Left Behind Page 4

  We talked about the ranch a little longer, him telling me they were going to restock the breeding mares and stallions so they could start their breeding and training business again. They had sold off all of their horse stock when they extended their tour in the military. They had already decided to invest the money, let it grow with interest, and do a restock when they got out. The money would help them keep the business in the black and give them time to start the breeding.

  After talking for another half an hour, we decided Toby would bunk at the house for the night, so we got up and headed home. Toby grabbed my hand again, (this time I didn’t flinch) and we set off down the path. When we hit the tree line, I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

  Toby turned to look at me when he felt that I was no longer following.

  “Pea, what’s wrong?” He asked me

  I had started shaking. I couldn’t breathe. There was no possible way for that to have been there. Oh, my God! I hit the pendant on my bracelet, and started to hyper ventilate.

  “Come on, Pea, tell me what’s wrong.” Toby shook my shoulders trying to get me to respond.

  “Marti!” He yelled. “What are you looking at?”

  Jordan and James came running up. Not taking my eyes off of the object, I just pointed. I heard the intake of breath from my brothers. I knew they’d never leave that there. They knew what it represented.

  A single thornless long stem red rose.

  Chapter 5

  I woke up in pain. It was dark in the room, and when I tried to sit up to see better, I realized I was still locked up in handcuffs. This time, though, I was lying in a bed. My legs were not tied, but they hurt too much from all the cuts from the whip he used. I couldn’t move. And I couldn’t scream because my throat hurt from screaming through the gag. I remembered that my body had finally numbed and I had lost my voice. He stopped after that, thinking my silence was me finally submitting to him. He took me down from the wall and cuffed me to the bed. After that is when I passed out. Now I felt sick to my stomach from the pain.

  I heard the locks click, and my heart started racing in fear. He was back and I didn’t know what else he would do to me.

  He walked in with a tray of food and wine. When he set it on the night stand, he bent over and kissed me while unlocking the handcuffs. He helped me sit up, and handed me a long stem rose. “Forgive me, please .” He said, looking like he genuinely sorry. “I got you a rose. I know it’s your favorite, and it looks perfect with your beautiful, flawless skin.”

  My hands were shaking, but I was afraid of what he’d do if I didn’t accept it. When I took it a thorn pricked my thumb and I dropped the rose.

  “I’m sorry, Pet. I should have removed the thorns. I wasn’t thinking.” He said in a loving tone. “I was just anxious to get breakfast to you. I made your favorite.’

  I looked at the tray and saw a bowl of cheese grits and a glass of wine. I didn’t drink wine with breakfast, I didn’t know who did, but I thanked him anyway in a hoarse voice .

  “Are you in pain?” He asked. Concern laced his voice.

  No, ya think! But I couldn’t say that out loud or it would set him off. “Yes, Master.” I said instead, looking down at the mattress. He had taught me to always answer him with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or full explanations, ending every statement or question with ‘master’. I was never to look him in the eyes, unless he commanded me to.

  “Well, I brought you something for pain. It should help you sleep while you heal a little more, too .” He lifted my chin so he could look me in the eyes. I tried to school my expression so he wouldn’t see the mix of fear and hatred that I was sure was in them, but I think he saw any way, by the flash of anger that crossed his face before his caring mask came back up. “I’m sorry I had to be harsh, but you have to learn your role, Pet.”

  “Yes, Master.” I said as I saw him take a needle I hadn’t noticed off the tray. “May I ask a question, Master.”

  “Yes you may.” He answered, taking my arm and straightening it out, preparing to inject me with whatever was in the needle.

  “Please, Master, what is in the needle?”

  “It’s morphine, Pet. It’ll help you, but I want you to eat.” He said while injecting me with the medicine.

  Tears were sliding down my cheeks. “Please, Master, I’m not hungry. I feel sick.”

