Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Foster walked with Pen to the lobby and made sure she got onto the elevator. She shook his hand, fighting the urge to pull him closer for a hug. Why did she even want a hug from him? It wasn’t like they really knew each other.
It was weird, in captivity she had no friends. She’d seen it time and time again, the manipulation and the backstabbing. She didn’t blame the women for turning on each other. They were fighting for their lives, and many lost that fight.
Foster was the only person she knew post freedom, so it made sense she wanted closeness. But he was a guy, and no matter how nice he seemed, could she really trust him? She drew in a shaky breath as she opened the door to her room. She had freedom, she wasn’t in that terrible place anymore.
Once in her room, exhaustion hit hard. She wanted to stay up and watch TV, but once her head hit the pillow, she was out. She woke at some point but wasn’t up for long before she drifted off again.
When she woke in the morning, it was time to get ready for her doctor’s appointment.
Her stomach twisted and her heart raced.
She hoped they wouldn’t tell her something terrible was wrong with her.
It was concerning that she’d lost so much weight, and she could see her bones.
The fluid had helped, and eating helped, if she remembered to eat.
She’d expected a woman to show up to take her to the doctor’s office, but Foster was there. When she saw him, she froze, unsure of her feelings or how to even act. He waved and moved toward her.
“I hope you don’t mind me showing up.”
She shook her head. “Not at all. Thank you for coming to get me.”
Foster had on what had to be his casual uniform. He looked nice, well put together, and it seemed like he’d shaved or at least cleaned up the scraggly bits.
The drive to the hospital didn’t take too long, and she was led back to the back minutes after she showed up. Foster said he would be in the waiting room if she needed him.
They took blood samples and did an exam. She was given prescriptions and told to come back in a few months for another round of tests. The doctor said she didn’t see any evidence of any STIs but there would need to be more tests at a later date.
It was an issue she’d been worried about based on everything that happened.
Just because she accepted the reality of the things that had happened to her, did make it any less worrisome.
She hated that she would have to spend her life checking and rechecking all because her father had sold her to some jerk who was a total bastard.
Again, she was reminded that no one would ever want her.
The doctor wanted to see her again in two weeks to check on her nutrition and how she was getting on with food.
Her stomach had been a little upset, but nothing horrible, and she felt good at the moment.
She would just have to stick to smaller meals and less grease.
Pizza tasted great but was a little too much for her to digest.
When she stepped out into the waiting room, she was a little surprised to see Foster still there. He’d said he would stay, but she honestly thought he would step out.
“Hey, do you want to stop somewhere for lunch?” Foster asked.
She shook her head. “I’m not really hungry.”
Foster nodded. “Sure, we can eat on base.”
She wondered if he was starving. Should she say something?
Maybe he’d wanted to eat somewhere else.
Had she upset his plans? When they got in the car she closed her eyes, trying to calm her runaway thoughts.
Being free was wonderful, but she’d spent the last two years in captivity, and her mind was a mess.
Foster settled in the driver’s seat, and she turned to look at him.
He didn’t seem upset. She needed to get a grip on her emotions and thoughts.
She’d been sent a text, stating that she would be meeting with a psychologist later this afternoon.
She had no idea how she was going to move forward, but the military was doing a lot of stuff for her that she didn’t expect.
“I really appreciate everything you are doing and how you are helping me.”
He glanced over and smiled. “Maybe it’s a little selfish what the military is doing. I mean, we are taking care of some of your expenses, but we also want information on Kaya.”
She nodded. “I know. I’m not sure I’ll be any use.”
“We already started looking into the Spain connection, and we found a place that might be his.”
“Really?” Shock pulsed through her. She’d been worried about telling them anything, not because she wanted to hide Kaya, but she feared her information wasn’t any good.
“We have some photos from when the place sold a few years ago and want you to look at them. There might be more you remember. We just need information. The information you gave us for the place in Spain was great.”
“I’m not sure if I know anything else that will help you. Like what happens if I don’t have more to give?”
“You’ll figure out where you want to go and what you want to do.”
She shook her head, unsure what she could do. So much was up in the air. “I don’t know if I still have a bank account or if someone stole the money from me.”
“I know it’s a lot. You lost your life, and now you’re having to figure out a way to get it back. I don’t know how long it will take for you to get your life in order, but I’m not going to abandon you.”
His words made it difficult to breathe. She didn’t want him to know, so she turned her head and stared out the window.
She had no idea if he would walk away once he realized how terrible her life had been for the last few years.
She’d lived through hell, and he was treating her like she was worthy of his time.
They arrived on base, and she was given a badge she had to wear around her neck. It had a lot of information, mainly it stated that she wasn’t cleared for sensitive information and her name.
Foster led her inside to a conference room. The place was packed and an uncomfortable sensation filled her. She didn’t like the room full of people. It was weird being here, and she wished most of the people would leave.
Bang came over and shook her hand. “Don’t worry, most of these people will bug out once they introduce themselves.”
She glanced around, trying not to make eye contact with anyone while she examined them. “Oh. That’s probably good.”
“We’ve got you,” Foster said. “We’ll make sure you’re comfortable with whoever wants to talk to you.”
“Can it be you or one of your friends I met yesterday? They were all nice. I didn’t feel…”
She trailed off, thinking she was revealing too much information. She didn’t want to be too much of an asshole about the situation, but she would clam up if she had to talk to someone she didn’t feel comfortable with.