Is It A Dream?

Don't Hurt Me!

Linda looked at Danny with unshed tears in her normally bright blue eyes. "He...." she hung her head and stuck her hands in the back pockets of the pants Baez let her borrow. "He raped me, Danny."
"What?" The detective took a step closer, "the doctor said you weren't raped. You said you weren't raped. I don't—"
"I lied, Danny. I lied," she took her hands out and shrugged with her arms, letting them land at her sides. "The doctor didn't find anything cause the lady had a rape kit. And every time, they cleaned it up. They didn't- I wasn't-" she sighed, trying to banish the tears. Weakly, she continued, "I wasn't even drugged, Danny. I felt.... felt him... and-" she covered her mouth with her hand.
"Oh, baby." Danny pulled her into a tight hug as she cried. He rubbed her back, not knowing what she must have felt like while they violated her like that. "That's why you wanted to change alone. Oh, honey, I am sooo sorry for you."
She let Danny's strong and warm embrace encase her. Memories of the male perp violating her swarmed her mind. She felt Danny shift against her, which-in his defense-was very innocent, immediately pulling out of his arms.
Danny looked at his wife with an utterly confused expression on his face. There she stood, five feet away, her arms wrapped around herself, looking terrified.
Linda put her hand over her mouth, hating how she thought her husband was dangerous. The impact of her experience had finally hit her- she didn't realize any of it until this moment. She was scared; scared of her husband who would, and could, never harm a hair on her head. She turned to head to the bathroom, forgetting they weren't in their home.
"Linda, what's the matter?" Danny gently touched her shoulder.
"No!" She backed into the wall, "don't touch me!"
The detective furrowed his brow. "What? Linda, you were-"
"No!" She moved away from him when he took a step closer.
"Okay, okay. It's okay," his cop instinct kicked in. He wasn't talking to his wife now- he was talking to a scared victim who he needed to trust him. Holding his palms up to show his friendliness and innocence, he began to speak. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise."
Linda looked at him skeptically, holding her right wrist, as if it were broken, in front of her chest.
"Look? See?" Danny turned around, showing her he had no weapons on his belt. He bent down and showed her nothing was hidden in his socks. "Nothing to hurt you with." He held out his hand, "all I want to do is help you. Lemme comfort you. Please."
Still worried, Linda grabbed his hand. She was pulled into a hug, too forcefully for her liking. With her logical mind gone, she believed she felt something pressing against her. She pulled back again, "don't hurt me!" She grabbed the first item she saw, which was Baez's nightstick.
"Baez!" Danny yelled, admitting to himself that Linda would not respond to him.
"What?" Baez opened the door. "What's with the screaming?"