Page 116 of You Saw the Best In Me

“Don’t worry, baby girl. You’re okay, and I’ve got you. Have you eaten?” I ask, and she shakes her head.

“I’ve been staring at these walls, giving samples of my blood for the drug screen and letting the detectives rip me apart, piece by piece. I can’t even bring myself to shower,” she says, staring blankly ahead.

I don’t say anything. I wait for her to speak. She sits beside me on the bed, holding my hand as she seems frozen. It takes a while, but finally, she has something to say.

“I lured him in the backseat with me. He’d said we were almost to our destination, and I knew I had to fight. My hands were tied, and I let him touch me, pretending I wanted it. When he kissed me, I had to lie there and take it. I couldn’t cry or spit him out like poison. I had to behave to survive,” her eyes are squeezed shut as she recalls the details, and I can’t breathe.

Hearing this is breaking my heart. I should’ve protected her better. The system should’ve saved her. That fucking psycho shouldn’t have been anywhere near her.

I brace myself as she draws a breath, ready to listen to what comes next.

I have to be strong for Karina, so I stroke her shoulders while she talks, needing to feel her skin on mine.

“I begged him to rip off my clothes and let me out of the restraints. I didn’t want his hands on my skin, but I had no choice. Finally, he cut the plastic off my wrists. It was only a few moments, but I had to distract him. I kissed his neck while I reached for the weapon. His body was on top of mine, and I could feel every part of him on me,” she’s sobbing now, and all I can do is hold her.

I don’t rush her, even though I’m dying to know what he did to her. I can’t make this about me, so her comfort is my only concern.

I’ll wait all night if I have to.

“It’s okay, Karina. We don’t have to talk about this right now or ever,” I reassure her after the silence has gone on for nearly thirty minutes.

“No. I need to tell you what happened. I just need to,” she fights back, and I don’t argue.

“I knew I only had one chance, that if he saw it, or I missed, I’d be dead. When he unzipped his pants, I begged him to kiss me again. Just before he could, I shot him in the stomach,” she freezes, holding her hands on her belly.

Standing up, she lifts the hospital gown, and her torso is completely stained blood-red. My mouth opens, but I don’t speak.

Instead, I reach for her, but she shakes her head.

Respecting her boundary, I sit back down. I move at her pace, even if it’s killing me.

“When he tried to choke me … I shot him again. I forced myself to keep fighting. I cut my ankles free and ran until I found help. I tried so hard, Mav, I swear, but I couldn’t remember your phone number. I wanted to call you and tell you I was okay. Hear your voice, but I couldn’t remember your fucking phone number,” she sobs and collapses into my arms.

Karina’s biggest worry was that she couldn’t call me right away. That’s the last thing she should’ve been concerned about, but I’m rubbing her back and letting her get it all out.

“It’s okay, baby girl. We don’t have to worry about that now. I’m here because you called me,” I say, and she sniffles a bit, the tears slowing.

“I know. I feel so guilty, though,” she looks into my eyes, and a little bit of her sparkle is back.

“You did absolutely nothing wrong. You did what you had to do to survive, and you’re with me right now because of how smart you are, baby,” I kiss her hands, still respecting her fragile state.

“You don’t think less of me?” she asks, and I shake my head.

“Never. I’m so proud of you,” I smile, and she looks relieved.

“I was scared you’d judge me for using my body to hurt him. Or you wouldn’t want me anymore after he laid hands on me. Like my body was damaged goods,” she squeezes her eyes shut again.

“You stopped him from hurting you. It’s why I taught you how to shoot in the first place. You’re my girl, and he means nothing to us. You survived, Karina. Nothing in this world would prevent me from loving you for the rest of our lives,” I say, slowly reaching for her hands.

I pull her up and hold her in my arms. I kiss her forehead lightly and ask her what she needs now.

“Food, please. I haven’t eaten since … God, I don’t even know,” she smiles, the tension finally leaving her body.

“Hunter and Adam are in the cafeteria if you don’t mind visitors?” I ask, and she looks nervously around the room.

“I brought you clothes,” I hand her the t-shirt I packed, her favorite one.

She stands on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek, slipping into the shirt and wrapping her arms around my waist. I drape my arm over her shoulder, keeping her as close as possible.