Safer With A Ghost | Simon "Ghost" Riley

Chapter 12

The Next Morning

Ghost's POV

When he woke up, Ghost went straight to Ivy's room. He knocked softly, and heard Valeria respond, "Come in." When he opened the door, he saw Valeria at Ivy's bedside while she slept. "How is she?" Ghost whispered to not wake Ivy. "She's exhausted. She was screaming in her sleep." Ivy's eyes slowly opened. Valeria bent over her, "buen dis." Ivy smiled weakly, "Good morning Valeria." then looked at Ghost. "Good morning." "Good morning Ivy."

Valeria patted Ghost on the shoulder, smiled at Ivy and left the room, closing the door behind her. Ghost sat on his heels by Ivy's bed. "How do you feel, love?" he asked as he grabbed her hand. "Tired mostly. And disgusting. I haven't showered yet. Can you ask Rudy if I can take a bath?" "Yeah, I'll be right back." Ghost kissed her head and walked out of the room.

Once downstairs, Ghost found Rudy in the kitchen. "Morning Rudy, Ivy wants to know if she can shower?" "Uh.." he looked at Valeria, "did you do a kit yesterday?" Valeria shook her head and Rudy turned back to Ghost, "Not yet. Let me go talk to her."

Walking upstairs felt grim, the conversation he had to have with Ivy was going to be difficult. Once he reached the top of the stairs he hesitated to get ahold of his emotions and made his way to Ivy's room. Walking in he looked at Ivy sitting up in her bed with her knees at her chest. He smiled gently, "Good morning, Ivy." Ivy returned a tired smile, "Morning Rudy, can I take a bath?" Rudy slowly walked to her bed and sat at the bottom. Clearing his throat he spoke cautiously, looking down at his hands, "Yesterday when Valeria checked for lacerations, she didn't do an assault kit." He saw Ivy tense her face, "Rudy.. I-I don't want.." Her cries cut her off. Rudy got closer to Ivy and grabbed her hand. "I know this is tough, fucking tough. If we do it, it'll be used for evidence if it shows anything. But you don't have to do it." Ivy looked at Rudy through the tears in her eyes, "Will it take long?" Rudy shook his head. "Okay... then I can take a bath?" Rudy squeezed her hand, "Of course, mija. Let me go get Valeria."

Ghost's POV

Rudy came downstairs and called for Valeria. Ghost looked at Rudy, worried, "What's going on?" "Ghost, we have to do an assault kit on Ivy." Ghost blinked in disbelief and furrowed his brow. "What?" Before Rudy could answer, Valeria spoke, "Do we have one?" Rudy shook his head, "No but we have supplies that can substitute for it, I'm sure." "Do you have to do that?" Ghost asked slightly angry. Valeria walked towards Rudy before turning to Ghost, "It'll get evidence to convict him. It's going to be distressing for her, so she's gonna need you after we're done." As Valeria and Rudy walked upstairs, Ghost followed lost in his thoughts.

As Ghost stood upstairs outside the door to Ivy's room, he heard Ivy crying. The sound of her cries made him feel an unbearable amount of guilt. Soap walked upstairs, "You okay, Lt.?" "As okay as I can be Johnny." He responded with a trembling tone. Soap stood next to him for support and if he needed to talk. Ghost heard Ivy yell out and went to walk into the room before Soap stopped him, "Not yet." "How am I supposed to sit out here and do nothing?"

After Ghost waited in misery with Soap for a while, the door finally opened, and Rudy and Valeria walked out. Rudy put his hands up in front of Ghost, "Give her a minute, then she can shower." Ghost nodded. Soap, Valeria and Rudy walked downstairs.

Ghost waited outside the bedroom as he gathered his thoughts, not knowing what to say to Ivy. What do I say to her? What did I need to hear? He sighed as he entered the room, he saw Ivy in a fetal position on her bed and rushed over to her as calmly as he could. "Ivory..." his voice shuddered as he stroked her head. Ivy sobbed, "I'm sorry Simon." Shocked at her apology, he stood up and gently lifted her up, laying her on his lap. "You have nothing to apologize for, love." Ghost told her softly. "None of this is your fault, and you didn't deserve it."

Holding Ivy while she cried made him feel helpless. He could keep her safe but what is he supposed to do when he couldn't? He was clueless and it broke his heart she was broken the way he was years before. All he knew was hold her and let her cry. The more Ivy sobbed the more he wanted Graves dead.

Not only did he assault her, but he tortured her, too. And though he didn't know the details, her body showed how much she had been through.

After it seemed like Ivy was calming down, she looked up at Ghost. "Can you help me take a bath?" Ghost nodded, "of course." Ivy painfully stood up off the bed with Ghost supporting her by her hand and stood up behind her. She trembled as she attempted to walk, Ghost catching her. Ivy leaned back into Ghost. "Simon, I can't do this." "Do you want me to carry you?" Ivy nodded weakly. Ghost lifted her gently and Ivy wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Once in the bathroom, Ghost set Ivy down on the side of the bathtub so he could prepare the bath for her. After turning the water on and adjusting it to Ivy's preference, Ghost kneeled in front of her. "Can you undress?" Ivy weakly attempted to take off her shirt, but her arms shook feebly and dropped back down to her lap. "I'll help you, love." Ghost stood up and lifted her shirt over her head, exposing more bruises and fresh and old injuries and burns. Some bruises were barely noticeable, but others were sizeable like the ones on her ribs, no doubt from being kicked or hit with a closed fist. Ghost's blood boiled but reached a boiling point when he saw what looked like teeth marks on her collar bone but hid his anger from Ivy. He held his hands out for her to stand, "Lean on me if you need to." He carefully bent down and took off the pajama shorts she wore. "Is it okay if I take those off to?" Ghost asked, pointing at the bra and underwear that remained. Ivy nodded faintly. "Okay, remember to lean on me." And Ivy did. Ghost cautiously took them off, Ivy flinching slightly. He wasn't sure if it was it from pain or trauma, both filled his anger. Once she was undressed Ghost helped her into the bath water, lowering her slowly. Ivy spoke gently, "Thank you Simon." Blinking and nodding his head slightly, he held back tears.