“Geezus, what did they do to her?”
“Honestly, I don’t even want to know. She’s been in an out of consciousness all week and hasn’t said a word.”
“Maybe she’s in shock. Y
ou know, PTSD.”
“That’s what Melanie suggests and I agree. The thing is, I know she recognizes me, I can feel it, but she won’t acknowledge me or Melanie. She just stares off into space or out the window. I’ll talk and talk and talk and won’t get a peep out of her. I don’t know what to do, Rob. I feel like I’m failing all over again.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over this. It won’t be easy. The best thing you can do is be by her side. As long as she sees that you’re not giving up, she’ll know that you’re there for her. Don’t let her see your aggravation and sense of failure. It’ll make things worse.”
I let out a deep breath, “Yeah, you’re probably right. Listen, I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sure, Duke. What do you need?”
“I need you to keep an eye on my place while I’m out. Derrick is still on the loose and I know he’ll be coming after her sooner or later. I don’t want him showing up at my apartment if I’m not there. If you see anything strange going on, call me. I’m going to call my folks and tell them to head out of the city for a bit. I can’t focus on keeping Raya safe if my parents are an easy target as well.”
“Got it. Hey, while I have you on the phone… With everything that has happened, they postponed Craig’s transfer and he’s being charged with orchestrating and operating the prostitution ring.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. When is the trial?”
“Come on, you know how these things work. They take years to go to trial. And I can promise you this, he’s going to fight it.”
“Over my dead body.”
Rob laughs at my remark, “Just focus on the girl, okay? I’ll call you with any more details.”
“Thanks, Rob.”
“No problem, bro.”
A week later, the doctor tells us that Raya can be discharged. We get all of her papers signed and give our final statements to the police. Raya still hasn’t spoken a single word, but I think that once she’s back home in New York, she’ll slowly open up to us. Melanie runs to the store to pick up a few clothes for her so I stay with Raya until she returns.
I sit on the bed next to Raya as she stares out the window. I wrap my hand around hers and whisper, “You’re going home with me. Are you ready?”
She keeps her silence, but squeezes my hand instead, sending a glimpse of hope back into my life.
Duke
It’s been two weeks since Raya’s been home and it hasn’t been easy. Thankfully, Melanie has been stopping by almost every day, because if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to do this without her. Between Raya’s complete shutdown and just the basic steps of caring for another person, my whole life has been turned upside down.
The first night was pretty smooth. We arrived from the airport and Melanie immediately went out to buy some clothes for her. I carried Raya to her bedroom and carefully laid her on the bed, covering her up with warm blankets. She fell asleep instantly, allowing me to tidy up the place. She slept the entire night with no issues. At first, I was a little worried that perhaps her mind was pulling her away from us, but Melanie told me to stop worrying too much.
Throughout the day, I would sit her up on the bed, carefully feeding her soup or oatmeal. The doctor told me to feed her foods that don’t require a lot of chewing as her jaw still needs to set in place. After her meal, I decided to open the curtains just to get some warm sunlight into the apartment. I remember how much she used to love the sun and felt with her not being able to see it for over five years, perhaps it was the right choice. Maybe it would help bring her back to me.
Since the second night, she’s had a terrible nightmare every night. The first time she had one, I remember sleeping in my room and being woken up by her screams of horror. I rushed out of my bed and into her room, to find her thrashing around violently in her bed.
I went to her and grabbed her wrists, trying to calm her down. Her cries of begging me to stop echoed throughout her room and it completely shattered my heart to pieces.
“Raya, it’s me. I’m not hurting you. Wake up.”
She continued to thrash and tremble in the bed, yelling for me to stop touching her. Panic began to seep into my thoughts as her facial expressions showed exactly what I feared happened to her.
“It’s Duke. Wake up, Raya. You’re dreaming, wake up!”
Instantly her eyes shot open as she woke from her horrific dream. Her breathing was fast and her panting grew erratic. Sweat dripped down her face and onto her cheeks. She looked around the room, slowly realizing where she was.
I whispered, “Raya, you’re safe. You’re with me now, remember?”