doctor ended up changing some of her I.V. fluid bags and a few bandages. She woke up as he was putting a fresh bandage on over her side. She flinched and turned her face away from the doctor and instantly the beeping on her monitors began to race.
“Easy, baby. This is Dr. Kaleb. He’s going to watch over you until Dr. Reese comes back this afternoon, baby. I’m right here.” I brushed the hair off her forehead and watched her try to calm herself down.
“Sydney, can you sit up? I want to check the wounds on your back and change the bandages.”
Sydney didn’t say anything but quickly complied with the request from the doctor. She was disoriented and scared. Even though I had my hands on her to calm her and reassure her she was safe, she still shook, but her eyes were latched onto some invisible object as the doctor began poking around on her back. I would have to make sure from here out that she was alert before someone started touching her.
Matt walked into the room and when he saw Dr. Kaleb he hurried over.
“Hi, Matt, how’s your ICU patient?” Dr. Kaleb was asking Matt about Anthony.
“He’s stable. Let me do that, Rahim. Sydney knows me and it would be less stressful for her right now.”
Dr. Kaleb nodded and continued to watch a monitor and smiled as its beeping slowed once he removed his hands from Sydney and Matt took over.
“Well, Sydney. It looks like you’ve got your own private doctor. I’ll be back in a little bit to check on you.” Dr. Kaleb smiled before leaving the room.
Matt continued to quickly work on changing some bandages and then tied her gown in the back. She lay back down and Matt covered her up with a special blanket to keep her warm. She looked lost and it reminded me of the night Anthony and I brought her home from the hospital to my place. She had that same lost look in her eyes.
I stayed on the bed and held her while Matt sat quietly in the chair. Detective Prestin had taken Blake home for a while, but Blake said he’d be back over later today. Matt looked absolutely beat. I tried telling him he should try to get some rest, but he just shook his head at my suggestion.
Sydney’s monitors started beeping quickly again and caused Matt to stand up and frown. He reached down and took her hand in his and I snuggled against her tighter.
“Sweetheart, are you okay? What are you thinking about, hmm?” Matt pushed some buttons on the machine before sitting down on the bed, looking at Sydney.
The only sounds out of Sydney had been whimpers. She’s hadn’t spoken yet and the tears have even been minimal from her. She’d closed herself up for now. Matt said it’s a coping mechanism that many trauma patients turn to and that she would come around when she was ready. She was abducted and held captive in the fucking woods and a pitch-dark room for nearly two weeks. I understand it would take some time.
Sydney, of course, wouldn’t say anything to Matt but suddenly grew very restless. She kept rubbing her arms and legs, and then her neck. They were almost frantic motions.
“Sweetheart, relax. You’re going to knock off some of the bandages,” Matt said gently.
I took hold of her hands and stilled her. She needed me to be strong and here for her. I need to pull it together.
“Eyes, baby.” I waited and her eyes eventually found their way to mine and I smiled at her. “Good girl, baby. You’re safe, Sydney. Please believe me when I say that. I know you’re scared, but I need you to try to communicate with us. Tell me where you hurt or how I can lessen the fear. Please, baby.”
She stared in my eyes and I knew she heard me. She was just in the stuck place. She dropped her eyes and went back to nervously rubbing her skin.
“Baby, here.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and opened up an app where I could make notes. I opened up a blank page and handed it to her. “Can you type to me?”
I held out the phone in my hand hoping she’d take it from me. We need her to start communicating with us. If it’s by cell phone for a while then fine. I needed inside her mind. She reached out and took the phone, and feverishly began typing. She was pouring out what she wanted to say. “Good girl, Sydney.” When she handed the phone back to me, I held it down so Matt could read it, too.
I’m dirty. I want a bath or shower please. My skin is crawling and I can feel his hands on me. Please.
I looked up at Matt. In Sydney’s room, there was a private bathroom that had a small shower in it. He understood this was important for her emotional state right now. She needed to feel clean. She had been trapped with Paul for two weeks against her will and was a subject for his sick games. Thankfully, Paul had used condoms and there wasn’t a trace of semen in her.
“Matt, I’m going to take her and help her clean up.”
Matt shook his head and Sydney’s monitors began racing again. I pleaded with Matt silently.
“Colin, she’s not strong enough to stand upright in there. You can’t hold her up and wash her too.”
“Then help me. Please, Matt.”
He stared at me for a few moments and then nodded. He started to unhook Sydney from the monitors before I gathered her up in my arms and carried her to the bathroom. I rocked her in my arms while Matt turned the water on and opened up some soap. This would make Sydney feel so much better.
