Page 7 of Tethered

“I can do it.”

“Alright.” I give her my back to give her the illusion of privacy. I turn back when I realize she’s staring at the bloody fabric in her hand. I cover the material with my hand, forcing her to break her stare. “You didn’t get your period, did you?”

Her breathing comes out in shallow pants, like she can’t get enough air into her lungs.

I yank the underwear from her hands and drop them to the floor before I cup her face with both my hands. “Breathe with me, Dawn. It’s just you and me now. Nobody is going to hurt you again,” I fucking vow.

She does as I ask, sucking in a deep lungful of air before repeating it.

“That’s it. Keep going.”

After a few minutes, I’m sure she’s not going to pass out. I ask her the question I know she won’t want to answer. “Do you want me to call the police so you can press charges?”

I barely get the words out before she’s shaking her head so hard it has to hurt. “No. No police. It will just make things worse.”

And I’d be a fucking hypocrite to force her. Maybe I’d push harder if I thought they might listen, but this town is toxic when it comes to their own. It’s got to be ten times worse when it comes to an outsider, and that’s what Dawn is to them. If things were different between Shepard and me, maybe I’d talk to him. But I’m not sure the faith I had in him is warranted anymore.

“Okay, Dawn. No police. I’d really like to get some pictures, though. Just of your face and torso,” I rush to add. “You never know when you might need them. Maybe we never will. But if it comes down to a fight, we want every weapon in our arsenal available to us.”

She looks wary, so I don’t push. Ultimately, it needs to be her decision. She’s already had her choices taken from her today. I won’t be taking any more from her.

Eventually, she nods.

“Give me two minutes to grab my cell phone. I’ll be right back.”

I hurry downstairs to grab my cell, which I left in the kitchen.

“Hey, everything okay?” Riggs asks when I walk in. I look from him to Hannah, who is laying lettuce on slices of buttered bread.

“Yeah. Just helping Dawn take a shower. You guys okay in here?”

“We’re good, right?” Riggs asks Hannah, who looks up at him with a sweet smile.

“Yeah. Riggs says he’s going to let me teach him how to make cookies.”

“Really? That’s awesome. Cookies are my favorite.”

“I can make you some too if you want.”

“I would love that.”

She beams a smile at me, so I give her a wink, mouth a thank you to Riggs, and snag my phone from the counter before hurrying back upstairs.

Dawn is standing where I left her, oblivious to her nakedness and the steam filling the room. She’s retreated somewhere in her head where she can’t get hurt anymore.

I stand in front of her so she can see me, and I gently talk through each of my actions as I take pictures, making sure her breasts are covered before I put the phone away.

“Shower time. Take as long as you need, okay?”

She nods, numb to it all as she climbs in. I know the numbness won’t last, though. It never does. While she cleans up, I walk back into my room and grab some fresh clothes for her. Sweatpants, a hoodie, a tank top with a built-in bra—any bra I have will be far too big— and a pair of panties with the tag still on. I lay them on the bed, and then I sit and wait. And then I wait some more.

After twenty minutes, I head in to check on her and find her on her knees, sobbing. “Oh, Dawn. Come on, let’s get you out.” I grab a large towel and hold it open for her. She steps into it, so I wrap her up before grabbing one of the others, which I twist around her hair.

She moves woodenly, doing as I ask before following me back to my room. I help her get dried and dressed. I do a quick braid in her hair before finding her a pair of fluffy socks.

“Hannah is making cookies with Riggs. You up for coming back down with me?”

She looks exhausted but nods because the alternative is being alone with all those intrusive thoughts.