Page 44 of Breaking Matt
"You're welcome."
"What happened?" I asked, needing more details although I was scared to know the full story.
Mark looked to Matthew and Matthew gave him a slight nod as he stood up beside me, as if to give him permission to tell me the details. Maybe he was concerned with how I was going to handle it because so far I hadn't handled things well at all.
Fainting had made me seem so weak.
"I can take it," I added, straightening my shoulders, preparing for the added weight of the guilt.
"When I didn't find her at her apartment, I started to call the nearby hospitals to find out if anyone with her description had been admitted. When they told me a girl with that description had been brought here I came straight through."
Oh, my God!Where had they taken her from? More importantly, what had they done to her? I wanted to be brave enough to ask, but I wasn't. Maybe it was a good thing I couldn't see her yet. It gave me time to pull myself together.
"Did anyone see who brought her in?" Matthew asked. Mark shook his head.
"I've spoken to hospital security and I'm trying to get access to their video surveillance."
In most cases any normal person would have been too freaked out to be able to take note of the type of stuff that they would. I sat down, finding it difficult to process what he'd just told us. Why on earth would they take her only to hurt her and then leave her at the hospital? It didn't seem to add up.
Matthew and Mark began to talk softly between themselves and I was still trying to wrestle with my feelings of guilt when the nurse walked into the waiting room.
"You can see her now," she said to Mark.
"Thanks," Mark said.
I took Matthew's hand and held on tightly as we walked to her room. When we got there, I released Matthew's hand and I hesitated in the doorway. I wasn't sure how bad her injuries were going to be and I was trying to mentally prepare myself so that I didn't get hysterical or too upset.Be strong for Courtney, I thought as I took the first step into her room.
The sight of her hit me like a brick wall and I tried my best to keep my emotions hidden from my face. She looked so fragile in bed. Her eyes were closed. It was hard to look at every bruise that marred her skin. Instead of fear, I felt anger at the actions of the people who had done this to her.
Mark stood on the other side of her bed with his attention fixed on Courtney. I reached for her hand gently and held it, trying to swallow down my shock at the sight of her. I felt Matthew standing behind me and I was relieved he was there. Even though I'd been independent for most of my life, I liked having someone to lean on.
My eyes went to her face and her eyes fluttered open.
"Hi," I said softly, my eyes stinging.
Her eyes began to water, too, and I leaned close, trying to hug her without hurting her more. She sobbed and I held her, feeling her pain vibrate though me. Every tear tore through me reinforcing the weight of my guilt on my shoulders.
Finally her tears eased and I let her go.
"You're safe now," I said softly.
"I don't know why they did this to me," she said in a hoarse whisper, and I looked over my shoulder at Matthew. He had an unreadable expression.
I had no idea why the same guys who were threatening me had gone after my friend. Was it their way of getting to me? Was there something else behind this? Not wanting to draw this out in the open in front of Courtney, I turned back to brush the remains of her tears away from her face.
"You'll be okay," I said, trying not to think of the faceless people who could have done this to an innocent girl. The only reason they could have gone after her was because of me.
Courtney was so shaken up by the events that the nurses decided to sedate her. I didn't want to leave her but Matthew steered me out of her room. Mark followed behind us.
"Her family has been informed and they are on their way. Mark will stay here with her," Matthew told me when I tried to pull free from him.
I looked at Mark.
"You promise you won't let anything happen to her?" I asked, needing him to say the words out loud to me.
"Yes," he answered, holding my gaze without wavering for a moment. "I won't let anything happen to her."
"Okay," I said, suddenly feeling tired. The stress of the whole situation had caught up with me.
