As he had promised, Mark stayed by Brandy's side most of her time in the hospital, the only exception being when he had to attend to work matters and when he needed food or to shower. The two of them quickly grew fond of one another, despite being polar opposites of each other. While Mark enjoyed listening to her intellectual thoughts and views, Brandy loved hearing his stories of all the places he had traveled to. While Mark discovered Brandy was an English major, who had a passion for music and films, Brandy discovered Mark was a professional wrestler, who collected motorcycles and preferred to spend his free time fishing. They did not share many interests, yet somehow they never seemed to run out of things to talk about.
As she recovered from her injuries, Brandy found herself wondering just what she was going to do once she got out of the hospital. Where she had lived before this happened was no longer an option, and the only family she had was an alcoholic mother who lived on the streets and sold her body for money. Brandy had no desire to follow in her mother's footsteps, so she knew she had to come up with a plan and fast.
Walking into the hospital room, Mark was greeted to Brandy's warm smile. As the bruising and cuts began to fade, he started to see what a pretty little thing she was. She had big, animated hazel eyes that held an endless twinkle within them. She had thick dark brown hair, a feature Mark was typically a sucker for. What he loved the most, though, was her dazzling dimpled smile. She already had him wrapped around her finger, and they weren't even dating. "Hey little one," Mark greeted her, setting the bag of food he had bought down on the stand next to the couch.
"Hey Mark," she replied, and he could see she took notice in what he had brought with him. "What did you get?" she asked, and he couldn't help but to chuckle.
"You are such a glutton," he commented, and sat a burger and fries in front of her. "I knew better than to forget getting you something."
She gave another bright smile. "You already know me all too well," she replied, opening the cheeseburger. "I'm not sure how I feel about that," she added as she took a bite of the sandwich, and he once more chuckled.
"How are you feeling today?" he asked, taking a drink of his tea.
Brandy nodded. "Very well, actually. My leg is hurting, but other than that I'm overall pretty pain free."
"That's good, hopefully they will approve for you to get out today like they mentioned yesterday," Mark replied, taking a bite of his own hamburger.
Just as they were finishing their food, the doctor walked into the room. "Good afternoon Miss Williams," he greeted her warmly, a smile on his face as he opened her file. "How are you feeling today?"
"I'm feeling well, sir," Brandy informed him, thanking Mark as he took away her trash.
"I'm glad to hear it. Any pain, or abnormal sensations?"
"Other than my leg, no sir."
Looking through her file, the doctor finally asked, "How would you feel about leaving today? I don't want to rush it, so be honest if you don't feel comfortable doing so."
"I do want to get out today. I feel ready."
The doctor gave another smile. "I just need to get some paperwork finished up on you, and you should be ready to leave in the next couple of hours."
"Thank you, sir," Brandy replied, and he gave a nod before exiting the room.
When they were once more alone, she looked over at Mark, and smiled at him. He smiled back, commenting, "That's pretty exciting news. You must be relieved."
"It is, I'm ready to feel as independent as I can in a wheelchair," she replied.
Mark chuckled at this. "So what is your plan?" he asked. Brandy quickly grew somber. She hesitated, before shrugging her shoulders, and he raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'you don't know'?"
She once more shrugged. "I haven't figured that out yet," Brandy admitted quietly, looking down.
"So where are you going to go once they release you?"
"There are fast food places around here...I can go sit there for a while. I'll be okay."
Mark scoffed. "Brandy, do you really think I would let you do that? So get serious, what are you going to do?"
"Mark, can you please stop?" she suddenly snapped, taking him by surprise. "I am already overwhelmed by how I am going to pay for these medical bills...and I know I'm going to be without a job when I am finally recovered...and I can't go back to where I was living...and...and..." Brandy looked up at him with tear filled eyes, and whispered, "I should have died out there."
His heart breaking for the young girl sitting next to him, Mark gently pulled her to him as she began to cry. "Come on, now, don't talk like that. I've told you many times I'm here to help you, girl. Did you think I was bluffing on that?" he said in a soft voice, running his hand along her hair.
When she finally regained control of herself, Brandy pulled back, wiping her eyes. "Mark, I can't-"
"Stop," he quickly said, cutting her off. "Just stop right there. I can tell you're a very proud person, but please stop making it sound like you're a hindrance, or that you are forcing me into any of this. If I didn't want to help, I would have walked away a long time ago. Haven't you gotten it by now that I am here because I want to be? From what you've told me, you've had it pretty rough since day one. Let me change that. I don't need your money, and I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything, because that is not the type of person I am. You're in a time of need, so just let me help out."
