25. *Reality hurts*

~Trigger warning~ POV change, backtracking. Yep, some cussing too

*****

A commotion in Annette's hospital room caught his attention as Pat made his way back from the bathroom. He looked at his watch, she had been in surgery for over an hour now, but it wasn't her voice in that room. He paused outside of the room, uncertain if he should go in. "Noah! Sit down. I'm sure she'll be back soon," the female exclaimed. Pat peeked in the room. Annette was still unaccounted for. A lone female sat by the table that was holding all the flowers and was bouncing her knee nervously as she looked at Annette's brother. Noah looked at her and nodded, but didn't stop the pacing. Pat was grateful they had talked to him, but part of him felt like he was invading their space, their territory. A second male was leaning against the wall looking out the window. Pat shook his head and turned around; he wouldn't want to barge in as they connected with Annette again after surgery. She needed her family more than she needed him. He would wait down in the waiting room until she woke up and he could bid her farewell. "Wait!" The female called out. Pat froze and looked over his shoulder. "It's Pat, right?" He nodded and gave them all a small smile as all three pairs of eyes were now glued on him. "Well you don't have to run away, Pat."

"Yes! Please don't run away. Come in. Please," Noah begged and gestured towards the chair that would be beside Annette's bed when she came back.

"I don't want to intrude. She was pretty shook up after talking to you. She needs you here, not me; I just didn't want her to be left alone all worked up like that. So she's been in surgery for over an hour now. The nurse said she had multiple clots in her arm and leg. I would expect her to come back any minute. I told her I would say good-bye before I left. I'll be down in the waiting room," Pat insisted. Noah shook his head.

"Please, sit. I'm sure she'll be okay with you still being here. My sister is anything but predictable but she'll definitely freak if you aren't here because you saw her after a run in with Dad. She keeps people at a distance and is terrified her friends won't care about her any more if they ever see the truth. It it'll devastate her if she thinks she has lost a friend."

"I would never let her think that. She's my friend and I wouldn't abandon her. I don't pick my friends based off their family ties, financial status, or anything else like that. She's my friend because of her personality, humor, honesty, and kind spirit. I know there's more to her than just that, but those are the main reasons I consider her my friend. We all have demons. I'm disappointed she never chose to share, but I understand. She won't lose a friend because of her secrets and I'll always be here for her. No one should go through life without support," Pat stated softly. Noah grinned.

"I'm glad you see it that way and I'm glad you're still here. Please sit down. 'Nettie needs you here if you promised you wouldn't leave without saying good-bye," he remarked as he walked behind the female and rubbed her shoulders tenderly. Pat nodded and made his way back to the chair. "It's good to see you again. Do you have problems with names? I can see it written on your face that you're trying to remember who we are." Pat nodded again and offered a small grin.

"I know you're Annette's brother, other than that, I can't tell you anything else. After you told me she was back and where she was, that's basically all I heard," he confessed.

"That's alright. When we met yesterday, it was kinda rushed. Any news is better than none at all. We were also worked up, not knowing if she would wake up or not. Again, I'm Noah. This is my girlfriend Jess and her brother Tyler. We're all glad you were here when Dad made his appearance. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Thank you for letting me and everyone else at work know she's back. I'll let them know she woke up. It's a great start to a long journey," Pat replied.

"Of course. You came yesterday right?" The male leaning against the wall asked with a smirk. Pat nodded. Tyler broadened his smile. "Thought so. Care to explain why you look so torn up right now?"

"Annette is like the cup of cheer that keeps the staff at the Silver Dollar upbeat. This past week has been awfully glum there; the mood is almost unbearable. She needs to know that we care and seeing her so beat up is rough on everyone. Myself included. I just don't want her thinking that she's alone. I want to help," Pat admitted.

"Thank you for that; it means a lot. By the way, her condition is rough on us too," Noah admitted as two nurses came into the room with Annette's bed. One of the nurses was pumping air into her lungs, and the other guided the bed back to the middle of the room. Noah looked at his sister and his eyes got wide. "How bad?" He whispered. One nurse turned to him as the other looked over Annette's machines and took the mask away from her face.

"Five clots. She was crying hard before we put her out and was hyperventilating; so she got more anesthesia than she probably needed. She woke up briefly downstairs and we were able to confirm that she's breathing on her own. She passed out before I could ask her any questions so we upped her morphine again and gave her twenty minutes of pure oxygen; it'll help. It's not recommended to bring them back to their room until we can confirm that they're waking up, but she's apparently had a hell of a time already. Sleep is good. Janell also let us know that she seems to have a good support system. I have seen a lot of people stick around for their loved ones and family. However, looking around this room, I get the feeling somebody -if not all of you- would muscle their way between this girl and any threat. I would hate to be in the way of that, but I'm glad Janell was right. A solid support team is exactly what this poor girl needs; she has it," the nurse explained as her partner ducked out of the room. 

"So what do we need to watch for and how can we help?" Jess asked. Pat raised an eyebrow as he looked at Annette.

"Can we even help?" He voiced softly. The nurse turned and looked at him sympathetically as Tyler lowered himself into the final chair.

"You can," the nurse confirmed. She walked over to Annette's bedside and took her pulse. "She needs to wake up before nine at the latest. I understand that she suffered a few concussions recently too. However, if she doesn't wake up again by then, we'll put her in a medical coma and a ventilator to help her out the best we can. She needs lots of recovery time. To be honest, we were surprised she woke up at all. Her injuries are intense. Part of me wants her to wake up again, but I would consider it a miracle if she woke up a second time without assistance this week. Her body needs to heal. A coma is the best bet." Pat looked at his watch; they were giving her four hours to try and come out of this on her own before putting her in a vegetated state. He groaned mentally. No one should be forced into a coma. The two weeks that he was under upset him when he was told and he felt robbed of time; granted he was also upset about living while his brothers died in the field. The seconds ticked by slowly and he felt dizzy as he continued to stare at his watch. He needed her to open her eyes now. He looked back at Annette's face as the nurse continued, "because she has already woke up on her own, it's proven that she's a fighter and defies the odds. Now if she wakes up again, have her take it slow. If this reading here goes under 90% she needs to be put on her oxygen tank. Don't let her try and move around a bunch. Encourage her. Keep her calm. If you notice that her breathing is even more labored than what it is now, come get one of us. I think just having the people that care about her -surrounding her like you guys are doing- is what she needs. I'll be back to check on her in a while. Let's see. It's almost five now. If she wakes up, the kitchen stops delivering food at 6:30. However, they serve food until nine or so. She's on a liquid diet. We're full tonight so I'm counting on your help to look over her; it should be fairly simple, but if you need help, our station is just out the door." Everyone nodded and the nurse departed.

"Not that I'm complaining, but should we be worried if the nurses are too busy to take care of her?" Tyler asked, looking at his sister. She pursed her lips as Noah moved to the bed and sat beside his sister.

"Jess, you don't have to answer that. 'Nettie would prefer it if we took care of her; she's always been skeptical of hospitals and the staff that comes with. Tyler, go talk to the nurses. See what it'll take for us to get her out of here quicker. If I know my sister, she'll force their hand as soon as she can. She'll wake up again, and she'll do it on her own terms. She's so strong and constantly proving the world wrong. I know you can pull through, 'Nettie; you just gotta," Noah remarked softly as he rubbed Annette's cheek.

"Where will you guys go? I mean where will you take her to live?" Pat spoke up. Noah turned his attention to him. "She can't go home; I can't in good faith let you take her back to your parents' house knowing what your dad threatened. She said you're hotel hopping right now. With her condition, no offense, but I don't think it's wise either. I offered her my home and help, but I don't want to step on anyone's toes."

"You'd do that for her?" Jess whispered in awe. Pat nodded.

"Can I ask why?" Noah spoke softly as he studied the man in front of him.

"She needs a place to feel safe, one where people won't be pointing and staring. She needs help. Mainly, she needs a single place that she can be herself at. Before she was taken, I offered to take her camping because I picked up on the threat. I would have set up two tents and done everything in my power to make sure she would feel secure. She agreed but was taken before I could set anything up. I have lots of free time, so that opens up your schedules so you can look for a place like she said you would be doing. I gave her the option, but she didn't respond. She said she would feel like it would be troublesome to me; it wouldn't be. I have two spare bedrooms so I can extend the offer to you guys as well," Pat explained. Noah's mouth dropped and he looked back at his sister. Tyler and Jess grinned.

"It's a stationary place, Noah. We wouldn't have to move her every three days or so. We can still create a paper trail for them to try and follow, but it'll be the best shell game. It keeps her safe," Tyler remarked. Noah nodded and closed his mouth.

"Safe. I hope that is exactly how you'll feel, doll," Pat thought as he gazed upon Annette's face again. Not to appear like a stalker, Pat looked back up at her brother as he stroked her face.

"It's a good option, but this decision isn't up to me," he whispered. He stood up again and walked towards the table of gifts. He met Pat's eye as he leaned against it and held onto Jess' hand. "I'll try and press my sister to accept your offer, but I can't make any promises."

"Fair enough," Pat remarked. Tyler grinned and headed out towards the nurse station to talk about what they could do for her at home. Annette moaned in her sleep and scrunched her fist tighter, causing everyone to look at her again. "Keep fighting, doll. Wake up. Smile. Prove them wrong. I know you can do it. You're so much stronger than they're making you out to be. You're so much stronger than I thought you were. Just wake up soon, doll," Pat pleaded mentally. 

"What's in her hand, Pat?" Jess asked. Pat looked over at Noah who nodded at him. He reached over and rubbed her hand until it relaxed and pulled out the baby's breath he had tucked behind her ear earlier. He smiled and held it up.

"Just some flowers," he replied with a grin as he put them beside her hand again. Jess grinned and looked down at her lap. Tyler came back in with a smile. "Good news?" Pat asked hopefully.

"Well, I would think so. Here's the deal. If she wakes up and wants to be released early, Annette will need an in-home nurse, an oxygen tank, a wheelchair, some high dosage pain medicine, lots of rest, lots of limited movement, limited stress, and lots of support. I already signed her up to rent a wheelchair when she leaves," he explained. Jess danced in her  seat.

"Perfect!" She trilled and looked back at Pat. "If she accepts your offer, Pat, it'll make all of those things easy." Pat chuckled and looked back at Annette.

