I hardly had time to proof read so sorry if there are any mistakes!
As Spencer, Hanna, and Emily all cuddled on the oldest girl's extremely comfortable overstuffed couch they began to get worried. Of course it was common knowledge that Aria turned to showers, water of any kind really, when she was upset and needed to process but the couple had arrived more than an hour ago and Spencer had informed them that she'd gone in close to 45 minutes prior to their arrival.
"Seriously, I get that the girl loves her showers but this is excessive," Hanna said, breaking the silence that hung over the friends.
The television was playing absently in the background but none of the girls paid it any mind. Spencer's thoughts raced as she considered possible outcomes from the encounter. Was Aria going to regress? Would they have to rehash many of their same fights because seeing Fitz triggered something? Only Aria would be able to answer her girlfriend's burning questions and honestly, the tallest girl wasn't sure how much longer she could stand to wait.
Spencer looked over at her friends, touched by the obvious worry on their faces.
"How did she seem Spence?" Emily asked, gently squeezing her friend's hand.
The brunette's shoulders slumped, "I don't even know Em. She was completely unresponsive for the entire car ride home and then the second I got her inside she said she wanted to take a shower. Of course I wanted to push her to talk to me but that's what hurt us the first time so I thought maybe things would be better if I let her come to me," Spencer scoffed. "I guess not though, because she's been in there almost two hours."
The couple's hearts hurt for both of their friends, knowing it must be an impossible situation to navigate for them both.
"Gross she's going to be all prune-y when she gets out," Hanna wrinkled her nose in faux disgust at the thought. Emily turned to reprimand her girlfriend for being insensitive when she saw Spencer crack the slightest of smiles and it became clear to the swimmer that her girlfriend's desired effect was to relax their friend and it had worked.
"I think Aria will appreciate you trusting her this time, you know? Like she felt so smothered right after the attack but now that you're not pressuring her to talk about how she feels, I think she'll open up to you more easily. Maybe even all of us," Hanna suggested hopefully.
The timer in the kitchen went off, breaking the girls out of their deep conversation. Spencer smiled at her friends gratefully and went to the kitchen to take out the cookies. Glancing at the timer, the tall girl realized it had been almost exactly two hours since her girlfriend had gone to shower and she was beyond concerned. She quickly extracted the cookies from the oven and set them on top of a cooling rack.
"Guys I actually think I'm going to go check on Aria," Spencer said, nervously wiping her hands on her apron.
Emily nodded thoughtfully, "I think we should come with you, it's been like 2 hours now. Something could be wrong."
Spencer smiled gratefully and nodded. The three girls quickly ascended up the stairs and into Spencer's bedroom; Hanna and Emily wordlessly took a seat on the bed while Spencer wandered into the bathroom suite.
"Aria are you okay in there?" Spencer asked softly with a gentle knock.
No response
"Ar, you're scaring me, please say something," The older girl begged, anxiety filling her knocks.
Still she was met with nothing but the sound of running water.
"Aria I'm coming in okay?" Spencer shouted, hoping to finally get through to her girlfriend but still no reaction.
Hanna and Emily exchanged worried glances as they put together a t-shirt and pajama bottoms for Aria to sleep in once she was done.
Spencer gently twisted the doorknob and charged into the bathroom only to be met with a heartbreaking sight.
Aria was curled into herself on the floor of the shower, trembling; every inch of the brunette's skin was rubbed raw and it actually appeared that she was bleeding across her ribs and stomach. Spencer quickly and wordlessly rushed over to her girlfriend and shut off the ice-cold water.
"Aria! Aria talk to me," Spencer cried, reaching out for her girl.
She was met by the terrified eyes of a trapped animal and a skittish flinch away from the contact.
"Don't touch me," She muttered, obviously trapped in a memory. Her hands were absently running over her ribs, which were getting more and more agitated due to the rubbing of her already raw skin. Spencer felt her girlfriend's temperature only to find it was unhealthily cold. The older girl was torn, not wanting to expose Aria in such a vulnerable state but needing the help of her friends.
"Aria, tell me what to do. Tell me how I can help," Spencer begged, reaching out again only to be met with another violent flinch away.
Unable to handle her girlfriend's skittish behavior alone in such a panicked mindset, the oldest girl decided that Aria would forgive her for the privacy invasion if it meant she didn't end up with hypothermia.
"Han, Emily come here," Spencer called urgently. The couple immediately raced into the room, towels and clothes in hand. They paused at the entrance, taking in the sight before them. Their jaws seemed to drop simultaneously.
"W-what do we do?" Emily stuttered, shocked at the sight in front of her. The tan swimmer had yet to see Aria in such a state of undress since the incident. Granted, of course she'd seen her in tank tops and had certainly gotten an eyeful of the grotesque bruises left behind, seeing the smaller girl completely exposed shattered Emily's heart just a little bit more.
Hanna raced past the tan girl and joined Spencer kneeling in front of Aria.
The hazel-eyed girl had pulled her knees up into her chest, as if to cover herself. Her first real sign of life, much to the relief of her best friends.
