Chapter Four: The Survivors' Tale
Jasper was not a very happy vampire at the moment. To be fair, none of the Cullens were. Everyone was bothered by the events of the previous night. He and Edward had seen the gash on Eleanor's shoulder firsthand, and both had to keep themselves from breaking something when they had.
"Who could do that to someone?" Emmett asked once Eleanor had fallen asleep.
"I don't know," Jasper had growled. "A bastard that needs to burn in hell, that's who. Any idea what caused the gash, Carlisle?"
Carlisle had shaken his head, a frown on his face. "I will need to speak with Marie tomorrow," he said. "I told her I wouldn't ask, but I need to know now. Eleanor may have more marks that I don't know about, and I'm concerned that they will not get treated otherwise."
That was where Jasper was now. At the hospital with Eleanor and her mother. Carlisle had arrived earlier than he needed to, just so he could show Eleanor how to get from her mother's room to the reception desk and, subsequently, the door. They had gone over the route several times until she had gotten it, both to and from her mother's room. Jasper was impressed with Carlisle's ability to teach Eleanor, as if he had been doing it his entire existence.
Jasper was by himself, something he didn't particularly mind. Alice and Esme had both decided to go shopping for more clothes for Eleanor. They had dragged Rosalie along to help them look for things Eleanor might like. Rosalie hadn't been too thrilled about this, but went with them anyway. Emmett and Edward went off for a hunt, leaving Jasper to keep Eleanor company.
"How are you, Jasper?" Marie asked.
"I'm doing all right, ma'am," Jasper said.
"Oh, call me Marie," Marie said, beaming. "None of that ma'am stuff for me."
Jasper smiled. "If you insist, Marie."
Marie smiled at Jasper. "What are you reading, Eleanor?" she asked, looking over at Eleanor, who was reading something on her notetaker.
Eleanor shrugged and looked over at Marie. "Harry Potter."
"Again?"
"I can't help it. It's good."
"Which book are you rereading?"
"The third one," Eleanor said. "I love Lupin. He's a great character."
"He really is," Marie said, settling down to watch her daughter read. "One of my favorites."
"Mine too," Eleanor said.
A soft knock sounded at the door and Carlisle stepped in, looking grim. "How are you, Marie?" he asked.
"Tired," Marie said, yawning a little. "Did the results come back?"
Carlisle nodded. "They did," he said. "They aren't good."
Eleanor closed her notetaker and set it aside, staring at Carlisle.
"It would appear that you have a very advance stage of colon cancer that is past the treatment stage," Carlisle said gently.
"How long do I have?" Marie asked, oddly calm.
"A few weeks at the most," Carlisle said. "We can try chemo, but at this stage, it wouldn't be effective. All we can do now is make sure you are comfortable and ease any pain you may have."
"It could have been treated earlier, if it'd been found, right?" Eleanor asked.
"It could have," Carlisle said, "but colon cancer is one of the more difficult cancers to catch early on."
"But it could have been caught," Eleanor said again.
"Yes," Carlisle said somberly. "I'm so sorry."
Silence fell in the room, each lost in their own thoughts.
"I don't want to hear a damn thing out of your mouth!"
Carlisle looked around as the shout carried through the hallway, interrupting the silence.
"Daddy, please," a little girl's voice could be heard, faintly pleading.
"Shut up!" the man's voice boomed. "You deserve everything you got! I could have killed you! You're damn lucky I didn't. You should be grateful for that! Grateful that I left you alive and brought you here in the first place! I should have let you die!"
"I'm sorry," came the girl's barely audible reply.
"You're going to be sorry when we get home, do you understand me?" the man shouted.
"What on Earth is going on?" Marie asked, looking around. "Eleanor?"
Carlisle drew his concerned gaze away from the door and fixed his eyes on Eleanor. She was shaking slightly, a dazed look on her face.
"Eleanor?" Carlisle called softly, walking over to her and kneeling in front of her, placing a hand over one of hers. "Eleanor, sweetheart?"
Eleanor got to her feet and, with robotic movements, left the room, cane dangling at her side.
"Don't," Jasper said, standing, as Carlisle moved to follow. "Carlisle, take care of whoever was shouting. I'll follow Eleanor. Make sure she's okay."
Jasper stepped quickly out of the door before Carlisle could reply, following Eleanor out of the hospital, calling her name softly as he went. She either didn't hear him, or pretended that she couldn't. She stopped over by a brick wall and brought her arm back, punching the wall with all her might, dragging her hand down and scraping the knuckles on the bricks, drawing blood.
