Gracie Dutton

11

Gracie slowly blinked, her eyelids feeling so heavy as she tried to adjust to the sunlight coming through her bedroom curtains. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember how she got in her bed. "Gracie?" The voice of her grandfather filled the bedroom. She slowly turned her head and found him sitting on her desk chair, watching her closely. When he saw she truly was awake, he stood and walked over to her bedside. "Hey, honey. Take it easy, alright?" He was worried about her. Gracie just looked up at him silently, not having the urge to speak. John walked over to her bedroom door and hollered down for Beth to come up. Gracie silently watched him, remembering that she had been sitting on the porch with him at night. She didn't know when exactly that was and she wasn't quite sure if that had actually happened or not, her brain foggy. Beth walked into the room, heading straight to Gracie. "Mom," Gracie mumbled. Gracie felt her thoughts go silent at the sight of her mother. She relaxed when she felt Beth's hand carefully stroke her hair. "How are you feeling?" She asked. Gracie just shrugged. She honestly felt like shit, but she didn't have it in her to elaborate. Beth gave Gracie a small smile. "How about you drink some water?" She asked. John came over and helped Gracie sit back against the pillows before Beth held the cup so Gracie could drink from the straw. Her body felt so sore and heavy. Gracie finished the water and leaned her head back. She closed her eyes. "Hey," Beth said with a concerned urgency. She grabbed Gracie's hand. Gracie slowly peeked up at Beth. "You had us all worried. You passed out, baby. You've been asleep for a few days." Gracie looked up at her with a puzzled expression. She didn't understand. "You're okay though," Beth added wanting soothe Gracie's confusion. Gracie slowly reached up touched the side of her head where her stitches were, feeling pain in her head. "Daddy, go tell Gator to make her a smoothie and grab her some medicine." John nodded and left the room. "Where's dad?" She asked quietly. Beth smiled gently at Gracie. "He's working. Do you want me to call him?" Gracie shook her head. "That's okay. I'll see him later." Beth frowned slightly but nodded. "Alright. Do you feel up to taking a bath in a little bit?" Gracie looked down and saw some of the bruises healing on her arms, her memory fading to those four days she was taken. "Sure," she whispered and slumped back against the pillows. Beth was so worried about her as they never got to talk about what happened to them at the office and then she was taken. Beth was worried about how Gracie was going to heal from each thing. "I just want to let you know that I love you and you can always talk to me." Gracie just nodded, not comprehending what Beth was implying. "Love you too," she mumbled and gazed out her window. She couldn't help but wonder where Ryan was. She remembered that he had come up when she was on the porch with John, but she didn't remember anything after that. John came back in with a smoothie and her medication. "Here, honey," he said and handed the glass to Gracie. She took it and slowly sipped through the straw. She sat in silence while she drank the smoothie, Beth and John making small talk between themselves. When Gracie finished Beth gave her the medicine. She laid back down against the pillows and looked at John. "Did you kill them?" She asked bluntly. Both John and Beth were thrown off by Gracie's question. John cleared his throat before he sat down on the bed next to Gracie. "Now Gracie, those men aren't something you need to worry about anymore, alright?" Gracie gazed up at him with tired eyes. "The world is full of more men just like those ones and they will keep coming until they get what they want." John sighed and gently cupped Gracie's cheek. "You may be right, but I will promise you this: I as well as your mom and dad will do whatever it takes to make sure no one hurts you again." Gracie reached up and held John's wrist. "Don't make promises you can't keep," she whispered and pulled his hand away from her cheek. John's face showed that of hurt and guilt. "I'm sorry, baby," he whispered. The guilt was still eating him alive. Beth felt her eyes water listening to Gracie's outlook on life now. Her fear was coming to life: Gracie turning hard because of the trauma she suffered. Something Beth never wanted for her child. Gracie sighed and turned her head to rest on the pillow. She looked over at her mother, seeing the tears in her eyes. Gracie's heart panged at seeing her mother so vulnerable but the medication was kicking in and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. "Get some sleep," John encouraged as he bent down and placed a kiss to her head. Gracie gave in and closed her eyes, falling into a fearful dream.
