Page 3 of Dollhouse

The doctor arrives while I’m placing her things in the corner and moving Molly’s large pile of toys next to Emma’s side of the bed. The cat darts from her carrier as soon as the door pops open, diving under the bed where she blinks at us as if we can’t see her there.

After a brief examination, he peers at me from over his glasses, gently setting her foot back to the blanket. “Without having all the equipment needed, I would guess a hairline fracture at worst, more likely a sprain or bone bruise. She’ll need to be non-weight bearing for two to three weeks to be safe, then we’ll work on slowly introducing activity to her ankle.” He turns to me, leaning on the footboard. “I’ll grab the boot and put it on her before I leave, and some crutches. If that works, we won’t need her to come in.”

Anxiety had carved straight through my chest as I watched him look her over, but I tried to beat it back.They could have killed her, this is the best case scenario.

I nod, feeling like I’m about to fall the fuck over. Exhaustion laps at my bones as the adrenaline from the earlier scare fully recedes. “Got it. I’ll keep her off her feet.”

He leaves, and finally, it’s quiet. We’re alone. To silence some of the frenzy in my brain, I tread into the hallway and quietly open the door to the room directly next to us. Jesse and Bo are passed out, Bo tucked under Jesse’s arm. Their exhaustion is evident, but I did the best I could with the time we had. Somehow I got everyone here in one piece, and now the three of them can rest knowing we should be safe.

Should. Hopefully. Maybe.The words echo in my head on repeat.

I pull off my shirt and climb into bed, taking in every plane of Emma’s sleeping face once I’m settled in next to her.

She’s peaceful now. A few hours ago, that same sweet face had been drawn with terror as she ran through the woods, trying to leave me.

Mmm…now that I say them, I realize the words are misleading.Saying she tried to leave meimplies that Ihadher, that I’d everaskedher to be mine.

I haven't asked her one single thing, and yet? She is. No matter how much she fights it.

For a moment, she’d convinced herself thatIwas the monster—that I’d lied about everything Eric did—and tried to return to her piece of shit husband. The thought fans that ever-simmering fury back to life, butno, I smother my reaction because I understand.

I knowwhyshe did it. They’d purposefully made it look as if I sent the videos to cause a rift, to plant a seed of doubt in her head. Whoever did it wants her to hate me. I don’t understand their reason for it, but Iwillonce I find the rat. Once Jesse and I take them out on the boat and waterboard them in the middle of the lake, their secrets will belong to me too.

I forgive her for her lapse in judgement, and also for slicing my face up. Emma’s a fighter if you push her far enough. That’s a good thing, I need her to be ready for whatever comes next.

She puffs a tiny noise of discomfort, the boot from the doctor probably confusing her in her sleep. At least for now she won’t fight me, so I pull her to my chest and she tucks her head under my chin. Once she’s snuggled in closer, she exhales heavily into the fabric of my shirt.

Almost like she feels safe with me, even in her nightmares.

THREE

“Morning, love.”

A man’s voice smashes into my nightmare of the dollhouse, ripping me out of the silent terror with a violent scream.

Noah’s name is out of my mouth before I even realize I’m awake, my arm swinging wildly at the blurry figure to the side of the bed. Gulping for air, I blink frantically until I finally see the outline of the stranger clutching the scratches I’ve left on his face.

“Fuck, goddamnit,” he hisses.

My chest heaving, I try to scramble back against the unfamiliar headboard, but a blooming pain forces me to stop. My ankle throbs from inside a medical boot I don’t remember getting, triggering a sharp nausea, and I try to still myself as the night before starts to trickle back into my memory.

The door slams open, Noah’s wild eyes finding me and taking in the two men I now see in the corner. God, I can’tstandthe relief I feel at seeing him burst into the room to check on me, so I just scowl and focus on the men before he notices.

Now that I’m half-conscious, I see the one cradling his cheek is Landon, Patrick’s apprentice—or whatever the term isfor a vigilante in training. The other carries a doctor’s bag and crutches.

“I’m–I’m so sorry,” I sputter, a shake slipping into my voice and spreading to the rest of my body. ”I didn’t know who you were.” My ankle throbs angrily and I freeze the best I can with the shock seeming to make my muscles quake. “Who put this on me? When?”

“Last night,” Noah answers, and I startle at how much closer he’s gotten while I was distracted. He lifts my injured foot and gently straightens it, resting it on a pillow. Assessing eyes meet mine, and when I don’t immediately try to kick him in the face, he comes closer and presses my shoulder back to the pillow. “Try to relax.”

When he turns back to Landon, his softness evaporatesquickly. “I told you to knock on her door, not fucking scare her.”

“That's what I tried to do! I just came in to wake her up, I didn’t know she’d claw me.” I flinch as he pulls his hand from his cheek, showing the swelling scratch marks.

That’s now two men in this room that I’ve recently harmed. The butterfly tape on Noah’s temple holds his sliced skin together, though I struggle to feel bad for hurting him.

The second man takes a hesitant step forward. “Um, hi. I’m Doctor Langley. Last night I was able to do a small physical exam and I believe you’ve just got a bone bruise at this time.” His eyes cut to Noah, standing there with stoic attentiveness. “Noah’s informed me a trip to the office isn’t a possibility at this point, but even without an X-ray, I do believe your bone is not a significant fracture. I’ve explained to Noah the timelines for how to help you heal.”

I nod, dazed from the flurry of information and people. It’s overload, and I’m still reeling from yesterday. All I want is to be alone so I can think. “Thanks.” I peek at Noah again, only tobe irritated that he’s watching me too. Technically this isn’t his fault, but I find myself blaming him anyway.