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“Shaniya?” I hear a female voice and feel a warm hand that grips hold of mine.
“Shan, are you waking up…? She’s waking up!” the voice yells, and my eyelashes flicker apart and readjust to the light surroundings. It’s bright here, and it smells strange.
“Rogue?” I check I’m not dreaming when her face appears in front of mine, she’s so close that her wide eyes are all I can see now.
What the hell is she doing here?
Where even is here?
“Please take a seat.” Someone moves her out the way, and I notice the poisonous look Rogue shoots at the unfamiliar woman standing in her place.
“Shaniya, you're at the hospital. I’m Doctor Phillips.” She shines a tiny light into my eye that makes me blink.
“I’m afraid we had to sedate you, you had some injuries and you were very upset when you arrived.”
Suddenly everything comes back to me, the men, what they did to me. Troj’s fight.
Is he alive? I’m sure he brought me here or was that me dreaming?
“Where’s Troj?” I go to sit up, clearly too fast because it instantly makes me feel woozy.
“No sudden movements. Please,” the doctor eases me back down gently.
“I’m sure the police are going to want to talk with you, but for now we need to make sure you're okay?” She gives me a sad smile, before asking me questions that all seem so irrelevant. She tells me what treatment I’ve received. Stitches, shots, fractures. But I can’t take it all in because I really need someone to tell me that Troj is okay.
I can hear Rogue on the phone, she's telling whoever she’s speaking to that I’m awake, and I pray that it’s him and that he’ll be here soon.
Eventually, after a few prods and pokes, the doctor leaves us alone, and Rogue perches herself on the edge of the bed.
I’ve known the girl for a very short time, but in that short time, I’ve never known her to be speechless. And the way she looks at me with her head tilted and an almost heartwarming expression on her face, it’s hard to recognize her. Usually, her make-up is perfect, but today she has none on at all.
“Where’s Troj?” I ask again, and I stare at her hand in shock when she gently runs it over my cheek.
I don’t like it. It scares me. She’s going to tell me he’s dead, that he lost the fight, and just as I’m about to cry, she finally answers me.
“He’s fine, and Cooper’s dead,” she explains. Relief washes over me like cool rain on a hot day.
“I need to see him.” I attempt to get up again, but she stops me. “Doc’s right, you need to rest, what happened to you was—”
“Don’t,” I stop her. I can’t think about what happened to me.
I’m somehow managing to blank it out, it’s the only way I can breathe.
Seeing Troj is more important.
“Brax and Nyx are right outside the door. Grimm’s gone to get some breakfast for us, but he’ll be back any minute. You’re safe here,” she assures me. Her words bring everything flooding back. The way those men used my body, the pain. The man in the mask.
My first time wasn’t supposed to be that way. I wanted to give myself to Troj, on our wedding night. It was going to be perfect, just like he’d promised.
I burst into tears and Rogue climbs up the bed and wraps me up in a ball, holding me like she’s sheltering me from the whole world while I sob.
“Where is he?” I manage a little while later, when I finally feel like I’ve got no tears left.
“He’s not dealing with this all too well,” Rogue explains, and I can tell she’s holding back on me.
“I need him,” I admit, hearing the weakness in my voice.
“I know you do, darlin',” Rogue tells me softly, she’s being too kind for her nature and I know something's off. I just can’t stop my eyes closing and my head from switching off again.
