I look over at Ryan in panic and he strokes his thumb lovingly over my hand. "It'll be okay, Danny. We need to take you to the hospital to get checked out."
I nod, trusting in Ryan.
At the hospital, they triage me fairly quickly and whisk me away for a CT scan of my head. Then they put me in a room where Ryan is waiting and I crawl onto his lap so he can hold me. The room we are in is depressing as hell. The walls are a dingy gray and are covered with old posters depicting different types of injuries. The smell of antiseptic is making me nauseous.
As we are waiting for a doctor, a police officer comes to take my statement and he takes photos of my bruises. Apparently there is a long scratch across my lower back that I don't recall how I got, but he snaps a few pictures of it. I'm beyond humiliated.
Before leaving, he tells us that he has to keep Ryan's cell phone for evidence, as it appears that Reece used it to lure me to the frat house by posing as Ryan, texting me that he was sick.
"I forgot to bring my phone with me to the party," Ryan murmurs. "Thank God you texted Mike. Otherwise...I wouldn't have known you were in trouble." I shudder as I consider the probability of what would have happened had I not sent that text and Ryan hugs me tight.
As soon as the one cop leaves, another comes in.
"She's already given a statement," Ryan growls. "Can't you guys leave her alone?"
The officer looks at me with sympathy but then turns hard eyes to Ryan. "I'm not here to take her statement. I'm here to place you under arrest for assault and battery."
"What?!" I shriek a little too loudly and fly off of Ryan's lap. "He was defending me. You need to arrest that animal who attacked me."
"Ma'am. You need to calm down. We will press charges against Mr. Malone but he is asking that we press charges against Mr. Burnham."
"It's not fair," I whisper, and the tears start flowing again. Ryan gathers me in his arms and kisses my forehead. He asks the cop, "Can you wait until at least she sees the doctor so I can stay with her?"
The cop looks back and forth between us and then sighs. "Sure. I'll be outside waiting for you."
Before he steps outside he turns to look at us. "For what it's worth, if that had been my wife or my daughter, I would have done exactly what you did, Mr. Burnham."
Ryan nods at the cop who leaves and softly shuts the door behind him. Then he picks me up and sits back down, cradling me in his lap. "It's going to okay, Danny. Please don't worry."
I'm clutching his shirt while I lay my head in the crook of his neck. "How can I not worry? You're getting arrested."
"Sssshhh," he says. "Just close your eyes until the doctor gets here."
I do as he asks and then I melt when Ryan starts humming a song to me. I don't recognize it at first but then I realize its John Lennon's Imagine, one of my all-time favorite songs. I utterly sink into Ryan and let him sing to me to wash away my fears.
Eventually, Sarge arrives. I had called Paula at work and she was trying to find someone to cover her shift so she could come to me. Sarge was my next call after Paula. He hugs me and then puts Ryan in a big, bear hug, thanking him for saving me.
Finally the doctor comes and clears me. He says my CT scan is negative and that I should be just fine.
After he leaves, I turn to Ryan. Any words I want to say are stuck in the dryness of my throat. He asks for my phone and I hand it to him. He enters something in my contacts and hands it back to me.
"Please call my uncle tonight," he says. "I programmed it under Jim Thorne. He knows who you are. Tell him what happened and ask if he can arrange for an attorney for me. Ask him not to call my parents. I don't feel like dealing with them."
I nod then hug him hard. "I love you. More than anything."
"I love you too." He pulls back and kisses me on the temple. "Don't worry. I promise it'll be okay."
I start to walk out the door with him but he shakes his head no. "I don't want you to see me get arrested."
I nod as tears stream down my face, and the door closes behind him. Sarge takes me in his arms and hugs me again.
CHAPTER 15
Ryan
I'm at my arraignment hearing the day after my arrest. Uncle Jim brought me one of my suits to wear and he's sitting with Danny behind me. I glance back at her and give her a reassuring smile. She returns it and mouths I love you.
Uncle Jim hired me a really good lawyer and he has prepared me that the judge will probably not throw the charges out at this point, but that I should be able to make bail with no problems. This satisfies me.
