"Get off of her you rotten son of bitch!" Jesse yelled with his gun at the ready. Luke grabbed his gun and turned around only to be staring down the barrel of Jesse's double gauge shotgun. "I swear before God and everybody if you touch her one more time I'll blow you and Mr. Floppy Cock to smithereens!"
"If you were going to shoot me you'd have done it already."
"Don't kid yourself asshole. The only reason I've haven't blown you away is because I don't want your flithy blood on my hands."
"Oh yeah... because you're Jesse 'the fucking martyr' Toussaint." Luke spat. "Go ahead mother fucker, I dare you to shoot me!"
Jesse just grinned and cocked the gun while Luke gulped. He was enjoying torturing Luke.
Beca sat quietly watching wide eyed as the boys traded verbal blows. Jesse never waivered. He stood his ground. He stood tall and confident. He wanted nothing more than to hold Beca in his arms but decided it was best that he held Luke at gun point until the police arrived.
When he heard the cop cars coming up the drive, he chuckled as he looked at Luke and said, "Looks like the only person that's sucking your noodle dick tonight will be big, bad Bubba. He's gonna take your sorry ass to the mutha fuckin' prison prom you worthless piece of shit!" Jesse told him. "Hope you like rear entry, because you're gonna be Bubba's backdoor bitch! PS: Don't drop the soap! " Luke suddenly looked like a scared long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He didn't know whether to shit or go blind or both. Reality suddenly hit him like a shit ton of bricks to his pretty boy face.
As the police entered the stall, Jesse dropped his gun and started taking his shirt off. He ran over to Beca, removed the belt from her hands and covered her with the shirt. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry baby." he said pulling her battered body into his lap and rocking her. "The asshole hit me on the head then sucker punched me. I didn't see it coming. I swear I got here as soon as I could."
Beca still wasn't really able to vocalize anything. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried as Jesse rocked her. While Jesse comforted Beca, one of the officers took Whiskey out of the stall so the EMT's could get to her. The right side of her face was swollen and bruised where Luke hit her and her lip was busted and bleeding. She had hickey's along her jaw, neck and chest where Luke was sucking and biting her skin. She was bleeding from the cuts to her hip. Jesse couldn't believe what Luke had done to her and what he would have done had he not gotten to her. He always knew that Luke was a douche but not even he thought Luke could do something like this. Seeing Beca so battered and broken made Jesse sick.
The EMT's needed to get to Beca but Jesse was hesitant to let her go. He carried her bridal style over to the gurney and laid her down, then held her hand as they applied an ice pack to her face and took her vitals. Another EMT handed him an ice pack and started looking him over. "Let's get you up here." the EMT said patting the gurney next to Beca's. "You're gonna need some stitches in the back of your head. Do you know what you got hit with?"
"I think he hit me with the butt of his pistol." Jesse said pointing to the gun that on the floor being photographed by one of the police officers. Another police officer came across the syringe. It too was photographed then it was tagged and bagged it as evidence. "Any blood on the butt of that gun?" the EMT tending to Jesse asked.
"Sure is. It's been photographed, swabbed and bagged."
"Ok then. You may want to take a picture of the back of his head. He thinks he was hit with the gun." the EMT told the officer. The officer grabbed his camera and took several photographs of Jesse's injuries. As he was finishing up, Beca and Jesse's parents came running into the stables. They had all gone to dinner together; Jesse had called them right after he placed the call to the authorities. "Jesse! What happened?" Tripp asked rushing to Beca's side. She was asleep; the EMT's monitoring her closely.
"Luke hit me in the back of the head with a pistol, kicked me in the ribs then punched me in the face. He tied Beca up then drugged her with something he had in a syringe and tried to rape her. I got to her as soon as I could." Jesse told their parents. "I swear I did."
"I know you did son." Tripp said hugging him. "I know."
"We're going to transport both them to Memorial now. You're all free to meet us there." The EMT told Tripp.
"Thanks. We'll follow you."
