Terrell was visibly disappointed when he paced back to his seat and put his head down. This was hard for everyone, but for him it was like pouring salt in a wound considering the connection between Sam and his sister. I watched him for a second before turning to follow the doctor to Sam’s room. It felt like my stomach was doing flips as we got closer and closer. When Dr. Murphy stopped and knocked on one of the doors, I held my breath, unsure if I could really deal with this. But the reality of it was that I didn’t have a choice.
“Samantha, someone wants to see you,” Dr. Murphy said softly. Sam was facing away from us, staring at the wall. She didn’t respond to the doctor as she lay there motionless. “Give her some time,” Dr, Murphy whispered to me and patted my arm as she left the room and shut the door. I walked toward the bed slowly and had no idea what to say to her. How could I ever understand what she was going through? When I pulled the chair toward her bed, the sound of it scraping against the floor made her flinch. I sat down cautiously and reached out to touch her arm. When she felt me, she pulled away slowly and still wouldn’t turn to look my way.
Tears filled my eyes and I lowered my head, unable to tell which emotion I was feeling more strongly, sadness for her or hatred for whoever did this. I wanted to hold her in my arms and tell her that everything was going to be ok, but she wouldn’t even let me get near her. As I sat there beside her, I heard her move in bed. When I met her gaze she was staring at me blankly and I finally got a good look at her face. She had about four stitches over her eye and her mouth was bruised and a little bloody still. Her eyes welled up and when she closed them, tears fell down her face just before she turned away again. I should have been able to do more, but I didn’t know where to start.
“Sam, I…,” was all I could get out before I gave up trying to speak. It seemed cowardly to cry when she was in so much pain. I pulled myself together and wiped my face with my hands. She needed for me to be strong for her. I noticed that an officer left her number for Sam, so I knew that they’d already been to see her. That meant that they should already be looking for the bastard who did this.
Sam twitched as she began to cry again. This time I moved in more slowly and she let me hold her hand. She wiped her face gently and then turned back toward me. Her expression was desperate, like she still hadn’t been rescued from whatever it was that she went through. “Is there anything I can do?” I asked her quietly.
She shook her head no. “Did you call my parents?” She asked hoarsely.
“No, I was just waiting to hear something more from the doctor.” When I reached for my phone to make the call, she stopped me.
“No! I don’t want them to know. Promise me you won’t say anything,” she pleaded. I was confused, but I agreed.
“I promise.” It didn’t make sense to me that she didn’t want her mom to be with her, but now wasn’t the time to protest. I ran my thumb over her hand and she seemed to be uncomfortable. When I pulled away, she moved her hand too and shoved it under the cover so I wouldn’t reach for it again. She obviously didn’t want to be touched and I could understand that, considering what she’d been through.
I didn’t expect her to talk about what happened, so when she did I leaned in and listened intently. “I was so scared,” she forced out.
“I know you were, but it’s over now. You don’t have to be scared anymore. I’m not leaving you, so there’s nothing to worry about,” I stated.
“No, he has my purse, my keys, everything. I can’t go back to my room,” she said shrilly.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll figure something out,” I replied reassuringly. “If you’re afraid, you don’t have to go back. I’ll get you a hotel room until things die down. I’m sure Dee or Maisha will stay with you. I’ll get a room next door, so I won’t be far.” She nodded, agreeing that she’d feel better being somewhere else. I would have offered to stay with her myself, but I thought that she might be more comfortable having another woman with her.
“Did everything go ok when the officer came to see you?” I inquired.