Page 65 of Pain
Xander turned, and walked out of the room, glad that Faith was home, and for the most part, seemed okay. There would be a lot of hard times to come, but they had her safe, had her home. Three kids returned to their parents thanks to what his team did. He couldn't lose focus. As happy as he was to save them, there were plenty more out there who still needed to be found.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Matt watched as Faith played on her swing in the backyard. Even though she claimed she was okay, he didn't miss the way that she jumped at every loud noise and kept looking around her as if she expected someone to be standing behind her.
It broke his heart to see how different she was now. She smiled less, laughed less, and even his touch made her tense up when he would try to hold her. He didn't want this for her, and would do anything to take it away if he could.
"Where's Xander?" She asked as she kicked the swing higher.
"He had to go out of town for a few days." Matt was surprised at how well Faith had taken to Xander. He'd been shocked to wake up the first night in the hospital and see them talking, then when Xander had come to the hospital later, Faith had sat with him and played nearly three hours' worth of cards with him.
It was strange to watch them together. He'd never taken Xander to be the type of person to get along with kids, but Faith seemed to love him. Other men she withdrew from. She would move closer to Matt when the doctors came in, and when the cops came to ask more questions, she hardly spoke.
He was glad she was comfortable with Xander, but he couldn't figure out why. He was the one person, just off his appearance, he thought she would shy away from.
"Will he come see us when he gets back?"
Matt nodded. "I'll make sure he knows to come by." He almost wanted to call him now and let Faith talk to him, but it was already six, and that meant it was later in Texas where the team was getting ready for a huge sting.
His stomach tightened at the thought of the danger they were putting themselves in tonight. He almost wished he'd asked Xander to let him know when he was done so he knew they were all safe.
The sound of the doorbell pulled Matt from his thoughts. He stood, glancing at Faith." I'll be right back."
A look of panic hit her face as she jumped off the swing. "No, I'll go with you." She ran to his side, keeping close to him as they walked inside.
It was clear that Faith didn't like to be alone. Even the few nights she'd been home, she'd asked to sleep in his bed, only going into her room when she had to change or grab something. The counselors they'd both talked to at the hospital said it was normal, so he let her do it. If he was honest, he was happier to have her by his side than she probably was. They had an appointment with Katie in the morning, and he hoped that Faith would finally open up to her about everything she refused to talk about so far.
As they got to the door, Faith stayed behind him, touching his back, but hiding from sight as he opened it wide.
"Hey, hope I'm not bothering you." Trish looked nervous.
He'd asked his family to give them some time, but he couldn't blame Trish for wanting to see Faith. They'd been close before the kidnapping, and he hoped that would still be the case. His only worry was that Trish would either baby Faith in sympathy or push her too hard to open up about everything that had happened.
"No, come on in." Matt stepped back, Faith staying behind him. "Faith, it's Aunt Trish."
Faith peered around Matt's leg. "Hi."
Trish's eyes filled with tears as she dropped to her knees beside Faith. "I am so glad you are home. I missed you so much." She opened her arms, but Faith didn't move from Matt's side.
Ignoring the look of hurt on Trish's face, Matt smiled at Faith. "Maybe Aunt Trish would like to have a piece of that chocolate cake we made, and you can tell her about the movie we watched earlier?"
Faith nodded, looking at Trish. "Do you want cake?"
"I'd love some." Trish took the hand Matt offered to help her up. "You made it?"
"Well, Dad did, but I frosted it." Faith smiled. "The frosting is the best part."
"I agree." Trish laughed. "What movie did you watch?"
Faith detached herself from him, but still kept her distance from Trish as they started to talk about the movie. It was clear Faith didn't have trouble with talking, but touching was an issue. He was glad that she didn't seem to have a problem hugging and holding him.
Matt served the cake, almost becoming emotional each time he would look across the kitchen table and see his daughter sitting there. It was a sight he didn't think he'd ever see again.
As he listened to his sister and Faith talk, he wondered how long it would take for things to get back to normal. Would they ever? He hated the thought that Faith would always withdraw from touch, and be nervous, always watching over her shoulder.
The buzz of his phone pulled him from his thoughts, and he was shocked to see Xander calling. He smiled at the girls as he stood, quickly answering as he walked into the other room. "Hello."
"Hey, I thought I'd call and see how you're holding up." Xander sounded relaxed.
