The town doctor's office actually was an old pharmacy that had been shut down when the grocery store opened a few years back, or so Julie and Adam had found out after being lead there by Keri a few minutes before. She promised to return with the doctor shortly, quickly running out the front door and leaving the two wore travelers alone with their thoughts. Adam's eyes wandered the front office, the front counter still had its dividers for filling prescriptions up but it didn't seem that people would have been lining up that fast to get their orders filled in this small town. They hadn't seen a soul on their walk here, save a few stray chickens that Keri said must have gotten out of their coup. The shelves in the back of the counter had been filled with medical equipment and the one door in the entire room must have lead to the exam room that was off to the left, closed firmly against the frame. Not much of a doctor's office but he guessed they made do with what they had.
Julie sat heavily on the arm of one of the chairs positioned against the right hand wall for people waiting to be seen. She let out a sigh of both relief and exhaustion, rubbing her face with her hands. What she wouldn't do for a clean bed and a shower at this point, she thought miserably. Looking down at her hands, traces of Adam's blood still lingered under her finger nails and in the cracks of her skin. She tried her best to clean them in the stream they had found the night before but to no avail, the red substance still remained. It didn't matter, she realized a second later, glancing at herself in the mirror of the window. Her hair was matted and dirty with dust from the forest, her shirt was torn from being caught on branches and her face was still bruised from her last encounter with her husband. Touching the deep purple spot on her face, she nearly cried out at the pain as it throbbed under the added pressure. The adrenalin of the chase must have prevented her from feeling the after effects of Greg's backhand two nights ago but now that they'd relaxed, the pain was coming back tenfold. She slowly moved her jaw to find that it worked perfectly, so it must just have been her cheek bone that was busted. Thinking about her husband, Julie's eyes scanned the road outside the window for any sign of him but found nothing out of the ordinary. For the first time in her life, she actually saw a tumble weed cross the dusty dirt road a few feet away before blowing behind a house. She almost smiled if it didn't hurt so much to do so and she could remember how to.
"Julie..." Adam's voice stopped her thoughts. She turned back to the injured man that had now placed himself in the vacant seat next to her. "Are you hurt anywhere else but your cheek?" He asked, looking to her with worried eyes. She glanced down at her body, save a couple scratches and some old scars she was just really dirty. He'd done a good job at shielding her in the police station from the bullets. She looked back up at him after her survey and shook her head.
"No, just my cheek." She said, touching it again with very light finger tips. Adam reached his hand up to trace where her fingers had just been and Julie let him this one time, welcoming his touch with in intake of breath. Her eyes watching him with interest the entire time, making sure he was gentle with her and he wasn't going to try for more.
"Does it hurt?" He asked, trying to be as gentle as possible when his fingers met her skin. She nodded slowly, letting out a hiss of pain before brushing his hand away.
"Yeah but not any worse than anything else he's every done." She said, turning away to look again out the window. Adam sighed, running a hand through his hair and finding a few hidden leaves that fell to the floor next to his chair and slowly settled against the foot of his chair. Once the doctor fixed his shoulder, he wanted him to look at Julie's cheek, if she'd let him touch her. She probably had a broken cheek bone and maybe a partially broken eye socket from the looks of the bruise forming around her eye. It had taken their entire trip for her to allow him even one graze of her cheek, not counting the kiss in the police station but that was spur of a moment thing to calm her down.
"I'm sorry, about the kiss, I mean..." His voice found strength to sound in the silence of the room. "It was stupid of me... I know you don't want to be touched and I'll respect that for now on. I promise..." He said honestly. She only nodded in response. Truthfully, she had forgotten about it until he brought it up. Now it was her mind. The way his kiss had been gentle and filled with a passion for her. All Greg's kisses were was a need to possess her and make her his. She almost shuttered at the thought of Greg's hands on her again. It wouldn't happen again, it would be over her dead body.
"You should let the doctor have a look at that cheek when he gets here." Adam said softly, hoping she'd listen to reason rather than her emotions. Julie knew it was broken, it had been before. She sighed deeply, knowing she'd need help to set it properly but she still did not feel comfortable letting other people touch her. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively, still remaining turned away.
"Adam, should we come up with a cover story or something, we don't know these people and what they might do?" Julie said, looking back at his face with worry etched in hers. What if Greg came back asking questions? New people in a small town were always suspicious, Adam thought with a slight nod.
"Yeah, I guess..." He mumbled, turning to look at her when she finally turned to face him. Before either of them could speak, the door to the office opened and a familiar face, neither of them thought they would see again, walked in. Dwayne Robertson stood in the open door way, his signature smile on his face and a cowboy hat on his head.
