Smiling, he set me down in front of the toilet. “Do you want me to help you?” Again, I panicked, his question taking me back to when Master’s friends demanded I pee in front of them. Mine went down my legs and theirs, all over my body. Eyes wide, I shook my head. He seemed to think about my response, or maybe he could see my fear again. “I’ll wait by the door then. Call if you need me. Okay?”
I nodded and waited for him to leave. Only then did I stare down at my bandaged hands. “You can do this,” I whispered. Using my foot, I lifted the lid, bending forward. I pushed up the shirt with the sides of my hands and winced as pain shot down my arms. As I was about to sit, I noticed the knickers, wondering who’d put them on for me.
With the tips of my fingers, I pushed at the material, which wasn’t very tight, and after they slid down my legs, I stepped out of them. Biting my bottom lip, I sat down and relieved myself.
When I finished, I looked around with a soft groan. “How do I wash myself?” Not only would I wet the bandages, I couldn’t see a bucket to fill the water. I glanced at the large white feature I knew was a bathtub. How it worked, I had no idea. Bunching the shirt under my breasts, I stood and looked for the chain to flush. There was none.
“Oh.” I eyed the tank with the two black circles in the wall above it. “Do I press it?” My bottom lip between my teeth, I tried pressing. Nothing happened. Not sure what to do, I crossed slowly to the bathtub and stopped. There was a tap but no handle, just more buttons. I moaned and turned to look at the door. I could call Xavier.
Pulling a deep breath, I took the two steps down into the bath, knelt, and tried one button. Nothing happened. I fidgeted with something that looked like a hairbrush standing up, only bigger. Instead of bristles, there were holes. Curious, I moved it around. Nothing happened. I pressed another button with a little more force.
Cold and fast water shot out from the holes in the hairbrush.
“Aargh!” I flew backward, landing on my tailbone, yelping on impact. Pain shot up my spine, my hands hitting the hard surface, knocking the breath out of my lungs. Closing my eyes, I turned my head and tried to scramble away from the water. Each time I got up, the spray forced me back down. My chest heaved with the exertion, tiring my weak muscles. Not thinking, I gripped the side of the bath. “Oh, God,” I winced, my hands stinging. I tried to pull myself up. My feet, however, kept sliding, pulling me down.
Suddenly, it stopped, and I gulped quick, harsh breaths.
Chapter 18 – Xavier
“Wilkes is still followingup on the leads he has. Nothing solid yet,” I said to Juliette as I waited outside the bathroom door for the girl. She’d called to check in on her patient. “The lead on Kabir’s sister went south. Somehow, she gave Wilkes’ men the slip and disappeared, killing the only tie we had to Kabir.”
“Has the girl said anything?”
“She’s just woken up, and strangely, she can’t remember you coming over, removing the catheter or the clothing you brought.”
“It’s nothing to stress about just yet. Sometimes patients coming out of a coma or heavy sedation experience post-trauma anxiety. It’s the body’s way of fighting off unwanted memories. Can last anything from a minute to months.”
Trying to calm myself, I glanced at the bathroom door. “Are you coming over to change her bandages?”
Juliette laughed. “After yesterday, you and I both know that awake, she won’t let anyone near her, Xavier. I’ll bring you some fresh supplies. I’m sure you can manage?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, sighing. “True.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way,mon chérie,but you could send her to a hospital or an orphanage if it gets too much for you.”
“Not happening,” I replied without thought, my tone deadly quiet.
