A/N: SherwoodShippers is the writing team of Lildramaqueen10 (Being Sick/Empty Nest) and She'sAShipper (When Was the Day). While we have assisted each other on the previous stories this is our first full collaboration.
The story deals with sensitive subject matter that both writers feel is important to discuss, and felt the characters of Frank and Denise Sherwood would be wonderful tools for that. This story is dedicated to the extraordinary women who have faced violence and overcome the fear and the trauma and those that love them enough to help the Stand.
This story takes place immediately after the conclusion of the war exercises at Fort Marshall. Any time breaks will be noted with a timestamp.
Frank stretched out on the sofa with beer in his hand. Denise had sounded so sad, but he was exhausted and he knew he'd be no match for her charms that night. He was so scared of messing up again; he didn't want another broken heart. He thought of ignoring the phone when it rang and flashed Denise's number but in the end he couldn't. "Sherwood!"
"Hey Frank, it's me," she said. "What are you doing?"
" Having a beer getting ready to go to bed," he replied. "I'm sorry about our date. Where are you?"
"On my way there, l'll be there in about half an hour," she replied smiling into the phone.
"I thought we cancelled tonight," Frank said. "I'm tired, Dee."
"I know, I wanted to surprise you, I just want to see you," she said.
"Okay, sure," he said smiling. This might be fun. "Call me when you get to the gate okay? It's dark."
"Okay, I will, I'll see you in a bit," she said.
Frank freshened up and waited for Denise. Ten minutes passed fifteen, then twenty...After minutes passed the phone finally rang. "Sherwood!"
"Hey it's me, I'm at the gates," she said
"Okay I'll see you in a few," he said yawning.
Frank had fallen asleep waiting for her, he woke up an hour later and checked the time, why hadn't she shown up by now? He was beginning to worry.
Frank called Denise's cell phone three times before he decided to drive to the gate and check to see if the MPs remembered which way she went after processing, as he was getting into his truck his cell phone rang. "Denise?"
He could hear a person on the other end, sounding like they were in pain.
"Denise...Dee, is that you?" Frank asked. "Denise?" His heart was pounding, he knew it was her, but he didn't want to believe it.
"Frank," she said weakly. "Help," she whispered.
"Where are you Dee?" he asked. "Are you near the gate? Press a number if I'm right, don't try to talk."
She pressed a number but didn't speak.
"West gate near the O Club?" he asked again, that was their usual access point.
Again she pressed a number but didn't try to talk.
"Stay on the line until I get there, Dee," he said. "I'm coming for you; it's going to be okay."
Denise moaned in pain, everything hurt, she couldn't move.
Frank drove as quickly as he could to the West Gate. He looked around but couldn't find her. "Dee, are you hiding somewhere? Did your car go off the road? Try to tell me where you are in only a few words."
"Hiding, ally,off the O club," she said beginning to cough.
"Okay, I'm going to hang up. I'm here and I'm coming for you," he said hanging up and parking sideways across the O Club lawn. He'd get a chit, he didn't care. Frank called for her, "Denise!"
He listened closely and heard her whimpers coming from the side of the building, he ran to go find her.
Her body was lying in a misshapen heap near the trash cans, like someone or something had cast her aside like a piece of used trash. He dropped to his knees next to her, there was blood on her legs, her chest, her face, one eye was swollen nearly shut, the other blackened and swelling as well. Her lips were swollen and some of her hair was lying next to her on the ground as if it had been pulled from her head. What made him sick was the way her clothes was torn, as if some animal had attacked her, what made his eyes tear was the blood running from between her legs. "I'm here, Dee. I'm here."
She didn't move. "Frank," she said weakly trying to take breaths to ease the pain.
"Yeah," he said softly. "I'm here. I have to call the MPs, honey. We have to let them know so they can find who hurt you."
"No, they…hurt me. Home?" she struggled to get the words out.
"No one's going to hurt you, not with me here, honey," he whispered. "You're hurt, Dee. You need help, you can't go home yet. What about Michael? Can I call him?" He still hadn't touched her.
"Yeah," she whispered.
Holden Residence
Michael was still steaming about Evan Connor when the phone rang. He saw it was Frank and answered, "You call to gloat? You pegged it and I didn't."
"No, I need you at the O club. It's Denise, she's been attacked," Frank said in a rush.
"Attacked? Frank, you're getting divorced, what are you doing with Denise?" Michael was tired and confused.
"She called, we've been trying to work on or marriage, but that's immaterial. Anyway she called and when I got to her she is a mess, she is hurt bad," he replied.
"Did you call the MPs?" Michael asked getting dressed.
"No, she is scared, she doesn't want me to call them, apparently the threatened her," he said quietly.
"Which is why you have to call them, Frank!" Michael insisted. "Can she be moved?"
"I'm afraid to move her, there is a lot of blood," he replied to his CO and friend.
"Okay, I'll send send some medics from Mercer for her, then we'll get CID involved. I'm on my way," Michael said then hung up.
"Help's coming, Dee, just hang on for me," Frank said not sure if she was conscious or not until he saw her moving just a little. Denise was trying to get closer to Frank; she was fading in and out and wanted him to hold her.
Frank saw her trying to move closer and he moved so she didn't have to, he gently picked her head up and laid it gently in his lap, then he put an arm across her side.
She was cold and shaking, he could feel her body going into shock, he removed his jacket and his shirt and laid them over her to keep her warm. "You'll be okay, honey. I won't let anything happen to you again. I promise. Can you hear me, Dee?"
