Avenging Laura (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

God there was so much pain. Everything freaking hurt. So much for believing that when you died everything healed and was better. But then again, that was if you went to heaven. She must have been sent to hell.

“We are going to slowly ween her off the sedatives. She’s going to be in some serious pain with all the injuries she’s sustained. The best we can do is help her through it.”

Who the fuck was that? Laura fought the fogginess that had engulfed her. God everything hurt like a motherfucker!

“Her heart rate is elevated. That’s going to be normal with her coming out of the induced coma. She doesn’t really know where she is. Keep talking to her and let her know that you are here with her.”

“Hey, lass. I’m here. I haven’t left ye side since we found ye. I love ye so much.”

Joe. He found her. She knew he would. Wait. Does he know what all Cyrus and Ziegler did to her? Does he know she was ruined? Would he still want her if he did?

Were her kids safe? Did Cyrus make good on his promise to take her kids and make them know they were being hurt because of her? Oh God!

“Calm down, lass. Ye are safe. They can’t hurt ye anymore. I’ve got ye, love.”

“K-k-k…”

Laura couldn’t speak around whatever was in her mouth. That sent her fear and anxiety skyrocketing again.

“Settle, love. Ye have a tube in your throat that helped ye breathe while ye were in an induced coma. The wee ones are safe. They are protected to the nines. Ash is with them. I promise ye they are safe.”

Soon as she heard that Ash was with the kids, she settled down and relaxed. She knew he would burn the world down for those kids. Especially Ryleigh. Ryleigh was the only one who could get a reaction out of the gruff, silent man.

“Ma’am, I’m Dr. Bowers. I have Nurse Blakely with me. We’re going to remove the tube from your throat. It will be a little uncomfortable for a few moments. Just have patience while we get it out. Okay?”

All Laura could do was nod. The tube down her throat was the least of her worries. She just wanted to bury herself in the darkness away from everyone and everything. She couldn’t deal with it right now. She wished they would put her back to sleep for a while longer.

“Ok, I’m going to give her some meds to help her calm down. I think in her mind she’s still where you guys found her. Let her sleep for a little more while we take the tube out and recheck her injuries. I don’t want her causing herself more harm.”

Laura welcomed the darkness as the drugs they were administering slowly made their way into her system. She could hear the heavy sigh that was made by someone next to her. She could understand how they felt.

Laura slowly came awake, pain overtaking her when she tried to move her arm. She felt a heaviness on one of her hands. She heard a moan as she tried to slowly extract said hand from underneath whatever was laying on it.

“I’m sorry, lass. Are ye ok?”

“W-w-water,” Laura’s voice croaked when she spoke.

“Here, love.”

When Highlander placed the straw in front of her lips so that she could drink the cold water, she couldn’t help but sigh from the feel of the water as it ran down her parched throat. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and breathed as deep as she could for several seconds.

Fuck that shit hurt. Looking around the room now that she was awake, she saw Highlander had been camped in the chair beside her bed on the left side of her bed. Her right arm and shoulder were in a special cast while her left arm and hand were in a normal cast. She could tell her right leg was in a cast, too.

“How’s the pain level, lass? Need me to ring the nurse?”

“How bad was it when you found me?” Laura hesitantly looked over at Highlander.

“Bad. Ye actually tried to take out Ghost when he found ye. Ye thought he was going to harm the little girl ye saved.” Highlander chuckled as he took her good hand in his.

“The little girl?” Laura asked, remembering the young girl whose screams she had heard.

“She’s ok. She had minor bruises and cuts. She was released into protective custody yesterday. The team is having her under protection since Cyrus managed to escape through a tunnel.”

“Serenity and Jade?” Laura remembered the words Cyrus whispered to her when he was sexually assaulting her.

“They were put under protection, too. Joker is with them. Commander Hurt has that under control, lass.”

“Our kids?”

“Safe. Like I told ye yesterday, lass, Ash is here along with my parents and siblings. They are protected to the nines. No one is going to get to the wee ones.”

Laura leaned her head back against the bed and closed her eyes. He never did answer her question. She now knew how bad it was.

“Tell me, Joe. I remember bits and pieces. How bad was I when you found me?”

“Ye right shoulder and arm are shattered. They had to piece the bones back together. Ye have rods and screws holding them together currently. Ye left arm is broken in two places. Ye right leg is broken in a couple of places. Ye pelvic bone is broken, several broken ribs. Shattered cheekbone.”

“H-how bad was I raped?” Laura stammered as she asked the question.

She couldn’t look at him to see his disappointment in her. They tried to break her every which way they could. Maria knew her one fear once she had committed herself to Joe. She used it.

“Ye had some vaginal tears. They fixed them.”

“I-I tried to fight them off. Th-they tortured me for several days. When I didn’t break, especially when my father and Maria demanded answers from me, Maria ordered Cyrus to break me the one way she knew I would crumble since I was married to you. They all laughed about how y-you wouldn’t want a ruined woman and that was their present t-t-to you,” Laura sobbed, refusing to look at Highlander as she spoke.