Chapter 6
Oakley
I was afraid to move. Afraid to breathe.
My head swam, beating to its own tune as my stomach spun.
I wasn’t in my bed. I wasn’t cold, either. And everything hurt.
Keeping my breathing as even as I possibly could, my eyes closed, I tried to take stalk of where I was, and what my body currently felt.
I lay on something soft, my body melting into the material. Was I possibly in Sir’s bed? I’d been there a few times, but never to sleep for hours on end. He liked me close sometimes, to hurt me every time I would slip into sleep.
Sucking on my thumb harder, I braved opening my eyes. Nothing in the room was familiar. The clean scent should have alerted me to that, but my nose was slightly stuffy, and my eyes were blurry, as I blinked things into focus.
Moving just a bit, the soft blanket wrapped around my legs wasn’t normal either. I was used to sleeping without clothes on, as it was one of Sir’s rules sometimes.
Shifting, my entire body was like a live wire. Every small movement hurt. My butt ached as I turned to lay on my back. I quickly moved back to my side, tears springing to my eyes.
Forcing my breathing to stay even, I stopped moving. Tucking my hands against my chest, forcing myself to not suck on my thumb again, I tried to stop the tears.
If Sir showed up and saw me crying like a baby, he’d put a diaper on me again. A few weeks ago, he’d done just that when I couldn’t stop crying from being in pain. The stomach pain after he gave me some sort of relaxer had twisted up my insides in a horrible way.
“If you’re gonna cry like a baby, then you’ll be treated as one,” he’d barked, forcing me to lay on my back before putting some sort of plastic around my lower body. “Babies don’t get bathroom privileges. So enjoy sitting in your crap all day.”
That plastic had stuck to my skin and did nothing to catch my bodily fluids when my body gave in to letting go.
I’d lay there in my filth for hours, not able to leave my room as Sir had locked it. He had threatened to make me wear one again but for longer next time.
The first time was bad enough. I’d rather take his hits over that again.
Sniffing, I slowly blinked the room only slightly blurry as the sun shined into the room from a window somewhere.
I wasn’t sure where I was, and the night before was hazy at best. I remembered Sir making sure I was clean and pretty. A shudder went through me, remembering the fingers checking to make sure I washed every part of my body. Sir wanted me to be good, to make a good impression on someone. But who?
“You’re awake. Good.” I jerked, then winced as I moved.
My gaze looked at the man not far away before it moved elsewhere.
Who was he? What did he do to me?
I couldn’t remember. I couldn’t remember much after some sort of pill Sir had me take.
“I…sorry. You’re okay.” He moved closer before bending down to be at eye level with me. He was too close.
I flickered my eyes to his face before giving up and looking off to the side. His brown eyes were full of concern, which was strange. That didn’t sit right with me.
Had I made a fool of myself? Did I not please him? What was Sir going to do to me when he found out?
“I have a few questions,” he kept his voice soft as if I was going to run off if he spoke any louder. “Simple yes or no ones. I need you to answer me, alright?”
I nodded once, keeping my eyes pinned to his shoulder.
“Is your name Oakley?” A nod. But I’d be whatever he wanted to call me. “Are you eighteen?” I lifted a shoulder. That question sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “Last question, honey. How many pills did Donny give you?”
I could only manage to blink. My mind was blank, having no answer to that. At least one. Maybe four.
“Can you lift how many fingers?” he coaxed.
I got one finger up, then a possible three. Had there been two pills after dinner? Or just one? Had there been more than that?
“Okay, thank you, little…Oakley. Thank you.” He paused, seeming to rethink whatever was going on in his mind. “Do you remember anything from last night?”
Wasn’t that more than three questions?
I slowly shook my head. I remember getting swatted so hard, that I fell into some sort of blank mindset. After that, it was kind of all blurry. I remembered being uncomfortable, but that was normal. I remembered Sir talking more, him telling me to not disappoint him.
There was someone, obviously, because Sir wasn’t here yelling at me. He wasn’t here dragging me out of bed.
