Chapter Notes:
What Denise has to say is about to make Ed's punishment a whole lot worse. This chapter gives an idea of where Carol, Sophia and Daryl are in their heads. Trigger warnings for disturbing medical details child abuse, spousal abuse, sexual abuse, rape.
Denise tapped on the door to Deanna's library. Given permission to enter he walked in. She noticed that Rick, Abraham and Daryl were already there. She had met them upon their arrival and had given them quick check ups. Just in that quick medical exam, she was more than clear about how much they had all survived. She saw all the marks on their bodies. She assumed from past walker encounters. She had to tell them what she knew. She just was not sure how to do it with the varying personalities in this audience. She could already sense that some serious shit would go down. How bad depended on what she had to tell them. It was bad. It was worse than they ever thought. Her urge to panic climbing, she took her deep breaths in and wrestled it back down for what she had to do. For what she had to say. For what they had to know before they went any further.
"I finished the exam." Denise said to Deanna. She paused. "I did the other exam you wanted - the internals on both."
She saw confusion on Daryl's face for a moment followed by rage on what the necessity of the exam suggested. Rick was standing there with his hand already on his gun, his fingers itching to take it out. Abe stood there with his eyes boring holes into her.
"Give us the dirty ass details doc. We gotta know how to do this right." said the hulk of a man who she guessed had been a military issued badass even before the turn.
Denise looked at Deanna. At the woman's nod of consent, she continued with her report.
"I had to sedate them both. They were adamant against exams, but as you specified Deanna - it wasn't their choice right now. There is evidence of penetration on the little girl. Sophia. Not long term, but it's there."
Her heart fluttered and sky-dived back down to her gut. She pushed forward not wanting to puke from the anxiety of the situation she was not prepared for - had never experienced in her training up until the world turned to shit.
"Carol . . . . she is worse. She didn't know about it. She swears she would have came to you if she did. Carol was pregnant. About two months. She is in the early stages of suffering a miscarriage from the trauma or stress. She should heal ok, but there is also the issue with her skin."
"What 'bout her skin?" Daryl demanded.
Denise closed her eyes. She counted to ten in her mind, breathing evenly to steady herself for the horrific explanation to come. She opened her eyes, and looked at Daryl with barely disguised rage.
"She has extensive scarring on her breasts, her labia, her buttocks and her back. From the looks of them they are of varying ages. They look like they were made by a knife of some sort. Maybe a box cutter. They were not shallow cuts, but they don't look like they were ever treated with stitches. They formed some nasty scars."
"She has scars?" Daryl started, thinking of his own. Of Merle's.
Denise had seen his. He had not wanted her to, but she had. It was required after all to gain entry - a full exam.
"Not like that" she said to Daryl, knowing he was referring to his lash marks. "They are all words. She was; for lack of a better term, branded. Of course I am assuming by Ed. Neither she nor the girl will confirm. They are huddled together since I gave them something to let them sleep."
Deanna spoke up. "Denise, I want to understand the thoughts or motives behind this. What do the words say?"
"Cunt. Whore. Bitch. Skank. Ugly. Worthless."
Daryl was fuming. He began pacing back and forth in the corner of the room.
"Anything else?" he asked.
Denise wanted to give him the answer, but directed it at Deanna instead.
"She shows long term scarring of the vaginal and anal areas. My guess is that if she was having sex with Ed - it was not willingly done."
"How is the little girl?" asked Rick.
"Scared. She knows we know what happened to her. She was cowering from any eye contact or touching by Eric, so I made sure to do all the exams alone. She told her mama that Daryl would keep them safe from now on." She looked questioningly between Daryl and Deanna.
"Daryl, I am so sorry I did not tell you what was going on in that house. I knew that you would find evidence if something was indeed occurring. Now that we have confirmation, I have your permanent position worked out. You are to move in with Carol and Sophia and keep them safe. Regardless what happens with Ed, they are going to need that comfort right now. It sounds like Sophia has voiced her trust in you. That is half the job right there. Just keep them safe through the process of deciding what to do with Ed. Please?" Deanna was imploring him to do this.
He knew without a doubt he would do it. He would keep them safe.
"Once they get to feeling better, I want to personally train them on how to defend themselves against people - and walkers. Gotta problem with that boss lady?"
"None". Deanna smiled at him. "Rick, I want you to pull all men off of non-essential work detail. We need a jail cell. Now. Here in my basement. By the end of today. The wall crew will be ordered to give you manpower and access to all non-essential wall and fixture steel for the time being. Understood?"
Rick nodded. "He should be thrown out into a walker pit . . . . . "
"No." Deanna said. "At least not at this time. I have something a little more punishing in mind for Ed. He will still be behind these walls for now though. We will talk again tomorrow after the cell is made and Ed is in it. Where is he now?"
Abe spoke up. "Rick cuffed him and I hog tied his ass. Wrote "Wife Beater" on his forehead and tied him up to the tree in the square for all to see who he really is."
Deanna smiled. "I think we are going to work together just fine here. Let me know when he is in his cell please."
