Crossing Boundaries
Chapter 2: Trust
I awoke to the strange music of beeping and humming machines. It took a while for my mind to shake the last bits of darkness from the corners. I quickly registered that my pain had lessened considerably, and some of the bruises were beginning to fade. Eventually, my mind processed that I was in a hospital. A hospital? How had I gotten to a hospital? Panic welled up, making me bolt upright.
"Oh!" There was a cry of surprise from a woman, who I assumed to be a nurse. She made quick work of checking me over, and getting me to drink a glass of water. "Finally awake, I see." She muttered something else that I did not catch.
She left me for a few moments then returned with a group of people following behind her. It was comprised of men and two women, all dressed in varying degrees of professionalism.
The eldest looking man stepped forward and addressed me. "Good to see you awake, miss. It's been nearly four days since Reid brought you in." He gestured to a young man whom I immediately recognized as the one I had approached on the street. I took an instant liking to these two men. Their demeanor was gentle, and they did nothing which could possibly scare me.
The elder man continued. "I'm Jason Gideon, and this is Dr. Spencer Reid." He then gestured behind him. "These others are Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner, Elle Greenaway and Jennifer Jaureau. We are all members of the FBI."
Before Gideon could continue, the man previously identified as Hotchner stepped forward to address me. "Would it be possible for you to discuss with us what happened to you?"
His request, however simple, was too much for me to handle in front of a large group of people. I shook my head furiously, declining the request.
"Let's just give her some time," Dr. Reid suggested calmly. He started to usher the other agents out of the door.
"Wait," I said in a voice barely above a whisper. Everyone stopped moving, waiting to hear what I had to say next. "I'll talk to Gideon and Dr. Reid."
My statement is met with silence. The agents not named looked at each other, clearly annoyed and not liking this idea.
"I don't think…" Hotchner starts to object, but I continue to talk over him in my quiet voice. "No Gideon and Reid, no information." I am surprised by my own boldness.
From the corner of my eye, I see Gideon gesture to Hotchner that everything will be all right. After receiving a dismissive nod from Gideon, the team members file silently out of the door. Dr. Reid firmly closes the door behind his fellows, making sure they cannot eavesdrop.
Looking from Gideon to Reid I pose a question to them: "My actions confuse you? I shall explain."
Young Dr. Reid looks sharply at me, as though surprised by something. "Your accent… southeastern European?"
I favor Reid with a smile. "Croatian; I am an immigrant." I pull myself upright in bed, wincing as my healing wounds protest movement. "My name is Anika Paranosz and I have been living in America for five months now. I work as a maid in a hotel."
Gideon leans against the wall, observing me. I do not find his silent observation intrusive because it is done so casually. I am aware of Dr. Reid observing me as well while he awkwardly sits in the chair at my bedside. Nothing in their posture and actions would suggest that they are doing the job assigned to them.
"Miss Paranosz, do you mind telling us about your attack?"
"Please, call me Anika. I shall tell my story as well as I am able."
There is a softness in Reid's voice and expression as he says, "That's all we ask."
In carefully spoken English, I begin to tell my tale. "I was on my way to work that morning, walking as I do every single day. The alley has always been a sort of, cut-through. Nothing seemed different about that day; everything happened as it normally does. I had walked halfway down the alley when it happened. There was some sort of shuffling sound behind me, then a prick at the base of my neck as something pierced my skin." I gave a shudder as the events of that morning came swarming back to me. Gideon moved forward to sit on the edge of my hospital bed. It was a gesture of comfort and comradeship. Taking a deep breath, I continued on. "When I came to myself, everything seemed to be in a haze. I had a feeling as thought I was almost flying. That's when the pain began." I closed my eyes tightly, wishing to squeeze the images out of my eyes. My breathing came in shuddering gasps that shook my small frame.
A warm hand clasped my own. Though I did not know who held my hand in that critical moment, it was enough to get me through. I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, that stopping my story now would not be any help to these men.
"Because of my condition, I was unable to resist what happened. It started out as a simple beating, nothing terribly violent about it. But then things turned for the worse. The violence in each subsequent hit, in each moment of my rape was appalling and overwhelming. Once finished with his deplorable actions, the man left, walking out onto the main street as though nothing had just happened in the alley. I never saw his face, only his hands – great bug hands made for violence."
Gideon was the first to speak after a long silence. The silence he broke was heavy with understanding and wonder at the tale just told. "Thank you, Anika." In a fatherly tone he added, "Get some rest now."
I looked at Gideon and Reid, holding their eyes as I looked at them. "Thank you, both of you, for listening."
Dr. Reid smiled at me. "Rest well. We're going to do everything we can for you."
Feeling like a small child again, I nodded my head and dutifully settled down into my bed. As Gideon and Reid left, my eyes began to droop, sleep becoming a beautiful option. Before falling into deep sleep, the last thing I head was the door clicking shut, signaling that my new friends had left. I lay peacefully, feeling for the first time that I could put that fateful day behind me.