A Hidden Truth

Relations

[3rd Person]

    Jaxon heard his phone ring and searched for it groggily. He’d only had a few hours of sleep. Nothing good ever comes of calls this early in the morning. 

    He finally found it, on the floor under the nightstand, and looked at the caller ID. Teddy. His mind cleared from the panic. Why was Teddy calling at four-thirty in the morning?

    “What happened?” He said as soon as he answered.

    “She had a nightmare and hurt herself. We’re at the emergency room. They’re workin’ on stitchin’ her up right now.” Teddy told him.

    “Stitching? I’m on my way. Don’t leave.” Jaxon said as he stumbled around and dressed. “I’m going now.”

    He hung up. Jaxon knew he shouldn’t have left her alone for the past few days. Why hadn’t he insisted on sleeping over? She’d been having nightmares for the last couple nights. Of course tonight was going to be bad, with everything going on for her emotionally.

    When he got to the hospital, Jaxon ran to the triage nurse in the ER and asked for Juniper’s room. She directed him to the waiting area after calling back and finding out the doctor was in with her. He walked through the automatic doors and followed her directions to the family waiting area. When he saw Teddy and Gary he was relieved, but it was short lived when he saw her stepfather and mother sitting opposite them.

    “How is she?” Jaxon asked Teddy.

    “A little out of it. They have her talkin’ to a psych doctor about the dream. Then he’ll decide if she needs to be watched.” Teddy told him.

    “I’ll pack up my stuff tomorrow and move in.” He said.

    “The hell you will.” Hank growled. “Besides, she’s comin’ home with us. She’s hurt and needs her mama.”

    “She’s going home with us, Hank. This isn’t even a discussion. She’s an adult and will decide on her own when she’s in her right mind.” Gary said.

    “You aren’t her family. This doesn’t concern you.” Hank retorted.

    “He’s her family as much as you are.” Teddy snarled. “More than that. She actually likes Gary.”

    Gary smiled. It was the closest Teddy had come to saying he wanted to stay with him. He’d take any step forward. When Jaxon said she was having nightmares earlier, Gary was a little afraid Teddy blamed him for not being there for her.

    Dr. Tilley stood outside the waiting room and listened to the argument going on. He was concerned about Juniper’s safety. She was definitely not going with her stepfather. 

    That dream told him everything he needed to know. The fact that she described him as a snake, before telling Mark she’d lied, said a lot. It was the animal she associated Hank with. A toxic volatile creature.

    Her own admission that he’d been stabbing her in the dream while making her watch the man she was involved with deepen his relationship with his friend, was s****l. Her mind was terrified she was going to be abandoned by the people she loved, outside her family, and end up sexually brutalized by her stepfather. The bite scars were concerning, too.

    Mark had ordered a vaginal exam to make sure she hadn’t been violated. Her history said she wasn’t sexually active, but no one tells their siblings everything, and her boyfriend was talking about moving in with her. Usually, that meant they were intimate. He took a breath and entered the room.

    “All done. Are you Jaxon?” He asked.

    “Yes.” Jaxon stepped forward. “How is she? Can I see her?”

    “I’m Dr. Tilley. Can I talk to you privately for a moment?”

    “Of course.” Jaxon nodded.

    “Wait just a minute! We’re her family. You can’t tell him stuff, but not us.” Hank insisted.

    “What I need to talk to him about is private and not about you or any other members of Juniper’s family.” Dr. Tilley stated firmly and led Jaxon to the consultation room down the hall, locking the door behind them.

    “How can I help?”

    “Are you and Miss Fordyce sexually active?” He felt it was sometimes best to be blunt.

    “No. She’s asked me to wait until she’s ready and I’m happy to do so. To my knowledge, I’ll be her first.” Jaxon admitted nervously.

    “How do you know that?”

    “Her stepfather didn’t permit dating and was very restrictive on where she went, who she was with, and who was allowed on the property.” Jaxon told him.

    Dr. Tilley sighed deeply. He wondered how much she’d shared with her boyfriend about everything. He seemed very confident in her chastity. Obviously, he couldn’t share much because of doctor/patient privilege.

    “We ordered a pelvic exam because there was some indication that she may have been assaulted. So we needed to check if she’d been intimate with you recently.” He said.

    “I understand. Is she okay? How bad is her injury? You can’t let her mother take her home. Juniper lives with her brother.” Jaxon insisted.

