Dr. Atkins glanced at Walker without missing a beat. “Why don’t you fetch something for her to change into?”
Walker hesitated, then gave a small nod. “Right. I’ll be back in a minute.” His eyes lingered on me for a heartbeat longer before he slipped away.
I closed my eyes and pressed a knuckle to my lips to stop them from trembling. Dr. Atkins snapped on latex gloves with quiet efficiency.
“I’m going to look at your head first, then check for any other bruises or bumps—hope that’s okay.”
I opened one eye and managed a tiny nod. “Thank you.”
His touch was careful. He felt along my cheek and jaw. He directed me to follow his finger with my eyes, then gently pressed on the back of my head where it had hit the wall.
“You're certainly covered in bruises," he said. I pulled my torn dress a little tighter. Not all the bruises were from tonight, but he didn't need to know that. "Any dizziness? Nausea?” he asked.
I shook my head, then winced as a throbbing ache curled behind my eyes. My fingers cramped around Mr. Snuffles’ paw.
“Headache?”
“A little,” I admitted, voice barely a whisper.
He pressed where the lump had formed and frowned. “You’ve got a bump here, but I don’t think it’s a concussion. Still, you’ll need monitoring tonight.”
I heard footsteps, and Walker reappeared holding a neat stack of soft clothing. Relief washed through me so suddenly I let out a shaky breath. Dr. Atkins nodded toward the stack of clothes. "Why don't you get changed first? There's a bathroom just down the hall—second door on the left." I supposed the doc had to be a friend if he knew Walker's house so well.
I looked at the clothes Walker had brought, then back at the two men watching me with concerned expressions. My hands shook as I tried to stand, and suddenly everything felt too big, too overwhelming. The room, the situation, even my own body felt foreign and frightening.
"I don't...I can't..." My voice came out small and wavering.
Walker stepped forward immediately, his expression softening. "What do you need, sweetheart?"
The endearment made something inside me crumble. I pressed Mr. Snuggles against my face, breathing in his familiar scent. " What if they come back?" I whispered into his fur.
"They can't hurt you here," Walker said gently, crouching down beside the couch so we were at eye level. "You're safe."
But I couldn't stop the tears that had started flowing. Everything felt wrong—my torn dress, the taste of blood in my mouth where I'd bitten my cheek, the way my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
"Hey," Walker's voice was impossibly gentle. "Look at me, Lottie."
I peeked over Mr. Snuggles' head, meeting his dark eyes.
"You're being so brave," he said. "But you don't have to be brave right now. Not here."
Something in his tone, the way he spoke to me like I was precious and fragile, made me want to curl up in a ball and let someone else handle everything. I hadn't felt safe enough to be small like this since...maybe ever.
"Will you..." I swallowed hard, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Will you stay close? While I change?"
Was it bad that I didn’t want privacy from Walker? Safety trumped that even if I tried to tell myself I was being a baby.
Walker picked up the clothes—a soft gray t-shirt that would probably hang to my knees, and a pair of flannel pajama pants with a drawstring waist. "These will be big, sorry, but they’re clean."
I nodded, clutching the clothes to my chest along with Mr. Snuggles. Walker guided me to the bathroom, his hand gentle on my back.
"I'll be right here," he promised, positioning himself just outside the door. "If you need anything, just call out." I had to fight the urge to ask him to come inside.
The bathroom looked new like the rest of the place, with pale blue walls and white fixtures. I set Mr. Snuggles on the small counter where I could see him, then carefully peeled off my ruined dress. The pink fabric was torn beyond repair, and seeing it made tears spring to my eyes again. It had been my favorite, one of only nice things I owned.
It was ruined. I was ruined. I took a breath to tell myself to grow up. That it could have been a lot worse, but the breath exhaled on a sob, and I sank to the floor, big ugly sobs tearing out of me. The sound of my sobs must have carried through the door, because I heard Walker's voice, concerned but calm.
"Lottie? I'm coming in, okay?"