After being checked out himself and getting stitches in his head, Jesse was put in a wheelchair and brought to the waiting room to wait with his and Beca's parents for word on how she was doing. The wait seemed to take forever. They all jumped to their feet the minute Dr. Chaney walked into the room.
"Hi guys. Sorry to have kept you waiting. I wanted to check Beca out head to toe before I came to speak to you. We've been monitoring her very closely."
Tripp shook his hand, "Thanks Dr. Chaney. What can you tell us about Beca? Is she ok?"
"Beca's very, very scared but she's a fighter. She's taken everything we're doing to her like a champ."
"That's my girl." Tripp said proudly.
"We've given Beca a tetanus shot since we don't know if the needle used was sterilized and because of the bites on her neck and chest. The assailant broke her skin when he bit her and as you may or may not know, the human mouth carries a lot of germs and is full of bacteria. We've started her on both IV and oral antibiotics to prevent infection. She's also on IV fluids and pain medications. We've taken blood samples to be tested for STD's as well; it's still early to know if she has any but it's procedure. She will need further blood testing in 6 weeks, then again at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. If all tests are negative then she'll only need to be tested once a year after that."
"Do you know what that son of a bitch injected her with?" Tripp asked.
"Beca was injected with a combination of potassium chloride and Ketamine. She was not injected with enough that she'll have any long lasting side effects however; she is experiencing some mild ones."
"What are the side effects she's experiencing?"
"She's complaining of nausea, dizziness, drowsiness and some tingling in her hands and feet but otherwise she's doing just fine. She does have quite a bit of bruising and a few minor cuts, scrapes and scratches but those will heal with time. Do you have any other questions?"
"When can we take Beca home?" Lucy asked as she dabbed the corners of her eyes with a kleenex.
"We're going to keep her overnight for observation. If she has a good night and everything looks good in the morning, then we'll send her home some time tomorrow afternoon."
"Thank you Dr. Chaney. Can we see Beca now?" Tripp asked.
"You can, but just so you know, she's asking to see Jesse."
Jesse looked at Tripp and Lucy; both nodded giving him permission to go see Beca. Jesse walked as quickly as he could to Beca's room. When he got there he wasn't surprised to find her sleeping, she had been through a lot over the last several hours. He kissed her forehead then quietly took a seat next to the bed and held her hand. When she didn't wake right away he lay his head on the bed next to her and dozed off. He woke a while later to her stroking his cheek. "Hi." she said sleepily.
"Hey, you're awake."
"I am." she said, tears welling in her eyes. "Thank you for being my knight in shining armor."
"You're welcome." he said standing to kiss her.
"Hopefully that was the first and last time I'll need saving."
"Let's hope so but if not, I'll always be right here to save you and the day."
"Are you ok?" she asked running her fingers over his black eye.
"Yeah, I got a few stitches in my head and couple bruised ribs but otherwise I'm good."
"I guess my parents know about us now huh?"
"I'm sure they do, but I haven't said anything and neither have they. So, let's not worry about it now."
"Is everyone waiting to come in?"
"Yeah. Do you want me to go get them?"
"Please."
"Ok." he said kissing her gently. "I'll be right back."
A few minutes later Jesse walked in with their parents. They were able to visit for a while before Sarah, Beca's nurse, came in to check on her. Before leaving the room, Sarah told them that they could stay for a few more minutes but that visiting hours were over and they would need to say their goodbyes and part for the evening. She also told them that one person could stay with Beca overnight.
"I can stay by myself." Beca announced.
"Oh, no ma'am." Tripp told her. "Not after what you've been through tonight."
"Dad..." Beca said rolling her eyes.
"Rebeca Faith, please don't argue with me. You've been through a lot, you're not staying alone."
"Fine." She said crossing her arms over her chest. "Then who's staying?"
"Jesse...would you mind staying the night?" Tripp asked. Beca's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"No not at all." Jesse said before going with his parents out into the hall, giving Beca a few minutes alone with her parents."