Jasper moved swiftly and stepped to Eleanor's side. When she moved to repeat the action, he gently took her hand into his and shook his head.
"Eleanor, darlin'. Calm down." He tried to feel her emotions, but she was a jumbled mess. Pain. Fear. Rage. Sadness. Numbness.
"Jasper." Alice stepped into view and looked at Eleanor. "What's going on?"
"She became like this when we heard someone shouting in the hallway," Jasper explained, not taking his eyes off of Eleanor. "Her emotions are jumbled. I can't help her, Alice. She's too upset."
"Eleanor?" Alice asked, touching her arm.
Eleanor jolted and Alice quickly withdrew her hand, looking apologetic.
Jasper gently turned Eleanor so that her back was to the wall so she could not hurt herself again. He peered at her, concerned. She was shaking more violently now. The dazed and distant look was all he could see in her eyes.
"Eleanor, do you know where you are?" Jasper asked, as realization slammed into him.
Eleanor didn't respond.
"She's dissociating," he told Alice.
"What's that?" Alice asked.
"It means she's not here with us," Jasper explained, "which would explain why I felt numbness coming from her. I'm not well versed in the topic. Carlisle might have a better answer. The point is, she isn't responding."
"Do you want help with her?" a nurse asked, walking over to the trio.
Jasper shook his head. "Thank you, ma'am, but I think I can handle this," he said. "I will let you know if I need your help."
The nurse nodded, backing away.
Jasper returned his attention to Eleanor. "Eleanor, you're safe darlin'," he soothed. "You're safe. You're in front of the hospital. Alice is here. I'm here. Who am I, Eleanor?"
"J-Jasper," Eleanor whispered, closing her eyes tightly.
"Yes, it's me. Jasper. Open your eyes, Eleanor."
Eleanor shook her head.
"Please?"
She shook her head again.
Jasper tried to send her waves of calm, but it still didn't work. He could tell she was slightly more aware now, but barely. He had to think of a way to get her to come back to them. To come back to the present.
"Where are you, Eleanor?" Jasper asked, trying another tactic.
"At the house," Eleanor whispered, shaking.
"No, darlin'. You're with us. Focus on my voice. You know who I am. You already said my name. It's Jasper. Come back, Ellie. You're safe."
Eleanor blinked, the distant look still in her eyes. "I'm scared," she whispered.
"Oh, darlin' I know," Jasper said, fighting the urge to hug the poor girl. "I know you're scared. You're safe now. Safe. No one will hurt you ever again."
Eleanor shook her head and closed her eyes.
Jasper groaned. "No, darlin'. Keep your eyes open."
"Sing something to her," Alice said.
"What?"
"Sing something. She said she used to play piano and write songs. Music obviously comforts her."
"Alice, I can't sing."
"Yes, you can. We all can."
"Then you do it."
Alice shook her head. "I can't come up with anything," she said. "I'm not creative like you, Jazz."
"And you think I am?" Jasper asked.
"Yes," Alice insisted. "What does Eleanor want to do?"
Jasper gave Alice a puzzled look.
"She asked you where you were from," Alice said. "Asked if you'd ever ridden a horse."
Jasper nodded, understanding. He thought for a moment, then peered uneasily around at the nurse, who was now gathered with a small crowd of patients, doctors, and other nurses.
"Eyes on her," Alice said, gesturing to Eleanor. "Ignore them. She needs you right now."
Jasper looked to Eleanor and thought of a tune that he somehow remembered from long ago. He sighed, then began, tapping Eleanor's hand in a sort of constant tempo, hoping it would help her focus.
"She saddled up that old horse
And took him for a ride
Down to the trails by the river shore
Beneath an open sky
"She knew the way like the back of her hand
She needed no guide
The horse that moved beneath her
Had done this all his life
"She set her horse into a trot
A smile on her face
And as she stroked that old horse's mane
You could hear her say
"Oh, you gave me shelter from the storm
That I called my life
You took me away from that dangerous place
Whenever we would ride
Your presence always calmed my soul
And helped me feel safe
So, let's ride until the mornin' light
With you as my escape."
When Jasper had been singing, his slight drawl had turned into a full one. He genuinely sounded like a country singer by the time he had finished singing. He wasn't quite sure where to go next, he paused, and looked down at Eleanor.
