Raw Winter

Chapter 16: Surgery

She laid there for a moment, feeling stunned, her head aching especially where Tirenen had squeezed. Everything started out blurry, and she struggled to breathe. Her breaths came ragged and fast and she was so sure Tirenen had killed her and she just wasn't dead yet.

She felt firm hands holding onto her, hushing her as they dragged her closer. She felt confused and scared, but the feeling of being held and supported made breathing easier until she was only softly sobbing, and her eyes focused.

Once she had a sense for where she was and what was happening, she pushed the person holding her away. Charlet grunted, surprised, as he thought she wouldn't after calming down, but then realized she was still far from calm.

"He's going to kill us," Winter told him, her voice shattering with each word. "You convinced me to keep her alive, and he's going to do something horrible to her once he finds her. Nowhere will be safe, not even my stomach. He's going to tear me apart and take her."

"Listen," Charlet told her, his voice soft and reasonable, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Touching seemed as if it was the only way he knew how to comfort someone. "Listen, we have a plan set up just for this, remember? We're going to protect both of you, and we're going to make sure he'll never get to—to her."

"It won't work," she cried. "None of it will work. I got really mad and told Dr. Windwell I didn't need her help. I told her so many terrible things, and she hates me now."

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you," Charlet told her carefully. "You need to calm down and think about this. She's a doctor. She will not abandon you, and she knows why you're so upset about all this. I would be too."

"Would you?" She snapped. "You don't know what it's like to be in my position. You don't know how terrible and scary it is. You've never had to fear Tirenen. There's always been someone protecting you. Nevel thinks I'm just a dumb animal. Not even he will protect me, and he's the one that did this to me."

"That's not true," Charlet said gently, though he really couldn't deny it to himself. "It's just—"

"You're right," Winter snapped. "He didn't do this to me. You did. You brought me here. You let him hurt me after all those years of convincing me I was smart and was going to be worth something. You tricked me. I thought I was going to still be safe when they came back, even when—"

"I warned you it might get worse, but I suppose it will never be enough I simply told you. I should have done more for you. I should have gotten you away before that happened. I could have prevented many things, but I suppose there's not much I can do for you now," he said. "You'll be able to get to the doctor's office?"

"I know I'm unreasonable," she told him. "I know there are all these things going through my body I can't control and I'm taking it out on you."

"I should have made that easier for you. I guess I'll have to figure something out for that," he said. "You can make it to the doctor's office?"

"She's probably still mad at me," she said. "She won't want to talk to me or help me."

"I know she will. She really cares about what happens to you. It's been really hard on both of us because we know there's so little left to do, and it feels endless, but I think it will. I really think this will find a neat and reasonable end. Only, I hope things go better for you than for me."

"You're not going with me?" She said, feeling panic bubbling up in her chest and realized it was a reality she had to face here and now. "After all this time—"

"I have to make sure that no matter what happens, they won't find out where you've been going or know what's happening. If they find out who the doctor is or where the child is, this really will be for nothing. I'm just keeping you and her safe. I didn't do a very good job of it, did I?" He smiled grimly at her, but his face was gaunt. She hadn't realized how haggard he had become.