Calm

Hi reader,

This part is very low on sex and very high on emotion as a consequence. There is one delightful scene in there for Tom and Ruth, so i hope you'll enjoy that as a welcome break from the other stuff that's going on.

You've gotten to know Ellie by now. Since you're reading this, you must've been interested enough to read more about her. Thank you for that. I can't express why very well, but it's very important to me that anybody in Ellie's situation gets all the help she needs. And all the patience she needs.

Enjoy your read and don't forget to vote and comment. Comments let me know what you think and votes make it so more people read my story, which is the whole point.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: I'm looking for people who want to beta-read the whole thing (not looking for an editor). This means leaving some remarks and comments on each scene, so I can get input from outside my own head to point out anything that's unrealistic, confusing or dubious. Contact me via PM if you're interested.

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Chapter 2

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Ellie woke up and both her head and pelvis throbbed along with her heartbeat. She squeezed her eyes shut to deal with the pain and failed to suppress it. Her breathing sped up as it hit her just how much she was hurting.

A voice next to her startled her. "Elizabeth? I'm glad you woke up. I've been worried about you, it's already 5 PM. There are painkillers on the table next to you."

She grabbed the sheet of pills, still half blinded, and swallowed one. She was about to pop a second when Tom's hand closed over hers. "Only one, they're strong for somebody your size."

Ellie jerked her hands back and watched him, her eyes squinting because of the pain her sudden movement had caused her. Tom sat in a chair next to her bed with a book left open on his lap. "My name is Tom. I carried you up here last night. You were badly hurt. My fiance washed you along with a female doctor I called here. The doctor looked you over and took samples you can use later to file a report. She was also adamant about giving you a check-up to see if you caught any infections or STDs. The results will be in soon.

"I abbreviated your name to Ellie for the paperwork, instead of using Elizabeth. I hope that will be enough to reduce your fear of being discovered. Tomorrow, an officer will come to visit you and to take your testimony. This doesn't mean you'll be forced to file a report, I just wanted you to have everything needed in case you wanted to. You can go with the officer and he'll find a place for you to stay. Did you understand everything I said, Elizabeth?"

"Please, don't call me Elizabeth. Ellie, I like Ellie. Call me that, please."

"All right, Ellie. Did you understand?"

She nodded, careful to pace herself.

"Whether you decide to go with the officer or not, you're free to stay here until you're healed. If you need anything, I work from home most of the time so I'll be around to take care of it. Is there anything you need right now?"

"Do you have water?"

"There's water, some fruit and some treats in the little cupboard next to your bed. Anything else?"

"Do you have something for me to read?"

He lifted his eyebrow and said, "Are you sure you can read?"

"I don't know, but I need to do something now I'm awake."

"I'll bring you my spare laptop."

Tom stood up and made his way to the door. Ellie's voice stopped him and he turned around. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

The genuine smile that lit up his face startled her. "You're welcome, Ellie. I'm glad to help."

She stared at the door after he left. In such a short time she already knew he was nothing like her father, and that this small room could be her safe haven for the coming weeks. There would be no danger of anybody coming through the door and hurting her. Her relief combined with the numbing of the pain killer, and she drifted back to sleep, relaxed for the first time in a long time.

***

Ruth put down her cup of coffee and stared hard at Tom. "What are we going to do about Ellie? She's been here for a week now, and I don't think she's planning on leaving soon."

He looked back at her, a thoughtful look on his face. "I've been looking around for a shelter or some kind of family for her, but I'm not sure what to do. She needs to go back to school as well. I know she's a stranger, but I can't throw her back out just so she can repeat the same thing again."

"Do you even know what school she goes to?"

"She won't tell. She says she can't go back there because her father will wait for her there. I don't know, Ruth. Maybe we should contact the police again? I think she's hiding something terrible."

Ruth nodded and crossed her arms, frowning. "I think you're right, but it's not our responsibility to do something about it."

Tom shrugged and said, "We can put things in motion, that's not a huge effort."

