Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
Beverly
Beverly looked at her family. Gordon had stood to let Lori sit on Blake’s lap. Tucking Fauna into Lori’s hand, he pulled out his handkerchief to wipe the faces of their Littles. She saw him bend to press a kiss to each of their heads, heard him whisper how proud he was of them.
Beverly looked at the people who’d taken her in all those years ago. She was well aware this wasn’t the story they’d expected to hear. Bigs kept their expressions stoic, their Littles or submissives not able to do so. She met Jared’s eyes and prayed he’d forgive her for not ever admitting that while she had never known his face, she’d recognized his name when she’d interviewed for a job. Gordon’s mentor, his friend, was holding Erika close, but he smiled and nodded, letting her know he wasn’t angry at her. She supposed that as an attorney, he might understand the reasons why she hadn’t.
“Maybe we should take a break. Maybe the other Littles have heard enough…”
Gordon turned and swept his gaze over those gathered even as she saw Derek shaking his head.
“People come to Rawhide for various reasons, but all share a common one. To find the freedom to be who they are, to live their lives without the judgment, the hatred, the prejudice of those who despise anyone not like themselves. I promise, not a soul in this room is unaware of the atrocities people have heaped upon their fellow human beings. And not a single one believes that trying to deny the truth is what will set them free. We are far stronger together for finding our way to each other, for sharing our truths.”
He paused as Bigs and Littles alike nodded in agreement, then looked down at his Little. “Angel? I’ll understand if you need a break…”
Sadie smiled up at her Daddy and shook her head. “Thank you, but like you said, we are all stronger together. I’m fine here with you.”
Derek kissed her before he looked at those assembled. “If anyone needs a break or would like to lea?—”
“No!”
Derek gave the briefest of smiles at the thunderous unanimous response before turning back to look at her and Gordon. “There’s your answer. Tell the rest so it is purged from all of your lives and know you never have to go through this pain again.”
A wave of love swept over Beverly at the sight of Gordon settling on the couch, this time between Blake and Lori, holding each close to his side as they held on to their stuffies and each other’s hand. She felt as if she were being held as well by the people in this room. Those who had become the family she needed when she’d lost the one she’d had. They would also be the people to help celebrate as four individual people walked out of the ashes of the past to become one.
Taking a breath, she told her part. “When it became clear that this was far more than a car accident, state police blocked off lanes of the highway in readiness of having several ambulances transporting patients to various hospitals. Instead, there was only need for the one. The EMTs knew Lori needed more than they could provide so they called for Life Flight. The same trees that had hid the scene of the accident made it impossible for the helicopter to safely land, so the ambulance had to take her five miles to the highway where it could. She was flown to the nearest large trauma center which was in Houston. I was on duty that night and met the chopper.” She paused to look at Lori and shook her head.
“When I first saw the gurney, I thought they’d left her in the helicopter. She was so small, so thin she barely made a bump beneath the sheets. She was unconscious when she was admitted and didn’t wake up for three weeks. It was a true miracle she survived. Several times we were afraid we were going to lose her, but she refused to let go. As little as she was, she was one hell of a fighter.”
“And still is,” Blake offered. “Oh, and she pinches too.”
For the first time since the story had begun, a few people chuckled, Littles giggling as Lori rolled her eyes, giving her own soft laugh.
That brief moment made the rest much easier to tell.
“She was Jane Doe for official records, but at the hospital, we referred to her as Li’l Bit. Partly due to the fact she was so small, but also because all the nurses and doctors kept telling each other that her coma would last just a day or two, she’d be up and talking in no time, that she’d be ready to go home before we knew it. That someone would come forward to identify her soon. Everything would be fine in just a ‘li’l bit’.”
Beverly smiled as she shook her head. “It took far longer than a little bit, but she did wake up. By that time, the accident was no longer leading in the news reports. Once the police were able to take her statement, it became clear this was a crime that extended beyond Texas’ borders. Lori was able to give some details about the people who’d taken her and confirm that some of the other captives had come from Louisiana, Arkansas, and even Mexico. That’s when the FBI got involved. When she told us she had no living relatives, it was decided her name would never be released publicly. The fact there had been a survivor was buried for her own safety. Gordon and I had been dating for a while and when Lori was well enough to leave the hospital, we knew she couldn’t go back to her life. She came to live with us. We became her family.”
Beverly took a moment to remember the times they’d shared together before their lives were uprooted again.
“Gordon worked as an assistant district attorney and when two men were eventually arrested, he was assigned the case. He’ll have to tell you the rest of the story.”