Her Second Chance At Love complete

(11) The Nightmare Starts

Lisa’s POV

That night I was lying in my hospital bed asleep.  When my dream took me from the warmth and love of my home to the hard cold ground by the lake.  I couldn't understand what was going on in the dream but I felt nothing but sheer terror as I was looking at the water.  I could see hands and smell the mixture of cigarettes, coffee and cheap breath mints.  It made me sick to my stomach.  Suddenly I felt as if someone was smothering me and I couldn't scream.  I felt myself hurling downwards in my dream and it scared the living daylights out of me.  I felt terrified and I could remember the feeling of a sharp pain in the back of my head.  That's when the world went black on me and I wasn't quite sure what was happening.  When I woke up next, he was on me and was pulling at my pants.  I thought he was trying to pull them down and I was fighting him to stop him from touching me.  I was certain he was going to try and rape me and I wasn't going down without a fight.  I started to scream and kick and lash out wherever I could.  I was fighting to save my life in every way.  I wasn't sure where my strength was coming from but I was thankful for it.  I felt myself gaining strength and momentum as I kneed my opponent and was able to spring up and run away towards my car.  Somewhere in the darkness I could hear someone calling my name but I was terrified I just kept running.  I couldn't stop because he could be right after me.  Did he know which car was mine?  I needed to get to my car and lock the doors.  I needed to collect myself so that I could get away.  Still there was someone calling my name trying desperately to get my attention.  In the back of my mind, I wondered who it could be.  I wondered who would keep calling my name like.  Suddenly I felt hands wrap around me and fear motivated me even more.  I hadn't made it to my car as of yet and I needed to get away from the mystery man that was trying to hurt me.  Somewhere in the distance I heard the voice again calling to me and asking me to wake up but I still couldn't make sense of what the voice was saying.  My heart was beating so hard and so fast.  I felt sore all over.  The back of my head and my face were pounding and I could barely see to find my car.  That voice was still beckoning me to wake up but I wasn't asleep I was running for my life.  Couldn't the voice see that he was after me that he had hurt me?  Couldn't the voice see that I needed to get away from this person?  Why wasn't the voice yelling at the man to leave me alone.  He had a hold of me and I was trying everything I could just to get away.

Mike’s POV

After she had fallen asleep from crying which was breaking my heart, I gently moved her to her pillow.  She had stirred a little bit and then fell right back to sleep.  I let out a sigh.  I knew that this was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with but what a cruel fate I had been thrown to have her going through so much pain before we even got a chance to know one another.  I wanted to find the guy that had hurt her like this.  At some point I had fallen asleep in the chair not wanting to leave her alone in the room.  I felt drawn to this woman and wanted nothing more in the world than to protect her in every way possible.  At some point in time, she started fighting someone in her sleep then she screamed.  I bolted out of the chair and sprang to her bed.  She was in a cold sweat and fighting for her life against an unknown assailant.  I grabbed ahold of her which made her panic and fight harder.  I kept calling her name and trying to get her to wake up because this much adrenaline coursing through her veins couldn't be good.  As I was struggling with her trying to get her to wake up, I pushed the call button for the nurse.  I had to do something and still I felt helpless because she had to pretty much go through this alone.  When her ex-husband had called her phone this morning at first, I didn't answer it because I didn't know if it was another date calling her or what.  When the person called back a few more times I figured it was someone that knew her and was worried about her.  I had answered the phone the fourth time he called.  At first, he was really arrogant with me on the phone spitting out all kinds of venomous insults.  I had interrupted the man asking what his relationship was to this woman.  I was taken aback when the unknown man identified himself as the father of her children.  I had taken in a deep sigh and with a heavy heart informed him of where I was and that his ex-wife had been severely attacked. That the hospital needed someone that was related to her or on her records to authorize to talk to in case she didn't wake up.  She had lost consciousness shortly after arriving at the hospital and had been here for several hours.  Nobody was certain if she would wake up or not.  His tone had changed after that and informed me that he would be right there.  To my surprise he showed up in just under ten minutes, introduced himself to me and then went to talk to the hospital staff.  After a brief chat he was told to go to the waiting room where he and I started to talk.  

