“Good, you learned your lesson.” Rave laughed before quickly hugging Bear. “Abel will be here with the doc any minute, and Raine is going to be with him. Should we move the girl into a bedroom so she doesn’t scare the six-year-old?”
“That’s probably for the best,” Maccon agreed.
Too late—the little girl was crouched down next to Katherine, tapping her on the shoulder. “Lady? Why are you so sad?”
I ran up to Raine’s side. “Hey squirt!”
“Uncle Reese, she’s sad. Make it better.” I scooped the chubby-cheeked kid into my arms as her father came through the door with a young woman in tow.
“Sorry, man. I thought we were going to beat you here.” Abel took his daughter from my arms. “This is Dr. Ruth Davies. She’ll help you guys with whatever you need.”
“Thanks for coming, doc. This is Katherine,” I motioned to the couch.
Ruth leaned down next to the trembling woman. “Katherine, I am here to help you. Is it all right if we go into a room and I check to make sure you’re all right?”
Katherine didn’t move.
“I’ll carry her. Follow me.” I helped the doc and Katherine get set up in the back room and left them alone so Dr. Davies could do an exam.
Raine was in the living room coloring and singing to herself. The sheer innocence of that sweet little girl was striking.
“I’m going to get Crickett over here to help us out and get that girl some clothes.” Abel excused himself to call his girlfriend.
The rest of us just sat in silence as the minutes ticked by. There wasn’t any screaming coming from the back of the house, so I just tried to relax.
Finally, Dr. Davies came out, shutting the door behind her.
“Well?” I jumped to my feet.
She shook her head. “That poor girl.”
“Is she all right?” My throat was going dry as I watched the color drain from the doc’s face.
“From what I can tell, without blood work and everything, she’s malnourished and has suffered extreme emotional and physical abuse for quite a long time. She has scars from knife wounds and electrical burns on most of her body. It’s going to take some time for her to get back on the right track, but all in all, she should be all right. I really do suggest getting her in to see a psychiatrist as soon as possible, though. Those emotional scars run deep, and y’all are not equipped to help her through this kind of mess.” She pulled out a bottle of drugstore vitamins from her purse. “In the meantime, get her started on these and make sure she eats full, balanced meals. She needs to put some serious meat on those bones.”
“Thank you so much, doc.” I was so relieved, I threw my arms around the tiny physician and hugged her to me as tightly as I could. “I am so thankful she is going to be fine.”
“Don’t mention it. She’s sweet, just fucked up. Abel knows my number if you have any more questions. I need to head back to the hospital now before rounds start and people realize I slipped out again.” She waved goodbye and headed out the door.
Chapter 8
Katherine
Daylight started to fade as I stared out the window of the room I was sitting in. I hadn’t felt a real bed in so long, and I had forgotten how comfortable they could be. I pulled at the plush comforter, wrapping it around myself as Reese opened the door.
“May I come in?” The question was so strange to me. No one had asked me for permission to do anything in years.
“Yes.” My meek voice finally came out as he stared at me.
“You doing all right?”
“I think so. I finally stopped crying.”
His lips twisted into a smile as he took a seat in a wooden chair in the corner of the room. “That’s a fantastic start. My friend’s girlfriend is on her way, and she’s going to get you some new clothes to wear if that’s okay with you.”
“Clothes of my own?” For the first time, excitement bubbled up in my stomach.
Reese nodded. “You can’t keep wearing mine forever.”