I want to thank everybody who reviewed! It really means a lot to me, and totally helps me write!
Ambinator, Kayla, Christina, and Alex! 3 Flove you guys, thanks for the input and compliments.
And of course my readers who I don't know: setherfan91, brilliant brunette, duckygirl, Daniella Consuela, ZakiaR, Rejobu, and ILoveJamesLafferty, I hope you keep reading and reviewing!
Enjoy the next chapter 3
---
Chapter 3
Nathan sat emotionless in the waiting room of the ER, staring straight ahead at the wall. Shapes and colors from the generic painting in front of him blurred as he forgot to blink.
He rubbed at his eyes wearily, breaking out of his trance for the first time since they'd taken Rachel into the back.
He slowly looked around the room. It was filled with people suffering from a variety of ailments; everything from a fever to a broken arm. Normally Nathan would've pitied them; offered them soft looks of sympathy. Today Nathan couldn't stand to look at them. He'd give anything to be in here for a broken bone.
Nathan tore his eyes away. He didn't need to be caught glaring at innocent people right now. They weren't to blame. He looked down at his hands and felt his head jerk back in surprise.
'Blood.'
His hands were covered in blood, as was his shirt. He'd been too distracted to notice before.
Standing up on shaky legs, Nathan made his way to the front desk.
"Excuse me."
He said very quietly, not trusting himself to speak any louder.
The nurse looked up at him with gentle eyes, obviously taking in his disheveled appearance, and nodded for him to continue.
"Where's the men's room?" He asked, softly.
She pointed down the hall and told him he couldn't miss it. He barely heard her.
On his way to the men's room Nathan passed a crying girl, talking on a payphone.
Somewhere in the back of Nathan's mind, it registered that he should be calling people. Rachel had friends; she had family. He'd call Peyton. She'd know whom else to call.
Nathan pushed open the door to men's room and walked over to the sink, staring at his reflection.
His shirt and tie were stained beyond repair, his suit jacket was gone, evidence now he assumed. He'd removed it and used it to cover Rachel back in the alley.
The memory of Rachel in the alley broke Nathan from his foggy state. He suddenly realized with horrid clarity just what had happened. He was covered in blood, Rachel's blood.
His stomach lurched and he dove for the nearest stall, barely getting there in time to painfully empty is stomach. After several moments of this, Nathan spat weakly into the toilet, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the side of the stall.
"This is real." He whispered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut tight to ward off tears. He needed to pull himself together.
Pulling himself to his feet, Nathan staggered to the sink. Turning on the water he carefully washed his hands, than splashed some water onto his face. Taking a mouthful he swished it around before spitting it out, wishing momentarily for a toothbrush.
Removing his blood soaked shirt and tie; he balled them up and shoved them into the trash. He tugged at his white undershirt, checking for any signs of blood. Finally, satisfied with his appearance he left the bathroom, hand in his pocket, touching his phone. He knew what he had to do.
Leaning against the wall outside the men's room in the exact spot the crying girl had previously been, Nathan pressed number 3 on his speed dial.
'Hey secret lover, it's 2AM, you know you can't call at this hour…'
Nathan swallowed down tears, closing his eyes. He was about to drop a bomb on his playful sister-in-law and it was killing him.
'Nate? You there? I'm totally kidding. Ow! I was, Luke! Jeez, a girl can't have any fun with her brother-in-law around here. Y'know, there was a time when yo-,'
"Hey, Peyt, it's okay." He choked out, interrupting her.
He took a deep shaky breath.
"There's something you should know…" he whispered, his voice hitching.
'Nate, what's going on? You're scaring me. Are you okay? Is it James??'
"No, no James is safe, he's with Haley. I'm okay, I just- I found, I, she–," He felt a sob bubble up and bit his lip to keep it in.
There was silence on the other line. By process of elimination, Peyton was figuring it out.
'Nate… where's Rachel?'
---
Nathan nodded a 'thank you' to Lucas when he felt his older brother press a cup of coffee into his slack hands.
He took a large sip, scalding his tongue, and barely flinched.
Next to him, Peyton was looking through a shopping bag filled with some of Rachel's things.
Undoubtedly feeling his eyes on her, Peyton looked up at him.
