Shadows of Recovery (Everhart Family #3)

Chapter 26

Twenty-Six

S ophie awakened to a soft knock on her door. The morning light filtered in through the curtains, casting a gentle glow on the room. She rubbed her eyes and sat up as a perky, curvy blonde woman entered with a bright smile.

“Hi Sophie, I’m Renee, a nurse’s assistant. We met yesterday. I need to check your vital signs, take an ECG and draw some blood,” Renee said cheerfully, setting down her tray of supplies.

Sophie glanced at the clock on the wall. “What time is it?” she asked groggily.

“It’s 7:30,” Renee replied.

Sophie sighed. “Does the day always start so early?”

Renee laughed. “While you’re listed as an acute assessment and care patient, yes.”

The door opened again, and a tall brunette walked in, exuding calm professionalism. “Good morning, I’m Janine. I’ll be your nurse today. How are you feeling? How are the panicky feelings?”

Sophie swallowed hard, her anxiety already simmering. “It’s building,” she admitted.

Janine nodded sympathetically. “I’ve got your Prozac, ten milligrams, for the panic. You’re in a new place. You ring if it builds, okay?”

Sophie chewed her lip nervously. “Where’s Tristan? Or James? Matt?”

Janine sighed, setting the medication on the bedside table. She watched Sophie take it. “I’m sorry, I’m your day shift nurse. Matt worked the night shift, but he had an emergency with another patient, so I haven’t received report yet. I just checked the medication list. He’ll come see you later when he finishes up, I promise. We usually do report with the patient.

“Dr. Tristan Blackwell is at the hospital today. He will be back when he finishes there. And Dr. James Blackwell has an AM surgery. He anticipates being back by noon.”

Sophie’s eyes widened with desperation. “What about Dr. Skylar?” she pleaded. I need to see someone familiar.

Before Janine could respond, the door opened again. A beautiful woman with jet-black hair and laser-focused green eyes entered, exuding an air of authority.

Sophie remembered her from the hospital and the day before—Dr. Birdham. She didn’t like her. And she knew she upset Tristan.

“Hello.” She tried to focus on her breathing.

“Good morning, ladies. Hi, Sophie, I’m Dr. Birdham. Remember me? I need to do an assessment to welcome you.” Her smile made Sophie uncomfortable.

Sophie frowned. “I was assessed yesterday.”

Dr. Birdham’s smile widened, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “We need to repeat it to make sure our results are correct. We’re just going to chat. I also have some lab results that we need to adjust your care for.”

Sophie’s heart sank. She felt the too familiar knot of anxiety tightening in her chest. “What’s wrong?” She rubbed her breastbone. She could feel the irregular beat in her ears.

Kay pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down, crossing her legs. “This is our last appointment together. Dr. Skylar, my boss, will be taking over your care.”

“Why?” I’m glad. You’re a shrew.

“We had a team meeting.” Kay’s eyes focused on Sophie. “He made the decision. You can ask him when you see him.”

Sophie crossed her arms over her chest. He hates you too. Her chest began to hurt. She forced herself to take some deep breaths. She grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her.

“We’ve received the results of your rape kit. Unfortunately, there was no DNA. Apparently, your assailant used chlorhexidine. But a repeat exam conducted a week later showed you’d contracted syphilis,” Kay said flatly.

Sophie’s eyes widened in horror. Her breath caught in her throat, and tears welled up in her eyes. “What? No… That can’t be right.”

Rape kit. A sexually transmitted infection. I was raped?

An image floated in her head. Evil eyes. The couch in the lounge. She felt the shakes begin.

Kay’s tone remained cold and matter-of-fact. “It is right. You need to receive antibiotic treatment immediately.”

Sophie’s whole body was shaking now. She tried to steady herself, but the news hit her like a freight train. Breathe , she begged herself. “This can’t be happening…”

No one told me I was…raped. Why antibiotic treatment now? They treat you prophylactically after an assault.

Kay’s gaze was unyielding. “You have no choice but to deal with it, Sophie. This is your reality now.”

Sophie’s tears spilled over, her sobs racking her body. “Why are you being so cruel? I’m already so scared…”

Kay’s face remained impassive. “I’m not here to coddle you, Sophie. You need to face the facts and take responsibility for your health. You were raped and sodomized. And now you have an infection. Dr. Harris and our staff gynecologist will have to re-culture you.”

Anger surged through her grief. “How do you speak to a patient like this?” She felt herself drifting emotionally.

Kay’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Emotional outbursts won’t change the facts. You need to focus on your treatment. Syphilis can be a dangerous disease.”

Sophie wiped at her tears, her voice trembling. “I know that, damn it.”

“How does it make you feel?”

“I don’t know.” Something inside her snapped, and she jumped. A flash of Damon Whitlock popped in her head. He held her face down. She started to rock.

Kay’s tone softened just a fraction, but it was barely noticeable. “This isn’t the end of your life, Sophie. It’s a setback.”

Sophie looked at her, desperation in her eyes. “Setback? This is a patient’s life you’re talking about.”

Kay sighed, a flicker of frustration crossing her face. “I’m here to help you, Sophie. My methods might seem harsh, but they’re effective. You need to toughen up. Now let’s get through the basics so I can pass you on to Dr. Skylar.”

Sophie's eyes filled with anxiety, and she fidgeted nervously with her hands. Kay’s voice was becoming background noise.

“Let's begin with the basics," Kay said, her tone brisk. "Can you please confirm your full name, age, and date of birth?

She began reading a patient chart in her mind. It wasn’t hers. "Um, Sophie… Everhart. Age twenty-nine, born on January 12, 1995."

"What is your current living situation? Do you live alone, with family, or with friends?"

"She lives with Tristan Blackwell... well, she used to. She’s not sure where she stands now. Everything’s so... confusing." The room was losing its color.

"Why have you decided to seek psychiatric help today?"

Sophie paused, swallowing hard. "It’s part of the program. Apparently, she was assaulted as well as beaten and held hostage.” An image of Damon’s perverse smile popped into her head.

"Can you describe the specific symptoms or issues you are having?”

Sophie stood and wrapped her arms around herself. “She wakes up crying and shaking. And during the day, she can't focus on anything. She feels... scared all the time. Of what, she doesn’t know. She has…no memory… of anything." Her brows furrowed.

The memory was vivid. The treatment room. Damon on top of her, inside her. The smell of disinfectant.

"Do you have any persistent thoughts or worries that you find difficult to control?"

Sophie started to hyperventilate, her face turning pale. She couldn’t speak.

Kay's face remained impassive.

Sophie’s breathing became more erratic. She clutched her arms. She felt pins and needles. I keep having nightmares. I wake up in a panic, thinking I'm still there. But where?

Sophie couldn’t speak. She rocked more.

I'm terrified and hopeless. I feel like I'm broken inside.

Finally, she cried out, her last bit of self-preservation. “Get out of my room. Now!”

A disembodied voice echoed in her head.

“Go away.”

Sophie didn’t respond, couldn’t respond. She sat in her room, staring out the window at the courtyard and garden below. A few flakes of snow began to fall. She shifted uncomfortably, her mind replaying bits and pieces of someone else’s memories.

She had disconnected from herself.