by Drew Sera
“We won’t be long, Colin and Sydney. Just need a few minutes, don’t worry. Nothing to be concerned over.”
I nodded as I watched them walk out of the room. In the meantime, I helped get Sydney ready to leave since I was taking her home tonight.
“Why do the police want to talk to Anthony and Blake?” Sydney asked while pulling lint off the throw.
My heart began to pound. I knew Anthony and I needed to have a conversation with her about the woods, but I wasn’t sure when the right time was. Sydney has asked me twice now about Paul and I couldn’t keep avoiding it.
“Blake and Anthony were both in the woods with Paul the night we found you. They chased Paul into the woods.”
Sydney was quiet and then switched topics.
“When does Anthony get to come home?”
“Well, that’s up to the doctors, baby. He’s been doing better, and is all stitched up, and his fever is gone. I think the doctors just want to make sure he’s doing okay.”
“Will we get to visit him?”
“Of course. We’ll come over tomorrow after we get up and have breakfast. We’ll spend the day with him. How does that sound?”
“Good. He seems sad, Colin.”
I nodded and pulled her back to sit on my lap on the rocking chair. I understood what she meant. Anthony has gone through a lot in the past few weeks. He was just trying to get his bearings straight after the storm. He’ll get there.
“A lot has happened, Sydney. He’s human too and just needs some time. Just like you and me.” I kissed her forehead and rested my chin on top of her head.
I was nearly asleep when Matt and Blake walked into the room, each with a hand under Anthony’s arm. He looked pale and weak but was walking mostly on his own. Will trailed in behind them as Anthony got back in bed.
“Are the detectives done?” I asked.
Anthony didn’t answer, but Will spoke up.
“Yeah, they just told him that once he got out of the hospital they’d need him to come to the station to give a statement and sign some paperwork.”
Will watched Matt and a nurse change a bandage on Anthony’s chest and then he looked over at me.
“Don’t worry, Colin. It’ll be okay. Just formalities.”
I couldn’t do anything other than trust Will’s opinion while I snuggled Sydney. We stayed until Anthony ate dinner and then I bundled Sydney up in her coat that Gina brought for her and we told Anthony we’d see him in the morning. He had his phone now and I promised to text him tonight or video chat with him. It was imperative that we maintain good contact because we all needed it.
Sydney sat on Anthony’s bed and hugged him before we left. I really didn’t think that this would be as emotional and hard for Sydney as it was. She was hugging Anthony and his arms were wrapped around her. Suddenly, Anthony began trying to calm Sydney. He cradled her on his lap and asked her why she was shaking and crying. I joined them and sat on the bed and rubbed on Sydney’s leg.
“I’m afraid for you to be alone. What if Paul comes back? You’ll be alone and you’re not back up to your strength yet. Or what if Paul gets Colin while we’re on the way home? Maybe we should just stay together.”
Fuck. Anthony and I stared at one another and everyone in the room could hear Anthony’s pulse increasing. He and I were absolutely stuck and all the air had escaped my lungs. Matt came closer and pat Anthony and me on our shoulders before addressing Sydney.
“Syd, I know you and Colin would rather be here with him, but Blake and I are going to stay. We’ll take good care of him. You need to go home and sleep in your own bed, sweetheart,” Matt said to her.
“You or Blake will stay awake while he sleeps? That way you’ll see if someone comes in.”
“I promise, sweetheart. Blake and I won’t let anything happen to him.”
Thank God for Matt. I don’t know how Anthony and I would have muddled through that. Sydney and I walked out with Arthur, Gloria, and Will. The numbers made Sydney feel better. As soon as we got in the car, I locked the doors and took hold of her hand.
“It’s going to be okay, baby.”
Sydney and I stopped at the McDonald’s drive-thru on our way home. Once home, we ate quietly at the breakfast bar. She didn’t have much of an appetite and kept turning around every few minutes looking towards the garage.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I just...was making sure the door was locked. We shut the garage, right?”
