"I think I can take care of him for a few minutes on my own, it's nice to know you trust me though." He doesn't wait for anyone to respond, he just leaves and closes the door behind them.
"I get that we're all angry, that we all want to help Nova and Mason, but there is nothing we can do right now. We're going to need to talk to her before we do anything, and she's resting. So, how about we go channel that energy into chatting with our guests?" Nitro states.
"Prez." We all turn to Wrath. How this should be played is up to him. He's the one that this fucker did the worst too. "I say we have a chat with the friends. Let Snake sweat it out for a while. You put them all together or separate them?" he asks me.
I grin. "They are all nice and cool in their own rooms." Tongue, Blades and I had separated them when we got here, stripping them all down, then covering them in ice cold water, before stringing them up and leaving them there. Snake will know better than to yell for the others, eachroom is sound proofed, but I'm hoping the others took a while to figure it out. I'd say two of them should be ready to sing about now.
My brothers laugh as we all head out to the basement, to see how our guests are doing.
***
We were in the basement longer than we had planned to be. Three hours later, one guy is dead and one hanging on by an inch. We haven't been near Snake or the other guy, but we did open their doors so they could hear what we were doing to the others. Snake knows his death won't be quick, he'll suffer far more than the others.
I said I would check in on Nova and have her come talk to us if she was already up when we got back inside. Marissa had been up to check on her, but she had still been resting. After a having a quick shower and getting changed, I'm outside of her door, knocking. There's no answer after a few minutes, and while I want to let her rest, I do need to check on her, so I tentatively check the door to find it unlocked. She's not in bed when I enter, but I hear the shower running. I knock on the door and call out her name but there's no answer. I push the door open just a little and call out again, but nothing. I'm torn. I don't know if I should give her a space or not.
I stand outside the door, leaning on the wall for a couple of minutes, but when I don't hear anything at all from inside the bathroom, other than the running water, I decide to take a look.
"Nova?" I call out as I see her curled on the floor in the bathtub, the shower running over her. I think she's having some sort of panic attack, maybe, but when I get closer, I realise her eyes are closed.
I race over, climbing in the tub and reaching over to turn off the hot shower. As I bend down to pick her up, I see bruising on her body that looks long and thin, like the shape of a stick, and there are bigger, odd shaped bruises all over her back and multiple scars littering her skin.
"What the fuck?" I whisper to myself. "Shit." As I tuck my hands under her head and legs to lift her, I realise she’s fully unconscious. I need to get her the fuck out of here. I climb out of the bath with her in my arms and carry her into the bedroom, gently placing her on the bed. I race back into the bathroom and grab a towel, wrapping it around her and pulling her into my lap as I pull my phone out.
"Doc, need you in Nova's room, now. She was unconscious in the bathroom when I got in here." I hang up as he tells me he's on his way.
Chapter Nineteen
"I don't know how long she was out, a few minutes at least, it could have been longer. She was freezing when I picked her up despite the shower being red hot," I hear Ice aggressively whispering to someone.
"I need to check her over. Ice, can you wait outside?" That’s Doc.
Wait, they're talking about me.
"I'm not fucking leaving her, Doc, so you might as well check her over while I have hold of her." I feel his hands rubbing my leg. He's so warm, and safe. I wish I could stay like this forever, but I can't. I let myself curl into him just for a second before I let them know I'm awake.
"I'm sorry." I try to pull out of his arms, but he holds me tighter. "I'm okay," I croak out as I blink my eyes open a few times. Doc is kneeling on the floor next to the bed, he gives me a small smile which I return, then look up at Ice. "I'm okay, you can let go now," I tell him.
He shakes his head. "I found you on the floor unconscious in the bathtub, I think I'll hold on to you for a few minutes, if that’s okay." It wasn't a question. He has no intention of letting me go.
I give a slight nod. "Okay," I tell him. I am, after all, warm and comfortable.
"Nova, I need to check you over. Are you okay if I do it, and are you okay that Ice is in the room with us? I'm going to need you to remove the towel for me to look at you," Doc asks.
I swallow the lump in my throat. I should be worried about them seeing me naked, but what I'm more worried about is them seeing my injuries and scars. Should I tell them both no, should I tell them both to leave? I feel myself begin to panic, and a wave of nausea passes over me. I think I'm going to be sick. I don't want anyone to see my body, not like this.
"I'm okay, I don't need to be checked over," I rush out. But Ice grabs my face, turning it toward him.
"I can leave the room, baby, if that makes you feel better, but you need to be checked over. The side of your head is red, it looks like you might have knocked it, so Doc needs to check it out." He goes to stand up, but I grip his clothes then shiver.
"You're soaked?" I question.
"I climbed in the shower to get you out," he tells me, and I realise he's already seen me naked. He's already seen my bruises and scars. The tears start to fall, I'm so embarrassed. "Hey, please don't cry, baby. It's okay," he tells me. But how can it be?
"I'll tell you what," Doc says as he stands. "I'm gonna go get my ol' lady, Maria, in here to check you over. You remember her?" he asks, and I nod. I didn't realise they were together, but I do remember her.
"Okay. Thank you. Ice, can you stay, please?" I ask him. I don't know why I want him to stay, but I do.
"Of course I can. I'll stay as long as you need me to,” he tells me, giving me a small smile.
