Chapter Ten: Waking Up And The Truth About What Happened.
Two days have elapsed since Erin has been unconscious, and Voight has been in and out of the hospital visiting, even without Diana's permission. Nevertheless, he remains steadfast in his commitment to his friend Erin, as he desires her to wake up with someone by her side.
Voight had sent Michel back to school and assured him that he would be notified if there were any changes in Erin's condition. 'Come on, Erin, it has been two days now; wake up,' Voight gently whispered as he held her hand.
'We are close, I have a few leads on the whereabouts of your brother,' Voight mentioned, undeterred by Diana's potential disapproval. Despite Diana's orders to prioritize other cases, Voight persisted in his search. 'Is she still unconscious?' Meredith inquired as she entered the room carrying Emily.
"Voight mentioned that Maggie said Erin should wake up soon," Voight stated as he observed Erin still asleep, gently holding her hand.
"How are you doing?" Meredith inquired as she took the seat next to him. Voight, glancing at Erin, noted that at least the brunette no longer had a tube down her throat and just had a breathing tube in her nose.
"I'm doing better," he replied. "That's good, she'll wake up soon," Meredith assured, and as if on cue, Erin let out soft groans and moved her hand to rub her face. Voight leaned forward to check on Erin.
"I think she's waking up," he said, while Meredith went to inform the doctors that Erin was waking up, leaving Voight alone with the teenager.
"Hey," Erin whispered, her voice raspy from being out for two days. Voight looked at her and smiled. "Hey," he whispered back, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.
Voight gazed into Erin's hazel eyes and inquired, 'Do you recall what occurred?' He held her hand and kissed it, causing the brunette to blush and shake her head in contemplation of his question.
Erin, clearly in discomfort, requested water by rasping, 'Need water,' before wincing at the pain in her chest and stomach. Voight promptly assisted by offering his cup of water and helping her drink from it.
Maggie and Meredith entered just in time to witness Voight tenderly removing the cup from Erin's lips. 'It is a relief to see you awakened, Erin,' Maggie greeted, approaching to assess the teen's vital signs with a flashlight to examine her pupils.
'How are you feeling?' she inquired. After a brief pause, Erin responded, 'Feels like I just got hit by a semi-truck,' attempting to inject a touch of humor, though quickly realizing the seriousness of the situation. 'Do you remember what happened?' Maggie probed, while checking the brunette's blood pressure.
Voight observed as Erin furrowed her eyebrows while attempting to recall the events. 'How long have I been out? I don't recall much, but I do remember being attacked yesterday,' she said, looking towards Maggie, who shook her head.
'Nope, it's been two days,' the dark-skinned woman gently corrected her. 'What do you mean two days?' Erin asked, perplexed. She placed her hand on her head, trying to recollect the events.
She closed her eyes as memories of Luke and Charlie resurfaced – Luke choking her and then slamming her to the ground before kicking her. Erin paused, trying to piece together the fragmented memories.
'I remember bits and pieces of what happened, but not much,' she said with a frown. 'That's alright, sweetheart, it's normal. It will all come back to you soon,' Maggie reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
'Your classmate Michel brought you in,' she informed her. 'He did?' Erin asked, shaking her head as the last fragment of her memory returned – Michel shoving Luke.
Upon finishing checking her vitals, Maggie nodded and expressed her intention to attend to other patients before returning to assess the possibility of discharging the individual present.
With Maggie's departure, Erin found herself in the company of Voight and Meredith. Erich let out a sigh upon noticing their focused gazes directed at her and inquired about their attention, clearly puzzled by their behavior.
Voight then expressed a request to have a private conversation with Erin, prompting Meredith to gracefully excuse herself to procure refreshments.
In a serious tone, Voight leaned in and urged Erin to disclose the events leading to the attack she experienced, prompting her defensive reaction and reluctance to share such information.
"Al and I have been making efforts to apprehend him due to the harm he caused you. Voight stated, crossing his arms over his chest. Erin attempted to respond but remained silent. Voight inquired, 'I cannot assist you, Erin, unless you disclose who this Luke individual is – is he the one you are trying to evade?'
Erin, averting the truth, responded by biting her lip and saying, 'No, he is not.' She explained how a classmate had arranged for someone to intimidate her as a consequence of her interactions with her boyfriend, and how she wanted to demonstrate the consequences of her actions.