"As far as we know she ran away from home after a fight with her father and had the misfortune of running into a rapist. What happened to her is terrible, but imagine what her parents must feel like. She's been gone for a week now. And still she won't call home, not even a quick phone call to tell them she's somewhere safe. Who knows, her parents might've gone to the police and given her up as a missing person. We could be committing a felony because we're hiding her. She's underage after all."

Tom ran his hand through his hair and looked Ruth in the eye. "What do we do then? When she gets better, she'll need professional help to deal with what happened to her. And if she fled home for a reason other than puberty, then she'll need help even more. How do we know she'll get that support if we send her out there to people she doesn't know?"

"It's not like we know her."

"True, but we've taken care of her. We've held our distance. She must have at least a modicum of trust in us."

"Where are you going with this, Tom?"

Tom threw up his hands. "I don't want her to go anywhere unless I'm certain it's a good place. Something feels off. The way she begged us not to take her to the hospital doesn't sit right with me. She wouldn't have done that if she was running from a fight with her parents. If anything, her problems at home should've been nothing compared to being raped.

"I don't care who you are, but if something like that happens to you, I think you'd want your family to be there for you. But she begged us to keep her father from finding out where she was. I don't know... I have a bad feeling about the whole thing."

Ruth paced back and forth, her arms still crossed. "This is not a kitten we're talking about. This is a young, very beautiful woman who possibly has very serious issues. We can't take responsibility for her. Once she gets better, we'll find a place for her, that much I agree with."

"Please don't make me leave."

Both of them turned to see Ellie standing in the doorway. Her legs trembled with the effort it took her to stay upright. Tom quickly pulled out a chair for her. She sat down and caught her breath while Tom and Ruth shared a concerned look.

Tom crouched in front of Ellie, looking up into her tired eyes. He could see red rims around them, she'd been crying. "Ellie, you need to understand we're concerned about you, but we don't think we can take care of you. We want to help you find a place to stay. Maybe if you called your family they could take care of you. I'm sure your mother and father are very worried about you."

"No! I won't go to school, and I'm not calling him."

"All right, what about your mother?"

"My mother's dead."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"My brother died as well."

Tom looked up at Ruth, trying to find any help there, but all she could offer him was a sad look.

"If I go back he'll kill me too."

"What? Who would kill you?"

"My father."

An alarmed look came to Tom's face. "Did he threaten you?"

Ellie shook her head. The pain her memories caused her evident on her face. "He goes out and does things, filthy things. My mom knew, but she couldn't stop him so she started drinking. Then my brother came, and she didn't want him. She fell down the stairs, drunk. She had a bleed while she was in labor and died. My father hated my brother for killing her, but it wasn't Jef's fault. It was father's fault for making mom drink. He was mean to Jef. The poor boy would always run away somewhere so he could hide."

A sob broke off her story and Tom wrapped one arm around her so she could have something to hold on to. After a while she continued, but her voice was shaky and quiet. "Last month he ran away and..."

Her nails dug into Tom's arm. "He... He was hit by a bus and he died. He was hurt really bad, and they said he suddenly swerved his bike. It had to be because he was hurt. And now I'm the only one left who Father can kill. As if he hasn't done enough to me already."

Silence descended on the room, interrupted only by Ellie's soft sniveling. Tom and Ruth's eyes met, their expression calm and serious. They both felt there was more to the story. More things they didn't want to hear. But they'd listen. "What about a foster family, Ellie? They can protect you."

"He'd find me and take me away. Please, don't send me away. Nobody knows I'm here and it has to be that way."

Tom closed his eyes, her body trembling against his. "And what about your other family members?"

"They don't like us. I never see them. They don't even send Christmas cards. They probably know about father, but they never helped me or my brother."

Tom sighed and stood up. He held out his hand to Ellie and said, "Ellie, I'll take you to your room now. Ruth and I have to talk about this. It's not something small you're asking of us. We hardly know you."

Ellie went back to her room with her head down and her shoulders slumped. Her back told them she was already preparing for the worst. Tom looked over at Ruth and saw the strain he felt reflected on her face. "Do you want to go out for a walk?"

