by Berry, Kitty
When I walk into S&S all seems normal, we go about our day as usual. I am on edge, frantic each time the phone rings but no one takes notice. I don’t hear from Brittany until almost six o’clock. I was about to call it a day, thinking that she wasn’t going to contact me when her call came through.
I answer the phone and she asks me if I have the money. I tell her I do and she never questions where I got it from. She tells me to meet her in front of S&S in five minutes. I grab the bag of money and look to Hunter and Graham who send the word to the rest of the team. I head out the door and smack right into Parker and Drea. “Oh. My. God. What are you doing here?” I ask.
“We just got back into town. Drea’s brother sent a car service for us, his usual people are all busy today or something and we came right here to see you” Parker says. Yeah, busy trying to protect me is all I can think. “I’ve been trying to reach you the whole time I was gone but your cell number isn’t working and you moved out of the apartment” Parker scolds me.
“Um, I’m in the middle of something. Can we meet up later?” I beg.
“What let me guess, a man? Really Cooper after all these years you’re going to drop me for some guy?”
“No, it’s not that. Really. Here I have a new phone, put me in your contacts.”
When Parker sees my new not yet released phone she grabs it from my hand as a car pulls up and Mark and Ryan jump out and grab Drea and me leaving Parker screaming on the sidewalk. Drea is screaming, Mark is tying her wrists behind her back and I am frozen with fear, staring into the eyes of my step brother, my rapist.
The car stops and the men push us out, that’s when I realize we are at The Society. After Ryan pushes me into the building he rips open my shirt to be sure I’m not wired and everything goes black, that’s the last I remember until I notice Damian’s cut lip and swollen hands as he leans down to pick me up and for that split second I think I know what he’s done; he doesn’t have to say it. Ryan is dead; his blood is all over me. I can still smell him on my skin even though I am trying to rip it off. Mark might be dead as well; “Who gives a shit?” I think. Damian grabs me by the wrists to get me to stop clawing at myself. I can see his mouth moving, I hear him speaking but I can’t figure out what he’s saying. It’s like I’m above myself and looking down on the scene as it unfolds. “Funny”, I think, “Like my subspace only the Bizarro World version.” Nothing about what I am feeling or seeing here is good, there is no pleasure.
Damian picks me up and carries me out to the Escalade; I think it’s Dominick who opens the door for him but I can’t be sure. Parker and Drea are already in the backseat. They speak to me, again I hear them but I can’t understand their words, I can’t respond. Damian cuddles me on his lap and pulls his sister into his side. Parker sits on Damian’s other side and strokes my hair. It feels soothing and I don’t want her to stop but I can’t make my mouth form words to ask. I sit on Damian like a lost child unable to speak or move. I hear someone crying and think its Drea but when I look at her I realize it must be me. I reach for my face to see if there are tears but all I feel are Ryan’s hands, I try to savagely pull them away. Damian holds me by my wrists again and whispers into my ear but I can’t process his words. Now I’m sure I hear both Drea and Parker start to cry.
Damian takes us to his apartment where he knows I’ll feel the safest. He carries me in his arms the whole time, never putting me down. He carries me into his penthouse as Drea and Parker enter behind us. Damian carries me straight into the bathroom where he removes by blood soaked clothes and places them in a neat pile on the floor. He removes his own and adds them to the pile. I hear the soothing sound of the water running and smell the lush lavender bath bubbles. Damian places me in the tub and climbs in behind me. He pulls my head back to rest on his shoulder and he pours the hot water over my head. He begins to massage my scalp with his fingers and I can smell the stench of Ryan washing way. Damian leans my head back on his shoulder again and rinses my hair before conditioning and massaging it more. When he inhales my hair in that Damian way of his I know the smell of Ryan has been washed away. Damian now caresses my body softly with a shower puff, further washing away my past, washing away Ryan for good this time. I know it’s finally over.
After our bath he gently dries me off and dresses me in a pair of panties, warm fuzzy sweatpants, flannel socks, a t-shirt under a soft plush Stone Empire sweatshirt even though it’s June. He coils my hair into a ponytail at the base of my neck and leads me into the living room. Damian must have ordered for a medical team with a doctor, nurse and a psychiatrist to see us at his apartment because they are all there along with Drea, Parker, the security team, Alex and the NYPD.
The security team leads the NYPD into Damian’s private home office. They ask Damian to join them but he refuses to until he knows the medical team has checked me and his sister over and knows that we’re okay.
Damian sits me on the couch next to Parker who wraps her arms around me. Damian is on my other side with Drea collapsed on his shoulder as his parents burst into the penthouse. They rush to Drea and hug her. They say words to me but again I can’t seem to make out what they’re saying and I have yet to be able to form words, not even when Damian and I were alone. They look as if they want to hug me but thankfully decide against it. I can hear myself screaming in my head, “No, don’t touch me” but I don’t think anyone else hears me. No one ever heard me when I yelled that, why would they now?