Eleanor blinked a couple of times and her eyes cleared, the distant look that had been there just moments before now gone. She smiled a little and brought her free hand up, placing it onto Jasper's.
"Then what happened?" she asked.
Jasper sighed in relief and patted Eleanor's hand. "I honestly don't know," he said. "I just made it up."
"You did?" Eleanor asked. "Just now?"
"Yep," Jasper replied.
"I like it," Eleanor said. "I could hear you sing it, but it wasn't clear at first. It helped me to focus."
"Good," Jasper said, turning and grimacing slightly at the now applauding onlookers.
"Let's go inside," Alice said. "Your hand doesn't look too good, Eleanor."
Eleanor blinked. "My hand?"
"You don't remember punching the wall?" Jasper asked.
Eleanor shook her head.
"Is that normal?" Alice asked.
"I don't know," jasper muttered. "Come on, Ellie."
Eleanor nodded and took Jasper's arm. "Do you mind?" she asked. "I don't want to use my cane. My hand hurts."
"Not at all," Jasper said, patting Eleanor's hand, as Alice grabbed the now fallen cane off the ground.
Alice led the way, Jasper following with Eleanor, the onlookers bringing up the rear, where they dispersed back to their original posts.
"Is everything all right?" Carlisle asked, approaching.
Jasper shook his head. "May I speak to you for a moment?" he asked, as they reached Marie's room.
"Certainly," Carlisle said, eyeing Eleanor.
Jasper placed Eleanor's hand on Alice's shoulder and waited for Alice to disappear into the room before turning to Carlisle.
"What happened?" Carlisle asked.
"Where's the man?" Jasper asked.
"Taken care of," Carlisle said. "We had to call the police. He's in custody now."
"And the girl?"
"In a room getting examined. They are from out of town, but stopped here for a couple of nights. She came in, very badly beaten and bruised. She confirmed it was by the man. Her father, who she was living with while the mother and him figured out who would get sole custody of the child."
Jasper growled and Carlisle placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Talk," Carlisle said firmly.
"Eleanor went outside and hit a wall," Jasper said. "I stopped her from doing it again, but when I tried speaking to her, she didn't seem to hear me. I realized that she was dissociating. When I asked her where she was, she said she was at a house, which makes me think she was also having some sort of flashback. I managed to get her to tell me who I was. I told her that she was safe, which seemed to help, especially when I called her Ellie. She then told me she was scared, and shut down."
Carlisle nodded. "Then what happened?"
"I couldn't calm her," Jasper continued. "My… normal way wasn't working. She was too upset. Alice suggested I sing to her. I thought it was crazy and wouldn't work, but it did. I made something up about horses, and she seemed to like it, because she came out of it. And then we came back here."
Carlisle sighed. "I was afraid something like this would happen," he said. "I will need to look at Eleanor's hand, then I will need to speak with Marie."
"Alice and I can try to convince her to talk to you, if you'd like," Jasper said.
Carlisle nodded. "Please do," he said.
"Is it normal to not remember things?" Jasper asked.
"What do you mean?"
"She doesn't remember hitting the wall."
"Often times, when people dissociate, when their mind clears, they forget anything they were doing while dissociated. Bits and pieces, or entire lapses in time."
"That's disconcerting."
Carlisle nodded.
"Carlisle." Jasper sounded sad. "That look in her eyes. She wasn't even with us. She was somewhere else, getting hurt."
"I know," Carlisle said sadly. "I'm proud of you, son."
"For what?" Jasper was utterly confused.
"In the last day you have come so far," Carlisle said simply. "I never thought I would see the day where you allow yourself to step out of your comfort zone and take on the roll of a big brother."
"She's hurt," Jasper stated. "I don't know why, but I feel protective of her. She's like my little sister. I hate to see her hurt."
"I know," Carlisle said, turning to the door. "Now, come on. I need to be sure your sister didn't break her hand."
Jasper winced as Carlisle led the way back into the room and approached Eleanor, who was seated, Alice's hand on her shoulder.
"Eleanor, will you come with me, please?" Carlisle asked. "I would like to get an x-ray of your hand and be sure you didn't do too much damage."
Eleanor nodded and got to her feet, taking Carlisle's arm, her injured right hand hanging at her side.
"How hard did she hit the wall?" Marie asked, once she had gone.
"Hard," Jasper said. "It was bleeding when I looked at it. Marie, I need to ask you to do something."