She was craving security and I would do anything to give her a sense of safety. I smiled at her and took her by the hand over to the door. I opened the door to the garage so she could see the garage door was down and then she watched me lock the door leading to the garage.
“I’m sorry, Colin.” Her voice broke and I pulled her against me.
“It’s alright, baby. Don’t worry. Please don’t be afraid here. This is our home and you’re safe here. I know it’s scary when you think about what happened. But baby, you’re safe here. Come on, let’s walk around the house and we will double check everything.”
Sydney and I took a bath together and I found myself biting the inside of my mouth as I thought back to when she first started staying here in October. Anthony and I had been cleaning wounds and changing bandages and I never would have thought that I’d be doing it again. When Paul took Sydney, she wasn’t as fragile as she once was. Sydney is a very strong woman, but the abduction was a definite setback. Just how bad the damage done was yet to be seen.
We video chatted with Anthony for about five minutes before bed. He didn’t look too good but I didn’t bring it up. I hoped the video chatting would have eased all of us some but I think it just added salt to the wound that we were all hurting and weren’t together.
“Try to sleep, baby. I’m right here and not going anywhere. I love you, Sydney.”
“I love you, too.”
I left the bathroom door wide open with the light on and also left the light on by our sitting area. Light made her feel secure. I’d leave every light on in the whole house if it made her feel better. Sydney clung to me and every now and then she’d raise her head from my shoulder and look towards the bedroom door. I hated seeing her so scared. I pulled Anthony’s pillow over and pressed it against her back to help give her that sense of safety. I stayed awake for hours, I think. I was making sure Sydney was asleep before I allowed myself to sleep. During that time, my thoughts were with Anthony. We needed him home soon.
As expected, the night was filled with nightmares and tears. Each time she woke, her eyes darted around the room looking for her attacker. The second time was more heartbreaking for me to hear because she spoke in broken pleas begging for someone not to hurt Anthony. I’m sure this was stemming from Paul and how he got her to think he had Anthony, too. It didn’t help matters when she woke up and Anthony wasn’t here.
Chapter 14
Saturday, February 1st
Colin
I was glad when the morning light crept into the bedroom and left the bad dreams in the previous night. Sydney was quiet and detached all morning while we got ready. Before her abduction, she had been comfortable enough to go into the closets to get her clothes, but she wouldn’t go into the closet this morning. I offered to go in with her and hold her hand but when she started crying and clutching her stomach, I embraced her and took her to the chair in our sitting area. She begged me not to make her go in the closet or leave her alone. She was in hysterics and I saw a panic attack on the horizon if I didn’t get her calmed down.
“Sydney, you don’t have to go in the closet. No one will make you, baby. You’re safe, Sydney. Anthony and I love you, and we won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. Just breathe, Sydney.”
I took a deep breath and rubbed on her arms as she shook. The tears and panicked breathing eventually slowed and her grip on my shirt lightened. I continued to stroke her hair as she calmed down.
“Good girl, Sydney.” I kissed her head and then we headed t
owards the closets again.
I opened the door to Anthony’s side, which was where some of her clothes hung. I left the door wide open so she could see me from the doorway. I picked out a pair of jeans for her and a soft long sleeve gray t-shirt. I also pulled out her red pullover sweatshirt that Anthony had bought for her. I held everything up to show her and gave her the opportunity to let me know if she wanted something else. She nodded frantically that everything was fine and kept turning her head towards the bedroom door.
When I finished in the closet I took her by her hand and we went into the bathroom. She looked worn out and like she had already been through a rigorous day. I helped her out of her pajamas and guided her to sit down on the soft vanity stool. I began gently removing bandages, cleaning her wounds on her back, chest, stomach and arms while I tried getting her to engage in conversation. I was losing the battle but would continue to try. I wasn’t going to give up on her and just let her sit alone to deal with this.
“Baby, I think Anthony will love seeing you in that sweatshirt this morning. Are you hungry?”
Sydney shook her head at first and then chastised herself for not answering with her voice.
