Later Christmas day
"this feels weird, cuddling Carly mostly naked, I don't know how often i can do this" says Paige
"you know you like it, besides we agreed to help keep Carly warm and clothes inhibit that, something I learned from you babe" says Sam
"I can like it and still feel weird Sammy, she's my sister, I'm not supposed to see her like this" says Paige
"on winter nights back in Seattle Carly and I would do this all the time, though we'd have pyjama bottoms on but otherwise the situation is the same" says Sam
"so this being really cold thing isn't new" asks Paige
"she's always had issues regulating her temperature, though its never been this bad before, she'd get warm enough that she would need naps and cold enough for undergarment only cuddles but it's never taken her out like this, it's never almost killed her before" says Sam
"I'd feel more comfortable if Freddie was here, it feels like we're making her cheat on him" says Paige
"he's talking to Spencer about dad, he says Carly can hear us, he doesn't want to make things worse" says Sam as Carly shifts for the first time since the fall this morning
"Carly can you hear us, we're here" asks Paige
"I'm…. Glad" says Carly barely managing to speak as she shifts again, managing to pull Sam and Paige closer to her
"do you want us to permanently join you and Freddie in a quad relationship" asks Sam
"as….. Long… as… Paige… doesn't… use… her….. Tongue…. On….. Me…. Down…. There,….. You… and….. Freddie….. Only" says Carly as her breathing slows slightly from the effort
"can Paige kiss you though" asks Sam
"on… the….. lips ….. only… I'm…. So… cold" says Carly as Paige pulls the blankets up further, now fully covering themselves up and cuddling Carly as close as humanly possible
45 minutes later as Freddie arrives
"how's Carly" asks Freddie
"getting warmer though her breathing is labored still, we asked her about the quad thing, she said yes but I'm not allowed to lick her down there, which I'm fine with as she said I can kiss her" says Paige
"Spencer doesn't know anything about her temperature issues, he says she kept her medical status private from even him, Sam do you know anything" says Freddie
"she has problems regulating her temperature but as I was telling Paige, it's never been this bad before, it's never almost killed her before and it's warmer in this part of California than in Seattle, I'm worried her dad did something to her" says Sam
"I have suspicions, run your hand along her back" says Freddie as Sam complies
"what exactly am I looking for" asks Sam
"undo her lingerie top, if my suspicions are right there should be a bump somewhere underneath where the back straps were" says Freddie
"there are a few bumps, but there's also a puncture, as if by a needle" says Sam
"whatever her dad did he intentionally made her weak, he injected her with something, the school didn't actually have Asbestos, Spencer wanted her here so your dad couldn't find her" says Freddie as Paige hands him the lingerie top
"wasn't Carly sick as a child, I thought I remember her saying that" asks Sam
"yes, severe allergies, two of them medica….., shoot I'll be right back" says Freddie as he runs out the door
"I don't understand" says Sam
"she's allergic to two antibiotics, they tank her energy, enough that she could be raped then given the antidote and not remember she was raped because she'd be half asleep, it would never be admissible in court because her testimony would be in question" says Paige
"are you saying your dad raped her" asks Sam
"no, not with Spencer being present but that doesn't mean he didn't intend to, Spencer would have heard Carly scream, if you're worried about her being pregnant don't be, we'd see signs of that already and he'd have given her the antidote, her being like this proves she got the antibiotic but not the allergy antidote" says Paige
"you sound very certain about this" says Sam
"because the person I thought was my uncle tried the same thing, he's navy too and was compromised in Europe, told that if he didn't rape a family member and make them have a kid, the family member they care about the most would be killed, I know this because the police intervened, that's why I'm here, Dean Rivers promised me safety, my 'uncle' raped me while I was under the influence of a date rape drug, luckily I remembered enough detail that the police believed me, anyway let's not talk about that, right now Carly comes first" says Paige as Carly turns over to face Sam and pulls Paige towards her
"are you ok Carly" asks Sam
"I'm feeling….. better" says Carly still a little weak
"I have to know if dad did anything to you" says Paige gingerly resting her chin on Carly's shoulder
"I don't know…. I just….. remember him…. touching …. me, then I… blacked… out…. the….. next….. thing….. I remember is….. Spencer with me… in the….. hospital….. and a doctor…. was looking down there" says Carly as Freddie returns with Spencer and a syringe