"I know," Marie said.
Jasper blinked. "Pardon me?"
"I know what you want me to do," she said. "You want me to talk to Carlisle about our past."
"Will you?" Jasper asked. "I know it's hard, Marie, but it's for Eleanor's benefit. We can't help her if we don't know what she's been through."
"It's also for your benefit," Alice said. "It can't be easy, holding all of that in."
"It's not," Marie said. "I just don't want to be judged for not leaving the situation sooner. It wasn't as simple as that."
"No one will judge you," Jasper said. "No one that matters, anyway. Carlisle has dealt with patients who have been abused before. Both children and adults. He understands what it is like to be too afraid to leave. He won't judge you."
"Neither will we," Alice said. "We understand too. Believe me, Marie. We aren't the type of people to judge easily."
Marie sighed. "I know," she said quietly. "It's just hard. I've never really told anyone."
"Is there anything we can do to make things easier for you?" Alice asked.
"A shot of something strong would be nice." Marie laughed.
"I don't think Carlisle would be too thrilled with that idea," Jasper said with a chuckle.
"No, I suppose not," Marie said. "In all honesty, I need you and your family to look after Eleanor. I know I already asked Carlisle to watch her yesterday but…"
"We understand," Alice said. "Would you rather she leave when you talk with Carlisle?"
Marie shook her head. "It's our story," she said. "We tell it together. Unless she wants to leave, of course. But it's going to be hard for her. Not only will she have to deal with my prognosis, but talking about it will no doubt bring up some painful memories."
"Carlisle understands that," Jasper said. "Did he tell you about last night?"
Marie shook her head.
"Eleanor was having a nightmare, and Alice and Esme went to check on her. They had a hunch that something was wrong. When Esme woke Eleanor up, she sat up, and Alice noticed a deep gash on her shoulder. Carlisle stitched her up, but we were all on alert after that, in case she woke up again. Luckily, she didn't."
Marie sighed.
"Carlisle's worried that there are more injuries that he needs to take a look at," Alice said.
"There are," Marie said quietly. "On both of us."
"Do I have your permission to kill the man that did this?" Jasper asked, only half serious.
"No," Marie said with a laugh. "Only because you don't belong in jail."
"I could get away with it," Jasper muttered darkly.
Marie giggled as the door opened and Carlisle stepped in, carrying a tray with some food and a couple of drinks on it, Eleanor following behind him, her left hand on his shoulder, her right hand wrapped in a sturdy brace.
"Your daughter has quite the punch," Carlisle said, setting the tray of food onto the bedside table and guiding Eleanor to a chair. "She nearly broke her hand. Lucky for her, she didn't, and only succeeded in spraining it. I put her in a brace just to be on the safe side. Her knuckles were badly scraped, however, so I will need to keep an eye on them."
"Wait till Emmett hears about this," Jasper said, ruffling Eleanor's hair. "You beat up a wall, Ell!"
"The wall deserved it," Eleanor muttered.
"Did it now?" Jasper asked, glad that Eleanor was slowly returning to herself again. "Tell me why."
"It was standing there and wouldn't move," Eleanor pouted.
Carlisle chuckled. "I brought food for you," he told Marie. "You both need to eat."
Marie sat up slowly and reached for the tray. "What wonderful hospital food did you bring?" she asked sarcastically.
"Leftovers from last night's dinner, actually," Carlisle said. "Esme send Eleanor over with enough for an army."
"It's good, Mom," Eleanor said.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Marie asked, noticing that Eleanor made no move towards the food.
"No," Eleanor said. "I'm not—"
"Yes, you are," Carlisle said firmly, placing a plate of food into Eleanor's hand. "Don't argue with me. You know you will lose."
"But I'm not hungry," Eleanor protested.
"Nice try," Carlisle said. "You have had an eventful day already, and you need to eat. You barely touched your breakfast this morning."
Eleanor grumbled, but picked up her fork and started to eat, while Marie silently snickered behind her hand, giving Carlisle a thumbs up.
"I assume Alice and Jasper have already spoken to you?" Carlisle asked.
"Yes," Marie replied.
"Are you open to talking?"
Marie looked at Eleanor. "Yes," she said, "but don't you need to work?"
"I am working," Carlisle said. "This is part of my job. Getting information about parents and their families, especially if I have my suspicions that I already know to be correct. The other doctors know not to disturb me."
