Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
BLAIR
I must have drifted off to sleep because, by the time I open my eyes, I'm still pressed against Emmett’s chest in the back of the car. Looking out the window, I notice we aren't moving, and I don’t feel the rumble of the engine. Peering around, I realized it's turned off and we’re the only two left inside. I shift my head to look up at him and see his head tipped back, his gaze focused on the ceiling of the car.
He softly runs his hand over my hair, not saying a sound as he comforts me. The car is no longer on, so why are we still inside? “ Are we home?” I croak out, my tone is scratchy. At the sound of my voice, he lifts his head to look down at me.
“ Yeah , little obsession. We’re home.” He whispers, leaning down and placing a kiss on the crown of my head.
“ Why are we still in the car? How long have we been here?” I ask, my voice quiet. If I remember correctly, it was morning when we left Lorenzo’s . The sun is quickly fading now, and the sky darkening .
“ I didn’t want to wake you, baby. Let me know when you’re ready to go in, okay? Take all the time you need. I'm staying right here with you.” He looks into my eyes as if to drive his words home. Emmett tips his head back once more to look at the ceiling, the motion of his hand on my hair never wavering.
Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath of air, enjoying the silence, enjoying the much needed comfort of just Emmett and me. A few minutes pass by before I let him know I’m ready to go inside.
As he lifts up and shifts me on his lap to open the door and take us inside, panic starts to swell in my chest. The girls, I can't imagine what they’re going to think. The questions they're going to have. The looks of sympathy that will cover their faces. My grip on Emmett tightens causing him to halt in his steps. “ What is it, Blair ?” He questions, his tone serious.
Licking my dry lips, I push out the words “ I - I can’t face them. Aspen and Verena . At least not right now. I will soon. I know they care, but I don’t want to talk to t-them about it right now, Emmett . P -please-”
“ Shhh , alright baby,” he coos. “ You don't have to. I took care of it.” Shifting his hold on me, he pulls out his phone. He must be sending a message to someone inside. I don’t think he has any of the girls' numbers, so I’m left to believe Grimm is here. I mean, he did bring us back, and I just got out of his car after all.
“ Can you set me down?” I ask. Emmett stills for a moment before gently placing me on my feet. He immediately grabs my hand and interlocks his fingers with mine.
“ I’ll let you walk on your own but you’re not going anywhere, li ttle obsession. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“ I want to stay with you. I know I won’t be alone with them in the house, but I n-need you with me, Emmett , please.” I beg. He nods and pulls me into his chest, holding me tightly. Placing a soft kiss to my forehead, he leans down and whispers,
“ I’m not going anywhere, my little obsession. I am here. I can ask Grimm if he’ll stick around too. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind at all.”
I nod, “ Okay ,” I whisper. “ That would be nice. Are they in there waiting for me?” I ask.
Emmett shakes his head. “ Grimm said they’ve been freaking out, losing their shit. But I figured you would want your privacy so he had them leave the house when we were on our way. They should be coming back later, though.”
We step inside the house and the quietness calms me. Somehow , after all that we’d been through, my fear was coming back to a welcome home banner and frantic roommates. Emmett squeezes my hand and leads the way to my room.
“ Do you want to shower? Need my help?” Emmett asks, facing me once we enter my room.
I shake my head, needing just a few minutes to myself, knowing I won’t be comfortable in solitude for a very long time. The feeling of safety only settles in knowing Emmett is just behind the door.
I turn on the shower and step back, allowing the heat to fill the room as I carefully undress. I need his fucking clothes off of my body. It feels like peeling my skin off as I gently peel the shirt th at is stuck to the opened skin on my back. Pained noises leave my mouth and I try to hide them so Emmett doesn’t come running. I need to do this on my own.
Looking in the mirror, my hollow eyes reflect back at me. Cuts and lacerations litter my once flawless skin. Bruises dance on my arms and torso. My eyes start to water and I tear my gaze away from the damaged girl looking back at me.
Stepping into the shower, I can’t stop the shriek that echoes in the small room. The warm water hitting my back sends burning pain throughout my whole body. I move out of the spray while squeezing my eyes closed for a moment, waiting for the pain to subside. My teeth grit and I ball my fists.
“ Blair ?” Emmett calls. I’m still gritting my teeth, not trusting myself to speak yet as the pain sears through me. When I don’t respond fast enough, I hear a loud thud against the door and then it's slamming open against the wall as the shower curtain gets thrown open.
Before I can say or do anything, Emmett is standing inside of the shower looking over my body, checking for what caused the sudden shriek. His eyes bounce between mine as he speaks. “ What happened? Are you okay?” I know better than to lie to him, to try and put on a strong front, so I shake my head no. His brows pull together so I supply him with the reason.
“ My back, the cuts from the w-whip. They hurt and I - I can’t-” He's already removing his wet clothing and dropping them with a thud outside of the shower. He doesn't say anything as he goes behind me and grabs the washcloth I had brought in .
Wetting it and applying soap, he begins to wash my skin. The soap stings and the feeling of the fabric against my sensitive cuts makes my eyes swell with tears, but I bite my tongue, refusing to cry out.
“ I’m going to call the brotherhood’s doctor to look at your cuts. I’ll be with you the whole time.” He says it in a way that leaves no room for argument. I watch as blood and built-up dirt drips down my body and into the drain, washing away the evidence of my captivity and the horrors I endured.
“ You’re doing so good,” Emmett whispers while continuing to clean my skin. “ My brave girl.” I’m thankful for his help, if I was still alone, I would’ve probably rubbed myself raw, trying to peel off the skin that’s been touched. Physically , I’m clean, but emotionally, I feel as if the ghost of Lorenzo’s touch will hover over me for the rest of my life.
