The Highest Bidder

❊ Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ Fɪғᴛʏ ❊

I blinked at the physical therapist. For a few weeks, he had been coming into my room and forcing me to move my limbs so I could try and get in control of them again. I could lift my legs off of the bed for a total of ten seconds each and I could move my arms without any issue. I even got to the point that I could push myself into a sitting position.

"You want me to what," I mumbled.

"Walk," he repeated. "I'm going to help you get to your feet and walk."

I glanced at Carmen, who was always in the room when the physical therapist was, just in case something happened. I didn't want to think of what could happen to me that was necessary for a doctor to be in the room.

"And after you walk, I'm going to let you eat." Carmen smiled at me.

About a week and a half after I woke up for the first time, he started me on a liquid diet, then puree. I don't know how he decided when I was ready for each type of food, but it didn't cause too many after effects. I could honestly say that, after I had my first few meals of puree, I didn't allow Enzo in the room because Carmen and the nurse had to change me every hour or so. It was embarrassing, but there was nothing I could do about it without being able to walk.

Enzo glanced at me.

I forced myself into a sitting position before slowly sliding my legs over the side of the bed.

The physical therapist wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me up to my feet. "Take a few steps, Eva."

My legs shook as I moved one foot in front of the other, walking to the wall near the bathroom and back, holding onto my IV pole and trying not to get my wires tangled together. I still had my tube feed in as well as an IV going into my hand, but Carmen had taken off my heart rate monitor about a week before, saying that I was stable enough that I wouldn't need it.

My foot gave out from under me and I fell, but the physical therapist wrapped me tightly against him to keep me from falling. I flinched and clenched my eyes shut, the feel of someone's hands on me bringing me back to the cellar.

"I meant to ask you, Eva." Carmen came over and stood in front of me. I figured it was in hopes that he would distract me. "Did you have any piercings prior to the kidnapping?"

When I was standing straight, I furrowed my eyebrows. "My ears. My belly button. But that's it."

He pursed his lips. "Enzo and Ricky, do you mind giving Eva and I some time? I'll help her back to bed."

Ricky, my physical therapist, tilted his head towards Enzo, silently asking if it would be okay. It wasn't as if they would have much of a choice, seeing as though Carmen wasn't going to tell me anything if they didn't leave.

Enzo didn't budge, so neither did Ricky.

Carmen put his arm around my waist and turned me, giving Enzo a glare. "It wasn't a question, Enzo. I would like to speak with her in private about this before I bring it up to you."

Enzo glanced at me before pushing himself up and out of the chair, signaling for Ricky to leave with him. When the door was closed, Carmen walked me back to the bed and sat me down carefully. He checked my IV and the tube feed, making sure that everything was where it was supposed to be before he sat down beside me on the bed.

"I wasn't sure how to bring this up to you." Carmen sighed and looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Do you know of slave piercings?"

My eyebrows furrowed.

He nodded as if understanding my confusion. "Slave piercings can be found in certain places. The piercings are either found in the nipples, the belly button, the clitoral hood, and the inner and outer labia."