"One can hope," he thought. They chatted aimlessly for the next hour and forty-five minutes; each of them was growing more and more anxious as the clock ticked down. "Come on, doll. Wake up," Pat pleaded as he looked at Annette as her machines changed their beeping pattern. Her hand twitched and the room took a collective gasp. She rolled her head from the right to her left. "Come on." Again her head shifted back to center and slowly her eyes blinked open. Everyone grinned then immediately scowled as she tried to sit up. Being the closest person to her, Pat jumped up and tried to help her. "Whoa! Not so fast," he pleaded as he put his hand behind her and held onto her as she looked at him. He felt her full weight against his hans as she seemed to lose any hint of a blush and blinked back her tears. She pressed on and sat up the rest of the way. Pat couldn't let go; he feared she nay pass out again. "She just lost all color, guys. Get the nurse!" He demanded as he studied her pale complexion again. 

"Not yet. Let me try first," Noah spoke up as he moved to the foot of the bed. "'Nettie, who shouldn't be here?" Be here? Who was she seeing? Pat sighed and watched Annette closely as she fought to stay in control and not let them hear her cry. "'Nettie, calm down. You're not imagining anything," Noah insisted.

"...you can't turn the people I care about against me even if it's all in my head," Annette wept, but didn't look up. Pat settled back into his seat in defeat as he felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.

"Isn't this just what the nurse warned against? I'm one of the people you care about? Really? No. Ark. Who the hell is that? Messing with my memories. She thinks I'm a figment of her imagination. She doesn't know what's real any more," he thought bitterly as he watched Annette's hand twitch rapidly. Then Noah apologized for the silence. Pat looked up at him in shock as he noticed his hand was moving in the same manner that Annette's was by his hip. Tyler and Jess were bunched together in their chairs, looking on the scene in shock. Pat turned his attention back to the battered girl in the bed beside him. Tears fell freely down her face and her brother kept a non-threatening pose, but his body posture said he was tense too even though his hand didn't seem to stop twitching. Annette gasped and looked around the room. Pat couldn't look away, completely mesmerized. Her gaze fell upon him for a minute, she blinked rapidly in confusion before meeting her brother's eye again. Once more her hand moved. Next thing he knew, she was gasping for air again and Noah finally spoke up again as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"Stop, 'Nettie. Breathe," he ordered calmly. 

"Yes. Breathe, doll. You're safe. It's okay," Pat pleaded mentally. Annette took a deep breath, lowered her head to her chest, and thought it over before she explained what happened. And Pat could finally breathe normally again. "What was that?" He asked in wonder, knowing he had just witnessed a remarkable feat. Noah explained, and Annette apologized profusely. When she asked to give him an apology hug, Pat couldn't turn her down even though he feared one touch might break her completely. He sat next to her, wrapped his left arm around her, and barely rested it on her left bicep. She leaned into him, pulled him closer, and gave him a squeeze, causing his heart to take off, his stomach do flips, and him to smile. "Nothing to apologize for, doll. However, if you feel like you need to, you can do that as often as you would like to. I'll give you countless hugs," he thought happily. When Jess went to get Annette food, Pat realized that he hadn't eaten since breakfast himself and needed to go before he wouldn't be able to leave her side again. He pulled out the scrap piece of paper from work that he had pocketed and wrote his number down. "Call me any time, doll. Day or night, I promise I'll pick up. I need to know you're okay, always," he thought as he slid it over and bid her good night. She smiled warmly at him and he made his way to the door. Both of the men in the room decided to follow him out, causing him a bit of worry. "Listen, I didn't mean to overst-"

 

"It's fine, Pat," Noah interrupted. As they were walking down the hall, Noah spoke up again, "would you join us for dinner, Pat? I think we need to talk some more." Pat hesitantly agreed and they decided to go to Famous Dave's Barbeque. Noah piled in his truck with him, Tyler promised to meet them there. "You look drained, man," Noah stated after Pat drove in silence more than half of the way there.

Pat numbly nodded and remarked, "I'm glad she's okay, but seeing her like that is rough. It's been a long week."

"Thank you for sticking around for her. She cares for you, you know?" Noah said quietly. "She hardly opens up to anyone, but she opened up for you - she didn't immediately kick you out after the encounter with Dad. Normally, she'd be ashamed if anyone knew. She also told you exactly what was going on with us: she's not a fan of the public knowing everything. She trusts you and that's huge." Pat drove in silence. He knew that Annette had her reservations, but she always seemed like a fairly open book. He shook his head as the pieces clicked together. No, she was always truthful, but she didn't open up much about personal life. "I'm really glad you were there when Dad confronted her too. How much did you hear?"

 

"Enough. Like I told you on the phone, I just caught the last part; I only heard what he said. I have no idea if she said anything at all. His voice was loud enough just to be heard from the outside of the doorway, but not down the hall. 'Your mom and sister think you're dead. You should've just stayed away. Good luck on the remaining days of your life.' I know that wasn't all he said, but it was enough. It was vicious and it was like he was growling. Even though he was in uniform, I should've hit him; I wanted to. Instead, I ducked in the next room like a coward. I'm sorry," Pat apologized.

"No, man. 'Nettie really needed you. I can't imagine the state of mind she would've been in when we got there if you weren't there. A friend by her side is better than one who was arrested," Noah insisted. 

 

Pat grinned and replied, "that's exactly what I told her too. She never has to see him again, does she?" Noah grunted and shook his head. "Good. I'd love to help you guys put him behind bars one of these days. Why hasn't she ever spoken up against him?"

 

"If you were in her shoes, and your biggest fear lived with you and had all of the police in his back pocket, would anyone take your word over his?" Noah asked rhetorically. "Even now, it's still a sticky situation. She's been banned from the home, he stole all of her money, and he's convinced our mom and sister that we are both dead. If she returns home, she'll definitely be killed. Now that she's riddled in bruises, he'll go after her face first. He likes exploiting weak points, and right now, that's her shoulder, leg, and ribs. He knew this. He must have read her file too or talked to one the nurses. Seeing her arm in a brace wouldn't tell him where to grab to inflict the most pain. Slapping her, well that's nothing new. He created pain and his chest puffed up with more authority as he tried to make her cower under him again. The complex brought out her fighting spirit and she finally stuck up for herself. If she goes home, I'll really lose her. I know Dad will kill her." Pat pulled into the parking lot and turned off his truck. He looked Noah in the eye and slapped his shoulder sympathetically.

 

"I'm here if you guys need help. I offered her my place; that comes with my protection if she wants it. She's not completely stranded and he didn't take all her money, as you guys kinda saw. You'd be surprised by the amount of support she had and the people looking," Pat replied. Noah looked over and smirked.

"No. I wouldn't. If people knew she was missing, more than just our parents, the outpouring support she'd have would be overwhelming. 'Nettie's always had this thing where people are drawn to her. She hates the attention, so it's easier for her to play it off and ignore it. I know for a fact she would deny it if it was ever brought up," he murmured. Pat grinned; he had noticed the same thing. "The only people her pull doesn't seem to work on is the people who want to hurt her; like Dad. I'm never letting him get close to her again. It's my job to look out for my sister and I failed once already. I'm glad that you guys at work care for her enough to look for her and come sit by her side. I'm even more grateful that you stepped up and offered your home; it's very kind of you. Right now, that's our best option. So hopefully I won't have to push very hard for her to stay with you. It's going to be a long hard road. Unfortunately, it'll be just as hard for me to watch, but I know she can pull through," Noah whispered as he looked forward again.

"You have a point, man. She's definitely one of the strongest people I've ever gotten the pleasure of knowing. Thanks for sharing," Pat replied. Noah nodded. They both left the vehicle and Tyler joined them. "If I'm not being too forward, can I ask how long it's gone on? The fear of towards her, er well your dad? I get the feeling that your relationship is strained with him too," Pat inquired as they walked to the door. Noah paused, sighed, and shuffled his feet.

"It is. At least a decade. That's when it became full blown," Noah admitted.

"Forgive me because I keep pressing, but can I know how bad it was? I know that it's personal," Pat murmured. Noah nodded and Tyler's eyes widened in shock as he realized what Pat was asking.

"Noah, if you-" Tyler began as he gestured towards the parking lot. 

"No. Stay. It's okay. It's better of you both know most of the truth so if 'Nettie freaks out, you kinda have an idea why. No matter what I tell you, you can't mention that you know. My sister will run away because she'll see you knowing as a major problem. She'll also pick up on the fact if you look at her different or if you treat her any different; and it'll be another problem in her mind. I don't know if you noticed, but she avoids conflict. The easiest way for her to do that is run away and ignore it. If she can admit it to herself -the fact that she was abused- then she'll tell you in her own time. You both heard her on the phone asking if the life she was destined to have was one of abuse every other week. I know that she can barely admit that to me," Noah confessed. Both Pat and Tyler nodded. Noah took a deep breath. "Okay. So I won't go into a lot of detail and will just give you a gist of what we had to deal with on an almost daily basis. Dad seemed to always relish in the pain he caused. Our punishments always seemed to be worse when he was home alone with us. The abuse has been going on as long as I remember, but the first time I knew something wasn't right with how my dad treated us was over 14 years ago. I misspelled my name in kindergarten and he took a ruler to my wrists; I had welt for a week. That's also when we had Mom on our side, and she intervened often. So Dad would only punish us about once every couple of months and it was easy for us to make excuses on his behalf, convincing ourselves that it was just a one time thing. However, he would keep punishing us. Different ways. Different reasons. He would slap us hard enough that our ears rang for three days, use an oar as a paddle to spank us, or my personal favorite - practically chain us to the porch. The weather or time of day didn't matter. We were far enough out of town that unfortunately we could never count on the traffic seeing something and stopping. Not once did we wonder who might wander by or what could have been accidentally seen. We would be released like five minutes before Mom got home. If we missed a meal, we weren't allowed to complain about being hungry or even grab a bite to eat. He loved using the rain, snow, sleet, and hail against us. The worse the weather was, the more I was hooked up out there. He preferred to burn my sister with the sun, dehydrate her, and see if she would pass out. Annette can take a lot; she's seen too much pain. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop any of it. Right before Annabelle was born, I told one of the cops on Dad's force that Dad was abusive. Dad said 'there's a difference between abuse and discipline' and both cops laughed it off. 'Nettie never saw him as abusive, not even when he shoved her down the stairs that night. 'Your clumsy a*s sister needs to keep her runny nose away from me and she needs to stay the hell outta my way. You, boy, need to find my belt. It's time you were disciplined for what you said at dinner. You will respect your elders.' His thick, leather belt was his favorite weapon. I took a total of seven lashes on my a*s and 12 lashes up my back that night before he thought I had learned my lesson or needed a drink; I don't know for sure. I managed to crawl to bed and fell asleep right away. 'Nettie was still crumpled at the bottom of the stairs the next morning. That's how my grandparents found her and they thought she fell down them trying to find the bathroom. So that's the story that was told to the hospital. Dad went to work and acted like nothing happened. Mom was already in the hospital; they were closely monitoring her pregnancy. I don't think she ever got the true story. Well 'Nettie spent a total of four days in the hospital at that time. Not normal procedure for a concussion but because she couldn't stay awake at all and was throwing up any and all nutrition, the doctors insisted she stayed much to Dad's dismay. Turns out it was for the best; she had appendicitis too. So as much as much as I want to deny it, Dad probably saved her life by throwing her down the stairs. Damn! I wish I could forget that week, but 'Nettie never complained. I'm not sure how much she remembers because she can never pinpoint a date of when she had surgery or how it came about or even the type of pain she was in. Anyways, after she was released, I tried to talk to my sister. I tried to see if somehow, some way we could convince somebody that we weren't safe. I begged her to speak up. However she just thought she was in the way and Dad was in hurry, so she always took the blame. I couldn't convince her otherwise. So we took the abuse in silence. I would try and fight back some, but no matter how he punished her, she automatically thought that she messed up again and would promise to do better the next time," Noah explained softly, watching the people around them. Anytime someone walk by, he would stop talking and kick some pebbles off the path. Pat and Tyler looked at Noah in defeated shock as he finished. "She's too forgiving; it's always been one of her biggest downfalls and best qualities. She always tried to please him, nothing was ever good enough. I told her that she should do the book thing - she's good at it, but she continued to play sports trying to get on his good side. When she was kidnapped, she did the only thing that could have made him happy: she disappeared. Then she came back and it infuriated him. I plan on filing for emancipation for her; she deserves to know she's truly free," Noah whispered. 

