Apparently, Mariana had managed to escape and called the police. She was in the next room clinging to a bruised but happy Hector who was being interviewed by another officer. He was giving the same story the twins gave from his point of reference, when he’d been standing over the man he’d taken out.
Hannah sighed with relief. She left Trish waiting outside the curtain of the twin’s cubicle and made her way over to Jayden and Ben’s daughters who were standing next to the bed Frank was sitting up in.
“How are you doing Frank?” Hannah asked.
The young man was holding Penny’s hand and smiling at her. “I’m doing ok. My head is ringing a little. The big guy sucker punched me. He hits really hard!” Penny leaned in and kissed his temple making him smile again.
Hannah smiled at him. “Did you give your statements to the police?” she asked the group.
“Yes, we spoke with them at the club. We were the first ones to be interviewed,” Karen said.
“I was hit the moment I walked out of the change room so I didn’t see anything,” Jayden said, wincing.
“I was attacked a short distance from the change room and almost had the guy when I got hit. When I came to the guy I fought was on his back, out like a light. The room was spinning and I threw up,” Frank said quietly.
Penny picked up the story from there. “Hector was attacked and managed to get Mariana out the exit to the next room before dealing with his opponent. That’s when the big guy showed up and ripped our bikini tops off. He trapped us against the wall and was moving closer when Lisa leapt on his back and clawed his face. He spun and tossed her off but she managed to land on her feet. He lunged forward and ripped her and Lori’s tops off and he leered at them as he moved closer. Then he noticed his face was bleeding. He got really scary after that and attacked Lisa. Lori jumped on him then Ben arrived.”
They all shared a smile as they remembered the relief they felt when they saw him. Karen’s smile fell away as she recalled the beating Ben took. “The man was so strong and he kept hitting Ben again and again! I thought Ben was going to fall but he suddenly started hitting back. So hard! I swear I could hear bones breaking!” She shivered with a little thrill.
“Can we see him?” Penny asked.
“Ben’s going to be staying in the hospital for a little while so Dr. Granger can work out some things with him. He won’t be having any visitors for at least a week,” Hannah replied gently. Faces fell.
“Is he ok?” Jayden asked.
Hannah smiled at the young man. “He will be but we’re all going to have to be patient.”
They nodded sadly to her and she moved back to the twins. The officer was gone and Trish was speaking quietly with the two young ladies, likely filling them in on Ben’s condition.
Lori moved closer to speak quietly to Hannah. “Who is Margaret?” she asked.
Hannah felt a jolt run through her body. So he’d been reliving the experience again. She’d have to inform Dr. Granger about this. She was grateful the twins hadn’t shared this with the police. “Someone Ben knew a long, long time ago. Someone who meant a lot to him. Her death was very traumatic for him,” she said equally quiet. The twins and Trish stared at her expectantly. “I’m sorry. I can’t say more and I shouldn’t have even shared that much.” She looked around for ears listening in.
Trish suddenly stood and walked to stand directly in front of Hannah. She was trembling with impotent rage.
“I’m sorry,” Hannah whispered.
Trish wrapped her arms around her friend and the tears burst forth. Hannah wrapped her own arms around Trish and held her tight as a few tears of her own slid silently down her cheeks. The twins held hands as they watched them sharing their grief.
When Trish seemed to be relaxed Lori made a noise to catch their attention. “Can we go home? We have work in the morning.”
Trish nodded. “I’ll take you home.”
Hannah squeezed Trish’s hand and watched her leave the room with the two lovely women.
She checked on Ben’s daughters and Jayden once more and suggested they head home as well. Frank was staying in overnight for observation. Penny gave him a kiss then the three moved out of the ER to catch a cab home.
Hannah checked on the thug with a badly broken ankle. He was shackled to the bed and an officer was guarding him. Two of his buddies were in surgery and the third, the one Hector beat unconscious, had been taken to the precinct. She looked at the cop. “Did they say what the hell they were thinking trying to rape those women?”
The cop just frowned and shook his head in disgust.
“Hey! I didn’t rape no one!” the man in the bed growled.
“No? You seemed to be preparing to,” Hannah retorted.
