Better Man|| L.H.

Nothing Said

  Luke's POV

  The plane ride felt like days. Seconds felt like hours. Hours felt like days. I couldn't get my phone call with Addy out of my head. It was driving me crazy.

  Addy finally got Ruthie to talk to her. She just keeps repeating 'leave me alone' but it's better than silence I think.

  Almost two days of silence from Ruthie was killing me. I would see her face to face again in just a few hours. I'm so anxious to talk to her and find out the truth.

  If someone had really hurt her the way I think they did, she would never be the same. She wanted to save herself for someone she truly loved and that could have been ripped away from her.

  "Sir, please fasten your seatbelt fit landing." The flight attendant brings me out of my thoughts.

  Ruthie's POV

  All the adrenaline from my body is gone now and all I feel is pain. Bruised spread across my body and I can't even move to clean my self up. Addy has tried multiple times to open the door but I won't let her. I'm too hurt to move and to think. I want Luke here but I dread facing him. I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at another man after this.

  I think whatever I was drugged with is wearing off but I still keep losing consciousness once in a while and every time I'm asleep I'm trapped in the same nightmare.

The sound of a car door slamming and bright sunlight shining through the curtains startled me awake.

"Where is she?" The front door slams and I hear Addy walk down the hallway with someone but I'm still too dazed to figure out what's going on. The ringing in my ears has been content and I only hear parts of conversation.

"She's down the hall in her room. She hasn't opened the door," footsteps come closer to the door and I frantically try to make sense of the situation. Why is there a mans voice in the house?

"Ruthie," Addy knocks on my door softly so I'm not startled, "I have a surprise for you. Can you open the door?"

"Darling, open the door, love." Darling? Luke can't be here. He can't see me like this. I'm broken and I look as bad as I feel. "I missed you. I wanted to see how you are. You haven't talked to me."

"I-" the words won't come out of my mouth. I don't know if I want to see Luke. Am I happy he's here or terrified?

"Just open the door please. You know I'll get it but let's make it easy and you open it for me, yah?"

I carefully sit up and stare at the door. I can't get up and walk . Im too dizzy to even see straight. How do I even know it's really Luke? What if I'm still being drugged?

"No, this can't be real," I feel myself slipping back into unconsciousness again and I can barely get out words.

"Ruthie." The knocking outside my door continues but starts to fade out. "Ruthie, stay with me!"

Luke's POV

"Addy I'm breaking the door down. She needs to get out of here." Ruthie started to sound zoned out. I could still hear the panic in her voice. What if she's scared of me?

I break the hinges off the door and she finally comes into view. There's dried blood on the floor, on the messed up bed sheets, on her clothes. She's balled up in the middle of the bed with bruises and cuts all over her. I run over and finally see her face. She's almost unrecognizable. Her skin is too pale and she's shaking. Words keep coming out of her mouth but I can't make out what she's saying. I don't think she's aware of what's going on.

"Addy, get the car ready. We need to take her to a hospital now. I think she's drugged." I pick her up bridal style and see dried blood on her leg going up her dress that she's probably worn since that night.

"Don't-" Ruthie's eyes open for a split second but she's not fully awake but still mumbling words. "No, don't touch me," and "I'm scared," start to be repeated over and over.

"Shh, darling you'll be ok. One way or another I'll make sure." I kiss her forehead and hold her in my arms while I climb in the back of the car.

  The 10 minute ride to a hospital felt like it oils never end. Ruthie has been out of consciousness since we've been driving still mumbling the same words.

  Addy break me out of my thoughts as we pull up in front of the emergency room. She grabs a blanket from the back to cover Ruthie's legs from her 2 day old dress from exposing anything more. We rush into the building and instantly nurses are surrounding us pushing us towards a private room. I lay Ruthie down and people start working on her.

  "Sure, do you know what happened?"

  "I- um, I think-" I don't finish the sentence. One of the nurses pulled the blanket off from her bottom half and see the brunt of the damage.
Another nurse starts to guide me and Addy our the door but I can't leave her alone like this. Not again. "No! I need to be with her! Stop!"

A doctor comes into view sliding in through the door we are being pushed out of, "Sir, she's in good hands. I promise. One of the nurses is going to take you into a waiting area so we can get all the right information, ok?"

  "Why can't we stay with her?" Addy has been pretty silent the entire time but I know she wants to stay just as bad as I do.

  "You'll be helping her and us a lot if you can give us all the information we need." The doctor continues guiding us towards the door.

"Hello," another nurse walks up behind Addy and me, "if you could follow me this way we can get started on helping your friend." She flashes a sympathetic smile.

I look back and I see the door to Ruthie's room shut. We walk into a different room with a desk and chairs. The nurse shuts the door and asks us to sit.

"Ok, I just need some basic information on your friend." I nod and she continues on.

  "First and last name?"

  "Ruthie Hellend."

  "Age?"

  "18"

  "Do you know her weight?"
Addy pipes in, "no I don't think we do."

  "Actually," I interrupt her, "it's 124."

  "Oh," the nurse seems surprised, "how would you know that?"

  "I made her weigh herself for me when she was going through some trouble with eating. I try to look out for her," a sad frown escapes my lips.

  "Ok, do you know if she has any allergies?"

  "Penicillin." Me and Addy answer in unison. The nurse continues to write down all the information.

  "Is she on any type of medication?"

  "No."

  "Not even birth control?"

  "No, ma'am."

  "Any smoking or drugs?"

  I sigh, "no, but I think whoever did this to her drugged her with something. She's been drifting in and out of consciousness."

  "Ok, thank you both for your cooperation. Someone will let you know as soon as we have updates."

  "When can we see her?" Addy's tone anxious.

  "When the doctor thinks she's stable enough. Go ahead and wait in the waiting room and someone will be with you soon." She gets up from the desk and walks out of the room leaving us in silence.

  "Addy gets up and walks towards the door, "I hate waiting. Let's go out there."

  We walk out to the waiting room. Ruthie's door is still shut and no one has been in or out.

  Now we wait.