by K. J. Dahlen
Raine narrowed his eyes and snarled. “What a fucked up mess this turned out to be. Jr. is not gonna be happy.” He turned to gather her in his arms and felt the knife at his throat. Looking down at her, he could see the emotion in her eyes.
Hate blazed strong but there was something else there too. She looked scared to death. “Save my babies,” she whispered. “Please don’t let my babies die.”
“They won’t and neither will you,” Raine promised. He turned and found Sabbath standing there. “Let’s go, you’re driving.”
He carried her own of the warehouse and got inside the truck. With her on his lap, he waited for Sabbath to get behind the wheel. The few minutes it took for them to get to the hospital, Raine could feel the blood soaking from her wound straight through to his shirt.
When they got to the Emergency Room, he called out for a doctor. Nurses came running and he laid her on a gurney. She was whisked away to an exam room and Raine noticed she was fighting to stay awake. The blood loss worried him but when a nurse tried to take the knife away from her, she began fighting them.
Raine went to the nurses, “She won’t give up the knife. Its better if you let her hang onto it.”
The nurse shook her head. “We can’t, it’s a weapon that could cause harm to the staff here. We have to get it away from her.”
“Then let me try. She’s scared and hurt and not thinking right,” Raine assured her. He turned to Cassie and with careful movements, he approached. “I need you to let me have the knife. The nurses think you might hurt somebody with it.”
Cassie shook her head. “It’s all I have to protect my babies.”
“You don’t have to protect them here, no one here is going to hurt them.” Raine tried to reassure her.
Cassie looked up at him with confusion in her eyes. “But if I don’t protect them who else will? I don’t have anything to give them but protection. I don’t even know if I can love them like a mother can. I’m scared to death here. I need Deke. Can you find him and ask him to come here?”
Raine held her hand. “I’ll call him and he’ll come. I think that man loves you very much.”
“I think he does too. I don’t know why he does but he does. He’s so excited about these babies. He doesn’t understand my fears but when you grow up the way I did, the fear always wins. I’ve never had anything I could call my own except these babies. I have to protect them.”
A nurse came up to the gurney Cassie was on. “Hey there girl.” She smiled. “What are you doing here?”
Cassie turned her head and smiled. “Maggie, I’m glad you’re here. I got a cut on my side that won’t stop bleeding.”
“I know honey.” Maggie patted her hand. “I’m here to help but you have to give up the knife, so the doctors can see you.”
Cassie turned to Raine. “Will you call Deke for me? I really need him here.”
Raine nodded. “I’ll call him.”
Maggie smiled. “I already called. Deke is on his way along with Peaches and Paige and everyone else. They are very concerned about you.” Maggie began noticing her other wounds. She turned to Raine and asked, “What the hell did you do to her?”
“Halo tied her hands together and when she woke up she fought us. We weren’t going to hurt her but she didn’t give us a chance to tell her that,” Raine explained. “When we went to cut the ties she thought we were going hurt her or her babies and she put up a fight. She got cut by accident. We were never going to hurt her or the babies.”
Maggie snorted. “You’d better hope Deke believes that and nothing else goes wrong.”
Just then, Cassie screamed Maggie’s name.
Maggie turned to her and began checking her over. “What’s wrong honey?” She laid her hand on Cassie’s stomach and found it hard with a contraction. “Oh Jesus, not now,” she muttered. “It’s too soon.”
Cassie gasped. “I’m gonna lose them aren’t I?” she wailed. “I couldn’t protect my babies and now they’re gonna die!”
“No, they aren’t sweetheart,” Maggie tried to reassure her. “You and your babies are gonna be just fine. Pregnant women get these pains all the time. They’re called Braxton Hick contractions.” She took the knife out of Cassie’s hands and stepped back.
The doctors rushed over to her and began examining her side where the blood was still seeping.
As they wheeled her away, Maggie turned and glared at Raine. “You and your fucking boss better hope nothing happens to those babies or her.” She turned and walked the same way Cassie had been taken.