"I didn't know what to bring." She admitted softly, wringing her hands. "I didn't know what she would want." She said, her voice breaking.
Luke placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her weight against his.
"It's okay, baby. I'm sure she'll love whatever you brought." He soothed, stroking her blonde curls.
Nathan nodded.
"Yeah Peyton. Thanks for bringing them."
"Nate, how long does she have to stay here? Did the doctor say? I mean, they should be done examining her soon, shouldn't they?" Lucas asked; worry etched into his rugged face. Rachel had become almost like a sister to Luke over the years.
Nathan nodded, a little irritated.
"He said normally patients can be released once the rape kit is finished and no further medical treatment is needed, but he knocked her out…" Nathan seethed, pausing and clenching his fists.
"So they have to check out her head." He finished, unclenching his fists when he felt Peyton's small hand come to rest on his arm.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, shaking his head.
Peyton and Lucas started to respond, telling him that he didn't have to be sorry, but a voice sounding through the waiting room cut them off.
'Rachel Gatina?'
Nathan bolted to his feet and rushed towards the doctor, Lucas and Peyton hot on his heels.
"That's me; I mean that's us." Nathan rambled, looking at the doctor expectantly.
"Family?" The doctor asked suspiciously.
Nathan wasn't about to take this crap after waiting for hours to find out if his friend was alright.
"Yeah, we're family. This is my brother and his wife, and I'm her fiancé." He answered quickly, his tone harsh.
"We didn't notice a ring…"
"Well, I don't know, maybe her rapist took it." Nathan seethed, impatiently.
The doctor looked down at his clipboard giving a curt nod.
"This way." He said, gesturing for them to follow.
After trekking through a few sets of double doors the doctor stopped by a recovery room. Outside, a makeshift waiting room was set up in the hall.
"Rachel's condition is stable, and she's doing as well as can be expected." The doctor began; pausing to make sure the group was with him.
"She'll be sore and bruised, but there are no broken bones or critical injuries. Rachel sustained a Grade 3 concussion when, we believe, her attacker kicked her in the back of the head…"
Nathan's nails dug into the palms of his hands.
"This is what caused her to lose consciousness. She came to shortly after her arrival to the ER, and so long as she's monitored carefully for the first 24 hours after release, she should be fine going home tomorrow. Some side effects you should be aware of are dizziness, nausea or vomiting and headaches. Those are all normal, but if for any reason you feel like something is wrong, don't hesitate to call for some help." The doctor finished, scribbling some notes on Rachel's clipboard and slipping it back into the holder by her door.
"She can't leave tonight?" Peyton whispered, clutching the bag of clothes close to her chest.
"I'm afraid not. Other than her head injury, physically, Rachel's alright, but -,"
"But what?" Nathan interrupted, eyes narrowed.
"Emotionally, she's not where we'd like her to be."
"Well, what's that supposed to mean? What's wrong with her? Fix her!" Nathan shouted, fatigue and worry mounting together to form a storm of fury in his chest.
"Nathan…" Lucas soothed, placing a firm hand on his brother's shoulder and willing him to calm down.
The doctor gave Lucas an appreciative look.
"We believe Rachel's suffering from RTS, or Rape Trauma Syndrome. It's akin to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and has very similar symptoms. At this point, we've been able to make the diagnosis quite clearly from her current symptoms, but we'd like to monitor her overnight to see if anymore occur."
"What kind of symptoms?" Lucas asked, trying to be the rock for his wife and brother.
"Well for one, she hasn't said a word since she woke up." The doctor said with a sigh.
"And she's very anxious, especially around men. She works herself into a frenzied state; erratic breathing, racing pulse, chest pains."
The doctor paused when he saw the horrified faces in front of him.
"We're hoping that some familiar faces will help to bring her out of it." He paused again, waiting for a response. Receiving none, he continued.
"So, one at time. You can go in and see her. It's okay." He insisted.
Nathan looked up to see Peyton and Lucas' expectant faces.
"I-I can't. Peyt, you go first." Nathan mumbled, quickly walking away and sitting in the furthest chair from the door, head in his hands.
---
"It's not fair." Peyton whispered, burying her face into Lucas' chest as she exited the room.
"This shouldn't have happened." She sobbed.
Nathan listened intently to the conversation between Peyton and Lucas, looking for any inkling to Rachel's condition.
