On the way to the hospital, an EMT named Olivia took our vitals and asked us basic questions about the nature of our injuries. Otherwise, it was just a quiet ride huddled close to my love, still trying to come to grips with the fact that we were finally free. I think we were both in a bit of shock and disbelief.

When we arrived at the hospital, I reiterated my request for them to keep us in a room together and Officer Michaels waited outside the room. Our injuries weren't life-threatening but the ER staff was sensitive in terms of our recent trauma so we were able to remain undisturbed in a quiet, private room together as opposed to having to wait in the waiting room. That alone made me feel safe and cared for, knowing that people were finally aware of and acknowledging our ordeal.

The nurse introduced herself as Pam. She was very friendly but when I told her that Harry and I wanted to stay together, she informed me, "I do need to speak to each of you privately because of the subject matter. It won't take very long and then you can continue to wait together."

Harry looked worried but I assured him, "Just answer her questions, Baby. I'll be right outside." When it came to my turn, he waited outside with Officer Michaels. It was then I understood the need for confidentiality, when she started asking me questions about the nature of my injuries and what kind of abuse I had endured, especially whether I had been sexually molested or abused in any way. Thankfully that was a no on my part and hopefully it was the same for Harry. When I was finished and he came back into the room to sit next to me, I asked, "That wasn't so bad, right?"

He shook his head and gave me a forced smile. This was hard on him, I could tell. It was hard on me, too, but he had been so much more sheltered than I ever had.

Two doctors came to complete our exams, Dr. Edmund Beroni and Dr. Sonya Farid. They explained that if at any time, we wanted to be examined separately or by a doctor of the same gender, they would accommodate us, but we chose to stay in the same room.

I gasped at the sight of Harry's torso when he removed his shirt to show them the bruising. I had seen it all but it looked so much more ghastly under the fluorescent hospital lights. The doctor didn't think he had any broken ribs but he wanted Harry to get a CT scan since Theodore had knocked him in the head a few times.

When it was my turn, Dr. Beroni inspected the gunshot wound and seemed to think it was healing well, but due to the fact that Benjamin Blake wasn't a medical doctor, he ordered an X-ray of my shoulder to find out if there was any lingering injury or new injury, specifically from arrest attempt. It was definitely more sore than it had been so I welcomed the diagnostic exam.

"Do you need any pain medications?" He asked and I gratefully accepted. On that note, I asked Harry, "Did you tell them about the medications you've been taking?"

He shook his head. "I haven't taken anything since before we tried to escape. Theodore didn't give me anything."

"What!?" I asked, consumed with fury. "Did it make you sick when you didn't have them?"

He shrugged. "I guess so. I got a couple bad headaches and I threw up a few times."

I hugged him soundly; I hated that he had gone through that alone. I then explained everything about the medications to both doctors, every single drug Theodore had given him, the exact doses and the side effects. Then I told them about the overdose and the first round of withdrawals after that. "So we really don't know that he ever needed any of that medication," I said. "But he was taking Singulair and he had an asthma inhaler, so I'd hate for him to go without those if he needs them. I know the pharmacy where he had them filled, if that helps. But neither of us has a great understanding of his medical history."

"Okay, well we'll work with the police and hopefully they can get the records from the pharmacy as well as any pertinent medical records at home. My guess is they're going to get a search warrant for the home," Dr. Beroni said. "For now I will prescribe the Singulair and an inhaler until we can order more thorough examinations."

"Thank you," I said.

"And if it's okay with you, Harry, I will prescribe something for you for anxiety," he said. "Sometimes withdrawal can continue for weeks and since you were taking many different kinds of drugs, you may still have some periods of anxiety. Is that all right with you?" Dr. Beroni asked.

Harry nodded a little and said, "Yes, of course."

Dr. Farid took over at this point and said, "I would also like to refer you to a psychiatrist, both of you, actually. Harry, it would be good to have someone evaluate those medications you were taking and to try to decide if you actually had any issues that required those medications. But I think it will also be good for you to have someone to talk to and the psychiatrist will help you to find a therapist. You have been through a lifetime of traumas and it will take some time to work through those. Does that sound okay to you?"

He nodded again and said a quiet yes. I could tell he was overwhelmed and probably terrified, even with me right there at his side. I was a bit overwhelmed by the picture in front of us - I had no money, no wallet or ID and our bags had been collected from the woods beyond the house but they hadn't been brought to us yet. For me, it was anxiety-provoking enough to think about where we could stay until my parents could wire me some money or better yet, get on a plane to Vancouver. But for Harry, his home and the life he knew had just been erased, and while that was ultimately a good thing, I couldn't imagine how scary it was for him to know nothing about his next step. All the more reason for us to stay together as much as possible.

The physical exams showed that Harry had indeed sustained a concussion, probably part of the reason he was so foggy when he first came back to me, combined with his forced withdrawal from his meds. But it looked to be healing well and the doctors advised him to get a lot of rest and just take over the counter medications for any headaches.

A tendon in my shoulder had been pulled when Officer Michaels put me in handcuffs, probably because I had been babying that shoulder for three weeks and it had become pretty stiff. The remedy for that was ice and an arm sling, with a few stretches and exercises printed on paper. Dr. Farid told me start very small with only minimal stretching and then gradually work up to more exercises and longer periods of time.

