Chapter 3
Recovery
Wesley headed up the stairs and stopped at the top landing. He hesitated and thought about what he should say. He gathered courage and walked straight to Fred's room. He knocked on the door.
" Fred?" Wes asked.
"Fred?"
Wes entered and looked at Fred lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling.
"Hey Fred?" Wes asked.
"Oh Wesley, I didn't see you standing there" Fred said.
"Can I come in?" Wes asked.
"Sure" Fred stated.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine"
"What did the doctors say?"
"Nothing to me, they said they'd call with my test results" Fred explained.
"Oh, well do you think it went ok?"
"I hope so" Fred said.
Wesley watched Fred and really wasn't listening to what she said. He knew she was better, but was still in pain.
"Angel didn't tell me that they we going to call" Wes said.
"Oh, I don't why he didn't, maybe he thought he'd just worry you" Fred said plainly. She didn't want to talk but didn't want to be alone.
"No, no worry" Wes said a little worried.
The phone rang and Fred jumped.
Ahh" Fred said.
"You ok? I'll be right back" Wesley said.
Wes ran down, and saw Angel on the phone. Angel talked for a minute and hung up.
"What did the doctors say?" Wes asked.
"How did you..." Angel started.
"Fred told me, what did they say?" Wes asked.
They said she's fine" Angel lied.
"And?" Wes said.
"Well, in her x-ray, it showed a fractured rib"
"What?" Wes yelled.
"Yeah, I guess when he ....." Angel stopped himself before he got to upset.
"How do you want to tell her?" Wes asked.
"I don't know?" Angel replied.
"What do the doctors want her to do?" Wes asked.
"They say it's not serious and she should just stay and bed and not move to much" Angel explained.
"Oh, ok, well that's good" Wes stated.
"Yeah"
Angel tapped Wes to turn around. Fred was coming down the stairs, struggling a little. Wes ran up to help her before she fell and hurt herself even more.
"What did the doctors say?" Fred asked "Was that the doc...." Fred started.
"It was the doctors" Angel said.
"Oh what did they..." Fred started to say.
"Fred please sit" Angel said.
Fred walked to the couch, with Wes by her side and sat down.
"The doctors looked over your x-rays" Wes stated.
Angel knelt down and put his hand on her knee.
"It seems that you fractured a rib Fred" Angel said.
" Oh, it felt kinda sore" Fred stated.
"The doctors said to just stay in bed and not move to much" Wes said.
"You don't have to work this week and just rest" Angel said.
"We'll bring food and stuff up for you when you need them, ok?" Wes said.
"Yeah ok" Fred said plainly " I'm going to go up stairs to lie down" Fred said.
"Oh, you feeling ok?" Wes asked.
"Yeah just a little tired" Fred said as she walked up the stairs.
Fred walked up to her room and plopped down on her bed. She stared at the door waiting for Wes or Angel to storm in and ask her if she's ok. But they didn't. She wished she could tell them what happened. She wished she had felt better. After about an hour of no sleep, she decided to get up, even though she wasn't supposed to. Fred rose to her feet and started for her door, when she heard Wes or someone, coming up the stairs. She hopped back in bed and closed her eyes. She tried to fall asleep but couldn't.
Meanwhile Wes stood at her door and watched her try to fall asleep. He decided to let her rest and walked away. Fred finally did fall asleep, but it was hard. She kept picturing the man attacking her and tried to get it out of her mind. She screamed as she woke up and saw that she was safe. Wes ran up the stairs and into her room. She sat up out of breath and saw Wes at the door. He rushed in and sat on her bed. She hugged him and took a deep breath. He pulled back and looked at her.
"Are you ok?" Wes asked.
"Yeah, just had a bad dream" Fred said.
"Fred you need to tell us what happened to you, I know it's hard but please try" Wes said.
"But I ..' Fred started.
"Fred please just try to tell us" Wes pleaded.
"Well I-I was w-walking down the st-street and thought I heard you guys. I looked back and no one was there. When I turned around, this large man was standing in front of me. He put his hand over my mouth. I tried to scream but couldn't. He just smacked me around a bit until I started to bleed. ( Fred began to cry) He tied a gag around my mouth and used both hands to abuse me. I tried to run but he chased me down. He forced me down to the ground" Fred states crying as Wesley looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"Then h-he, pulled me up by my hair and took of the gag, but before I had a chance to even take a breath, he tightened his hands around my neck and tried to strangle me" Fred said now hysterical and sobbing. Wes pulled her close and held her.
"Then when I came to he was gone and I tried to run back to the hotel" Fred stated.
"Oh Fred, I'm so sorry" Wes said. Wesley held Fred for a few moments. She was hugging him so tight, he though one of his ribs might break to. He just held her and listened to her sob.
"Shh, Fred. It'll be okay, you'll see" Wesley reassured her.
Fred finally let go and lied back down.
Wesley left Fred to rest and went down stairs. He saw Angel standing at the bottom looking up, like he was waiting for him.
"What? What's wrong?" Wesley asked.
"Oh, I was just waiting for the news, how is she?" Angel asked.
"Oh, fine, um.."
Wesley didn't tell Angel what Fred said. He knew Fred wouldn't want him to know and he didn't want to upset Angel either. Wesley knew Fred would be ok, and she would get better, but he didn't think she would get over it. This attack would stay with her for life.
Wesley felt so bad and he couldn't do anything about it. He wished he could erase her memory of it and of Pylea. Fred had so many bad horrible things in her life and now this.
