Wren

S. Part 18

Wren took the scissors from Leo, who turned away. 

Wren carefully cut away Sophie's tattered shirt, dropping the scraps into a bin Leo had given him. He felt hot tears drip down his cheeks as he saw the stitches covering her chest, arms, ribs, and stomach. He gingerly lifted each arm and slipped her into a loose t-shirt he'd brought down from her room. 

"Here, let's get all this blood off." Leo handed Wren a rag as he set a bowl of warm water on a tray between them. "I'll do Matteo, you do Sophie."

Wren nodded, swiping his arm across his eyes as he dipped the rag into the water. He started with her face, gently wetting the dried blood until it would come off. 

A knock sounded on the door, and when he turned, Eden was standing there. She'd been given some of Sophie's clothes for now, and had cleaned up and eaten. She rushed over to the bedside, eyes wide and chin trembling. "Is she okay?" she glanced at Matteo. "And what about him?"

"Calm down, sweetheart." Leo soothed, making way so Eden could be close to Sophie. "They'll be okay, they just need to rest. How are you feeling?" 

"I'm fine, but-- she's so hurt--" Eden breathed as she saw the stitched cuts that covered Sophie's upper body. "She wasn't like that when I was with her last--"

"I'm assuming it was Elena's rage after you escaped. . . and this was the punishment." Leo whispered, gazing over from where he was cleaning dirt from Matteo's hands. 

Eden's eyes welled with tears as she took Sophie's limp hand in hers, squeezing it tight. "I can't believe how amazing she was, though." she whispered. "She protected me the whole time, and didn't seem to even care that they were hurting her."

Wren wiped his eyes on his sleeve, sniffling. 

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Wren flopped down in one of the plush armchairs in the infirmary, exhausted. 

The verdict was that Sophie had two broken ribs, the gashes all over her body, torn flesh on her calves from what Eden had said was a cane or whip, and severe dehydration. Not to mention the bruising from the beating after they'd managed to escape.

Matteo had been stabbed in the abdomen, but the vest he'd been wearing had kept the knife from doing too much damage. Leo expected him to wake up sooner than Sophie.

Wren had finally been able to convince Eden to go to her room and get some sleep, and now that Sophie and Matteo were settled for the time being, he could close his eyes for a few minutes as well. Leo was out in the house somewhere.

Wren let his eyes drift shut, all the worry and fear he'd felt leaving him reeling. What if Sophie was as traumatized as he had been? What if it took her years to recover, just like it had taken him? He couldn't handle watching his daughter fall apart like that-- he'd fall apart himself.

The infirmary door opened, stirring Wren from his anxiety. Leo came in carrying a tray laden with two bowls of soup, and some crackers. He set the tray down on the counter near Wren, handing him a bowl and spoon.

"Here, you've barely eaten all this time." Leo whispered.

Wren took the bowl, sighing as he placed it in his lap, hands wrapping around the warm sides. He felt a wave of emotion wash over him and couldn't help the tears that started to fall. Leo noticed and crouched in front of him, handing him a tissue. 

"What's the matter?"

"I just-- what if-- what if she goes through what I went through?" Wren tried to quiet his crying, but only choked on the sobs. "What if she's never the same-- if she becomes like me--"

Leo took the soup and set it aside so it didn't spill, then took Wren's hands in his. "I know that's all you can think right now-- you're her parent and any parent would only be filled with worry." He sighed, looking up at Wren's tearstained cheeks. "But in Sophie's case, I think it's unnecessary." he laughed a little. "She's tough as nails. She knew what she was doing, and she completed her goal of keeping Eden safe. So I'm sure she'll recover just fine."

Wren smiled, tears dripping from his eyes as he nodded. Leo was right.

Sophie would pull through this, unscathed.

                  Part 19 Coming Soon