"I'll help however I can," Tyler promised.

"As will I," Pat insisted. Noah nodded and led the way to the door. Pat ducked around them and made his way to the bathroom. He met his eye in the mirror and sighed. "You're truly f*****g blind, Miller. A year and a half and you never picked up on her fear and pain. S**t. How could you be such a f*****g idiot? No more, Annette. You shouldn't endure any thing else that even resembles pain or abuse. Somehow, I'll figure out how to take your pain away. Crap! Do you even want help, doll? No. Probably not or you would have said something," he thought morosely as he took several deep breaths and looked at the sink. Noah's insight made his stomach churn. There was no possible way the sweet and bubbly girl that he knew could ever be responsible for someone's anger. "Why, doll?! Why wouldn't you ever seek out help?" Pat whispered as he looked at his reflection again with a heavy sigh. When he felt like he had calmed down, he made his way back out and found Noah and Tyler. They conversed politely about sports and anything but the Gibson family. After the waitress brought out their food, Pat looked across the table at Noah and Tyler. "Why is Annette afraid to be alone now? I feel like I've gotten to know her pretty well over the past year and a half. Of course now I realize I've barely scratched the surface, but in the time I've known her, I've never seen her so visibly rattled," Pat confessed. "Not even last week when I told her that I suspected she was in danger. Or is this just how she acts when she sees her brother again?" He teased. Noah smirked.

"No. She was definitely rattled. She's not one to let things get to her, but this time, everything's different. It's like her brain is fighting her body; she knows she's safe but can't accept it. She's never been in this position before," Noah confirmed, pushing his food around on his plate.

 

"Still, that doesn't explain why our little sister is afraid to sleep. She was terrified she was raped and somehow that's in the back of her head all the time. But she wasn't; her nurse, Mrs. Malloy, confirmed it. Not to mention, Annette's been sleeping lots. I don't get it. She shouldn't be worried about those things," Tyler added taking another bite of his cornbread.

"Can I offer a suggestion?" Pat asked. Both men nodded as they looked at him. "Based on everything that I've learned today -I've gained a whole new perspective- her whole life has been about fearing one thing or another: who will hurt her, what she did wrong, or even just something she said that wasn't correct. She was just told that she doesn't have to see her most common threat any more. She never showed it, but she lived in fear, even while at work. My thought is, she's coming up with unreasonable fears because she's always been afraid and it's kept her alive. Now, her major fear maker has banished her and she doesn't have to see him again. If she doesn't have that fear, it takes away part of who she is." Both men grinned at Pat.

"I think you're exactly right," Tyler praised. "Noah?" Noah met his eye, looked back at Pat and nodded before looking at his plate and pushing his food around.

"Ask. He's earned my trust and he has sound reasoning," Noah mumbled. Tyler met Pat's eye and grinned. 

"Do you mind being one of the people to care for Annette? She seems to trust you inexplicably. Clearly you have some great insight when it comes to her too."

 

"We understand that we're asking a lot of you, but 'Nettie needs you and trusts you," Noah added, meeting Pat's eyes as well. "We have to find a place that she'd feel comfortable living in. And that's not easy. So then we have to find a place to stay with people she doesn't mind being around because I'm not letting her do this alone. We just might end up buying a home instead of renting. But then we have to get furniture and so on and so forth; it all takes time we don't have. She's going to insist on leaving the hospital as soon as possible. I wouldn't doubt it at all if Dad took her suggestion; she told him if he really wanted to ensure her demise, sign for early release. She knew without help, she wouldn't make it very long; and now that Dad knows that too," Noah mumbled and trailed off. Pat looked up at him in shock. Noah met his eye and smirked. He took a deep breath and continued, "I'll keep trying to insist she agrees to board with you. The only people -with the exception of Jess and possibly 'Nettie's best friend- that I can rely on to help care for her, are sitting right here at this table. You've earned it, Pat. So thank you. I know that we're asking a lot already, but I have to know, if she agrees, what would you do to help her?"

 

"Anything. I'll do anything for her," Pat confirmed quietly, taking another bite of his food.

 

"Even if that means getting in bed with her?" Tyler inquired. Pat raised his eyebrow. Tyler chuckled before he took a sip of his drink. "Sorry that came out wrong. I'm not asking you to sleep with her. What I meant was would you be willing to climb into her bed and help calm her down? If needed, of course. Noah and I were talking when you washed up and we think we might have a solution." Pat looked over at Noah with the same quizzical expression.

 

"If the three of us are in a room, I'll calm her down by signing like I did to start off with. But if she starts to hyperventilate, she'll need one of us to climb behind her like I did earlier; it worked quicker than her mask I noticed. Not to mention, 'Nettie hates anything medically related: hospitals, masks, IVs, monitors, doctors, nurses, and more. With your fake leg, you'd probably be the safest person to scoot behind her without jostling her. Of course, I'm assuming it's easy for you to take it on and off, no offense," Noah stated. 

"None taken. It would just take a minute or less for me to take my leg off," Pat confirmed. "Your theory makes sense and there's just a small stub of a leg; it would be easiest for me to crawl behind her. What do you want from me?"

 

"Friendship?" Noah offered. "You've already offered your home and help with Annette. I think it would be rude of us to ask any more. The only reason we want to ask if you were okay to do this is because she seemed to have an iron grasp on your hand when she cried. That and the fact that you are as torn up as we are seeing her like that. My sister trusts you, and you have earned more than just my respect with the way you've approached everything about this situation. I'm impressed that when you offered to take her camping that you were planning on separate tents. That's huge. This, well this is bigger. I know it's a big decision, but we need your help." 

 

"Give me a minute," Pat pleaded. Noah and Tyler nodded. Pat slowly sipped on his drink as he looked at his hand, remembering how she held it and the warmth of her hand as it molded around his own. The people she trusted most were sitting at the table with him and had asked him to be a guinea pig with her emotions, but most likely his own. He knew it would wreak havoc on him eventually, but if it meant he could care for the girl of his dreams, could he really pass on this opportunity? He was silent for several minutes as he processed this information. Finally he took a deep breath, looked at the men across the table from him, and let the air out of his lungs slowly before answering, "I'm glad you guys trust me enough to help her out. I'm honored that you want her to stay with me too. I don't want to force her to do anything; I just want her safe. I want to see her back to her cheerful self. So I would do anything to coax her confidence back. I have learned more about her today than I have in the past year and a half, and all I can think is what an idiot I've been. I should have been able to notice more. But with everything I know now, I understand why she didn't leave work when I told her she was in danger. If it comes down to calming her down, I'd be happy to help. I'll climb in behind her if that's what it takes. You have final say, Noah. I won't do anything unless you ask or unless she does." Pat met Noah's eye when he said that. Noah looked at him gratefully.

"She trusts you, Pat. No doubt about it. She wouldn't have kept holding your hand like that if she didn't. Her knuckles turned white; it was like she was afraid you would leave her. It's like what I first told you before she got out of surgery. If you were gone after witnessing her go through some sort of abuse, she would fear that somehow she messed up. My sister is not a failure. She was having a hard time believing you were there too. She would hate to see anyone -but especially those she considers friends- to get hurt," he remarked. "I appreciate you being willing take care of her. I have a lot of respect for you. Not many people would wait for permission to hold her. I've seen that happen too many times; while it was only a handful of men -and that's a loose description of them- but that's too many people that have hurt her." 

"I see," Pat replied as he lowered his head. All the lustful glances she got at work, the obscene gestures friends made to each other about her once she turned her back, and the fact that she denied her beauty; it was easy to see how people could think she was their's to take and how she could get hurt. She was too trusting but at the same time, she was so guarded. Pat clenched his fist and looked up again. Tyler and Noah looked at him in concern, but gave him time to think. "Unfortunately, respect is a dying thing. The best person in my life was my mom. She raised me to have respect for people, but especially women. Annette's one of the purest people I met, she deserves this respect. I would never hurt her: physically, emotionally, or mentally. I might say the wrong thing, but I would never intentionally hurt her. Everything I do is to help her," he replied. "I've been in contact with a Trooper Sanchez. I think the sooner we get her to talk to him, the better. He's on duty again in the morning. Out of all officers I met, he's the one I trust. She has to tell her story."

 

"I agree. She probably would only want to tell it once. And the sooner the better," Noah confirmed as the color drained from his face. "I can't be there for that." Noah let out a deep breath and bit his lip.

 

"So much like your sister, it's incredible," Pat murmured, slightly jealous of the fact he was an only child. Pat shook his head, clearing his thoughts, "I can bring him by around 11. Will she let us stay in the room?"

 

"She's a wildcard. She's surprisingly unpredictable," Tyler chuckled and looked down like he was remembering something. Noah and Pat joined in with the laughter, but exchanged curious glances.

"Definitely full of surprises. I've been trying to understand her for years. Thanks again for everything, Pat," Noah said sincerely offering his hand. Pat shook it and bid them good night.

 

On the drive home, Josh called and checked in. Pat answered via Bluetooth and shared everything. "Maybe this is a good thing," Josh stated. "You'll be able to spend all day with her. You can ask her to be your girl. You can ask her to be your roomie. You already have her brothers on your side. That's huge, right? You can own the world."

 

Pat chuckled, "the world is awfully bleak without her in it, and she hasn't agreed to be a part of mine. I never expected to fall so hard."

