Welcome back everyone! I hope you've been enjoying the story so far! We're going to slow things down a little this week, after all the excitement of the last few chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Safety in Numbers

Ludus stepped outside Ford's clinic, a weary heaviness in his limbs that he couldn't shake. He hated leaving Maya like this- hated it more than words could express. Every inch he moved away from her set his bones on fire. He had no idea how he was going to make it through the night like this.

He was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, but he wouldn't be able to sleep. He was afraid to. Ludus didn't dream much, but when he did, they were vivid. So many things had happened since he woke up that morning, and none of them he ever wanted to look at or feel again. What would he see when he closed his eyes that night?

What would Maya see?

The thought nearly paralyzed him, but he didn't have to think about it long. Lisette and Wayne intercepted him just as he was descending one of the many staircases in Westown.

"Hi Ludus," Lisette greeted, a sad set to her lips. She looked better, less pale, and she'd changed to something more casual than her normal dress. She embraced him, patting his back soothingly. "You doing okay?"

"As good as can be expected, I guess," he shrugged with a wan smile. In truth, he was angry. Scared, helpless, and absolutely furious, but he didn't have an outlet. So Ludus kept his mouth shut.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep right for weeks," Lisette sighed, a worried crease in her forehead. Ludus agreed wholeheartedly, but he didn't say that aloud. Wayne took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Maya will be alright, darlin'." He grinned at her, but the expression didn't meet his eyes. "Ford will make sure of it. In the meantime," he turned to Ludus then, jabbing his thumb in the direction of Maya's farm. "Frank and Miranda headed over to clean up while Maya was in the hospital. Take care of Josie, the fields, and such. We thought you might wanna tag along."

"Thanks," Ludus grunted, falling into step beside them. "I think that's just about the only thing I want to do right now. That I can do, anyway."

"I think it'll make all of us feel a little better."

They walked on in silence, avoiding anyone they passed. Miranda and the town mayors had done wonders staving off the gossip-mongers, but Ludus didn't want to take any chances. He was ashamed, as foolish as it may seem. Ashamed that Maya was alone, ashamed that he wasn't with her.

"How's Frank?" Ludus asked, trying to distract himself. One thing he knew he needed to do was pick himself up before he saw Maya again. This wasn't about him. "Is he better?"

"He's calmer, if that's what you mean," Wayne trailed, letting his head fall back and watching the scattered stars peeking out behind the setting sun. "I dunno if I'd say he's better. I've never seen him so angry."

"Me either," Lisette sighed, wringing her hands in her apron. "But I can't blame him."

"No one can," Wayne agreed. "I expect he'll feel better when Maya is out of the hospital."

"That makes two of us," Ludus let out a gust of air, trying to expel his worry with it. Unfortunately, it only made his already dry throat sting.

"Ford will take good care of her," Lisette insisted, patting Ludus's shoulder as they walked. "He's a little odd, but he's a good doctor."

"I know," Ludus pulled his lips to the side, "I trust him. I just… hate that I can't be there for her. She's been my girlfriend for less than twenty-four hours, and I already feel like I'm failing her."

"Your what?" Lisette gasped, her hands covering her mouth. Ludus blushed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. He'd kind of forgotten they hadn't had the chance to tell anyone yet. "Oh Ludus! I'm so happy for you!"

"It's about time," Wayne chuckled, slapping him on the back. "Good on ya."

"Thanks," Ludus sighed, revelling in the little bit of happiness that he'd felt that day. "Talk about bad timing, though."

"You always did have a knack for misfortune," Wayne teased, winking.

"I just wish I had known…" Ludus continued, glancing back over his shoulder. He couldn't see the clinic anymore, and that made him lonely, somehow. "I can't help thinking about it. I was right there, why didn't I see that things were getting this bad?"

"It's a damn helpless feeling, ain't it?" Wayne muttered, staring at the ground as he walked. It was strange, seeing Wayne as anything but cheery. It was like watching a cat play piano- utterly bizarre. "I always knew there was something on her mind but… I never imagined…"

"We all missed it," Lisette whispered. She spoke with such melancholy that Ludus suspected she'd been thinking the same thing he was; that they should've looked harder. "We saw her every day, talked to her all the time. I was there when Frank gave her one of those stupid envelopes. And I still had no idea."

"None of us did," Ludus agreed. Fury bubbled in his throat again, but he fought it down. He should've known. He should've pushed, should've asked more questions, should've done something. He knew that there was something Maya was hiding, something that she was dealing with, and he'd just assumed she'd tell him when she was ready. Ludus should've known better; Maya would never burden someone else with her problems. Not if she could help it.

"Someone did," Wayne growled suddenly, and Ludus was reminded of Maya's father's involvement in all this. He pushed the thought away again just as quickly, feeling sick to his stomach.

They walked on in silence until they reached Maya's farm. It was strange, being there without Maya herself. Ludus had been in such a rush when he came to get her quilt that he didn't notice before, but the farm felt almost barren without her bustling about.