"what's in that needle Spencer, she can barely breathe, it better not be anything bad" asks Sam
"it's an injection, it will help her breath" says Spencer
"so you know what your dad did" asks Sam as Spencer gives Carly the injection and Carly takes a deep breath in
"more or less, the nurse said the brace should have fixed her breathing by now as it releases pressure on her spine, meaning no nerves can be pinched, meaning he exposed her to one of her allergies, the injection I just gave her does the same thing as her inhaler but it works faster and is a higher dose" says Spencer
"but if it was an allergic reaction, wouldn't we have noticed sooner" asks Paige
"she has been taking her inhaler daily but I just assumed that was because she was going on runs with Freddie after school and she was exhausted from the physical activity, she was doing almost a mile every day" says Spencer
"Carly, how do you feel" asks Freddie
"better, I can breath finally but I'm still cold, I'm not used to being this cold" says Carly finally able to have a conversation
"that leaves the only cause left as the fall, Carly when you fell your already fragile nerves got pinched, your brain wasn't able to get the cold pain signal and the floor is cold, it wicked away your body heat, it's going to take some time for your body to warm up and stay warm" says Spencer
"Spencer you know my body doesn't do that, I have to know, did dad rape me, when I woke up that day a nurse was looking down there" says Carly
"he couldn't get your pants off thankfully, he tried to cut them off with his military knife, he cut you but no he didn't rape you, the cuts bled and he ran, told me something was wrong with you and to get you to the hospital" says Spencer
"my so called uncle was also Navy stationed in Europe and he was blackmailed to rape and get pregnant a family member or they'd kill his favourite niece, he drugged me and raped me, thankfully I was on birth control because several guys had tried to rape me the year before, you should check to see if dad was compromised in the same way" says Paige
"I'll call the place he's staying in Hawaii and ask, if he was forced to try would you not press charges" asks Spencer
"if he was forced, no but I never want to be left alone with him ever again, it's because of what he did that I fell in the first place, I walked out of this room without my pinhaler, all the way to the lounge, I couldn't catch my breath, not even to ask for my inhaler because I know you always have my spare on you, I couldn't do anything, the moment I hit the back of the couch I fell, I couldn't keep myself from falling….. I can't feel my feet" says Carly suddenly realizing that fact
"you won't be walking for a bit, that's an order Carly, the nurse said there was damage to the muscles from the knee down, she says it will take a few weeks to heal, maybe longer, I'm begging you please don't try and be independent and try and walk right now, you can't be a model, not the way you want to be if you permanently cause damage to your body" says Spencer, pleading to Carly's soft side
"I'll never be a model anyway, I need Paige and Sam in my life as well as Freddie, a polyamorous model is one thing but a polyamorous model that involves a sibling in the relationship, even if its only kissing, what kind of agency would hire me, Spencer I'm just better off being myself, oh Freddie, Sam and Paige will be making sure I get to the bathroom on time, luckily I don't have problems at night" says Carly
"the lack of trust hurts you know Carls" says Freddie
"you clearly don't understand her intensions Fred Ward, it's not a lack of trust, it's an overabundance of trust that's the issue, she's afraid that you'll touch her without consent on the way to the bathroom, you have to understand, because she can't feel her legs she can't stand up or walk away, she's completely defenseless" says Paige
"and yet she trusts Sam enough for that, trusting you Paige I understand but Sam, that's a different story" says Freddie
"not really, she trusts you enough to share her and she trusts me enough to share Sammy, Sammy's getting the chance of a lifetime, why would she screw that up, she knows the consequences, if she touches Carly without consent she doesn't just lose Carly, she loses me, meaning she'd be single and depressed again, do you really think Sammy's bold enough to risk it" says Paige
"I may be bold Freddie but not that bold" says Sam
"you and I dated for almost a month, did you actually love me" asks Freddie
"at first, yeah I loved you, but then Carly began inviting you for sleepovers and it was as if I didn't exist to you, every moment became about her, about impressing her, that's when I dove deep into the comments on our iCarly page and found the people wanting to kidnap and rape Carly and my attempts to make that known only made me look insane, that's why I broke up with you Freddie, not because I stopped caring but because I was being perceived as the insane girl with a criminal record, I had to save your reputation or Carly would be shamed if she asked you out, I'm a terrible person, I'm sorry" says Sam as she runs out of the room as Spencer shakes his head
