Chapter Text
The attack was over in seconds. A stunned Nicole stood up from the floor of the empty classroom of her high school, eyes wide, breathing heavy. And fast. Had that happened? Had he really cornered her and threatened her? Had she imagined his grip, tightened on her bicep?
Nicole moved her right hand up her left arm. The soreness remained. It had happened. She took in a deep breath and exhaled it. A couple of more and the rhythm steadied. She bent down, gathered her belongings, and shoved them into the bag that had fallen in the encounter. She passed a couple of underclass girls in the hallway, and exited by the south door without making eye contact.
LSLSLSLSLS
TK opened the loft door to find his sister on the other side. “Hey,” he said, reaching out to hug her. The girl took a step back as he said, “What are you doing here?”
Over his shoulder, she saw Carlos watching them from the couch. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know it’s a little late.”
“It’s fine. Come in. Dad know where you are?” He stepped aside and let her into the room.
“Yeah. He has a shift tonight. I called and told him that I had a game of yours that I needed to return.”
“Well, that was a lie,” he said with a chuckle in his voice.
“Yeah. It was.” She sucked her lip between her teeth and wondered if her being here was a mistake.
TK’s brow crinkled in concern. “What’s going on?”
“Ummmm . . . I don’t really know.” She fiddled with a loose strand of brown hair and pushed it under her ponytail elastic. “Maybe . . . nevermind.” A warmth rose up her body.
Carlos said, “Nicole, would you like me to leave the room? So you can talk to TK?”
“No! I mean . . . I think. . . I think I should go. I’m sorry.” She moved towards the door. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” TK said. He took a step towards her and grabbed her arm.
She pulled away from him with more force than needed, or intended. “Don’t touch me.”
TK, eyes widened, held his hands up in front of him and Carlos leapt off the couch. He moved around in a wide circle to stand between her and the door while TK talked. “Ok, ok, honey. No one is going to touch you. Are you hurt anywhere else?”
She hated the tone his voice had taken. She hated that she had come here. It was a mistake. She wanted to shake her head, “no,” at his question. She hated herself when she realized she was nodding, “yes.”
“Sit down.”
“No.” Her hands shook as she again played with the loose strand.
TK’s heart broke. He needed to place his big brother persona aside and step into paramedic mode. He looked up and met the eyes of Carlos who read his mind and gave a slight nod.
She looked like she could topple over at any moment. He decided to give her one more chance. “You can sit down on your own or we will sit you down.” Her breathing quickened and the best option seemed to be to run. Two steps in the opposite direction led her smack into Carlos’ arms. “No.” She tried to yell it, but it strangled in her throat and escaped as a groan. Without any exertion, Carlos wrangled her arms, lifted her off her feet, and deposited her on the couch next to him.
TK perched on the coffee table in front of them and took Nicole’s wrist. “Slow your breathing,” he said. He continued to count. “Hey,” he said, “take a breath.” He looked at Carlos. “Stay with her. I’ll get supplies.”
Carlos sat close and kept an arm across the back of the couch. The fight had left her. Of course, she would not have gotten far if she tried. “I don’t know where he thinks we would go.”
Nicole felt calmer. And ridiculous. “I’m so sorry, Carlos. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
He took the strand of hair that would not be tamed and twisted it around her ponytail before tucking it in. “Don’t be sorry. You’re upset. You need help. You came to the right place. Let TK help you and then we’ll straighten everything out.” Hair secured, he kissed the top of her head. She did not flinch.
TK returned with their first aid kit, not knowing what he would need, and took hold of her wrist again. “Pulse has slowed,” he said and counted to himself. “Too slow.” He looked up at his sister and watched her eyes flicker closed, then open. Panic rose. “Nicole!” he said, “where’s the pain?” Her eyes shut. “Open your eyes and tell me where it hurts.”
She obeyed, “Back.”
He moved to sitting at the edge of the couch and lifted her shirt as Carlos turned her pliable body.
“Blunt trauma,” he said, sort of to Carlos, mostly to himself. To his sister he said, “You were kicked?” His question brought no response so he shifted his attention to her head, running his fingers up the back of it. “Did you bang your head?”
“No,” she said, trying to will this examination along.
“Give me your hand.”
She gave it without question and he placed it on the back, left side of her head. Her eyes widened when she felt the lump. “How did that get there?” she asked, panic in her voice. Carlos reached back and placed a gentle hand on it as well.
“You banged your head.” TK searched in his kit for a pen light.
“Why don’t I remember?” she asked.