"But why me? I'm just...me. I'm no one special, and you barely know me. I guess I just don't understand why you would want to help a stranger, and not get anything back in return."
"Because I can tell you are a good person who deserves a helping hand in this world, and all I am wanting in return from all of this is your friendship."
Brandy looked back over at him, and finally smiled once more. "You're too good to me," she commented with a blush. "I guess consider this me accepting your help."
Mark grinned. "Would you like a place to stay?"
"Mark, I can't-" she started, but when he gave her a look, she stopped. "You're seriously going to invite me into your home?"
"If you want my offer, then yes I am. The house is too big for just me, anyway. Plus, it could use a woman's touch. If you really want to repay me, then you can help me by helping me keep the place clean and organized. I guess you could say I'm a typical man when it comes to cleanliness."
Brandy giggled at his comment. "You're too sweet, Mark. I really don't deserve it," she commented.
"Is that you accepting my offer? My home is open to you."
She once more smiled. "I guess you twisted my arm enough. Okay, I'll accept your offer."
Mark smiled back. "I do have one more stipulation."
"Name it."
Mark hesitated, before asking, "Do you think you can finally tell me what happened that night? I would never force you to talk about it if you're really not ready...I just want to try and better understand what is going on in your head, and the situation you were in." Brandy grew silent, and when Mark saw the look on her face, he added, "I'm not asking you to tell me today. I simply think it's only fair I know, since I'm inviting you into my home. Plus, I like to think we are already friends, so we should be willing to tell each other everything."
She could tell he was trying to make light of the situation, and gave a small smile at his comment. Looking down at her hands, she remained silent for a long moment, before finally saying, "Since I was a teenager, I was involved in a very toxic relationship. The guy I had thought I was in love with had me blinded for so long by buying me anything I wanted, and taking me on elaborate trips. When he controlled every aspect of my life, by telling me what to do and where to go and who I could associate myself with, I thought it was because he loved me so much. As I got older, I started to see him for who he really was, but he was all I knew, so I thought it was normal."
She paused for a moment, and when Mark saw her eyes growing misty, he commented softly, "You don't have to keep going, Brandy."
She looked over at him, and forced a smile. "No, it's okay. I need this." Taking a deep breath, Brandy continued. "It was a couple of years ago when the abuse started. At first, it was just emotional and verbal. He constantly put me down, and insulted me, and made me feel like I deserved it because I was such a worthless piece of shit. I tried to leave quite a few times, but he always somehow managed to sweet talk me into staying. Over the last six months...it turned physical. He constantly threatened to kill me if I ever left, so I was terrified to even think about it. One night, though, he took it too far. He...he raped me, and then beat me until I passed out. When I finally woke up, I knew I had to get out, so I stole one of his cars and just drove and drove until I ran out of gas. I was sitting on the side of the road, just trying to figure out what I was going to do, when a pair of headlights started coming toward me. By the time I realized they were going straight for the car, it was too late, and everything went black. I remember waking up, and feeling myself being dragged along the ground, but I passed right back out, and when I woke up again I was here." Looking back over at him, she added in a whisper, "I'm so scared he is going to find me, and actually kill me."
By the time she finally finished, her entire body was trembling, and tears were silently rolling down her face. Mark was left speechless by her confession, unable to fathom how anyone could cause that sort of harm to such a kind person. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Mark commented, "Brandy, I hope you know you are one of the strongest people I know."
She looked over at him, and just shrugged. "I don't think I'm that brave, I just made the best of the situation I was put into."
"Give yourself some credit, little girl. You have went through more shit than most people ever see in their life. You are so much stronger than you realize, and I am proud of you for getting away from that situation. As long as I am around, I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you. You have nothing to be scared of from this point on." Her chin quivering, Brandy buried her face in her hands as she began to silently cry. Mark rubbed her back as he added, "Hey now, no need to cry. What's with the tears?"
"I'm not used to someone being so nice to me," she whimpered, rubbing her eyes as she tried to stop her crying. Looking back over at him, she added, "I'm sure you're tired of hearing it...but thank you, Mark. Seriously. I literally owe you my life."
"You don't owe me shit, girl," he chuckled, giving her a soft pat on the back before pulling his hand back. "Now how about a few hands of cards before they give you the okay to leave?"
