A/N: I've changed my mind about a few things regarding this story and I've decided to take the remainder of this story in a slightly different direction than I was originally intending now that inspiration is starting to flow again. There are still many chapters to come, so hold onto your hats. :-)
"That's my good girl." Olivia praised as she settled Alex back in her bed after helping Alex to the bathroom and changing her into a fresh hospital gown, giving Alex a tender kiss to her temple.
"Ma'am?" Alex asked. Her speech was very slowly coming back, but she never said more than one-word sentences. Olivia smiled.
"I love hearing your beautiful voice, little one. What do you need?"
"Spank?" Alex pointed to herself.
"No, baby girl, you don't need a spanking. You didn't do anything wrong, you just moved a little bit too fast and spilled milk on yourself. And when we go home, things are going to be a little bit different for a while. You need time to recover, my good girl is much too fragile to spank right now, at least until you get all your words back and can remember the difference between a spanking and a beating." Olivia explained kindly. She didn't want to give Alex the idea that she was taking spanking off the table entirely, but for the time being, if Alex stepped out of line Olivia would implement non-physical forms of discipline. No matter what had happened, Alex was still a submissive and still craved the structure and stability her Mistress provided her with.
"Home?" Alex asked, sounding hopeful.
"I believe Dr. Warner said if all goes well, you can go home on Wednesday, and Monique is going to start coming to our house for your therapy sessions. I'm not going back to work for a while, so it'll just be you and me while you recover."
"Michaela?" Alex asked, now sounding worried.
"We're still looking for her, sweetheart. Is there anything you can tell me about the last time you saw her that might help us figure out where she is?"
Alex made a writing motion in the air and Olivia handed her a pad of paper and a pencil.
It was maybe the second or third day after we were taken. We had been kept in the same room, but they overheard us whispering and thought we were trying to figure out how to escape. We weren't talking about that, I was just scared and Michaela was comforting me, but they beat us anyway. Then I heard somebody say "Paul's on his way to pick up the merchandise." They took Michaela out of the room and I never saw her after that.
"Such a brave girl. That's excellent information, baby. Did you ever hear anyone say Paul's last name?" Olivia stroked Alex's long blonde hair.
Alex shook her head. She never heard anyone's last name, and there were so many men coming in and out it was difficult to even keep track of first names. Suddenly, Alex seemed to remember something and started writing again.
There was a set of twins at the warehouse, they were maybe twelve or thirteen, they didn't speak English. What happened to them?
"We got them out, they're back safely in their mother's custody. Besides you, there were fifteen other women and girls being held at the warehouse." Olivia replied.
While Alex was occupied with a wad of silly putty that Monique had given her to strengthen her hands, Olivia took out her phone and texted with her squad.
Hey, guys. Cross-reference the name Paul with the names on the sex offender registry. Start with the registry in Brooklyn.
Copy that, Captain. Is there any chance Alex us up to looking at some photos?
"Hey, sweet girl. Munch wants to know if you're up for looking at some photos to see if you can ID anyone. You think you can handle that, or should we wait until we get home so you're in more comfortable surroundings? It's your choice, my love, you tell me." Olivia said.
Alex bit her lip. On the one hand, she was one thousand percent certain that she never wanted to see any of those men again. On the other hand, she really wanted to help put these evil people away that had so cruelly ripped her sense of humanity and security away from her.
"Yes." Alex nodded.
"That's my good girl." Olivia praised, and texted Munch back.
She says yes, but here at the hospital, and send either Amanda or Kat. And I retain the right to beat your bony ass if seeing these pictures causes a setback in the progress she's made. She's still only talking in one-word sentences and screaming bloody murder in the middle of the night.
Olivia looked up at the clock and sighed.
"Hey, sweetheart, they'll be bringing you lunch in about an hour, and it's time for me to put ointment on your cuts and bruises again." Olivia said gently.
Alex's lower lip trembled. She was still so sore and she hated it when Olivia had to put the ointment on her, even though Olivia was always as gentle as possible with her. The first day she was in the hospital, the nurse had tried to do it, but Alex freaked out having a stranger touch her, so the nurse taught Olivia how to do it. Alex still hated it, but she was significantly calmer having Olivia do it instead of a stranger.
"I know it hurts, baby, but if I don't do it you won't get better. Can you roll over for me like a good girl, please? We'll start with the back, and then we'll do the front. Give me your bottom now."
Alex started to cry as she obediently rolled over. Most of the hospital equipment she'd been hooked to was now gone, aside from the IV that was still in her arm, so she was able to move a little more freely. Alex reached over and cuddled her stuffed cat in her arms.
