I didn't know what to do. I felt blinding rage flowing through my veins, and I didn't know where to direct it. She wouldn't talk, and I had no idea if she was hurt anywhere else that wasn't showing.
How would I know if she was damaged internally? Would she let me take her to the hospital?
One look at her defeated form on the bed, and I knew I'd never get her to the hospital. But I needed to know. I needed to make sure every inch of her was okay.
Turning, I walked out of the room and headed for the kitchen. I pulled out my cell phone as I opened the freezer. By the time I found an ice pack, the call connected.
"Hello?"
"Logan, I need you. Now."
It was the longest twenty minutes of my life. When the soft knock on the front door finally came, I jumped from my seat by Leah's bed to answer the door.
Logan and Clare greeted me.
"Hey, thanks for coming. I didn't know what else to do. She won't talk to me, and I just...what if..."
"Hey, Declan, it's okay. I'll make sure she's okay," Logan assured me as we made our way to Leah's room.
When she saw all three of us enter, her eyes widened, and that was when all hell broke loose.
"You called them? What the f**k, Declan? I don't need a pity party!" she said, her voice rising louder than it had since I arrived.
Sitting next to her on the bed, I tried to be as gentle as possible. "Leah, you wouldn't talk, and I needed to make sure you weren't hurt anywhere else. It was either having Logan come here or taking you to the hospital."
"I'm not hurt anywhere else," she said, turning her head toward me.
I thought that was when Logan and Clare got the full view of the side of her face because Clare gasped, and I heard Logan curse under his breath.
"How do you know?" I asked Leah.
"He only hit my face. He only ever hits my face," she muttered.
"Who is he? And this has happened before?" My hands tightened, and I counted to ten, trying to keep a check on my raw hatred of whoever had done this.
"It was your father, wasn't it?" Clare asked softly from across the room. "This wasn't the first time, Leah? How long? Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Leah's eyes shot up to her best friend. "It wasn't all the time. I knew how to control it and avoid it for the most part. As long as I didn't antagonize him, I was safe."
"Jesus, Leah. You should have told me," Clare said, her eyes full of concern.
Leah must have read concern for pity because she retaliated. "Yeah, well...we all can't have perfect childhoods, Clare."
"I didn't mean it like that. I just...never-mind. I'm going to go wait out in the living room," she said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
Logan watched her walk out before taking a step toward Leah. "I want to examine your injuries, Leah. Will you let me?"
She just nodded, and I felt myself take a breath finally. I wouldn't feel right until I knew she was okay or at least not hurting anywhere else.
"Do you want Declan here?"
Before she could even respond, I answered for her, "I'm not leaving."
She didn't protest, so Logan proceeded and asked to sit on the edge of the bed. He checked out her eye, which had already been cleaned up. The bruises and marks on her arm were looked at as well, and then the questions came.
"Leah, did he hurt you anywhere else?" Logan asked.
"No, I don't think so."
"You're not sure?"
"I blacked out after he backhanded me," she answered softly.
I bit back a curse but remained quiet. Logan just nodded and asked her to lie down, so he could check her abdomen for any signs of injury. When that appeared fine, one last question was necessary, and I felt my breath quickening, knowing Logan would have to ask.
"Did he...has he ever hurt you...sexually?"
"No. Never. The only thing that gets my father off is booze," she said with little to no emotion.
Oh thank God. I didn't know if I would have been able to let the motherfucker live for another minute if he had ever touched her. Even now, I wasn't sure how long his life expectancy was going to be.
Logan finished up and gave directions on how to care for the bruises and cuts. The directions were more for me than Leah since she obviously knew how to treat wounds with her medical background.
I walked Logan and Clare to the door and thanked them for taking the time to come over. I knew they'd had to drop Maddie off at Clare's parents' house in a rush to make it over here so quickly. I just didn't know what I would have done without their help.
"It's nothing, really. We would do anything for our family," Logan said, looking at me.
I nodded and pulled him into a brotherly hug.
Clare came next, and I whispered in her ear, "She didn't mean it."
She pulled back, smiling. "I know. Twenty plus years of friendship with Leah have taught me a thing or two. I'll get an apology call from her tomorrow."
After locking the door, I made my way back to the bedroom, finding Leah in the same position as before, curled in a ball on her bed. She looked so small and frail in her cotton shorts and T-shirt. Her robe was still in a heap on the floor where I'd dropped it. I picked it up and hung it on the hook where I'd seen her hang it so many times before. I padded to the other side of the bed. I removed my shoes and started to unbuckle my belt.
"You don't have to stay, Declan."
I finished undressing before lying down next to her. I pulled her around, so we were face-to-face.
"Look at me, Leah. That shit you throw out at others might work most of the time. Hell, your short tongue alone might send others running. But let me tell you something right now. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be here while you cry, scream, and let it all out...because all of us, even you, need someone to hold us when we cry."
The rest of the tears she'd been holding in while Clare and Logan had been here came spilling out. It was like the breaking of a dam. I held her until she cried herself to sleep, and then I held her while she slept, hoping my arms would protect her from all the harm life had shown her. While she slept, I remained wide-awake, gently stroking her hair, as I decided how to get rid of her father...for good.
Chapter Eleven
~Leah~
I awoke slowly, covered in a warmth I'd grown accustomed to since Declan had come into my life. I smiled briefly, feeling his heated body flush against mine, as I listened to the even tone of his breathing. I felt peaceful...until my smile grew too big, and my lip started to split back open.
Then, the memories of the day before came roaring back —the trip to my father's house, the stupid trip when I'd asked questions I'd known I would never get the answers to. The trip had only proven what an even bigger soulless ass**le my father was. And the anger...the anger was what I thought of the most. His eyes had glazed over and his rage was unleashed, as his nails had bitten into my delicate skin. I remembered the things he'd said. It wasn't the first time I'd heard them. My father loved to remind me of his sacrifices all the time. I'd like to share a few of mine with him, but I usually managed to keep my mouth shut.