Author's Note: Whoo, I'm on a roll! I can't believe how much I've missed writing. Hope everyone is enjoying the story. And constructive criticism is always welcomed. I haven't written in years, so I imagine I'm a bit rusty.

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Over the next week, the girls and the Z-Fighters took shifts with Lindsey's family staying at the hospital. Gohan, however, refused to leave and opted to sleep in the chair next to the bed. The room was overflowing with flowers as the story had spread quickly throughout the state. Piles of unopened cards lay on the small tables in the rooms. All that had been reported by the newspapers and TV stations was that a missing Moberly woman had been found and that she was injured and they were looking for the people who had abducted her. No specific details were released, but Moberly was a small enough town that it got out quick. Things like that always did in that town.

Lindsey had woken only briefly and screamed and thrashed around at some unseen force and the nurse rushed in, giving her a shot and sedating her once more.

Catie, Trunks and Gohan were sitting in the room, visiting one afternoon when Lindsey finally woke up. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room. "Gohan?" she asked softly.

"Lindsey," he breathed and rushed to her side. He took her hand in his and brushed the top of her head softly. "I'm here, baby. I'm here."

She smiled.

He smiled back at her as tears of joy ran down his face. "I love you."

"I love you," she answered. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," Catie answered. "Gohan's been here the whole time."

"How long?" Lindsey asked.

"About a week," Catie answered. "What happened?"

It was the first time Catie had asked what had truly happened to her friend. She knew nothing more than what the TV reports said, which was extremely vague, and she didn't dare ask Gohan.

"I went for a swim in the creek," Lindsey said, staring at the ceiling as if trying to remember. Her eyes widened in horror as memories flooded her and she began to cry.

"It's okay," Gohan said, hugging her gently. "Shh. Shh. It's okay."

"No, it's not," she cried. "You have no idea what they did to me."

There was no consoling her. Lindsey pushed Gohan away and closed her eyes, crying uncontrollably. Finally, a nurse came in and told them they needed to leave the room. Reluctantly, Gohan, Catie and Trunks went to stand in the hall.

"I'm sorry," Catie whispered.

"It's all right," Gohan told her. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Catie began to cry again. "I just want her back. I'm lost without her."

"Me too, Cat," Gohan agreed. "Me too."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About a week later, the hospital released Lindsey to go home. She had given a statement to the police and they had arrested the Johnson boys. She walked close to Gohan on the way out of the hospital and sat silently in the backseat of Patrick's Jeep as he drove them home. All of their friends were waiting at the house for Lindsey to arrive. The girls had painted a big banner that said "WELCOME HOME, LINDSEY!" and hung it in the living room.

Everyone cried, "Surprise!" when she walked in the house and she forced a smile at them all.

"Thanks, guys," Lindsey said as Leelee hugged her. She hissed at the pain and Leelee said, "Sorry, I forgot."

"It's okay," Lindsey said and smiled at her friend. She didn't want to bring anyone down, being as they'd gone to so much trouble to make her welcome-home party a success.

She spent a couple hours visiting with everyone and they all carefully avoided the subject of what had happened to her those days locked in the cellar. Most of her bruising was gone and only some greenish marks were left on her. Even still, she wasn't the same.

She hunched her shoulders and tried to make herself small and unnoticeable. She made sure to avoid touching anyone if at all possible and barely made eye contact. It was a complete turn around from the brassy, loud, humorous redhead they'd known before.

"Do not worry about your hair," Yorgi told her, standing close but not touching her. "I will find someone to fix it for you."

She finally gave a real smile for the first time in two weeks. "Thanks, Yorgi."

He nodded and turned to speak to his brother.

Patrick snuck up behind Lindsey and said softly, "Why don't you sneak upstairs and I'll clear them out for you?"

"Okay," Lindsey agreed and quietly made her way to the back of the room.

Patrick made a loud scene, clicking on the radio and grabbing Sabriena in the middle of the room and dancing with her. Lindsey took her opportunity and crept up the stairs away from the party. Gohan, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her since they left the hospital, followed her up to her room.

"Too much for you?" he asked.

"Ya think?"

He smiled as the little bit of her sarcasm showed. It was like a fleeting moment of the previous girl he'd known.

"I'm sorry," Lindsey said, sitting down on her bed and wincing at the pain in her side. "I just don't feel like being around a bunch of people. I really do appreciate the effort, though."

"It's okay," Gohan said, sitting down beside her.

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm so fucked up, Gohan."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't fucking think straight, dude," Lindsey answered and sat up straight. "You don't know what it was like. I thought they were going to kill me. And not just a quick bullet-in-the-brain kind of kill, ya know? Like, torture me to death." She took a quivering breath and whispered, "I almost wish they would have killed me."

"Don't say that," Gohan scolded. "I love you. I want you here with me."

Lindsey looked up at him and managed a small smile. "I think I'd like a shower. Can you help me?"

"Sure," Gohan said.

They went into the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom and he helped her undress. It was the first time he'd seen her naked since the night she'd disappeared. More bruises were fading from her torso, he realized, as he unwrapped the bandages from her body. Some of the bruises on her chest appeared to be bite marks.

"Oh, baby," he moaned sadly.

"I'm all right," Lindsey said bravely, fighting tears. "I'm okay. Really."

He helped her put the plastic bag over her cast and undressed himself. Lindsey choked back a gasp and fought away the flashback that blinked in her mind. But Gohan had noticed.

"Lins, it's me. You're safe with me."

She nodded and stepped into the large shower stall. The hot water felt good. Gohan stepped in behind her and closed the glass door. He watched her stand in the water for a minute, then grabbed her loofah and body wash. He helped her watch, taking mental notes of every mark on her body. If ever he had the opportunity to get back at the guys who had done this to her, he was going to get revenge for every single bruise.

He shampooed her hair for her and helped her rinse off. He then turned her around to face him and gently held her to him. They stood that way in the shower for a long time, the feel of each other's bodies comforting to them. Lindsey rested her bruised cheek against the hard muscles of Gohan's chest as he sat his chin on the top of her head, rubbing her bare back with his hand. It was weird to not feel her hair on him and he hated the fact that her hair was gone.

Finally, they got out of the shower, dried off and then went back into her bedroom. Lindsey pulled the plastic off her cast and tossed it carelessly into the wastebasket. Without saying a word or dressing, they crawled into bed and fell asleep together, she laying carefully on her side with Gohan pressed against her back, a protective arm around her.