She smiled, and nodded, watching him as he dealt out each of them a hand. An hour later, a nurse walked back into the room. "Alright, Miss Williams, you officially have the okay to get out of here. I just need you to sign a few release forms, and then once I get you unhooked from your monitor you are welcome to get dressed. Once you have done so, alert us so we can go over some last minute recovery and medicine information before you go, alright?" Brandy nodded, and after signing medical documents the nurse helped detach her from the monitor and IV she was connected to.
Once the nurse had left, Brandy went to go to the small closet the room had with her personal items in it, and stopped. "What's wrong?" Mark asked when he saw the expression on her face.
Looking at him, she commented in an embarrassed tone, "I...I don't think I have anything to wear. I'm pretty sure my clothes from that night were destroyed." Looking back at the closet, she added mainly to herself, "What the hell am I supposed to wear?"
"I guess it is a good thing I already thought about that for you, huh?" Mark replied, and when she gave him a look of confusion he opened the closet door, revealing a clean outfit, along with new undergarments and a new pair of shoes. "I uh...I hope you don't mind, but I may have looked at your clothing sizes so I knew I would get the right size. Hope you aren't too upset with me over that, I know it's kind of crossing a boundary."
"Mark...you just bought me new clothes and new shoes. How could I possibly be upset with this?" she said with a warm smile.
He shrugged. "It's nothing fancy, just a plain black shirt and some sweats, but I knew you would need something."
"To me, it's the most wonderful gift, and I am so very grateful for it," she replied, and motioned for him to come over to her. When he did, she had him lean down, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."
He gave a crooked grin, the expression on his face from her action making her smile in return at how adorable he looked. "Do you want me to step out of the room, so you can get dressed?" he asked, still clearly brought back by what she had just done.
"I might need help, but I'd like to try on my own first. Could you help me with these ties first, please?" she asked, and he nodded before stepping over so he could reach her back.
Once he had the gown untied, he was unable to not notice her back, and felt anger flare up from deep within his being. "Brandy...are these scars from your ex?" She hesitated, before finally nodding, and he shook his head as he took in the ugly scars marring her beautiful skin. Gently having her look up at him, he added, "Never again. Okay? I promise."
With a misty smile, she nodded, and he respectfully walked out of the room to let her get dressed. With quite some struggle, Brandy managed to get her clothes on, but knew she would need help with the mess she called hair on her head. "Mark?" she called out, and within a few seconds he walked back into the room. "I know this might be an odd question...but could you please help me do something with my hair? I can't really do anything one-handed."
Mark smirked at this. "Sure," he replied, and went to the bathroom to grab the brush the hospital had provided her. "Do you want your hair up, or just brushed out?" he asked as he walked around to where he was standing behind her.
"Preferably up, but if you just want to brush it that is fine," she replied, glancing back at him.
He nodded. "Look forward," he commanded, and Brandy was brought back by the gentleness he displayed as he brushed her hair out. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed how soothing it felt to have someone else brush her hair. When he was done, she figured that would be it, but she was surprised when she felt him take hold of her hair, and begin doing something to it. "All done," he finally said, and when she reached back to feel her hair, she was pleasantly surprised to feel it had been put into a simple braid.
"You can braid hair?" she asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice.
He smirked at her. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I have long hair too," he commented in a joking manner, walking around to where he was once more in front of her.
She blushed slightly at this. "I have obviously noticed, smartass," she mumbled, and he chuckled. "I just don't know many guys, even with long hair, who can braid."
"I have nieces, so I learned to please them," he explained as the nurse came back into the room, his statement making Brandy give a small smile.
"Alright, Brandy, you are almost home free. I'm going to have you come down the hall, so we can go over follow-up treatment, and go over the medications we will be giving you, and then after that you are good to go," she explained as she pushed a wheelchair around the bed to where she was. "Would you like my help getting into the chair?"
"I can help her, if you'd like," Mark offered, taking note of how tiny the nurse was.
"Is it okay if he helps me?" Brandy asked, looking between them.
"Well sure, if that is what you are comfortable with. I haven't helped you all yet, so I don't know what all you have been told, sir, but she does have some bruised ribs, so just be cautious of that."
"Yes ma'am, thank you," Mark replied, and stepped closer to Brandy to carefully lift her up. He then carried her over to the wheelchair, and placed her on her feet just long enough to help her sit down, the entire time making sure to keep a firm hold on her.
"Wonderful. Would you like him to push you as well, sweetheart?" the nurse asked once she was settled.
