Broken Silence Page 12

  “Call a medic, now.” Flynn’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the agent turned and barked for a medic into his comm. Flynn turned back to me with a sympathetic gaze. “I’m so sorry, kid. I tried to find you a fast as I could. We cleared this place out though. The scientists will give away names. This will end here.” He vowed.

  “You found me, that’s all that matters. I hurt so bad old man. But the boss mentioned this isn’t the only place. Your fight isn’t over.” I said between sobs. It was a miracle he even understood me through my sobs and weak, raspy voice.

  The detectives were ushered out as an EMT entered my room. He looked over my injuries, but noticed the shirt was sticking to me. He didn’t rip it up, which I was thankful for.

  “She needs a hospital first. We have an emergency medical tent set up outside. The worst of the injured are being transferred to the hospital. She needs to be in that group. We can wait on a gurney or wheelchair, it may take a minute.” The EMT informed Flynn. He decided not to wait and picked me up instead. I whimpered again at the pain and he tried to comfort me as he made his way outside. The last thing I saw before the pain knocked me out was Timmins in cuffs being led from the warehouse.

  Sophia

  I was pacing back and forth in the conference room at the station. The agents were updating me when they could, but I had no word on Charlie yet. I was barely holding it together. I couldn’t lose another person I loved. I looked up as the door burst open.

  “They’ve got her, ma’am. She’s injured but alive.” An officer announced. I collapsed into a chair, in tears. My girl was alive. I tried not to think the worst, but we’ve all seen enough bad endings in the news. My phone started ringing and I saw it was Flynn.

  “How is she?” I sobbed into the phone. I could hear sirens in the background.

  “She’s in a world of pain, those bastards hurt your girl pretty bad. Prepare yourself for that, Sophia. We are in route to the hospital now. Have an officer drive you over.” He hung up and I grabbed my purse and rushed out.

  “I need a ride to the hospital, they found her. Flynn said for one of you to take me over.” I yelled into the station. An officer immediately stood up and led me out to an undercover car.

  I raced through the ER as soon as we got there, searching for Charlie. I saw Flynn pacing in the hallway. He saw me and held up his hands to stop me from bursting into the room.

  “I waited here for you, they are patching her up now.” He said as he motioned me forward. I slowed my pace and walked into the room. Charlie looked awful. I held back a sob as I took in her blood covered shirt and bruised up face and arms. My poor girl. The nurse saw me and approached.

  “Are you family ma’am?” She asked, stepping between me and Charlie.

  “I’m her mom.” I said. The nurse gave me a reassuring smile.

  “Why don’t we talk outside for a second.” She motioned me back to the hallway. I stepped out hesitantly, I didn’t want to leave Charlie’s side.

  “Your daughter doesn’t appear to have a concussion, it’s more facial swelling from being hit. She has bruising on her arms and back. The team is working on getting her shirt off safely, to assess her abdomen. The fact it clotted to the shirt means the cuts weren’t very deep. I’m going to head back in and help. We will call you in when she’s done. She is in awful pain, so we gave her pain medicine and a sedative. She won’t likely wake up until mid-morning.” She explained before giving me a reassuring pat on the arm and walking back into the room. Flynn was waiting a bit down the hall, giving us privacy. He led me to the waiting room.

  “I’m going to grab us some coffee and check in with Agent Clark. You alright?” He asked tentatively. I nodded and he walked away. I pulled out my phone and called Danielle to let her know Charlie was safe. Then I texted Charlie’s friends parents. I added them to a group chat awhile back so I could keep in touch if necessary.

  Me: Charlie is safe and in the hospital. She won’t likely be awake until mid-morning due to the sedative.

  I put my phone away, not caring if they responded. I was too intent on waiting for the nurses to let me back in to see Charlie. Flynn walked up a few minutes later with that beautiful hot coffee in his hands. I reached out for mine and guzzled it down.

  “I spoke to Agent Clark. They’ve got all of the victims getting checked out now in the emergency medical tent. That place was one of the worst I’ve seen, Sophia. Charlie and the others were lab rats and abused. From the looks of some others they have been through this for a long time.” He sounded beyond tired and defeated. I gave him a reassuring smile.

  “You freed them. I’m good here now if you need to go help. Charlie is sedated until mid-morning.” I responded quietly. I was feeling just as exhausted now.

  “Alright, let me know how she is when she wakes up. I’ll come by for questions tomorrow. I don’t want to release that counselor if she aided in the kidnapping.” He said with a sigh, getting up to leave.

  I sat in the waiting room for awhile longer. I tried not to doze off even though the exhaustion was taking over. An hour later the nurse finally came to talk to me.

  “She is sleeping comfortably now. We want to keep her on pain medicine for the night and monitor her injuries. We did some bloodwork to make sure nothing was in her system before giving them, and they show dangerously high levels of vitamins in her system. She will need to be observed for a few days while they work their way out of her system. The cuts on her abdomen are bandaged, but they weren’t deep enough to require many stitches. You can go in now.” Her voice was reassuring and I hurried to Charlie’s room as soon as she was finished talking.