The group left her office.
Abe, Rick and Daryl walked out with Denise.
"Doc, you didn't say a word in there about Ed's punishment." Abe said. "Do you object to what I did?"
Denise breathed. Slowed her anxiety down before addressing the bulky soldier. "If it would have been up to me, I would have castrated him first with my dullest scalpel". She then walked briskly away.
"Doc's got some balls." Abe said. "Yep, I think I really like these two women." He walked off to where Ed was. Wanting to dish out some further humiliation for him.
Daryl followed Denise to the clinic. His duties were about to begin.
Daryl stooped down on his knees and took the sponge out of the bottom of the bathtub. He squeezed out the water that was saturated it in, watching it run clear down the tub. He was thankful that there was no more blood. Carol and Sophia were huddled together in Sophia's room now. He wasn't sure what his next move should be, so he sat and thought about things – trying to get his mind around everything that that little girl and her mama were going through. Their lives changed forever today. No matter what happened to Ed, everything was changed. He wondered what they were thinking about those changes. About Ed. About him beating the shit out of Ed. If they were scared of him himself.
Denise had released Carol and Sophia into Daryl's watchful eye. She sensed that he could not handle details – so didn't give him any (yet) about what had happened. She just told him to get them home, get them washed up, get them fed, get them to sleep, and to keep them safe. She would tell him more about Carol's miscarriage after care only if she had to. She also had sent Tara back with them. The girl was now hanging out on the front porch – keeping an eye on things just in case Ed were to appear. The chance of that was zero, but both Tara and Daryl sensed that the guard would give Carol and Sophia another layer of warm protection in their minds.
He had swallowed his pride and shyness and was prepared to lead Carol into a bath. However at the last minute Sophia had stepped up with a stubborn air, saying that she could take care of her mama by herself. So Daryl had allowed Sophia and Carol to shut themselves in the bath to take care of what they needed. Daryl knew that they had more than dried blood and wounds to tend to. Their hearts and pride had taken a hit too. Only once did he send Tara to the door to inquire how things were. Tara had went and claimed Carol's fluffy robe and she had brought it in to Sophia. She had also helped Sophia lead Carol to the little girl's own twin bed in her room, then left Sophia snuggled up with her mom.
When Tara went to take up post on the porch again, Daryl had went into the bathroom to calm himself. His anger was simmering just under the surface. He didn't want to let on to Sophia just how far he would have taken his beating of Ed. He knew he would have killed him if she had not been there. Any man who beat his woman before the turn deserved death; and he didn't see why the world going to shit should soften that stance. If anything, this world had less room in it for pieces of shit like Ed Peletier.
After he busied himself with the tub and wiping up the bit of water that had splashed onto the floor, Daryl had forced himself to knock on Sophia's door quietly. Not hearing anything, he opened it slowly. He saw that Sophia had fallen asleep by her mom, but that Carol was wide awake. He looked at her and asked softly "ya ok?"
She didn't say anything at first. Just looked at him questioningly. She silently nodded, then shook her head, then shrugged her shoulders.
"You must think me a stupid woman." she said barely above a whisper. "I didn't know. I should have known. About Sophia. About the baby. I should have known and done something . . . . but it's too late. Now it's gone. Denise said I lost it."
He nodded in silence, holding her gaze. Seeing something familiar in her eyes that he thought he would not see again after his own mama died. He understood too well what she was going through. He understood it, but didn't know what to make of it at the same time. He had understood why his mama looked that way sometimes – after his daddy had given her an especially hard whoopin'. However he had never understood why she went back. Then when he got older, he started to blame it on himself and Merle. If they had not been there – needing the meager support their daddy brought, would she have left? Would she have been safer? He didn't want to think more about it, so he just looked down at his feet.
"I always wanted children. Ed didn't. I always thought I could change his mind once we were married. Sophia was a surprise. When she was born, I felt that I was whole. Ed wanted a boy, and didn't get too involved with her. I was sad at first, but it actually was a good thing that I kept her closer to me. I didn't know about this one, I promise. If I would have known . . . . I don't know what I would have done – but I would have done something."
"You don't need to think 'bout that now. You need to just be strong for your little girl. Denise told you about her . . . the details of what Ed did?" He knew he had no real business asking, but the words just popped out.
"She told me. I don't want to talk about that. I need to talk to Sophia first." She closed her eyes to him then. Shut herself off again.
When Daryl was sure she wasn't going to say anything more, he closed the door. He was not sure how he was going to talk to her. IF he was going to be able to talk to her about what had happened to both of them. He knew he should. He knew she would NEED to talk at some point. But right now, he was a stranger. Best to let it go for now and let her heal up some and be alone with Sophia.
He went downstairs and checked in with Tara. He asked what was going on with Ed. She had not heard anything since she witnessed the building materials for the cell being brought to where it would be built. He sent her on her way with the instruction to either bring back full details, or to bring Rick or Abe back to fill him in.
When she left he took notice that his hands were shaking. What the hell would his next move be? What did Deanna have in mind for that piece of shit?