"Good night sweetheart." Tripp said kissing her on the forehead before putting his forehead against hers. "We're going to talk about Jesse when you get home and you're feeling better." There was a twinkle in his eyes and she knew that instant that everything would be ok. Tripp kissed her forehead and nose before hugging her.
Her mom kissed and hugged her. She hugged Beca so tightly that she winced from the pain. "Oh baby! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's ok Mom. I won't break."
"I love you Rebeca Faith." Lucy said stroking her daughter's face before Tripp took her hand and walked toward the door.
"I love you too Mom." she said snuggling back into the pillows. "See you tomorrow."
Her parents walked out to the hall where Jesse and his parents were talking. Nora was sobbing as she held Jesse. "Ma, I'm ok." He kept saying as he patted her back and tried to get out of her bone crushing hug.
"Sweetheart, let the boy go." Charlie told Nora. "He can't breathe."
"But should they really be here alone overnight?" Nora asked.
"Mom, there's security in the building, nurses and doctors are everywhere. Luke is locked up, we'll be fine."
"Nora, I don't think that prick is getting out anytime soon." Charlie assured her.
Tripp interrupted, "His money can buy his way out of a lot of things, but he beat, drugged and attempted to rape my daughter and he put a pretty good hurtin' on Jesse too. He's not going to get away with it, not this time. We'll be at the courthouse with our attorney for his bond hearing in the morning. You're more than welcome to ride down there with us."
"What time do we leave?" Charlie asked.
"8am. Court starts at 10 but we need to meeting with John beforehand and I want to be sure to get a front row seat." Tripp told him.
"Sounds like a plan." Charlie told him.
"Jesse, we'll drop fresh clothes and Beca's truck off to y'all in the morning. Would you mind taking Beca home when she's released?"
"I'd be glad to." Jesse said shaking Tripp's hand. "I'm gonna go back in there now. I'll see y'all tomorrow."
"Good night." they all told him as he walked back into Beca's room.
Beca was sleeping peacefully when Jesse walked in the room. He took his seat next to the bed figuring they were in for a long night; though he honestly didn't know what to expect. As he laid his head next to hers, he tried not to let himself think about what would have happened to her if he hadn't walked in when he did. His mind and thoughts wandered for a bit longer before he finally succumbed to sleep.
Beca woke around 2am to find Jesse sharing her pillow. She kissed him gently then lay there watching as he slept. He was so beautiful and so sweet. He saved her from a fate worse than death and she owed him her life. How would she ever be able to repay him for what he had done? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden and immediate urge to shower; she felt disgusting and needed to scrub her body. She quietly got out of bed, walked around to the side where Jesse was sleeping and put a blanket around him.
Walking into the bathroom she stripped herself of the awful hospital gown and for the first time got a glimpse at what Luke had done to her. She knew it was bad because a female police officer had taken photographs of her body and swabbed the bites marks the night before but she didn't think it would be this bad. Her face was swollen and bruised, her torso and breasts were marked with bruises and bite marks, her knees were scraped and bruised from when he threw her on the ground, her arms ached from being tied together and hung over her head and the spot where he injected her was swollen and warm. She cried as she ran her fingers over her tattoo and prayed that it wasn't ruined. Some may think it was silly for her to think that because after all, it was just a tattoo but to her the tattoo had meaning.
She reached in the shower and started the water. She wanted the water to be as hot as she could stand it and wished that the soap would take away all the marks Luke left. As the water ran she took the soap, shampoo and conditioner from the shelf over the toilet and put them on the ledge in the shower stall. When she finally got in, she stood under the spray of the shower head furiously rubbing her body before grabbing the washing cloth and soap. Once again she furiously scrubbed her body this time with the soapy wash cloth. She didn't think the wash cloth and soap were getting her clean enough. She just kept adding more and more soap when all she really wanted was a brillo pad and bleach to scrub her skin. She literally scrubbed her body until her skin hurt and then she dropped to floor and sobbed.
When Jesse woke up he realized Beca was gone. His eyes immediately darted around the room in search of her. He started breathing a little easier when he heard the water running in the shower. When he walked in to the bathroom, he found Beca sobbing and shaking uncontrollably in the corner of the shower stall.