The doctor asks if there’s a private place where she can examine me. Damian stands and picks me up in his arms and asks her and the nurse to follow him to the master bedroom. The doctor’s a young attractive brunette, the nurse is older and blond and I watch them both as each of their eyes roam over my boyfriend. Their gazes lingering just a moment too long at the center of his body and I can tell they are finding it difficult to look him in the eyes. I can’t believe I have to deal with this right now. I want to scream at them to stop eye fucking him but I can’t. I think the doctor asks Damian to give us some privacy and that’s what makes Damian laugh. I’m starting to be able to understand what’s being said now. “I am not letting her out of my sight so you can do the exam with me here or you can leave and I’ll get someone else who will” he forcefully demands and as usual he gets his way.
I already put a death grip on him because as much as he doesn’t want to leave me, I can’t stand the thought of him leaving even for a second. When I’m with him I’m safe, it’s the only way I know that I am.
“I need to do a full exam, Mr. Stone. I need to have her undress” the brunette says.
“I’ll undress her. She’s not going to let anyone other than me touch her right now so this might be difficult” he correctly warns.
Damian is talking to me in his soothing voice as he removes my top and I allow him, never putting up a fight until she comes near me. I can’t let anyone touch me yet, I don’t know why but I just know that hands on my body other than Damian’s will feel like Ryan’s. I begin to hear screaming and then Damian’s mouth covers mine and the sound is muffled. That’s how I know the screaming was coming from me.
As he kisses me I feel a cool object on my back then it moves to my chest. I feel thin fingers on my wrist then on my neck. I don’t want these touches but with Damian’s lips on mine I’m able to survive them. Damian lays me down flat on my back and he lays next to me and speaks to me again but I’m not sure what he says as he murmurs in my ear. The woman examines my eyes, nose and mouth with a bright light that causes me to flinch and lash out at her; it’s much too startling and bright. She says something about it not being broken, bleeding has stopped, will be fine, no damage done. Damian holds my hands and kisses me wherever he can find a spot to put his lips on my body. His touch as always helps to calm me down.
I understand the doctor’s next request, “I need to do a pelvic exam to check for um…trauma, Mr. Stone.”
“That’s not necessary, he didn’t…I got to her before he” Damian fumbles.
<
br /> “As I understand it Mr. Stone there was some time when communication was lost and we need to be sure. I’ll be gentle and fast I promise.”
“She uh, she has her period.”
“It’s okay, it won’t change the exam. Do you still want to stay or would you like us to take it from here?”
“No, I’m staying. I’m fine” he says as he slides off my pants and panties. He takes his black fitted t-shirt off and slides it under my body, I raise my hips as a tear rolls down my face and he looks into my eyes with a sad smile on his face. We have only been together for three weeks, this is just too soon for something so intimate but we weren’t given any other choice. He also risked this move knowing it would remind me of when Ryan raped me the first time. Of course it does but with Damian making this gesture, it’s different, caring, done for me.
“How will you know if there are signs of sexual activity that it was him?” Damian asks through gritted teeth.
“Mr. Stone, when was the last time you and Miss Cooper were intimate?”
“Wednesday night before bed” he answers.
“And would you say it was rough enough to cause trauma that would be visible still tonight?”
“No, we were in the tub and it was gentle, there wouldn’t have been any signs of trauma even that night. I didn’t think he…, I already gave her a bath tonight, she was clawing at herself as you can see, and she was trying to get the smell of him off of her. I had to bath her or she would have ripped herself apart worse. I wouldn’t have if I thought he had touched her” Damian is trying to talk through growing frustration and tears and I have to help him. I can’t let him blame himself or second guess what he’s done for me.
“He didn’t rape me tonight” I manage to say, “He was going to when Damian saved me” I cry.
“Are you sure Miss Cooper? If you’re positive then we don’t need to do this exam but if not, if there’s any chance he may have assaulted you we need to get you the morning after pill and on a cocktail for STDs” the doctor rattles off in her clinical tone.
“I’m sure. Damian saved me from him” I cry as I fall into Damian’s arms and kiss him tasting the salt from his tears in my mouth.
The doctor finishes her exam. She diagnoses possible rib fractures and a broken arm and wrist. She wraps the self-inflicted wounds on my arms after slathering on an ointment. Damian is given instruction on how to do this three times a day. She insists that I need x-rays for my broken bones and would like a CT scan to be safe. Damian promises to go with me to the hospital. The doctor and her nurse excuse themselves and Damian takes me into the bathroom.
“Let me help you, baby. Does it hurt?” he gently asks. I shake my head yes but I’m finding it hard to speak again.
“Here, let me. Sit on the toilet, I’ll go get your clothes” he says as he leaves to give me privacy to use the bathroom.
When he returns he puts my panties on and I manage to ask, “How did you know how to use this and where to find them?’
“I had Mrs. Ford buy them for you to keep here after the other night when we had to stop at your place. None of the guys would go into the store for them, pussies all of them. They said even I didn’t have enough money to pay them to do that. She got you tampons too but I had no clue how in the world you use one of those. I didn’t want to hurt her.” He is finally going back to the Damian I know as he slides my pants on. “I have no idea if I put it on right or not so let me get your shirt on you then you can check.”