 

"She's still in the world. Now you have a chance to show her how much she means to you. Take care, dude. I'll keep Linda busy tomorrow. You just take care of her. I'll see you in the afternoon," Josh promised.

 

"Thanks, bud. I appreciate your help." Pat hung up, took another breath and called Trooper Sanchez. He picked up on the third ring. Pat took a deep breath and spoke rapidly, "hey, officer. I'm sorry to disturb you so late. Annette woke up today. Would you be able to take her statement tomorrow? I kinda already made the implication that you would be available, but I just assumed you would. Her brother is going to make sure she's up then."

 

"Thanks for calling me, Pat. You aren't disturbing me; it's only 9pm. Take a deep breath, son. There's no need to rush. I'm glad to hear that she has woken up. Now wouldn't it be better for her dad to take her statement?" Trooper Sanchez asked. Pat ground his teeth and said what he could to protect her; he needed Trooper Sanchez to take her statement.

 

"I think that her testimony might be too emotional for him to hear. You have worked on every angle. Close this case," Pat insisted. "Her father will never be that close to her again! He'll kill her! God! If only you knew. She can't give her testimony to him. Please. Take it," he pleaded internally.

 

"Alright. I'll be there. I've got an appointment at 8:30 and another shortly after. The rest of the day, I'm free. What time did you imply?" Trooper Sanchez asked.

 

"Can you meet me at 11 at the hospital?" Pat inquired.

"Perfect. I can do that. Thanks for your call, son." Trooper Sanchez signed off and Pat drove the rest of the way home in silence. When he pulled into his driveway, he lowered his head on the steering wheel. 

 

"Forgive me, Annette. Please let him take your statement. Please let me stay," he whispered. He got out of his truck and stared into the night; it seemed like there was a thick cover of clouds tonight, but the sky was clear. "Let me stay, doll. I need to know what happened," he murmured as he walked into his house. He didn't want to hear what happened but he had to know. Pat slept very restlessly that night, waking up at 2:30. He tossed and turned in his bed some more, and finally decided to go for a run. When he finished, he placed his hands above his head and looked at the sun rising. "Good morning, Annette. Keep fighting. I'll see you soon, doll," he breathed. Quickly he showered, got ready, and headed to the restaurant. Josh shot him a curious glance, laced with worry and concern. "Morning to you too. I know its early. Don't care. Coffee. French toast," Pat ordered quickly. He smirked as he recalled that Annette was asking for that yesterday. "Scratch that. Biscuits and gravy."

 

"Rough night?" Josh asked. Pat nodded as he bounced his leg. "I think you should hold back on that coffee. Plus. I have to make yet another pot! I wanna know whose idea it was to open so early. Seriously though, you're bouncin' right now and haven't had a sip. I should totally revoke your privileges," Josh noted with a chuckle. Pat picked up the cup and held it close with a sheepish grin. "It’s nice to see you smiling again, dude. Everything will work out. Linda is coming in at 12:30. I’ll come see you when she takes over for me." 

 

"How's our girl?" Joe questioned as he took a break from the stove.

 

"Awake and in pain. She laughed and joked and tried to hide the fact that she's not okay," Pat confirmed, refusing to tell him that her mind slipped yesterday. "She's completely fragile and looks like a feather can break her. I have a feeling today will make that worse. Testimony day." Joe shook his head sympathetically.

 

"Take care of her, will ya?" Joe asked. Pat nodded. "Good. Make sure you give her our love and support too. Now Joshy-boy, stop talking! You gotta another table and I need to start cooking. I'll brew more coffee first. Chin up, kid! There's no time for frowns. Let's see that smile! Alright! Now let's get a moving!" Joe tried to sing as he danced his way back to the kitchen. Josh and Pat shook their heads.

"Dude, we need Annette back. This is just getting weird," Josh murmured as he wiped down the counter and then took the food out to his table. Pat chuckled and took another sip of his coffee. 

"What? You can't picture him throwing flower petals?" Pat teased as Josh came back around. Josh gave him a pained expression.

"Please don't give him any ideas!" Josh exclaimed. He walked behind Pat and lowered his voice as he cleaned the table there. "He's scary enough right now. He's trying to keep everyone upbeat but only one person I know is capable of that without even trying. So get her back here so she can save me," he begged.

"You're right. He's scary enough. I'll see what I can do," Pat promised. Josh gave him his food and continued to work. Pat ate in silence as he bounced his knee. He watched Joe closely and grinned; Annette would love this. He finished his food, cleaned up his spot, made two pots of coffee for Josh, paid for his breakfast, and headed back home. He looked around the already spotless home for something to clean. "If Annette will be in a wheelchair, using this table as a foot rest won't work any more," Pat thought as he pushed his coffee table under his tv. Then he moved his armchair to the left of the couch, opening up a better pathway to the hallway. He walked down the hallway to the bedrooms. His room had clothing scattered everywhere. He picked up his dirty laundry and took them to the hamper outside of the laundry closet; he would have to do laundry later. He looked at the laundry and bit his lip. "Don't live like a slob. Your hamper needs to go to your room from here on out. Finish your laundry then prepare for a guest. The most precious guest," he thought before moving back to his room where he straightened his books and dusted. There wasn't much else he could do, so he moved to the next room. This guest room only had housed three guests. It was also the room his mom insisted on living in the last days of her life stating she couldn't taint a place with her death that he loved; this room meant nothing to either of them. It was still in good condition. There wasn't even dust under the bed. Pat shook his head and moved to the final bedroom in the house: his mom's. Linda agreed to come over once a week and clean this room to keep dust bunnies away from her stuff; Pat hadn't entered this room since he buried his mom. His hand rested on the handle and took a deep breath as the floor creaked under his weight. Softly he mumbled, "it's for Annette. She needs the master suite. Come on. Mom would understand." Slowly, Pat turned the handle. He took a deep breath as he stepped into the room; the room still felt the same, warm and inviting. Pat lovingly stroked the pale chiffon yellow walls he had helped paint so many years ago. He chuckled to himself as he remembered his mom insisting they use lace fabric as a stencil; more than half of the areas he painted ended up looking blotchy and muddy because he was not a patient kid. Still his mom loved the room and never fixed it. Soft blue lace curtains still draped by the window, the dresser had a large mirror above it. His mom hated vacuuming so her room was the only bedroom that had oak flooring; it looked like it could use a polish, but it wasn't bad. Pat opened the closet preparing to be overwhelmed with his mother's clothing. Much to his surprise, Linda had them all in boxes. He opened up the top box and pulled out her favorite blouse and hugged it tight before setting it back and closing the lid. "I wish you could have met her, Mom; you would absolutely adore her. I'm not ready to send your stuff to storage, but I need to care for Annette. Please forgive me. I'll love you always," he whispered. He turned and faced the bed after fighting back a sob. The bed was covered with a white sheet. Reluctantly, Pat pulled it back. The bed was made with a tan bed set. On the foot of the bed was the comforter Pat had watched his mom hand embroider; he loved her patience with this project almost as much as he loved the finished result. He couldn't bear to stuff it in a box, so the white comforter covered in embroidered green ivy leaves sat folded on the edge of the bed. Pat quickly took the bedding off and put them directly into the wash machine then started it. He went back to his mother's room and pulled out all of the boxes, making a pile in the middle of the room, preparing to take them out to the shed for storage. He felt so overwhelmed with grief that he walked into the connecting bathroom and splashed water on his face. He looked around. It was pristine in here too. He opened the linen closet and sighed; it was empty. He left the room and headed towards his bathroom pulling several towels and washcloths. Changing his mind halfway through, he put them back. "I'll buy you fresh ones, 'Nettie," he voiced softly. "'Nettie. I love it. What a beautiful name for such a beautiful person. No, that's what her brother calls her. What right do you have?" Pat shook his head and looked at his phone. It was time that he headed back to the hospital. "Sorry, doll. I'm going to spoil your day. Please forgive me," he begged as he grabbed his keys and headed back to the hospital. "You're not alone, doll. I'm sorry you're terrified of being in this place. Soon, you'll be back to your normal cheerful self and I'll do whatever it takes to keep a smile on your face," he vowed silently as he looked at the clock and pulled into the hospital parking lot. Pat paced in the lobby for 10 minutes before Trooper Sanchez showed up. "Hello, officer," Pat greeted politely when he was within hearing range.

"Hey, son. I'm technically a trooper, not an officer," Trooper Sanchez teased as he shook Pat's hand with a chuckle. "You look nervous, son, and need to lighten up a little. Is everything alright?" Pat nodded.

"I'm just anxious for Annette," Pat confessed. "Will you make her give her testimony alone?" He met the officers eye and pleaded mentally, "please say no."

"It's not up to me to decide. It is better if it’s one on one, but she can let me know," he stated. Pat nodded and led the way to her room.

 

Pat knocked on the door. "Is this a bad time?" 

 

Annette looked at him and grinned. He felt his heart leap in his chest. "Please come in!"

 

"Annette, there's an officer here that would like to take your statement, so I'll ask again. Is this a bad time?" Pat repeated and held his breath. Annette instantly paled. Pat opened the door further and the officer took another step closer. Annette's eyes seemed full of fear and shock, but still she consented. Trooper Sanchez walked in behind him. He seemed nervous, but Annette didn't seem to notice.

 

"I guess I'm going to have to give a statement sooner or later. I'd rather it be now," she replied; Pat picked up the hint of terror in her voice.

"Hello, miss. Would you prefer I came back later?" Trooper Sanchez asked. Annette shook her head and looked at Pat again, biting her lip. 

"Is he going to ask that my friends leave?" She asked as she met his eye. Pat shrugged his shoulders, hid his left hand behind his back, crossed his fingers, and prayed he could stay. 

"I hope not, doll," he thought grateful that she was including him.

 

"My name is Trooper Sanchez. You can have as many or as few people in here that you would like. Your kidnapper is already behind bars with a good case behind him, but your testimony would be good for the file. If you want to give it of course," he said kindly. 

 

Annette settled into her pillows and gave a curt nod, but Pat could tell she was still tense. "You three can stay if you want. I'd rather share this story once and only once. Mrs. Malloy might like to hear this too." Pat thanked her silently and went to go find her nurse. He found her at the nurse's station that wasn't even ten feet away from Annette's room.

"They put her in the room for closest access so they could help her quickly. If only they knew what actually happened in there yesterday," he thought bitterly, cursing her father. "Mrs. Malloy?" She looked up at him in surprise.

 

"Annette's friend, right?" She asked as she put her file down. Pat nodded. "Is she alright?" Pat tilted his head and pressed his lips together.