"Did you plan this?" Marie asked.
"Possibly," Carlisle said with a wink. "I do ask that you allow me to record this, in case you would like to press charges, so you don't need to repeat yourself."
"That's fine," Marie said.
Carlisle pulled out his phone and set it on the table.
"Are you okay with this, Ellie?" Marie asked.
Eleanor nodded. "I'm tired," she said. "Tired of him. Of this. Of everything."
Jasper stepped over to Eleanor and placed his hand on her uninjured shoulder, squeezing gently, while Alice placed her hand on the opposite knee.
"Whenever you're ready," Carlisle told Marie. "Take your time. There's no rush."
"Where do I begin?" Marie asked.
"Start with who he is," Carlisle said, "and the relation he has to both of you. Then take it from there. Only share what you're comfortable with."
"His name is Daniel Whyte," Marie said, a distant look crossing her face. "I called him Dan for short. He's my husband, Eleanor's father. We met five years before Eleanor was born, and got married two years later. He was the sweetest man I have ever met. Always considerate and kind. He wanted kids, like me, so when we found out I was pregnant, we were both ecstatic.
"Things went well for the first four years. He was a doting father. He loved to take Eleanor out shopping. Didn't bother him that she couldn't see. He adored her either way. Loved to show her off to anyone who would listen, bragging about how smart she was.
"And then he got fired from his job. He was a movie producer. He got caught stealing money from a film they had just done. And that's when things changed for him. He was blacklisted and forbidden from working on any more films. He became an alcoholic after that.
"It started with small things. He would start shouting at us over little things. If the house wasn't clean when he came home from the bar. If dinner wasn't ready in time for his liking. If the bed wasn't made a certain way. He even yelled at Eleanor whenever she tripped over things that he had left lying around. That lasted a few months. And then it happened.
"Eleanor was running around one day and she tripped over Dan's tools that had been lying on the floor. He picked her off of the ground, and instead of comforting her, smacked her across the face and yelled at her for being so stupid. I tried to intervene but he slapped me. It got much worse after that. Every day after that, he would physically abuse us, whether it was a kick, punch, or slap. He would trip Eleanor often, and then kick her and call her stupid for falling."
"Did he ever break any bones?" Carlisle asked.
"Yes," Marie said, as Eleanor nodded. "He broke a couple of Eleanor's ribs when she was five. He threw her down the stairs because she was in his way." Marie paused, tearing up.
"We can stop, if you need a break," Carlisle said gently.
Marie shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "I'm fine. I've just never told anyone this before."
Carlisle nodded and patiently waited for Marie to continue.
"I couldn't do anything to stop it," Marie continued. "Every time I tried to help or intervene, I would get it worse off. We would have good days. The days when he wasn't home, because he was out looking for work. Even when he found work again, he still continued to abuse us. I received several broken ribs, a broken arm, fractured leg, and sprained wrists at his hands. There was so much that happened, that I don't even think I can recall it all."
"He burned us one time," Eleanor said softly. "With his lit cigarettes. I still have the scars." She shuddered.
"He would do it where no one could see," Marie said. "Not that we would go out often. If we had to go out, we had to cover up our injuries. He said that if anyone ever found out, he would kill both us and them. And we believed him. He kept guns in a safe and he had the only key."
"He took a gun and threatened to shoot my mom one night," Eleanor said. "He hld it to her head and pultrigger. I only know that because she told me later. Then he started laughing like a maniac and told us the ghere wasgkneven loaded. He thought it was the funniest thing ever. He always told us that we should be grateful that he didn't kill us."
"Was that why you got upset earlier?" Jasper asked.
"Yes," Eleanor said. "What that man said was exactly what Dan said."
"Please, go on," Carlisle said gently, after a few minutes of silence.
"After the cigarettes, came the knives," Marie said. "He would heat the blade on the stove before cutting one of us, usually me, then burning the wounds closed. Sometimes he would cut me and leave the wounds open, just to be spiteful. Or he would burn me, and pour salt into the wound, always laughing as I screamed in pain."
"I have to ask," Carlisle said. "Was Dan only ever physically abusive?"
"To Eleanor, he was only physically abusive," Marie said. "To me, it went past that. He still expected me to be a wife and do what he called my wifely duties. He would force me to have sex with him. Even if I was in pain after what he had just done. I got burned more if I refused."