“Nah, Pete just wanted to have a little fun with the bitches. You know, feel them up a little! They had huge titties! Pete likes big ones like that! If they liked it maybe they’d do something nice for Pete, ya know what I mean?” he said with a grin.
“What if they didn’t like it?” Hannah asked and the man just shrugged.
“The ladies were with their boyfriends-”
“Just some punks! They ain’t got nothing on us!” the man growled.
“Nothing except girlfriends apparently. Oh, and jobs, respect, and most importantly their freedom,” Hannah pointed out.
“We got jobs! Good payin’ ones too! Unionized! We’re cargo handlers at the airport!” he bragged.
“Yet you go to clubs to beat up the patrons and sexually assault their dates?” Hannah asked in puzzlement.
“Hey! We was just havin’ some fun! Blowin’ off a little steam! Besides, bitches who look like that want it! That’s why they get their tits all inflated like that!” he growled.
“Those two ladies were abducted as young teens overseas and their captor forced them to endure the operations to turn them into what you see today. They had no choice in the matter. That aside you’re a fucking moron if you believe anyone wants to be sexually assaulted. I sincerely hope you discover that personally in prison,” Hannah growled and walked away after nodding to the smiling officer.
Hannah walked back to the waiting room but saw everyone had left. She nodded and made her way back to her office. She locked her door, sat at her desk, and pulled a box of tissues from the bottom drawer.
Alone, finally, she released her tight control and her tears burst forth. She sobbed as her heart ached for Ben.
Chapter 42
Ben’s bed was tilted up so he could easily see Dr. Granger as she sat in the chair next to his bed. She had a folder on her lap.
“How are you feeling this morning?” she asked.
He watched her as he shifted a little to get more comfortable. His restraints, a band across his chest and thighs, wrists and ankles secured to the bed meant he had little freedom to get comfortable in. “I would feel better if I wasn’t strapped to my bed.”
“We’ll take care of those once we’re sure you are safe,” she said gently.
“Safe for others or from myself?” he asked and she just smiled at him.
“This morning we will begin the hypnotherapy sessions we spoke of earlier. We can no longer wait for a ‘good time’ to schedule them. Life made other plans but I’m confident we will be able to help you.”
Dread filled Ben’s stomach. He recalled their previous attempt and how disturbing the sessions had been. He remembered the horrible nightmares he’d had each night after the sessions.
“Ben, we will take care of you. You are safe and protected here. There is nothing to fear. No worries. All is calm and good.”
In spite of himself he felt his body relaxing automatically at her words, her calm tone and gentle smile.
Dr. Granger took him through the exercises to reach a state where he felt himself rising above his mind, aware of his thoughts but disconnected from them. The room appeared a little lighter to him though the light was softer. He could hear the doctor’s soothing voice above all else.
“Ben, how are you feeling right now.”
“Good. I- I feel good.”
“That’s very good. We are going to talk a little and look at pictures, observe what’s happening in them but only from the outside. They are merely images and can’t touch us. Alright?”
“Yes, sure,” he sighed.
“When you were twelve you were moved from a foster home you’d only spent three months in to a new home. Do you recall why you were moved?” Granger asked calmly.
Ben’s mind could see the red brick house with the white window boxes. “The Morgans… they were nice. I thought I was going to be happy there but the house mom found out she was sick. Cancer. All the kids had to be moved. There were three of us.”
“Yes, that was sad but you didn’t have long to wait before you were taken in by another family.”
Ben jolted against his restraints.
“All is good Ben. We’re just floating above everything, nothing can touch us here. We can see the images and we can talk about them but they can’t see or touch us in return.”
Ben relaxed once more and Dr. Greyson turned to the next page in Ben’s file.
“When you moved to the new home, was it nice?” she asked.
Ben nodded. “Yes, the home was lovely.”
“Did you have your own bedroom?”
Ben’s eyes widened in delight as he remembered the first time he was shown where he would be staying. “Yes! It was so much room and it was just for me!”
Dr. Granger gradually worked him through the environment he’d found himself in until she felt he was relaxed enough to begin addressing the next element. The foster parents.