"Scared," she said and faded to unconsciousness.
"So am I," he said to himself while he waited for Michael.
Michael arrived shortly and made his way into the ally, he saw Denise lying in Frank's arms unconscious, he had never seen a sight like this, she looked so weak, so hurt.
As angry as Michael was with Denise for hurting Frank, his heart ached for her. "My God! Is she alive?"
"Yes, but barely, she is unconscious we have to hurry and get her to the hospital," Frank replied.
"What the Hell happened?" Michael asked making another call. "We need MPs and EMTs at the O Club, West Gate and we need it now!"
"She was coming to the house to see me, and when she didn't arrive I got worried then she called me to come help her and I found her like this," Frank said looking down at her.
"Did she tell you anything else? Did he uh..." Michael gestured and Frank knew what he meant.
"Yeah, I'm almost positive he did," Frank replied, he wanted to kill the animal responsible for this.
Finally the MPs and EMTs arrived. One group began taking pictures of the scene and Denise while the other pried her from Frank's arms and placed her on a stretcher. "You can meet her at the hospital, Colonel," they told him before whisking her away.
Michael drove Frank to the hospital and he rushed in just as they were bringing the stretcher through the doors.
The nurses and doctors made Frank wait outside. He was pacing like a caged tiger, he didn't even remember he wasn't wearing a shirt until Michael placed a scrub top in his hand. He pulled on over his head then resumed his pacing. "If she wakes up and I'm not there...I promised her I'd be there."
"Frank, try and calm down. I know this is frustrating, but just try and calm down. They'll let you be with her as soon as they're done," Michael told him trying to calm his nerves.
"If I just picked her up and took her out like we were supposed to do, she'd be fine," Frank said kicking over a trash can in the hallway.
"Frank, you can't blame yourself for this, it isn't your fault," Michael said. "You have to try and calm down, if she sees you upset it will only make her more anxious than she already is," he added.
"I was supposed to pick her up and take her dancing," Frank said. "I hate it, but she loves it so much and I want to make her happy. All this stuff, the affair, the motorcycle, I did that just the same as she did, I pushed her to it and I can't let her go, I can't. I know what everyone thinks, I'm a fool, but the real fool is the one that would let that woman go. She's...everything."
"You're not a fool Frank, you can't help who you love," Michael told him.
"Sherwood!" the ER doctor called. "Anyone for Denise Sherwood!"
Frank turned quickly. "I'm her husband," he said and went to the doctor.
"Let's talk in the back," he said quietly. "Follow me."
Frank followed the doctor anxiously awaiting news on his wife.
In a small office the two men sat down, "First, she'll be okay. You can take her home in a few hours."
"But," Frank said, knowing the doctor had more to say.
"She'll need a lot of care the next few days especially. She's got a ribcage full of bruised ribs, three on the left side are broken, two on the right side. The left side has put a tiny indentation in her lung, but it's minor and shouldn't be a concern if she stays in bed and rests. The bruising and lacerations are all superficial; there shouldn't be any scarring from those. Her left wrist is sprained, her right shoulder is bruised, she has some cracked vertebrae as well in her neck but that's all relatively minor and while it'll hurt, it'll heal. The biggest issue is the assault. She was sexually assaulted, violently so, there is a lot of tearing and bruising, like..." The doctor paused trying to think of an equivalent example to illustrate things for this poor husband. "Do you have children?"
"Yes, we have a son," Frank answered.
"Were you there when he was born?" the doctor asked, he wanted to illustrate the damage that had been done.
"Yes, I barely made it but yes," he answered.
"So you remember how sore she was, something large coming from something small, the doctor did have to enlarge that area for Denise, she has the scar, do you remember them doing that surgery while she was trying to push?" the doctor asked.
"Yes, doctor, what are you trying to tell me?" he asked, he wanted to know exactly what happened.
"Denise is built small, I'm sure you know that, when a woman is that tiny, care must be taken during intercourse to avoid pain, this man was not careful, he were brutal. She has bruising in and around her private areas, fingers marks on her thighs, tearing of the vaginal walls...and it will be a long time before she heals from an attack that brutal, physically and emotionally. She's awake now and hiding under the sink in ER 3, she shouldn't be able to crawl into that position because of her ribs, but she's done it, her fear is that powerful. You'll both need to seek counseling."
"Okay, can I see her now?" he asked he was furious but now all he wanted to do was see her and make sure she knew she was safe with him and always would be.
"She might not let you touch her, she might not want you near her," the doctor warned. "I had to tie her down to examine her. I hope she responds to you. We've taken photographs of her injuries, combed for hairs, and will run a full panel of tests for STDs. She refused the morning after pill, but if she's not on birth control, I'd convince her to take it."
"Okay, can I try and see if she will let me near her?" Frank asked.
"Sure, ER 3 is straight back," the doctor directed and prayed for this couple. This husband seemed to have a unique way of loving, and if so, he'd need it.
Frank decided to go let Michael know what was going on before he went to Denise because once he got to her he wasn't leaving her side, he went to the waiting room where Michael was. "She's going to be fine. She's pretty banged up and frightened, but she'll heal," he told Michael.
"I'll all Claudia Joy. If she won't talk to you, maybe another woman?" Michael suggested. "Go to her. We'll come back together."
"Thank you, " he replied and made his way to ER 3 to be with Denise.