"Wee Doggies! Keri told me, y'all were here but I thought she was pulling my leg..." He said, stepping inside and shutting the door to the hot Texas air blowing around outside. He finally got a good look at the two of them and his face changed to one of worry at their appearance. "She didn't tell me y'all was hurt though..." He said, coming to stand in front of them and inspect their injuries.
"Dwayne!" Adam said, a small smile forming on his face as he stood to hug the taller man. Dwayne hugged him back, being careful of his shoulder.
"What in God's creation happened to y'all?" He asked, his southern accent still very pronounced in his words. He turned to Julie but she blocked him from hugging her before her eyes casted down and she squirmed in her seat. Her mind was racing that this was another duck she would have pulled into this mess. She couldn't keep getting them hurt.
"Now Julie, ain't you gonna give a cowboy a hug..." He tried to joke but she still remained turned away. Adam motioned for him not to push it so Dwayne backed off, looking between the two of them for a long moment.
"We're in big trouble..." Adam started, casting his eyes in Julie's direction every so often. "We're running from Julie's husband Greg..." Adam said, again looking back at Julie to gage her reaction. Dwayne's face was one of confusion.
"Y'all weren't cheating were you?" He asked, looking again between the two of them. He knew they had a history together but cheating wasn't something he condoned. Adam shook his head no.
"No, Julie's husband is not a nice guy... He did this to us..." Adam said, motioning to his shoulder and her face. Dwayne still looked confused but his confusion let way to anger when he took a good look at Julie and her busted cheek.
"Man, where I come from, you never hit a lady. Where is this piece a manure, I'll teach him a thing or two about respect..." He said, balling his fist against his palm and looking around the room. Adam shook his head.
"No, there's something not right about him. He's got guys with guns and black suits that are helping him..." Adam started before Dwayne cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"You mean those guys that came through yesterday? Those are the ones after y'all." Dwayne asked as Adam nodded his head. Dwayne shook his head with disgust. "Don't you worry, little lady. You're safe here..." He said trying again to get Julie's attention. She only nodded in response. "I'm sure Keri has Doc on his way here now, then we'll get you put up over at the Inn. My Momma is the Innkeeper and she'll get you all taken care of." Dwayne promised. Adam nodded again in approval.
"Thanks Dwayne, you have no idea what we've been through." He said clapping the man on the shoulder. Dwayne just shrugged in response. Julie's eyes darted their way in fear.
"No, Adam, we can't stay here... I will not put Dwayne in harm's way like I have you..." She said becoming suddenly angry and standing up to confront him. it was bad enough she would have to deal with the guilt of Adam's injuries, she did not need another Duck putting his life on the line for her.
"Easy there..." Dwayne tried to sooth her. "It's no trouble, besides we done sent those guys thru to the next town. They won't be back for some time..." Dwayne tried to reason. "Any if they do come back, we'll tell him again that we ain't seen you." He reasoned Julie's eyes, still filled with fear and she looked to Adam for reassurance. He nodded only slightly.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with..." She warned but Adam tried to calm her.
"If they've already been through they'll probably keep looking until they realize we couldn't have gotten that far and then turn around to come back. By then we'll be gone..." Adam said, taking her hand. She seemed to calm only slightly before she sighed in defeat. She really did want a shower and a warm place to sleep for the night but she would not sell out her friends to do so.
"Right, so y'all come up with something yet to tell people of why y'all look the way y'all does... People in a small town like to gossip..." Dwayne said looking back and forth between the two. "If those men come back we shouldn't give any of 'em reason to wonder." Dwayne surmised. Adam shook his head no.
"No, we were just talking about that when you walked in actually." Adam said, coming to sit back next to Julie in the uncomfortable chairs.
"It'd make it a bit easier to say y'all are married... Then Julie can stay with you and no one will be none the wiser..." Dwayne suggested, motioning between the two of them.
"Keri already knows who I am and everything, won't others know I'm not married..." Adam asked with skepticism. Dwayne shook his head.
"Nah, most people don't even have television down here... If they do it's only the basic channels... We'll just try to keep it simple is all... I went to school with y'all, you got married and you came to visit me..." Dwayne said, making up the story in his head.
"Yeah, and the injuries..." Adam questioned, looking up into the taller man's face from his seated position. He didn't want to be deemed an abuser.
"Y'all got into a car accident on your way here... Those roads can be bad at night..." Dwayne said, figuring this all out in his head as he spoke. For somethings he was good at making up tales. Adam only nodded, he guessed it would make sense for now and explain why they had no car to leave. He sighed heavily, resting his head in his good hand.
