“I’m going to touch your arm now, all right? I’m just going to show you something, I won’t hurt you. I promise.”
She nodded warily and I lifted her arm higher, the loose shirt falling away even more, revealing the deep bruising on the upper part of her flesh. She gasped when she saw it, and then watched as I silently placed my hand over the imprints that the bastard, who had done this, left behind. My long fingers and large palm easily encompassed the mark showing both of us there was no way my hand could have left them. “I didn’t hurt you. I found you like this. I swear. I would never, ever strike a woman,” I spoke slowly and with conviction.
“I… I believe you. Thank you for showing me,” she whispered as her eyes drifted up and met mine. I was relieved to feel a little more of her tension ease away. I removed my hand and helped her lower her arm back down.
“The question is; who did do this to you? Who were you running from last night?” I asked quietly.
I watched a multitude of emotions play out across her face.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, her voice quivering.
I sighed. She was hiding something.
“What is your name?”
Her mouth opened, and then her brow furrowed in concentration.
“I don’t know.” Her voice was filled with confusion.
“You don’t know?” I repeated, dubiously.
Her expressive eyes widened and filled with tears.
“I can’t remember how I got here and I can’t remember my name.”
Chapter Three
Joshua
I stared at her, watching the tears fall down her cheeks. I was wrong, she wasn’t hiding anything; I could see from the fear and confusion in her eyes that she couldn’t remember. Wanting to comfort her somehow, I reached down and stroked her hands gently. “You hit your head pretty hard. No doubt things are fuzzy. I’m sure when you feel better, you’ll remember.”
She continued to stare at me, frightened and upset. “I’m going to make some coffee and something to eat. Do you feel up to joining me in the kitchen?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet.
I saw her glance down dubiously at the shorts she was wearing. I stood up and grabbed a pair of sweats and a heavier shirt out of the drawer, along with a pair of socks, and handed them all to her. “I know they’ll be far too big, but they’ll keep you warm. The only heat sources we have are the fireplaces. The storm has knocked out the power and I need to make the generators last as long as possible. So we’ll have to stick to the rooms with the fireplaces, okay?”
She nodded silently.
“The kitchen is in the front of the house; it’s sort of one big room, so you’ll find it easily. Come join me when you’re ready.” I indicated the door behind me. “There’s a bathroom right there. Help yourself to whatever you need. There’s hot water if you want a shower. Just keep it as short as possible, please?”
Again, she nodded silently. I watched her wince as she tried to move from her defensive position against the headboard. For a brief moment, she sat on the edge of the bed and then stood up. As she went to step forward, she gasped in pain and stumbled. Instantly, I lunged forward, catching her before she hit the floor. Instead of falling, she ended up pressed against me, a shaking mass of raw sobs. Unsure what to do, I held her loosely, not wanting to press what were obviously very painful injuries. Surprisingly, she allowed me to hold her and soothe her. I stood, feeling her resting against me and found myself noticing how well she seemed to mould into me, her head fitting right under my chin as she sobbed. Tentatively, I raised my hand and lightly stroked her back, trying to calm her.
Why did she feel so right in my arms?
Slowly her sobs eased off, and I pulled away. Leaning down, I tilted her chin up with my finger so I could see her eyes. The pain and fear I saw in them tore directly into my heart and I found I wanted to erase both. Gently, I eased her back down on the mattress, handed her some Kleenex and went into the bathroom. I found the painkillers that I used when the agony was too much to handle, and filled a glass with water. Returning to her, I showed her the bottle so she wouldn’t add the fear of me trying to drug her to the mix, and gave her two of the pills. I sat beside her as Bear came up to rest his head on her knee, adoration in his eyes as he stared up at her. I shook my head at his actions.
“What?” she asked; her voice raw and broken.
“He doesn’t go to anyone but me. He is as leery of strangers as I am. But he seems to have taken a liking to you.”
“Where did you get him?”
I told her about rescuing him not long after I had moved here. He was just a puppy and it seemed to be the right fit. Both of us were abused and needed to heal; we helped each other. He was a great companion for me, and Bear had a good life here. I made sure he was treated well and would never be hurt again. I spoke quietly and gave the medication time to start easing the pain before she moved again. As I talked, I watched the pain fade a little from her eyes.