"Yes, I'd like that a lot."

They went for a long walk, talking very little. The problem they faced was obvious to them, even though they had no idea of its exact magnitude. But there were other things to take into account. They felt for the girl. As caring people, they felt a need to nurse her back to good health. It was a difficult decision to make, but one they'd commit themselves to. If Ellie agreed to certain conditions, then they'd take care of her for a few months.

When Tom and Ruth got back, they found Ellie asleep. The poor girl must've been exhausted. They tucked her in and had a quiet night together, both afraid and determined for what was to come.

***

The next morning, Ellie didn't dare move in her bed as she waited for Tom to speak. Her eyes shifted from Tom to the wall and back. Her heart was thumping. This was it. She'd know if she'd be safe or not.

"Ellie, Ruth and I have talked about what you're asking for and we've decided to help you."

He held out his hand to make it clear he wasn't done yet. Ellie sat there for a second with her mouth half open before she settled back down, apprehensive of what was to come. "However, there are certain conditions. These conditions are not up for discussion. If we're doing this, then we're doing this in the best way we can. First off, we'll find you some professional help. You'll try your hardest to let this person help you. You can always talk to us, but you don't have to.

"Secondly, you said you don't want to go back to school. We'll allow that, but you'll have to take your exams outside of school. We can arrange that.

"Thirdly, we like our privacy as a couple. So please don't go into our bedroom or into the room behind the storeroom unless we tell you it's okay. Apart from that, just use your common sense. Contact us immediately whenever something happens. Really, contact us and we'll get to you as soon as we can. And if you need something, anything at all, just ask."

This time Ellie remained quiet, not sure of what to say.

"You'll be living here for a few months, until you graduate high school. Please don't expect us to act like doting parents. We'll be available and we'll care for you, but we have our own lives to live. What do you say, Ellie?"

"Yes."

Such a short answer. Tom had trouble reading Ellie's expression. She might be happy or sad, it was hard to tell. He felt like she needed time to arrange her thoughts, so he stepped outside of her room and into Ruth's arms. Ruth looked up at him and said, "Are we sure about this, Tom?"

"If we didn't do it, we'd regret it. Even more so if something happened to her again. We'd wonder about her all the time."

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I think you're right."

"Let's hope it works out for her."

***

Ruth folded her arms against her chest as she stood next to Tom, watching the book Ellie had left behind on the couch while she went to the restroom. "Has she said anything today, Tom?"

Tom shook his head, "No, she reads a lot and kind of follows me around. I think she feels more at ease when she's in the same room as me."

"She won't talk to me unless I talk to her first."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I know, Ruth. Let her. She's still getting used to things here. This is probably the first time in a long time she's been able to relax."

"I guess, I just get the feeling she doesn't like me very much."

Tom smiled and pulled her close to him. "Don't worry about that. Give it time and she won't be able to resist liking you."

Ruth nuzzled his shoulder and shuffled a little closer to him.

Ellie came back from the restroom, and her eyes scanned around until she found Tom. She lingered longer than she normally did, taking in the way Ruth was sheltered against his body. When her father hugged her, she'd always been stiff as a board, not able to relax in the slightest. A mixture of wonder and envy stabbed at her chest every time she saw how naturally Ruth received the care she needed.

She settled down and opened her book, staring at the words but not reading. Her thoughts slowly churned and then faded away as she started taking in the words on the page again, losing herself in the fantastical world on the pages. The residual pain in her pelvis was pushed back and ignored. She stopped reminiscing, her awareness limited to the present.

Ever since Ellie had started walking again, things had gone like this. Before, Tom would visit her in her room at least once a day and ask if she wanted to talk. If she didn't, which was mostly the case, he'd simply open a book and read in comfortable silence. Ellie didn't know how he figured out she didn't want to be alone even if she didn't want to talk, but she was grateful. Later on she came to rely on his calm, steady presence.

She caught herself casting quick glances to survey the room, noting where Tom was and what he was doing, thinking about what he might do next. A thought struck Ellie and her book fell from her hands when she realized she was doing exactly the same thing as she'd done back home. She'd always been desperate to know what her father would do. If she knew, she might be able to avoid some of the consequences.