Light retrieved, he focused it on her eyes. “Look at me.” He flashed the light in and out of both of her eyes. “Equal and reactive. You may have lost consciousness for a moment. That’s why you don’t remember. Did you fall down?” She nodded.
“Who did this to you, Nikki?” Carlos asked.
Nicole remained still and silent.
TK tossed the kit aside and stood. “Ok, we need to take you to the ER now.”
“What? No! Equal and reactive. That’s what you said. That means I’m fine.”
“You have a boot print wrapping around your side and an egg on your head. Plus, you look a little woozy. You need to be checked out.”
Carlos added, “And we are not giving you a choice.”
Nicole rose from the couch too quickly and tried to hide the swoon she felt. Carlos, behind her, held out a steadying hand as neither of the boys missed a beat.
“TK, please, you know if we go to the hospital this is going to become a thing.”
“Chica,” Carlos said, nudging her towards the door, “this is already a thing.”
LSLSLSLSLS
Carlos stood against the far wall of the emergency room waiting area facing the door so he would not miss the captain’s entrance. He called the man when they arrived and filled him in on the very little bit of the situation that they knew. When Owen did arrive, Carlos felt sure that no one in the room missed it as the man entered like a bull seeing a red cape. Carlos raced over and intercepted him before anyone was run down. “Owen,” he called. Owen pivoted and hurried to his son-in-law.
“Carlos, where is she?” Either of their badges could traverse any door in the building, so being granted permission was not a concern.
“Follow me.” He led Owen through a maze of hallways to the cubicle where Nicole was being housed, and waited outside the door while father and son switched places. The turnover took only a few moments and TK exited the room, straight into Carlos’ open arms. “Any news?”
TK shook his head as he pulled away from his partner. “Still waiting for the doctor. But she’s conscious and stable. And stubborn.”
“Yeah,” Carlos said, “seems to be a strong gene in your family.” He found a secluded corner and they both sat, TK’s hand in his. “She’s still not giving any indication as to who hurt her?”
“No. She’s claiming now that she fell. But there’s a handprint on her arm. Maybe my dad can get something out of her.”
“Tk,” he waited for his fiance to look at him, “who hurt her?”
“Are you suggesting it’s my dad?” he asked, yanking his hand back.
Carlos met his aggression. “Of course not.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I know you know that. It’s just, I’m sure that’s what everyone here is thinking.”
“It’s ok. I know you’re upset, but the hospital is not releasing a minor with obvious signs of assault without getting some answers. You know that.”
“I know. What do we do?”
“Does Nicole have a new boyfriend?”
TK shook his head. “Not that I know of. I haven’t really spent much time with her lately, though. Oh my God, Carlos! Someone kicked her in the back! Who would do that?”
“I don’t know, babe. But we’ll figure it out. We’ll take care of her.”
TK shook his head, “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to worry about any of this. This isn’t what you signed up for.”
“I don’t think an assaulted sister was on your Bingo card for tonight either.”
“Yeah, but they’re my family,” TK said, nodding towards the room he had vacated.
“And you are mine. So they are mine.”
LSLSLSLSLS
Owen walked into his daughter’s cubicle and watched her eyes fill with tears at the sight of him. He rushed to her side and placed a hand on her forehead. “Nicole! Honey, are you alright? What happened?”
“Dad, I’m so sorry. This is stupid. I shouldn’t be here.” She tried to swing her legs off the side of the gurney, but her father prevented it.
“Well, you’re here now,” he said, “why don’t we just have you checked out. The boys seem worried.”
“Yeah,” she settled back down. “They worry too much.”
His trained eye scanned her for injuries. Still fully clothed, he saw none. “Where are you hurt?”
“I’m not. Not really. Just tired.”
Owen was not buying that story, but did want to keep her calm. “Carlos said that someone hurt you. Who hurt you?”
She hated his tone. It sounded like TK’s when he was examining her at the loft. Did they train them to make their voices do that? Carlos had it too. She wanted them all to talk to her like normal people. “I just fell and bumped my head, Dad. No big deal.”
“Honey, whatever happened, you can tell me. We will figure everything out. I will always protect you and keep you safe.”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” The tears were falling and her father wiped them away. “I just want to go home. Please, take me home.:
“Not quite yet. There’s a gown here. Did they want you to put that on?”
“I’m not putting that on. They don’t need me to take off my clothes.”
Owen was relieved when the doctor entered the room. “Nicole? Hi. I’m Dr. Sullivan. Is this your dad?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m going to ask him to leave for a few minutes, if that’s alright with you.”