 

"For now, she's fine. She's agreed to give her testimony but only wants to give it once. She thought you would like to hear what happened as well," Pat offered. Mrs. Malloy looked shocked. She recovered quickly and told her co-worker she was going on break and that no one else was to enter room 637. Together they walked back to Annette's room. Mrs. Malloy walked in first and leaned against the wall by the door, propping one foot up as well. Pat walked in and shut the door. He knew he wasn't going to like what Annette had to say, but he knew she would hate it if anyone else accidentally overheard it too. Wordlessly, he sat down on the cot next to Tyler and studied Annette for a minute. She appeared calm but her pale stature gave Pat the impression that she was panicking internally. He smiled encouragingly at her. She was fidgeting again. Noah had said when she panics, she signs. Was she doing that now? Pat couldn't tell, but that bear seemed to help keep her anxiety in check. He sighed and looked his feet. Her voice remained level and calm as she told her side of the story. When she mentioned she had noticed a red mark on her shoulder but felt no pain, Pat looked up in shock. Her shoulder! That's where the toxin came into contact with her. How? Pat thought back to that day. He was certain that monster had the syringe by his leg in the booth, wouldn't that mean that her leg would be the part exposed? Or did the coffee just truly burn her? If it was hot enough to turn her skin colors, she would have felt pain. He shook his head and looked down at his feet again, there was nothing he could do about it now. He focused on Annette's words, but couldn't look up at her, not right now. He offered a slight smile when she joked about it not being easy to admit she needed help. His jaw went tight the further into her story she got. Slowly he bunched his right hand into a fist, covering it calmly with his left hand, knowing that she kept looking at him. He couldn't get upset when she was barely holding it together. He was so stupid! He should have cared for her better and slowly closed his eyes. He listened closely and looked at her when she mentioned needing a sweatshirt; he could tell that part of her didn't want to share. He now understood why she wanted this one nurse in here and was shocked that she was the mother of one of the kids that were taken. Pat looked back at Annette with great respect; her caring nature was beyond admirable. He felt his heart get stuck in his throat as she walked through what he saw happening on the camera. She was struggling to hold it together and her cheeks were wet. She tried to keep her emotions in check but her voice cracked and she stumbled over her words. She was still speaking clearly though, even if she squeaked the words out. "Oh come on, doll," he pleaded mentally. "The sooner you spill, the quicker you can forget. I hate seeing you in so much pain."

 

"As we were pulling out, the driver pointed out Pat returning. He made a comment about it being too bad I didn't stick with my guard dog because he would be fun to put down. I don't doubt for a second that they would've killed him to get me," her voice cracked as she cried. Seeing her in so much pain over him caused tears ran down his cheeks too, he smiled encouragingly again with a slight nod then looked at his hands. Pat closed his eyes. She was right of course; the men in that video wanted her and would have done anything to get her. He wouldn't let her go and they would've killed him, easily. Pat took a deep breath as she explained what happened in the car. Suddenly, she was gasping for air. Pat looked up and studied her, she wasn't holding it together any more. Mrs. Malloy, although troubled, ran over and checked Annette's vitals.

 

"Do you need a break, Ms. Gibson?" Trooper Sanchez asked. Stubbornly, Annette shook her head as the oxygen mask was placed on her head. She cried and resisted a little but allowed the mask to go on.

 

"She can continue after her breathing regulates," Mrs. Malloy insisted. Pat couldn’t just sit still anymore and began to pace around the room. He hated seeing his friend like this. Annette looked disappointed and started frantically move her hand, Mrs. Malloy rebuked her, but Jess spoke up.

 

“She just asked if I would finish telling her story as got some air. I can do that if that's okay with everyone, although I'm no expert in sign language. I'll do my best," Jess explained. Pat hissed as he took a deep breath. It would help Annette finish her story better, but the emotion wouldn’t be right. Until she started sharing, Pat didn't know he needed to know, but he knew had to hear it from her, not second hand from somebody else. Tyler seemed to agree.

 

"Annette, I think it's best for you to catch your breath for ten minutes. This is hard for you to tell, and harder for us to hear. Officer, she needs a break. Please," Tyler begged. Trooper Sanchez nodded and turned off his recorder. As quietly as they came in, Mrs. Malloy and Trooper Sanchez left the room. Pat continued to pace back and forth. Finally he looked up. Tyler was squeezing his sister’s shoulder, his lips were set in a tight line as Jess silently wept, both looking closely at Annette. A strangled cry came from the bed. Pat turned his attention back to Annette. She was still hyperventilating and crying, trying to curl up in a ball. He looked at Tyler again. "You. Now," he mouthed. Pat nodded and moved to the chair the officer had vacated and took off his leg. He pushed it next to the wall by the head of her bed. With panic in her eyes, Tyler picked her up slightly and Pat climbed in behind her and began to rub her back. Her body shook with sobs as he tucked his leg under her suspended broken one. He shot the siblings a panicked look as he could even feel her leg trembled. "Annette, I know this is difficult for you, and you want to finish, but you need to calm down a little," Tyler instructed.

 

"A lot, doll. You need to completely calm down. You can tell me to leave, but I'm right here. Let me hold you. I just hope I can calm you down. I hope Noah was right," Pat thought as he leaned forward and took a deep breath. He put his nose above her ear and whispered, “breathe with me.” He could tell that she was trying. "Atta girl. I got you," he thought proudly.

 

“She says you have big lungs and it hurts,” Jess explained with a smile. Pat laughed and tried to take a smaller breath. After a handful of those he was dizzy and lightheaded. It was best if he just breathed regular; he made a point to over exaggerate the sounds. He couldn’t understand with how shallow her breathing was how she wasn’t passing out. 

 

"I'm staying right here, doll. Use me for your strength. If you can, match my breathing. Squeeze my hand. Whatever you need, doll," Pat reassured. He looked up and met Tyler's eye. "How is she still breathing?" He mouthed. Tyler shook his head.

 

"She says maybe you should match hers,” Jess teased then looked at her brother, “she’s certain she’ll need a trash can.”

 

Everyone grinned; she was still trying to keep their emotional state of mind upbeat while she spun into a dizzying tailspin of negative emotions. Tyler brought her a garbage can, took away her teddy bear, and offered a small smile. Pat leaned forward and removed one pillow from behind his back and placed it behind his head. She leaned into him and closed her eyes. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her waist. Inwardly, he grinned; this was a dream come true. Unfortunately, this was not an ideal situation. As her body shook with another sob, Pat did the only thing he could think of to calm her down and was rewarded with her opening her eyes and looking at him. "Shhh. Doll you're doing just fine. So they would've killed me, huh? Do you really think I'm that easy to get rid of?" He teased. He hated to think of the alternative; had he been with her, killing him would've been the best case scenario. They called him a guard dog; they knew how protective of her he was. Pat had no doubt they would have used him against her in any way they could - torturing him to get her to comply. He would have made sure they kept his focus on him, refusing to let her get hurt, but her selfless attitude would cause her to step up and act just like she did for her classmates. It would've resulted in his death either way. He focused back on Annette as she chuckled and squeezed his hand. "You're safe, doll," he whispered. Pat’s heart melted and did flips as she snuggled into him and closed her eyes again. She was trying really hard to breathe and calm down. "Keep it up, doll.” He looked at Jess and Tyler. The three of them already knew Noah wasn't coming, but as Annette looked at the bear next to her, he asked for her sake. "Does her brother know this is going on now?" Annette perked up and looked at Jess. Tyler winked at Pat in gratitude, keeping her mind off her emotions was just the thing they had to do. Pat could tell this as Tyler explained his reasoning for begging her to wait. Annette nodded in agreement then winced in pain. Pat sighed silently and shifted into the pillows; Annette moved her body and he grinned, pulling her back to his chest. She ended up in the middle of his chest, nestled between what he called his legs. Pat grinned and squeezed her hand, she returned the notion. Pat felt like he was on cloud nine; this was perfect.

 

Shortly after, his heart sunk again as she pulled her hand from his grasp. He let her sign and held her tighter as Jess left the room and she pointed to her mask then put her thumb down. Pat sighed in indignation. "She says it makes her sleepy. From my understanding, it shouldn't be doing that," Jess was saying as she came back into the room.

"No it shouldn't. She said something about that earlier, but everything looked normal. Maybe now that's it's on, I can find something," Mrs. Malloy insisted as she took off the mask. "Annette, has this always smelled sweet?!" Pat pulled her in closer as she shook her head no.

 

"I can't smell anything. Tyler helped me put it on once and so did Jess. I trust both of them. Then you put it on me earlier. I felt sleepy, but was also overwhelmed with all the bags Jess brought in. So I didn't notice it. No one else has touched it that I'm aware of. I do a lot of sleeping," Annette confessed. 

 

"Did either of you notice a change when you put it on her?" Mrs. Malloy demanded as she played with tank settings. Both of them shook their heads in shock and fear and Pat felt sick. "She's clearly getting oxygen, but there's something else in there too. I'm getting you a new tank and mask. Deep, slow breaths. Keep your airway open," Mrs. Malloy ordered as she ducked out of the room. Pat held Annette as she tried to curl up in a ball and gave Tyler a concerned look as he felt Annette’s diaphragm bounce repeatedly, but didn't pull her back. She was trying to do this on her own, but everyone could tell she was failing. Tyler kept his expression neutral but his gaze said one thing: help her. 

 

"NO! Noah was right. He got to me. What did he put in there? He said 'enjoy your last days'. He. He. He," Annette sobbed, choking as she tried to breathe. Tyler gazed momentarily between Pat and Annette. 

"I get it! Calm her down. But how? Doll, if you keep this up, you're going to experience heart failure. Stop," Pat thought as he looked down at the girl in his arms.

 

"Annette, Noah didn't predict that, you did. Noah held back a laugh when he heard you accuse your dad of tampering. Pat, when Trooper Gibson left, did you notice if he had anything he was trying to conceal?" Tyler asked meeting Pat’s eye. Pat grabbed Annette’s hand and pulled her back gently so she could feel him breathing. She wrapped her fingers around his and he felt his heart soar away. He met Tyler's eye to answer his question. 

"I was trying to make sure I got out of the way so he wouldn't see me. It sounded like he was on a warpath. I did call Linda after I watched him walk down the hallway and let her know that he might come pick up her check, but no, I didn't see his hands as he left. Doll, calm down. He can't hurt you again. You're safe. Come on, doll! In and out. Slower. In and out. Again. In and out. There you go. Again. Good," Pat praised in a level and calm voice as he looked at her agaun. Slowly, she calmed down, lowered her leg, leaned into him more, and rested her head on his shoulder. Pat grinned and thought, “that’s my girl. Good job, doll.” She looked up at him and Pat's heart melted. "Are you okay with me being here?" He asked her tenderly, mentally pleading that she would say yes. She nodded and closed her eyes, like she was trying to sleep again. Pat smiled and tried again. "Let me rephrase that. Are you okay with me holding you?" She snuggled into his shoulder, met his eye, and nodded again. Pat's heart soared. He took a deep breath as he thought back to the beginning of her story; she wanted to run. So he brought that up again. Her answer was soft and he almost missed it. "Of course it was her dad! She was afraid of going home! You really are an idiot, Miller," he thought. He grinned when she begged him to keep talking to keep her mind off it. 

