Chapter Forty Five
"This is by far one of the stupidest things you've ever done, Sean!" Shelly lectured her husband when he and Trevor had walked in the door. She nearly had a heart attack at the sight of Trevor walking into the house. The last time she checked he was supposed to be in jail so she of course demanded an explanation right away and Sean told her everything. He gave her the play by play, telling her the entire story as if it were one of the grandest adventures he's ever been on.
"I HAD to get him out of there, Shelly, we were struggling without him! I can't think straight without him he is my other half."
"Yeah well now that detective and every officer in that building knows exactly what you look like, Sean! You might as well never leave this house again. Your face will be everywhere did you ever stop to think about that?" Sean shrugged his shoulders indifferently. He's not worried one bit about that.
"That's okay I'm not planning on going anywhere until its absolutely necessary. I've got other people to do my errands for me in the outside world. In the meantime, Trevor and I have business to discuss. We have a daughter to get back because you gave her up." He replied, and he gently grabbed Trevor's arm and pulled him into their office and he shut the door. Shelly rolled her eyes and stormed off toward the kitchen muttering swear words under her breath as she turned to her drug stash for comfort.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day Brian woke up bright and early and looked beside him to find Riley lying next to him and awake. He smiled a little and rolled over onto his side and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.
"I love waking up in the morning knowing that when I open my eyes its you that I'm going to see." He told her softly in her ear. She smiled up at him and slid her arms around his neck and she pulled him on top of her. He leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers before bringing his kisses down to her neck.
"We don't have to be at work until 9:30. It's 4:30 now, what time does Chase go to work?"
"Now if he even went home at all last night…"
"Well then why don't we get up and get ready for work, then I will take you over there to get your things? It would probably be best if we go there while he's gone."
"Kay," Riley replied, as she lay there in his arms comfortably and enjoyed his incessant kisses. After a few moments he got up pulling her out of the bed with him gently and he began to lead her over to the bathroom with her. They went in there and shut the door behind them where they began their shower.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile at the Orphanage Nick's eyes jerked open very quickly when he felt Ashley moving beside him. He looked down at her to see her scooting closer and wrapping her arms around him and Dakota both. Her eyes are open and she looks slightly upset.
"Baby what's the matter?" He whispered and he gently moved Dakota so that she is lying on the other side of him and he brought Ashley closer to him and allowed her to rest her head against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and held onto him tightly.
"Nightmare…" Was all she said.
"Wanna talk about it?"
"Doctor Adams was being horrible to me…"
"It was only a nightmare honey…"
"No it wasn't Nicky…it may only just be a nightmare to you, but its not to me. I know Doctor Adams. I know how he feels, I know how he smells, I know the sound of his voice, I know the touch of his hands…everything. It's very real to me Nicky." She told him, tears rolling down her cheeks. "When I have these dreams I can really feel it happening to me…"
"I wish there was something that I could do to help…"
"Can I have a bath?" Ashley asked softly, looking up at him.
"Its 4:30 in the morning honey…can you wait until a little later?"
"Please Nicky…I need a bath. I don't feel so great…"
"Do you want me to sit in there and keep you company?"
"No…I want to be by myself…"
"Okay…" Nick replied, looking at her with concern. She crawled out of the bed and went into the bathroom and he got up and went in there with her. He turned on the bathroom light and looked around the bathroom and making sure it's okay for her to be in there by herself. Thankfully there are no windows in the bathroom so no one can get in there without him seeing them do it. He kissed her cheek.
"I will be right out here if you need me. Just call for me okay?"
"Kay…" He then walked out of the bathroom leaving the door open just a crack. He looked over at the bed to see Dakota still lying there sleeping peacefully. He went over and made sure the window was locked, than he went and stood between his room and Elenore's and he peeked in to see Kevin just now putting Elenore in bed - it seems like she had just woken up from a nightmare as well. Kevin noticed him in the corner of his eye and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Nick? What in the world are you doing awake at this hour?"
"Ashley just woke up from a nightmare and insisted on taking a bath. Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you…"
"Sure, come sit down Nick, what's on your mind?"
"In my room. I'm not supposed to leave Ashley un-supervised. Its bad enough that she won't let me sit in the bathroom with her." Kevin raised his eyebrow in confusion for a moment, than he picked up Elenore being careful not to wake her and he cradled her. He grabbed her blanket and covered her up with it, than he followed Nick back into his room. They went over and sat on his bed.