Raine followed more slowly. Sam had told him to stay with her and nothing was going to keep him away. He wasn’t sure he wanted to leave now anyway. He had to know if she was going to be all right.
CHAPTER THREE
Raine saw a nurse give Cassie a shot of something to calm her down. The doctor had removed her top and was now sewing her cut closed. Cassie’s face was blank and that worried him. He knew she was in pain but she wouldn’t let anyone see it and that wasn’t normal. He came up behind Maggie and asked, “Is she gonna be okay?”
She turned her head to gaze at him. “I don’t know. Right now, she’s blocking out her pain and worry but I know she’s scared to death.”
“So what’s her story then?” he asked.
Maggie shook her head. “That’s not my story to tell, if you want to know you’ll have to talk to Deke.”
Deke, Gator and Deacon walked in the room just then. He saw Raine standing there. Deke rushed over to him, hauled back his arm and let his fist fly forward. Raine took the hit. He knew he deserved it and more. He hit the wall behind him but stayed on his feet. Deke hauled him a few feet away and began asking questions. When he found out what he wanted to know he went back to the group, but his glare stayed on Raine.
A few minutes later, Paige, Max and Peggy, Reva and Marnie came in. They looked at Deke and then everyone stared at the doctor coming their way.
It was Doctor Peters and he looked shaken. “We got the bleeding from the cut on her side stopped and her other injuries don’t seem too bad, but I’m afraid she’s not in a good place right now. She had a few contractions and she’s afraid she’ll lose her babies. She keeps saying something about not being able to protect her own babies.”
“Is that a possibility? For her to lose them?” Deke wanted to know. His hands were curled into fists.
“I don’t know at the moment. I would say no if it were any other person but her.”
“What does that mean?” Paige asked.
“Cassie has told me some of her story and we talked about getting her some help but she didn’t want to talk any medication that would harm the babies. But if she falls into a deep depression right now, I don’t know if we can get her back. She might just shut down and never make it back and that wouldn’t be good for the babies.”
Deke turned to glare at Raine. Then he turned back to the doctor. “Is there anything we can do to prevent that?”
Doctor Peters shrugged. “The only thing I can think of is to give her a reason to come back on her own. We know she can do it, she just has to want to. Not only for her sake but for the babies’ sake as well. Her mind is a fragile thing at the moment and only she can do this. She has been through a lot recently, too much for most people to handle.” He looked over at Deke, “But you have to give her a reason to stay with us. You have to give her a sound reason to feel safe. Whatever happened to her to bring this on brought out this fear, I didn’t see coming and I don’t think she saw it either.”
Deke nodded and went to her side. “Baby please don’t leave me. I need you.”
She stared up at the ceiling and when he took her hand, her skin was cold to the touch. Cassie didn’t acknowledge him in any way.
“You promised me you’d be my wife. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and our children. I can’t wait to hold my babies. I hope Jemmia has your red hair. Sam will be a good brother, I promise. He’ll protect her when they get older.”
/> When she didn’t move or acknowledge him, Deke leaned closer and kissed her. “Please baby, don’t leave me. I couldn’t stand it if you weren’t there for me. I love you so much.” He sat with her for a few more minutes then joined the others. Tears were rolling down his face and he seemed distracted. Running his fingers through his hair, he looked over at Deacon and shook his head. “I can’t get through to her. It’s like she’s not hearing me.”
Iceman, Peaches and Paige rushed down the hall. “What happened? Where has she been?” Peaches asked.
“My father decided he wanted to get to know her better,” Deke snarled. “He fucking kidnapped her and dragged her away from the compound.”
Peaches’ face paled as she thought about what could have happened. “What did he do to her?” she whispered.
“Raine said her hands were tied together because Sam didn’t want her to freak out like she did when Sabbath grabbed her,” Deke explained. “When she came to, her hands were tied and she couldn’t move. She opened her eyes to find herself in a small room with concrete walls.”
Peaches gasped and raised her hand to her mouth in horror. “Oh, dear God, no—not that.”
Iceman and Paige stared at the two of them.
“Is that bad?” Paige asked.