"Make me smile, but not laugh. Please," she requested. Pat grinned. He could do that. He would do anything to see her smile. Unable to stop himself, he went off on a tangent about the crazy things that happened at work in the past week, but her eyes were glazing over. He kept talking, unsure if she could even hear him. Thankfully, Tyler and Jess helped him out and kept him talking; not once did Pat look up at them. Pat chuckled when it registered in Annette's face as she caught the part about Josh filling in for the early shift and joked it away. 

"Atta girl. Keep the mood light. You're so good at that. No! Doll, don't run from your emotions! I want to know all of it. This isn't a situation where you can just joke it away. Breathe! I got you. You're safe. You just need to calm down," he thought. Mrs. Malloy came back into the room too soon for Pat’s liking; Annette was still crying and trying to breathe, but doing much better as she begged to get her testimony done now. He leaned in closer to her ear and continued to exaggerate his breathing. He preferred if she was completely calm and joking around every sentence again, but he knew that Annette wanted to forget this nightmare as quickly as possible. "The sooner, the better," he thought. Gently he squeezed her hand. “We know how the story ends. You win,” he spoke softly in her ear. She turned towards him and he happily pressed his head against hers; he could spend a lifetime in this position.

 

“This doesn’t feel like winning, but I’ll come out victorious?” She sighed. Pat grinned and nodded against her. The door opening startled him and he sat up. He loved her selflessness as she tried to give him the option to leave.

"No way, no how, you foolish girl. I'm staying right here," he thought. He mindlessly stroked her hand and listened to her tell her story as he studied her hair. His heart broke as she became more and more emotional, her voice wavering. He desperately wanted to take her pain away. All he could do though, was wrap her tighter in his arms, grateful she didn't seem to mind or try to pull away. Her voice cracked as she described the nurse who took care of her. Pat smiled as she gave another clear description.

 

“You can remember all that detail on the verge of passing out?” Trooper Sanchez asked with surprise. Pat looked up and glared at him. He felt he had to defend her.

 

“She's always had an intuitive eye. She notices the smallest details most of the time, even from a distance. With the exception of the syringe,” he snapped but added silently, "and matters of the heart." Pat took a deep breath before continuing. “I haven't seen her miss anything really. It's one of the reasons she's a great waitress,” Pat expressed sincerely as he aimlessly stroked her hand and she applied more pressure on his chest. Trooper Sanchez nodded and asked her to continue.

 

Her voice strained more as her story went on and she released Pat’s hand, holding onto the trash can. “Excuse me.” She paused and leaned over the trash can. Pat immediately brushed all of her hair out of her face to keep it away from the barrel of sickness, thankful that he'd never been bothered by gross smells; he would hate to be away from her right now. Jess looked at him sympathetically, misreading his reaction, and put Annette’s hair into a ponytail. Pet tenderly kept one hand on her back as she continued to talk. The other he stuck in his mouth and bit down. How could she not fight back? She just let them hit her repeatedly? Did she enjoy the pain? He couldn't believe she was so willing to get hurt. Noah's words rang in his head: she can take a lot, she didn't ever fight back, and she was full of surprises. Although, Pat wouldn't consider the fact that she knew how to take a beating a good surprise.

 

“Where did he hit you?” Trooper Sanchez interrupted.

 

“Mainly my back,” Annette admitted. Pat looked at his hand; he was adding to her pain and felt guilty. He placed both hands on the bed. Almost immediately, Annette started to sob hysterically again. Pat wrapped his arms around her waist again and rested his head on her back of her shoulder. Silently, he let tears fall down his face as she continued, “he was drunk. He demanded that I take off my clothes and I continued to refuse him. He slapped me and hogtied me before throwing me into the water again. He would touch me inappropriately and kiss me throughout. Everytime he offered me an out; I just had to consent to sex. I continually chose the water." She paused long enough to throw up again. Pat looked at her with pride and sorrow. Her purity was not worth her life. He couldn’t understand how or why she would constantly choose something that could kill her. Annette continued, "I counted up to 70 before I lost track of how many times he held me under." Pat gasped and held her tighter as she kept talking, "...but decided to just give up instead. I was tired and wanted to be done. I couldn't fight any more. I met his eyes one last time. He grinned in a most evil way as my world went black. Death seemed welcoming and I was done fighting." Pat couldn’t take it. He held onto her hand but he removed his left fist from her waist and scrunched the bedsheet. Annette’s gaze followed it. She took a deep breath, leaned into him, and squeezed his hand. Pat smiled, returned the squeeze, and rested his head on her shoulder as tears fell down his face, landing on her back. He felt his stomach lurch when she mentioned her bargain; she was so selfless and was willing to become a permanent joke, and possibly sign her own death warrant. Annette finished her story and ended up hysterically sobbing again, unable to calm down. He wrapped both arms gently around her shoulders as he tried to comfort her.

"Oh my sweet girl. I'm so sorry," he wept silently, thankful that she was crying in his neck, as close as she could be to him. "I'm speechless, doll. You would have chose to stick around that horrible place instead of come home just so that two people you -that you don't really care about- could come home? So selfless. I wish, I had your heart," he thought as he dried his eyes on his sleeve.

Trooper Sanchez thanked her and put some pictures on the table in front of her. Pat’s breath caught in his throat as Annette stiffened in his arms. She bravely identified them. Everyone cleared out and Pat moved to get out of her bed. She grabbed him in a panic and begged, "please stay. You help me calm down, and I need that right now." Pat smiled and kissed her head.

 

“Of course, doll.” Pat didn’t want to be anywhere else as he snuggled into her. Tyler asked a question and Pat looked up. “I can protect her here. Go ahead and help your sister. I’m not leaving.” Jess gave him a knowing look and a slight grin.

 

“I’m sorry to put you in this position,” Annette whispered.

 

“It’s a position I offered to be in a week ago,” Pat murmured and mentally added, “I never want to leave, doll.” He helped Jess pull a blanket around Annette as she shivered. He pulled her to his chest as she sat up again, trying to remain selfless as Jess lowered the bed. "No way. Just come here, doll. I don't mind at all. I just want you in my arms. I love the fact that you are calming down to my touch. You're letting me hold you and you really do need me. I'd do anything for you, but this has to be at the top of the list," he thought proudly as she snuggled back into him. Pat didn’t really notice when Jess and Tyler left. He lovingly gazed upon Annette. She opened her eyes and met his eye.

 

“You’re doing it again. Looking at me like I'm a porcelain doll that's going to break any second. Makes me feel self conscious," she said sleepily. Pat grinned and playfully bopped her nose with his finger.

“That because you are a fragile porcelain doll. Now sleep," he ordered with a grin. She smiled, removed her ponytail, and joked back some before yawning and finally closing her eyes. Her breathing evened off and she slept. Pat brushed her blonde locks out of her face and kissed her forehead. He started to pull his arm out from behind her head. She frowned and put her hand on his chest. Pat smiled, kissed her fingers -wrapping her hand in his- and embraced her. “Thank you, doll. I’m happy to stay here with you,” he whispered into her hair as her face relaxed. He watched her sleep for an hour. Every time she moved, he could tell it was causing her more pain so he did the best he could to help her; his heart soared when she seemed to smile and relax anytime he touched her hand or face. He rolled over slightly and grabbed the remote. “Try not to be such a creeper, Miller. She deserves your respect. Treat her well. She may not want you. Don't lose a friend because you can't control your own damn emotions. You have the chance to catch up on some sleep and you aren't even taking it. Then again, how could you when she's counting on you. Just give her some space,” he rebuked himself mentally. No matter what he found on the tv, he kept turning around and looking at the girl in his arms. “This started off being one of the worst days I ever faced,” he admitted quietly as he played with her hair again and rubbed her cheek tenderly, “but this definitely makes up for it. I hope one day you would love to do this too. I just want you in my arms forever and I know it is so selfish of me, but you're my girl and I need you close. Aside from holding you when you ask me to -like now- I won't force you to be in my arms. I'll always hope that you'll choose this, but I won't make you feel pressured into it. I promise, I’ll wait until you’re ready before I make a move for your affections. It will be hard because I have never felt like this before, but I’ll even refrain from kissing your head again until you ask. Thanks for coming back to me, doll. I care so much about you. Just let me take care of you. Forever, if possible. I know I'm no good for you, but I don't want to lose you again. Annette, I think I love you." His voice was no louder than a whisper as he admitted his feelings and he pressed his forehead against hers. After several moments, he wistfully pulled himself away to watch tv before he did something he would regret or that would cause her to hate him. He lost track of time and was startled as Josh came through the door and winked at him. Pat shook his head and gladly looked back at the beautiful girl in his arms, ignoring the sexual innuendos that Josh was implying. When the cart crashed into the door, Pat held on tighter to Annette as she started to panic. He heard her mumble something, but he didn't catch it. She was terrified and her machines confirmed this as she hid her face in his chest and held on tighter to his shirt. He did his best to calm her down, and smiled when he realized her gaze was locked on him.

 

He cared for her the rest of the afternoon, anticipating her needs even though she never voiced them. He absolutely despised her doctor's bedside manner and did what he could to ease her pain. He was grateful the doctor needed her to move because it gave him an excuse to touch her again and he didn't want her to try and move with be beatings she described. It took him too long to realize that her leg was causing her pain because she couldn't keep it upright. With the doctor pulling her leg, her eyes were rolling in the back of her head, and tears were trekking down her face, she was relying on him to support her more. He could tell it bothered her some, but she never uttered a cry. About to speak up, he was cut off by Josh. Then Annette told the doctor about her hip being fractured and Pat bit his tongue. He released her hand reluctantly and held onto her thigh. He smiled at as she looked up at him gratefully. He loved it when she leaned into him. She hated the surprise party but seemed exceptionally happy to see her friends. Pat was thrilled when she asked that Ryan leave, unfortunately she wanted him gone too. Pat watched her closely, her eyes followed him around so he smiled and did what she asked. 

