WARNING: The rape will be mentioned in this chapter; nothing too graphic will be included. If this is hard or upsetting for anyone please don't read.
Author's Note: As always, thanks for the reviews, comments, votes, and more! You are all so sweet! I hope you're all doing well! Please, enjoy!
Song (On Wattpad): All I Want by Kodaline
Chapter Five: I'm Here
"There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds."
― Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral's Kiss
As Soon as Sylvie got into Emily's car she took off. She didn't know where she was headed or what she was going to do, so she let the tears that swam their way down her beautiful bruised and battered face, lead the way.
She hated herself for telling Casey and letting him see her that way. Lord only knew what he was going to think of her now. What if he wanted nothing to do with her? Or didn't believe her? Or thought she was bimbo that let any man sleep with her...or try to rape her. No! No, she could think like that. Right?
A few minutes after Sylvie stormed out of the firehouse, Matt walked to his truck and slammed the door shut as soon as he fell into the driver's seat. Who would do this to her? Why would they do this to her? To Sylvie? Why? She didn't deserve this. No one deserves that.
Matt shook his head and threw his fists into the steering wheel. "Damn it!" He angrily shouted. He sat for a whole minute cussing and punching at the steering wheel like it was the man himself that had done this to her.
He had just calmed down and was breathing really hard when something snapped in him and he suddenly remembered the way Sylvie left. Matt shook his head, cursed himself, and picked up his phone and tried to call her. It rang for a couple of seconds before it immediately cut to voicemail. He tried it a couple more times, but it always went straight to voicemail.
"Come on, Sylvie! Pick up the phone."
"Hey, this is Sylvie. Sorry, I can't get to the phone right now. Please leave your name and number and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. Bye."
Matt sadly smiled at hearing her energetic, care-free voice for the fifth time in a row. She sounded so happy unbothered there. Would she ever sound like that again? Did he take that from her too?
Matt jammed his keys in the ignition of his truck before he took off in search of her. He tried not to think too much as he drove, but it was impossible. Their last conversation was replaying over and over again in his head. His mouth fell open in shock as he realized that the whole time he talked to Sylvie from yesterday on shift till now she had only called him Casey and not Matt. Did that mean something? Did she hate him too? Did she think he was like that piece of scum that had done this to her?
Matt was so focused on thinking about what Sylvie must think about him now that he almost drove right past their apartment building. He cursed immediately when he pulled into the parking lot and saw that Emily's car wasn't there.
Where was she?... He had to find her. All he wanted to do right now was pull her in his arms and never let go. More than anything he wanted to fix this for her and completely erase it so she would never have to think about it again or suffer.
On the other side of town, Sylvie heaved in and out as she braked the car and parked it in the park public parking. She always loved coming to Burnham Park because it sat right on the water and gave spectacular views of the shining city of Chicago. It was probably one of her favorite places in Chicago because of its view and it reminded her a lot of home. She tried to come at least once or twice a month, but life and many shifts often got in the way.
Sylvie got out of the car and started walking to an empty spot in the grass that sat a few feet right above the water. She slowly dropped down to the ground then instantly grabbed her knees and pulled them as close to her chest as she could.
She sat there for minutes just staring at the dark blue water as it swayed back and forth inviting and warning anyone who dared enter. She stayed there for what seemed like forever just gazing at the water and tuning every and anything around her out. She had no clue what she was supposed to do now. How did she move on from this? Could she move on from this? Would she ever be the person she was before all this happened?... Before he happened?
Sylvie felt chills run down her body as a swift fall wind struck its way through the park. She forgot to grab her jacket from the car so she was sitting there on the ground holding her knees and shivering like she was in Antarctica.
The people that walked by her all looked at her like she was crazy. But she didn't care. Maybe she was crazy now. Maybe no one would ever want anything to do with her. Like Matthew Casey. Sylvie shuddered as she said his name out loud. She wanted to vomit at seeing the way he looked at her when she told him that she had been raped. He looked at her like she was anything but herself. He looked at her like she was a victim, and that was the absolutely revolved Sylvie.
"I am not a victim!" Whispered Sylvie to the blue water as it continued to sway back and forth and wave at her.
Minutes and eventually hours passed by before Sylvie heard footsteps start to creep up behind her. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts and arduous studying of the blue water, she didn't hear the steps until they were right behind her and it was too late.
She screamed out as soon as the cold, scrappy hands made contact with her still sore and very bruised ribs.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
The assailant who grabbed Sylvie immediately let go of her and took a giant step back with his hands in the air. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I thought you were my girlfriend I was waiting for. I'm so sorry!"
Sylvie jumped up and screamed as tears, that had earlier stopped falling, began to glide down her face again in full force.
The young man in front of her with the horrified and embarrassed look on his face did know what to do. It was an honest mistake. He thought she looked like his girlfriend and he wanted to surprise her.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry. Do you...do you need me to call you someone? I can..I can call 911 or..." The young man started to stumble his words nervously as he watched Sylvie fall to the ground and start crying that was accompanied by screaming.
"Please...please leave me alone." She sobbed out before she buried her face in her legs and continued to rock back and forth.
