Her only hope

Part 2 - Vigilante

He'd watched her fall in and out of sleep, eyes twitching and mumbling things from her lips, his hand touching the side of her face as he made it down her neck. Why? Why would someone do this to her - to anyone for that matter? What made people drop to the lowest of decisions to purposely ruin another person's life?  Stevie had gone through so much in her's and this would most definitely be the icing on the cake, never to have happened before, and though there were times when Lindsey felt men would take advantage of her - at least he had known she had consented to it.

His phone went off on the nightstand, grabbing for it before it could wake her, seeing that it was his wife. He had told her he would call but it was now evening and he hadn't, realizing his mistake as he answered softly. "Hey, honey, I am with Stevie right now - she is asleep and seems to be doing well... Yeah, she..." taking a sigh as he looked at her still sleeping peacefully, standing up to walk in to her closet, closing the door. "Kristen, I've never seen her like this; she's as if as vulnerable as a child. She's terrified of everything around her and I'm the only person that she wants around - if I even dare start to leave the room, she cries, so I don't know what to do... Of course I know I can't stay here all night but I have to get her to realize that she's safe with out me, that I won't be gone long if I leave... I can't say, she's sleeping now but I will need my medication sooner or later - I may have to have you drop it off... I'm sorry if that interferes with that, I wouldn't want to ruin that girl's night for you. Why don't you drop the girls off here with some of my things then go to the party? At least you can go out."

After a few more minutes of conversing, Lindsey hung up, talking Kristen in to packing him a bag and dropping the girls off with him for the night. He honestly felt as if he couldn't leave, not yet anyway...

When he received the text that his wife and girls were outside the gate, Lindsey quietly left Stevie's room to open it for them, greeting them all with hugs as he had to inform the girls that there would be no way to see Stevie tonight. He actually wasn't sure when they could see her, if Stevie wanted any outside company at all, but he didn't make it seem impossible. "I'm sorry, ladies, Stevie is not feeling well."

"She's sick? I can make her feel better," said Stella as Lindsey grinned.

"I know you can, sweetie, but this time it's not going to be that easy."

"Will she be okay?" asked LeeLee while her father nodded.

"I think so, I don't see why not but it may take a while."

"What happened?"

"It's hard to explain, I will pull the two of you in for a talk when the time is right, but for now - I want you to head up to the room you normally would use and make sure to stay quiet," ordered their father as they nodded and made their way inside, Lindsey turning to his wife.

"Are they going to be able to find who did this?" Kristen asked, taking her husband's hands.

"I don't know, the rape kit had showed mixed semen and it's being analyed..." shaking his head as he stared off in the distance. "I've never felt helpless, you know? I mean, I've been able to help her before but this is beyond my knowledge."

"You're a good friend, Lindsey, and she needs that right now but please don't get yourself so wrapped up in it that you don't come back."

"Like I said, I don't know how long I will be here and I wasn't planning on it until I made a promise not to leave -"

"Lindsey! Lindsey, you have to come quick!" Karen opened the front door as he quickly turned to run back inside, hearing Stevie's screams as he raced up the stairs to her bedroom, Stevie reaching for him.