Frank was in the barn, tending to Josie. Ludus and Wayne split off from Lisette to give him a hand, while she joined Miranda in the house. Frank told them that Miranda wanted to make sure everything was as it was before Dunhill broke in, to prevent Maya from having to see the mess he made.

Ludus didn't want to think about the kind of mess he'd made. He'd kept his eyes trained firmly on the bed when he went in earlier, refusing to look at anything that might tip him over the edge.

Josie was visibly distraught when they entered the barn. It was like the old girl knew something had happened, and as much as Frank tried to soothe her, she was having none of it. She quieted a bit when Ludus approached her, but anyone could see that she was unsettled.

"How is she?" Frank asked, piling hay into Josie's trough. Ludus doubted she'd eat any of it right now, but at least she'd have the option.

"Ford says she's doing great." Ludus picked up a rake and started to gather the soiled hay into a pile. Wayne set to filling Josie's water. "He thinks she'll be out in a few days. A week, maybe."

Frank didn't say anything, just threw another load of hay into the trough with a bit more force than was necessary.

"She shouldn't be in there at all," he spat after a while, his cheeks red with anger. Ludus pressed his lips together, willing himself not to say anything. "My brother is a lot of things-"

"'Coward' is the first one that jumps to my mind," Wayne interjected harshly.

"'Asshole' was my thought," Frank grumbled. "Maybe it was stupid of me, but I never imagined that he'd let this happen. Put his own daughter, his flesh and blood, in harm's way just to save himself a buck."

Frank tossed the pitchfork onto the ground, kicking it aside. Ludus and Wayne paused in their work, looking up at Frank with concern. They waited for another outburst, but it didn't come.

"This is my fault," he sighed, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. "I knew. I knew this was happening, and I didn't do anything to stop it. I should've said something to him. I should've-"

"Stop that, right now!"

Miranda's voice startled them all, appearing at the barn door with Lisette in tow. They looked as tired as Ludus felt.

"There's an awful lot of blame going around right now," Miranda harrumphed, planting her hands on her hips. "And none of it is going to the right person. Dunhill did this, so he's at fault. No one else. So, all of you need to stop feeling sorry for yourselves, and remember that we have bigger problems."

"There is no problem," Ludus insisted, drawing some skeptical looks. "I'll be taking care of Dunhill. As soon as Maya's feeling better."

"You're not going after him alone," Lisette gasped, her hands rubbing together worriedly. "Ludus, you saw what he did to-"

"He won't be alone," Wayne chimed in, a fire glowing in his chest. "Let me at the bastard. I'll show him what happens when he messes with one of us."

"No one is going after anyone," Miranda sighed, shaking her head. "Honestly. You're worse than a couple of teenagers. We'll take care of Dunhill, long before Maya is out of the hospital. You all know as well as I do that she's in there right now, stressing her little heart out, trying to figure out how to fix this."

Ludus almost rolled his eyes in annoyance at just how right Miranda was. If he knew Maya at all, that's exactly what she was doing. Along with blaming herself for the whole mess.

"So, what do we do?" Lisette asked, swivelling her gaze between Miranda and Frank. The latter two shared a look, before Miranda began to explain.

"Frank and I have been talking about it," she hesitated, unsure how to continue. "and I think we have an idea. It's a bit… unorthodox, to say the least."

"It'll work," Frank insisted, as much to convince himself as the others. "It's about time I put an end to this. And here's how we're going to do it."

.

Once everyone left, and Maya was finally alone, she let her smile fall. It took effort, effort that she should have been spending on getting better, to keep up her cheerful façade. But she had to.

Ford was upstairs, no doubt settling down for the night. It was late, and Maya should be trying to sleep too, but her mind was on fire. It took every ounce of energy she had to keep her tears at bay. She let herself slip earlier, and that was her mistake. Frank had just been so angry; she couldn't help it. Not again, though. Maya wouldn't give her friends any more reasons to worry about her.

And Ludus… the look on his face. Maya cringed, pulling her quilt up to her nose as if she could hide from the guilt. And the anger.

Dunhill had hurt her. Again. Just when she was starting to feel safe. Just when she was starting to feel happy.

Maya hated him. She hated him so much it hurt, but there was nothing she could do. She'd seen what could happen if she tried to avoid him, knew the consequences of missing her payments. What was she going to do if she missed another one? What would Dunhill do next time?

And what would happen now that everyone knew the truth? There was no way Ludus or her uncle would let things continue this way, but Maya couldn't possibly accept their help. What if they offered to pay Dunhill in her place? She couldn't let them do that. Not a chance. She had to figure out how to handle this on her own, but her head just hurt so much.

That was another thing. On top of everything else, her entire body was in pain. She'd had a quick look under the blankets earlier, and most of the bruising was concentrated around her ribs, but all of her muscles ached. Maya wanted to sleep- to cry- to scream- any number of things would've made her feel better. But then she thought of her friends and she knew she had to stay strong.

