"Hey, where do you think you're going." Jesse murmured, slowly lowering Shalimar to the ground from where he had caught her, just over the edge of the bed. Gathering her into a more comfortable position he lifted her again. He had nearly dropped her at the shock of how light she was. He had seen that she was skinny, but actually holding her in his arms she weighed nothing at all.
"Hey Brennan." He called across to his sleeping teammate. "Bren." He called again when the tall man didn't move. Jumping, Brennan wiped at sleepy eyes, standing quickly as he saw Shalimar in Jesse's arms.
"What happened?" He asked, trying to hide a yawn.
"She tried to get off the bed again. Do you think you could grab the mattress off her bed? We can set her up on the floor so there's no drop to worry about and it'll be more comfortable than this thing." He gestured at the medical bed around the still form in his arms, keeping his voice soft as he explained his plan. "Plus it might smell familiar."
"Yeah, sure. You OK holding her until I get back?" Jesse looked down on Shalimar, smiling softly.
"Of course, it's not like she's a huge weight at the moment. Maybe call Emma to replace you once we're done. You need to sleep, man." Brennan nodded his consent, heading out of the room to retrieve the mattress. He appeared moments later, dwarfed by the huge thing he was dragging behind him. Laying it out on the floor he watched as Jesse lay her down on it as gently as he could and then stepped away. She started shaking almost immediately and Jesse and Brennan shared a frown. Moving back to her side Jesse watched as she flinched away from him, the shaking increasing in frequency.
"I'll grab her blanket." Brennan offered, disappearing again down the hall. Emma appeared in the doorway moments later and moved to Shalimar's side, pushing Jesse away silently. She sat quietly where Jesse had sat moments earlier and took hold of Shalimar's right hand, rubbing soft circles on the back of it - the only place she could find that was relatively unmarred by recent wounds. She began muttering soft words of encouragement, slowing her breathing and smiling as she saw Shalimar calm and relax in response.
"What did we do?" Jesse asked, his voice soft and full of worry.
"She thought you and Brennan were going to rape her." Emma replied quietly. Jesse sank into the chair.
"Oh God." He looked devastated, Emma observed, shifting so that she could sit comfortably at Shalimar's side and still see him. "I didn't even think"
"You couldn't have, Jesse. She just doesn't seem to see that she's better off here than she was there. She can't see that we mean her no harm. She doesn't know anything but the life those men put her through. Nothing else makes any sense to her. We have to show her" Emma sighed and looked around her. "It was a good idea though. Do you think we could clear that corner and push the mattress into it? It might feel a little more protected." Jesse looked at the pile of Adam's equipment that had been stacked in one corner.
"Sure." He said, moving to begin shifting the equipment out of the corner. He saw Shalimar flinch again as he put a box down less-than-lightly and flinched himself. "Brennan will be back in a moment. He can help us push the mattress. It probably weighs more than she does now, but it'll be gentler that way." Emma simply nodded, her eyes fixed on Shalimar. Brennan appeared, his arms full of blanket and draped it over the medical bed as he saw what they had planned. They moved the mattress together and Shalimar was immediately pushed up into the corner of the room, back against the two walls. Taking the blanket from Brennan and smiling at the leopard print cover, so very characteristic of Shalimar's humour and taste, Emma wrapped it as far around the shaking feral as she could reach, hoping that it would offer her the comfort again that it had once given her. She nodded her thanks to Brennan and he took it as his cue to leave, stopping in the doorway for one last glance back. He seemed to think about saying something, but changed his mind. With a sigh he turned and left the room and the feral in peace.
The Other was sad, she could sense his distress, but she couldn't find a cause. It had begun when the Woman had come into the room. But her voice had held nothing but her own sadness, quieter than his, but still present. She felt safer with the Woman nearby. She had made the Sharp Voice leave, and she sat close, her own bruised and scarred hand concealed within hers. The simple contact was reassuring and she was warm within the cocoon that the soft blanket formed around her. She found herself slipping into the fitful dose that hand been her only form of rest for the last month.