***
When Gracie woke up once again, she was alone. She sighed and slowly sat up. It was still light outside. She looked over at her bedside clock to see it was around three in the afternoon. She looked around her room before deciding to get up and use the restroom. She slowly moved her legs and scooted to the edge of the bed. She was feeling better after eating and taking her medicine but was still sore. She took a deep breath before pushing herself up to stand. As she did, her bedroom door opened to reveal Rip. "Gracie, what are you doing?" He asked worried. She slowly turned to look at him. "I have to go to the bathroom," she said. "Do you want me to get Beth?" He asked. Gracie shook her head. "I'm okay," she told him. She took a few steps, her legs feeling a little wobbly. Rip watched her with a concerned look. "Are you sure?" He asked. "I'm sure." Gracie made it to the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind her. Rip went downstairs to tell Beth that Gracie was up and moving around. Gracie did her business then left the bathroom to see Beth sitting on her bed waiting for her. "How are you feeling?" Beth asked. Gracie was tired of being asked that. "Can you run me a bath please?" Gracie asked instead. Beth nodded and got up, walking past Gracie into the bathroom to turn the tub on. Gracie went and locked her bedroom door before stepping back into the bathroom. "Do you need help?" Beth asked as she turned the water off. Gracie nodded and looked at her mother nervously. "Okay. Take your time. You're okay." Beth could feel the nerves radiating off of Gracie. Gracie slowly undressed before Beth helped her climb into the tub. Beth knelt down outside the tub and got Gracie's hair wet. Gracie closed her eyes as her mother washed her hair. The small act healed a part of Beth that she didn't know she needed. Beth was sad that she had missed out on these little things that a mother does for her children. After Gracie's bath, she sat in her robe as Beth brushed through and dried her hair. Gracie felt better now that she was cleaned and she felt like she had washed off parts of what those men had done to her. Beth helped her change into a pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt. "Are you hungry? I'm sure dinner is ready." Gracie nodded and followed her mother down to the dining room. Kayce smiled when he saw Gracie. "Hey, G. How are you feeling?" He stood up from his seat. "I'm okay," she replied and let Kayce hug her. She walked over to her seat and sat down beside her dad. Rip reached over and cupped the back of her head gently before he leaned over and placed a kiss against the side of her head. Gracie felt better being surrounded by her family, but she couldn't help but have this urge to run away and just hide. She sighed to herself and drank some water. She knew she had a lot to work through, but at the same time, she wanted to compartmentalize it in her brain and lock it away, to never think about again. Gator made some mashed potatoes as a side, the only thing Gracie ate since it was soft for her still sore jaw and she was getting reintroduced to solid food after not eating in so long. She ate silently, ignoring the conversation going on around her. She was done eating before everyone else, her appetite not very big. She leaned back in her chair as she drank her water. Her eyes widened in surprise at Jamie walking in. "I withdrew from the race," he said. John told him to sit down and join them. Jamie knew what happened to Gracie, but he hadn't seen her since she got home. He glanced at him with a concerned look. He felt bad that she had to pay the price for her parents actions. Beth glared at him. "Stop staring at my daughter," she ordered. Kayce looked at his brother. "Where the hell have you been?" He asked. Beth started laughing. Gracie and Rip just watched the exchange silently while John looked around the table. He got up and walked outside. Gracie noticed and followed after him. John heard footsteps approaching behind him and knew who it was. "Your grandmother would be so disappointed if she was here to see this," he said. "But she's not. Even if she was here, our lives probably would not be much different." John sighed and looked over at Gracie. "When did you become so wise?" He smiled sadly. Gracie shrugged. "Probably somewhere between watching my mother's assistant get shot in the head and being chained like a dog for four days." John grimaced at her harsh answer. "I'm sorry, Grace." John cupped her face. "Please stop apologizing. It doesn't change anything." John stared into her eyes. "What did they do to you?" He asked. Gracie swallowed hard upon hearing that question. "I can't," she confessed and backed away from him. "Gracie," John pleaded but she quickly went back into the house and up to her room. Beth heard the sound of a door slam and looked at Rip worried. Rip stood up but Jamie stood at the same time. "C-can I talk to her?" Jamie asked. Rip stared hard at the man before him. "You're funny if you think I am letting you in a room alone with my daughter." Rip pushed past Jamie and upstairs to Gracie's room. He gently knocked on her door and peeked in to find her sitting in bed, her body shaking as tears rolled down her face. Rip rushed over to her. "Gracie, darlin, what's wrong?" He asked as he sat on the edge of her bed. Rip gently rested his hands on her shoulders. "I-I can't.." she pleaded to her father but he just looked at her confused. "You can't do what, baby?" He asked. Gracie leaned forward, her head resting against his chest as she cried. Rip cupped the back of her neck and held her. "It's okay, Gracie," he soothed. Down in the dining room, Beth was ready to kill Jamie. "Why the fuck do you think she would want to talk to you?! After everything she has been through! You've done more than enough, Jamie! You fucking bastard!" Beth was rounding the table towards Jamie but Kayce quickly stood in front of Beth and held her arms. "Beth, this ain't the time. Go upstairs to Gracie." Kayce looked into Beth's eyes pleadingly. She let out an aggravated sigh and glared daggers at Jamie. "This will never be over." She stormed out of the dining room and forced herself to cool off as she trudged up the stairs. She took a deep breath before stepping into her daughters room. The sight of the two of them broke her heart. "What happened?" She asked Rip as her eyes dashed from Gracie to her husband. "I don't know." Beth sat down on the bed and grabbed Gracie's hand. "Honey, what's wrong?" She asked softly. Gracie lifted her head to look at her mother, her eyes wild. She started frantically shaking her head. "Please, I can't!" She begged as her chest started rapidly rising and falling. Beth looked at Gracie concerned. "Baby, what are you talking about?" Beth grabbed Gracie's shoulders, trying to calm her. Gracie felt the panic consume her and was finding it hard to breathe. She started clutching at her shirt as tears streamed down her face. She just kept shaking her head. "Rip, get her some water!" Beth panicked and cupped her daughters face. "Grace, look at me!" Gracie's eyes flew to her mother's and Beth quickly pulled Gracie into her arms. "Shhhh, just breathe. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, baby." She rocked Gracie slowly. The sound of Beth's heartbeat as well as feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest helped anchor Gracie and calm her down. She slumped in her mother's arms exhausted. She whimpered and clutched the material of Beth's shirt. Rip came back with a glass of water for her. Gracie sipped on it. She looked at Beth. "Grandpa wanted me to tell him what...what they did to me..." her bottom lip quivered and she tightly shut her eyes, willing the memories to go away. Beth felt angry at her father for pushing her, but knew that Gracie needed to come to terms with what happened, but when she was ready. Beth laid her hand on Gracie's leg. "I'm sorry he asked you that. You know he's just worried about you and is trying to help. I'll have a talk with him. You don't have to talk about anything unless you're ready to, okay?" Gracie nodded feeling better hearing that from her mother, but she didn't know if she would ever be ready. "Can you lay with me until I fall asleep?" She asked her mother. It embarrassed Gracie to know that she was 21 years old and asking her mom to lay with her, but she was terrified of being alone in the dark, never knowing what memories her brain would reenact. "Of course, baby." Beth laid beside her, Rip kissing them both on the head before retiring to him and Beth's bedroom.