Her Trauma, His Redemption

Chapter 7: Her trauma

Pain arrived before consciousness did. It slithered through Tiana's limbs like something alive, tugging her upward from the heavy, muffled dark she'd been drifting in. Her lashes fluttered. A soft beeping echoed somewhere near her head, steady but familiar, The scent of antiseptic, sharp, cold, too clean stabbed through the fog.

Her breath hitched.

A hospital?

Her body recoiled instinctively, memories slamming into her with a merciless force, rough hands, a room too dark, the echo of those men laughing while she begged them to stop. Until she couldn't beg anymore.

Begging never helped, not in the past and not even now.

She should have learnt that a long time ago.

A cry tore from her throat before her eyes opened fully.

"Tiana?" A voice floated to her. Low, calm, but she couldn't hear anything past the roaring panic in her ears. "Easy... you are safe."

Safe.

Tiana didn't know that word anymore. Not since she was young.

She had felt it once. That had been three years ago. With him. The night he had held her like she mattered. The night he saved her like there was something about her left to save.

But now it was gone. That safety was long gone.

Since she got diagnosed with a tumour and got kidnapped, Tiana hadn't known what safety felt like again.

Her eyes snapped open, vision blurring before settling on a tall man standing beside the bed. His face was angular and handsome in a cold, clinical way, and a stethoscope hung around his neck. His gloved hands hovered near her shoulder.

"I'm Dr Marco, " he said gently. " You are in a private medical suite. You're injured. I need to check..."

She didn't let him finish. The moment his hand moved even an inch closer, she flung herself sideways off the bed. Pain exploded along her ribs, but fear fueled her more strongly than agony. She hit the ground hard, palms scraping, knees shaking beneath her as she crawled backwards.

"No-no-don't touch me," She gasped pressing herself into the far corner. Her fingers dug into the wall as if the plaster itself could shield her.

Marco froze both hands raised.

"I'm not going to hurt. "

"Stay away!" Her voice cracked violently. Her heartbeat thundered rattling in her chest until she thought it might burst.

Marco exhaled. He'd treated trauma but never something as extreme as this.

Her eyes were wide and wild like an animal caught in a trap.

Sweat had already begun clinging to her brows and she was trembling so violently that even the thin hospital gown fluttered with the movement.

"I have to help you, " he tried again keeping his tone calm, steady, almost fatherly. Jake will surely kill him if anything happened to her. "You're dehydrated and your wounds-"

"Don't come near me!" She screamed and something about the way her voice broke at the last word made Marco's chest tighten.

Not because he feared her reaction. But because he understood exactly what kind of fear had created that level of desperation.

She'd been brutalised before she got here. He'd been Jake's personal doctor long enough to recognise the signs.

Her knees pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around them tightly. She watched his every movement eyes filled with a terror so raw that Marco knew nothing he said, nothing he did would get her off that floor.

Not him at least.

His jaw tightened. He had no choice.

"Alright, " he murmured. " I'm stepping back. "

He retreated slowly giving her space. Then he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Jake wasn't in the hallway he'd left him.

He reached for his coat pocket and took out his phone.

'She won't let me treat her, ' he typed quickly.

The reply came instantly.

'I'm coming '

Inside the room, Tiana sat shaking, arms around her legs as she buried her face between her knees. Her breaths came in fast broken little gasps.

Every sound. The flicker of the overhead light, felt like a threat waiting to swallow her.

Her skin scrawled, phantom memories of hands pinning her down, voices whispering cruelty into her ear. She dug her nails into her arms just to chase them away, but the memories clung stubbornly.

She was tired but despite wanting to just close her eyes, she was afraid. Fear that he will come back inside and touch her.

That kept her awake. When had just wanting to live a peaceful life became this hard?

The door clicked and her head snapped up.

Jake stepped inside.

His presence filled the room, not loud, not aggressive, just there, dark energy contained beneath a veneer of control. He closed the door behind him, eyes immediately locking on her tiny trembling form in the corner. His heart went to her. She was tiny scared as if he would swallow her if she let her guard down.

Tiana flinched at the sound of his footsteps even though he hadn't moved towards her yet.

"Tiana..." His voice was softer like that night. That night he gave her hope in humanity. But that hope was now gone though somehow his presence still grounded her.

He had saved her twice. On both occasions, she would have died.

Maybe if she told him not to let them touch her then he wouldn't let them. He could bring that safety back.

"Jake..."She whispered eyes wide with recognition and something else, something that made Jake walk towards her."Don't let them touch me. Please...don't let them near me."

Those words hit him harder than any bullet had.

He lowered himself slowly deliberately sitting on the floor a few feet away from her.

"No one is going to touch you, " he said quietly. " Not unless you let them. You're safe Tiana. No one in this place will ever hurt you again. "

She squeezed her eyes shut tears leaking out anyway. "They said that, " she choked. "Before they... before-"

Her voice broke into a painful silence.

Jake's jaw flexed with fury simmering beneath his skin but he forced himself still. His anger wasn't for her and he wouldn't let her see an ounce of it. Not now.