After the physical exams were done, Officer Michaels introduced us to another cop, Officer Landers, and told us we needed to be separated again to give them our statements. I understood why but Harry's face was wrought with anxiety. Again, I encouraged him. "Just tell the truth, Baby. About everything. Theodore can't hurt you anymore, okay? And after this, we'll be able to..." Able to what? I wondered. We couldn't go back to his house and I didn't have money to stay in a hotel. I finished anyway, saying, "we'll be able to get out of here." 

After Harry had left the room with Officer Landers, I told Officer Michaels, "We don't have any place to stay. I need to call my parents and have them wire some money or pay for a room so we can get some food and have a place to sleep til they can get here."

"All right, well let's get this out of the way first and then you can use my phone. So, let's start from the beginning. Tell me everything that happened from when you first met Theodore Blake," he said.

"I was looking for a job as a nanny with a special needs child. I found one online - well, actually my sister found it - for a 7-year-old boy with special needs in Vancouver. Theodore flew me to Vancouver from Ohio for an interview and he hired me on the spot. I came back about a month later to start the job." Officer Michaels wrote as fast as he could and I tried to give him time to get all the details right.

I included everything I could possibly remember - Theodore misleading me about Harry's age, not telling me what medications Harry took or what his specific conditions were, not providing higher curriculum when Harry made it through his schooling with flying colors, keeping a tight rein on my time and outings, - paying  me only in cash, not letting Harry leave the suite except on very rare occasion, finding out that the doctor who prescribed all of Harry's meds was named Benjamin Blake (who turned out to be Theodore's brother who is not a board-certified medical doctor), discovering what all of Harry's medications were by searching the descriptions online, and subsequently trying to lower his doses under the supervision of my brother-in-law.

I took a break and sucked in a huge breath of cleansing air and then I continued, telling the officer about Theodore's threats towards me and that he shoved me against a wall a few times and also tried to choke me when he found out I had sent videos to my brother-in-law. I arrived at the night of the overdose and told him, in great detail, how everything had played out.

"Do you know if Harry was treated at this hospital?" I wondered.

"I'm not sure," he answered, "I'll have to check it out."

After the overdose, I told him that Theodore intentionally withheld the medications so Harry went through terrible withdrawal and when I begged for it, he finally gave it back. I also told him that Theodore had taken my laptop and phone so I had no way to call for help. I recalled how Theodore had held Harry at gunpoint, though, and forced me to call my parents to tell them everything was fine.

And then came the first rescue attempt, when Clive had come to us and tried to get us out on a boat. Again, I spoke in great detail, not only about trying to escape but also everything that Clive had told us in the process. I wanted to make sure he was remembered as a hero.

"Do you...know what happened to Clive Barrows?" I asked hesitantly. "Was...." My voice trembled; I didn't know if I wanted the answer. "Was his body ever found?"

Officer Michaels looked at me in surprise. "No, some fishermen found him half-frozen out at the mouth of the inlet. He was treated for hypothermia and then released. "

"He's alive?!" I cried in relief. "Where is he? Do you know? Can you get in touch with him?"

"I don't know where he is, but I can try to find that out for you, too," Michaels assured me. "Knowing the kind of man Theodore Blake is, I can't imagine he stuck around these parts. And of course, he didn't tell us anything about trying to rescue the two of you," he shrugged. "I assume he was either trying to protect you or he was just too afraid of Theodore. The story he gave us was that his boat capsized in some rough water while he was fishing."

My heart fell, thinking that Clive abandoned us. But what choice did he have, really? Theodore was a crazy person and he had tried to kill Clive on more than one occasion. Ultimately, I was just thankful he was alive, even if I never got to say thank you and never saw him again.

I finished my statement with details about the recovery from the shooting, Dr. Blake stitching me up, Theodore confessing his entire plan to me, what Harry had told me about his treatment while they kept us apart, and finally, how and why we planned the fire as a last ditch effort to escape.

"Do you think we'll get in trouble for the fire?" I asked the officer.

"I doubt it," he shrugged. "But don't quote me on that. Sometimes it depends on the judge."

Ugh, a judge. This whole ugly mess was going to have to go to court. That much was obvious. I didn't even want to think about that right now. I just wanted my mom and dad and Harry.

"Well, I think that's everything, unless you can think of anything else you'd like to add," Officer Michaels said.

"No, I just need to call my parents," I said, starting to get choked up just knowing I'd be able to see them and talk to them again.

"Would you like me to call and explain everything first?" Officer Michaels offered.

"Please," I nodded, trying to get a hold of myself. I glanced at the clock; it was just shy of 5 AM here, so it was close to 8 AM in Ohio. "Just make sure the first thing you tell them is that I'm alive." He nodded in absolute understanding. 

I told him the number, he dialed and thankfully my mom answered on the second ring. I started to cry as I heard her voice and the conversation with Officer Michaels. After explaining everything, he finally handed the phone over to me and said, "They want to talk to you," meaning my dad hadn't left for work yet and was on the line, too.

I couldn't control my sobs. "Mom, Dad, can you come and get me?"

* * * * *

Thank you, boos! <3