Fragile: Book One in The Everett Gaming Series

by Sera, Drew

  When I was sure he wasn’t going anywhere, I let go of his shirt and he leaned back in the chair and went back to stroking her hand. The picture of what looks like a common occurrence in Sydney’s life wasn’t sitting well with any of us.

  Another doctor came in and Matt went over Sydney’s file with him. Matt was going to go home and sleep for a while but said he’d be back in the morning. It was going on 1:45 in the morning but Anthony and I weren’t going anywhere. This is where we wanted and needed to be.

  Sydney slept all through the night and I think Anthony slept a little. When he woke up I took a small nap. Around 7:00 a.m. Gina came in carrying a beverage tray and a few bags. I helped her with everything and she handed Anthony a coffee and a chocolate chip muffin before sitting down next to me. The coffee was really good and I hadn’t realized how hungry I had been until I consumed the muffin.

  “Thanks, Gina. That hit the spot,” I whispered still so we didn’t wake Sydney.

  “Matt said she was in pretty bad shape. Lots of wounds.”

  Gina looked down at Sydney with sympathy. Gina had suffered some before Matt got hold of her. I think on many levels, Gina could be very good to have around Sydney.

  She sat with us while we ate and then tossed a bag on my lap. Clothes. Clean clothes.

  “Matt had me gather some clean stuff for you guys and to tell you to use his shower in his office.”

  It was much appreciated. I emptied out my pockets and left Sydney’s house keys with Anthony while I went to take a quick shower. When I got back, Anthony went. Gina stayed until Anthony got back and then had to be going. I thanked her for the food and clean clothes. Shortly after Gina left, Sydney started to wake up. Anthony sat up straighter and I gently sat down on her bed and took hold of her hand.

  “Hi, baby. How are you feeling?” I asked her.

  She struggled to sit up and I took hold of her tiny arm to gently help her sit up. Everywhere I touched I could feel bandages or gauze and I was reminded of how we found her yesterday.

  She still looked tired though and her eyes moved around the room. She noticed she was gripping Anthony’s shirt and quickly released it.

  “I’m sorry! I didn’t realize I was grabbing onto you.” Her voice sounded dry and raspy.

  The heart rate monitor began beeping at a quicker pace now and gave away her nervousness and loss of physical contact. Anthony laughed and picked her hand back up and placed it back on his sleeve.

  “Not to worry, sunshine. A sweetie like you can grab onto me whenever you need. I don’t mind.”

  I saw her relax and smile and maybe even a little color spread across her cheeks. Her heart rate monitor slowed back down. Anthony noticed it too and smiled. She responds to us. With the slowing of the monitor noise, I smiled knowing that she feels safe and secure in the company of Anthony and I. Poor girl. I wonder how long she’s been afraid of everything.

  I thought about how I’ve never seen her in a short sleeve shirt or sleeveless top. She had started to work for Openin during January and I can’t recall seeing anything but long sleeves. I began to think back to her mannerisms and behavior over the past few months trying to think if something might have been going on that long. She carried herself tightly and always seemed nervous and shy.

  There was still a muffin in the bakery bag and I offered it to her. She eagerly accepted it and had it gone in no time.

  Matt arrived and took some vitals and changed some of the bandages. He pushed around on her abdomen, which drew whimpers and a look of death from Anthony. She squirmed under his hands until he stilled them and looked at her.

  “Easy, Sydney. I’m not going to harm you.”

  Matt gently rubbed over the spot he had been pushing on and then sat down on the windowsill. I knew he was here today as a friend and not on call. I brushed her hair back behind her ear and looked into those sad, dark blue eyes.

  “Baby, tell us what happened,” I said as gently and as calmly as I could. I didn’t want to scare her or upset her.

  “I…I’m not a very good sub.” She was looking down at the sheets and the heart rate monitors picked up speed.

  “Are you telling me that this,” I motioned to her body, “is for not being a good sub?”

  “Um, yes. It’s complicated. Howard is a Dom that I’ve been playing with for a while. And I get punished for not being good.”