  That finally made him angry. “I made this food, so you’re going to EAT IT!” He was yelling by the time he was finished. He backhanded me. While I was trying to sit up again, feeling dizzy from what he gave me, he turned, picked up the food, and handed me the bowl. “Now EAT!”

  I held the bowl in my left hand, which was already shaking, and picked up the spoon in my ri ght, but I couldn’t see straight. My head felt light and airy and like everything was in slow motion. I tried to eat but missed my mouth. Blain knocked the bowl out of my hand and I knew I was in trouble.

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  “Come on, Sis! Snap out of it! I won’t let him get you! Sis!” Jordan grabbed my face to where I had to look at him. “He’s not here, Sis. You have to breathe. Just look at me and take deep breaths.”

  I did. I started trying to match Jordan’s breathing, and I finally noticed I was being held. Toby must have picke d me up at some point, but I had been to o lost in flashbacks to notice. I was crying so I wiped my eyes and tried to calm myself. I was safe. Jordan and Toby were there, and James was run ning up the path towards us, having gone back to get his 550 Beretta. He had bought it and trained on how to use it after the incident because he knew I wouldn’t touch a gun. Jordan had done the same, and I noticed his Sig Su a er SP2022 tucked in the front of his pants. I was safe. None of these men would let anything happen to me, but then I looked back down at the rose. What if they got hurt trying to protect me?

  Toby started walking to the house, carrying me like I weighed nothing. He was rubbing my arm with the hand holding my upper body, and clutching my thigh with the one under my knees. I knew he was angry, even though he was whispering nonsense in my ear trying to calm me. I looked at him and mouthed how sorry I was . He couldn’t hear a sound, but he knew what I was saying.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for, Pea.” He whispered softly in to my hair.

  I just wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face against him. He carried all the way back to the house, and straight to my room. He laid me down on the bed and took my shoes off. He then sat down taking his boots and socks off followed by his shirt. He lay down , on top of the covers, facing me.

  “You need to get some sleep, Marti.”

  I knew he was seriously worried when he called me by my name.

  ‘I don’t like sleeping. I alway s have nightmares when I sleep.’ I signed.

  Toby put one hand on my hip, pulling me closer to him, and situated his other arm under my head as a pillow. We were close together, but I still had room to sign to him.

  We heard a knock on the doorframe, (the door still being open) and saw Jordan, James, and Shelby standing there.

  “Are you okay, Sissy?” James asked tentatively.

  I nodded and motioned for them to come in. They all sat at different places on the bed, James and Shelby holding hands. I tried to sit up, but Toby tightened his arms around me to keep me still.

  I sighed and signed, ‘I’m ok ay . I’m just scared of what he’s going to do. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, and he will hurt or probably kil l anyone who keeps me from him.’

  “He won’t come near us. We’ll stick together through this and keep you safe this time. I won’t let him take you again, Sis.” Jordan said fervently. “He’s done messed with the wrong family this time. It’s me who’ll kill him if I see him.”

  “We will.” James said. “Like you said, J, we’re in this together. Sissy, will you please agree to have one of us with you at all times? I don’t think he’ll try anything with us around.”

  ‘I’ll pro
bably just be staying here. I don’t think he can get in here with our security that J has pu t in . I can be safe here.’

  “Come on, Pea. You can’t let him win.” Toby piped in. “If you shut yourself away, that’s what you’re doing, letting him win. You’re letting him still have power over you. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I do know you. You’ve always been strong. A real fighter. Fight him and his hold over you. Be who you’ve always been.”

  ‘I’m sorry, Toby. I don’t know how to be that person anymore.’

  “Sure ya do, Sissy. You was beginning to come back. Just keep doin’ what we were doin’. Come to work with me every day and start getting out of the house. I want my Sissy back. We used to do everything together.” Then he looked at Toby. “At least when the trips weren’t around.”

  “Hey!” Toby laughed.

  I was silently laughing while Jordan butted into it. “Well when y’all were here on holidays, Marti forgot she had brothers. We only saw her at bed time, and sometimes not even then. She’d sleep over at your place.”