I know I should be afraid at the prospect of getting convicted but I'm not. And I have no regrets for beating that shit the way I did. I'd do it again if he even looks at Danny the wrong way. The only solace I have right now is that he is in jail for attempted rape and will most likely not make bail.
The hearing is short. I stand as the judge reads the charges against me and asks how I plead. I want to say, "I'd do it all over again, Your Honor" but instead I say, "Not Guilty" as my attorney instructed me to do. Bail is set at $10,000 which is easy money and then the hearing is over.
My attorney tells Uncle Jim and Danny that he'll walk me through the process of paying the bail and getting me released, and that we will meet them on the front steps of the courthouse.
***
I walk out of the courthouse and immediately loosen the tie around my throat. I've always felt too confined in them. I glance around looking for Danny and Uncle Jim and when I find her my blood starts to boil. My mother is standing there and she and Uncle Jim are arguing. Danny is pale looking.
I jog over to them and as I come up behind my mother, I hear her say, "Well, he wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for her. Girls like her bring this stuff upon themselves."
"Celia!" My uncle says with warning. "That's enough."
I brush past my mother and gather Danny in my arms. I give her a hug and kiss her on her forehead. I pull back and look at her. She gives me a shaky smile.
Turning to my mother, I say the words that need to be said. "Mother, you've said the last hurtful thing about Danny that I will tolerate. I'm done with you. Do not contact me or reach out to me again. In fact, how about you just pretend I never existed."
Danny and my mother both gasp out loud.
"Ryan," my mother pleads. "You don't mean that. You can't choose her over your family."
I feel Danny flinch in my arms over those words. I look at my mom levelly. "Listen carefully, Mother, because I mean this with every fiber of my being. I am choosing love. I am choosing someone who loves me unconditionally, no matter what. It's as simple as that."
I turn and walk away, pulling Danny along with me. I can hear my mother crying and I even hear Uncle Jim say, "You brought it upon yourself, Celia."
We walk to my Range Rover that Danny had driven today. She hands me the keys and I open the door to let her in. Before she steps in, I stop her and she looks at me. She has purple bruising over her right cheekbone. I reach my fingers out and skim over it gently. She closes her eyes at the touch.
I smooth my fingers into her hair and slide them to the back of her head. I need her so badly. I need to know none of this is scaring her away from me. Pulling her face toward mine, I tentatively touch my lips to hers. She sighs into me and lets herself go, entwining her tongue around mine. Relief courses through me as I realize I've not lost her.
***
We are lying in Danny's bed, naked, and thoroughly replete. I'm on my back and she's lying on top of me with her head on my chest. I'm stroking her hair and her back, both feeling like silk under my palm.
Our lovemaking was slow and tender. When we got to her apartment, Danny's first words were, "Touch me, please. Make me forget."
And I did.
"What are you thinking?" Danny asks me.
"I'm actually thinking of your music. Can you get back into Julliard?"
Danny is quiet but then she answers softly. "I believe so. My audition was really good.
And I withdrew for hardship reasons so I shouldn't have a problem."
"I think you should go back."
Her body stiffens in my arms and the lazy circles she was drawing on my chest with her fingers still.
"I can't afford it right now."
I sit up and pull her up with me. Holding her by the shoulders, I say, "Then let me help you."
Danny's shaking her head back and forth.
"Why not?" I demand.
My tone is harsh and I've never spoken to her this way before. She's taken aback for only a few seconds before her eyes go green on me with anger.
"Because I'm not some whore who takes gifts in return for sex. I already have enough of your friends calling me that...I don't need any more."
My mouth hangs open. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Paying you for sex?"
She doesn't say anything but won't meet my eyes. I gently take hold of her chin and make her meet my gaze. "Danny...I love you. I want to help you achieve your dreams. That's what people in love do for each other."
Danny deflates right in front of me and crawls onto my lap. "I know, and I'm sorry I'm such a bitch about this. It just seems weird to me. And I'm sensitive about how others view me. You're mom things I'm a gold digging tramp, remember?"
I'm quiet for a minute as I'm stroking her hair. Then I venture, "Would you feel different if we were married?"
She snaps her head up so hard it catches me on my chin with a resounding crack.
"Ouch," she swears.
I start laughing and rub the top of her head although I feel like I've been hit in the chin with a metal pipe.