  You’d have thought that she was in more pain by telling us this than the actual physical pain she was feeling.

  “What’s being good?” I tilted her chin up so she’d look at me. Her bottom lip was quivering and her eyes were filling with tears. “Hmm? Tell me baby, what it would have taken for him not to do this to you?”

  The monitor began to quicken it’s beeping noise and Matt went over to stand next to it keeping watch. Anthony and I continued to hold her hand and offer comfort.

  “I d-don’t know.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and I wiped them up with my thumbs. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I try to be good and what he wants so he won’t chain me up. He just tells me that I’m bad and need to learn.”

  “Does he ever tell you what he wants corrected?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Baby, then he’s just using you as a punching bag.”

  “I wanted you to help me. T-train me so I can get better and find a better Dom. Please.”

  I stared into her eyes for a long moment. She nearly died last night and yet she wants me to train her. She honestly thinks she’s to blame for this. I had to contain the excitement I felt though. I’d fix her self-confidence issue and see to it that she was safe and taken care of.

  “I will help you, baby. But I want you to tell us what happened after Anthony took you home.”

  “Saturdays are Howard’s nights. It’s been like that for a while. I’m supposed to be there and available for him. I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to be at your party and see how other people in the lifestyle are. Anyhow, I knew he’d be pissed and that he’d catch up to me. Anthony left and I had just gotten into bed when Howard started banging on the door. He had a key, so I barely made it out of bed before it started. He reprimanded me and punished me.”

  “Details, Sydney. Don’t leave anything out, baby,” I encouraged quietly.

  “He…” I feared that I might have pushed for too much. I tried to nudge her a bit and if I didn’t work, then I’d leave it for now.

  “These marks,” I pointed to her wrists. “He’s been doing this for a while. Burning you and drugging you.”

  She nodded and the heart rate monitors started picking up pace again. Matt came over and said it was time to change the bandages and clean wounds. I took that as his way of telling me enough and to drop it for now. While Matt cleaned and bandaged, Sydney asked me if she lost her job. Unbelievable how that thought could even surface with everything else going on. I told her I talked to Dwayne last night and that her job was fine. I didn’t want her to worry about anything other than getting better.

  “When can I go home?”

  I glanced at Matt and jumped in.

  “Baby, if you want me to work with you with sub training, you’re going to come stay at my house and get better before we start. You’re not going back to that apartment.” She wasn’t arguing so I took it as a good sign.

  “Sydney, if you’re going to be staying at Colin’s, I can possibly discharge you this evening. I want to monitor you for the rest of the day.”

  She looked up at me with those big blue eyes and nodded. She was agreeing to stay at my place and after she healed and got better, then she’d allow me to work with her. Holy fuck, while this is very much ultimately what I wanted, I wished to hell that she hadn’t suffered Saturday night like she had.

  Blake had some police connections and made sure they sent a nice, female officer to take Sydney’s statement. Anthony and I stayed by her side the entire time and encouraged her and supported her. The hardest part was when the officer took the photos from Matt and asked he
r to confirm that she was the one in the photos. There were close to two dozen photos and she had to confirm each one. The officer gave Anthony, Matt and I her card and said to call her if anything came up.

  The heart rate monitors finally calmed back down just in time for a nurse to bring in some bland soup. It didn’t look very good but Sydney ate some of it without complaint.

  “Col, you want to come with me to my office while she finishes eating?”

  I knew Matt wanted to talk to me about some things before discharging her. I glanced at Anthony and he nodded and said they were fine. I sat down across from Matt while he opened her file folder and pulled out a prescription pad. He began to write but stopped and leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.

  “She’s hurt bad, Col.”

  “I have eyes, Matt,” I snapped back at him. I didn’t mean to but I was tired and upset about what had happened to Sydney. And I was pissed off at myself for not having pushed her when I first saw that wrist.