Ryan was making him uneasy; he wasn't here just for the pizza, but the reasoning was unclear. Pat stayed close to him as they checked out the cafeteria. They both ate a piece of pie before picking stuff out for Annette. Ryan was little help. Pat thought back to all the food that Annette had stolen off his plate when he insisted she take a break: a few french fries, a nacho chip or two - but she always avoided the sour cream and guacamole, and a corner of his french toast that hadn't touched his syrup. After she ate that bite she would declare her break was over. He pursed his lips and looked at the selections of food. What she stole didn't give him much knowledge about what she liked. He hoped the nachos -although stale looking- would be a good selection. Then they passed the vending machine on the way back to her room. He quickly got her some more m&ms remembering he promised her some after she got her cast on; the remaining m&ms he snacked on while waiting for her to come out of surgery. Then he looked at the drinks. "She drinks water or lemonade only," Ryan remarked, finally offering some assistance. Pat nodded and got her some lemonade too. When he got back to the room, Annette had her mask off again, but Jess was missing. Pat excused himself and went to talk to her momentarily. He glared at Ryan as he left. However, Annette trusted Ryan, so Pat would trust her. Unable to find Jess, he used the bathroom and came back to Annette's room.

"-any more or ever again. Get out!" Annette demanded as Pat stealthly came into the room and stood several steps behind Ryan but could quickly duck out the door if Annette needed a minute. 

"Soldier boy more your style? I can offer you more than him," Ryan snarled. Annette was crying once again, but she kept her voice firm as she concluded and told him to leave. He grinned when Annette said she would choose him over this punk that was now scaring her. To make a point though, she said she would choose her kidnappers over that boy, so Pat didn't get his hopes up. Especially since this morning she told everyone that she would rather die than choose them. Pat sighed; his chances were not good to be with the girl of his dreams, but she did agree to be housed at his place. So maybe it was something. Pat looked at the punk in front of him and rushed to the bedside as he saw his body stiffen; Annette would not be hurt again if he could prevent it.

"You heard her. OUT," Pat barked as he firmly put his left hand on Ryan's right shoulder, shoved him, and prepared to knock him out. The only thing that kept him from swinging was the possibility of scaring Annette any more than she was already. 

Ryan turned on his heel and muttered under his breath, "whatever, just wanted to thank you, b***h." Pat looked at Annette in concern; she curled herself up into a ball and wept as Ryan left. Pat was furious. He couldn't understand why one person would force themselves on another. That one look at her stopped him from following the creep and beating him to a pulp. 

"I'd rather be called that than Annie," she mumbled under her breath as she sobbed again. He barely caught it but knew he couldn't leave her now. He pursed his lips and tried to think of something to say to make her laugh, but found nothing; all he could think of was rejoicing because she didn't like the pet name the punk had given her and he knew that was inappropriate to talk about. After several sobs, he finally stepped forward, unable to sit back any more.

"Are you alright, doll? Can I offer you physical comfort by holding your hand or rubbing your back? Because I really want to. Comforting from a distance just isn't the same, and it seems to work better for you too," Pat remarked, desperately desiring to hold her again. Although he knew right now she should be terrified of touch from anyone. She looked at him then looked over her shoulder. Pat nodded and sat down, sitting down at an angle as he curled his leg and opened his arms. She willingly fell into them and wept. "I'm here, doll. Thank you for letting me hold you. You are so precious and beautiful. I wish I could take all your pain away," he thought as he held onto her and rubbed her shoulder. She buried her head in his chest, and he studied the top of her head. Pat hoped to give her answers to her question on why she kept getting the short end of the stick. He began to sway with her like he was comforting a small child who had just lost their favorite toy and much to his delight, she gradually calmed down.

"How much did you see?" Her voice was low and strained. She didn't want to ask; she didn't want to know. Pat told her the truth anyways.

"One day, I hope one guy makes you feel like you are on top of the world and treats you like the you are the queen ruling his life," Pat murmured in her ear. Mentally he pleaded, "open your eyes, doll. I'm right here. I want to hold you more than when you're in pain." She wailed again and Pat began to stroke her arm for comfort. He began to over exaggerate his breathing again and she copied him to the best of her ability, but all he heard was gasping for air. "I love how perfectly you fit in my arms. Calm down, beautiful. I don't want to hook you up to the machines again. Breathe with me. Come on, doll. This isn't working. Get creative, Miller," he ordered mentally, looking down at her and trying to think of anything that could help her. "She's always begging for you to make her laugh! That was her coping mechanism at work to get her mind off of the abusive situation at home. Use it!" So he tried to tease her, but he was more concerned about her breathing. After denying the mask again, she relaxed into his arms fully and took five deep breaths; Pat took two and it worried him.

"Why does my family keep letting you comfort me?" Annette asked as she attempted to dry her eyes, but the tears still leaked out. Pat gave her a brief explanation; he honestly had no idea why himself. "I feel safe with you. That's why I agreed to camp with you last week, why I agreed to be your house guest. I know you guys would never allow someone to hurt me if you could prevent it." Pat gingerly brushed her tears away and opened his arms, giving her the choice if she wanted to be held. She settled in happily and his heart soared. Pat spoke softly to her and continued to stroke her arm. "You have a melodious voice, I can listen to it all day," she jeered at him. Pat chuckled softly.

"-I'll gladly do it if it means that smile stays on your face," Pat admitted. "I would do anything to hear you laugh and see that smile all the time. I'm completely hopeless," he thought happily as he gazed upon her. Annette sobbed in his arms again, her whole body shaking. "Oh, doll. You're safe. You don't need to be afraid any more," he thought morosely.

Her voice cracked and she trembled in fear as she wept, "and what do you want in return? A kiss? A relationship?" 

"Just you to want me forever in the same way I want you. I think you're radiant and I never want to leave your side. Of course you don't want that though. You shouldn't even want me to hold you right now," he thought bitterly. He stopped rubbing her arm and looked at the beautiful soul in his arms. He released the breath of air he gathered and quietly replied, "doll, I just want you safe and happy. I don't expect anything from you. Never have." He began stroking her arm again as he mentally added, "and I never will expect anything in return for this, doll. You shower me with smiles. Getting rewarded with your smile is seriously the best thing in the world." He rubbed her back as she sat forward and asked another question. Pat was filled with remorse as he explained to her that she was worth it and as light as a feather. Pat was certain that he, Tyler, and Noah truly loved her and that's why caring for her wasn't a chore. Once again he opened his arms and she snuggled in. As quickly as she was in, her body tensed and she asked to be taken to the bathroom again. Pat grinned at her, "of course, doll. I'm happy to help you out." No sooner had he set her down before she collapsed under him. He reached down to help her up and she put her head over the edge of the toilet instead. He knelt behind her and held her hair as she continued to throw up. She turned around with her back towards the toilet, wiped her brow that was perspired, and then wiped her mouth. He flushed the toilet with his left foot as he carefully pulled her to her feet before she leaned her head back and got her hair in the sickness. Ever so stubborn, she tried to make her way to the sink on her own, even though her left leg quaked and didn't seem to be able to support her. Pat shook his head in admiration and helped her. As she dried her hand and face, Pat gathered her in his arms; she didn't resist, causing him to grin. "Come on, doll. Back to bed."

"I told you, I'm terrible company," she replied wearily, her eyes drooping as she rested her head on his shoulder. Pat grinned and shook his head, not that she saw.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he confessed in a soft voice. He loved spending all this time with her, no matter how sick she was. He remembered how much his mom loved having her hair played with. Joanna had him fix her hair a few times for work because one day, he might have a daughter. She requested it most often in her last few weeks when she was too weak to brush it herself. Pat looked at Annette's beautiful blonde locks and offered her the same comfort. He was pleasantly surprised when she agreed and let him brush her hair. It went down to the top of her hips; longer than his mom's had ever been. Her hair was silky and soft. He loved playing with it. When Annette seemed to sway more, Pat feared her passing out on him again. So quickly he gathered on the top of her head so she could lay down; it still reached beyond the bottom of her shoulder blades. When he moved to grab the hair-tye off her wrist, she finally reacted the way Pat thought she should've been all along. He finished and took care of her other needs. Right now she needed to rehydrate and sleep. She relaxed more into the bed and her eyes seemed heavier. He could tell it was bothering her and he concluded that she hated not being able to take care of herself. "Silly girl, you don't have to do this alone. I refuse to let you, but I know your brother doesn't want you doing it alone either," Pat thought as he offered to stay and talk to her sister while she rested. Annette grabbed his hand and held it close to her cheek before she drifted off. Pat smiled and stroked it tenderly. He watched her chest rise and listened to her wheeze as she tried to get oxygen to her body; every breath was an arduous undertaking for her. "Keep fighting, doll. You really are the strongest person I know. Don't give up," he begged mentally.

1½-2 hours later, Jess finally had enough of the small talk and silence as she looked up from her needlepoint. "She likes you, you know?" Jess smirked. Pat looked up in surprise as he gently pulled his hand away from Annette's grasp. "She was upset to see you when she woke up from surgery yesterday. 'You can't turn the people I care about against me even if it's all in my head.' She begged for you to stick around when she was done talking. She's giving you the option to stick around, but watches you closely every time you move around the room, especially when Noah's not around. She's actually calmer when you're here. Not to mention, she wants you to be here, just like you want to stick around. She reacts to your touch. Tyler was right; she was more concerned about you when you let go of her completely. It was then she sobbed openly and was unable to cap her emotions until you wrapped your arms around her again. She cares about you, she may not even know in what way yet," Jess stated. Pat sat back in his chair and looked over at Annette again. "And you care deeply about her. Have you told her?" Pat shook his head.

"I wouldn't want to cause any problems. She's not ready and far too good for me. Your brother seems to have an eye for her too," Pat noted softly. Jess giggled quietly.

"Platonically. Tyler sees her as his baby sister and often calls her a toddler. Besides, Noah said she called for you three times last night while she slept, screaming before she cried herself back to sleep," Jess stated nonchalantly. Pat just shook his head. He wasn't having this conversation now. He'd have it eventually with Annette.

"Why did you think it was a good idea to have a party?" Pat asked changing the subject as he looked back at Annette. Her face was still deathly pale. The brown and purple surrounded by yellow bruise on the underside of the jaw on the left looked menacing, the still swollen left eye that was deep purple, with a touch of green in the corner of her eye by her nose looked even worse. He leaned forward and resisted the urge to brush his fingers against her skin. "She seemed overwhelmed. Even though she's got so much color, she's so deathly pale now. We shouldn't have done the party," he whispered. Jess stood up and moved to the bed, pulling back the blanket. She rubbed Annette's bruised shin and met Pat's eye before moving to the right foot and pressing gently.

"We had to. Everyone would try and see her after she got out. Her dad has banished her from her home and would tell anyone she's dead. She technically homeless now and nobody would know where to check in on her. I think it would have stressed her out. Hmmm. Well her circulation is looking good, but her toes are icy. I'll get her some slippers and fuzzy socks. Did she ever come to work with marks like this?" Jess asked as Annette stirred. Jess quickly covered her foot again and tucked the other foot under her sweatshirt.

