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We brought her to the far side of the vehicle, and Billie pulled open the back door so I could set our beta down on the seat.
“Nicky, what happened? Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. I cupped her face in both hands and lifted her gaze to look at me. The second we made eye contact, those tears spilled over, and the dam burst, Nicky descending into sobs.
“Hey, baby girl, it's okay. We’re here.” I cradled her in my arms, and she clung to my shirt. Billie went around the vehicle and climbed in on that side so they could sandwich Nicky between us. “Nicky, where do you want us to take you? Do you need a hospital? Police?”
She didn’t answer right away and continued to cry, but I could hear her trying to get herself under control. “I don’t know. I have to go home. Spud hasn’t had food yet, and my car is at the library.”
Her voice wavered, and she took big gulping breaths.
Billie set their palm on Nicky's chest. “Breathe with me, Books. In,” Billie gave an exaggerated inhalation—and Nicky followed suit—“and out.”
“I’ll get everything handled,” I told her. “Is there anyone you want us to call?”
Nicky shook her head.
“Okay. Let's buckle you up and get you home.” I did up her seat belt for her and made sure Billie was secure as well before I returned to the front seat.
Our girl was quiet for most of the drive, and I spent the whole trip reining in the burning well of fury that scorched my insides. I wasn’t sure if she would tell me what happened, but I didn’t need to know the details. She’d been scared and had reached out to us for help.
By the time I pulled up in front of her apartment building, her eyes were dry.
“Do you want us to stay with you?” Billie asked.
Nicky hiccupped softly. “I feel like such a baby for wanting to say yes. It's my own fault all of this happened. I was sostupid.”
“You’re not at fault here,” I insisted. “That weasely little fucker is to blame. I don’t care what he said to you, he was wrong.”
Nicky's big brown eyes looked at me, tears threatening again. She didn’t argue, lowering her gaze to her hands. The two of us got her into her apartment where Spud was screaming for his breakfast.
“Billie, can you feed Spud, please?” They went about the task without having to be asked twice. I turned to Nicky. “Baby girl, do you wanna have a shower?”
She nodded slowly. “I’m so tired.”
I ushered her towards the bathroom. “Stress takes a lot of energy. Do you need help with anything?” When she didn’t answer right away, I offered something different, “Do you want Billie to help you?”
“Yes, please,” she murmured.
I switched assignments with Billie, putting them in charge of making sure Nicky got washed up all right. I fed Spud, got the kettle going, and, while I waited, I did a few chores to keep myself settled—putting her dishes away and scooping the cat litter as her sleepytime tea steeped. I couldn’t be certain how she might feel about me doing her chores, but if there was less for her to do, then she would be able to rest more.
My betas emerged after about half an hour, Nicky wrapped in a fluffy purple robe, her hair wet around her face. Billie brought a hair dryer and a brush, handing both to me.
The three of us sat on Nicky's couch. She sipped her tea in silence while I dried her hair and Billie held her other hand. By the time I was finished, Nicky was half asleep. She accepted being carried to her bedroom, and we got her tucked under the blankets, one of us lying on each side, Spud joining us to lay at her feet.
I texted the rest of the pack to let them know what happened and where we were. At some point, we fell asleep alongside Nicky, at least until Spud pawed my face to wake me for a second meal. While I was up feeding him, my phone rang.
“Hey Jasper, what's up?”
“How is she?” he asked.
“Sleeping right now. I messaged Hana to see if she’d be okay with Nicky coming over for a while. I’m going to see how Nicky feels about it once she's woken up. I know she's probably perfectly safe here, but I would feel better keeping an eye on her for a while.”
“Sounds good. I’ll bring her a loaf of focaccia home.”
I smiled, though he couldn’t see it. “I’m sure she’ll love that.”
We chatted for a couple more minutes until the exhaustion snuck back up on me. I climbed back into bed after feeding the cat and slept several more hours curled around Nicky.
