Chapter 10
Chloe came to when she felt her jeans being removed and then her underwear. She talked herself into remaining calm because it had to be Cal, didn't it? While she was thinking this, she was pulled upright and he roughly removed her jacket, shirt and bra. Only her eyes remained covered. She was now sitting completely naked on a strange bed in full view of anyone and she couldn't see a thing.
"Cal," she said hoarsely raising her hands so she could uncover her eyes. But whoever it was pulled her hands behind her back and Chloe heard the distinct sound of handcuffs! Handcuffs? Who used handcuffs? The sheriff? His deputies? Wasn't the sheriff dead? She couldn't remember.
The person now helped her up from the bed but she was too weak and couldn't stand on her injured ankle. She was then picked up and carried across the room. This guy was big, so Chloe knew it definitely wasn't Cal. But that didn't mean that Cal hadn't been there earlier or that he wouldn't return to her later.
This person took her to what Chloe assumed was the bathroom and placed her in a tub of warm, soapy water. She braced herself for the drowning that was sure to come. But that didn't happen and she heard him leave the room. She could have used her knee to work the blindfold up a bit so she could see but she didn't. Whoever it was wanted her eyes covered but he hadn't hurt her. She didn't want to do anything to make him angry. Chloe remembered her pledge that since he hadn't hurt her, she would let whatever was going to happen, happen.
She stretched her legs out so they would be submerged under the warm water. That felt good. The warm water soothed her tense muscles and sore ankle. She wanted to lie back but with her hands handcuffed behind her back she was afraid to do so. She might indeed slip underneath the water and since she was so weak, she might not be able to save herself.
Just then he returned and stood by, watching her, which freaked her out a bit.
She jumped when he moved towards her and she heard him lowering himself to his knees. "This is it," Chloe thought. "This is when I will die."
He dipped a container in the water and poured warm water over her back, then her shoulders. He repeated the cycle a few times before raising her from the water and wrapping a towel around her. He lifted her from the tub and carried her, dripping wet, to the other room and sat her in a chair. She could smell something cooking and her mouth watered. The floor was rough to her feet. She tried to remember the condition of the floor in the clinic but couldn't recall it.
She heard him come back beside her and place something on the table. He pulled up a chair beside her and sat down.
Chloe fought the urge to speak, although she wanted to so badly. He wasn't talking and probably didn't want her talking either.
He then spoon fed her some soup and hot tea. The first few swallows hurt her throat but she managed to eat and drink all that he offered. He stood up and moved away from her and she could hear him moving about the room. He returned to her side, picked her up, and carried her back to the bed. Chloe could tell that the sheets had been changed. He then dried her with a towel, uncuffed her hands, and pressed her back on the bed. He covered her with a sheet and re-fastened the restraints on her arms and ankles.
Chloe could hear him clattering about the room, then the water being released from the tub. He kept walking around but she couldn't tell what he was doing. She hoped she hadn't made him angry so that he was now looking for something with which to kill her.
No, she had to remember that this wasn't Wakefield, who would have killed her already. This was someone who cared about her and was taking care of her. This person was protecting her. She had to keep in mind that she was safe here.
Nevertheless, his pacing back and forth on the creaky floorboards sent Chloe's nerves spinning. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just relax? She was relieved when she finally heard him move towards where she knew the door was. She breathed a sigh of relief when he opened the door and closed it behind him.