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"Think she will eat something?" Without waiting for Korren to respond, I open the fridge and heave a sigh of relief and appreciation. Mia and Dan returned a day before us and stocked up the fridge so we wouldn't have to worry about anything besides keeping Eve comfortable and happy.
Snagging a prepped bowl of fruit and some cheese, I make a plate to bring upstairs. Unfortunately, she's regressed in her nutritional habits again. I work to unclench my fists; the fact that she was barely fucking fed or given water for an entire week goes against everything inside of me.
Realizing I never got a response from my brother, I turn to find him staring at her wheelchair on the other side of the island. "Kor?"
He jerks and looks over, eyes a little glassy. "Yeah? What? Sorry." His dark eyebrows pull together while he rubs at the back of his neck. The newest tattoo on his bicep shines when his sleeve rises.
"You okay, man?" Turning to face him fully, I note the purple lining his eyes, the rumpled clothes, and messy hair. Not waiting for his response because I know the answer, I suggest, "Go take a shower. I'm going to bring this up to Evie and see if she will eat anything."
Grabbing a bottle of water and the plate, I bumped my shoulder against his to get him to move up the stairs. He offers a nod and follows along, allowing me to relax just a bit as he listens.
Just as I reach the landing of the hallway, I hear a panicked Ryan, "Eve? Eve! Baby, it's okay; we won't ever hurt you."
Running the rest of the way to her room, I shoulder through the cracked door, having no idea what to expect. It sure as fuck wasn't my Angel curled up in a ball on her bed, sobbing and whimpering.
"Fuck!" I hiss as Kor's body slams into my back, making my hold on the water falter. Ignoring the bottle rolling away, I move my ass to set down the plate of food. "What happened?" My tone is urgent.
My stomach bottoms out when Eve clenches in on herself even tighter, pulling a pained gasp out in between her cries. Korren shoots me a glare filled with rage at my poor behavior. I can't help the anxiety and sorrow burning through my common sense...I just can't stand seeing her like this. Afraid of us.
The two kneeling by the bed aren't much better, their hands running all over her, trying to get her to come back to us with their rushed murmuring. I take a cautious step forward, not wanting to be the reason she does more damage to her body.
"Move," reverting back to one-word demands, Korren nudges Nol and Ryan away from the bed. Standing and moving away from her looks like it's causing them physical pain.
The amount of stress and fear in the room coil around my heart, making me ache to take away all the pain my family is suffering.
Their stricken expressions have me reaching out to them. A grunt slips from me when they both unexpectedly launch themselves into my chest. Being the tallest and the widest of us, I easily hold them in my arms. I can almost hear the shattering of my soul when they both let out twin sobs of anguish.
I can't stop the tear that drips off my chin and into Nolan's curls. I hold on tight to my brothers on the far side of the room while we watch Korren move around to the side of the bed Eve is facing.
We don't dare make a sound as he gently places one knee on the bed; the dipping of the mattress jostles a choke out of Eve. Ryan jolts in my arms, wanting to go to her, but I hold tight, knowing that my brother has this. He has always been her safe place...the one who can pull her out of the darkness of her trauma.
Now flat on his back, Korren lies still, his head tilted in her direction to watch her. I don't know how long I hold my damn breath waiting for something to happen besides her cries and pain-filled squeaks. It feels like a fucking eternity until her sounds die down, and her head lifts, eyes immediately landing on Korren.
I feel the guys release a relieved breath, their shoulders drooping and more of their body weight leaning into me. I gently push them up and nod to the door when their attention fixates on me behind them.
Shooting a final look at Eve, now curled against Korren, we quietly close her bedroom door behind us, hoping she will settle. The walk back down to the kitchen is tense and silent, waiting until we are far enough away to not disturb her.
"What happened?" My whisper is unintentionally small, the emotion blocking my voice box from working properly.
A throat clearing has me looking up from where I was staring at the counter. Ryan and Nolan exchange a loaded glance. "We asked if she wanted any painkillers," Nolan's voice is hushed as well. "Um, then she kind of shut down. We asked what was wrong. She was silent for a while; then she told us-" he cuts off, his tears getting the best of him.
"She told us he drugged her to keep her sleepy and compliant."
My head whips over to Ryan; his eyes latched onto his struggling boyfriend. "What? How did we not know this?"
"We did know this; we literally saw the needles, Amiri. The details are probably in the file of paperwork he gave Eve. It might have been something the doctor left for her to talk to us about." Nolan's head drops at Ryan's guess.
Son of a bitch!
"If he didn't discuss everything with us, does that mean there's more?" The words are bordering on a yell, but I'm fucking livid. How am I supposed to take care of her if I don't know everything that happened?
Snapping his narrowed gaze to mine, I pause at the fury I find in his blue eyes. "Be quiet!" Ryan's hiss makes me gulp. "I get it's terrifying not knowing everything that she went through, but Eve is entitled to any privacy she desires. Hell, if I went through something as fucking awful as she has, I wouldn't want everyone knowing all the shit that happened before I even have a chance to come to terms with it myself. That woman up there deserves the opportunity to make her own decisions. We will not take that away from her. She has had enough of her choices stripped away to last a thousand lifetimes. If she chooses to share, then we will support her. And if she doesn't want to share, then we will..." He trails off, waiting for me to fill in the blank like the asshole I am.
"Support her."
He gives me a firm nod, his hard expression fading away into lines of exhaustion. "We all need to shower; let's go." He ushers Nolan toward the stairs and into his bedroom while I drag my feet to mine.
Ryan scolding me like that was a shock. His taking control was even more eye-opening, as that is usually my role in our family. Our silly golden retriever stepped up to keep me grounded when I couldn't.
