2
Bunny
“Ben!” I scream, shooting up from the bed. A sharp pain pulls at my arm. I go to grab it, but a firm hand wraps around my wrist, stopping me.
“I’m here, Bunny.” Ben’s soothing voice fills my ear. He pulls my hand away from the IV in my arm that I almost yanked out. Again.
They’d debated bracing my hands while I slept so I didn’t do it again when I was dreaming. The idea of having my hands bound sent me into a spiral that Ben quickly grounded me from telling them they’d be doing no such thing, he’d watch over me, and he has. He’s always watching me.
“Sorry.” I release a long breath, trying to calm my racing heart.
“Nothing to be sorry for.” He lifts his hand, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. “Nightmare?” I nod. “Remember it?” I shake my head no this time.
“Sorry.” I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.
“What did I say about all the sorries?” He gives me a half smile.
I start to say it again but catch myself, sealing my lips together. His half smile turns into a full one, making him look more handsome than he already is. He’s my very own hero that saved me from the darkness.
I don’t remember anything before I awoke to the darkness of that trunk. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was even awake. I tried opening and closing my eyes, but no matter what I did, everything was still black.
The only sound was my labored breathing. I remember trying to tell myself to remain calm because I knew the fear could overtake me at any moment. That if I let it, there would be no hope. I tried to scream, but the tape muffled it.
“You’re awake,” Amanda says, walking into my hospital room with her little cart to do another one of her checks. The first night I was here, they did them every hour. It was miserable. All I wanted to do was sleep, but over and over, they woke me.
I got so frustrated, I ended up bursting into tears. That sent my Ben into action. I’m not sure what words were exchanged, but afterward, I was finally able to get a few hours of sleep and I think possibly a new doctor.
“I am.” Ben steps back to give her room. My fingers itch to reach out and grab him, but I control myself. He must read me because he goes around to the other side of the bed, stepping close to me.
“How are you feeling?”
“Groggy but my head doesn’t hurt.”
“That’s good. Remember anything?”
“No.”
“All right.” She does her normal routine of checking me over. “I think you might be getting released today,” she informs me.
“Really?”
“She still doesn't remember anything.” Both Ben and I speak at the same time.
“It might be a while before she remembers things, and some things she may never remember.” Amanda repeats the same words I’ve already heard a dozen times.
They have no clue where my memories have gone. Besides a headache, I don’t have any other trauma to my head. Doctor Morandi said sometimes the brain locks things away to protect a person. That scared the crap out of me. What happened to me that made my brain shut down? Maybe I’m better off not knowing.
It’s clear someone had struck me a few times, but when Doctor Morandi did her full examination, she informed me that I was a virgin. That there was no trauma or bruising there.
“Still nothing on who I am?” I look to Ben, who has now slipped his hand into mine. Everyone has been calling me Snow because of my blond-white hair. I guess Ben said I looked like a snow bunny, and it stuck with everyone. So that’s my nickname for now. Ben is the only one that doesn’t call me that. He always refers to me as Bunny.
“No.” His jaw flexes. Something I’ve noticed he does when he’s getting pissed and tries to hide it. I’ve only known Ben for a little under two days, but I’m hyperaware of everything he does. Probably because I barely let the poor man out of my sight.
“Don’t do that. It’s not your fault no one can figure out who I am.” I give his hand a squeeze. “Where would I even go? No one knows who I am or where I belong.” Panic starts to rise inside of me. My chest is growing tight. I’ve already had one panic attack. I jerked awake from a nightmare, and Ben hadn’t been there. I tried to rip my IV out in my panic, a need to flee riding me hard in that moment.
“There are a few shelters that—”
“You’ll come with me, Bunny. Won’t you?” This time it’s Ben’s hand that tightens on mine.
“Yes.” I manage to get the one word out.
I may not know him, but truth be told, I don’t know anyone. Not even myself. But what I do know is Ben has protected me and taken care of me from the moment he popped that trunk open and our eyes met.
“All right, let me check with Dr. Morandi and we’ll see about getting you out of here today,” Amanda says, scribbling down a few more things in my chart before she leaves the room.
“Ben—”
“This isn’t up for debate, Bunny.” He releases my hand. “Or do you not want to come home with me? I’m sure Pink or my sister would let you stay with them if staying with me makes you uncomfortable.” He runs his hands through his short hair, making it a bit unruly. “I thought you’d want to stay with me, but we can work something else out.” He starts to pace.
“I want to stay with you,” I admit. “I just don’t want to be a burden.”
“You’re not a burden, Bunny.” He comes back over to the bed. “You sure you want to stay with me? I’ll get it if you don’t. I just worry you’ll have a nightmare and—”
“And you won’t be there to calm me, and I’ll have another meltdown.”
“It wasn’t a meltdown.” He defends me even against myself.
The man has been a damn saint, my rock in all this, but how long will I have him for? It’s so strange to not know anything about myself or where I come from. There is no sense of loss in me or feeling that I’m missing someone. Though maybe that’s why I was kidnapped. Because no one would miss me or even know I was gone.
A chill runs down my spine. “Stay with me.” Ben grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger. He’s so good with me. It’s hard to believe he has only known me a short time. He always seems to know exactly what I need even before I do.
“I’m with you.”
“Good.” He gives me a warm smile. “Then it’s settled. You’re coming home with me.”