"Alright..." Adam said with a nod. Dwayne smiled again as the door behind them opened and Keri rushed in with a old man, carrying his medical bag tightly in his right hand.
"This is Doc... He'll get y'all fixed up..." Keri said with a bright smile on her face. Dwayne turned back from looking at their new arrivals to Julie and Adam and nodded in approval, his grin matching that of his cousin's. Adam internally groaned at their eagerness to see him in more pain but stood to follow the doctor into his office.
"I got some clothes for you, I think I might be a little smaller than you but I got loose stuff..." Keri tried to smile at Julie as she handed her a bag of clothes. Julie looked over the loose fitting grey pants and plain black tank top that poked out of the top. She only nodded her appreciation before standing to go to the bathroom and change.
"It's right now there..." Dwayne said, trying to guide her but Julie managed to skirt around his hands. Dwayne held up his hands in surrender as she passed. Keri looking to him for confirmation as to what was going on with the brunette. Dwayne just shook his head.
"Her husband must of messed her up something awful..." Dwayne said, shaking his head at his cousin.
"What did I miss?" Her words echoed her confusion at the current situation. Dwayne just shook his head.
"I'll tell you later..." He said before he followed Adam into the exam room to see if he could help in any way.
In the bathroom down the hall, Julie set the bag and her bag down on the floor next to the sink. Leaning heavily on it, she turned her eyes to her reflection in the mirror. She sighed heavily and silently took off her torn shirt, carefully lifting it over her head as to not touch her cheek. She brought the scrap of materials in front of her and looked to what had once been her favorite dress shirt with a heavy heart. It now had tears in it and blood caked into the hem. She shook her head with anguish before turning on the hot water and running the materials underneath. She let the water soak through the fabric before she squirted some hand soap into the pool she let form in her hands. Rubbing the materials together she started to wash her skin of the dirt that had collected. First her arms , where she remembered the burns that Greg had given her when she tried to leave him late. The late night abuse was still fresh in her mind everything she looked to the scars from where he tortured her into submission before he beat her senseless. Moving to her chest, she saw all the skin folds from objects he had used to beat her up with. The rolling pin when she burnt dinner, her old hockey stick to remind her that life was over, even his belt when he didn't have anything else. The lash marks across her stomach had been put there not three months before by that very belt. Her finger tips traced over the markings for the first time since that night. She ran the cloth over her breasts, looking to the bite marks that still reddened when brushed against. Her body hadn't been her own in a long time. Dropping the cloth into the sink she looked back at her reflection with a new strength. She would never forget what he did to her and she would never go back. it was as simple as that. She'd die before she submitted to him again. Her eyes faltered from her image but she would have to face that this was her body now. She was in control of what happened to it. There would come a time when she would need to go out on her own and not lean on Adam anymore and she feared that time was coming sooner than she thought. Running some cold water on her face, she finished up her quick clean up and changed into the clothes brought for her by Keri before backing up her stuff into the unused bag. She pulled her hair brush from her bag and ran it through her mousey brown locks without much effort before tossing it back into the back pack. The shoe box, her one remaining possession of her former life was tucked neatly inside the flap. Her fingers grazed the lid. It had been so long since she'd opened it to look inside that she hoped all the pictures hadn't faded. She was just about to lift it from its confines when a knock sounded at the door. She gripped the bag to her chest in a startled pose as Keri's voice sounded from the other side.
"Julie, Doc's just finishing up with Adam. He wants you to have your face looked at..." She said, trying to sound gentle in her approach. Julie relaxed and picked up her remaining items from the floor, even the bag of dirty clothes out of precaution more than anything else. Keri stood on the other side of the doorway, her arm flung against the jamb, her other hand on her hip. She stood straight up when Julie opened the door to exit.
"Are you alright? Is there anything else I can get for you..." She tried to ask in her best southern accent. Julie tried to smile at the younger girl but found it difficult to do so, instead just shaking her head.
"No, I'm fine..." She nearly whispered, passing the younger girl and entering back into the waiting area. Adam was coming out of the office now and smiled slightly at her new appearance. Dwayne was following close behind.
"It's your turn... Do you want me to come in with you." Adam asked. Julie looked over his shoulder at the old man wiping his hands on a cloth and looking in her direction. Her eyes met Adam's and she nodded before he took her hand and lead her towards the door of the exam room.