"wait Spencer, we're the threats actually credible" asks Freddie
"absolutely, the Seattle police made at least ten arrests, possibly more, al I know is that five dudes admitted to the kidnap and rape plot stating that 'a boy like Freddie will never truly please a girl like Carly, she needs to be taught how a real man pleases a woman', it was actually a pretty scary thing to hear the police tell me" says Spencer
"did we know any of them" asks Carly
"four of the five yes but all five lived in our apartment building, it would have been easy to kidnap you, all they'd have to do is wait on the stairs out of Lewburt's view and act is if they were headed down to the lobby, all five admitted to this theory of events, even admitting that they'd have taken Sam too, the police did mock kidnapping runs with Sam playing the part of you, each time they were successful in 'kidnapping' Sam, now every inch of hallway, stairwell and even the elevator is covered by cameras" says Spencer as he gets a text from Hawaii
"why didn't they tell me, I made Sam's life a living hell because I thought she was delusional or at least lying about the severity of the threats" asks Carly
"it was my decision to have Sam deliver the news, I know how easily scared you can get Carly, I was afraid that if the police told you, that you'd have never-ending nightmares, I thought hearing it from a friend would make it less likely to spawn nightmares" says Spencer
"what was the message you got, I heard your phone go off" asks Freddie
"dad was indeed blackmailed but it gets worse, at least for national security, the injury he suffered was the result of them beating him, they got him to believe that you were selling your body as a way to make money after shutting down iCarly, that raping you would set you straight, unfortunately in an attempt to stop the beating he gave up information, access codes to naval bases in Europe and Washington, they just scrambled the access codes for every navy port and base across the world" says Spencer
"does he regret trying to rape me" asks Carly
"I'll ask" says Spencer texting the navy hospital in Hawaii as Sam returns
"I'm sorry for walking away, I guess I'm just very self conscious about being the reason you and Carly might fight, I don't like being the target of fights between you or Carly, I really hope Paige isn't also a reason to be angry Freddie" says Sam looking down and avoiding eye contact
"I wasn't mad Sam, I'm sorry if it seemed that way, I just wasn't sure why you broke up with me, you seemed happy even if you didn't seem so around Carly" says Freddie
"that's the thing though, when it was just you and me I was happy but around Carly I felt like I was missing something, like there was no way I could love you the way I love Carly or Paige for that matter" says Sam as Spencer gets an answer
"would you be willing to love me as well, you can say no but If we're going polyamorous I thought I'd ask" says Freddie
"not fully, Paige has no interest in guys, or at the very least no interest in sex with a guy, Paige and I need to discuss how she fits into the dynamic of this new relationship style, we'll talk tomorrow and we'll figure it out" says Sam
"I mean he is hot, Carly wouldn't be with him if Freddie was just a smart nerd, I mean it is nice but smarts only go so far when it comes to lasting relationships, at least that's been my experience" says Paige
"what's the response, does dad feel guilty" asks Carly
"very much, he says that in the deluded mental state during the beating he was made to believe something that wasn't real, that he would be able to tell just by looking at your kitten, he realized the lie too late but luckily not late enough that he violated you in a way he could never take back, the navy hospital put him on a two year mental hold meaning we won't see him till after that, their goal is to determine if he can be returned to our care, likely mine rather than yours, they did mention that you will be required to have video calls with them on a monthly basis, mainly so they can determine your current mental state as they do have a baseline in your medical file" says Spencer
"why do they need to talk to me, I don't want dad knowing how much he hurt me, I'm not joking, I don't want him knowing" says Carly panicking as Paige hugs her tight in hopes of calming her down
"he won't be told Carly, they need to know how traumatized what he did made you so they can adjust their treatment methods, all he'll be told is a trauma level from one to ten, no details about the nightmares or anything specific, he won't be told what the number means" says Spencer
"then why tell him at all" asks Carly
