reunion 🫶🏼 ∙ 𝗿𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗼𝘄

𝟭𝟮 - 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗺𝗲

SOPHIE

⚠️ mentions of sexual harassment and rape in this chapter ⚠️

I woke up at about 3am, sweating and crying. I have had such a broken sleep from continuously waking up throughout the night. I thought I was rid of Adam but I guess not. I'm mostly worried about my parents and my niece, even though I've never met Imogen, I still feel connected to her and as though I need to protect her. I didn't wake Rudy and didn't want to so I decided to go for a run. I got changed into some workout wear that Rudy packed for me, grabbed my airpods and wrote Rudy a note before leaving the hotel room and going on my run. I quickly put on my running playlist (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1gMnXITI1kCqZUkj3EE7m0?si=nFecS_aPTlijiQzJ8xhvbw - this is my running playlist and it's so good) and made my way around Charleston it was so calming and helped stop my overthinking.

I was about 8 miles into my run and it was beginning to get light out so I took a walking break in Hampton park when I heard someone shouting my name. I pressed pause on my music and turned around to see none other than Adam. I was shocked and began to run again, he chased after me and caught up with me quickly. he grabbed my arm and pulled me so I was facing him, "long time no see pumpkin" he said before connecting his lips to my neck and sucking hard. I was taken aback. "p-please stop" I said as I began crying, he slapped me across the face and pushed my head into a street lamp behind us before shouting "you ruined me, now it's my turn" he kept sucking at my neck probably leaving hickeys but I didn't care. I looked around and saw a block of public toilets about 10 meters away. before I could do anything Adam pulled my trousers down and shoved two fingers inside of me roughly. without thinking I kicked him in the balls making him fall to the floor, pulled my trousers up and sprinted to the toilets. I ran into the nearest cubicle and locked the door before calling Rudy.

I was crying softly when Rudy answered the phone, "hey babe, where are you?" he asked "r-rudy, I need help" I answered. you could hear him get out of bed and the worry grow in his voice as he said "okay baby, I'm gonna need you to tell me where you are and what's happened" I took a deep breath, "a-adam. he's here ruds" I whispered cause I was pretty sure adam was still outside and I didn't want to get myself in any more trouble. "he's where sophie? I need to know where you are so I can help you." I can hear him turning on his engine, he's in the car already. "I'm at h-hampton park. in t-the toilets" I'm shaking hard, "okay baby I'm on my way" he tells me and I immediately calm down. I sit on top of the toilet seat and feel something between my legs. I'm bleeding. "r-rudy where are you?" I ask, starting to hyperventilate,  "im nearly there soph, i promise. just keep breathing for me. in and out, in and out." I do as he says and less then five minutes later I hear Adam grunt in pain and Rudy banging on the cubicle door.

rudy breaks down the door and sees me lying on the bathroom floor in obvious pain. i see jd behind him on the phone to someone, hopefully the police. rudy picked me up bridal style and took me out of the cubicle back into the park. he sat me on a bench and held me tightly. "sophie, did he hurt you?" he asks me softly. i turned my neck so he could see the hickeys and then stood up so he could see the rip in my trousers and blood on my pants while slowly nodding. he gasped quietly and I started crying again. i started seeing police arrive and I cried harder. "s-sam" was the only thing i was able to say and luckily rudy knew exactly what I meant. He took out his phone and dialled sams number. he retold everything he knew to sam and the last thing I remember was a police lady walking over to me before everything went black.

RUDY

i had just gotten off the phone with sam. from what i could gather sophie had been raped in some form by adam and I was really worried about her. i could see the fear in her eyes when I got her out of the bathroom cubicle. she had large, dark hickeys down her neck and she was bleeding. she needed medical help but the police department were too busy arresting adam to help her. finally a police lady comes over to assess her damage and she passes out. "GET HER AN AMBULANCE," i shout "PLEASE" two more police officers come over with a stretcher and the police lady tells me to calm down, "I CANT CALM DOWN! PLEASE I CANT LOSE HER AGAIN" i screm. then jd comes and holds me while I cry. finally the ambulance arrives. jd tells me to go with soph and that he'll wait here for sam and then they'll come up to the hospital. so I go and get into the ambulance with the love of my life.

i held sophie's hand for the entire ambulance ride. i was so worried about her. the drive to the hospital only took about 10 minutes but every minute felt like an hour. it was really hard to see the paramedics prodding and poking her but I knew it was what's best for her so I just stayed quiet and gripped her hand tightly. when we got to the hospital, sophie got taken away for a medical assessment, while a nurse came over to me and questioned me on things like her name and age and stuff. "Is she gonna be okay?" i asked, "we're doing everything we can" the nurse replied and I let my head fall into my hands.

not long after she left, jd and sam entered the waiting room. "where is she?" sam said on the verge of tears, "she's just being examined, she's gonna be okay" i said hugging him. "well I've got good news." jd began, "adams been arrested and if we win the court case he should be facing a death sentence." he finished, "don't you mean when we win the court case?" i say, jd was about to reply but we heard, "sophie baker?" and all stood up to go and see my girl.

word count - 1134