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Bones looked at him. “How about you go grab a coffee, or maybe a soda from the vending machine down the hall, this won’t take long.”
Cypher looked at her. “You sure you’ll be okay? Can I bring you anything?”
“Nothing to eat or drink yet, not until we get that scan back and know if she’ll need surgery,” Bones put in.
“I’ll be fine. Go.”
“How long?” Cypher asked Bones.
“Just a couple minutes. Check in with the rest of the guys who came in with you. I’ll stay with her until you get back.”
Cypher nodded leaned down and placed a quick kiss on top of her head, then he left the little room and headed back to the waiting room, if only for a couple of minutes. He hated leaving her, but she was right. He trusted Bones and since he promised to stay with her, he’d let them do what they needed to.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“All right,” Bones said once Cypher had stepped out of the room. “Did someone you know do this to you?”
“No.” Lauren had known this was the kind of thing they would be asking, she’d had some of the same training and had asked similar questions to some of her own clients.
“Do you feel safe at home?”
“Yes and no. I’m afraid that whoever sent these men after me will send more, and that they’ll succeed again, but am I afraid of being at home under normal circumstances? No.”
“Ok. This one’s a little more embarrassing. Has anyone forced you to do anything sexually that you didn’t want?”
“No. Since I know it’s coming, no, they didn’t rape me, but only because Cypher got there in time.”
“Did anyone choke you, put pressure on your neck, or make it hard to breathe?”
She shook her head. “They put a cloth on my face and held it there until everything went black. I don’t know what they did while I was unconscious, but I didn’t hurt anywhere that didn’t make sense and all my clothes were still on, and on right.”
Bones nodded and clicked something in the computer.
“Do you have somewhere safe to go when you leave?”
“I do.” She thought about the offer of the house on the Warriors compound. The more she thought about it, the more she knew it would be a good idea. She just needed to get a little more used to it. Who knows, maybe she’d end up liking it.
They went through the usual mental health questions, and she answered honestly, though with her profession, she knew the right answers to make them think everything was okay.
By the time Bones had finished with the questions, she could see Cypher standing outside the triage room door.
“Want me to let him back in?” Bones asked. “I can make him leave if you want.”
“Please let him in. I get that you want to mess with him sometimes. I'll even admit tormenting him can be fun, but I’m just not up to it right now.”
“No worries.” He went to the door and slid it open to let Cypher in. He came in and went straight to her bedside and took her hand. “I’ve already put in the order for that CT, they’ll be here soon. I’m going to add some tests to the bloodwork based on what you’ve told me about the event, and we’ll see how those come back and make decisions on where to go from there. Do either of you have any questions for me?”
After making sure neither had questions, he left the room to do whatever he needed to until the results came back, probably see other patients or review results or something.
“You okay?” Cypher asked once they were alone.
“I’m okay. Or at least no worse off than when you left. He didn’t ask anything I wasn’t expecting and wasn’t a standard question that he’s not required to ask by the hospital. Can you come sit up here?” She used her free hand to pat the bed next to her.
“The bed’s for you, not me.”
“I know, but I want to lean on you. I want a more tactile reminder that you’re here.”
“You sure?”