  I couldn’t believe they were arguing over me. It was too funny, but I knew they were only trying to make me feel better. It worked though.

  After a little light bantering back and forth, the others left leaving me with just Toby. I was still in his arms. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he was struggling to get it out.

  ‘Just say it.’ I signed.

  He took a deep breath and let it out. “I don’t want you to get upset, and if you don’t want to talk about it I’ll understand, but I was wondering…”

  I was looking him in the eyes. I knew he wanted to know everything, and we’d never kept things from each other, but it was just too difficult to talk about.

  “Never mind.” He mumbled. I guess he could tell I didn’t want to talk about it, but I felt bad because he told me some of what happened to him.

  ‘Don’t worry about it. Go ahead and ask.’

  “Well…I was just wondering why you freaked at the sight of the rose?”He said softly.

  This time it was me who took the deep breath. I pushed back and he loosened his arms enough for me to be able to turn onto my back to where I was looking up at the ceiling instead of at him.

  ‘After the first punishment, he brought me breakfast in bed, an injection of pain meds, and a long stem rose as an apology for being so harsh. A thorn pricked my thumb when I took it from him, and he said he felt bad for forgetting the thorns, so every time he brought me a rose after that-which was after all the punishments-he w ould trim the thorns off first.’ I didn’t look at him the whole time I was signing to him. I w as afraid I’d see pity in his eyes . I had tears leaking from mine.

  “What punishments?”

  I shook my head very fast. I couldn’t tell him. I had flashes of the whip slashing my face and throat, and of the knife he eventually graduated to using. I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t. I kept shaking my head while sobbing harder and harder.

  “I’m sorry, Pea. I’m so sorry. You don’t have to tell me. Calm down, baby, you’re safe ” He pulled me into his arms murmuring comforting words, holding me tight, and rocking me.

  I eventually calmed down and pushed away from him again so I could use my hands.

  ‘When are Tory and Troy coming home?’ I asked.

  It was his turn to look uncomfortable, but he said, “They are stateside.”

  ‘Well, if they’re back, when will they be coming home?’ I asked, confused.

  “Troy will coming in a couple of days.”

  He tried to pull me back, but I still wanted to know about Tory.

  ‘When will Tory be coming?’

  There was pain in his eyes when he answered. “I don’t know.”

  I knew something was wrong, and he didn’t want to tell me. I was starting to panic. ‘Wh y don’t you know? Where is he?’

  Toby always prided himself on being “manly”, but as he lay there, I saw a tear trail down his temple. I knew whatever it was, it was bad.

  “Tory’s in a coma.”

  Chapter 6

  My heart stopped for a beat. My Tory was hurt. I couldn’t believe it. He’d always been able to jump out of trees or off the barn and not have a scratch. He couldn’t be in a coma!

  I looked at Toby, my heart breaking. “How? Why?” I asked.

  “He took multiple gunshots to the back and one hit him in the head.” He said quietly. “They really don’t understand how he is still alive, but he is. He has brain function and everything, but if he doesn’t wake soon, they’ll have to hook him up to machines because his organs will stop functioning correctly.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He’s in Columbia at the VA Hospital there. Troy is with him. He’ll come home this next weekend and I’ll go there. We don’t want to leave him alone.”

  I got up off of the bed and went to the bathroom to wash my face. I needed to see Tory for myself. I hadn’t seen him for three years, because he didn’t come when Troy and Toby did before my incident. He had been deployed on a mission for the Navy Seals he was a part of. The last time he came home, a little over a year ago, I had gotten Jordan to tell him that I was out of town. I of course was ‘never home’ for their calls because I didn’t want them to know what happened. Now I might have missed my chance to ever talk to him again, and I didn’t think I could live with that. Thoughts of my gu ys have gotten me through some of the most painful things that have gone on . To never have Tory call me Princess again, or to never ride double with him on Curly again, or to never make anymore memories with him again was too much to bear.