"How often?" Carlisle asked, hating that he had to ask these questions. "I apologize if I'm being too forward, but I would rather I ask the questions and you hear them from someone you know, rather than someone you don't."
"I understand," Marie said. "He would force me to have sex with him at least twice a week. Sometimes it was a couple of nights in a row."
"I'm so sorry," Carlisle whispered. "No one should have to endure what you two have. I wish there was something I could do to take all of the pain you suffered away."
"Thank you," Marie said, smiling gently. "That means a lot."
"Can I ask a question?" Alice asked, squeezing Eleanor's knee.
"Of course, dear," Marie said.
"What made you leave?"
Marie smiled wryly. "We had a very bad gut feeling that if we stayed, we wouldn't be around for much longer. And our feelings were never wrong before, so we trusted them. I planned our getaway for weeks. I searched for somewhere suitable. Found an affordable apartment for us. Sold items of value to pay for the first month's rent and deposit, as well as transportation here. I was able to get Eleanor enrolled in school quickly, so she could start after she arrived. I knew she would need a sense of normalcy. She liked school."
"It was a way to escape," Eleanor said. "I didn't have to worry about Dan when I was at school. He couldn't come and hurt me there. I worried about you, Mom, but school was always a safe place for me."
"Do you feel comfortable telling me where the gash on your shoulder came from, Eleanor?" Carlisle asked.
Eleanor nodded and squeezed Alice's hand. Jasper send her waves of calm, relieved that it worked this time.
"On the last night we were there, he cut my shoulder. I don't know why, but he did. He didn't close it up, either. He left it open. My mom stopped the bleeding, but when she went to get the supplies to help me, she found five gallons of gasoline just sitting there. We knew we had to get out of there. So, we did. When he went out drinking, we packed what little we could and got on the bus to the airport, then arrived here."
"My God," Alice breathed. "That sick, twisted son of a bitch."
"That bastard," Jasper growled. "That sick, sorry excuse for a human being."
Carlisle nodded. "I agree," he said. "I think that's enough talking about this for today. You two have said more than the police need, if you do plan to press charges against him."
"I'll have to think about that," Marie said. "I don't want him knowing where I am."
"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it," Carlisle said. "In the meantime, I would like your permission to examine both of you and be sure there are no wounds that need attending to. I would also like to take pictures and catalogue them, if that is okay with you. I happen to know the police chief here, and can get these things processed quickly, in the event you decide to pursue charges."
Two hours later, Carlisle, who was usually not a violent person, was having very dark thoughts about Dan Whyte. X-rays and pictures had been taken and everything had been put into the now very large files of Marie and Eleanor. He had sent Eleanor home with Alice and Jasper, as both her and Marie needed to rest, after saying what they had. He had given specific instructions for the family to keep an eye on Eleanor, and make sure she wasas comfortable as possible..
Eleanor's scans had been disturbing. She had no broken bones, but Carlisle could see where bones had been broken before. She had a few bruised ribs and was covered in bruises in various degrees of healing, but Carlisle couldn't do more than give her pain medicine. She had scars and welts covering her whole body for the many burns, cuts, and other tortures she endured. He had cleaned a couple open wounds, and applied cream to fresh burns, hoping that they too wouldn't scar, but knowing it was very likely that they would.
Marie, on the other hand, was worse off, in a way. She currently had a few broken ribs. When Carlisle had asked her how she had managed with that, she had smiled slightly and said that she had no choice. Getting out was her main priority, not her ribs. Carlisle was saddened to see that she, too, was covered in scars and open wounds, which he took care of as best he could. He had also asked a nurse to run a rape kit. Not that he expected anything to come out of it, as Marie had showered since she had left, but they would hopefully be able to get signs of assault. Sadly, they did.
As Carlisle left for the day, he was fuming. He would never understand why someone thought it was okay to put their hands on others. How they could force themselves onto people, be it physically or sexually. He knew both women would be a wreck now, and he hated that it had come to this, but he knew that with healing comes pain. Lots of it. He would make sure that the pain was made as bearable as it could be.
Sure, with Marie's diagnosis, she would have less time to suffer, both physically and mentally, but that didn't mean he wouldn't provide her with as much comfort as he could.
Eleanor was another story entirely. She would have long to think about this. To heal. To feel the effects of what she had gone through. He would make sure she had as much support as she needed, but first, he needed to speak with Esme. He had a plan, and hoped that everyone would be onboard with it. Somehow, he knew they would.