"Beca." He said dropping to his knees. "Baby, I'm here. I'm right here."
"Jesse…please don't." she said pushing him away and trying to cover her body.
"Don't what?"
"Don't look at me. I'm disgusting."
"Baby, you're not disgusting."
"I am and you shouldn't want to be with me now." she said trying to get as far into the corner of the shower as she could.
"Baby, I'll always want you. I love you."
"Please…don't. Don't say that. I'm damaged goods." She yelled. "Look…" pointing to her body.
Jesse looked into her eyes then down at her naked, wet, battered body, the body that he had spent so much time loving and worshiping. He was sure he had never loved her more than he did in that moment. He stood up to undress and got into the shower with Beca.
"What are you doing?"
"If you're going to sit in the shower then I'm going to sit and hold you until you're ready to get out." He sat on the floor next to her and took her in his arms, "You're not damaged goods." he said kissing the top of her head. "I love you so damn much it hurts and I hate seeing you like this. It makes my heart hurt."
"You're only saying that because you have to."
"No, I'm not." He said. "Stop trying to push me away. I'm not going anywhere."
Taking a deep breath she asked, "Do you promise?"
"I promise." he pushed wet hair out of her face, "I promise I'm not going anywhere."
Beca shoved her face into the crook of his neck and cried. She wasn't sure how this man could love her after seeing her abused and battered body; she was a train wreck and here he was sitting in the shower with her reassuring her of his love. She was still shaking not from being cold but from being upset and crying. Jesse held her tightly to his chest trying to cover her body with his own then started singing to her.
"We can make it 'til the end.
Nothing can come between
You and I.
Not even the Gods above
Can separate the two of us.
No, nothing can come between
You and I.
Oh, you and I."
After a few minutes of silence Beca asked, "Do you really mean that?"
"Yes, I do. Rebeca Faith Robicheaux, I love you more than life itself; nothing and no one can ever change that." he kissed her shoulder gently and felt her body melt into his.
She took in a deep breath and sighed. "I love you too Jesse."
Jesse didn't rush her out of the shower. When he had finally gotten her to calm down he could feel her body starting to relax. They sat in the shower letting the hot water run over their bodies soaking in the quiet togetherness. When he was sure she was completely relaxed, he asked "You ready to dry off and go back to bed?"
"Yeah, I think so." Jesse stood up and helped bring her to her feet. "I just want to wash one more time." she told him.
He grabbed the shampoo and started washing her hair. "Turn around and rinse." He told her. As she rinsed her hair, he kissed each and every bruise, bite, scrape, scratch and cut on her body as if he had some kind of magic healing powers. When they were finished, he helped her out, dried her off and wrapped her in a dry towel before looking for another gown for her to wear. He brushed her wet hair and braided it so that it hung over her shoulder. Then he carried her back to bed. He laid down with her; she put her head on his chest then he pulled the blankets over both of them.
After laying in bed for several minutes, Jesse decided that the room was too quiet for his liking, so he hummed a tune before he started singing softly to Beca.
"Every time our eyes meet
This feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take
Baby when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away
I've never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you"
They lay in silence for several minutes before Beca spoke, "Thank you for taking care of me."
"I can't think of anything else that I'd rather be doing."
"I love you Jesse."
"I love you too."
A/N #1: This was a pretty emotional chapter, to read and write, but I wanted to get it out quickly since I left y'all with a pretty nasty cliffhanger in the last chapter. I have some in depth research to do for the next few chapters so updates may not be every few days like they have been. Rest assured that I'll be working hard to get the chapters done as quickly as I can. I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. Thanks for reading and please don't forget to leave me a review. :)
waatp: Hope you found the little "word gems" I put in this chapter just for you.
cuticlecareenetwork and gossipssweetlips: Another mention of Luke's noodle...just for y'all! LOL
A/N #2: Song References
You and I by One Direction
Amazed by Lonestar