"Yes please," Brandy replied, and the nurse had them follow her once Brandy was settled in the chair.
Mark wheeled her through the hospital halls, until they reached a small office. Mark pushed her into the room, and stepped back out when he was told for confidentiality reasons they needed to speak to just her. After about ten minutes, the nurse stepped back out, Brandy right in front of her. Mark politely took over pushing the wheelchair, and the nurse walked them down to where the entrance of the parking garage was. "You have our contact information, please make sure to give us a call if you have any questions, or concerns. We will see you in two weeks, Miss Daniels. You both have a good day," the nurse stated, and placed a hand on Brandy's shoulder before walking back into the hospital.
"Are you ready to get out of here?" Mark asked once the nurse was gone.
"More than you know," she replied, and he chuckled as he walked her to his truck.
"THIS is your truck?" she asked in awe as she look up at the massive, blacked out truck.
"That it is," he replied as he opened up the passenger side door, and with a gentleness which surprised her each time, he lifted her up into the seat. "Are you situated?" he asked, and when she nodded he put the wheelchair in the bed of the truck before getting into the driver seat. "So here is what I am thinking. Today, I'll get you just the basics you will need, like bathroom stuff. I want to make sure you are settled and comfortable at my place. Then tomorrow, if you feel up to it, that is, we can go get you some clothes, and anything else you may need." When Mark saw the look which came to her face, he added before she could say anything, "Don't even try to argue with me, little girl. I told you I want to help, and I am not changing my mind. Just give it up."
She couldn't help but to grin at his comment. "You're so damn stubborn," she mumbled, making him chuckle. "That sounds fine to me. Thank you Mark...really," Brandy added quietly, taking his large hand in her small one and patting it.
Mark was brought back when he felt a spark of electricity run through him when she grabbed his hand, and shaking this from his head he smiled back at her, giving her hand a light squeeze. "Away we go," he commented as the truck roared to life, and with an impressive gracefulness he maneuvered his way out of the parking garage and out onto the street.
After a small shopping spree, they finally made it to Mark's house. Brandy looked up at the home in admiration, and then glanced over at him. "This is really your place?" she asked quietly, her gaze going back to the structure before them.
"Why are you unable to believe anything I bring you to is mine?" he asked with a chuckle. "Yes, this is my home. I'll admit, it ended up being a bit bigger than I anticipated when I had it built, so I doubt we will even run into each other when we both are home."
She giggled at this, giving his shoulder a light push, and again he felt a jolt of electricity when she did this. Why was this happening? Why was it that every time she touched him, he felt like his breath was being taken away? Mentally shaking himself, he simply gave her a grin before getting out of the truck and walking around to her side.
"Do you mind just helping me try to walk this time? As grateful as I am of you carrying me everywhere, I need to be a big girl and try to get the hang of walking on my own," Brandy requested, her comment making him grin once more.
"Sure short stuff," he replied, and picked her up just long enough to place her on the ground. Holding onto her so she would not fall, the two of them slowly made their way to the house, and Mark once more carried her up the steps, despite her protests. When he set her back down, she glared up at him, and he commented, "Whether you like it or not, ya little shit, you are going to need help with these stairs, so get that look off of your face before it freezes on there," Mark commented, and gave her a light nudge before walking her into the house. He led her over to the living room, and sat her down on his sectional, and after turning on the television he handed her the remote. "Get comfortable, little one. I'm going to bring your stuff in."
"I can help-" she started to say, when Mark let out a laugh.
"You're funny. Now sit tight," he stated, and patted her shoulder before heading back out of the house. After two quick trips to the truck, Mark ordered some food for them and grabbed a couple of sodas, before joining Brandy on the couch. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw she was watching the baseball game going on. "Who's playing?" he asked, offering her one.
She thanked him for the drink, before replying, "It's the Cardinals verses the Red Sox."
"Who's winning?"
"Don't you have eyes?" she asked teasingly, and giggled at the look he gave her. "The Cards are winning."
He nodded as he took a long swig of his drink. "It's always a nice surprise to come across a girl who likes sports."
With a sheepish grin, she shrugged her shoulders. "Tom constantly drug me along to games, where he met with supposed partners. I figured I might as well get into it so I wasn't bored, and I'm grateful I did so. It turned into a nice escape for me."
