“It’s okay, baby,” I whisper to her as he slowly elevates her ankle. After inspecting it, he rises off the floor and jots down more notes. Pushing his glasses back onto his face, he hands Nancy his notepad and sighs.

“Dani, I think your left ankle is severely sprained. I will have to put you in a walking cast until the swelling goes down enough that I can make sure it’s healing properly since we can’t x-ray you. You’re gonna need stitches in several places, but I don’t want to put those in until we get you cleaned up for fear of an infection setting in. Nancy will help you get cleaned up here in a few minutes and we’ll finish up here so you can rest, but I need to ask those questions I mentioned before. They’re very personal, so I need to know if you are all right that Hero and I are in the room. Like I said earlier, if you want to have Nancy do this part of the exam, you’re more than welcome to request it.”

“Please just ask them so we can move on,” she pleads with Doc.

“Okay, did he rape you?” Doc blurts out. Dani freezes instantly with his question. A hiss exits my lips before I can stop it.

“Fuck, Donny, couldn’t you have eased into that one? Nothing like pulling the fucking Band-Aid off before you clean the edges of the wound. Jesus, man.” I can see the hurt in his eyes, and I know he had to ask it, but I at least thought he’d ask simple questions before going straight for the elephant in the room.

“I’m sorry, Hero, but I need to know in case I have to perform an internal exam.” The thought of Doc doing that nearly makes my blood boil over as much as what Mikey may have done to her. She’s been violated enough as it is and doesn’t need any further embarrassment.

“Dani, I need you to answer the question. Did Mikey rape you?” I can’t even look at Donny right now. He won’t let it go until she’s ready to talk about it. Squeezing Dani’s hand, I try to comfort her and reassure her that nothing she says will ever affect how I feel. Her trembling makes the bed quiver. Her eyes stay vigilantly locked to the floor.

“No, Mikey didn’t rape me. He was about to when Hero saved me.” Her voice meekly quivers at the admission. “He beat me, but he never raped me.” I know she may be against being touched, but I need her closer to me. Hooking my hand around her slender waist, I press her against my side, my arm circling her neck. Her body tenses at first from my touch, but she relaxes into me.

“Do you need to know anything else, Doc, or can she get cleaned up? I want my girl patched up and in bed sooner rather than later.” Dani’s breath hitches at the mention of being in my bed. She must think I mean to fuck her, but that’s the farthest thing from my thoughts. I doubt my dick could even get hard with Viagra coursing through my veins. His girl has been hurt, and he’s not in the mood for play time. “No, angel, sleep only,” I whisper into her ear. She sighs in relief.

“That’s all I need for now. Let’s get you clean and stitch you up. I’m going to give you some pills to reduce the pain and to help you relax. Your number one priority is to rest and heal. I don’t want you to be on your feet more than fifteen to twenty minutes at a time until you’ve had more time to heal.” Doc hands Nancy his clipboard and exits the room, giving Dani privacy. She toddles to the ensuite bathroom, holding onto my arm with each labored step. Dani leans against the counter as Nancy all but shoves me out of the bathroom. I hear the shower turn on and the glass doors close against the tile.

The shower should help her exhausted limbs relax. I know she won’t take long in the shower, so I don’t have long to get something more for her to eat. Judging by how fast she shoveled in the French fries earlier, I doubt she’s eaten much since he kidnapped her. Sure, it was only a few torturous hours that she was gone, but I know my girl well enough that she’s probably starving. Closing the door behind me, I run downstairs and rummage through the clubhouse kitchen cabinets before I finally settle on a can of chicken noodle soup and crackers. While the soup warms in the microwave, I check the laundry room for a fresh set of sheets. Ruby must have been in the mood to clean because several sheet sets are freshly laundered and sitting in the baskets for each room. Grabbing the one labeled with my name, I throw the soup in a thermos to keep it hot while she’s stitched up and head back upstairs.

Softly knocking on the door, Nancy lets me back in. Dani’s dressed in one of my club shirts and a pair of the pajama pants she kept in my room. Doc is stitching her up in the recliner in the corner of the room. My brave girl is being sewn like a quilt and not a single tear stains her face. She’s been so brave throughout all of this, but I know the other shoe will drop soon enough. Seeing the basket, Nancy takes it from me, pulling the sheet set out of it. Nancy takes to re-making up the bed while I return to Dani’s side. Twenty minutes later, Doc finally finishes by wrapping her ankle with an ace bandage.

“I didn’t think to bring an air cast with me, but I’ll make sure one will arrive here tomorrow. Until it’s here, you need to stay off of that foot,” Doc orders while Nancy hands her two white oval pills and a glass of water. Swallowing them down in one big gulp, she gingerly leans against her new stitches into the chair, trying to relax. Knowing the pills will kick into effect shortly, I give her the soup. She drinks it straight from the thermos in just a few swallows before returning the container to me. A soft click of the door signals to me that Doc and Nancy quietly exited the room, leaving us alone for the first time since the drive here. I don’t know whether I should feel this afraid being alone with her. Apologies have never been my strong suit and yet I owe her the biggest apology of all. My actions nearly killed her and I would have had to live with that guilt and regret for the rest of my days. Deep down, I know that it’s going to take more than just pretty words to make it up to this woman. I just hope she gives me the chance to do it, but I’m not holding my breath. Putting myself into her situation fills me with dread that once she finds her strength again, I’ll never see her again. I don’t want to live this life without her but because of my fucking idiocy, I may have already sealed our fates. I just need to take it a day at a time like Dani and see where the cards fall. That’s all I can do.

“Let’s get you to bed, angel. Those pills will be kicking your ass soon enough, and I want you in bed when they knock you out.” She tries to stand on her own but I pick her up, carrying her back to the bed without a single protest from Dani. Her warm body feels good against my chest. It reminds me she’s really here and that her heart is still beating. It might not beat for me anymore, but it’s still pumping within her chest. That’s all that matters to me right now. Laying her gently onto the freshly-made bed, she snuggles into the fabric. I pull the comforter up to her hips just like she likes it as she settles into my bed. Clicking the light off, I walk quietly to the door so she can sleep without anyone bugging her.

“Tyler?” she quietly calls in the darkness. “Please, don’t go. I don’t want to be in here alone. Please stay with me,” she cries. I can’t leave my girl now that I know she wants me close. Pulling my shirt over my head, I retrieve a pair of pajama pants from the top drawer and trade them for my blood stained jeans. I need a shower, but I’m not wasting any more time not being able to hold her in my arms. Sliding into the bed next to her, I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her shaking body to me. She snuggles her ass as close as she can get to me without hurting herself. We lie there for several minutes in silence before she begins to sob.

“I’m so sorry I lied to you, Tyler. I never meant to hurt you like this. In the end, it was me who ended up hurt.” She whimpers into the pillow.