"because he asked for extremely vague updates on how his actions affected you, he feels that as your father he deserves an update on your situation but he said given the root cause of the incident was an action he took, that he doesn't deserve go know any specifics about how badly he hurt you, that as the victim you deserve as much privacy as you want" says Spencer
"fair enough I guess, how long are you staying here for, as much as granddad thought you were a terrible role model I must say, from my perspective you ARE an amazing role model and person, though I have to ask how long you knew Paige and Cassidy were my sisters and not my cousins" says Carly
"I've always known, at least when it came to Cassidy, Paige's birth was a complicated one, none of us were allowed to be there for her birth, mom died shortly after and I assumed Paige had as well" says Spencer
"my name wasn't Paige though, I changed my name the moment I could" says Paige
"you were always Paige to me, Dad was always bad with names, my name wasn't Spencer, it was Patrick Laurence Shay, the moment I turned eighteen I changed it to Spencer" says Spencer
"but I've always known you as Spencer" says Carly shocked
"because I told you that was my name, I hated being called Patrick Laurence, every school I went to I told them that I hated being called Patrick so they asked me what I prefer they call me, I told them Spencer" says Spencer
"you didn't answer my question about how long you're staying here" says Carly
"I'm staying here till January, Freddie your mom lost her job shortly after you got here, as a result she also lost her apartment and she's been staying at my apartment, I don't know how you didn't run away sooner" says Spencer
"my mom's nuts, at least it feels that way sometimes, the only place I'd have run to is your apartment, I'd have slept on your couch, may I ask why she lost her job, it was a pretty sweet job" says Freddie
"they accused her of stealing money, she didn't defend herself so she was fired and the police took the amount she 'stole' from the safe, then she couldn't pay rent so the super evicted her, everything is in my apartment, she took out a loan to pay me for Christmas break so I could come down here and she could spend some time alone" says Spencer
"you're not dating her are you…. Because that would mean I can't date Carly…. Or Paige if she wants to" asks Freddie
"no, I'm not dating your mom, do you believe she'd steal from her employer" asks Spencer
"absolutely not, she'd beg for money before she would steal money, that's how she raised me, she would tell me 'Freddie it's more honorable to beg for money than to steal money, always remember that', she'd tell me that every day" says Freddie
"oh by the way your mom approves of this quad relationship thing" says Spencer
"how, I only just found out myself, how could she know" asks Freddie
"we got talking about Carly, I mentioned that she was open to the idea of polyamory and her response was 'Freddie's not a greedy boy, if it means he gets to stay with Carly he'd agree to anything', for the most part I'd agree with her" says Spencer
"Freddie kiss me" says Carly testing his restraint
"not right now, Spencer I'm not an idiot, Carly isn't the kiss someone in front of her brother type, I don't just agree to anything, rules are rules Spencer, my moms nuts" says Freddie
"Spencer please leave this room, I would like some time to spend with my new family, I'll spend time with you tomorrow" says Carly
"by new family you mean one without Dad" asks Spencer as he heads to the door
"basically, he makes me feel ashamed to be a Shay, from now on I'm just Carly, not Carly Shay, just Carly, go talk to Tori or something, I think she's related to Shelby Marx, they look very similar" says Carly as Spencer leaves
With Tori
"what's up Spencer, how's Carly, did the injection work" asks Tori
"yes the injection worked, she's speaking now but she can't feel her legs, I had to order her to let Sam and Paige help her to the bathroom when she needs to go, otherwise she'd have tried herself, does the name Shelby Marx ring a bell, Carly thinks you might be related to her" says Spencer as Tori twitches in anger
"she's my cousin, most of my family members look like me or close to it, rather the girls do anyway, the only reason that Trina doesn't look like me is because she inherited my granny's weight distribution and metabolism, basically she holds weight easier than me, Maddie and Shelby, Shelby got in a fight last year thanks to her desire to fight professionally and she almost died, her opponent broke a few rules and slammed Shelby into the arena floor, Shelby almost lost both legs, she's living with my dad, Trina and Kei, they're coming here tomorrow to spend time with all of us" says Tori
"does Shelby like boys or girls" asks Spencer