  “I know you do. Understand that if it was anyone but you, she wouldn’t be getting the discharge tonight. I know you will watch over her like a hawk and I’m just on the other side of the golf course, so you can call me if you need anything. But the drugs that are in her system aren't lightweight drugs, Col. She’s been having them pushed in her system for quite a while and they’re addictive drugs. She could have developed a dependency or an addiction to them. If she was getting that shit forced in her system almost on a weekly basis, we need to watch out for withdraws. Fevers, chills, agitation, restlessness. I’ll help, but since she’s going to be in your house, you’ve got to watch closely.”

  “I will. I’ll let you know if I suspect anything.”

  “I’m writing a prescription for an antibiotic. God only knows how clean the implements were that he used on her. He was cutting her wrist each week with those metal cuffs and probably never bothered to clean them. So the antibiotic is on the side of caution. I'm also writing a prescription for pain.” He stopped writing and looked up at me. “Use this very sparingly. We don’t want her to get used to a pill to take all the pain away.”

  Matt scribbled away and then threw his pen down and leaned back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. He looked angry.

  “Fucking disgusts me, Colin. She’s endured horrible beatings. Beatings that probably weren’t consensual.” He rubbed his forehead and let his head rest against the back of his chair again. “Reminds me of Gina. I think Sydney had a genuine interest in BDSM, like Gina did, and somehow she got mixed up with the wrong people.”

  He and I walked back to her room and stopped off at the pharmacy window to have the prescriptions filled. While we waited for them, he talked to me about cleaning the wounds and making sure she eats some bland food for a while. I had the bag of prescriptions including some medicated gels for her welts and cuts and had a bag filled with bandages and gauze pads. The bandages around her wrists and ankles needed to be changed every four hours or once soiled. I nodded as he rattled off directions. Before we got to her room, he clasped his hand on my back.

  “She’s in good hands with you. I’ll be over in the morning to check on her.”

  “Thanks, Matt.”

  I was glad to get back to her. She had eaten some sort of gelatin and had some water. She looked so tired though. Matt began unhooking her from the machines and said she was free. Earlier Gina had brought over some clothes for Sydney and Anthony was helping her get dressed while I signed the discharge papers.

  Sydney looked like she was swimming in the clothes. She must feel out of sorts after being in the hospital and in unfamiliar clothes. Matt helped Anthony and I get her to the car and into the back seat. Thankfully this afternoon there was a mobile car wash company on site and I had them detail my Range Rover. I hadn’t seen any blood, but I’ve got black leather and didn’t want to risk it. I had another blanket in the back and draped it across her lap after she got her seat belt on. I felt her forehead before shutting her door and she didn’t feel warm, so that was good. Anthony was up in the passenger seat and kept turning around to check on her every few minutes.

  She was quiet on the way to my place even though Anthony and I tried to keep her busy with conversation. Matt said this was to be expected though especially with the medication. As soon as we got her inside, Anthony helped her settle in on the chaise part of the couch while I raced through the house turning on lights, adjusting the heat and turning on the fireplace. By the time I got back to the great room where they were, Sydney was already motionless, face down on the chaise. Anthony was crouched down beside her and was rubbing on her hand. It was one of the few places you could touch that didn't have a bandage on or was wrapped up. He looked concerned and worried, which is exactly how I felt.

  I walked over and felt her forehead and she still felt okay. Matt advised I keep an eye out for fevers and chills. Now we needed to get some food in her so she can take her medicine.

  “Baby, what do you feel like eating?”

  I prayed my pantry was well stocked. I have a housekeeper that comes in twice a week to take care of basic cleaning and grocery shopping. I made a mental note to get a list of things Sydney likes so they’d be on hand.

  Sydney wasn’t talking though and looked like she was staring off at nothing. Anthony put his chin on the couch cushion next to her head.

  “Sunshine, we’re going to have dinner. What would you like? Chef Colin can make anything. Lobster? Steak? Ice cream?”

  She giggled and her eyes seemed to refocus. He smiled and kissed her hand.

  “May I have a grilled cheese sandwich?”

  “Absolutely.” I headed to the kitchen and started up the stove.

