Laid Bare - Lauren Dane [115]
“Not again.” Her voice was a bare whisper. “I want to go home. I want to be alone for a while,” Erin said, her voice flat and empty.
Todd’s mother turned to him, standing. “Take her home. I’ll get you some food to take with. You call the doctor if she’s not livelier in a few hours, do you hear me?”
“No. Todd and Ben, stay here with your family. Brody or Adrian can take me home. Or I can go myself. I need to be alone.” Erin spoke, but her eyes didn’t have their usual warmth. She wasn’t even pissed that they’d all been coddling her. That in and of itself was worrying.
Todd cut his gaze to Brody, who returned his concern.
Brody stood. “Okay, Erin. Let’s go, baby.” He wrapped her in another towel and Adrian grabbed her purse. “Stay here. No use your day getting ruined. I’m just going to give her a Xanax and tuck her into bed,” he said to Todd.
“The hell,” Ben spoke from next to Todd with such vehemence Lorie looked at him askance.
Annalee approached and put her arms around Erin, kissing her cheek. “Let them give you comfort. You need it.” Erin roused a bit and more tears came.
Lorie nodded, looking slightly confused.
Renee came forward with several bags of food, DJ at her side. “What can we do?”
Todd was so grateful for these people, every last one of them.
“Brody, it’s okay, I’ve got her.” Todd took over, and Brody nodded, approval in his eyes.
“Honey, let’s get you home. We’ll tuck up into bed, eat turkey and you can wear your flannel jammies.”
She nodded absently when he’d been hoping for a smile. Ben came up on Erin’s other side.
“Get her home. Call me later and let us know she’s all right,” his mother said.
“I’ll make some calls,” his father said. “We’ll make sure this bastard stays in prison.”
Grateful for all the support, Todd hugged them both and took the bags of food.
Ben had deposited her in the car and traded off with Todd, rushing back to say good-bye to his family.
Brody stood at the car door, kissing her forehead. He looked up at Todd. “You call me if you need anything. Anything, do you understand?”
Todd nodded. “Of course. I’m just going to get her home and tuck her into bed. Get some Xanax into her and go from there. We’ll get hold of her therapist too.”
“We have to go down there and testify.” Adrian grabbed his arm. “Adele was special. This man took that. He has to pay.”
Todd blinked back tears as he nodded. “I know.”
Ben came out and got into the car, moving to her immediately. Todd nodded at Erin’s brothers. “I’ll talk to you both tomorrow.”
In the car on the way home she resisted when they tried to get her out of her wet clothes. Todd just turned the heater up and Ben held her tight. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t cry. She just rested in his arms and that alarmed him.
When they got home, she pushed away once they got inside. “I need to be by myself.”
“Tough.” Todd shook his head, frustrated. “You don’t live by yourself. We come with the deal now.”
“You don’t get every part of me.” She went upstairs and they followed.
In short, jerky movements she pulled her wet clothes off. Like an automaton, she went into the bathroom, turned on the taps to run a bath.
“Take something, damn it.” Ben held out a pill and a glass of water.
“I won’t.”
Her spine straightened and Ben felt a bit better at the sight. If they had to make her mad, so be it. Anything was better than despondent.
“Don’t be stubborn, Erin. Just take it. You’ll feel better.”
She got into the bath, and slid all the way under for so long Ben began to lean to yank her out when she surfaced.
“I’m not taking anything like that again. I can’t think straight when I take the pills. I need to think straight.”
“Do you? Right now?” Todd knelt next to the tub and squirted soap on the loofah and began to pass it over her back. “You can’t just give yourself a fucking break for one day?”
“What do you know about it?”
Ben pulled his clothes off and got in with her. She groaned in frustration.
“You boys