“Okay, baby. You lean against Matt while I wash you. Matt’s going to help keep you from falling, okay?”
I wanted to make certain she was okay with Matt holding her while she was naked. She nodded that she understood Matt was going to touch her. She was desper
ate to feel better. After we got the bandages removed, I pulled my shirt and jeans off so they wouldn’t get wet.
“Use your hands, Col. Don’t lather that sponge. There are too many cuts and it’ll be too abrasive. Gently pat your hands on her.”
I nodded and began working to lather her up and clean mine and Anthony’s fragile kitten. As I lightly washed her I noticed a lot of red water began coloring the bottom of the shower, and I’ll admit, it stalled me. I was caught off guard by all the blood. Sydney’s head hung and I knew she could see the water and began crying. Matt told her not to look down and to focus on me while my mind raced. I pictured her body in the pool of blood from the other girl and my eyes began watering as more water turned red at her feet. The nurses had cleaned her up some last night, but it was in her hair and residue of blood was all over her. It broke my heart hearing her cry uncontrollably like that. Matt helped turn her so the water would rinse her. I quickly washed and rinsed her hair and noticed Matt had to readjust his grip on her.
“Hurry, Col. She’s very weak and needs to be back in bed.” Matt reached past me and turned the water to a cooler setting. I looked up at him questioningly. “The warm water will deplete any energy she has left. Hurry.”
I quickly rinsed her off with the cool water and pat dried her shaking body with a towel. Damn. I didn’t have anything clean for her to put on. Matt said that Gina and his parents were bringing some clean stuff this morning but until then she’d have to go back into a clean hospital gown. I assured him I’d keep her upright while he went to get a clean gown. There were some packaged travel sized hygiene type of items in the bathroom and I held her upright while she brushed her teeth. She reached for a packaged comb as Matt came back with the gown. I put her in it and carried her back to the bed.
While Matt re-dressed some of her wounds, I brushed her hair and towel dried it. Matt brought a hairdryer out from the bathroom and helped me dry her hair. She actually gave us a small smile. I knew it was her way of thanking us.
“You’re welcome, baby.” I kissed her cheek.
Sydney picked up my phone and I watched her fingers type, then she got frustrated and deleted everything, only to start typing again. I encouraged her to take her time and tried to see what she was typing, then deleting. Despite trying to help her through this, she couldn’t finish what she had set out to type. With her shaky hands, she handed me back the cell phone and I nodded my understanding to her. I told her repeatedly that it was okay and we’d get there.
She lay back down and closed her eyes to rest while Matt reattached her to some monitors. She was physically and emotionally exhausted after the shower. I pulled my phone back out and sent some texts to Mitch, James, and Dwayne letting them know everything. I knew they’d pass along the good news that Sydney was back, along with the shitty news that Anthony was in the ICU.
“Chris is stopping by this morning,” Matt informed me. It was probably for the best because I knew we were going to have to start seeing him once we got settled some.
Around 8:30 a.m. a gentle, smiling older nurse came in with a tray.
“Good morning, Sydney. I’ve brought your breakfast. My, don’t you look so much better this morning.”
Sydney smiled and sat up as the lady brought over the lap tray to set over Sydney’s legs and I was shooed off the bed. Despite her monitors beginning to speed up, I stayed off the bed. Once the lady left, I sat on the bed and helped Sydney eat. There was toast, a fruit cup and a pancake. She had a glass of water and apple juice as well. She inhaled the food, minus the toast and hardly came up for air until Matt chastised us for it.
“Slowly, Sydney.”
After she ate, I held her and stroked her hair. I had missed holding her and just rubbing lazily on her. She suddenly threw up everything she had eaten. I felt bad for her. She was hungry but had eaten too fast. That was my fault for not keeping it slow. Matt felt bad for her too and he helped me clean her up. She was exhausted and weakened more after that and fell asleep. I sat in a chair next to Matt and quietly asked him about Anthony.
“He’s the same. Hasn’t moved. No signs of any complications, so that’s good.”
A while later Blake walked in with a drink carrier full of coffees. It tasted so good to me. The three of us gathered by the window where there was a small table and two “L” shaped benches and we spoke in hushed tones.
I should have been at Sydney’s side though. The second her heart rate monitor began to speed up, I knew what was coming--a nightmare. I had just sat down on the side of her bed when she woke up thrashing around and whimpering. I pulled her into my arms and tried to soothe her. She shook but clung to me. Matt and Blake were both next to us offering some support.