Her hands started shaking, and she jumped up and rushed to her room so she could hide. She'd never thought about it before. It was just something she did. What was she looking for when she checked up on Tom? Ellie curled up in a ball, cursing herself over and over for unconsciously thinking Tom would hurt her. She hated herself, hated what she was. What her father had made her into.

Back in the living room Tom picked up Ellie's book and closed it. He looked at Ruth and shared a look of pity and confusion with her. "What do you think she was thinking?"

"I honestly have no idea."

"That makes two of us. You think we should cancel dinner tonight? It might be best for us to stay here for her."

"Yeah."

"I'll call the restaurant."

***

Tom picked through the mail and held up a large brown envelope. "Ellie, the results of your tests came back."

"What tests?"

Tom frowned and handed her the envelope. He'd expected her to be more anxious to learn the results of her STD tests. "It says on the envelope."

Ellie opened the letter and her expression clouded. She stared in front of her and seemed to drift off. Tom hurried over to her and gently shook her shoulder. "Ellie? Ellie!"

Her eyes regained their focus, and she looked at Tom, confusion apparent in her face. "It says I have gonorrhea in my vagina, Tom. How can I have gonorrhea there? I've never had sex like that before."

Tom felt out of his depth. What was he supposed to say? "Ellie, come sit here next to me."

She shuffled closer to him and sat down, the papers held tightly in her fist.

"What do you remember of the night Ruth and I found you?"

"I remember being on the floor, hurting a lot. I think I must've tripped and fallen on my stomach, I don't really know."

Tom closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he had to say. "You didn't fall, Ellie. A man assaulted you. He raped you and gave you gonorrhea."

"No."

"Don't you remember telling the officer who came by about a man hurting you?"

"No!"

She sprang up from her seat, every move she made somehow exaggerated, violent. "I'm still a virgin, Tom! It's all I have left! Don't take this away from me, please. I'm a virgin. Please."

Tom shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ellie. I won't lie to you."

Ellie stopped her pacing and stared down at the papers in her hand. Her eyes reaffirmed what she could no longer deny as the truth. Her voice was quiet and broken when she spoke again. "No. I don't want it. I don't want to be sick. It's not true, it can't be! Father took my mouth and my ass, but he always said a woman should keep her virginity as a gift for the one she cared about. Like mom did."

Tom couldn't quite gauge Ellie's emotions when she looked at him again. Hurt, emptiness and building anger flickered across her young face. Slowly, more and more of the paper got crumpled into Ellie's little fist. Her body got tenser as the paper compressed into an ever tinier ball. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. Suddenly, Ellie jumped up and shrieked. Her body doubled over as she squeezed out every ounce of rage inside of her and screamed her agony out into the world.

Tears blinded Ellie as she alternated between screaming her anger and pleading for everything to be a lie. But she couldn't deny the truth. Her memory of that night rose from the fog clouding it. Every minute, every second she recalled fueled her anger even more. Tom sent her to the playroom, and he left her there after leaving her some things she could break or punch.

Ellie threw her whole being into fighting her memory. At first she wanted to deny it. She failed. The rage at her own lack of power didn't allow it. She'd ran away to be safe, and the first thing that happened was just as brutal as what she escaped.

The moment Ellie thought back on her father and on why she eventually ran away, she exploded. The weight of years of memories flowed out from her body and into everything she could hit in her environment. She shrieked her throat raw at the thought of Jef's funeral. She screamed 'murderer' over and over.

Ellie raged until she couldn't go on any longer. She was nowhere near finished, but for now she'd exhausted herself, and she fell back into misery when her fury could no longer sustain her. She lay sobbing on the floor when Tom's strong arms picked her up and carried her out of the room. He took her with him to the couch and cradled her in his lap. Ellie clasped her hands tightly in his shirt. If her voice hadn't been shot, she'd have bawled like a little child. Her body yearned for his warm embrace, and her tears wet his shirt through and through.