"Never. If she did, she hid them well," Pat confirmed. He stood up as well and traced Annette's hairline softly until she stopped moving. "If she was ever hurt, I never saw it. She complained about being cold and came to work in layers, even if she had a sheen of sweat on her head. That should have been my first clue. Abuse. I honestly had no idea." Jess reached across the bed and squeezed Pat's hand. She then had him turn around, pulled him to the bed, and made him sit beside Annette. Pat smiled and Annette seemed to snuggle into him. 

"You know, it's perfectly okay for you to want to be close to her," Jess remarked with a wink.

"I just want her safe. Being close to her is a bonus, but I don't want to destroy our friendship because I want more, and she doesn't. She accepted my offer to stay with me. I know that part of her will feel uneasy being completely alone with me, even if I mean her no harm. My home is welcome to all of you; she needs all the support she can get," Pat replied, looking down to his left as Annette shifted in her sleep again and flopped her head to the left.

"She has our support. So do you. Like I said, she cares about you and you care deeply about her; anyone can see that. We know you'll do your best to keep her safe and we know the safest spot for her is one where we don't have to move her much. I'm glad she said she would stay with you; it's one less thing we have to worry about. I'll let Noah and Tyler know. Oh! We found a place, two actually, but unfortunately the closing time on them is undefined. We're definitely taking one. Once we get the final paperwork, we would have to fill it with furniture and groceries and other essentials. It all takes time. Noah and I would take one. Tyler plans on sticking around to help you as long as needed, but doesn't want crash at your place; we all would fear that it would be impolite. So he was thinking about seriously just getting both of these places. We're still discussing this, because I think he's being stupid. However, for the time being, the best place for her to be is your place. She needs help. We don't expect you to do this on your own, but we know you will protect her. You seem to look out for her, more than Noah can. I didn't think you would appreciate it so much if people kept coming over. Noah did most of the work; I just talked to Lauren. Annette wouldn't have been surprised if she paid attention last night. Noah contacted her best friend's house and had to leave a message, then we bumped into her at the store while we were getting lunch yesterday. So it worked out. I didn't feel like that would show her that she had enough support, so Noah also went to your work after he left here this morning and he talked to the manager. She pulled together a support group and brought them up; you seemed surprised by the amount of people here too. So having the party at one time here in the hospital was the best option we had. Especially since you seem to be very protective -almost to the point of being overbearingly protective- of her. Which is good, because she's bound to hurt herself. I get the feeling you don't trust a lot of people," Jess explained kindly. Pat nodded but didn't look at her.

"I don't. I trust her and her judgement. I trust Linda, Joe, and Josh from work; they're like a second family. Vanessa and Max were part of the group that's off this afternoon that have a lot of respect for her. Everyone wants to know how she's doing. You and your brother are an extension of her family so right now, I trust you too; you haven't given me a reason not to. I don't know what to make of her classmates. I keep getting mixed messages from Annette. That one friend, what was her name? Renna?"

"Renae?" Jess offered. Pat grinned and nodded.

"Renae was the only one I got a clear read on; she cares for Annette almost as much as the three of you. Annette's got a good bunch of support. Several of those people would definitely try and come see her, or beg that she comes to see them. Like you said, I feel drawn to protect her and would have a hard time with her going to visit everyone; especially since her dad seems determined to make sure she stops breathing. So having them all here at once was the best course of action," Pat surmised. Annette's face crinkled in concern and he held her hand again. Her face softened instantly. He smiled as he stroked her fingers. "I should have caught the signs. I should have protected her better," he whispered. Jess chuckled softly.

"Have you not noticed? Did her story not open your eyes? Annette's selflessness would still put her in a position where she's likely to get hurt. If you want to protect her, would you take away that part of who she is?" She remarked. Pat finally met her eye and smiled.

"Okay. Fair enough. How long have you known her?" He asked as he rubbed the back of Annette's hand, holding Jess' gaze.

"Noah and I've been dating for a about year. He told me about her instantly. I recently just met her, although I feel like I've known her a life time. She's quite remarkable. When she's sleeping, it's like the only time her wall is down and so many more emotions come through. So anyways, I've been working on altering some clothes for her. How opposed will she be to one shoulder clothing?"

Pat snickered, released Annette's hand and looked back down at her as he moved out of the bed. "Very. She's very modest and loves the simple things. She's always covered. I do know that much," he replied. Jess huffed in disgust and bounced her knee. Pat sighed and moved over to where she was, pulling up one of the chairs. "What are you thinking? And how can I help?"

"Well getting a shirt over her head without being able to move her shoulder is going to be difficult. What if I found light jacket and such? Would that help?" Jess tried. Pat gave her a confused glance. Jess huffed again and took one of the unopened cards and drew on the back. "So if she has a shirt like this, leaving this arm open, she can get dressed on her own. Right? But you say this will make her uncomfortable?" Pat nodded looking at the drawing. Jess put it down again and drew something over it. "But if I found the same material and make her an open face blouse persay, she could put her arm in the sleeve, pull it up, and put the sling on over it like so. Wa-la! Once again she's all modest." She grinned and held up the drawing again. Pat smiled.

"Yeah. She'd rock the layers. She would love that. Well done," Pat praised. Jess smiled and began working on another design. "So are you going to tell her about the places you guys found?" Annette's heart rate monitor started beeping again. "Hold that thought," Pat ordered with a sigh as he walked back over to Annette's side. There he put his hand in front of her face to feel her breathing and studied the machines carefully; to him they looked normal and Annette was still breathing. He sat down in the chair beside her bed again when the beeping finally stopped some. He looked back at Jess and nodded, giving her his full attention.

"Of course not! I think it's best not to tell her. She's stubborn enough to try and do this on her own!" Jess insisted. Pat nodded. He said a few more things before Noah came back in. Before long her room was bustling with comotion again. When the nurse checked on her, Pat and Noah met in the hallway.

"We have everything ready to go. We're trying to help her get out of this place as soon as possible. Like I told you yesterday, 'Nettie's always hated hospitals and anything that comes with. She's always afraid that people won't believe the reason she's back. She's gotten creative with how she's gotten so many injuries. This one should be interesting to hear; I'm sure she'll come up with something convincing. I'm sorry that we're asking so much from you, but we really do appreciate it. Jess told me that 'Nettie agreed; we were honestly hoping for it and counting on it. Are you sure you're okay with her staying with you?" Noah asked in concern.

"Of course. Please. I'm just happy to help. I'm glad that she's okay - or will be. I'm sorry I failed you in protecting her last week. I feel like I owe her at least this much," Pat sincerely replied. Noah squeezed his shoulder as the nurse left. They went back in and conversed with Annette some more. He decided to find out more about his girl, his stomach doing flips as she looked at him. "Stop it. She's not your girl. She's your friend," he rebuked himself and held her gaze. "So, I have a question for you, doll. What was the first thing you heard in the REM sleep mode?" He inquired. She blushed and stammered and tried to misdirect. He chuckled softly to himself but continued to stare at her. After Jess convinced her to answer, Annette sighed in indignation as she looked back at Pat.

"I heard you say you wished you could give me more answers. Then you asked about school," she replied, holding his gaze; not once looking down or away. Pat smiled, pleased she wasn't lying. She didn't overhear anything too vastly important. When Tyler brought food, she was quick on her feet answering before he could. 

"I could get used to this," he thought. "If only she knew what she did to me, she would probably never look at me again. Being in her presence is just fine." He loved watching her; he couldn't get enough. When she mentioned her fear of being the center of attention and caught under the looks of pity, he stood up and rubbed her shoulder as she grabbed his left hand on her shoulder. "Heaven," he thought, refraining from touching her with his right hand. "There are no prying eyes at my home," he murmured, happy to look into her eyes. "If I can get past them, so can you," he told her honestly. Mentally, he added, "because you are so much stronger than me." She smiled weakly at him. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out when he was done talking with Noah and read it. Pat put his phone away and bid them all farewell.  

He hated leaving, but was thankful for all the time he spent with her, regardless of the circumstances. When he left, he reread the messages on his phone. "Cant find any1 to open but I have 2 coming in at 8. Any chance you can run the floor for me? To start? Linda." Pat quickly replied positively.

"L & I got ur back man. Her room is redE -JC" Pat took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he read Josh's text again. He did have good friends but he really didn't want them to get rid of him mom's items. When he arrived home, he opened the door to her room. They had removed all the boxes then swept and mopped the floor. The bed had fresh sheets. His mother's comforter was draped across the foot of the bed. A bouquet of wildflowers sat on the dresser, a note was scribbled beside it. "Your mom's stuff is in the spare bedroom at my place. We wouldn't just get rid of it until you were ready - J" Pat looked at the mirror and thought back to her story. He moved the dresser and looked at the mirror as he pursed his lips. It was glued to the wall and he wouldn't be able to move it. He found a clean sheet and draped it over the mirror thinking she would prefer to think that she wasn't being watched. He moved over to the window and opened it, letting the fresh, warm air waft in. His phone chirped. He picked it up and looked at the picture of Annette. His heart leapt into his throat as he studied it. She wasn't posed, she was simply happy. The joy bubbled in her eyes and Pat smiled. He studied it closer and gasped when he couldn't see a single bruise, not even on her left eye even though he could still see the swelling. She was stunning, and that swollen eye didn't take away from her beauty. If he didn't know better, the angle of the camera was just distorting her face.

"Tell her what you think of her. She feels like she's a monster, even though she knows the bruises are only temporary. I covered them to give her a sense of normality - Jess" the caption had said. Pat grinned. That explained a lot. He studied the picture again before responding, carefully choosing his words.

 

"I love this picture. Thanks for sharing. You're a true vision. Keep your chin up doll. Things will work out. Sleep tight," Pat replied and hit send. He really wanted to tell her he had never seen someone so beautiful, that she made his heart soar, and that he wanted to care for her. He feared that was too forward and she wasn't ready for that yet. He looked at the picture again and smiled. "You are so beautiful. I love your personality. I love your selflessness. I love how you smiled and joked around today. I loved that you let me hold you. You radiate joy and warmth and I want to protect that. I want to care for you and show you the respect you deserve. I want to deny it, because I don't want to ruin our friendship, but the truth is I think I love you, doll. I love you in a way that I didn't know was possible and in a way I've never felt for another person. Thank you for giving me a reason to smile," he whispered, stroking the phone, and looking longingly into her bedroom as he turned off the light, shut the door, and he wearily went to his bed. He slept soundly for the first time in over two weeks.

*****