Voight, skilled in observing people, suspected Erin was withholding the complete truth regarding the situation. He queried, 'Did she send Luke to threaten you?' Erin, downplaying the severity of the situation, responded by shrugging, 'I don't believe she intended for it to escalate to this extent; she only sought to frighten me.'
Voight, with a stern tone, demanded, 'This individual is familiar with you, tell me the truth, Erin.' He added, 'If this person has harmed you in the past before seeking our aid, we can take action against him.'
Erin interrupted him with a glare. 'He isn't, and as I previously mentioned-' She halted her sentence as memories from the night she called Voight for help flooded back.
The brunette's eyes began to flicker with fear as the memory replayed in her mind. 'Erin?!' Voight's voice called out, but to the brunette, it seemed distant as she struggled to catch her breath, and Voight advanced towards her.
Observing Erin trembling with fear and appearing to recollect something unsettling, Voight became concerned. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, causing the teen to flinch. 'Erin, Hey, it's just me,' Voight reassured her as he peered into her hazel eyes.
'No…don't…' Erin whispered, as the memory of Luke's actions that night haunted her. 'Stop…get away,' she pleaded, attempting to rise from the bed, momentarily forgetting her current location in the hospital rather than Luke's residence.
Voight's demeanor shifted to one of concern upon hearing Erin speak, although her words were unintelligible to him. 'Erin, it's just me,' he reassured her, attempting to bring her back to the present moment. Erin's eyes welled up with tears as she felt a gentle touch on her cheek, meeting Voight's gaze with a mixture of emotions.
'Erin, can you please explain what this individual did to you and what his intentions are?' Voight gently prompted, clasping her hand in his.
'Please…if I…tell you,' Erin began hesitantly, unable to disclose that it was Luke she had been fleeing from. 'I promise to keep you safe,' Voight vowed reassuringly. 'Were you acquainted with Luke prior to the incident?' he inquired.
Erin nodded slowly in affirmation. 'He was the one I was residing with before seeking assistance from your team, along with Charlie,' she divulged softly, her fingers nervously tracing circles on the blanket. 'Did Luke perpetrate any actions against you while you were under his care?' Voight pressed for further information.
Upon closing her eyes, the brunette nodded after a minute and recounted the events by stating, 'It happened the day you guys caught me, he got mad at me for being late with his things.'
She paused to take a breath and continued, 'But…he was more upset that I was caught and talking to you guys. He believed I was disclosing their actions.' She whispered.
Voight inquired, 'And what did he do?' while observing Erin taking a deep breath. She replied, 'He hit me a few times, and…' then closing her eyes, she added, 'And I thought he was done…but no, he said I needed to learn my lesson.' She whispered.
As Erin disclosed Luke's actions, Voight bit his lip, hoping that his assumptions were incorrect. 'He claimed he was teaching me a lesson…he forced himself on me to demonstrate what a slut I am…and that it was punishment for speaking to you guys,' Erin sobbed.
"Luke made a threat against me, which I relayed to you," Erin murmured as tears streamed down her face. "So, the injury on your arm and the bruise from the day you sought our help…were those also caused by Luke?" Voight inquired, to which Erin confirmed.
As Voight absorbed Erin's account, unbeknownst to them, Maggie and Meredith were eavesdropping outside the door. "I truly intended to inform you, but he had me under threat…and I couldn't bear the idea of him threatening you as well," Erin whispered tearfully.
"You can trust me to apprehend Luke and ensure he faces the consequences of his actions towards you," Voight pledged as he gently clasped her hand. "Please believe in me. I promise to protect you from any further harm," he assured, looking into her eyes.
Erin, in turn, listened to Voight's reassurances and slowly nodded, allowing him to embrace her. "Just promise me you won't keep any secrets," he whispered, soothingly rubbing her back. "I apologize," Erin expressed amidst her sobs. "I won't withhold anything from you again. I'm deeply sorry," she whispered.
In a tender gesture, Voight cradled Erin as Maggie and Meredith entered the room to inform them that Erin was cleared to go home. 'Please take a moment to sign these documents so you can be discharged,' Maggie softly uttered, wiping her eyes, while Erin nodded and signed the papers with a sigh.