"What's going on Nick?"
"I'm worried about Ashley…"
"Why?"
"She woke up from a nightmare and insisted on taking a bath at 4:30 in the morning because she doesn't feel good. I asked her if I could sit in there with her and she said no - normally she wouldn't have minded."
"What was her nightmare about?"
"Trevor doing horrible things to her…"
"Well that makes sense…those nightmares aren't just any nightmare for her Nick…the events she dreams about have really happened to her. She can probably feel them as if they were really happening to her. She feels dirty, she's going through some mental issues right now that are all in her head…and while she trusts you better then anyone else here, its still uncomfortable for her to have you in there right now…you're a member of the opposite sex. She has to get through it by herself. When she feels clean and safe she'll come out…what she's going through is normal. All rape victims suffer through this."
"I thought we weren't going to have to go through this stage though…she's been pretty good so far up until now…well there was that time where she demanded to take a bath the day after we discovered that he had raped her here in the Orphanage…that could've been her going through her mental issue and I was just way too oblivious to notice…"
"Yeah so you're a little lucky in the situation…she doesn't go through them all the time. Just right after being touched by Doctor Adams - in this situation it was in her dream. So its all in her head."
"So she's in there scrubbing herself to death because she feels dirty when really she isn't? that just makes me feel completely helpless…" Nick replied softly. Kevin gently lay Elenore in bed next to Dakota having a feeling he's going to have to sit with Nick for awhile until Ashley is feeling better.
"I know its hard Nick…but unless she asks you for the help you can't go in there or she is going to get very upset." Nick sighed and then hugged his legs close to his chest and he looked over at the bathroom door and just watched it. As he did he could suddenly hear Ashley's soft cries in there and its breaking his heart. Suddenly Kori walked in and Nick and Kevin looked at her.
"Hey Kor…what are you doing awake?"
"I couldn't sleep and I heard voices in here so I thought Id come and investigate…where's my sister?"
"In the bathroom having a mental breakdown…" Nick answered softly, a single tear rolling down his cheek.
"What?? Then why are you sitting out here when you should be in there helping her?"
"She won't let me go in there Kor or believe me I would be. She woke up from a nightmare - a nightmare about Trevor raping her so she feels dirty and is taking a bath."
"Does she have these nightmares a lot?"
"Not lately…I mean she'll have an occasional nightmare about Sean and stuff, but it never causes her to go through this." Kori didn't reply, she only went to the bathroom. She pushed the door open and walked in to find Ashley sitting in there washing herself.
"Sweetie…its me. Are you okay?" She asked softly.
"I'm fine…just leave me alone…I want to be alone."
"No your not…look at you, you've completely fallen apart." Kori replied, and she shut the door behind her.
"Why do you care?" Ashley asked, tears falling from her eyes and she began to scrub harder.
"Because I'm your sister and believe it or not I love you."
"Yeah whatever. Which is why you gave me those dirty looks earlier?"
"I had a misunderstanding is all…I'm sorry. But that's not important right now…what's going on with you?"
"I'm dirty and I need to get clean."
"Honey no your not…"
"YES I AM! I'm a dirty and useless little whore! Dr Adams SAID so! He was touching me Kor…him and his filthy hands were touching me and I've GOTTA make it disappear! I've GOTTA feel clean!"
"Honey its all in your head I promise. Trevor was no where near you tonight. It was only a nightmare." Kori reassured.
"NO it wasn't it was REAL! It was REAL Kori you have no idea what you're talking about!" Ashley shouted, suddenly breaking down into helpless sobs. Kori rushed over to the tub and crouched down in front of her and she gently took her hands to make her stop scrubbing her skin that was slowly turning red.
"Stop it Ashley, NO it wasn't! Look what you're doing to yourself! Look at your skin it's turning red! And how hot did you make this water, honey?? What are you trying to do to yourself?"
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I I HAVE TO TELL YOU? I HAVE TO GET CLEAN!"
"No you don't because you're ALREADY clean. Trevor was no where near you tonight honey, Nick nor I would have let that happen! EVER! We would both kick his ass before he even got the chance! It was just a nightmare."