  I knew Anthony was as starved as I was. I made six sandwiches and cut them in half, grabbed a box of saltines and three cans of 7UP. I set everything down on the coffee table and handed Sydney a plate with two sandwich halves and put some crackers on it. I waited until she started to nibble before inhaling my own food. It was quiet and Sydney seemed lost. Leave it to Anthony though to detect it and try to fix it.

  “Col, how many crackers can you put in your mouth at once?”

  I took his bait knowing that it was to pull a smile from Sydney. I grabbed four and shoved them in. Anthony was able to get six in his mouth. Sydney let out a laugh and was looking back and forth between us. Anthony and I both laughed and sprayed crackers all over our shirts. Her laughter filled my house and for that, I nodded my thanks at Anthony.

  After we ate, I took the plates to the kitchen and brought back some water and her medicine. When I held out the pills, she retreated to the corner of the couch and pulled her legs up to her chest. Then it hit me. Pills. I sat down and I picked up the pill bottles. She was afraid of them. Honestly, if I had been tormented and pumped full of drugs, I’d be unsure too. But she needed to learn now, that Howard and I were different.

  “Sydney, I understand your apprehension with the medication. I’m going to explain each one to you. This one is an antibiotic. Matt was worried about some of your cuts and wants to treat for an infection. That’s all this drug does, baby. This other one is for pain.”

  She started shaking her head frantically at the pain pill.

  “Talk, baby. Tell me what you’re thinking,” I encouraged.

  “I…I don’t want the pain pill. I don’t like not being able to feel.”

  That fucking monster really did a number on her. He’d numb her to where she felt nothing so he could do more to her over a longer period of time before her body broke. She’s terrified of not feeling pain. I took a deep breath and pushed Howard from my mind. I turned to face Sydney and reached for her hand.

  “Baby, I’m not like him.”

  It took a moment to get a reaction from her, but when I did I was very satisfied by it. I genuinely believed that she knew and trusted me not to harm her. I held my hand open with the antibiotic and she stared at it. With a shaky hand, she reached out and took it. Anthony held up a bottle of wa
ter and she took the pill.

  “Good girl, baby. I’m proud of you.”

  We cleaned and re-bandaged cuts and welts on her back, chest and stomach as quickly as we could. I knew she was feeling vulnerable and Anthony and I needed to be gentle but fast. Matt gave me some medicated cream to use on her sides. Her sides were torn up badly and I could tell that they really bothered her. The skin was raw from the bottom of her ribs down to just past her hipbones and the skin over the hipbones was much worse.

  As we finished cleaning the wounds I glanced down at her, shaking my head as I thought about what that asshole did to her. Aside from how pale her face was, everything that was visible to the public eye appeared to look normal. She’s been coming to work with a battered body, hurting. Work was obviously her sanctuary. Then Karl fucking lost it with her at work. It made me angry as I pictured Karl jumping down her throat over the fucking copy request. But if he hadn’t, then I wouldn’t have gone out to the hallway and I wouldn’t have seen her wrist.

  Gina had sent a sleep shirt but the second Sydney got it on, I could see that it just wasn’t enough coverage for her to feel secure. She needed to feel well covered. I went upstairs and found a pair of cotton shorts with a drawstring. It’s the best I could do right now. They made her feel better though and she relaxed back in bed.

  “Baby, I want you to try to get some sleep. My room is upstairs and the last room on the right. Don’t be afraid to come get me if you need anything. I’m going to come check on you through the night.”

  “Thank you both for everything. You saved me.”

  Her words transported me back to finding her on the floor of her apartment.

  “Get some sleep, baby.”

  She sunk back in bed and clutched the extra throw that I brought in for her to hold. I knew it was important for her to have something to hold. I shut the light off and had a foot out of the room before she panicked.

  “No! Colin, please not the dark!”

  I turned the light back on and went to calm her. Anthony was leaning in the doorway now. I sat down next to her on the bed and turned the light next to the bed on. She looked scared and I felt sick that I had put that look on her face. I’d get to the bottom of why a twenty-seven year old was scared of the dark, but not tonight. She had had enough and just needed to be comfortable.