Peaches glanced into the room and saw her friend for the first time. She cried out when she saw the bandages on Cassie’s wrists. But what broke her heart was the vacant stare on Cassie’s face. Her eyes were open but it was as if she was staring at the ceiling without seeing anything. Peaches then glanced over at Deke. “What else happened to her? Why is she just staring at nothing?”
“When she came to, one of his men came forward with a knife in his hands to cut her free. Cassie freaked. She fought the ropes and according to what Raine said, she went crazy. The rope tightened on her wrists but she didn’t feel it. Sabbath got close enough to her that she got cut on the arm when she fought him off. Then she hit the knife again and it slipped down and cut her belly. She thought the babies were in danger and her mind shut down. She thought she couldn’t protect her babies.” Deke grabbed Peaches by the arms as his panic rose. He completely ignored Iceman’s growl and asked, “Baby, I need you to reach her somehow. She’s gone to her safe place and I can’t pull her back. She thinks the babies are hurt and she didn’t protect them good enough.”
“I’ll try.” Peaches cried. She turned to Cassie and step by step, she made her way over to her friend.
Iceman stepped up to Deke and growled. “Giving you a warning man, do not touch my woman again.”
Deke just stared at the other man. “I’m aware of that fact. If you listen, you might learn something about your woman. I had to impress on Peaches how serious this situation has become. I know Peaches belongs to you just as the woman lying on that bed belongs to me. I would do anything I had to, including touching your woman to bring her back. You’re going to have to get over it, man. I got no time for your bullshit.” Deke turned his back on Iceman and went over to Cassie’s bed.
~* * * *~
Paige went to her sister’s side and held her hand. Tears rolled down her face when Cassie’s hands felt so cold and unresponsive in her own. She could see people moving around her. Glancing up, she saw her parents standing against the wall in the hallway. Arm in arm, they supported each other as tears ran down her mom’s face.
Looking around, she saw Deacon and Marnie were there, Deke stood looking lost and Gator was there with Reva. A couple of Cassie’s friends from Redemption House were sitting on the floor. One of Sam’s men was standing in the corner of the room. He wasn’t bothering anybody and nobody seemed to realize he was there. If they had, they would have probably thrown him out.
Everyone blamed Sam for what had happened to Cassie. He took her away from the compound and while she fought him, she’d gotten hurt. Nobody in that room was happy about that fact.
Paige watched Peaches approach the bed.
Peaches sat down beside Cassie. She picked up Cassie’s hand and held it lightly. “Oh Cassie, what did he do to you?” she whispered and her fingers traced along the bandage that wrapped around her slender hand. She leaned forward until her forehead touched Cassie’s forehead. “Cassie, where are you girl? I need you to come back to me. I can’t live without you in my world,” she whispered as tears fell down her cheeks.
Cassie didn’t move, nor did she acknowledge Peaches in any way. Her eyes were open but it was as if she didn’t see what was right in front of her.
“Baby girl, listen to me,” Peaches kept talking. “I know you’re in your safe place but you don’t need to go there ever again. There isn’t anyone left to hurt you in this world. Janelle and Robbie and even your dad, they’re all gone. It’s safe for you to come back now. I need you here with me, Deke needs you here. You have two babies that are waiting to be born and they need you most of all.”
Paige stood and listened, hoping Peaches could get through to her twin.
Peaches rubbed her hands up and down Cassie’s arms. “Do you remember when we were seven and that bitch caught you trying to sneak an apple from the kitchen? Boy was she mad. She thought you were getting more than your fair share but she didn’t know you were giving the apple to Charlotte. She threw you in that horrible basement for three days that time. You didn’t say a word. She was upstairs pacing back and forth waiting for you to start screaming to get out but you never did. She never knew about you sneaking food to the other kids. Not one of us ever said why you took that apple. When you came upstairs again and took her beating, we were waiting for her to put you in your room. We had hidden little bits of food in there for you. We couldn’t get much but we did try. We knew she hadn’t given you anything to eat while you were down there. You were always there to watch over us, so in turn we tried to watch over you. You gave the rest of us hope in a place there was none.” Peaches pressed a kiss on Cassie’s temple.