His leg was shaking nervously and he was grinding his teeth so hard that he wondered if they were any smaller in his mouth.
Out of nowhere a pair of legs wearing jeans and high-heeled boots came into his line of site. He looked up.
"Nathan, you should go in and see her." Peyton whispered, reaching forward and running her fingers gently through his short hair.
"I-," Nathan coughed, clearing his throat. Words hadn't served him well tonight. "How was she?" He asked nervously, tearing at the bottom of his undershirt.
Peyton took a deep breath and looked at her feet.
"I don't really know. The doctor was right she's not talking, at all. She didn't even look at me. But on the plus side, she didn't seem afraid or freaked. Just-,"
"Not Rach." Nathan finished, his voice hoarse.
"Yeah." Peyton whispered, sitting beside him. Luke had gone off to the bathroom.
"She needs us, Nathan. We need to pull her through this." Peyton closed her eyes.
"It doesn't matter how scared we are. Imagine what it must be like to be her, Nate."
Nathan felt his stomach turn, and wondered briefly if he was going to be sick again. She was right; Rachel needed them. She needed him.
He stood up abruptly, almost knocking his chair over.
"I'll stay with her tonight, Peyt. You should go home."
"Nathan no, you don't have to. We'll all stay, take tur-,"
"No. It should be me." Nathan insisted.
'It's my fault.' He thought.
Peyton stared at him, confused.
"I have to do this." He whispered, turning and facing the door to Rachel's room.
---
Nathan sat in the cold hospital chair; his hands clasped tightly together, teeth sawing back and forth.
Rachel was asleep. Or at least he assumed she was. She was curled up with her back facing him and hadn't made a single sound or movement since he'd sat down.
In fact, the only sound in the room was the gentle buzzing and whirring of the machines around her bed.
He wondered if he should say something. If she were awake, she might be waiting for him to identify himself. But if she were asleep, it might startle her and she might panic.
This was the dilemma Nathan had been faced with for the past ten minutes.
He closed his eyes to ponder his options once more when he heard it, a soft snapping sound.
'Her nails.' He remembered.
Rachel always picked at her fingernails when she was nervous, scared, or just downright bored.
She was definitely awake and that was the cue he needed.
Nathan scooted forward in his chair and gently cleared his throat.
Rachel's body almost immediately stiffened at the sound.
Nathan reached out to touch her and immediately drew his hand back just before it made contact.
'Wrong move.'
Nathan swallowed hard, looking closely at the girl who had become his best friend over the past four years.
He needed to fix her. He had to.
"Hey Rach, it's me, it's Nate." He whispered, his voice soft like the one he used to tuck in James at night.
He received no response, but knew she was listening.
"I want you to know, I'm going to stay here. I'll be here all night, and I won't sleep, I swear. So if you want to sleep, you don't have to be scared. I won't leave." He promised, firm resolve on his face.
He felt a tinge of hope when he saw her body visibly relax in front of him. It wasn't much, she was still curled in a ball, not speaking and not looking at him, but she was more at ease. It counted for something.
About twenty minutes passed in silence. Nathan stared at the clock, out the door, at Rachel, anything to stay awake.
He was currently counting the dots on the ceiling when he heard movement from Rachel's bed. He looked down to find her turned around, looking at him. Her expression was blank; eyes glassy.
Nathan leaned slightly forward, looking her over. Dark purple bruises were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes near the bridge of her nose. The bastard hadn't broken her nose, but he'd come about as close as you can get. Her left cheek had a deep gash in it about three quarters of an inch long, probably from a ring.
Nathan locked eyes with her, feeling his own well up with tears.
"Rach…" He whispered, unable to find the words.
"You found me." She croaked, her voice barely above a whisper. Her tone was almost questioning, as if she didn't believe it herself.
Nathan felt a tear slip down his cheek. He tentatively reached for her hand.
Rachel's eyes flickered towards his movement, watching him carefully, but not fearfully.
Sensing no signs of discontent from her, Nathan slowly closed his large hand around her smaller one.
"Of course I did." He answered with certainty, running his thumb over her limp fingers. "Of course I did."
---
With a good shove, Nathan wearily opened the door to his apartment. After staying up all night at the hospital looking after Rachel, he was beat.
