Wrong Number, Kid

Without Asking

<<Pepper>>
Delilah falls asleep, and I give her a few minutes before having Bruce and Stephen look at her. I keep looking at her to make sure she's asleep, and I hope she won't wake up right now. She's so exhausted, she deserves to rest.

Stephen and Bruce make their way over to us, and start looking at her cuts. Some of them were so deep. I also couldn't help but notice the scars and old cuts that were also present.

They both bandage and stitch all the cuts before making their way out of the room.

"She should be okay," Bruce says. "The cuts that needed stitches should heal up nicely. She'll have scars, but..."

I nod.

"I know, I saw. I don't know what they're from, but I can take a guess. Right now, I can't focus on anything they did to her. I just need to focus on her."

They both nod and leave. I move a blanket on top of Delilah so she doesn't get cold, and start to watch some TV quietly.

***

<<Delilah>>
I can't move. Something is on top of me. It has to be a hundred degrees in here. I'm boiling. Something changes. Now I'm freezing. I just want to be comfortable. Why can't I do anything? What's stopping me? Why can't I hear anything? Why isn't anything happening? Where am I? What's happening?

Something brushes up against my face. Please don't hurt me. I haven't done anything. I don't know anything. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please, no.

My eyes shoot open as I try to see what's going on. I can't see anyone or anything really, but I'm warm. I can't just lay here in my own sweat.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I try to roll away and get up. I fall out of the bed and onto the floor. Where am I? I back up as much as possible, trying to get away from whatever I was just next to. I curl up into a ball, hoping for everything to just go away.

Everything is spinning, and I can't make out anything else that is happening. I see some colors and movement, but nothing is clear, and I don't know why real and what isn't.

"-a. -ila. -elilah. Delilah, sweetheart?" A voice says. "Can you hear me?"

"I don't know anything, I swear. I don't have any information! Please, I don't know anything," I plead.

A hand reaches out and touches my leg. I immediately kick, hoping that whoever is there would just leave me alone.

"Delilah, it's Sam. You're safe. You're not there anymore. No one here is going to hurt you."

I open my eyes and look over at him. At least, I think I'm looking at him. Everything is so blurry, and I can't see where anyone is.

"Delilah, I'm going to reach my hand out and take your hand, okay? Is it okay if I do that?" Mr. Wilson asks.

I nod, still trying to search for anything that I could kind of make out. I feel Mr. Wilson's hand on mine, and I just follow it to him, hoping for some kind of comfort.

<<Sam>>
As soon as I make contact with Delilah, she rushes into me. I accept her small body and just hold her close, knowing that she is having a rough time right now.

I look over at Pepper, and she's looking at Delilah. Her eyes meet mine, and we just share a look of concern. Whatever they did to her has really effected her.