Mark smiled at this. "Well I happen to enjoy going to games when I have days off, and I like having cute little ladies come along with me, so I'll keep that in mind when I need a plus one," he commented, the deep blush coming to her face not going unnoticed. They continued to enjoy the game together, discussing stats and their favorites in the league, when the food Mark had ordered arrived just as the game ended. Grabbing fresh drinks and anything else they might need, Mark carried the delivery into the living room as Brandy searched through the channels for something to watch. They ended up deciding on a comedy they both happened to enjoy, and made light conversation as they ate their food and only partially paid attention to the film going on in the background. Once they were beyond full, Mark picked everything up and sat back down, their attention now on the film as they sat in silence and enjoyed the lighthearted humor it offered. However not even ten minutes later, Mark went to make a comment to Brandy, but when he looked over he saw she was fast asleep. He couldn't help but to smile at this, knowing she had a long day and must be exhausted. Standing up, he gently picked her up, and carried her down the hall to the room he planned to let her stay in. Lying her down, he got her settled under the covers before heading back down the hall to continue to watch TV, not quite ready to call it a night. Finally, a few hours and few beers later he decided to head upstairs to go to sleep, when he heard a noise from the down the hall. Frowning, he listened closer, and this time he distinctly heard Brandy groan his name. Heading down the hall, he stepped into the room, and saw her writhing around. "Mark...please help..." she said again, and her cries began to turn to sobs. Walking to her side, he turned on her bedside lamp and could see she was drenched in sweat. At first, he simply thought she was having a nightmare, when her eyes opened, the expression in them full of pain and desperation.
"What's the matter?" he asked, stroking her forehead in an attempt to soothe her.
"I hurt...I hurt so bad..." she commented through her tears, and he felt like such a terrible person for not thinking about when she needed to take her medicine again.
"Just hang tight, I'm going to get your medicine," he reassured her, and left the bedroom to go to the kitchen where he had left her stuff. Snatching up the bag from the hospital with her medicines in it, he then grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator before quickly making his way back to the bedroom.
"Alright, let's make that pain go away," he commented as he sat down, and when he reached his hand into the bag he realized there were more medicines in there than he expected. "I'm sorry...which ones do you need?" he asked, holding it open to her, and she grabbed the ones she needed. He then got out the amount of each one the label called for, and helped her take them before making her lie back down and going into the bathroom attached to her room. Wetting a rag with cold water, he came back into the bedroom and softly ran the cool cloth over her face before draping it across her forehead. He sat on the edge of the bed, and softly caressed the top of her head as he murmured, "Just try to relax, the medicine should kick in soon."
"I'm trying," she whimpered, silent tears still sliding down her face.
Mark simply looked at her a moment, before asking, "What can I do to help?" She opened her eyes, looking at him, and patted the spot on the bed next to her. "You want me to sit over there?" he added, and she nodded.
"Will you turn the fan on first?" she asked quietly, and he smirked as he stood up.
"You got it," he replied, and reached over to grab the remote stored in her nightstand, turning the fan on the speed she preferred before walking around the bed and sitting down next to her. "Is that better?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Well...one last thing..." she commented, both her voice and eyes telling him the medicine was already in the works of erasing her pain and helping her sleep.
"Name it, little one."
She blushed violently as she asked in a voice barely a whisper, "Will you help me take these pants off? I'm so warm."
He smirked at the innocence she displayed in that moment, and without saying anything stood back up to carefully remove the sweatpants she was in, respectfully averting his eyes from going lower than her waist, and covered her back up before sitting back down next to her. "Better?"
"Much," she mumbled, her voice nothing more than a sigh.
"Is the medicine helping yet?" She nodded, her eyes closing. "Do you want me to go now?"
Brandy surprised him by shaking her head. "As stupid as it sounds...I feel safer with you in here," she admitted. Looking back up at him, she added, "Please stay?" He gave a small smile and nodded, but when he went to get up she weakly grabbed his shirt, stopping him. "Where are you going?"
"I'm just moving over to the chair," he reassured her, motioning to the plush lounge chair in the corner of the room.
"Will you stay by me? I'm not asking you to stay awake, or anything...I'm sorry if this is all weird. Not being in the hospital has me scared of...I don't know..."
"Shh, you don't have to explain yourself. I understand. Just let me get changed, and I will be right back. Okay?" he reassured her, and when she nodded he stood back up and made his way to his bedroom to change into pajamas. When he made his way back into the spare bedroom where she was, he grinned when he saw she was already once more asleep. Turning the lights out, Mark got back into the bed per her request, and keeping a respectful distance between them Mark sat and watched her sleep, knowing he needed rest as well but wanting to make sure she was okay.