"That's good," Spencer thought. "At least she's aware that other people are in the room."
"We need to get her out of here. Right now. Her temperature is dangerously low," Spencer spoke quickly. She extended an arm out to Emily and gestured for her to hand over the towel. The swimmer passed it over without hesitation, her movements still stiff from shock.
"Spence I don't think…" Hanna trailed off. She wanted to tell Spencer that regardless of the fact that she was considerably smarter than the average person and performed better in high stress situations than anyone else the blonde knew; maybe handling this level of emotion distress was over even her head.
"Not right now Hanna," Spencer snapped, too focused on extracting her girlfriend from her currently unfavorable and slightly catatonic position in the tub.
The tallest brunette redirected her attention to the hazel-eyed girl whose eyes were still downcast and her arms stoically protecting her. Her distress was obvious by her defensive body language and her friends were anxious about the prospect of touching her, unsure how she would react and definitely wanting to avoid a trigger.
"Aria I'm going to lift you up now, by the back of your arms and I need you to trust me," Spencer explained slowly, trying to catch her girlfriend's eyes.
That statement seemed to break through the haze of pain and memories that the artsy girl seemed stuck in and her head snapped her. As the couple's eyes locked Spencer felt her heart splinter in new ways as she saw the anguish and devastation consuming her. Their stare down lasted just a few seconds before Spencer took it as consent and slowly stepped into the tub behind Aria and gently reached down to her shoulders. She touched the smaller girl tentatively at first, giving her the chance to get used to the contact and prepare to be lifted. Aria closed her eyes, unsure as to why she couldn't get her mouth to cooperate with her brain and tell Spencer all the things she desperately wished to communicate to her right now.
Aria allowed herself to be picked up by the brunette with the softest touch in the world and lifted out of the arctic tub. Having expected to be put down immediately after clearing the edge of the tub, she was shocked when Spencer hurriedly tugged them both out of the room and wrapped two towels around her girlfriend, one to cover her still quivering body and another to wrap her hair up. Emily and Hanna quickly drained the tub and rinsed the little amounts of blood that were left behind, ensuring that the couple wouldn't have any physical reminders of this incident later.
Hanna smiled to herself as she and her girlfriend cleaned the bathroom together. It was silly, the blonde knew, but she felt like she and Emily were impossibly close now, especially in light of their milestone the previous night. Even something as simple as cleaning together made Hanna feel so in synch with the swimmer, as if they had a bond that surpassed words. As if to prove her point, Emily's eyes caught cerulean blue and shot her a sexy, alluring smile. A dark blush coated her porcelain skin as she forced herself to remain appropriate considering the magnitude of Aria's situation. When the tan girl finished her cleaning she stood abruptly, snuck a lingering kiss onto her girlfriend's forehead and tugged them both into the bedroom, ready to offer their assistance however their friends would allow them to.
Spencer was speaking quietly in a hushed whisper to Aria, who seemed at least cognitive of what was happening around her now.
"I know we just had this conversation," Spencer murmured. "But I need to take you to a hospital now. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you because I didn't take you to get checked out."
Tears immediately welled up in the smaller girl's hazel eyes because she knew that Spencer was right. She was not only still injured, but actively making herself worse by refusing treatment. If she had any hope of being strong enough to take on Fitz or to get her relationship with Spencer restored to its former perfection, she needed help.
Slowly, to make sure Aria was completely aware of her intentions, Spencer wrapped a long arm around her shoulders and softly tugged her closer so she could gently wipe away the tears and leave soft kisses in their place.
The sheer intimacy of the moment made the other couple feel like they were intruding on a private moment and averted their eyes.
After a long moment of silence and reveling in Spencer's comfort, Aria gingerly nodded her head, consenting to the trip to the hospital. The taller girl's shoulder sagged with relief and she bit her lip to refrain from showing her jubilation. Nodding quickly Spencer stood slowly, again exaggerating her movements tremendously so that Aria had the chance to accommodate herself accordingly, she took the clothes that Hanna had brought into the bathroom and pulled Aria into a standing position as well, prepared to help her dress.
Aria's eyes flickered over to her two friends and then back to Spencer's warn brown hues in an unspoken communication. Following her gaze, the older girl nodded.
"Give us 5 minutes?" Spencer requested softly, her eyes remaining locked on Aria's.
Hanna nodded quickly, tugging them both out of the room, "Em and I will make sure everything in the kitchen is off so we don't burn the place down and then we'll wait for you guys in the car."
Spencer nodded absently, her hands already finding the younger girl's first article of clothing, her underwear. With the soft click of the door to Spencer's bedroom, the couple was alone.
"Can I take your towel?" Spencer requested, her voice softer than velvet.
Something in the way her girlfriend's soft hands were holding her or maybe the protectiveness that lingered in her eyes made Aria feel so much safer than she had since the attack. Nodding her consent, she let the towel drop to the floor.
Spencer refused to allow her eyes to travel down her girlfriend's still stunning and extremely arousing body and kept her orbs locked on Aria's.
"You're so, so beautiful baby," Spencer whispered against the short girl's cheek as she gently leant in to kiss is.
