A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Ten

Content Warning: The aftermath of rape.

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Mina couldn't stop shaking. She'd pulled herself into the corner on the bed furthest from the door. It had felt like Aldrik had been gone for hours in spite of it only being maybe a half an hour at best. She could still feel the man's hands on her. Still feel his breath near her face. She could feel how her clothes had been tugged off.

The sobs had faded away, but the tears were still falling. Her head pounded — possibly from the crying; possibly from the drug that she'd been given; possibly from the abuse that she'd endured. The possibilities seemed brutally endless.

Her chin began to quiver as she thought about Roland. How could her fiancé ever accept her after this? How could she possibly tell him? Her hand found its way to her scalp. She put pressure on it as she gripped her hair near the roots and just held the grip. The pain held a level of comfort.

Her breathing had increased as the door squeaked open. Within seconds a dog had jumped on the bed next to her, curling up in a ball as if there to protect her. She stared at its dull black and reddish colored fur, before pulling her gaze up to the door. Her heart pounded as Aldrik stared back at her with an officer and the man that had assaulted her.

He pushed the door open more before hesitating. He turned to the officer. "You have seen her. Can I help her get proper before you question her?"

Mina looked between the wide-eyed officer and Aldrik, uncertain what the answer would be. She didn't breathe a word. Wasn't sure if she even truly cared that they were standing there in front of her.

"We'll stand out here and wait." The officer confirmed the request.

Nodding, Aldrik came into the room and slowly closed the door. She could see him struggling for words as he swallowed before addressing her. "Oh, Mina."

She watched him walk to the bed and kneel down beside it. "Tell me what I can do." His eyes held the genuine desire to help her. Just as hurt as she was sure her eyes revealed.

Half-heartedly, she shrugged, biting her lip to keep from crying harder. She gripped the sheets tighter between her fingers.

"Can you stand?" His words came out in complete hesitation, as if ashamed to even ask her.

"I...I do not know..." She barely could speak. She hadn't tried to move around much. She'd been frozen in her spot too ashamed and embarrassed to even consider moving.

"The officer will wait for us, but he needs you to verify that that is the man that hurt you. He needs to hear your testimony." Reaching out, he waited for her to give him her hand. He didn't pull back when she hesitated, he just waited patiently.

That gesture alone just about sent Mina into a tizzy of tears. She bit her lip harder until she could taste blood. She reached her shaking hand out to his, allowing him to cradle it within the palms of his own hands.

"Do you need my help putting on something proper? I can stand facing the door if that is what you need. I will not leave you alone, Mina." He patiently waited for further instruction, willing to do whatever necessary to help her.

Swallowing hard, another tear slipped down her cheek. "I ne— I need help." The shame echoed through her cracked voice. She couldn't bear to make eye contact with him. She could see the shadow of him nodding.

Watching him, Mina could see Aldrik pick up her torn clothes. He glanced over at her, holding them up. "I will make something work. I won't let you face them in nothing. It will be okay."

The man pulled her unripped stockings off of the pile. Out of all the things that hadn't been torn, the hideous things had made it unscathed. He laid them on the bed, beginning to rip away the layers of shirts he had on. He pulled off a long, tucked in tunic, tossing it on the stockings. He pulled back on his layers and faced her. "This will work until we can get you something more suitable."

Mina nodded, appreciative of her friend's generosity. She couldn't help but notice the complete difference he was in comparison to the man that had assaulted her. She watched him crawl onto the bed with the tunic.

"Tell me if I am hurting you, okay?" He didn't budge until she nodded her agreement. As soon as she did he slipped the tunic over her head and waited for her to move her arms away from the sheet. He helped her pull them through the sleeves.

Mina couldn't help but feel the exhaustion coursing through her body. She could barely lift her arms, let alone pull them through the sleeves without help. She watched Aldrik keep the sheet around her waist as he pushed it off of her legs. She couldn't miss the tear fall from his face as he pulled the stockings over her bruised legs. She appreciated his gentleness. Especially as he worked his way further up reminding her of the soreness that stiffened her body.

"Come here, Mina." He got off the bed and waited for her to inch closer.

Every movement hurt. It burned bringing herself to the edge of that bed. Tears slid from her blue eyes, now dull from the brutality she'd endured. As soon as she made it to the bed edge, Aldrik reached down and pulled the stockings up under the tunic. Not only had he been gentle, he'd been careful not to see anything that wasn't meant for his gaze. The gesture meant more than he could possibly know. He treated her as if she deserved just as much respect as before being revealed to someone else.

Smoothly, he picked her up and held her in his arms. "Are you ready for this, baby girl?"

Shaking her head, Mina sighed. "I will be."

He didn't look at all ready to let the wolves into the room, but they needed to get this over with. Carefully, he reached for the door making sure he didn't bump her. True to their word, the officer and guilty party were still standing right where they had been left. "You can speak with her now."

The officer nodded, pushing the man into the room. Mina could barely look at either of them. Weakness enveloped her. Her testimony was brutally pried from her lips. Seeing the man that did the horrible acts steeled her in a way that she wasn't sure how to describe. She didn't shed a tear, only focused on where she was going from this point on. Where this would lead her. Her path forward looked bleak.