Chapter 6 It Hurts So Bad

• The door suddenly flies open, and in strides, a huge man. Eloise immediately dropped the cracker and pulled the blankets up to her chin, turning a terrified look to Anna.
• Anna looks as shocked as Eloise felt at the sudden appearance of their intruder. She stands and shields her from him. “Yohan, what are you doing, coming in here like that? You frightened the life out of us.”
• Yohan strolled in with a smirk. “Nick told me she arrived, and I wanted to ensure she was adjusting to her new accommodations.”
• “She’s fine. Now, please leave.” Anna’s posture tells Eloise she was up against him before.
• Yohan leans to the side to better look at Eloise and issues a wolf whistle. “My, she’s a pretty one. A real step up from the last, hey?”
• ‘The last? Where the hell am I?’
• Eloise felt sick. She saw a bowl on the floor and heaved over the side, letting her stomach retch and twist, removing anything that may have been in there.
• “Oh, no,” Anna moaned, coming to her aid. “Here, Eloise, let me help you.” She pulled Eloise’s long hair out of the way. When she finished, Anna took a cool cloth to her face.
• It feels lovely having someone care for her, though she cannot let her guard down. She was always wary of traps and knew better than to let someone get too close. Many questions are firing off in her head.
• ‘Am I safe? Where the hell is my father?’
• “Leave. Now,” Anna hissed at Yohan, who didn’t seem to be fazed by her vomit show. “Does Nick know you’re here?” she asked, her voice more accusing than anything. That seems to get his attention, and concern flickers across his face for a moment.
• “Fine.” He shook his head and then smiled at Eloise. “See you later, pretty girl.”
• This man seriously makes her uncomfortable.
• Anna seems to have caught her feelings as she pulls the covers around Eloise and tucks her in.
• “Don’t worry about him. He’s not around too much, and when he is, Nick oversees him.”
• Nick?
• “There isn’t a thing that goes on that Nick doesn’t know about. That’s what makes him so good at what he does.”
• And what is that, exactly?
• Eloise wanted to ask questions, but she couldn’t find her voice…or the strength to stay awake, for that matter. She was spent. She closed her eyes and listened to the comforting sound of Anna’s rocking chair.
• Eloise remained in bed for four days, feeling a little better every day. She was helped considerably, she was sure, by the fluids they were giving her. She hasn’t had any more unexpected visitors, and Anna has become a constant, comforting presence as she nurses her back to health.
• Anna is kind to her, but so is Dahlia.
• Eloise still kept her guard up. Everyone has their own agenda. Dahlia tries to get her to talk, but she can’t; silence is easier for now. She comes and goes throughout the day, opening windows and doors and letting the warm sun find its way to Eloise.
• The air itself is chilly, but Eloise doesn’t care. It is lovely. Sometimes a bird lands outside the window, its song reminding her how much she misses the outdoors.
• Eloise was pleased on the eighth day—wow, she could finally keep track of days again—to awaken IV-free. She tested out her body limb by limb. Her back still hurts like hell, but at least the throbbing headache is gone.
• She felt like she needed to stand and move around, so she slowly slid her legs off the bed. They shake when they begin to bear weight, but they don’t let her down.
• The door opened, and Anna entered with a beaming smile.
• “Well, look at you,” she said, both hands to her face. “You’re standing!” Eloise felt a slight smile tug at her lips but quickly chased it away. She couldn’t let herself be too comfortable. She can trust no one.
• Anna strode to her side and wrapped her arm carefully around her shoulders, making Eloise cry out in pain, and she quickly dropped her arm back down. “Your back?”
• Eloise didn’t look at her. She wanted to cry on Anna’s shoulder and let her in, but she couldn’t. She knew better.
• Anna guides her into the bathroom. She surprised herself with how steady she was when they arrived. She turned Eloise around and gently pulled her button-up nightgown off her shoulders.
• Eloise let it fall to just above her bottom while she covered her front with her arms still in the sleeves. Anna pulled her hair up into a clip.
• “Anna, I wanted—” The voice stops suddenly.
• In the mirror, Eloise saw the wide-eyed stare of her rescuer taking in her back. Anna quickly shields her with a towel.
• “Please, Pierce, give us a moment.” His reflected eyes meet Eloise’s, showing sadness, then…anger? He steps back and retreats toward the bedroom door.
• “Yes, of course, forgive me,” he muttered on his way out. So now she knew her carrier’s name was Pierce.
• Anna runs warm water and helps her into the deep tub.
• Eloise cried out as the water touched her wounds, and Anna continued to pour Epsom salts around her.
• “Soak, darling. The pain will ease in time.” She gently washes Eloise’s hair, helps scrub her body clean, and empties the tub, refilling it with fresh, warm water.
• It crosses Eloise’s mind that she would be very uncomfortable with a stranger washing her in her earlier life. After her experiences in her former prison, she hardly thought of it now.
• Eloise held a piece of her hair before her, noting how ratty it looked. Her nails are dirty, and her feet are in rough shape. All things she took for granted in the past. She wasn’t one of those girls who went to the spa monthly, but she did look after herself.
• But now…she closed her eyes and let a few tears slip. She looked and felt nothing like her old self. She was someone else now, and she had no idea who that was. She felt utterly lost.
• Anna leaves her to her tears, later returning to dry her hair and tuck her back into bed.
• Eloise noticed she had changed the sheets. It feels wonderful to be clean.
• Anna places a bowl of fresh grapes and strawberries next to the bed. “Only if you feel up to it, dear,” she cautions, then leaves her to rest.
• The next day, Anna escorts a new visitor in to see Eloise. She is a tall woman wearing thick, green, trendy glasses. She smiles down at her.
• “Hello, Eloise. I’m Tory. Someone told me you could use a little pick-me-up.” She beams, patting a medium-sized polka-dotted suitcase she pulled behind her.
• Eloise turned quickly to Anna, who also grinned happily. She moves forward to help her out of bed and slips a cozy bathrobe over her shoulders.
• She settled in a leather chair in the middle of her huge suite, feet propped up on a stool, looking out at the mountains. She let out a comfortable sigh.
• ‘Wow, is this really happening?’
• It still feels like a happy dream.
• “Every woman deserves to be pampered now and then,” Anna explained. “It helps us on the inside even more than it shows on the outside, so just relax and let Tory work her magic.”
• Eloise was nervous about being alone with someone new but felt better when Anna pulled up a chair to oversee the proceedings.