"I could never figure it out, the only reason she was able to stay alive was because she would bet against her opponents for as much as she was allowed to, just more than half the time she bet right and won, she paid the doctors enough that they worked overtime to fix what needed fixing, even then almost four months after being released from the hospital she can't stand on her legs for more than a couple minutes" says Tori
"you seem angry" says Spencer
"I am angry at her, her and Lola are sisters and Shelby had a major crush on Lola, that's why Lola was sent to PCA, aunt Trace and James are Christian absolutists, they'd have killed both Shelby and Lola if they'd found out about Shelby's crush on Lola" says Tori
"does Lola feel the same way" asks Spencer feeling weird just for asking
"she legally changed her name from Serenity Vega-Erickson to Lola Martinez for a reason, she says she's changed but I'm not so sure, their bond was just too strong for Lola to simply change just like that, for God's sake they could finish each other's sentences in the exact same fashion as the other, as in accent and they could switch on demand from one accent to the other, they would have been the best actresses in Washington state when Shelby admitted her feelings for Lola to me she immediately started doing the fights for money" says Tori
"do you think Shelby's plan was to whisk Lola away to some place where nobody knew they were sisters" asks Spencer
"it wouldn't surprise me, Shelby hides a lot, she never cared about money until Lola got sent to PCA, then it was like she was desperate for money" says Tori
"does Lola know" asks Spencer as Lola expertly walks over
"does Lola know what" asks Lola
"Serenity's sister is coming" says Tori as Lola's face turns ash white
"no….. no please tell me you're lying" panics Lola
"why would I lie, besides what would it matter if she's coming, you've changed REMEMBER" says Tori breaking down Lola's defences expertly
"I haven't ok I lied, I didn't have a choice, everywhere her and I ever wanted to go to be together, it's illegal to be together, besides I'm with Dana now, I don't want Dana finding out I'm a freak, please just tell her to avoid talking to me, I can't risk it" says Lola
"Serenity, my dear cousin, Shelby has spent the last four years in the junior boxing league winning fights and money so she COULD be with you, the last fight was a big one, last year the top junior fighter in Europe challenged her to a fight as Shelby been named the top junior fighter in the US, the fighter cheated, full speed gut punch then slammed her Into the ring floor feet first, broke right through the floor material and nearly destroyed Shelby's legs, her insurance only covers so much, she had to spend every last penny so that she didn't bleed to death in that operating room, she believed it was possible Lola, even if it was a delusion, ghosting or just ignoring her won't do any good, she's already suicidal Lola, it's not safe to just simply ignore her Lola, she is not as smart as she used to be" asks Tori
"don't insult her like that Victoria, she's very smart" says Lola
"in the past four months, aka the beginning of the school year, she's been at Hollywood arts and is just barely passing classes, mostly D pluses, even in grades where she would always either get A's or B's, her ability to recall what she's learned is almost nonexistent, what she's learned before the incident is all there and she can recall the information, anything new however, ninety percent slides around like cooked eggs on oil then disappear, only ten percent of the information actually gets through" says Tori
"does she remember the fight at all" asks Lola
"the fight yes but not the outcome, she thinks she went down from the gut punch and the referee called misconduct and that she won by default, she thinks she hurt her legs jumping out of the ring, every time she learns she nearly died in that ring she tries to kill herself saying 'Serenity will hate me, I can't live with that hate', but every morning it's like she doesn't remember" says Tori
"so what you're saying Is I have to try and convince Dana to go polyamorous but keep Shelby a secret lover" asks Lola
"she'll be here a few days, Dad can't afford to take care of her much longer, he's already been late on the mortgage and hydro bills twice and it's a 'three strikes, you're out' situation, if Dana has a heart she'll see that Shelby can't simply just take care of herself, if she were on her own and she were running out of groceries she'd set a day to get them and not remember, thus running out of food and eventually starving to death" says Tori
"the thing is Dana's against polyamory, she doesn't believe in it even though she has said she'd love two of me, she's always said it was a joke" says Lola
"I'll talk to Dana however if I can get her to say ok your access to Shelby would be limited, meaning no sex, likely only kissing would be allowed and she'd have to be 'officially' dating Dana for it to be seen as even remotely legal" says Tori
"ok fine" says Lola