  I pulled up a chair and sat next to Charlie. She was wearing a hospital gown and tucked into the bed now. Her face didn’t look as bad without the dried blood on it, but her bruising was extensive. I stroked her hair as she slept, mostly to reassure me she was in fact right in front of me. I drifted off to sleep, leaning on her bed as I held her hand.

  Chapter 16

  Cole

  “Charlie has been found. She’s in the hospital, but won’t be awake until mid-morning.” Mom explained when she woke me up. I looked at my alarm clock and saw it was 2:30 in the morning. I sighed in relief. My Charlie girl was safe.

  “Can I borrow the car in the morning?” I asked. She nodded her head and gave me a tight hug. She left my room and I forced myself to stay in bed. I wanted to be rested so I could sit with Charlie in the hospital tomorrow. I sent a group text so the others would know when they woke up.

  I woke up around seven. I threw on some clothes and practically ran out of the house to the car. The drive to the hospital felt agonizingly slow, especially because she was in Starbrooke’s hospital. As soon as I found a spot I ran to the front desk to find out what room she was in. I followed the nurse’s directions and made my way through the maze of hallways.

  I stopped outside of her door. The door was cracked, but the curtain was drawn. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what I would find. I had no clue what happened to her, but last time she was almost kidnapped she had bruises.

  “Can I come in?” I called out quietly. I heard someone shifting.

  “Come in, Cole.” Sophia quietly called back. I stepped around the curtain and gave a nod in greeting. She had clearly been sleeping with her head on Charlie’s bed. I looked over at Charlie and held back a gasp. Her eye was swollen and puffy. Over half of her face was discolored with bruising. There was bruising on her arms that disappeared under her hospital gown sleeves, so I couldn’t see how far they went.

  “What happened to her?” I managed to choke out. I looked over at Sophia and noticed the tears running down her cheeks. She just shook her head, unable to speak. Once her emotions where in check she took a deep breath.

  “They gave her some kind of overdose of vitamins and she has cuts all over her abdomen too. I’m going to go get her one of her favorites for breakfast so she can eat something when she wakes up.” She said, clearly needing a mome
nt to herself. I nodded and took her place.

  I held Charlie’s hand and sang to her softly. Hopefully the sound of someone familiar would make the wake up less stressful. My poor Charlie girl needed me, and I wouldn’t leave her side.

  Charlie

  Before I even opened my eyes, I knew Cole was near me. I could hear his rich, low voice singing. I blinked a few times and looked around. I was in a hospital room. Cole was holding my hand and singing. His eyes were unfocused so I don’t think he noticed I was awake. I squeezed his hand and his eyes focused on my face. He let out a sound of relief and a tear leaked from his eye. I managed a soft smile.

  “Do you need anything, Charlie girl?” He asked quietly. Something about hospitals just made people whisper.

  “A drink, please.” I replied. His eyes went wide and he jumped up and went to the hallway to find me a drink. He came back with a cup of water and helped me take a drink. The pain wasn’t as bad this time, but I didn’t ask him to sit me up like I wanted, just in case the action opened the wounds again.

  “What happened to you, babe?” Cole asked, his voice full of emotion. He looked like he felt my pain.

  “Do I look that awful?” I joked. It fell flat, I knew I looked awful right now.

  “You always look beautiful, now you just look like a beautiful badass.” He joked back. I let a giggle slip out and my abdomen reminded me that I was too injured for laughter. I winced and grabbed my stomach. He gave me an apologetic smile. We sat and just enjoyed the quiet for a moment, while the stinging on my stomach receded.

  We were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. We both turned to see who was joining us and Sophia walked around the curtain.

  “I’m so glad you are awake, honey. I went down to the cafeteria to get you a better breakfast.” Her voice sounded so tired and she looked disheveled. I held my arms out for a hug. She smiled and leaned down to gently hug me, being careful of my wounds. She pulled away and handed me a huge cinnamon roll that was the size of my face. It looked amazing. She even brought me a huge cherry soda. I beamed up at her before I dug in.

  I was halfway through my cinnamon roll when there was another knock. Sophia pushed the curtain aside so she could let the group in. Abby started to rush towards me but Cole stopped her with a shout.

  “Slow down, her stomach is stitched, don’t put any pressure on it.” He had leaned over me and made a cage with his arms. I held back a laugh, but I secretly loved how protective he was being. He gave me a quick kiss and a wink before moving away from me.

  Abby approached again, but at a much slower pace. She gave me a delicate hug, her eyes were filled with tears when she pulled away.

  “Glad you are safe now, Charlie.” Adam said in a rough tone, clearly not a fan of showing emotion. He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before sitting down. Alice and Trent both gave me gentle hugs as well. I loved that they all came to see me.

  “Alright, Charlotte, I have the latest lab results.” My doctor said as she walked into the room, staring at the chart in her hands. She looked up, startled at all of the people in the room. “Would you like me to clear the room before I update you and your mom?” I shook my head no. Nothing she told me needed to be a secret with this group.

  “Go ahead. They are her close friends.” Sophia encouraged as she leaned forward, listening intently for the update the doctor had.