Finishing up in the shower, Emmett steps out and offers me a hand to follow him out. I take his hand and step out of the shower as he wraps a warm towel around me, careful of the wounded skin on my back. He wraps a towel around his own waist and heads to my bedroom. As he walks back, he grabs his phone and puts it to his ear, barking orders for the doctor to make a house call and to be here within the next half hour.
Back in the room, he helps me dress in comfortable clothing while we wait for the doctor to arrive. Hesitation runs through my mind at the thought of seeing a doctor, if they’ll be a sick fuck like the last one. My mind races as different scenarios play out inside my head.
Emmett must notice because his hand comes to my neck, his thumb swiping over the thudding pulse. “ Breathe for me, baby. You know I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.” He's right, I do know that. A small knock sounds on the door making my head whip in that direction. I was so consumed by my thoughts, I didn't realize the doctor had already arrived.
“ Just a minute,” Emmett responds. He walks over to a bag I hadn’t noticed earlier. He must’ve had one of the guys bring some stuff here for him in anticipation of him wanting to stay with me at all times. He quickly throws on a hoodie and sweatpants, then opens the door for the doctor.
The doctor enters the room and his kind eyes shine at me. With a soft smile, he introduces himself and holds out his weathered hand for me to take. I look at Emmett and only when he gives me an approving nod, do I shake the doctor’s hand in return.
“ Hello , Blair . I’m Dr . Josiah . Emmett called and explained the events you went through during your captivity and what you had endured. I am very sorry for your loss. Both of you. Are you okay with me taking a look at your wounds, Blair ?” He asks politely. I nod slowly and he reaches into his bag. Pulling out a gown, he extends his hand offering the cloth to me.
“ I brought a gown for you to wear, do you mind changing in the bathroom and meeting Emmett and I back out here?” He asks. I offer him another nod and head back into the bathroom.
Slipping on the gown, I feel anxious and nauseous. The last time I was in one of these, I was strapped to a table against my will and found out I was pregnant. The memory bubbles up inside of me, tears swelling in my eyes. I let a few fall in remembrance of our unborn angel, wiping them quickly before stepping back into the room .
Dr . Josiah and Emmett look up at me at the same time. The doctor offers me yet another soft smile and directs another question towards me. “ Do you mind sitting on the bed for me, Blair ?”
Without responding, I sit on the foot of the bed next to Dr . Josiah and his medical bags. He walks me through everything he’s doing from untying my gown to cleaning and soothing the lacerations, and finally bandaging them up.
He goes back and opens the other bag, digging around until he pulls out what looks like an IV bag. “ I don’t have all of my equipment on such short notice, but I figured with the urgency, you may need this.” His eyes look from me to Emmett , scanning his body. “ You do as well.” He mumbles out. Setting up the at-home fluids.
Emmett sits next to me on the bed, grabbing my hand and interlocking our fingers. I watch as Dr . Josiah makes a makeshift IV pole, hanging the bags up before cleaning the back of my free hand and inserting the small needle. I flinch as it pricks my skin, squeezing onto Emmett’s hand as if he’s my life raft.
In a lot of ways, he is.
It was sink or swim, and without him, I would have sunk.
Dr . Josiah performs the same motions on Emmett , inserting the needle into his hand and letting the fluids work through our bodies. We sit in a comfortable silence until half an hour has passed and the bag is starting to empty. He begins to remove the IV from our hands and packs away the equipment then rummages in the first bag, packed with first aid supplies and medications.
“ You have quite the infection.” He states before producing an orange pi ll bottle and a small tub of cream. “ Here . Take these once a day until you’ve run out. As for that antibiotic cream, apply it daily after you’ve showered. Should make you feel and look good as new.”
He places the items on the nightstand and continues, “ I would highly suggest following up with your obstetrician-gynecologist considering you miscarried. Please prioritize rest and relaxation until then. Fuel . Hydrate . Again , I’m sorry for your loss, Miss Sterling , Mr . Blackwood .” He gives another soft, sympathetic smile before he turns and gives Emmett a nod, then exits the room.
“ Thank you, Dr . Josiah .” Emmett and I say in unison.
Emmett helps me change out of the gown and into my own pajamas. I climb into bed and bring the comforter up to my neck. My head hits the pillow and my eyelids feel heavy and weak. I know how much my body is craving rest, but my mind runs a mile a minute, afraid if I let my guard down, my safety will be threatened once again.
Emmett walks over to the bed and sits on the edge. He brushes my hair out of my face and leans down to cover me in soft kisses, starting from my forehead, and trailing down to my lips.
“ You are safe, Blair . I’m just going to go heat up some food for myself and eat. I’ll be right back. Shout if you need me, alright?” He reassures me.
“ Okay ,” I whisper and watch as he steps out of the room. I close my eyes and take deep breaths, waiting for sleep to come. Tossing and turning, I try to find the most comfortable position, but to no avail. It feels as if hours pass by when it’s been less than twenty minutes. Finally , I give up and stare at the ceiling. I’d rather wait for Emmett to return to find sleep, than to try and keep failing.
A few more minutes pass and I hear the creak of the door. My head snaps in the direction of the entrance of my room, paranoid that another kidnapper has come for me.
“ It’s just me. It’s okay, you’re okay.” Emmett whispers. He removes his hoodie and crawls into bed with me. His arms envelop me in his warmth and I’m instantly soothed. My heavy lids begin to fall shut as he gently pets my hair.
“ Close your eyes. Get some rest. I’m right here with you, my little obsession. I’ll remind you every morning when you wake up and every night before you fall asleep. I am never leaving you.” He whispers.
My heart swells and I fall into a deep sleep. Reality has not felt real as of lately. It felt like a replaying nightmare and I’m paralyzed, unable to wake myself up. But now, my body intertwined with Emmett’s , I know I am safe.
I am home .