It was bad enough they'd found out this way. They were all worried sick about her; the last thing Maya needed to do was trouble them more by letting them know that she wasn't okay. Maybe that wasn't fair to them either, but it was her burden to bear.

There was some shuffling around upstairs, and then Maya heard footsteps on the staircase. She quickly schooled her features again, wrenching the stress back into the recesses of her mind. She'd just managed to make herself comfortable in the hospital bed again when Ford opened the door to her room.

"Any change?" he asked, all business as usual. Maya shook her head, wincing a little at the throbbing in her skull.

"Headache," she shrugged, "but that's about it. I think the painkiller you gave me is wearing off."

Ford jotted something down in his notebook and circled the bed, coaxing Maya forward so he could better examine her. She complied, waiting patiently as he poked at her wounds.

"On the surface you seem to be healing well," he confirmed, satisfied with the progress he was seeing. "I expect you'll be able to return home in a few days, perhaps a week if your ribs continue to trouble you. I'll have to monitor your concussion of course."

Maya nodded slowly, a knot of unease already forming in her stomach. She couldn't miss a full week of work. If Dunhill sent another letter in that time, there was no way she'd be able to pay him.

"You'll need to eat something," Ford announced, pointing to the glass of water next to her bed. She'd been sipping at it all evening, and now it was nearly gone. "If you think you can stomach it."

"I think so," Maya agreed, carefully sitting up. Her ribs throbbed, but she could move. Not a bad break, then. Ford dropped his notebook on his desk, heading for the door again.

"I'll be spending the night down here," he told her, gesturing to his work chair. "So, if you get hungry, or thirsty, let me know. I'll determine if you're well enough to continue regular food intake."

"You're not going home?" Maya frowned, "It's nearly midnight."

"I'm not comfortable leaving you to your own devices," Ford explained, fixing his glasses. "Concussions can be tricky. If your condition worsens in the middle of the night, I'd rather be nearby. Besides, I've been informed by some concerned parties that you may try to rectify the situation on your own, and I don't believe that would be best for your health."

Maya's cheeks flamed. She hadn't been planning to 'rectify the situation on her own' just yet… but she couldn't deny she'd thought about it. Ford took her silence as acceptance, and disappeared out the door.

Maya's shoulders slumped. It appeared as though she was right- there was no way she was dealing with Dunhill on her own anymore. Her friends were involved, whether she liked it or not. The problem now was that she had no idea how she was going to deal with it, friends or otherwise.

Ford returned with a pitcher in his hand and a box of crackers. Maya realised suddenly how hungry she was- her stomach clenched painfully. Ford laid the crackers down on the table beside her bed, and reached for her empty glass.

"I'm surprised at you, Maya," Ford announced suddenly, refilling her water glass. "You should've come to me with your troubles with Dunhill straight away."

Maya almost laughed. She didn't mean to, but Ford had just sounded so casual. It took her off guard.

"Ford, I didn't tell anyone about Dunhill," she reminded him gently. "Not even my uncle. Or Ludus."

Ford raised his eyebrow at her, frowning.

"I'm not sure what they have to do with anything," he stated, perplexed. "I'm your doctor, Maya. What you discuss with your family members is entirely none of my business."

Maya blinked. She was still trying to piece together what exactly Ford was trying to argue, when he spoke again.

"Mental health is just as important as your physical health," he explained, handing her the filled water glass. Maya took it, staring blankly at him. "I imagine this whole situation has caused you a great deal of stress. The physical repercussions are obvious, but I worry for your psychological state. You should have consulted with me long ago, but there's nothing to be done about that now. Moving forward, I'd be more than happy to assist you in working through any lasting side effects that this incident may have caused. Ludus mentioned you have a fear of the water? We could certainly start there. How did you-?"

Maya giggled, interrupting Ford's lecture with a hand on his arm.

"Thank you," she smiled warmly, feelings of appreciation surging through her. "Really Ford, thank you so much for everything. But I think I'm going to be okay. This is something I need to figure out on my own."

Ford frowned, as if trying to understand.

"But if I change my mind," Maya continued, taking a sip of her water, "I promise I'll come directly to you. As my doctor, not just a friend."

He seemed satisfied with that answer, and after a quick vitals check, made his way back over to his desk.

"I imagine you're quite tired," Ford mused, checking his watch. "I believe I'm comfortable letting you rest for a few hours. I'll wake you around 5am."

And that was the end of the discussion. Ford sat down at his desk, pulled out his notebooks, and began to work. Maya shook her head, unable to keep the grin from her lips. She shuffled in the hospital bed, pulling her quilt tightly around her. To her delight, she could still catch the faint smell of the ocean from the fabric. It reminded her of Ludus.

Despite the unusual surroundings, Maya felt safe for the first time in a long time. The fatigue of the last 24 hours quickly overtook her, and she fell into a deep, restful sleep.

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