“Stupid!” She slapped her hand against her forehead as she called herself ‘stupid’. This, I wasn’t going to tolerate. I knew exactly what this was stemming from, and may Paul Fielding rot in hell.
I set the medicated ointment down on the counter and crouched in front of her. I took hold of her hands and told her to look at me. When her sad, frustrated eyes came up to meet mine, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.
“You will never, ever use that word to describe yourself. Do you understand me? You are not stupid, Sydney. You are mine and Anthony’s kitten. You’re loved very much, understand?”
Tears spilled out of those blue eyes as she nodded, hanging her head. Gut wrenching sobs broke free from her chest and she leaned forward on the stool crying her eyes out. I wrapped my arms around her naked, shaking body and pulled her onto my lap. Sydney has never cried like this. Not even after we brought her home from the hospital after Howard. This was going to take time and Anthony and I were going to have to be extra patient with her.
“I’m s-sorry,” she gasped over and over.
All I could do was hold her and repeat that we loved her, she was safe and that it wasn’t her fault. Her body felt limp and weak in my arms. It was as if she was admitting that she couldn’t do this on her own. She cried and cried until her system was hit with the dry heaves. Once things were calmer, I went back to tending to her wounds. There were so many and they were all over her body. She was quiet and had shut down on me as I rubbed in ointments and applied bandage after bandage.
“No, Sir,” Sydney suddenly whispered.
I stopped tending to her back and then crouched in front of her again. I took hold of her hands and pulled them apart.
“No, Sir, what? What are you talking about, baby?”
“You asked me if I was hungry.” Sydney brought her head up and looked at me. “My answer is, no, Sir. I’m not hungry.”
I looked in her eyes and I knew that she was trying. Things were going to be rough for a while but I was confident that we’d make it. I smiled at her and kissed her forehead.
“Good girl, Sydney. Thank you for trying. All you have to do is try, baby. Things will be okay.”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll try. I promise.”
Tears ran down her face and I caught them with my thumb. She began crying uncontrollably again. I carried her to one of the chairs in our sitting area again and held her while she cried. After the tears stopped and with her hand in mine, we walked to the security alarm keypad. I wanted for her to feel safe and maybe if she saw that it was armed then she’d feel a little safer.
“See, baby? It was armed all night and we were safe.”
Her smile made me feel better. Even though she told me she wasn’t hungry I was able to coax her into eating some dry cereal. She had to have something in her body to take her medicine with. I leaned against the breakfast bar and watched her struggle with the pills. Knowing that she had a bad past with pills I knew that I needed to sit back and let her take them at her pace. Her bruised hand curled around the pill vials as she read them and frowned.
“Colin...did Matt say these were okay for me?”
“Absolutely, baby.” I sat next to her and stroked her hair as she continued to examine the labels.
“But...but his name isn’t on here. Is this the doctor who wanted to make me sleep?”
“No, baby. Dr. Reese was the friend of Matt’s. You remember him? He was also the doctor in the emergency room.”
“I don’t remember much from the emergency room.”
“I know, baby. It was a very stressful night. Do you remember that I stayed beside you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Sydney took the antibiotic with some apple juice and then leaned against me. I held her quietly in the kitchen and then we headed out to spend the day with Anthony.
On our way to see Anthony we stopped at McDonald’s to get him a maple syrup breakfast sandwich. I know he loves those things, and hopefully it would make him smile. When we walked in, a doctor was checking his vitals and Anthony was shirtless. Fuck, his body was a mess right now, too. Matt helped Anthony back into his shirt and then Sydney hopped up on the bed by Anthony and handed him the McDonalds bag.
“Perfect, thank you. A maple syrup sandwich delivered by my sunshine.” Anthony bent and kissed her forehead. “Damn, I missed you. How did you sleep, sunshine? You look tired,” Anthony commented as he looked over Sydney’s face and ran his thumb under her eyes.