To be continued
Recovery
Wesley headed up the stairs and stopped at the top landing. He hesitated and thought about what he should say. He gathered courage and walked straight to Fred's room. He knocked on the door.
" Fred?" Wes asked.
"Fred?"
Wes entered and looked at Fred lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling.
"Hey Fred?" Wes asked.
"Oh Wesley, I didn't see you standing there" Fred said.
"Can I come in?" Wes asked.
"Sure" Fred stated.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine"
"What did the doctors say?"
"Nothing to me, they said they'd call with my test results" Fred explained.
"Oh, well do you think it went ok?"
"I hope so" Fred said.
Wesley watched Fred and really wasn't listening to what she said. He knew she was better, but was still in pain.
"Angel didn't tell me that they we going to call" Wes said.
"Oh, I don't why he didn't, maybe he thought he'd just worry you" Fred said plainly. She didn't want to talk but didn't want to be alone.
"No, no worry" Wes said a little worried.
The phone rang and Fred jumped.
Ahh" Fred said.
"You ok? I'll be right back" Wesley said.
Wes ran down, and saw Angel on the phone. Angel talked for a minute and hung up.
"What did the doctors say?" Wes asked.
"How did you..." Angel started.
"Fred told me, what did they say?" Wes asked.
They said she's fine" Angel lied.
"And?" Wes said.
"Well, in her x-ray, it showed a fractured rib"
"What?" Wes yelled.
"Yeah, I guess when he ....." Angel stopped himself before he got to upset.
"How do you want to tell her?" Wes asked.
"I don't know?" Angel replied.
"What do the doctors want her to do?" Wes asked.
"They say it's not serious and she should just stay and bed and not move to much" Angel explained.
"Oh, ok, well that's good" Wes stated.
"Yeah"
Angel tapped Wes to turn around. Fred was coming down the stairs, struggling a little. Wes ran up to help her before she fell and hurt herself even more.
"What did the doctors say?" Fred asked "Was that the doc...." Fred started.
"It was the doctors" Angel said.
"Oh what did they..." Fred started to say.
"Fred please sit" Angel said.
Fred walked to the couch, with Wes by her side and sat down.
"The doctors looked over your x-rays" Wes stated.
Angel knelt down and put his hand on her knee.
"It seems that you fractured a rib Fred" Angel said.
" Oh, it felt kinda sore" Fred stated.
"The doctors said to just stay in bed and not move to much" Wes said.
"You don't have to work this week and just rest" Angel said.
"We'll bring food and stuff up for you when you need them, ok?" Wes said.
"Yeah ok" Fred said plainly " I'm going to go up stairs to lie down" Fred said.
"Oh, you feeling ok?" Wes asked.
"Yeah just a little tired" Fred said as she walked up the stairs.
Fred walked up to her room and plopped down on her bed. She stared at the door waiting for Wes or Angel to storm in and ask her if she's ok. But they didn't. She wished she could tell them what happened. She wished she had felt better. After about an hour of no sleep, she decided to get up, even though she wasn't supposed to. Fred rose to her feet and started for her door, when she heard Wes or someone, coming up the stairs. She hopped back in bed and closed her eyes. She tried to fall asleep but couldn't.
Meanwhile Wes stood at her door and watched her try to fall asleep. He decided to let her rest and walked away. Fred finally did fall asleep, but it was hard. She kept picturing the man attacking her and tried to get it out of her mind. She screamed as she woke up and saw that she was safe. Wes ran up the stairs and into her room. She sat up out of breath and saw Wes at the door. He rushed in and sat on her bed. She hugged him and took a deep breath. He pulled back and looked at her.
"Are you ok?" Wes asked.
"Yeah, just had a bad dream" Fred said.
"Fred you need to tell us what happened to you, I know it's hard but please try" Wes said.
"But I ..' Fred started.
"Fred please just try to tell us" Wes pleaded.
"Well I-I was w-walking down the st-street and thought I heard you guys. I looked back and no one was there. When I turned around, this large man was standing in front of me. He put his hand over my mouth. I tried to scream but couldn't. He just smacked me around a bit until I started to bleed. ( Fred began to cry) He tied a gag around my mouth and used both hands to abuse me. I tried to run but he chased me down. He forced me down to the ground" Fred states crying as Wesley looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"Then h-he, pulled me up by my hair and took of the gag, but before I had a chance to even take a breath, he tightened his hands around my neck and tried to strangle me" Fred said now hysterical and sobbing. Wes pulled her close and held her.
"Then when I came to he was gone and I tried to run back to the hotel" Fred stated.
"Oh Fred, I'm so sorry" Wes said. Wesley held Fred for a few moments. She was hugging him so tight, he though one of his ribs might break to. He just held her and listened to her sob.
"Shh, Fred. It'll be okay, you'll see" Wesley reassured her.
Fred finally let go and lied back down.
Wesley left Fred to rest and went down stairs. He saw Angel standing at the bottom looking up, like he was waiting for him.
"What? What's wrong?" Wesley asked.
"Oh, I was just waiting for the news, how is she?" Angel asked.
"Oh, fine, um.."
Wesley didn't tell Angel what Fred said. He knew Fred wouldn't want him to know and he didn't want to upset Angel either. Wesley knew Fred would be ok, and she would get better, but he didn't think she would get over it. This attack would stay with her for life.
Wesley felt so bad and he couldn't do anything about it. He wished he could erase her memory of it and of Pylea. Fred had so many bad horrible things in her life and now this.
To be continued