"You don't understand…" Ashley sobbed. "You weren't raped Kori…he didn't do this to you…"
"No he didn't but he did it to my baby sister and guess what? Next time I see him I'm going to fucking beat the shit out of him. I may not have been raped by him Ashley, but I have still suffered his abuse. Him and Sean both were verbally abusing me until I finally got the courage to run away! Sometimes Sean even hit me until I finally learned to hit back and defend myself. I know what its like to be abused by them I know some of the stuff you went through and I am so sorry that you went through it Ashley I really truly am… it's all my fault and I know that and believe me I feel like shit for putting you through it. If I could turn it all around and make it so I didn't do all these things I would. I love you, and I love mom and dad, and ever since I found out they died because of those bastards, because I got involved with them, I've been kicking myself for it. I never meant for either of you to get hurt I really didn't…and I can't take it back but I can certainly fix it. I can help stop him and you better believe that, that is exactly what I am going to do because I want you to be able to look at me again! I want you to be able to love me again!"
"I do love you Kori…and I never stopped. I'm just so scared…I'm just so scared of letting go of the past." Ashley admitted, all the while still crying and she threw her arms around Kori not having a care in the world that she is in the bathtub and naked. She is her sister she used to take baths with her when they were little.
"I'm going to help you with that…I'm going to help you let go of the past and look toward the future…and I'm going to help Nick protect you. I'm not going to let Trevor or Sean near you I swear to god I'll beat them if they try. It was just a nightmare Ashley, Trevor never touched you. Its all in your head…" Kori told her, hugging her back. Ashley buried her face in her shoulder and for the first time since Kori's been back, she finally feels like she has a sister again.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile at Brian's house, he and Riley had just left the house, Brian bringing Tyke with him because he wants to take him to work with him again. When they arrived at Riley's house Brian left him sitting in the car. The two of them got out and went inside hand in hand. They went upstairs and when they got up there they discovered that Chase had not gone to work yet. Infact, there he was lying in bed with his boss Laura. The both of them naked and they were in the middle of a make out session.
"CHASE?!" Riley asked, as she was suddenly completely frozen in her spot. Tears fell from her eyes. "What the HELL is going on in here?!"
"Riley it's not what it looks like! I - I can explain!" Chase told her before quickly scrambling to his feet. Laura got up from the bed with the blanket wrapped around her and she took her clothes and rushed into the bathroom to get dressed.
"Oh no? It's not what it looks like? then please do explain, Chase! Cause it sure as hell looks like you have been cheating on me!" Chase opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again realizing he doesn't have an excuse for this one. "So this is why you've been working all the time isn't it? To be around her! This is what that whole business meeting was about huh?"
"What does it matter anyway? You can't tell me you haven't been cheating on me with that Backstreet Fag over there!"
"Brian is NOT a fag!" Riley defended, feeling herself grow angry. "And he's a million times better than that slut you're with!" Chase scowled.
"She's NOT a slut, Riley! But I'm beginning to think YOU are! What gave you the right to go out and cheat on me with a Backstreet Fag of all people!!?!?!"
"I'm a slut!?!?!" Riley shouted. "She's the one who's been fucking you for God knows how long, while you were still married to me!!!!!! Tell me Chase, is she a better fuck for you!?!?! Did you ever even love me at all?!?!?! Or was I only just a good fuck?" Chase licks his lips.
"She's a good fuck alright - one hundred times better than you ever were. I only kept you around for the money and pleasure of knowing I could count on a home-cooked meal sometimes when I did come home. You were so gullible to it all - never once realizing, I just didn't care to sleep with you anymore. But, I needed a back-up for when Laura was busy." Riley growls deep in her throat.
"YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH!!!!!!!!" She screams, going over and slapping Chase hard as she can across the face. She then began to claw at him, not caring if she broke her nails while tearing his skin off him. He needs to feel pain! Chase howls, and starts trying to fend her off. Eventually, he manages to grab hold of her wrists and squeezes them mighty hard.
"You're worthless, you know that, Ri? Plain ole worthless!" With that, he shoved her hard as he could into the wall, causing her to hit her head pretty hard. Hearing the thud, snapped Brian out of his daze.
"YOU BASTARD!!!!!!" He yelled, immediately jumping Chase and punching him as best he could once they'd both fallen to the floor. "DON'T YOU EVER LAY ANOTHER FUCKING HAND ON HER!!!!!!!!!!" Once Brian was sure Chase wouldn't be getting up and coming after him or Riley, he quickly ran over and scooped Riley up into his arms, then ran out of the house and back to his car. He strapped her in carefully, after making sure she was still conscious. "you're gonna be okay, Ri. I promise, you're going to be okay. Just stay awake, Honey. Please!" He ran back around to his side of the car, got in, buckled up, and sped off out of the drive-way and towards the Orphanage Hospital, as it was the closest one by far. Riley held her head, as it throbbed like crazy.