    “She told me she lives with her brother. I’m not recommending she stay here. Do you want to go see her?” Mark offered. It would give him insight into the relationship and it would be easier to assess how much the boyfriend knew.

    “Can I? You said she was getting an exam. I don’t want to get in the way of her care.”

    “They should be done by now. Come with me. I know I would be worried at your age if my girlfriend was in the hospital.” He smiled.

    They left the consultation room and Dr. Tilley guided him to the curtained off area where Juniper was. The ER doctor was just leaving and saw them.

    “Dr. Tilley. I completed the exam just now. She should be good to go. Did you want to inform the family?”

    “Dr. Price. This is Juniper’s boyfriend. I was just bringing him in to see her.”

    “Jaxon!” Juniper called out.

    “Thank you both for your work. Excuse me.” Jaxon said and went into the curtained area where her voice had come from.

    He paused. She looked pale and scared. Jaxon hurried to her side and took her hand in his, kissing her on top of her head.

    “Sweet, I came as soon as Teddy called me. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.” He whispered.

    “Were you at home? In your own bed? Alone?” She sounded worried.

    “Of course, I took Kenny and Morgan to their motel and went straight home. I wasn’t in any condition to have company after we left the club. Not unless it was you.” He murmured.

    “I was scared. I thought…” Juniper’s words trailed off.

    Jaxon realized she’d thought he was sleeping with Kenny. He understood. She didn’t mean to imply he was unfaithful. Hank told her no one else would love her and she’d had a triggering event with the implication that Jaxon might not want her as much as she wanted him.

    “Never. Never ever think that, sweet girl. I love only you. We can get you dressed and take you home now. I bet your friends are worried.”

    “My pajama shirt is covered in blood.” She sighed.

    Jaxon pulled his t-shirt off and slid it over her head. The nurse came in to disconnect her from the IV and monitors. He pulled the gown off and helped her slip her arms into the sleeves of his shirt, sliding it over her body and the bandages covering her stomach.

    Dr. Tilley watched the gentle care Jaxon exerted in dressing Juniper and how he talked to her. Even when he took the gown off of her, Jaxon was respectful and didn’t look at her body until he’d covered her breasts. If nothing else, Mark knew the man was a caring person who was more interested in helping Juniper than in helping himself to Juniper.

    He left the couple to finish getting ready and went to let her family know she could go home. Dr. Price had given him the paperwork and told him what would need to be addressed with the family. He entered the waiting room again and all four of the people waiting on Juniper stood.

    “She’s getting dressed. We’re discharging her. The stitches should dissolve in five to ten days. No climbing stairs for a week. Loose clothing over the area with the stitches. Bedrest for at least twenty-four hours. Clean the wounds and change the bandages three times a day. No submerging for a few days. We’re prescribing a sedative to help her sleep and you’ll want her to wear gloves so she doesn’t scratch herself again. Once she’s off them, someone can sleep with her and wake her fifteen minutes before the dreams usually start. It should help her mind reset. I want to see her once a week for a while to help her resolve the stress that’s causing the dreams.” Dr. Tilley stated.

    “I can carry her up the porch.” Gary said to Teddy. “She barely weighs anything.”

    “The guest house at our place is all one level. No stairs. It’ll be better.” Hank insisted.

    “She said she will be going home with her brother, Mr. Merritt. I’m sure she would appreciate your offer, but that’s where she’s most comfortable. It would be less stressful to be in her own room with all of her own things.” Dr. Tilley said.

    Jaxon came in shirtless, pushing Juniper in a wheelchair. It was hospital policy that she couldn’t walk out on her own. He pushed it next to Teddy and Gary as they stared and realized his shirt was now on Juniper. They looked at each other, it was sweet and they couldn’t resist thinking of how cute it was.

    “I’m going to go get my car. It’ll be better than trying to get her into your truck, Gary.” Jaxon said.

    “We’ll make sure she doesn’t go picking any fights.” Gary grinned. He knew it annoyed her, but he loved teasing her.

    “I’m ‘bout to kick your ass right from this chair.” Juniper muttered.

    Hank tried to argue for Juniper coming back with him and Marie-Rose. But everyone shut him down repeatedly, including Juniper. Marie-Rose was embarrassed. It wasn’t until Jaxon was loading her into the car that he finally gave up.