Within an hour Adam was stitched up and Julie's face had bandaged. There were no open cuts remaining on her face but the cold pack the doctor had given here was supposed to help with the swelling. Julie thanked him without being able to make eye contact. He only nodded, understandingly knowing there was something wrong with her besides her face. The doctor, for being a small town physician, was actually quite knowledgeable, telling Adam he'd probably need surgery to repair his muscle tear. It was clear he knew this was not from a car accident but he didn't say anything to either one of them as he fixed them up and prepared them some pain relievers to take with them. Dwayne and Keri waited as they were taken care of and then lead them to the Inn down the street, Adam taking the bag from Julie and tucking her hand in his as they walked to appear like their cover story said, a married couple on vacation.
When they walked in, Adam felt like he had just entered an old western movie. The walls were wall papered with an old floral pattern he hadn't see since his great Aunt Alice's den when he was just a little kid. All the furniture in the room was hand made out of pine, even an old wagon wheel leaned against the desk. The check in desk was a tall wooden structure was a pen rack and clip board on top and a small pull chain light with fringe on the bottom of the shade. The chandelier that hung from the ceiling was old antlers, Adam could only image what animal they may have come off of. Julie's eyes scanned the same area, wondering if they had been lost in a time warp since they arrived. Dwayne smiled at their faces.
"I know it ain't much but I'll like it here. They got those little soaps and a big ol' tub to soak in each room. Y'all will like that..." He said motioning to Julie with caring eyes. She tried to nod back. A woman with dark brown hair, much like Dwayne's, came from a door down the hall. The old wooden door swung a few times behind her before coming to a slow stop in the breeze. She wiped her hands on her apron as she went and smiled warmly at Dwayne, her smile reaching her eyes and lighting them up.
"To what do I owe the pleasure..." She smiled warmly at her son. Adam knew right away that this woman was Dwayne's Mother, the way her eyes lit up at the sight of him and reflected the same brown of his own.
"Momma, you remember my hockey friends from high school... This is Adam and Julie..." He said, motioning to them. His mother took in their appearance and looked back to her son with worry.
"My lord, are y'all okay..." She asked, holding her hand to her chest to frit over their appearance. Adam nodded, looking to Julie, who's eyes remained on the floor the entire time.
"Yes, ma'am. Just little car trouble on the way here." Adam tried his lying skills out. "Nothing a good night's sleep and a warm bath won't fix..." Adam tried to laugh convincingly to the older woman. She seemed to relax, looking to Dwayne for confirmation before she extended her hand out to Adam to shake it warmly.
"I beg your pardon. The sight of you had me a freight..." She apologized shaking his hand. "I'm Dottie Robertson, Dwayne's Mother..." She said letting go of Adam's hand then reaching for Julie's. Her eyes still remained casted down and she avoided the outstretched limb at all costs.
"My wife... Julie... She's still a bit shaken up from the accident..." Adam said, covering for her as Dottie dropped her hand with a smile.
"Of course. Poor dears..." She said, grabbing a room key from behind the counter and motioning from them to follow her up the stairs. "I'll give you two the best room in the house." She said with a smile. Dwayne led the way, following his Momma up the steps at a hurried pace to keep up with the other woman. Adam took Julie's hand in his again and began to follow, keeping a slightly slower pace for Julie. They arrived at the end of the hall on the second floor and Dottie unlocked it, letting Adam and Julie enter first.
This room was much nicer than the main lobby. A large beg sat in the middle of the room, covered in a white bed spread made of lace. It was framed by a large canopy that had white netting hanging around it but was currently tied back to each of the four posts. Julie's eyes lit up at the beautiful sight before her. Adam looked to the rest of the room, a dark wooden dresser sat opposite of the bed with a large mirror on top to shine a reflective glow from the sun shining in the windows. A chaise lounge sat in near the picture window overlooking the town and a single door lead to what Adam could only imagine to be the bathroom.
"It's beautiful. Thank you..." He said, setting the bag down on the bed and letting go of Julie's hand. Dottie nodded, a warm smile still on her face.
"I'll let you kids get settled and cleaned up. Dinner is served in the main dining room at 6 sharp." She said beginning to walk away. Dwayne handed Adam the key to the room and nodded also.
"I'll see y'all at dinner..." He promised with a nod. Adam nodded back before shutting the door and turning back to Julie. She had cautiously sat on the bed to look at her hands.
"Do you want to shower first or should I?" He asked, trying to figure out what she might be thinking. It had been a long road to get here for a minute of relaxation. She stood, nodding slightly.
"I think I will..." She said, grabbing the bag and heading for the door to the left. She disappeared inside before Adam collapsed on the bed, letting his mind relax for the first time in days. He was both mentally and physically exhausted and couldn't wait to be able to get some real food in his stomach. The gurgling of it now told him it was demanding attention but he ignored it instead choosing to close his eyes for a moments rest.