Page 17 of Caged
Danny swallowed hard. "Thanks."
"I told you I wouldn't leave you to face this alone." He lifted the bags. "I'll set these over by the bathroom. You can go through them later." Marshall set the bags down and leaned against the wall, wondering if he would be asked to leave so the woman could continue her talk with Danny.
"We need to discuss your needs once you leave, no matter where you live." The woman's focus was fully back on Danny. "Perhaps your friend can visit later?"
"We can talk in front of him. He knows everything." Danny lifted his hand to Marshall.
Glad to see Danny standing up for himself, he went to him and took his hand as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
Danny rested their joined hands on Marshall's leg. "So, what do I need when I leave?" He turned his head back to look at the woman.
"Well, you're going to need counseling, and probably schooling, job training."
"But I can do that from anywhere, right?"
"You could, but it would be easier in a place that offered most of those resources on site."
"Can I get to places from your home?" Danny asked Marshall.
"Of course. I'm happy to take you or there is a bus line half a block from the house. In time, we can work on getting you a driver's license and a car if you'd like that. I'm happy to help you with anything."
Danny glanced at the woman. "I need to talk to Marshall alone about this. Is it okay if I let you know later?"
"I think the doctors planned on releasing you today. I'll need to make arrangements."
"Give us ten minutes?" Marshall asked her.
She pursed her lips but nodded. "I'll be back."
Once she left, Marshall got up and closed the door before returning to the chair beside the bed. "You didn't sleep well?"
Danny shook his head. "I couldn't get comfortable, then the nurses kept coming in."
"Yeah, hospitals are never a good place to sleep."
"So are you serious about me living with you for a while?"
"For as long as you need. I have plenty of space. I just moved in a few weeks ago, so we'll have to get a few things, but that's easy to do. I have the space, but I worry it's too close to where you were held. I don't want it to be uncomfortable for you."
Danny shrugged. "It's Larry who scares me, not the home."
"Well, it's up to you. I'm happy to have you stay with me. I agree you're probably going to want to talk to a therapist or something about what you've been through, and maybe go to school or get your GED, but you can do all that while staying with me."
"You work. Won't I get in the way?"
"I'm able to work when I want. It won't be an issue. I promise my boss will understand." He thought about his conversation with Jeremy and smiled. Taking Danny into his home wouldn't shock any of the team members.
"What if I don't want to talk about what happened to anyone?"
"Then you don't have to, but I do think it would help. You've been through hell, Danny. I know it might not seem like it to you. It was your normal for so many years, but what you went through was horrible. Most people wouldn't have survived it all the way you have. Talking to someone helps, but that's something you can deal with another day. Today, let's make sure you have a safe place to go be it my home or another." Marshall relaxed back in the chair. "Have the police or doctors been in?"
"Yeah. They took me for tests around seven, but I haven't heard if they found anything. But I haven't seen the police yet." Danny sighed. "Am I going to have to tell them everything?"
"The more you tell them, the easier it will be to track Larry. It will also give them more to charge him with, but you don't have to say anything you don't want. You're not the one in trouble here. I'm sure they'll want to talk about the day you were taken and the basics of what life has been like for you. They'll also want to know what you saw done to the boys. It might be easier for you to tell them about the boys than for the boys to do it."
Danny closed his eyes. "I'm scared. I don't know what to do. I've never had to do anything like this before."
"I know. And it will be easy for many to forget that you haven't experienced much since you were a boy. You need to remind them. You're seeing the world for the first time since you were seven, and it's got to be scary. I can't even imagine. Being scared is okay. Don't feel bad about that. As I said, if you're confused about things, scared of things, ask me for help and I'll try to explain things."
