Caitlin awoke to the pressure of duct tape being placed on her mouth. She could see Billy's dim outline, standing over her with a roll of duct tape in his hands. Her eyes opened wide with shock, terror filling her heart as she mentally flashed back to her teenage years. In an instant, she was as helpless and vulnerable as the first day he had molested her, when she was an innocent fifteen-year-old who had no idea what kind of a monster lurked inside of her older stepbrother. Paralyzed by her fear, she could manage only a small whimper.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed sudden movement from across the room. Billy must have sensed it as well, as he whirled around to see who was there.
"Back the fuck up, you sick son of a bitch," Caitlin heard Jack growl.
Something about the sound of Jack's voice snapped her back to the present. The fighter within her whispered in an urgent voice, 'You will never let him do this to you again! Fight back! Fight back now!' The powerless fifteen-year-old girl disappeared, and five years of training and practicing self-defense came flooding back to her.
Instinctively, Caitlin sat up and reached over to the nightstand next to the hospital bed, grasping the little blue lamp sitting there. Billy was still turned toward Jack, his jaw hanging open with shock. She poured every ounce of strength into swinging the lamp as hard as she could, smashing it against the back of Billy's skull. It exploded against his head, tiny blue pieces flying everywhere, and without a sound he slumped to the floor, knocked unconscious.
The crash of the lamp was followed by a deep silence in the hospital room. Caitlin stared down at the side of the bed, waiting for Billy's form to jump up and attack her. When he continued to lie in a limp heap on the floor, she peeled the duct tape off of her mouth in a slow, dazed motion. She felt as if her breathing was deafening, breaking the stillness with quick, hard gasps.
Jack was afraid to say anything, afraid he would scare the hell out of Caitlin if he spoke. He approached her with silent caution. When he reached the end of the bed, he waited, not even daring to breathe, wondering what her reaction would be when she realized what had happened.
Slowly, she moved her gaze to Jack. He was startled by the look of amazement in her wide, green eyes.
"I did it," she whispered in awe. "I actually did it."
Filled with dread, he waited to see if her amazement would turn to horror or elation.
The seconds felt like hours until a smile spread across her face.
"I beat him," she said in a quiet voice. Her smile was proud.
Jack rushed to the opposite side of the bed and wrapped his arms around her, holding her as tightly as he could. "You did it, baby," he agreed. His muscles felt weak with the relief that was flooding through him. He stroked her red curls, closing his eyes with gratitude that, once again, Caitlin had escaped danger. At least this time, he felt he had done his part to protect her -- and something about when he had spoken to Billy had pushed her into fighting back against him. He couldn't even imagine the strength that it had taken for her to even face her attacker in a situation like this, much less the courage it had taken for her to fight back -- and win!
Caitlin snuggled up against him, folding herself into his arms. She was so proud of herself, but she also had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Now it was all going to come out. The years of abuse, the horrors she had suffered. What would Shanna think? Would she understand? Would she be angry with Caitlin for not telling her?
With a shaking hand, Caitlin reached over and hit the call button for a nurse. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal; the pounding of her heart had eased up a bit, though her headache had returned full force. She wanted Billy out of here, unconscious or not.
"I'll call the local police," Jack said quietly, pulling away and studying her expression.
She nodded with reluctance. He stroked her cheek gently. "It'll be okay, baby," he whispered. He was sure she was frightened of the repercussions that would come from reporting Billy, but he knew it needed to be done. 'It's about time that psychotic bastard got what's coming to him,' he thought grimly.
A nurse walked in to answer Caitlin's call, turning the overhead light on. She gasped as she saw the man sprawled at the side of the bed. "Dear God, what happened?!" she cried.
Jack paused from dialing the police and told her, "The cops will be here in a few minutes. He has a concussion and will probably be waking up soon -- I want him out of here before that happens. Can you get a cot?"
The nurse nodded, a nervous expression on her face as she rushed out of the room. Jack spoke to the police briefly, and hung up as the nurse returned with a cot. Caitlin watched, her emerald eyes dark with worry, as Jack lifted Billy up and laid him on the cot. She sucked in her breath when she saw what Billy was wearing -- a white doctor's coat.
"Is that how he got in?" she whispered in disbelief.
Jack nodded wryly. "I know. What kind of security does this hospital have?" he asked the nurse.
She flushed and wheeled Billy out of the room quickly, choosing not to answer Jack. He sighed. It wasn't fair of him to put the nurse on the spot like that, but he was sure as hell going to talk to somebody about how a twenty-something kid in a white coat managed to sneak into a patient's room in the middle of the night.
The next hour or so was a blur. The local police came and took a statement from Caitlin and Jack. Caitlin somehow managed to withhold her tears when telling her story to the police, and Jack was amazed yet again at her strength. 'I'm a cop, and she's my role model for bravery,' he thought with no shame whatsoever.
The police also agreed to talk to the head of security about the situation. "We'll take in the security guard for questioning, and call in his replacement," they informed Jack. He nodded, satisfied.
When the cops finally left, Jack and Caitlin laid down together, squeezing side by side onto her hospital bed. He held her in silence, absently playing with her curls as she stroked his cheek. They were both exhausted, but neither could sleep after the events of the night. So they just lay together, each lost in their own thoughts, uncertain as to where the next day would take them.
*****