"Ma'am, I really am…"
"Just go!" Roughly interrupted Sylvie before the boy could finish his sentence.
The boy wasn't sure what to do, but he knew that he didn't want to upset Sylvie any more than she already was so he nodded his head and ran off without casting her a second glance.
Sylvie was shaking after she heard him run off. She was so afraid when she felt his hands on her ribs. What if it was him? What if he came back? She refused to say his name so she just kept referring to him as him.
The sun eventually started to cast an orange and pink glow over the water. Many of the park goers had deserted the park for the day and went home. But, not Sylvie. She stayed in the same spot rocking, crying, and sometimes screaming. Until she heard his voice.
"Sylvie?"
Sylvie threw her head up and gasped at who she saw in front of her. "Casey, what are you doing here?"
Matt wanted to crumple as he took in the sight of the woman in front of him. She looked so lost and broken.
"Sylvie, I've been looking for you since I last saw you this morning. I've been calling you non stop, and Kidd and Foster have been everywhere searching for you."
Sylvie slightly smiled before she turned her head and stared back at the water, "How'd you find me?"
Matt slid down to the grass and sat a few feet away from her. He cringed in pain when he saw her scoot back from him "Ummm...you told me about how you like to come to this place to think that last night at Molly's when I drove you home."
Sylvie nodded and cursed the single tear that slid down her face. Matt didn't say anything for a little while. He just sat there and tried to take in every square inch of her making sure that she wasn't harmed or in visible pain.
"Sylvie, talk to me." He whispered praying she would turn and lay her heart out for him. But she didn't, she just continued to stare at the water like it was her only lifeline...Maybe it was?
"Sylvie, I'm so sorry that this happened to you."
As soon as those words left his mouth he wanted to cheer at the slight victory it had evoked in making her turn and give all of her attention to him.
"Don't say that. Matt, there's nothing to be sorry for. It happened. There's nothing I can do to fix it. It happened and now I have to get over it."
"Sylvie, don't say that. You don't have to get over anything. I'm here to help you. I help you through this and you'll be fine."
Sylvie's eyes filled with tears before she shook her head at him, "No! I'm not gonna be fine. He's still out there, Matt. What if he comes back?"
Matt's gasped as he heard that. Did she really think that he would let this ever happen to her again? "Sylvie, that is not going to happen. I will not let that happen to you again. Do you hear me? I'm here."
Sylvie looked at the man with so much disbelief in her eyes, "Matt, why are you here? I don't mean anything to you. We're not together. You don't have to be here."
"Sylvie, I think you and I both know that there's something here between us. And, together or not I mean what I said, I'm here."
Sylvie drops her head and sobs. Matt sits there for a literal second before he slowly crawls towards her and takes her in his arms and holds her. She struggles at first and tries to fight his hold, but he doesn't let go. He continued to keep his arms wrapped around her until she stops fighting and allows him to cradle and catch her tears.
They sit wrapped like that for a while before Sylvie stops crying. Surprisingly, she doesn't move and she continues to stay wrapped in Matt's strong, warm arms.
"Sylvie, you have to report it."
She opens her eyes and slightly shakes her head, "Matt...I can't."
"Sylvie, you and I both know that he, whoever he is, needs to pay for...what he did to you."
She sniffles her nose and grimaces as she starts to feel pain from her bruised body that she had been ignoring all day.
Matt furrows his brows and quickly feels guilty for how hard he was holding her, "Are you in pain? I'm sorry, Sylvie. I didn't even think about all of your…"
Sylvie shakes her head and interrupts him before he finishes talking, "It's fine, Matt. Really, it's okay."
They sit for a while in the dark before Sylvie interrupted with a whisper so low Matt barely hears it. "I'll report it."
He quickly pulls his head back and stares at her with shocked eyes. "Are you sure?"
Sylvie nods, "Yeah...I'm sure."
Matt wastes no time in getting himself and Sylvie out of there. Before she knew it, she was sitting in his truck and he was driving them to the Twenty-First Police District. He promised her as soon as they left the park that Foster and Kidd would come and get the car and that he hadn't told them anything that Sylvie told him.
Sylvie shook the whole time she was in his truck. She was so scared she didn't know what was going to happen when she reported it. Matt reached for her head in the truck and caused her to jump. She apologized as soon as it happened but Matt said it was fine and slowly took her small shaky hand in his. He held it the whole way back into town and right until he parked the truck.
Sylvie froze as soon as she looked out her window and saw the police station in front of her.
"Hey," Whispered Matt as he slightly squeezed her hand so that she would turn and look at him "I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna be with you the whole time, okay?"
Sylvie nodded and started to unbuckle her seatbelt.
They were in the station a lot quicker then Sylvie would have liked. As soon as they walked through the door Trudy Platt smiled and greeted them. "Matt, Sylvie, what are you all doing here? Is something wrong?"
Sylvie looked up at Matt and he nodded before he placed a reassuring hand on her back encouraging her to do what she said she was going to do.
"I...I need to report a rape."
What did you think!? Again, sorry for any typos, misspellings, or anything like that. I write late at night with no glasses on, lol.
Thanks again for reading and the support!
Stay safe and healthy! See you next week!