"That's my good girl. It's just me, little one. I'm not going to hurt you, I love you so much and I'm so proud of you. You're such a good, brave girl." Olivia cooed lovingly as she carefully doctored Alex's shoulders, back, bottom, thighs, legs, and feet, being as feather gentle as possible.
Alex turned over onto her back when she was told to do so. Olivia proceeded with caution. Alex squeezed her eyes closed and whimpered as Olivia gently doctored her arms, breasts, stomach, and thighs, trying to calmly breath through it and focus her attention on Olivia's loving voice coaxing her through it instead of the dark memories threatening to invade her mind.
"Does the cat have a name yet?" Olivia asked conversationally, trying to focus Alex's attention on something pleasant.
"J-Justice." Alex pushed out. Olivia smiled.
"That's an excellent name. You've always wanted a cat, and this one we don't have to feed or worry about messing on the carpet." Olivia teased, making Alex giggle softly.
"Okay, my baby, now comes the part I know you really don't like. I'll be very, very gentle, but if you need to cry and scream, then you go right ahead and cry as much as you want. As soon as we're done with this I can hold you until they bring you dinner."
Alex squeezed her eyes closed in fearful anticipation and shrieked when Olivia carefully touched her genitals, but she stuffed it down and forced herself to be quiet, convinced that she would be punished if she made too much noise. She again tried to focus on Olivia's voice praising her and coaxing her through it. With tears in her eyes, Alex wondered if she would ever be able to give her beloved Mistress access to her property again without flinching and bursting into tears. Alex knew that Olivia was an honest woman and wouldn't take what wasn't given to her freely.
About an hour after Alex finished lunch, there was a knock on the door and Olivia and Alex looked up to see Kat standing in the doorway holding a file folder filled with papers.
"Hey, Kat. Come on in." Olivia smiled while Alex offered a tiny wave.
"Hey, Captain. Munch sent me with pictures for Alex to look at. Alex, I know talking is kind of difficult right now, so if you just want to point, that's okay. I may also have you write so we have details on each person you recognize." Kat said as she sat in a chair by Alex's bed, placing a small bouquet of flowers from the gift shop on Alex's table along with a card signed by everyone on Olivia's squad.
"Thanks." Alex smiled at the brightly-colored bouquet of flowers.
"You just take your time, baby, and if you need a break you just let me know." Olivia said.
Alex carefully looked at the first photo in Kat's stack of photos, breathing a sigh of relief and shaking her head when she didn't recognize him. She obediently took her time looking at each photo, and she began to sob when she saw the sixth photo and pointed at it, nodding and looking fearfully at the bearded, heavyset man with the name Kevin Petersville under his photo.
"Okay, baby, very good girl. Can you write down how you recognize this man?" Olivia said kindly, handing Alex a pencil.
He's the one that cut the soles of my feet with a knife because I wouldn't give him a blowjob. He smelled like a brewery and kept calling me Jessica. I was too scared to correct him.
The next photo Alex recognized, she wrote, He walked with a limp and liked to beat me with the whip and threatened to cut out my tongue.
By the time they were done, Alex had identified fourteen men, and she vividly remembered what each one had done to her. Three of them were named Paul, and Kat flagged them as possible leads to Michaela's whereabouts. As Kat stood up to leave, Alex was sobbing hysterically in Olivia's arms while Olivia comforted her and praised her for being such a good girl.
"I'm sorry I had to put you through this, Alex. Next time I see you, I hope it's under more pleasant circumstances." Kat said apologetically and let herself out of the room to go back to the precinct with the information Alex had given her.
"Come on, lovey, let's get some more water into you and read a book until Monique comes to get you for physical therapy." Olivia cooed.
"Cuddle." Alex pleaded fearfully.
"We can cuddle while we read, baby, but let's have some water first. Come on, slow little sips. Good girl." Olivia praised.
"Good job, Alex. One more set on the left, then you're done for today." Monique encouraged.
For some reason Alex was having trouble making her legs cooperate with her today, but she managed to complete the exercises that Monique wanted done and received high praise for doing so. Olivia took Alex back to her room and fed her a chocolate pudding cup as a reward for being a good girl. Alex leaned back in her bed and fell asleep with Olivia gently stroking her long blonde hair and showering her with praise.
That night, as usual, Alex woke up screaming in the middle of the night. Olivia sprang up out of her cot almost without fully waking up and rushed to comfort Alex. Two nurses rushed in and tried to help comfort the screaming blonde. Finally, one of the nurses stuck a needle into Alex's IV and gave her something to calm her. The medicine took effect after a few seconds and Alex stopped screaming, panting heavily and looking fearfully around the room.
"It's okay, lovey. You're safe, I'm right here." Olivia cooed lovingly as Alex drifted back to sleep.