Flicking on the light, Nathan took a quick sweep of the room and cringed at the mess; particularly his boxer shorts, which he'd thrown carelessly onto his coach the other day before work.
He looked down at the girl clinging to his left side; suddenly embarrassed about his apartments disarray. Rachel didn't even seem to notice. Her face was blank again and the only feeling Nathan could read was: tired. Nathan hadn't been the only one to stay up all night.
"Come on." He said gently. "You need to lie down."
He guided her to his bedroom, feeling his heartbreak at her slight limp.
When they reached his room Nathan eased her onto the bed, carefully helping to remove her coat. Rachel looked around her confused.
Suddenly, memories of their night a few weeks ago came flooding back to her. Her eyes widened and she gasped. Nathan looked up, her coat in his hands.
"N-no. No. No." Rachel repeated, shaking her head and looking at Nathan in fear, jumping and backing herself into a corner.
Nathan's eyes widened in alarm and confusion.
"Rach? No what? I don't un-." He paused, suddenly seeing the irony in their previous position.
'Fucking idiot.' He thought.
"No, no, no, no, no." Rachel muttered, shaking her head back and forth, tears streaming down her face.
Nathan kneeled in front of her, a good three feet away, giving her space.
"Rachel, no! No." He insisted, firmly.
"I promise on my life that's not what we're doing in here. I just want you to get some sleep. Just rest." He explained, pointing to the bed.
"I'm going to be in the living room, sleeping on the coach."
Rachel looked at him, biting her lip, taking deep shaky breathes.
"I promise I'll never hurt you like that. No one will. Not ever again."
He looked into her eyes; he knew she could read him, just like he could read her. It was like silent conversation.
"I'm sorry." She whimpered, holding her knees to her chest. "I know you would never hurt me I just – I can't…" She shook her head trying to find the words to explain to him.
"Can't let your guard down completely?" He finished, understanding.
She nodded.
"We'll just take it one day at a time then." He said, standing up and offering his hand to her.
She took it, this time letting him guide her to the bed.
She looked impossibly small curled up in the center of his king sized mattress; blankets swam around her and her dark head of hair was barely visible amidst all the pillows.
Nathan stood in the doorway, about to tell her that he was in the living room if she needed anything, when he realized she was already fast asleep.
Leaving the door open a few inches so he'd be sure to hear her, Nathan walked into his living room.
With a loud yawn, he flopped face first onto his couch. Within minutes, he was out like a light.
---
"Mmpfaj." Nathan muttered out loud as his eyes flew open. It was dark out, the middle of the night. He'd probably slept the rest of the afternoon away and he was still beat, so what was he doing awake?
It was only a second later that he heard it.
'Please no! Please! Stop!'
Nathan jumped up from the couch so fast that he tripped on his coffee table landing head first into his lazy boy.
"Mother fucker." He mouthed, grabbing at his sore shin. He didn't let that deter him for long, though. Hopping over the chair he stumbled into his bedroom.
Rachel had kicked all of the blankets off the bed; she was covered in sweat and sobbing as she fought off her invisible attacker.
"Rachel! Rach, wake up!" Nathan yelled.
But it wasn't working and she was crying so hard that it was becoming difficult for her to breathe. Nathan had to wake her up.
Nathan sat on the bed beside her, and lifted her up into a sitting position. He closed his eyes and turned his head away as she tried to hit him in her sleep.
"Rachel! It's just a dream, wake up!" He yelled again, wincing as her nails dug into the side of his face.
With a gasp, Rachel's eyes flew open, but she didn't stop thrashing about and crying. If anything, she was sobbing harder and moving more now than before.
Nathan pinned her arms to her sides in a tight hug. Holding her firmly to his chest, he rocked her back and forth.
"It's okay, Rach. It's me; it's just me. You're safe. You're safe." He whispered over and over, struggling against her attempts to fight him off.
"You're safe, Rach. You're safe." He insisted, feeling her slowly stop fighting, sobs overtaking her thin frame.
"Shhh… It's okay. Everything's going to be okay." He soothed, stroking her hair, refusing to let her go.
---
Alright guys, so I know this fic is pretty heavy, I hope you're all enjoying it and I hope I'm doing all the characters justice. Please review!