"Brian...." She choked out. "I'm tired...."
"No, stay awake, Honey!" Brian insisted. "Here, sing with me!" With that, he flipped his CD player on and had I Want It That Way blaring within seconds. "Sing with me, Ri! C'mon! Sing!"
"Am I you're fire? You're one desire? Believe, when I say I want it - Riley! Stay with me! C'mon! Sing!"
"But we are two worlds.....can't reach to your......" Riley sung along quietly, pausing every so often. Her head hurt like a bitch and there was nothing she could do about it, but hold her jacket she'd found in the car to her head, so it would stop bleeding - hopefully. Brian finally pulled up into the Orphanage parking lot, and flew out, grabbing Riley up into his arms and leaving the door open, so Tyke can follow him on inside. He flew inside with Riley in his arms, panic searing through his body.
"DR. JOHNSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He screeched, as Lil' Tyke ran to catch up to him. Dr. Johnson came scurrying out of one of the nearby rooms, his eyes going wide when he saw Brian standing there holding Riley - who had a bloody jacket held to her head.
"Dear God! What happened!?!?" Dr. Johnson exclaimed, hurrying over to them.
"Her soon to be Ex-husband," Brian spat. "He knocked her into a wall pretty hard."
"Come with me!" Dr. Johnson stated, ushering them back into a room nearby. Brian quickly followed him, still carrying Riley, and Tyke running along side him, staying close to his heels - but not close enough to trip him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, back in the Orphanage up in Nick's room, Kori had finally managed to get Ashley to calm down some and get out of the tub. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her and she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.
"I love you…" She told her in her ear. Ashley didn't reply, she only rested her head upon her shoulder and stood there letting her hug her. After a long while when they had pulled away, Ashley looked at her.
"Will you go get some clothes out of my drawer for me?" She asked softly.
"Mm hmm," Kori answered, and she walked out of the bathroom and looked at the guys who are still sitting on the bed, Elenore and Dakota surprisingly enough are still asleep.
"Is she okay?" Nick asked worriedly and Kori nodded.
"She's calmed down some…but is still a little upset. She's out of the tub and has asked for some clothes. Her dresser is in the closet right?"
"Yeah. Her clothes are the middle drawer."
"Kay," Kori replied, and she went into the closet and turned on the light. She went to the dresser and pulled open the middle drawer. She got out a tank top and some boxer shorts knowing that Ashley used to like wearing them to bed. If she still has them in her drawer, she assumes she still does it. She carried them into the bathroom and handed it to her.
"Are these okay?"
"Yeah…can I please be alone to get dressed?" Ashley asked softly.
"Yeah sure," Kori replied, and she walked out of the bathroom.
"Thanks for the help Kor…" Nick told her.
"No problem…she's my sister. I'll do anything. I'm just happy that I am finally able to…I've gotta go check on Spencer though. I kind of left him sleeping in there all alone…"
"Kay," Nick replied, and Kori walked out of the room. Nick looked at Kevin.
"I'm sorry that I kept you awake…"
"No problem buddy, I was having a hard time sleeping anyway." Kevin replied, patting Nick's shoulder gently. They sat there for a few moments, then suddenly Ashley came out of the bathroom, tears rolling down her cheeks and her arms crossed. Nick and Kevin looked at her. She walked over to the bed and stood in front of Nick.
"Nicky…"
"Yeah baby?"
"Will you hold me?" She asked softly. Nick didn't reply, he only wrapped his arms around her waist and carefully pulled her into his lap so he is cradling her. He covered her up with a blanket and hugged her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder and he kissed her forehead softly.
"Feeling any better?"
"A little…can we go back to sleep? Please?"
"Of course," Nick replied, and he looked at Kevin.
"You can leave Ellie in here if you want…she seems comfortable where she's at. I'm not going anywhere. Why don't you go get some sleep too? Or try to?"
"Kay," Kevin replied, and he walked out of the room. Nick looked back down at Ashley. He scooted back toward the pillows and he lay down with her lying against his chest. He pulled the blanket up on them and he lay there watching her. She was asleep within seconds. He rested his forehead against hers and watched her until he finally fell asleep too.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter
It was co-written with Lenni
Enjoy =)
It was co-written with Lenni
Enjoy =)
