Chapter 48
“I need to know everything that’s associated with this beating. Dallas mentioned that your dad kicked you in the abdomen a dozen or more times before taking you to the training room. That it took you a long time to start screaming. This leads me to believe that the bruising to your abdomen and the cuts I have found all over your body happened at the same time. Are there any other cuts or bruises that I don’t know about?”
He finally nods yes before looking back at me. The fear I see in his eyes is immeasurable as he begins to speak.
“The back…. of my neck..... where he…. grabbed me.... My wrists….. my forearms.... and shins..... I broke…. the chain...... I couldn’t take...... all the hits..... without yelping..... I did..... what I could.... to protect myself.”
“So I’m looking for defensive wounds as well.”
He nods slowly as I stand back up.
“I’ll help you get the gown back on once I finish with the pictures of your body. I can get pictures of your neck and other areas of bruising while you sit. I don’t want to keep you standing too long. Do you understand what’s going to happen?”
He nods his head as he speaks “yes sir.”
“And are you willing to participate in these pictures?”
“I don’t…. have much.... of a choice.”
He nods but his verbal response easily tells me he wants to refuse. He stands slowly from the toilet and follows my directions. He stops after a few steps before turning and facing the wall, both hands on the rail.
“Try to relax, Cole. I understand this is a difficult thing for you to do so soon after meeting me.”
I run my hand through his hair as I gently pull the string on the back of the gown. The bow comes undone easily allowing the gown to slide down his arms away from his body. His body trembles bad enough that I can see it, his head is bowed down towards the floor.
I pause a moment, wishing in vain that the young wolf could get used to me and my involvement with him. I truly intend to help him but with his previous experiences only leading to more problems, I know that getting what I need to get him out is going to be difficult. I step behind him and position my phone so I get the least amount of glare from the overhead lights. I concentrate on each picture for the best image of his current condition. I’m quite shocked at how little these injuries have healed considering the beating happened Saturday. I snap several pictures before speaking with him again.
“Well done, Cole. Now I’m going to help get you turned so I can get pictures of your front.”
He submits to my position changes easily and hands me his gown. I start with pictures of his chest and work my way down. I stifle all sounds when I finally see his groin. I’m amazed at how difficult it is to separate out the different parts of his anatomy.
His male parts are severely swollen and discolored. There are several raised red lines criss crossing the area giving him the look of being striped. It’s only when I look closer at his left thigh that I see something different. There is a large, fluid filled blister that appears to be a second degree burn going completely around the middle of his thigh. I take several quick pictures and stand back up. His eyes are closed and he appears to be counting by the way his lips are moving yet no sound comes out.
“Cole,” I speak quietly so as not to startle him. “What caused the burn on your thigh?”
He opens his eyes, making contact with mine before quickly looking away.
“I don’t know..... I keep.... my eyes shut..... when he chains me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it when I was cutting your boxers? Didn’t it hurt when I touched it?”
I stretch out his gown so it’s easy for him to slip one of his arms through the hole. He hesitates to put his hand on my shoulder. It’s only when I look back to his face that I realize his fear has grown deeper.
“What’s wrong, Cole?”
I can see his chin trembling as he tries to speak.
“I lied to you…. I’m sorry….. I must have….. forgotten…… he had Andre…... wrap…. something tight…… around my leg….. right after…… chaining me…… It burned bad….. but I don’t….. know why…. Please don’t….. punish me….. I didn’t….. I black”
He yelps when I place my hand on the side of his face, stopping his struggle to talk.
“It’s okay, Cole. I don’t feel that you lied. I’m not mad at you.”
I quietly reassure him before getting his other arm through the sleeve. I get him to lean against me as I tie the back of the gown before leading him out the door.
We slowly make our way back to his bed without issue. I watch him as his face contorts in pain as he sits so I decide to check his chart for the last time he received anything for the pain he’s in. I’ve yet to hear anything back about the X-rays taken of his ribs where that long, black bruise sits. I come back with several items and sit on the bed next to him.
“I’d like to try and get some soup into you as well as some more formula through the feeding tube. I’ve got some vicoprofen if you’d like for the pain you’re in.”
It’s hard to tell if he’s thinking about my offer of pain medication or if he’s simply trying to cope with it.
“Cole.”
I speak softly as I touch his chin. He startles badly before he looks at me with fearful eyes.
“Cole, let me give you something for the pain.”
He nods his head as he looks down again. I slip my hand into his and start moving his arm towards me. I freeze when he lifts his hand off mine, quickly bringing it back to his body.
“What’s wrong, Cole? You agreed that you wanted medication for your pain but you’re showing a lot of hesitation towards me giving it to you.”
“I don’t know….. what’s in….. that syringe….. I’m sorry Alpha.”
I reach over and gently raise his chin so he’s looking at me. Even though we seem to be making good headway with the panic induced asthma attack all I can see is fear. Absolute and all encompassing fear within his eyes.
“How about I hold you for a little bit? It seems like we’ve stepped back away from being able to trust me.”
“I’m scared alpha…..” He starts to whisper. “I don’t know how….. not to be scared”
“It’s okay to be scared, Cole, and it’s okay not to trust. I just want to help make you more comfortable. The medication can wait until Angela gets here. I’ve already asked her to come look at the burn on your leg.”
He nods his head silently as he turns away from me again.
“Cole, will you let me hold you? Let me get some soup into you?” “Anxiety….. too high…. to eat….. I’m sorry Alpha.”
“It’s okay, Cole.”
I speak softly hoping to gain some confidence back. He was doing well with me until I took the pictures. I can’t even begin to imagine what might be going through his head right now considering how the other alphas sent him home a month before the council came knocking.
I move the tray off the bed to the table beside it. I take a few steps to the head of the bed before sitting down behind Cole. He whimpers lightly at my closeness and I can tell he wants to pull away but simply doesn’t have the energy needed to do so.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
I whisper lightly near his ear as I wrap my arms gently around him. Now that his breathing is better he has a bit more fight and his fear makes it difficult for him to comply with what I need from him.
“Sit back against me. I promise it will help.”
His agitation and fight are getting stronger as I gently try to coax him back into me. He continues to lean away from me but hasn’t tried to leave the bed yet, although it does concern me that he legs are still hanging off the side. He’s moving his arms slowly but the movement is erratic. As I watch his movements longer his confusion becomes clearer.
I follow his movements until I’m able to make contact with his hands. I don’t grab on to him nor does he grab onto me but it does stop his movements. He draws a sharp, startled breath in as he waits for my next move.
“It’s okay to touch me Cole.”
He shakes his head as I struggle to understand what it is that he’s struggling with. No matter how I reassure him that this is what I want he resists following my directions. It feels as if he was punished for doing what he was told as much as he was for defiance.
“Cole please, pulling you towards me is going to cause you pain that I don’t want to cause. Come to me. I’m not going to hurt you.”
His body freezes in place as he puts his head in his hands. While I’m starting to understand why Red General feels the need to tie him to the bed I also feel that has ultimately made this situation that much more difficult for him to deal with. I move myself closer to him as he rocks his body back and forth lightly. His head is in his hands but he is no longer actively trying to get away from me.
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