Sydney smiled and shrugged when Anthony prompted her again. He wrapped his arm around her while he ate with his other hand. “Rough night?” He asked me. I only nodded.
It was good to be able to spend the day with Anthony. I sat in the rocking chair and rocked Sydney under a blanket while Anthony watched. I finally put Sydney in Anthony’s arms and it was almost instantly that Anthony began relaxing. Matt and I ended up talking the most. Anthony was zoned out, as was Sydney. They’re both so exhausted and they dozed in and out of sleep. It was heartbreaking to know that both of them are suffering, but that I could do so little about it. Per Chris, all I could do is be there for them and try to listen.
While Anthony and Sydney slept, Matt filled me in on Anthony’s night that was rocked with sleep disturbances as well.
“He was restless.”
“Sydney’s night was about the same. When we got home, she was afraid we had forgotten to lock the doors or shut the garage. She wouldn’t go in the closet this morning.”
“It’ll take time, Colin. Remember, that other woman was hanging in the closet in the same room with her.”
“I know, Matt. How could I forget?” I snapped back at him and looked down at Sydney sleeping in Anthony’s arms. Anthony was still asleep, too. I haven’t been able to get the image out of my head from that night. There were so many things that we needed to deal with and I didn’t know where to begin. I took a deep breath and apologized to Matt. “Chris is going to stop by the house tomorrow.”
“It’s a good idea. He’s going to need it too.” Matt motioned toward Anthony. I knew that as well.
Like Sydney, Anthony also has been through hell recently. He has been a mess since the Saturday night he got roughed up by a Pro Dom. There’s a lot to be addressed with him still.
Chapter 15
Sunday, February 2nd
Matt
Anthony was being released today after lunch and I was going to take him home. I knew Colin and Sydney were looking forward to it as much as Anthony was. I stood to the side as Dr. Alex Reese looked Anthony over again and checked his vitals. I would show Colin how to clean his wounds and make sure Anthony was taking his medicine. Alex still wanted him to take the antibiotic because fevers were periodically showing their ugly heads with Anthony here and there and the infection probably wasn’t cleared up yet.
Blake walked in after Alex left the room and had some clothes for Anthony to change into. As he changed into his jeans he seemed a little wobbly to me but I didn’t bring attention to it. He’s been cooped up in here and I think he will be okay. He just needs some normalcy as well. As he buttoned his jeans, Blake and I both noticed how they looked a little big on him. He had lost weight over the situation with Sydney and I think he’s lost a little more since he’s been in the hospital. I noticed Blake purposely didn’t bring him a belt.
“Ready, Anth?”
“Fuck, yeah. Get me out of here.”
In the parking lot, Blake said he’d see us tonight and gave Anthony a brief shoulder rub until Anthony managed to move away from him. We had made plans with Colin to get together for dinners this week at least. Blake and I thought it’d be good for everyone. It will be good for Gina to have Sydney back in our lives. She’s been supportive of Colin and Anthony during this terrible time and has been understanding with me being away as much as I have been.
We headed toward home when I thought I’d use the drive time to talk to him about some things that I had on my mind.
“Anth, please don’t push it. Don’t rush your recovery. Bullets and collapsed lungs are serious.”
Anthony asked if we could stop at the drugstore to pick something up. He made a painful sighing noise when he reached for his wallet and then checked the contents. I followed him into the drugstore and up and down a few aisles. He didn’t know where he was going so I finally asked him what he was looking for when I noticed how pale and sluggish he was looking.
“Bandage aisle.”
I frowned and questioned him as to why. I had set Colin up with tons of bandages in various sizes. They’d be set. Anthony didn’t answer me but finally found the aisle. He stood in front of the character bandage boxes and he grabbed a handful of the superhero ones. He began coughing and brought his hand up to his chest immediately. I put my hand on his upper back and encouraged him to breathe slowly. He stood stock-still and didn’t say anything for a moment then he maneuvered away from my hand and nodded slowly that he was okay but I saw his hand shaking as he held the bandage box.