Page 95 of Pretty Little Fears

“Ididn’t want to wake you, baby.Letme know when you’re ready to go in, okay?Takeall the time you need.I'mstaying right here with you.”Helooks into my eyes as if to drive his words home.Emmetttips his head back once more to look at the ceiling, the motion of his hand on my hair never wavering.

Closingmy eyes,Itake in a deep breath of air, enjoying the silence, enjoying the much needed comfort of justEmmettand me.Afew minutes pass by beforeIlet him knowI’mready to go inside.

Ashe lifts up and shifts me on his lap to open the door and take us inside, panic starts to swell in my chest.Thegirls,Ican't imagine what they’re going to think.Thequestions they're going to have.Thelooks of sympathy that will cover their faces.Mygrip onEmmetttightens causing him to halt in his steps. “Whatis it,Blair?”Hequestions, his tone serious.

Lickingmy dry lips,Ipush out the words “I-Ican’t face them.AspenandVerena.Atleast not right now.Iwill soon.Iknow they care, butIdon’t want to talk to t-them about it right now,Emmett.P-please-”

“Shhh, alright baby,” he coos. “Youdon't have to.Itook care of it.”Shiftinghis hold on me, he pulls out his phone.Hemust be sending a message to someone inside.Idon’t think he has any of the girls' numbers, soI’mleft to believeGrimmis here.Imean, he did bring us back, andIjust got out of his car after all.

“Canyou set me down?”Iask.Emmettstills for a moment before gently placing me on my feet.Heimmediately grabs my hand and interlocks his fingers with mine.

“I’lllet you walk on your own but you’re not going anywhere, little obsession.I’mnot letting you out of my sight.”

“Iwant to stay with you.IknowIwon’t be alone with them in the house, butIn-need you with me,Emmett, please.”Ibeg.Henods and pulls me into his chest, holding me tightly.Placinga soft kiss to my forehead, he leans down and whispers,

“I’mnot going anywhere, my little obsession.Iam here.Ican askGrimmif he’ll stick around too.I’msure he wouldn’t mind at all.”

Inod, “Okay,”Iwhisper. “Thatwould be nice.Arethey in there waiting for me?”Iask.

Emmettshakes his head. “Grimmsaid they’ve been freaking out, losing their shit.ButIfigured you would want your privacy so he had them leave the house when we were on our way.Theyshould be coming back later, though.”

Westep inside the house and the quietness calms me.Somehow, after all that we’d been through, my fear was coming back to a welcome home banner and frantic roommates.Emmettsqueezes my hand and leads the way to my room.

“Doyou want to shower?Needmy help?”Emmettasks, facing me once we enter my room.

Ishake my head, needing just a few minutes to myself, knowingIwon’t be comfortable in solitude for a very long time.Thefeeling of safety only settles in knowingEmmettis just behind the door.

Iturn on the shower and step back, allowing the heat to fill the room asIcarefully undress.Ineed his fucking clothes off of my body.Itfeels like peeling my skin off asIgently peel the shirt that is stuck to the opened skin on my back.Painednoises leave my mouth andItry to hide them soEmmettdoesn’t come running.Ineed to do this on my own.

Lookingin the mirror, my hollow eyes reflect back at me.Cutsand lacerations litter my once flawless skin.Bruisesdance on my arms and torso.Myeyes start to water andItear my gaze away from the damaged girl looking back at me.

Steppinginto the shower,Ican’t stop the shriek that echoes in the small room.Thewarm water hitting my back sends burning pain throughout my whole body.Imove out of the spray while squeezing my eyes closed for a moment, waiting for the pain to subside.Myteeth grit andIball my fists.

“Blair?”Emmettcalls.I’mstill gritting my teeth, not trusting myself to speak yet as the pain sears through me.WhenIdon’t respond fast enough,Ihear a loud thud against the door and then it's slamming open against the wall as the shower curtain gets thrown open.

BeforeIcan say or do anything,Emmettis standing inside of the shower looking over my body, checking for what caused the sudden shriek.Hiseyes bounce between mine as he speaks. “Whathappened?Areyou okay?”Iknow better than to lie to him, to try and put on a strong front, soIshake my head no.Hisbrows pull together soIsupply him with the reason.

“Myback, the cuts from the w-whip.Theyhurt andI-Ican’t-”He'salready removing his wet clothing and dropping them with a thud outside of the shower.Hedoesn't say anything as he goes behind me and grabs the washclothIhad brought in.

Wettingit and applying soap, he begins to wash my skin.Thesoap stings and the feeling of the fabric against my sensitive cuts makes my eyes swell with tears, butIbite my tongue, refusing to cry out.

“I’mgoing to call the brotherhood’s doctor to look at your cuts.I’llbe with you the whole time.”Hesays it in a way that leaves no room for argument.Iwatch as blood and built-up dirt drips down my body and into the drain, washing away the evidence of my captivity and the horrorsIendured.

“You’redoing so good,”Emmettwhispers while continuing to clean my skin. “Mybrave girl.”I’mthankful for his help, ifIwas still alone,Iwould’ve probably rubbed myself raw, trying to peel off the skin that’s been touched.Physically,I’mclean, but emotionally,Ifeel as if the ghost ofLorenzo’stouch will hover over me for the rest of my life.

Finishingup in the shower,Emmettsteps out and offers me a hand to follow him out.Itake his hand and step out of the shower as he wraps a warm towel around me, careful of the wounded skin on my back.Hewraps a towel around his own waist and heads to my bedroom.Ashe walks back, he grabs his phone and puts it to his ear, barking orders for the doctor to make a house call and to be here within the next half hour.

Backin the room, he helps me dress in comfortable clothing while we wait for the doctor to arrive.Hesitationruns through my mind at the thought of seeing a doctor, if they’ll be a sick fuck like the last one.Mymind races as different scenarios play out inside my head.

Emmettmust notice because his hand comes to my neck, his thumb swiping over the thudding pulse. “Breathefor me, baby.YouknowIwouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”He'sright,Ido know that.Asmall knock sounds on the door making my head whip in that direction.Iwas so consumed by my thoughts,Ididn't realize the doctor had already arrived.

“Justa minute,”Emmettresponds.Hewalks over to a bagIhadn’t noticed earlier.Hemust’ve had one of the guys bring some stuff here for him in anticipation of him wanting to stay with me at all times.Hequickly throws on a hoodie and sweatpants, then opens the door for the doctor.

Thedoctor enters the room and his kind eyes shine at me.Witha soft smile, he introduces himself and holds out his weathered hand for me to take.Ilook atEmmettand only when he gives me an approving nod, doIshake the doctor’s hand in return.

“Hello,Blair.I’mDr.Josiah.Emmettcalled and explained the events you went through during your captivity and what you had endured.Iam very sorry for your loss.Bothof you.Areyou okay with me taking a look at your wounds,Blair?”Heasks politely.Inod slowly and he reaches into his bag.Pullingout a gown, he extends his hand offering the cloth to me.

“Ibrought a gown for you to wear, do you mind changing in the bathroom and meetingEmmettandIback out here?”Heasks.Ioffer him another nod and head back into the bathroom.

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