A thick blush coated Aria's pale skin and she looked away. It always amazed Aria how Spencer could pick up on her thoughts before she'd even had them. Now that her beaten body was on full display, she felt ugly and self-conscious. Spencer was an absolute Goddess and now she was damaged goods. But before Aria even had a chance to begin her self-deprecation there was Spencer, reassuring her that she still found her beyond attractive.
It was a slow process; Aria leaned against Spencer's shoulders for support to keep weight off of her more injured leg and Spencer knelt in front of Aria to slip on her underwear and Nike shorts to cause the least amount of movement she could for the smaller girl. Spencer turned around briefly to pick out an oversized t shirt instead of the pajama top Hanna had brought and slipped gently slipped it over Aria's head and shoulders before easing her arms into it. There wasn't much of a point to putting on a bra, both girls recognized, because it would be too painful on Aria's ribs and she'd have to take it off almost immediately for her examination anyway.
Spencer was impressed and relieved at how well her girlfriend was responding to her touch. With a few minor flinches of discomfort, Aria had been incredibly open to their shared physical contact in comparison to a week ago. Long arms found their way around Aria's thin waist and Spencer tenderly pulled her against her chest, mindful of her hurting ribs. The embrace was broken almost immediately by a slightly wince that reminded the taller girl that her girlfriend was hurting and the sooner they went to a doctor, the sooner that would end. The two girls exited the room and descended the stairs at a snail's pace; Spencer didn't want to risk agitated anything that may be hurting Aria and the smaller girl was very reluctant to even entertain the idea of being carried that far.
Finally, the girls reached the front door and the taller brunette left Aria's side for just a moment to collect her purse with her phone, keys, and wallet. She reappeared almost instantly and guided herself and Aria into Emily's car where she found the couple already waiting. Spencer was grateful for Emily's willingness to drive because it meant she could sit in the back and maintain her comforting position with her arms wrapped around Aria.
"You guys ready?" Emily asked gently.
Aria nodded and flashed them both her best attempt at a smile. Spencer locked eyes with Emily and gave a swift nod; the appreciation was visible in her eyes.
A gentle smile tugged at Spencer's lips as she looked up and saw Emily and Hanna's hands intertwined on the console of the car. Later, after Aria was with a doctor, Spencer wanted to ask the couple what had happened after they left her house that day, the day Hanna blew up on Aria but was clearly projecting.
Within minutes Emily pulled up to the Rosewood hospital and Spencer was promptly yet tenderly leading Aria inside. The ivy-bound girl gently led her lover into the nearest waiting room seat and approached the receptionist.
"Do you have an appointment?" a plump young woman asked, hardly pulling her eyes away from her computer.
Spencer fought the urge to roll her eyes at the woman's lack of interest but forced herself to maintain a polite demeanor.
"It's an emergency, my girlfriend was attacked and she needs to be checked out," Spencer whispered, not wanting to alert any more people than necessary of Aria's personal life.
The receptionist (whose nametag read Mary)'s eyes shot up so fast Spencer flinched back at her sudden urgency.
"I'll page a doctor right away," Mary said quickly, pressing several buttons on her office phone. Spencer nodded and thanked her quietly, her gaze traveling over to Aria, who was currently sandwiched between Hanna and Emily. Hanna was telling her a story very animatedly with slow but giant hand gestures and a slight smile rested on her girlfriend's face.
Not even a full 5 minutes later, a relatively young doctor with striking green eyes and dark red hair appeared. She was the picture of compassion with soft eyes and a worried look on her face; her gaze extended past Spencer and she immediately identified the small girl as the victim due to her still visible bruising and currently tinted red skin.
The doctor approached Aria slowly, "Hi, I'm Dr. Silvers; I'll be taking care of you today." Aria felt her shoulder sag in relief, she was beyond thankful to have a female doctor, especially one that seemed as kindhearted as Dr. Silvers. Still not ready to speak verbally, Aria stood up unsteadily and with the doctor's help, made their way to an examination room.
"Would you like to bring one of your friends with you?" Dr. Silvers asked kindly. Aria shot Spencer, Hanna and Emily the same reassuring smile and softly shook her head. She was ready to start doing things on her own.
As Spencer watched her girlfriend go back with the doctor she sent them both off with a reassuring smile and a silent promise to come get her if things became too much for Aria. The taller girl was swelling with pride, she'd expected such a bad reaction from her girlfriend to a hospital visit and she was taking it better than any of them could have hoped.
The brunette joined her friends in the waiting room chairs, picked up one of the old gossip magazines on the table in front of them, and waited.
It was all she could do.
Wow I can't believe it's been a year since I updated where does the time go? I'm a sophomore in college now so I don't have as much time to write, as you can see, but this story –as all my stories- means a lot to me and I'm going to try to keep up with it more regularly. Partially because it's been sooo long, I would welcome any ideas or potential things you'd want to see in the next few chapters from Aria and Spencer or Hanna and Emily. Or maybe something with the parents? Or Fitz? Idk anything could happen. Please give me your feedback! It really helps. Thank you for reading!