Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
“You’re not a bother, honey. We’ve all been through something. Maybe not as horrific as what you’ve gone through, though some of us have, and we know that the biggest part of healing is finding a place where you feel safe. Physically safe as well as safe to be yourself. The men here gave us that. As the female population grew and the men started finding women they wanted to keep, we took up the banner and let me tell you, it’s much easier for a woman to feel safe when surrounded by women who have their back. That’s us.”
“The men have our backs and that puts us all solidly in the center,” Blossom continued. “They make an impenetrable wall around us.”
Dorothy lifted her head and looked at the women, studying them before nodding her head slowly. “I like that.”
Iris let out a breath and smiled. “We’ve got you, honey. All of us.”
Stitches knocked on the doorframe even though the door was open. “Got some stuff,” he said. “Startin’ with the bug juice.”
Dorothy wrinkled her nose delicately. “Bug juice? Didn’t know alcohol was a cure for… uh, stuff.”
“It’s not.” Stitches gave her a grin. “Bug juice is also Doctor slang for antibiotics. Though, sometimes I recommend alcohol. One shot of Jack never hurt anyone.” Not strictly the truth, but I saw what Stitches was trying to do.
“I didn’t know there was such a thing as doctor slang.” Dorothy lay passively again, her hands curled into fists and still bunched in my T-shirt.
“Sure is. Ask any doctor.”
As if on cue, Eagle, our club’s medic, knocked on the doorframe just like Stitches had. “Someone order some bug juice?”
“Yep. Give it to Iris. She’ll help me.”
“Sure thing. Want me to shut the door?”
“Please,” Iris answered. “Thanks, Eagle.”
“Sure thing.” Eagle nodded at Dorothy and gave her a small but friendly smile. “Welcome to the family, lil’ bit. We got your back.”
“Thank you.” Dorothy’s answer was soft, but she managed to eke out a smile for Eagle. I didn’t like her giving her smiles to the other man, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.
The next couple of hours was filled with Stitches infusing antibiotics and fluids. Stitches found non-narcotic solutions instead of narcotics. Not as immediate, but it took the edge off. The IV fluids seemed to help her more than anything.
“Aren’t you gonna ask me embarrassing questions?” Dorothy spoke so softly I wasn’t sure Stitches heard her. Wasn’t sure I would have if her mouth hadn’t been so close to my ear.
“No, honey.” Stitches gave her a smile. “At this point, what happened doesn’t matter from a medical standpoint. I gave you a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It’ll kill most infections. If you start hurting or have unusual smells or discharge, we’ll reevaluate. At some point, you may want to talk to someone. When you get there, I’ll find someone you can be comfortable with.”
“That’s just it. It’s all a haze. I didn’t even know how long I’d been there. I think that, maybe for the first few weeks, they kept me so doped up I had no hope of being aware of everything. I’ve never even smoked a joint or had more than a wine cooler to drink.”
“Yeah. I could see that. You’re lucky you didn’t overdose.”
She tilted her head, seeming to think about what he said. “If I remembered what they did to me, I might well have wished they had given me an overdose. So maybe me not remembering is a good thing.”
Stitches shrugged. “Not a bad way to look at it, honey. Just keep the offer in mind. I’m a doctor so I look after your medical as well as your mental needs. Ain’t no therapist, but I know several good ones.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re here with us, Dorothy.” Then Stitches glanced at me. “Take care of her, Morgue.”
I grunted.
Finally, when everyone was gone and it was me, Dorothy, and Sparkles -- the dog hadn’t moved other than to lick Dorothy’s ankle occasionally -- she lifted her head and looked up at me. She took several deep breaths. It was obvious she was trying to get her thoughts together because she opened her mouth a couple of times like she was going to speak but didn’t.
“Just rest. You need something, you tell me.”
“Am I in your home?”
I nodded. “Yeah. If you’re uncomfortable with that, we can move to a different room.”
She pushed away slightly then, looking at me on more of an even level. “We? I mean, you don’t have to go with me. I just don’t want to take over your space.”
A disgruntled growl escaped before I could censor it. “Stayin’ with you.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I’ll sleep on the couch, so you’ll still have your bed, but I don’t want to be all up in your shit.”