Damian leaves me again only for a fast second or two and is back by my side to help me stand from the toilet. We walk out to the main living space to find mass ciaos and commotion. Drea has her parents flanking her on both sides of the couch while the doctor is trying to exam her, Parker is being looked at by the nurse and seems clearly more shaken then I realized. Alex is sitting next to her trying to offer her some words of comfort. The security team is still locked in Damian’s office with the NYPD. Mrs. Ford is now in the kitchen putting out her usual over the top spread of food.
When we enter all eyes turn towards me and the room falls silent. I slink behind Damian unable to deal with the attention of roaming eyes. Damian clenches me around my middle and I wince in pain causing him to fall to his knees in front of me asking, “Where did I hurt you? I didn’t mean to, baby. I’m so sorry.”
I point to my side and Damian gently lifts my shirt to reveal a growing bruise, it’s already blue and angry. The doctor comes over and has another look then tells Damian she’d feel much better if I was checked out at the hospital immediately. Damian once again picks me up in his arms as gently as he can and yells for Mac. Mac comes running out of the office with the team and the NYPD close behind. Damian tells Mac he needs to bring us to the hospital. Mac looks to Drea who nods and her parents look at her with confused expressions on their faces. As we are trying to leave one of the officers tries to ask Damian for a statement but he sends him a look to kill and the officer backs away saying, “Later, then.”
Damian holds me the whole elevator ride down and to the Escalade where he places me gently in the back seat. We ride to the hospital in silence and when we enter the emergency room we are faced with cameras and the media. Mac instantly clears them out and Damian and I enter to find a nurse. Damian demands that I am seen instantly and as always his name pulls enough weight for that to happen.
I spend the next few hours and into the early morning having scans, x-rays, blood tests and exams. I am given a sedative to calm my nerves and allow them to poke and prod me. They finally cast my wrist and arm due to broken bones, they wrap my ribs that are fractured and reapply ointment and dress my self-inflicted wounds on my arms. I do not have any head trauma as the doctor had been concerned about but they still want me evaluated by a psychiatrist.
As Damian is helping me to get dressed he notices for the first time the hand print on the insides of both of my thighs. The bruises are just starting to darken and be visible.
“Oh, baby. He was going to rape you again. Look at what he did to you. It’s all over now and it’s going to be okay. My team will take care of everything” Damian tries to sooth me but I know he’s saying this just as much for himself. I ask him how bad he’s hurt and he shrugs it off but I see his cut lip, bruised cheek bone and how he winces each time he picks me up.
“I want them to have a look at you too, please for me. It’ll make me feel better if I know you’re okay” I beg and not to upset me he agrees.
Damian is told he only has a few bruised ribs and some scraps and scratches that I think might be from me. When I ask him he brushes it off as nothing.
The psychiatrist that was at Damian’s earlier asks to speak with us in his private office. Even though it’s six in the morning he leads us through the hospital corridors to a door with his name on it, “Dr. Stuart Klein, Ph. D. Psychiatry” it reads.
He ushers us in and asks if we want anything, coffee, tea, water but we both decline. Damian and I are motioned to sit together on the sofa and Damian clasps our hands together and casually places them in his lap.
“Sydney, I’m sorry to hear about what you’ve been through recently. Are the physical injuries bothering you or did they give you meds for the pain?” Dr. Klein gently inquires.
“I’m okay, they gave me meds to take but I don’t like to take much. I’m fine for now.”
“You should take them if you need to. You don’t have a history of drug abuse, do you?” he asks.
I shake my head no and Dr. Klein says. “There’s no reason for concern then.”
“Okay, if I need them later I’ll take them, they gave me something when I arrived so they’d be able to exam me.”
The doctor asks if we can talk about what happened last night to begin with.
“I don’t remember much. I remember being at S&S. I remember Brittany calling and then Parker and Drea showed up then Mark and Ryan. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way and I didn’t know what to do. Ryan had me and Mark had Drea, they pushed us into
a car and we sped off leaving Parker screaming on the sidewalk holding my phone with the GPS system to track me. I knew I still had on the wire and the other GPS that was sewn into my clothes but I remember Drea screaming, she was so scared and I couldn’t tell her it would be okay. I couldn’t tell her that Damian and the team would know where we were. She didn’t even know that I knew her brother.”
Dr. Klein asks me to continue and I tell him all I remember. Once in the car Mark began bounding Drea’s wrists behind her back and making comments to her about bondage and Damian and how she must like it rough too and then he told her he couldn’t wait to find out. Damian interjected with a brief synopsis about his sexual lifestyle. Dr. Klein continues to take notes and says that’s a topic to consider for possible exploration later in our therapy together. “So you think I need continuous therapy?” I ask. He assures me that I do stating that right now he wants me to only focus on what happened during the kidnapping and in future sessions we’ll work on my past, my relationship with Damian and my future mental well-being.