Chapter 143
1041 Words
“You know, it makes me have a whole new appreciation for that first time we all met,” Dean said.
“In the hospital waiting room?” Chris asked.
“Yeah. Think about it from Jenny’s perspective: four huge guys show up out of the blue, refusing to leave. We just… just stormed them, you know. And there were four of us… Jesus.” Dean ran his hands through his scruffy blond hair. “No wonder she looked like she was about to pass out on the spot.”
“It also explains why Kat and Liv got between us and her,” Jim said quietly. “They’d know exactly where her mind must have gone.”
The men nodded.
Chris sighed. “There are just so many ways for me to scare her, guys. So many ways for me to screw this up.”
“You go as far as she asks, and not one inch beyond,” Dallas said. “And if she panics, you tell her she’s safe now. That’s it, man. You take it one inch at a time.”
“Yeah,” Chris looked down at his hands, finally saw the blood and bruises blossoming across the knuckles. “How the hell am I going to explain this?”
“Tell her the truth,” Jim said. “Tell her you got angry, that you’re angry for her. That you hate what happened to her.”
“OK.” Chris took his first deep breath since Jenny had laid her truth down at his feet. “OK. That’s what I’ll do.”
****
Chris unlocked the front door of Jenny’s house, his hands fumbling a bit with the keys. He had the beginning of a headache pounding in his temples. Not a hangover exactly – though downing five shots of whiskey in as many minutes at eleven o’clock in the morning wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever done, to be sure. His hands hurt; his chest felt tight. He needed to get eyes on Jenny. He had to make sure she was still in one piece.
He was surprised to see Emma in the kitchen pouring boiling water into a mug.
“Hey,” he said. “Is she OK?”
“So-so.” Emma looked up at him, gauging his body language. “She called me about three hours ago. She needed to talk.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Chris leaned in the doorway. “Is she still upstairs?”
Emma nodded. “In bed. I told her I’d bring her a cup of tea.”
“Is it OK if I take it up? I want to see how she’s doing.”
“Sure.” Emma smiled. “And how are you doing?”
He stuck his wrecked hands in his jeans pockets. “OK.”
“Uh-huh,” she said. “So why do you look like you’ve been pounding on brick walls bare-knuckled?”
Dammit. Nothing gets past this woman.
He took his hands out again. “Yeah, well. I went at Jim’s punching bag pretty hard.”
She waited.
“I wasn’t totally prepared, Emma,” he admitted. “I mean – I knew that it had to be something s****l. An assault, a beating, probably both. But I didn’t expect… that.”
“I know.”
“You still think I can do this? That I can help her?”
She studied him. “What do you think?”
“I – I wanted to quit.” He stared at his feet, ashamed. “I told the guys that it was too much for me, and I wanted out.”
“And what did the guys say?”
Chris grinned. “Jim said he’d beat the crap out of me if I abandoned Jenny now.”
“Well, Jim wouldn’t be the only one.”
They shared a smile, then Emma sighed.
“Chris, listen. You’re allowed to have feelings about what happened to Jenny, you know. It’s OK for you to be furious and feel helpless and in over your head. It’s huge, what she’s facing down, and you’re right there with her, in the thick of it. Of course you’re going to feel overwhelmed. I’d expect nothing different.”
“Really?”
“Really.” She walked closer to him. “You asked me if I still think you can help her. The answer is, yes, I do. You already have.”
“You mean touching her?”
“Exactly. Just three weeks ago, she hadn’t been touched by a man since those four assholes degraded and tortured her. Even at the hospital while she was recovering, she only ever dealt with female doctors and nurses. Now, she holds your hand and feels comfortable. She asked you to stroke her cheek. She touched you. Believe me, if you’d told me even one month ago that she’d be able to handle any of that, I’d have said you were dreaming. But it’s happening, Chris. Together, you and Jenny have come this far.”
He nodded. “Yeah. We have, actually.”
“And it’s amazing. Believe me.”
“OK.” He breathed out, his chest opening up again. “Thanks, Emma.”
“So, you want to take this up to her?”
“You think she’s OK to see me?”
“She was asking about you,” Emma said. “She was worried that you might not come back.”
That made his heart twist. “She was?”
“She was afraid that she’d scared you off by telling you what happened. I think you should go up and show her you’re still here for her. She needs to know that.” Emma walked over to the door and put on her boots and coat. “Say goodbye to her for me, OK? And if you need me, just call.”
Chris hugged her, then opened the door. “Thanks, hon.”
“Take care of our girl, Chris.”
“I will. No more thinking about backing out… I’m in this, Emma. For as long as it takes.”
“I know you are. Now, go tell her.”
- Writer