Did this man hurt me in Sir’s place? That would explain why I felt so looped up and in pain. My butt was on fire, having a beating thump to its heat.
“That’s probably for the best,” he whispered. Louder, “I have a friend coming by in a few. A doctor friend. To check you over and make sure whatever pills Donny gave you won’t have lasting effects. After that, we’ll figure out what to do with you.”
Do with me?
I squinted at his shoulder, confused. Was I a prize he was going to tack to the wall?
“I have some pain meds and water for you.” He reached out somewhere, pulling both items to my line of sight. I didn’t bother to hold out my hand to take the pills. I didn’t deserve them.
Taking only the bottle of water, which thankfully wasn’t sealed tightly, I shuffled to sit up. Now that I was able to drink, I noticed just how thirsty I was.
When was the last time I had something to drink?
“Whoa. Not so fast,” he took the bottle off me after I chugged about half. “You’ll make yourself sick.”
I stopped the pout just in time before it made an appearance on my face. When he took the bottle, I wrapped both arms around my torso, legs up against them.
My butt cried out in protest as I sat, but it was currently one of the least worries. Or it had been.
“Pills. They’ll help with the pain.”
Slowly, I reached out and accepted the two red pills. I eyed them for a moment, debating on if they really would help or not. Finally, under the man’s watchful gaze, I swallowed them dry.
“The bathroom is through the door there,” I half-heartedly looked where he pointed. “Use it whenever you need. Shower, too.” Was that an order to get cleaned up? “I’ll find you some food, okay?”
I blinked, taking a deep breath.
After a moment, he stood slowly. It seemed like he wanted to say something, or wanted me to do something, before he sighed and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
I waited for a few minutes, wondering if he was waiting on the other side of the door for me to move, for him to be able to have a free second to pounce on me. Sir loved that game. Giving me an order and then coming out of nowhere to slap me for following his rules.
Tentivatly, I let my feet touch the soft carpet. After a moment, I stood, hoping my legs would hold my weight. My knees threatened to give up, but I got them to work. Or not.
I fell back to the bed, the bruising coming right back to the front of my mind.
Why was this time so much worse? Why did it burn so badly when all the other times I got through it with little to no tears?
It had only been Sir’s hands hitting me, too. There wasn’t a belt that left welts behind. There hadn’t been a stick leaving lines that bleed. A simple hand beating and I was crying like a baby.
Giving up, I slipped to the floor, curling up in a ball with my back against the bed. Tears fell as I rocked forward and backward, trying to get the pain to go away. To get the worry to stop.
Whatever was going to happen, would. No amount of tears was going to change it.
How much more could I take? Was my body finally giving up? Had it had enough of the hurt and sadness?
“Oakley?” The same man called, entering the room again.
I held my breath, hoping he’d ignore me and let me rot right where I lay. I was done trying to keep surviving.
“What you doing down there?” he asked, spotting me. I didn’t bother to look at him. I didn’t bother to really hear his words. “Can you get back on the bed?”
No, I thought. I didn’t want to move. As long as I stayed right where I was the pain wasn’t too bad. Or maybe I was numb again. Numb was good.
“Hey, little one.” This time, I jerked, pushing myself against the bed to get away from that voice.
I knew that one. That voice had been in the house a few times. I didn’t know the face that went with it well, but that voice was there when Sir went too far. This one had things that could hurt me more than just physical.
“Collin,” the man growled.
“Shush. Little one? I’ll step back if you get on the bed for me.
” He did step back, and I got my body to move as quickly as I could, even though it was slow.
My legs didn’t want to crawl on the bed, but I got them to work.
There, I lay on my back, arms held tight at my sides, waiting to be tied down like Sir always had me.
“You know him.”
“And you got to him before I did this time,” Collin countered, not missing a beat. “Okay, pet. You know the drill.”
I did.
I closed my eyes, refusing to look at him.