  “Okay. The vitamin levels are going down, but they are still really high. Anything else they injected you with is already out of your system. I don’t see anything in your bloodwork to be alarmed about, aside from the high levels of vitamins I already mentioned. The nurses will be bringing you ice packs for your injuries in a little while. I’ve instructed them to keep on your pain medicine. I need you to drink a lot of fluids, hopefully that will help lower the levels as well. You will need to stay for a few more days until I’m certain there aren’t any side effects we haven’t noticed yet. The fluids and plenty of food will be your best bet.” She finished and gave me a reassuring smile, before walking out. I looked around at the others, their mouths were open in horror. I felt heat creep into my cheeks, and lowered my head.

  “Charlie’s a badass, right guys?” Cole said, breaking the silence. It was meant to lighten the mood, but I didn’t miss the edge to his voice in silent warning.

  “Well, we already knew that.” Abby said, laughing. I smiled up at her. My eyes were getting heavy again. I guess the healing my body was doing was making me extra tired. Sophia noticed my eyes drooping and ushered the other’s out. They all said goodbye and left, except Cole and Sophia. Cole leaned over and kissed me softly on the forehead.

  “I’ll be back after you rest.” He said quietly and pulled my blanket up around me. I smiled back and tried to keep my eyes open. Once he walked out I gave Sophia a pointed look.

  “What? I am not leaving you.” She said, a hysterical edge creeping into her voice. I shook my head yes, encouraging her. “Fine, but I’m just getting a hotel in town and taking a nap. I’ll be back after you rest. Flynn will probably come by soon for answers.” I nodded that I understood and pointed to the door with a smile. Her eyes softened. “Fine, you win. I love you Charlie.” She whispered as she hugged me. It was the first time she said it. I squeezed her back.

  A few hours later the nurses brought in ice packs for my face. Since I had to hold it on for twenty minutes I decided to write down my account of what happened, in detail. I started with the shady school counselor and finished with Timmins cutting me. I included detailed descriptions of the guard, Timmins, and the boss. I wrote down what was said and what I observed. I was finishing up and taking the ice packs off when Flynn walked in.

  “Hey, Kid. How are you healing?” He asked as he took the seat next to my bed. I gave him a thumbs up and a small smile. He chuckled darkly. He saw what I endured, he knew exactly how bad it was there. I slid my paper towards him and he read it over. “Thanks. I think we have Timmins in the group we arrested. The guards were shot when they shot at us. The boss wasn’t there.” I winced at the boss not being caught. He deserved way worse then prison had to offer. I grabbed another sheet of paper and told Flynn to go get some rest. He smiled and took my statement. He got up to leave and gave me a tired smile.

  “Thank you, old man.” I said. He just nodded and walked out. He was never one for dwelling on gratitude or emotions.

  Chapter 17

  It had been a few weeks since I was released from the hospital. My elevated vitamin levels went down slowly. I was released before they went back to normal, but at least they were in a not life threatening range. My stomach did heal faster then usual, but nothing remarkable like Timmins had hoped. They eventually found traces of chemotherapy drugs in my system as well. I guess they thought they could heal anything with chemo and vitamins? Whatever they thought, they can contemplate it in prison. The trials were scheduled for February, and I was expected to be at Timmins trial to tell my story.

  School was out on Winter break now, so I only had to go back for a week before being on vacation until after New Years Day.

  “Charlie, Breakfast!” Sophia’s voice bellowed from downstairs. I pulled myself out of my musings and finished getting dressed so I could join her. I went downstairs and noticed she had luggage by the front door. She didn’t mention a business trip of any kind.

  “Good morning!” She sang out as she sat the French toast and bacon on the kitchen island. My stomach rumbled and I gave her a quick smile before filling a plate.

  “I have a surprise!” She announced as we both sat down with our food. “We are going to my parent’s cabin in the mountains for a week! I was going to ask my parents to join us, if you are ready to meet them?” She asked and I looked up. I hadn’t even considered that she would have family I would have to meet. I nodded my head. I wouldn’t deny her family time. Though the prospect of meeting new people freaked me out a bit. “Oh good, I’ll call them in a few minutes. We leave tonight, so pack after breakfast! I also took the liberty of orderi
ng you a few new things, they are on the couch!” She was extremely joyful today. It was starting to raise my mood and I scarfed down my food so I could go check out my new stuff.

  She was telling lies when she said she only ordered a few things. I found packages full of new pants and sweaters, a new coat, two sets of gloves, hats and scarves, a pair of fuzzy lined winter boots and a new phone. The last one had me excited. I’ve been phone free for a few weeks, since mine was still strapped under a sink at the facility.

  I loaded my stuff into my arms and ran upstairs. I went into my closet to pick out a few more things I would need. I went to reach for my luggage and rolled my eyes at a brand new set sitting in its place. She must have snuck in and replaced it while I was at school last week. She was always sneaking in new things, like I wouldn’t say anything if it was hidden. She was sweet like that, always looking out for me and spoiling me when she could.

  The doorbell rang downstairs and I put the last of my makeup in a smaller bag. I made my way downstairs and was shocked to see my friends filing into the room with their own luggage bags. I shot a confused look at Sophia.