Paige’s eyes filled with tears as her heart broke while listening to the horror her twin had endured.
“Do you remember when she broke Willy’s wrist? I think that scared her some. She lost her temper real good that time. When you came up, led him away, and got him to settle down, she couldn’t stand that. You had something she never did and I think she knew it then. She fought so hard for control and you showed her you had it when she didn’t. I think she began to hate you at that moment.”
Everyone standing close by stood rooted to the spot as they all listened to this horrid tale of survival.
Peaches brushed the hair away from her face with gentle fingers. “You stood up to that bitch one more time, do you remember? You told me you felt your mom standing beside you when she started wailing on you. The bitch had such a look of hatred on her face when she began whipping you. The other kids and I watched you with pride when you wouldn’t cry out. She wanted to break you but you wouldn’t give her that satisfaction. It took real guts not to scream when she beat you but you did it. It broke our hearts when she tied your hands together and dragged you down in the basement. But you were so strong, you didn’t even whimper when she sent Robbie down there.” Peaches had to stop as she cried openly for a moment.
Cassie lowered her head.
“We all could hear you screaming that day but we didn’t know why. Then you stopped and we thought you were dead when Robbie came back upstairs with his fucking bloody knife. I think seeing your blood on that knife turned that crazy woman on. She and Robbie were such sick fuckers anyway. But you showed them didn’t you? Two days later when Robbie attacked me, you came to my rescue. You broke those damn ropes and you found your way to me. You were always there for me. You were so hurt you could barely stand there. You were covered in dried blood and I could see your eyes glowing with hatred when you saw what he was doing to me. You scared the hell out of Robbie. He could tell you were pissed but he made a mistake that night didn’t he? He thought as beat up and bloody as you were, he thought he could take you on and win, but he was so wrong. You could barely h
old the knife but you did it. I don’t know where you got the strength from but you got it somehow. You got him off me and you hurt him good…” her voice fell away as her sobs took over.
The room was silent, except for the beeping of machines and Paige’s crying.
Sniffling and swiping at her tears, Peaches continued, “Then you got us both the hell out of there. You got us both to safety didn’t you? You were always there to protect me. You held the nightmares away from me and all the rest of the kids, didn’t you? You would hold us and whisper stories to us. Do you remember? You would always tell us stories of a better world, you made us believe them too.” Peaches sobbed even louder. “Oh Cassie, I need you to be strong again, one more time. You need to find a way to come back to me. I need you girl, Deke needs you too. I know you can do it, you’re the strong one remember? You got us both out of the bitch’s house, you got me to a safe place and took care of me for three days, then you led both of us through the streets of Boston to a place where we could hide. It was only when we were safe that you let go. I know you had finally given in to the pain and when you did, I bathed your wounds then. You slept for two days and I was so afraid I would hurt you but you never said a word. I tried to be as strong as you were that night but I couldn’t do it. I could wipe the blood off your skin but I could never be that strong. I cried the whole time.”
Paige was weeping openly now, as she felt sick to her stomach. She looked around at all the faces of the people who loved Cassie and they were all crying too.
“I saw what Robbie did to you,” Peaches continued. “How he carved that ugly word on your shoulders. I saw the cuts and cleaned them up the best I could. I hoped the scars would fade with time but by then the cuts were too far gone. I didn’t know much about healing but what ten year old kid does? But we learned didn’t we? We learned how to survive living on the streets. We had our troubles but we both survived. You were always there for me, you took care of me. You even got me home to my Dad didn’t you? Despite the odds of ever finding him again, you took me home. Now let me be there for you.” Peaches laid down next to Cassie on the bed. “Remember that first winter in Boston? It got so cold and living in that cave was no fun at all. We stole that blanket and we would huddle together to keep from freezing. You said we were sisters, maybe not by birth but by necessity. You told me it was you and me against the rest of the world. You made me believe it. You gave me the hope to survive when I wanted to give in to despair. I think I would have died that first winter if you weren’t there pushing me to get through it.”