The Frenchman's Wife

Chapter Twelve

(A/N-talk of rape)

As the rain relentlessly belted down on Maggie's still body, Fergus grew more and more worried about why his wife was not home yet with the sun fastly going down.  After convincing himself that something was wrong, Fergus went to go ask Jamie and Claire for help.  

"Milord, I fear Maggie is missing.  She has not returned and it's getting dark," Fergus said, looking frightfully at the couple.  

"I'm sure she just lost her way Fergus, but to set your mind at ease, I'll fetch Ian and we'll all come and look for her," Claire said, being the voice of reason.  

As the four of them set off in different directions looking for the girl in the rain, Fergus went in the opposite direction to his love.  In fact, it was Jamie who came across the lifeless body laying on the muddy ground in the abandoned alley.  Walking closer to the body, he discovered it was a girl, and that girl was, in fact, Maggie who silently wept.  

"Maggie?" Jamie shouted over the rain.

Kneeling down to the girl, he moved the blonde hair from her face so he could get a better look at her.  Once he did this, he saw the cuts and bruises on her face.  Opening her eyes from the touch, Maggie's vision was blurry but focused on the figure hovering above her.  

"Maggie? Are you ok?" Jamie asked again, and with this sentence, Maggie knew who it was but his rough Scottish accent.  

"Jamie?" She responded weakly.

"Come on lass, I'll get you to Fergus," Jamie said, picking her up as if she was a baby.  

Still weeping, Maggie held on to Jamie as much as she could as he carried her back to the inn.  

************

As they got through the door of the inn, Jamie noticed that everyone was back at the inn, warming up by the fire as Fergus was pacing back and forth.  As they heard the door open, they all turned their heads to see Jamie carrying Maggie.  In an instant, Fergus ran over to them and took her from his arms.  

"She needs help, Claire.  Take her up to your room, Fergus." Jamie ordered in a hurry.  

At the command, Fergus almost ran up the stairs, looking at his wife in worry. Setting her down on their bed, Maggie opened her eyes to see her husband looking in despair, believing it his fault.  

"Fergus?" Maggie said, stronger than before but still grimacing in pain.  

"Maggie, what happened?" Fergus said in an instant.  

Before she could respond, Claire came bursting into the room and got to work in healing Maggie's bruised body.  

"Maggie you need to tell me what happened," Claire said.  

All Maggie did was shake her head in response.  Claire, knowing she was not going to get an answer in the crowded room with the three other men standing there as well, asked if the three men could leave the room to give them some privacy.  Jamie and Ian both agreed to straight away, but Fergus had to be somewhat dragged out of the room by the two men.  

Now that it was just the two women, Claire asked again what had happened. Maggie, knowing that it would be stupid to not tell the woman healing her said, 

"There was a man... then two more... and they..." Was all she could get out before sobbing.  

Claire saw how much she was affected knew what had happened, but she needed confirmation.

"Did they rape you, Maggie?" She whispered.

Maggie nodded.

"You can't tell Fergus, please! Promise me, Claire, that you won't tell him!" Maggie said in a hurry, a frightful look in her eyes.  

"Maggie, he is your husband.  He deserves to know.  He would want to know." Claire said with sympathy on her face.  

"I can't. It would break his heart.  He won't be the same. Please!" Maggie responded, looking for confirmation.

All Claire did was look away from her face and to her bruised body, and started taking off her clothes so she could heal her.  

Partway through the process, Claire gave Maggie strong painkillers that rendered her unconscious.  Once Claire was finished with treating Maggie, she walked out of the room and found that the three of the men did not go far and had stayed outside the door the entire time.  

"Is she ok?" Fergus was the first one to speak.

"She is resting and her body will heal soon, She will be ok, Fergus," Claire said, resting a hand on his shoulder.  

As soon as he heard this, Fergus went into the room and sat by her side, holding her hand.  Turning back to her husband, Claire started to cry and hugged Jamie hard.  

"What happened to her?  Did she tell you?" Jamie asked.

Claire nodded and the look that she gave him told him everything he needed to know.  

"We'll find them," Jamie said, looking to Ian who nodded in agreement.  

************

After the eventful night, the morning light shone through the window to their room and Maggie woke up because of it.  Groaning at the soreness of her body woke Fergus who was still leaning over the bed, sitting on the chair.  Fergus immediately sat up straight and made his presence known to his wife by squeezing her hand in an act of comfort.  Feeling her hand being squeezed, Maggie looked to her right and saw her husband sitting there.  

"How are you feeling, mon amour?" Fergus whispered.  

"I'm ok, I'm sorry for all of the fuss," Maggie said.

"Maggie, you were attacked.  It is not your fault.  I am just thankful you were not killed.  I don't know what I would do." Fergus said with a tone in his voice to get his point across.  

"Maggie, what happened?" Fergus said.  

Shaking her head, Maggie began to sob at the memory.  

"Please Fergus, I don't want to talk about it." Maggie managed to say through sobs.  

"Maggie, please, tell me," Fergus whispered back.

"It will break your heart, Fergus," Maggie responded.

"I want to help you, please.  Let me ask you one question, all you have to do is say yes or no." Fergus came up with the idea on the spot.  

"Did someone rape you?" Fergus whispered again.

After a moment of silence, Maggie whispered back,

"Yes." 

************

Long chapter.  again if anyone is uncomfortable with the topic of sexual assault and wants to talk, shoot me a message.

A few more chapters of this story and then ill get to season 4 :)