Reach out for me - TNN Story

Chapter 28 - Comfort

Both of them were asleep in the hospital bed, drained from tears being poured from their eyes.
It hurt Autumn to hear the small sniffles and movements from Maeve, how could someone destroy such an innocent soul and take away such an intimate feeling?

Trying to not make any noise, Autumn slowly shifts in her spot and watches her as she sleeps. She watches as Maeve's face contorts in frustration and discomfort.

"Oh Maeve...I will make sure you'll be okay...Mia and Char will be here soon. We'll take care of you." Autumn holds Maeve's hand still and tries to soothe her and in the meantime she tries to search ways to best support Maeve. Autumn felt really bad that she didn't find her sooner, could she have really prevented that outcome?

Autumn continued to watch over Maeve to make sure she doesn't hurt herself or get disturbed. Autumn looks back at the clock and she then feels Maeve cling to Autumn's arm nestling next to her, she thought Maeve was asleep so she turned to leave to go to the toilet. "No..! Don't leave.... Please aut.." Maeve keeps ahold of her arm not wanting to be alone. "I'm going to sign Mia and Char in Maeve alright?.. I won't be long" Autumn kisses the top of Maeve's forehead and leaves to get Mia, Marj and Char.

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Maeve felt lost and alone. She was alone when she was attacked and the thought of just being alone right now absolutely kills her.

She could slightly breathe now knowing Mia and Charlotte would be coming soon, however she still had that gouging feeling snap across her abdomen. Could she ever be free?
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Mia and Charlotte ran to the front desk, desperate to make sure Maeve is finally okay.
"Hi hi what room is Maeve Montgomery in?!" This time it was Mia not being collected with her thoughts and emotions. "Room 24-" the nurse calls out and Autumn runs into them.

"Autumn thank god take us there now!" Mia frantically gathers herself running with Autumn, Charlotte wanted to run but her stomach cramp enabled her but she sped walked with them.

Mia was about to burst the door down when Autumn stopped her, "She'll look rough okay?..don't pester too hard on questions. When she was asleep the nurse came around and-" Mia cuts her off, "And what?.." "And because of the injuries they decided.......to do a rape kit." Autumn finishes to catch her breath. As In that moment Mia feels her breath rattle along her lungs and Charlotte deeply sigh. Danger and fear loomed closer. Regaining her composure Autumn sucks a breath and continues."They found... well they found pods of dna on her...Nick Giavanni" it made Autumn shudder at the thought that he would actually be capable and go through with it. Though she knew his old tenuous habits and knew he wouldn't have "resolved it" when he promised Maeve. Men never changed.

They walked into the room with Autumn leading them in, Maeve was sat on her hospital bed running her fingers over the raised scars and marks, examining the bruises he left imprinted on her body. It made her feel ill.... That night she only wanted to do was go home and sleep in the safety net of her girlfriends... even then she didn't do, instead just that weight ripped her life.

"Oh sweetheart...." Mia swallows as she walks across to her left side and holds her hand. It broke Mia and Charlotte to see her like that, she was normally always so happy and bouncing with passion yet now she was sunken in emotion. "I'm sorry....I'm so sorry.. I-I didn't want it I swear.......he was too big a-and the brute force he charged oh I didn't want it..." Maeve sobs grabbing Mia and pulling her on the bed, nuzzling her teary face in again. The room just fell down with broken sobs, Autumn and Marjorie were glancing at one another as Reece sat in the corner, watching. "We know you didn't...baby it's okay...." Charlotte soothes and sits on the other side of Maeve, they're lucky the bed is so big. Maeve's eyes darted to Autumn's, she felt responsible for the pain she caused Autumn, finding her like that, "He wanted to show me what I'm missing........he raped me" Maeve hushed as the images and pain taunted her head playing games with her mind.

Autumn's POV:
It was deafening to say the least, finding your best friend who's more like a sister broken on the side of the road, with no sense of dignity left. It hurt me when I went closer to hope it was her, yet I didn't hope anymore when I saw the state she was in, he hurt her.

I remember in the ambulance my head filled with the images of what may have happened, disturbing images pounded my head and the screams were deafening. Then seeing her get wheeled into surgery to fix her foot made me want to throw up, how could someone be so monstrous to someone so pure? I asked myself this question many times a day. It hurt like hell.

When I first heard her come back I heard a rattled scream ache from her heart, she looked at me with pleading eyes and I rushed to her. They'd readjusted her foot to put it back in the right place and her face dawned the agony. I blamed myself so much, I could have given or stayed back with her, it wouldn't have happened.

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I remember when we talked to each other, "Autie please...don't leave..." she had muttered to me she had a little mirror to look at herself and she was looking at her injuries, "I won't leave Maeve...let me help you" I had walked over to her helping her with anything and everything, she looked up and me and she waited. I looked at her and waited, "A-Are those my X-rays?...I want to see them... let me see them"  she croaked her voice wavered as she reached to them. I sighed, "would you want to see them?.. I don't want you to be..." "I want to see them.." she replied and I handed her the X-rays nervously my hand shook. I watched as her eyes glassed over with tears flicking through them, I had hurt me to see this I cried watching it.

"He broke me....Nick broke me.." I yet again watched the cogs turn around in her head, "what's wrong?" "Because he....inside me there'll be a chance...I'm pregnant with my abusers child." She sobbed and I wrapped my arms around her, god the pain. I knew that it was hard to carry a baby then loose her.. but to have to carry a reminder of your attacker? That hurt.
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My attention was called back when I felt an arm graze mine and tap me, "Autumn...thank you. You have been so kind and helpful to Maeve..go home to your husband and child...go and rest" Charlotte smiled at me and reassured me that it would be fine, "No I'm fine... I want to make sure she's safe.." I mutter wringing my hands together, "She's been safe with you, but you need to get rest tomorrow you have work... Maeve will be okay..okay?" She smiles and I can't help but break into her arms, I hurt to see her like it. Hurt.

"Go home Aut, how about we send you updates?" Mia questions looking up at me with sympathy, still stroking Maeve's hair as she is soothed and Asleep. "Just give me updates...please" I ask and grab my coat and bag. "Me and Marjorie will drive you home, let's give them some space Gorgeous" Reece nods and warmly smiles walking out with me and Marjorie.
——— 3 weeks Later( out of hospital) ———
Maeve had been out of the nursery for a while, trying to recover from what happened and she found it useful with therapy, although she hated rehashing the memories all over again.

Her bruises on her body had gone down and were slightly less visible than they were before, her ankle cast was also off, only now supporting a brace for her ankle. Tomorrow she was expected back at the nursery, she was quite nervous to go back and many times she'd talk about this to Mia and Charlotte about her concerns. Maeve didn't know what to expect when she returned, Mia and Charlotte had told her what the parents were theorising about Maeve: she was dead, she was fired from the nursery. Maeve even recalled Charlotte telling her a mother thought she was pregnant. As if.... Maeve thought. She couldn't be? Could she really be pregnant? She had felt sick for a while now but ignored it.

It was Monday night, Mia and Charlotte are in work which left Maeve.. in the dark of her bedroom curled up in a ball... she had another nightmare, like many before but she gagged for air afterwords. When would it stop?

She led in bed not hearing the door open and curled up, the bed dipped and noticed her silently asleep. "Love you sweetheart" Mia cuddles up to her Charlotte in the other side. Falling asleep.

A/N - sorry if this is bad but I am going to publish this now as I'm out for my young writers awards and hopefully write more the way there.

Love you all :))