  I remember that he was my first kiss. He said he needed practice so he’d be good enough for the girl he was going to marry. I knew that was a load of bull, but I did it anyway . He didn’t need any practice. It was the most amazing first kiss. He was the first one to always run up to me for a hug when they would come for the holidays. He was the one to talk all of us into the crazy stunts we would get in trouble for. Like t .p .’ing the high school principal ’s house for canceling the winter formal my freshman year, or keying the neighbors car for making me get rid of my bulldog, Wrinkles, when Wrinkles got into her flowerbed. They never let me get in trouble, though. They always took the blame for everything, and everyone thought I was an angel. No matter what I said, the trip s wouldn’t have it any other way.

  No, I couldn’t live without one of my guys. I had to see him, but that would me an traveling and I was afraid to do that. What if…

  I turned to go back to Toby, and jumped, falling down almost hitting the floor if Toby hadn’t caught me. He had been standing in the doorway watching me.

  “You still are falling for me, huh?” He gave a little smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I could tell he was just trying to lighten the mood a little, but it didn’t work. I was too preoccupied with my idea.

  ‘Toby, Can we bring him home?’ My hands were moving fast in excitement of the idea. I looked at him with a hopeful expression on my face, but the question put a pained look in his eyes.

  “Did you not hear me, Pea? He might not be on machines now, but he does have IV fluids, and he will end up on machines if he doesn’t wake up.” He said trying to stress to me the severity of the situation, but that just made me angry.

  ‘I’m not stupid, so don’t treat me that way. I will pay for whatever…’

  “No!” He cut me off. “You’ll not spend your money on his treatment that, right now, he’s getting for free at the VA.”

  ‘I have money that I don’t need or use. It has just sat in the bank collecting dust for the past three years.’ I signed using jerky hand movements. ‘I want to do this. I want Tory here with me. I want you all here. Don’t you think he’d do better in his own home? He’s hated hospitals every since he had to watch your mom suffer through her treatments.’ I looked at him pleading with my eyes. ‘Please.’

  Toby walked away from me to the window and asked while his back was still turned, “Will you be alrigh
t if I go home tonight and make arrangements?”

  I waited for him to turn back to me so I could answer, but he just stayed looking out. Did he forget I couldn’t answer? I guess he did forget as he turned, and a look of dawning came on his face.

  “I’m such an idiot! I forgot. What was your answer?”

  ‘I’ll be fine. I’ll just work on my book some. I’ll get Jordan to call the bank tomorrow to add you on my accounts so you can pay for everything he needs to be transferred here .’

  “You don’t have to do that.” He said as we walked towards the front door. “We have money in the bank I will use.”

  I grabbed his arm to turn him toward me. ‘That is for your ranch. When Tory wakes don’t you think he wants all of you to continue as planned? My money has nothing to do. All my things are paid off, and Jordan pays the monthlies so I don’t even have to worry about bills, except for groceries. Please let me do this for him.’

  Toby huffed out a big breath of air. “Alright,” He said. “Talk to Jordan and l et him arrange things on your end. It’s too late to start transferring over here tonight, so I’ll just call Troy to let him know.”

  ‘Please, don’t tell him about me. I’ll see him as soon as he gets home. Let h im concentrate on Tory for now.’

  “You know I’m not going to promise that.” He said as he opened the door. “But, I won’t tell him the specifics of the little I know. I’m still very disappointed that neither you nor your brothers told us what you were going through. We would have been here sooner. We’ve always been there for you, yet you shut us out of something like this. I won’t shut my brothers out.”

  ‘I am sorry. I thought I was doing what was best for ever y body, but I g uess I was just being selfish.’

  He kissed me, just a peck on the mouth, but something I had missed terribly. “No, Pea. I guess I kind of understand where you were coming from, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. One thing you’ll never be, though, is selfish. I’ll see you in the morning.”