Flashback

We had sat there chatting for a while before anyone came to talk to us. I had found out that the man's name was Ray.  He was ashamed of how the marriage had ended and actually wasn't happy in his current relationship.  He seemed genuine when he said that Lisa deserved better than he could have ever gave her and he wished her all the best in the future.  He asked me how I knew Lisa was here at the hospital and so I filled him in on how we had gone out on a date the night before.  That we had exchanged phone numbers and I felt drawn to Lisa.  Ray nodded his head in understanding and said "she brings that out in the best of us.  We find ourselves drawn to her.  You seem to really care for her just be good to her.  I couldn't give her what she needed.  No that's not right I wouldn't give her what she needed."  I seemed to understand what he was saying because the same could be said about the relationship between me and my ex-wife.  I could totally relate to this man sitting here waiting on news of his ex-wife.  I wondered how I would be feeling if Charlene was in the same situation.  It was unknown how long we had been chatting with one another before the doctor came out to talk with Ray.  At first the doctor looked over at me as if to say I needed to leave and Ray chimed in "this is her boyfriend and he deserves to know whatever it is you’re going to tell me.  He's actually the one that brought her in."  The doctor nodded and told me that it was a good thing I got her here when I did because the injury to her head was serious as she was bleeding inside her skull.  They had, had to do emergency surgery to stop the bleeding so she would have to be here a few days to recover.  Then the doctor gave them the worst of the news.  They had done all the testing and she had indeed been raped.  The rape test kit showed tears and abrasions as well as semen.  The doctor wasn't certain if she was aware of being raped or even how much she would remember when she woke up.  The doctor informed both of us men that it was imperative that she be kept as calm as possible because the slightest trigger could start the bleed in her brain again and depending on where she was it could kill her.  Ray ran his fingers through his tousled hair and said "she was supposed to get the kids back today but we can keep them as long as it's needed just as long as she heals."  That's when the nurse informed us that she was awake and that one of us could go in to see her.  I motioned for Ray to go in telling him that I could wait.  Ray thanked me for the gesture and went into the room.  A few minutes later he came out with tears in his eyes sinking to the floor in sobs.  I just went over and put my hand on his shoulder I really thought the man was going to break.  "She looks so frail.  I couldn't tell her about the rape she doesn't remember it.  If she did, she isn't saying anything to me about it."  With that he shook my hand and left.  I made my way into the room where she was and she had broken down in tears in my arms. End of Flashback

It seemed like hours but in fact it was just a few seconds before the nurse had come into the room, taken one look at the situation and disappeared once again.  As first I was frustrated because she saw what was happening and didn't do anything to help me help her.  This woman that I had fallen in love with at first sight was in emotional pain in her dreams and I couldn't help.  What was worse was the doctors’ words kept playing in my head about her needing to stay calm or it could cause the bleed to start again.  I started talking to her again "honey, Lisa, it's Mike.  You're safe now he can't hurt you I've got you please calm down baby.  I'm right here and I will never let anyone hurt you."  She seemed to be calming down at that but I could still feel her trembling.  Then suddenly the nurse reappeared in the room with a syringe.  I looked at her and she said "it's something to make her mind calm down from the terror she is facing inside."  I nodded and let the nurse do her work.  I couldn't understand the primal need I had to protect this woman.  Hell, I hadn't even felt this protective of Charlene the whole ten years we were married why this woman?  I barely knew her and yet the thought of someone hurting her in any way killed me to the core.  Within seconds of the nurse giving her the shot Lisa was calming down.  The shaking had stopped and she was sleeping peacefully again.  I went to move away and she whimpered so I stayed put.  I was getting uncomfortable but it was a small price to pay to make her feel safe.  If the truth be told I actually enjoyed holding her it felt right and natural.  It felt like this was where she belonged in my arms.  I softly kissed the top of her head and wished that it wasn't a hospital bed that we were in.  That would come in time and given the circumstances it might be more time than I originally thought it would take.  If I had read this woman right, she was feeling the same thing but I knew she had been hurt really bad in the relationships she had before I showed up.  Then to add in this attack well the damage was going to be great.  Good thing I didn't scare that easily because where most men would turn tail and run, I bunkered down and took the challenge head on.  She was beautiful inside and out and she was worth fighting any battle for.  The doctor had been in to see her shortly after the nurse gave her the medicine to check on her and said she seemed to be sleeping find.  He was willing to release her in a few days as long as she had someone who could be with her round the clock to watch her and help her out.  There was no pause I immediately assured the doctor I would be there with her all the time.  I called Ray and explained the situation to him.  Ray agreed that even if it wasn't medically necessary that it was emotionally necessary that someone, she could trust be there for the first little while.   I told him about what had just happened and how a nurse had to give her a sedative to calm her down. "The nightmares have started then I was wondering if and when they would.  So, she knows she was raped then?" Ray had asked. I confirmed it and heard a sharp inhale from the other end of the phone.  “That woman has been through so much in her life and she is so strong but damn I would never wish this on anyone.  The girls know mommy is hurt just not to what extent.”