Sydney began craning her neck around the room and looked at the three of us before panicking again. I took her face in my hands and said, “eyes,” gently to her. She finally looked up at me but was still breathing hard.
“Baby, what? Here, sweetie.” I handed her my phone and watched her type quickly and then hand me the phone. One word…Anthony.
I held the phone out for Matt and Blake to see. Ever since Sydney started staying at my place, Anthony had been the nightmare guardian. He soothes her and calms her almost effortlessly and now, she needed him but couldn’t have him. I took a deep breath to begin to tell her about Anthony but she took the phone out of my hand and began typing again.
Did you find Anthony? There were a couple rooms in the cabin and closets. Maybe a shed?
What the hell? I quickly recalled how one of the videos Paul sent of her had her begging me to find Anthony, and that Paul was hurting him. Hell, she never stopped thinking Paul had Anthony, too.
Her heart rate monitor was going crazy and Matt urged her to try to calm down. I don’t know if it was a blessing in disguise, but Chris walked in and took a seat off to the side and observed. Too much happened in the minutes to follow.
“Col,” Matt warned me again of trying to calm her. I was still so caught off guard by how Paul was able to keep her thinking he had Anthony. The layers of damage done by Paul could be quite extensive.
“Baby, Sydney…look at me. Anthony is upstairs in the ICU. He was shot in the chest and was…”
Sydney clasped her hands over her mouth and then tears fell. She was choking out sobs and was mumbling. She was talking, but was a mess. I was thrilled she was talking but she wasn’t making sense and was panicking.
“It’s m-my f-fault. H-he t-told m-me he’d m-make Anth-on-y p-pay for my bad be-hav-ior.”
My heart broke into a million pieces. Fucking Paul Fielding got her to think her behavior would write the path of what happened to Anthony and that he supposedly had Anthony in another room. Paul knew how attached Sydney and Anthony were and knew he could have her bending to his every whim if he threatened to hurt Anthony. The news of me telling her Anthony had been shot threw her into panic of being at fault. I was just in shock over the level that Paul went to messing with her mind.
“Colin, for Christ’s sake.” Matt brought me back to reality and I took her in my arms and held her. I kissed her ear and spoke calmly and gently to her, “Baby, Anthony was never with Paul. He was with me the night we found you.”
I could feel her frantically shaking her head and saying “no” and that I didn’t understand. She began coughing and continued to shake. The heart rate monitor was not a friend to us and ended up sending a signal to the nurse’s station. Moments later a nurse and Dr. Kaleb came in and pushed their way through to Sydney. I held my hand up at them urging them not to pull her from my arms. Matt tried stepping in to help but it was a bad situation that continued to spiral out of control.
“She woke up from a nightmare and is recalling some events from her abduction,” Matt explained.
“We need to get that heart rate to calm down. I’ll administer a sedative to calm her down,” Dr. Kaleb said to Matt and sent the nurse to get some medication.
“No. No sedative for her. We’re not threatening her wi
th drugs,” Matt said.
“Dr. Reid, I know you are a friend of the patient, but you are still a doctor, and you see and hear that machine and you know what it means.”
Things were going drastically wrong and Sydney began squirming on my lap and pulled her arms between her body and mine to hide them from Dr. Kaleb. Chris was on his feet and I could tell by his expression that he was going to jump in.
“Baby, baby, you have to calm down. Please baby, try,” I whispered to her.
“C-colin, p-please don’t let them m-make me sleep. I don’t like s-sleeping medicine.”
She shook like a leaf in my arms and I wrapped her up close to me. Matt and Dr. Kaleb were arguing while I was trying to calm Sydney and finally, Chris intervened.
“Sydney is my patient as well and I’d advise against sedating her. Please give her a few minutes to try and calm down on her own. She’s experienced heavy trauma and drugging her is only going to cause more harm and instill fear in her.”
Dr. Kaleb looked furious and glared at Matt.
“Fine. Dr. Reid, perhaps you’ll join me in the hall while Sydney tries to calm down.”
“Fine.” Matt followed Dr. Kaleb out of the room with the nurse behind them.
I was shaking after that. I leaned back against her pillows with her in my arms. She turned and leaned into me and we sat quietly. No one spoke for a while and I noticed her monitor had slowed down. She had worked herself up so badly that she finally fell asleep. I continued to hold her while she slept. Matt came back into the room about a half hour later and I raised my eyebrow at him.
“She asleep?” He asked and I nodded. “No one is putting anything to sedate her in her lines. I just talked to the administrator and it’s been made clear. Dr. Kaleb should have been better prepped on her condition. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Thank you for stepping in for her. And thank you too, Chris.”