“Don’t think about it.” At that, my eyes flashed open, finding Collin looking over his shoulder as the man.
“His…father?....called me a few times for infections on this boy. I didn’t see any signs of abuse at those times.
If I had, you know I’d have done something.
” A long drawn-out pause, one that held the entire weight of the world on it.
“I swear, Sabastian. I wouldn’t let anyone suffer at the hands of a monster. ”
Slowly, Collin turned back to me, cleaning whatever worry he had from behind him. “Hey, sweetheart.”
I closed my eyes tightly once again as my heart raced in my chest. I could feel each thump beat against my skin, my ribs moving with the beat.
“Tell me what hurts, and I’ll see what we can do to fix ya up.”
“He doesn’t talk.”
“Donny say that?” I’m assuming the man, Sabastian, hummed or nodded or something. “Stupid man. This little one can talk. If given permission. And with me, he always had permission to tell me what was wrong.”
Right. I could tell him.
But it was more like what wasn’t hurting. So, I chose to remain quiet.
“That’s fine,” Collin spoke, turning to rummage through something. Probably his bag that he always had with him. A bag of tricks, he liked to call. “I’m going to start an IV. Do you want Sabastian to help hold your arm, or can you stay still?”
I held up two fingers. I’d be good. I’d stay still.
“You’ve tied him down?” Sabastian asked, appalled by that idea.
“I’ve had to, yes. Well, Donny has, I guess. Which…uh…I shouldn’t…” Collin stopped talking. “We’ll talk after I get him looked over, Sabastian.”
“Yeah, we are. And you better hope I don’t splatter your head in.”
“So dramatic,” Collin turned back to me, not worried at all. My arm jerked as he took a gentle hold of it, before wiping a cold soft piece of something over my wrist. “A lot of bruising.”
A lot more than that to my entire body, I thought. But I clamped my teeth together tightly as a small piece of a needle entered my skin. Then, there was tape before almost too-cold liquid began to push into my system.
“Good boy,” Collin soothed. “Turn to your side.”
I did as I was told. And of course, my thumb made its way to my mouth, like it did these days. Thankful that Sir wasn’t here to force it away, I sucked on the digit as fingers ghosted over my behind.
“That looks like it hurts.”
“His front, too.”
Collin didn’t bother to tell me to lay back down, instead moving enough to lift the bottom of the…the thing I was wearing. I wasn’t sure if it was a dress or a shirt, but it was long and covered me to my knees almost.
The air was chilly as fingers gently ghosted over the front of me, then farther up.
“Should heal in time. Put salve on both areas for a week, or more. Pain pills morning and night. I think something stronger today and tomorrow should be given. Which I will dig out now.” Collin kept talking as he did just that.
“Oakley? When was the last time you went to the bathroom?”
I couldn’t remember.
“Sabastian? Please give me a moment?” There was a pause, a long one at that before Collin sat on the side of the bed. “Now, you will answer me, little one. When was the last time you peed?”
“Yesterday,” I whispered, my voice rough and quiet around my thumb. Collin had to forcibly remove my hand from my face so I could repeat the word.
“I figured so. When was the last time you went number two?”
Number two?
“Pooped, honey?”
I lifted a shoulder, sneaking my thumb back into my mouth. I didn’t want to think about that. It’d been a while, but I also didn’t want the meds this man would give me for that. Sir would, though. Sir would want me to suffer with not going until I made a mess out of myself.
“Last time I saw you, Donny pushed me to give you something, which I didn’t,” I remembered. “I’m going to have to do that if you don’t go in a few days. I’ll leave those meds with Sabastian for him to decide.”
No, I thought. I shook my head, promising myself I’d go. I’d pretend. Or….or…
“Breathe, little one.”
I couldn’t.
“Shit.” Collin was gone in a blink as my lungs cried out to work. My thumb flopped from my mouth, one hand clutching my chest.
Maybe this was how I was going to die. With my heart beating its way out of my chest, my vision going black and lack of oxygen to my brain, I’d finally get to die.