“All right,” she said, pulling a thermometer out of her bag. “I have everything in here.” She laughed. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I had to take care of these guys back in the day.” Her laughter reminded me of my mom’s, and before I could stop myself, my eyes welled up. “It’s okay, honey. You’ll be okay. We’ll make sure of it.” I nodded because I couldn’t find my voice. “What you’re describing most likely sounds like a bladder infection or a UTI.” I frowned. “Urinary tract infection.”
“Oh,” I finally uttered, looking to my left when Sully took a seat beside me, sitting close while still not encroaching on my personal space. Riley remained standing, leaning against the dresser, smiling at me when I looked at her.
Addy put the thermometer under my tongue. “Pain during urination is a symptom, as well as dizziness from the infection.” She handed me a small plastic cup with a lid. “I need a sample of your urine so I can test to be sure.” I looked at the cup, then back to her. “When you’re done, I’m gonna take some blood and test for STDs as well as pregnancy.” Her words didn’t even register before she asked, “Is there a possibility you’re pregnant?” She pulled the thermometer out of my mouth when it beeped.
I would’ve loved to answer her question with a resounding no, but I couldn’t. Every time one of them forced themselves on me, not once did they use a condom, and I wasn’t on the pill.
“They never used anything when they…” I took a moment to try and compose myself. “And I don’t know when I had my period last. They’ve never been regular.” Any other words I was gonna say got stuck in my throat, a lone tear coursing down my face.
“Maddie, I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through,” Sully said, patting my hand. “If anyone knows what it’s like to live with those bastards, it’s me.” I turned my head so quickly toward her I almost gave myself whiplash. She lived with them, too? At my widened eyes, she continued speaking. “It was a long time ago, but my father was president of that club. But he never treated me like a daughter. He never protected me. He never loved me. He used me, in every way possible, then he passed me off to a man who was as bad, if not worse.” For Sully, a stranger, to tell me something so personal, to rehash memories that appeared to still be raw and difficult, meant a lot.
“How did you come to be here?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t overstepping by asking for more details.
“Marek took me from them.”
“Like Lincoln took me?” I found it hard to breathe while I waited for her to answer. Never wishing the torment they put me through on anyone, an odd, messed-up sense of comfort drifted over me knowing I wasn’t the only one who suffered at their hands.
“The situation was a little different, but the result was the same. He saved me, much like Linc saved you.”
“He saved me,” I repeated, nodding rather vigorously.
Addy tapped my leg and grinned. “Why don’t you get me that sample, and then we can proceed?”
“Okay.” I stood up and disappeared inside the bathroom. As I awkwardly held the cup between my legs while sitting on the toilet, I grimaced and blew out a breath when the pain came, praying like hell it was only an infection and nothing worse. Once I was finished, I sealed the top, washed my hands, and opened the door to the bedroom, stopping abruptly when Lincoln stood directly in front of me. I almost dropped the cup in surprise.
“Linc, I told you we weren’t done yet,” his mom chastised, and while I loved that he seemed to be concerned about me, I loved it even more that his mom appeared to be protective of my privacy.
“I know. I just wanted to see if she was hungry.” He responded to Addy but never took his eyes from mine.
“I could eat something.”
“Like what?”
“I’m not picky.”
We stood there staring at each other for a moment before Riley walked up behind her brother. “Are you gonna stand here all day or get the poor girl some food?”
“I’ll get her some food.” Again, while he spoke to someone else, he kept his gaze locked on me. Only when she tugged on his arm, did he seem to break out of some sort of haze and turn to leave.
“I think someone’s got it bad,” Riley joked once Lincoln was out of earshot. I flushed at the comment before quickly taking my seat back on the bed.
“Stop teasing her,” Addy scolded, but her smile indicated she wasn’t upset with her daughter. She took the cup from me and placed it on top of the dresser before returning to stand in front of me. “Have you ever had blood drawn before?”
“When I was a kid.”
“Good.” She didn’t say another word as she pulled out a small pad of gauze, a needle, wipes, gloves, and a stretchy band. “Straighten your arm for me.” Wrapping the band around my arm above my elbow, she tied it tightly but not enough to hurt. She pressed on the creased area of my arm a few times before wiping a wet pad over the area. When she was done, she hooked up one of the tubes I’d seen to a needle and placed the tip of it against my skin. “You’ll feel a pinch, but that’s it.” I didn’t want to watch, so I closed my eyes and waited, and before I knew it, she said, “All done.”
“What?” My lids popped open. “But I didn’t feel anything.”
“That’s ’cause she’s good,” Sully said.
“That I am. I like to warn people in case I have an issue drawing their blood. But you were easy.” She untied the band, put a white piece of gauze where she drew the blood, and folded my arm upward. “I should have the results back later today. It would be sooner if we were in the office, but I have to take the samples there.” After Addy gathered the rest of her things, she pulled me to my feet and gave me a hug. “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll help you as much as we can.”
I didn’t know how much I needed to hear those words until she said them, and unlike any reservation I had when Lincoln tried to reassure me, I believed her.
Maybe because she was a woman.
Maybe because she was a mother.
Or maybe it was because her friend had been through what I had.
Whatever the reason, I trusted every word she said.
19
Every second they were in there with Maddie was a second too long. While I understood my mom needed some time alone with her for privacy, and that my sister and Sully were offering their support, I wanted to be present to offer Maddie whatever comfort I could.
What sorts of questions was she asked? Would Maddie offer me that same information at some point? I took to pacing in the common area before Ryder shouted at me to either sit the hell down or go outside because I made him nervous with the back and forth.
I glared at him and he laughed, and when I opened my mouth to say something to him, although I had no idea what, that was when I saw my mom, Riley, and Sully walking down the hallway. I looked around them, but I didn’t see Maddie. Of course, she wouldn’t follow them out here. What was I thinking? The girl was scared. She would probably never voluntarily come out of that room.
“Well?” I asked, rushing toward them.