Nicole nodded while her dad leaned down and kissed her on the head. “I’ll be right outside, ok?”
Dr. Sullivan ignored the fact that Nicole had not disrobed and began by examining her head. “So, Nicole, can you tell me how you got hurt today?”
“I kind of got into a fight with someone at school.”
“KInd of, huh? There’s a little bump back here. Did you fall?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok, where else are you hurt?” Nicole sat up a bit and leaned forward, lifting her shirt. “Well, that certainly doesn’t look friendly.” She prodded the skin with gentle fingers.
“Nicole, were you sexually assaulted?”
“No.”
When she was done with the exam, she pulled a stool up close to the bed and sat. “Well, Nicole. I think you’re going to be ok. Nothing seems broken, no internal bleeding. I do think you have a slight concussion. But, most importantly, I need to know if any of those men in the hallway did this to you.”
“No,” NIcole said in a matter of fact manner, “none of them would ever hurt me.”
“Ok. Do you feel safe going home tonight?”
“Yes, of course.”
The doctor took in a deep breath of air. “I would really feel more comfortable letting you go home if you at least told me the name of the person who assaulted you.”
“Are you going to write it down?” Nicole asked, indicating the tablet on which she had noted everything.
The doctor smiled, “Not if you don’t want me to.”
It was Nicole’s turn to sigh. “HIs name is Don.”
“Ok,” Dr. Sullivan said, making the notation. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“No. Just someone at school.”
“What is his last name?”
“Can I please go home now?”
Dr. Sullivan stood. “Fair enough,” she said. “I need to put together your discharge papers. I will prescribe some mild pain killers and give you dad the instructions. Sit tight. I’ll be back soon.”
LSLSLSLSLS
“I was wondering who was going to pick the short straw.”
Carlos kissed her forehead and pulled a stool close to the gurney. “Glad to see your sense of humor is intact. How are you feeling?”
“Tired. Headache. Where are my dad and TK?”
“Your dad is filling out a pile of paperwork. I sent TK on a walk. Thought it might give us a few minutes to talk.”
The corner of Nicole’s lip twitched. “What did the doctor tell you?”
“Nothing really. Just that she feels safe sending you home. And that it was someone at school.”
“Yeah.”
“If you’d like, I have a friend, Detective Washington. She could come down here and talk with you.” Nicole shook her head. “Ok, then tell me what happened.” He was past the point of giving her an option.
“Now?”
“Now’s better. What happened?”
“It was after school. I thought he could help me with some work. AP Bio.” She rugged the ponytail elastic out and let her hair hang loose. It was not helping her headache. The hair also did a good job of hiding part of her face. She fiddled with the elastic and kept her eyes on it, not bothering to stop the tears that slid down her cheek. “I’m trying really hard in that class, Carlos.
But it’s hard!”
“Shhh . . . I know you are, baby.” Everyone knew that Nicole obsessed over her grades and schoolwork. If she was asking someone for help it was likely because an A was about to become an A-. They had all tried to get her to relax a bit about it, but to no avail. “What happened next?”
“He was just being an ass, like he always is. It became obvious that he wasn’t going to help me, so I started to leave. That’s when he grabbed my arm. He had never put his hands on me before. I swore to myself that I could put up with whatever he said to me, but if he ever put his hands on me, that was the line.”
“So this has been going on for a while.”
She nodded and looked up at him. “I just feel like, now that it’s gotten physical, I can’t handle it on my own anymore. Do you know what I mean?”
“Of course, Nikki. You don’t have to. I’m sorry that you ever thought you did. What happened next?”
She took a deep breath. “I pulled away from him. I must have pulled away at the moment he was letting go, because I fell. I guess that’s when I banged my head. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, and he kicked me and left.” She looked up at him again. “Carlos, I need this to stop, but I’m worried about what my dad is going to do. He is not the calmest of men when someone he loves is hurt. And I’m worried about how much TK has been through lately. And I’m worried about my grade. And I don’t want anyone to lose their job.”
Carlos squeezed the hand he had been holding, trying to calm and settle her. “We will protect you. And I’ll take care of your dad and TK. They will handle things properly. They’re not going to lose their jobs.”
She wiped at her face and shook her head. He did not understand. “No, Carlos, theirs aren’t the jobs I’m worried about.”
Carlos tilted his head, confused. “What do you mean? Who’s job then?
She let her eyes close. “Please. Don’t make me say it.”
“A teacher?” Carlos said, realization dawning. “Your teacher did these things to you?”
Owen and TK entered the room in time to hear the announcement.