“Do you want Snaggles?” Cash suddenly asked her.
She nodded. Yeah, she really did now that she didn’t have to worry about hiding her Little. Hack had a way of putting her at ease. Cash grabbed her soft toy, handing him to her.
“Oh, that’s a good-looking saber-toothed tiger,” Hack told her. “Got some nice, sharp teeth on him. Now, I’m looking for something in particular. Where is it? Ah, here it is. This is my treasure box. Good girls and boys that let me check them over get to choose something from my treasure box when they’ve been brave. Do you think you can be brave?”
Addie shrugged. Bravery wasn’t her strong suit. Maybe on the inside she could be. Deep down.
“You got this, baby,” Cash told her as he crouched down next to her and placed his hand on her thigh, squeezing lightly. “I know you can be brave.”
She shot him a look. But she nodded, determined to try.
“Phew, that’s good,” Hack said as he wiped his brow. “Because I have some awesome treasure in here, and I would hate it to go to waste. Let’s start by opening your mouth, okay?”
Addie opened her mouth, and he used the light to take a look, placing one of those horrible-tasting sticks on her tongue. Only this one wasn’t horrible-tasting. In fact, it kind of tasted like sugar, and it nearly started to melt in her mouth.
“Oh, shoot. I’ve used the wrong sort of sticky-mi-jiggy. Do you think you can eat the rest of it? It’s made of sugar. Could you do me that favor?” he asked.
Sure, she could make that sacrifice for him. She took the stick and started to eat it. It was really quite delicious and it wasn’t long until it was all gone.
“Right. Well, your throat looks inflamed and sore. You don’t feel sick at all? No aches and pains?” She shook her head and he took her temperature. “No fever. That’s good.”
Next, he looked in both of her ears and felt her glands. “You don’t use your voice a lot, right?”
Addie glanced back at Cash and then grabbed the tablet so she could type out a message to Hack.
“When I get anxious, my throat closes up and it’s hard to get words out. It’s difficult to explain, and I’ve been anxious a lot these last few days with everything going on. Plus, I’m away from my stuff, my safe place. Back home, I don’t say a lot because I don’t really interact with that many people.”
Part of her couldn’t believe she’d just told him all of that.
“So you’re doing a lot more talking. Have you done any yelling lately? Did you notice when your throat started to get sore?”
She nodded. “When those men attacked us to get Crystal. I yelled a lot and it really hurt after. Then I was yelling again at the airport when those other men were after us.”
“I think you have irritated your throat,” he said. “I don’t think there’s been any permanent damage, but you need to just lay off talking for maybe another twenty-four hours. Once the redness and irritation goes down, then ease into talking more. No yelling, though. Stay hydrated. Hot honey drinks are good, but if it hasn’t stopped hurting in a few days we might need to send you to a specialist.”
She nodded.
“You’ve been through a lot these past few days, it’s okay to take some time to decompress and heal.” His voice was gentle, and she couldn’t stop the tears that formed in her eyes.
It felt crazy how many people have been so kind to her while she was here.
Strangers who she’d never met before.
“Good girl,” he said to her. “May I give you a hug?”
He opened his arms and waited with a hopeful look on his face. She nodded and moved closer, letting him wrap his arms carefully around her.
Touch was also something she was slowly getting used to. She hadn’t been touched much as a child, not in a nice way,anyway. Her mother hadn’t been someone to hug her when she fell over or wipe her tears.
Her sisters touched her sometimes, but they had always sensed she was uneasy with it.
Until Cash.
His touch was different. She craved it. Needed it. He was making her realize how much she’d missed out on.
Hack drew back. “Now, where is my magic wand? It must be here, I just got it. Ahh, here it is. Can’t do my doctoring without my magic wand.” He waved a pink sparkly wand through the air. “Right, I do declare that with lots of rest and care your throat shall get better soon. I prescribe warm honey drinks, no talking, and jello and ice cream whenever you feel like it.”
She smiled as Cash groaned, “Really, Hack?”
