Disclaimer: Don't own The Bloodhound Files
A/N: this is set sometime after book two but in an AU where Dr. Pete survived as his normal gentle self.
Learning to Trust
I enter my office for another day of work, I had slugged back a few strong cups of coffee before I came in but it seemed that in my exhausted state even that really didn't help. My hands were unusually unsteady and I knew Cassius or anyone else who cared to glance at me would notice that something was wrong with me. I figured no matter who noticed Cassius would find out, and he'd either send me home or to Dr. Pete likely the latter which will earn me the disappointed glances and well-intended scolding that I deserve but am in not in the mood for.
Suddenly the room begins to spin and I have to grab the doorframe to keep from going down, but even that doesn't help. I fall to my knees on the floor, seconds later my world goes black. The last thing I recall is the floor coming to smack me in the face.
I wake not on my office floor but in a hospital bed and I realize quickly that I know this room. It's the same room I was in when I was diagnosed with Reality Dislocation Trauma by Dr. Pete, or at least one that looks just like it.
Speaking of Dr. Pete he is sitting by my bed with the disappointed look I expected plastered across his face. I've begun to think he thinks of me as a member of his pack, a little sister of sorts, which is fine by me; he makes a good older brother.
"Jace I swear sometimes you have a habit of forgetting that you are human and thus need things like sleep," he said, his voice more disappointed than scolding, and I'm not sure if that is better than being scolded or worse.
I have no defense, of course, because he is right, and we both know it.
"So what happened, Dr. Pete?" I asked.
"Damion Eisfanger came to bring you a report and found you on the floor of your office unconscious." Dr. Pete explains. "He called Cassius and Cassius had you rushed here."
I groan; I should have known when I blacked out that someone was likely to find me before I came too and could compose myself. Truthfully finding out it was Eisfanger that found me had come as a surprise, I would have thought Charlie Aleph; my golem partner/enforcer would have been the one to find me sprawled out on the floor of my office as close to a damsel in distress as you'll ever see me.
"How long was I out?"
"Eight Hours give or take; I wasn't exactly sure how long you were down before Eisfanger found you. The best estimate his investigation got was half an hour to forty-five minutes." Dr. Pete replies grimly, "Cassius, Eisfanger and Charlie have all been in this chair at some point during that time." He sighs, "I sent Eisfanger home, Cassius to eat, and Charlie stepped out to get a change of clothes for you and himself, he should be back shortly."
I huff and look at the celling.
"What's my diagnosis, Doc?" I ask.
"Do you really have to ask?" he deadpans then answers the question, "Extreme exhaustion. Treated by lots of rest and, if it's needed, an extended stay here. That is if you don't follow my orders and get some rest."
I close my eyes, of course Dr. Pete wasn't above admitting me if it meant I would rest and recover my strength. I should have known that my relentless schedule would catch up with me eventually, even hemovors, who don't need to breathe, need to sleep at least occasionally. I recently discovered that my assumption that golems don't need sleep was false as well after starling Charlie awake and nearly getting hurt for my trouble, he settled down after realizing who woke him up.
"You get some sleep, Jace; I'll make sure you get a nice hot meal later." He promises and I have no doubt Dr. Pete will do just that.
At first I don't want to sleep, I want to go back to work but my body is screaming loudly for sleep and my eyelids feel like they weight a metric ton each. Finally I give up, settle into the bed and fall asleep. As I'm dozing off I feel a strong hand brush some hair off my forehead in a very affectionate gesture, I'm not sure how Dr. Pete feels about me, I'm pretty sure it's a familial feeling but I am not sure he did put his life on the line for me after all.
I wake up an unknown amount of time later and hear a big disturbance outside. I'm not sure if this is what woke me up, or what but when I open the door the corridor is in chaos.
Suddenly a hand grabs my arm and pulls me back into the room as the person heads in, I look up and it's Charlie Aleph.
"Welcome back," he deadpans, this type of humor seems a common trait among lems, or the lems I've had dealings with anyway.
"Ha Ha," I reply sarcastically, still not fully awake and I don't take deadpan humor or anything else well before my first shot of caffeine.
"Drink this" Charlie groans shoving a to-go cup full of fresh coffee into my hands. "Made sure it was fresh too"
I take a few swallows and turn back into a decent human being again; and quickly thank him for the coffee before getting to the questions rattling around in my brain.
"What is going on down there?"
"A teenage girl was brought in; she's a lycanthrope but Dr. Pete things she was turned against her will." Charlie explained, "He also thinks she was sexually assaulted several times prior to being turned."
"How old is she?" I ask biting back the swear words that want to come bubbling to the surface.
"We aren't sure, she either can't or won't speak we haven't determined the nature of that yet. Dr. Pete thinks she's about fifteen years old."
A human girl raped and turned to a Lycanthrope against her will, I honestly want to punch something, I am tempted to punch Charlie but I don't want to give Dr. Pete another reason to scold me while he's treating any bones in my hand that would be broken by punching the lem in front of me.
The girl is presenting as mute, likely due to the psychological trauma of being raped (I figure several times and possibly several ways depending on if thropes use other forms of sex I've never had a reason to ask about lycanthrope sexuality until now) and turned to a thrope against her will.
Eisfanger comes into the room looking righteously pissed off and I can't say that I blame him. This child has seen more crap than she should have to and this was all surrounding the race she was forced to become. By the fact that they are calling her a thrope I can only assume that she has already undergone her first transformation brought on by either magic or the passing of the full moon.
"How is she?" I ask still angry but more concerned about the victim whom I am considering a child.
"It's bad; Dr. Adams says there is no medical reason why she won't speak." Eisfanger replied looking me straight in the eye his rage barely in check.
"So she's mute due to the trauma she endured at the hands of the thrope or thropes that did this to her." I assume aloud.
"That is the only assumption I can find since there is no magic keeping her from speaking either. I did multiple checks and found nothing." Eisfanger sighs "this is a horrible situation, none of the local police have had to deal with this situation in years, most have never dealt with it at all so they are asking for our aid in capturing the thropes in question"
I look away, I had hoped I was wrong, but apparently I was right and I hated it with a passion I couldn't begin to explain. I could feel the fury building in me as I stood there, the girl was about 15 years old as far as Dr. Pete could tell and I had a good feeling he wasn't far off. The thought of her going through that, of a girl that young being raped, most likely multiple times, makes my blood boil and, unexpectedly, hot tears of rage to build in my eyes and begin to form twin streaks down my face. This isn't normal, it isn't like me to get this way and I don't think Eisfanger or Charlie know exactly what to do with me at this point, they've never seen me this way before. The truth is the best thing anyone can do when I get this way is get out of my way because someone is likely to get hurt, bad.
To Be Continued…