Alex awoke in a too bright room that was meticulously clean and dazzlingly white and found he was on a bed, not the floor. Still groggy from the sedative he had been given and not ready to leave the small comfort that sleep offered, he did not move. Instead, he observed the room through fuzzy, half lidded eyes, not really making out any other details.
"-evidence of sexual trauma along with everything else. It's going to be an uphill battle, I'm not gonna lie to you boys. The wounds should all heal but I would recommend a good psychologist that he visits regularly." Soft voices from the hall caught his attention and he wondered what they were talking about. Alex would've loved nothing more than to fall back asleep but at that moment the door clicked open, breaking him out of his stupor and causing him to jolt upright, looking around wildly for his escape route.
"Hey, hey, shh," a nurse soothed, shooing the men behind her with a wave of her hand. The door closed with the men still in the hall. "I just have to do some checks ok? Do you know where you are?" Alex shook his head slowly, avoiding eye contact. Was it bad he didn't know? Would they punish him for it? Over to his right a monitor was beeping too loud and too fast.
"Ok. That's ok sweetheart. Take some deep breaths. In… Out… In… Out…" Alex followed the woman's directions and the previously wildly beeping monitor slowed down. Alex vaguely realized it must be a heart monitor but he didn't understand why they would be monitoring him.
"Good. Good." Alex liked being called good. The nurse took a step closer but when the heart monitor jumped again she stopped. "I'm not gonna hurt you ok? I just need to check you out. I just need to shine a light in your eyes ok? Look…" she held out a small flashlight for him and Alex looked at it suspiciously but didn't move away.
"Follow the light with your eyes. Don't move your head." Again, Alex did what he was told and the nurse smiled approvingly. "You're all set. Here's some clothes. I'm gonna get you something to eat and then you can go home." Home. He contemplated the word as he got dressed in the sweat pants and generic t-shirt the nurse had handed him. It brought up mixed feelings for Alex. On the one hand, the cell he was kept in when he wasn't being shown off was relatively safe and he liked it, as opposed to anywhere else at least. On the other hand, his master was not always the kindest and he might be lent out again. And what about the men that had brought him here? They didn't exactly look done with him. Would they let him go home? Would his master be angry that they had apparently had to take him to the doctor? The kind nurse was back shortly and this time with a sandwich. Alex wolfed it down hungrily.
"I'm gonna let Mr. Daniels in now," the nurse announced as he finished. "He's gonna take you home." She opened the door and one of the men walked in.
"Hey Al," he practically whispered. Alex glanced at him but was careful to avoid eye contact. "The doc says you can come home. You're gonna come live with me okay? I have your room all set up, just the way you like it." Alex felt his heart sink. They weren't done with him. Alex looked past the man and out into the hall. It was suspiciously devoid of the other three. He wondered where they went. Alex glanced back and noticed Ben was waiting for him. He reluctantly got out of bed and walked over to the man. They both paused awkwardly, unsure of each other before Ben decided to take the lead.
Alex followed Ben out of the hospital and to a nondescript black SUV that supposedly belonged to the older man. Ben opened the back passenger door for him and they drove back to his flat. It was on the third floor of a small, square building. The flat itself wasn't much to look at. The walls were a uniform beige. Alex glanced around, following obediently behind Ben as the man "gave him the tour". Immediately upon opening the door was the living room with a red and black oriental looking rug that had clearly seen better days. To the left of the living room was a small kitchen with an island separating the two rooms. Down a narrow hall that gave Alex claustrophobia was a small bathroom with a shower and toilet, and three bedrooms. The first bedroom was small and was introduced to Alex as Ben's office. The second one he was shown was Ben's room. It was messy. There were clothes all over the floor and a soda can on the nightstand. Finally, they came to Alex's room. It was bare for the most part. There was a blue comforter on a small twin bed and a few clothes hanging in the closet.
"I didn't know what you like so there's a variety," Ben apologized, following his line of sight. "We can go shopping later if you want." The sudden break in the silence that had fallen as Alex had inspected the room made him jump. "Sorry," the man apologized again, sheepishly. The silence fell again as Alex waited to be told what was expected of him.
Ben sighed. This was going to be even harder than he thought. The kid was completely brainwashed. An eerily quiet. Ben hated having the kid follow him because he couldn't even hear his footsteps. He had to constantly turn around and check to reassure himself that the kid was still following him. And it was almost worse now that they were home. He gave Alex the tour just to have something to do and the previously vibrant blonde boy followed obediently behind him without a word. Now they were just staring at each other in Alex's room. Well, Ben was staring. Alex was watching but pointedly not making eye contact still. Whatever that bastard had done really did a number on the poor kid. Ben ran his hand through his hair, trying to come up with something to say. Anything. He saw Alex flinch at the raised hand and sighed again. This was going to take some getting used to.
"Let's go watch some TV," He suggested. "Do you like football?" Alex hesitated for a moment and then nodded slowly. He led the way to his old, brown couch and sat down. Alex perched precariously on the very edge of the opposite side, glancing at Ben uneasily. The man smiled encouragingly and Alex sat a little farther back as he turned on the TV and found the proper channel. The World Cup was on and France was playing Spain. Ben allowed himself to get immersed in the game and it wasn't until the game was over (France won) that he glanced over and realized the poor boy had fallen asleep. Ben grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch, suddenly glad Eagle made him keep one around, and laid it gently over him, careful to move as little as possible so as not to accidentally wake him. He smiled sadly and went back to flipping channels.