What's she Worth to You?

Getting Acquainted

E R I N

I run my thumb over her scabbed knuckles and she looks down.

"I need to ask you something sweetheart," I whisper and she returns her gaze to me.
"Once you get out of here, once you're free to go, I want you to stay with me," I pause, "is that gonna be okay with-" she nods quickly and I smile at her. She looks back at me with bright eyes and for the first time ever, I watch as a small smile paints itself on her lips.
"You're sure?" I ask, trying to draw out a word, yet all she does is nod enthusiastically.
"Okay," I laugh and lean in, giving her a small peck on the forehead.
"I promise I'll keep you safe, babe..." I whisper and she blinks at me, the same small smile spread across her face.

•••

"Okay, so her tests all came back with positive results, she's stable and ready to go," Will smiles at me and gives me a reassuring nod.
"You're gonna do great, Erin, don't worry. She'll be fine." I take a deep breath and nod my head, not even barely hearing what he's saying. I'm so nervous about bringing this girl home, I want everything to go perfectly, and when I say everything, I mean everything. From the ride home to tucking her in and repeat, it has to go according to plan. I just don't want to scare her, I want her to feel safe.

I watch as her figure appears in the doorway. Slowly, yet surely she stumbles over to the car, Nat holding her arm her help lead her.

"Just a little farther, you're doing great," she says supportively and she nods, looking down at the floor to try to keep from falling. Once she reaches the car she holds out her hand and I take it, assisting her to her seat. She's still struggling to walk, even a week later.

"There you go," I whisper as she sits herself down in the passengers seat. I close the door behind her and look to Will.
"Wish me luck," I laugh and he shakes his head.

"You won't need it." He pulls me into a tight hug and I sigh.

"Thank you so much, for everything," I whisper.

"No problem. Now get that girl home." I nod and take a deep breath before walking to the other side of the car and stepping in. I look over to her and smile.

"Comfy?" I ask and she simply nods her head.
"Okay, here we go." I start the car and we're off.

The drive home is completely silent, she doesn't say a word, which can be expected since she still hasn't spoken a word in a week. I turn on the radio and she lays her head back and closes her eyes.

"Do you like that?" I ask, trying to draw something out. "The music?" All I can get is a tired nod and a heavy breath. I smile and reach over to take her small bony hand. She doesn't even react, just continues to lay there, breathing.

We pull up to the house about five minutes later and I pull into the driveway, putting the car on park and taking the keys out of the ignition.

"Wait here and I'll help you out of the car, okay?" She nods shyly and I give her a small smile. "Okay..." I step out of the car and walk back over to her, opening the door and helping her out.
"That's it," I whisper comfortingly as she struggles to find her balance. I watch her eyes widen as she loses her footing and starts to slip, but I hold her arm to keep her steady.
"Hey, you're okay, you're okay," I say trying to calm her down. I put the keys in my bag and slowly lift her off the ground into my arms. She panics at first but I insist that it's okay.
"How about this? Is this better, can I just carry you?" She takes a few deep breaths before nodding.
"Okay," I breathe out and start walking towards the house. I open the door and smile.

"Welcome to your temporary home, sweetheart." I whisper and step inside. I set my bag down in the dining room to the right of the doorway and walk into the kitchen.

I set her down in one of the chairs surrounding the circular tables and walk to the fridge to grab a drink.

"Do you want some-"

"Hey, Er." I turn to see Jay walking down the stairs and smile to myself. I'm excited to be living with him in an actual house where there's more room and to have his help with this girl.

She, on the other hand, was not as excited to see him.

She very audibly gasps and sits up so fast she falls out of her chair and onto the floor, landing with a thud. She gets in kind of a crab walk position and crawls backwards to me, bumping into my legs.

"Are you okay?" I ask concerned and she shakes her head before I've even finished the statement, beginning to tuck herself even  farther away.  I look up and see Jay, quickly understanding what her problem is.
"It's okay honey he won't hurt you," I whisper and she shakes her head again, a terrified expression glued to her face. He steps closer and she grabs hold of my shoe and squeezes it tightly. Jay gives her a sad look and comes down the stairs slowly. Her breathing and gets heavier and she can barely catch up with herself.

"Hey, it's okay," he whispers as he inches into the kitchen.

Why is she so scared of him?

She never had a problem with Will, but I guess he's one of the first people she encountered, but she seems to more scared of Jay than anyone else.

I kneel down next to her and she looks up at me.

"Hey, what are you so scared of?" I whisper and she shifts her eyes towards Jay. I sigh and take her hand, pulling her up. She fights against it but I eventually get her up. She tightens her grip on my hand as he walks closer.

"Hey," he whispers, kneeling down. "I'm not gonna hurt you." She takes a deep breath and presses her lips together. She opens her mouth as if to speak but nothing comes out.

"This is Jay, me and him live together," I start in a whisper, trying not to frighten her. "I promise that you can trust him, he won't hurt you." He gives her a charming smile and extends his hand.

"Jay Halstead, its a pleasure to meet you," he says smoothly. She takes a deep breath and after a moment slowly reaches her hand out and shakes his.

I have a feeling it's going to take her a while to get comfortable...

••••••••••••

Geez, sorry it took so long to update... also, sorry this chapter is kind of all over the place, it's sort of just a place filler I thought I needed to update so here you go😂😂 PLEASE comment your thoughts or ideas I love to hear from yall❤️ I should be updating soon, until then...