Declan

Chapter Twenty One

Declan ~

Whatever Caleb had given Lexi had knocked her out pretty quickly. She slept most of the day and Declan was thankful that her body was getting the rest it needed.

Only able to fall asleep when she was on her back, Lexi laid as close to Declan as she could and rested her head on his shoulder.

The two slept the day away next to each other making up for the lack of sleep from the night before.

In the late afternoon hours Declan felt Lexi shifting at his side trying to sit up.

"You okay?" Declan asked.

"Yeah, I just need to use the bathroom."

Helping her to her feet and walking beside her across the room, Declan acted as a safety net, but let her maintain her independence.

He leaned against the wall as she closed the bathroom door behind her, staying at the ready to assist if she needed him, but not entering without an invitation.

It had been almost ten minutes and Lexi hadn't come out of the bathroom. In fact Declan couldn't hear any signs of movement at all. The silence was eating at him and he had to break it to make sure she was alright.

"Everything okay in there?" He said at the door.

Silence.

"Lex?"

Torn between invading her privacy and worrying for her safety, Declan pressed the side of his face against the door.

I'll give her a few more seconds then I'm going in.

"Lexi."

One.

"Are you okay in there?"

Two.

The silence was thick and made Declan's stomach churn.

Three

"Lexi answer me."

Four

"Lex answer me now or I'm coming in."

Five

Expecting the worst and pushing the door open Declan's eyes landed on a shirtless Lexi. His NAVY shirt was discarded on the floor and she was standing, frozen in front of the sink mirror.

Her wide eyes were darting from one body part to another as she stared at herself in horror. Her chest was pumping fast, way too fast.

She's going to hyperventilate.

Taking broad slow steps Declan entered the bathroom cautiously not wanting to startle her.

"Lex?" Declan kept his tone low and even.

Completely unfazed by his words, she placed her hands on the sides of the sink, bracing her weight, but didn't acknowledge him in any way.

"Oh my God," she whispered as she dropped her head and started sobbing.

And with that one little phrase, Lexi broke.

The trauma that she had endured was loud and overpowering in the mirror and she was finally able to process and accept what had happened to her.

Her shoulders shook as she wept and let out big gut-wrenching sobs.

It broke every piece of Declan's heart to watch her cry like that, but he knew it was an important part of the healing process. He couldn't intervene and distract her from her emotional pain. She needed to feel the pain and accept it. She had to accept the full weight of what had happened to her, what had been done to her, before she could heal and move on.