Read Trusting Them for Free Online

pulled her out of the icy waters and wrapped her in a warm towel. She began to shiver uncontrollably until her teeth rattled in her head. Someone spoke to her in a soft voice of warm beds and comfortable pillows. She tried to latch on to that beautiful voice, but it disappeared. So did the towel drying her weary body. She felt herself lifted off her feet and carried into another place. Her head lolled to the side and she recognized the room to be somewhere she knew, but couldn’t place.
    “Careful, Brock. She’s still sore from all those bruises.”
    What bruises, she wondered? Who was Brock? Who was the other one? She felt herself lowered and nearly cried at the warm soft bed she found herself sinking into. She curled up on her side and shuddered. It wasn’t until another body pushed against her that she realized whoever they were, they were getting into her bed with her. At first, that worried her, but then something told her it was okay. They belonged with her. She moaned and curled into them and fell deeper into sleep.

    * * * *

    Sometime close to dawn, she woke up stiff and sore but without as much tightness in her chest. She needed to cough but didn’t want to wake up the two men sleeping on either side of her. She tried swallowing several times, but it didn’t help and finally she erupted into a coughing fit that woke both of the men up.
    “Easy.” Brock patted her on the back as she coughed. Each strike knocked her a little closer to Brady.
    “Careful, Brock. You’re hitting her too hard.” Brady pulled her hair from out of her eyes.
    “I’m...” She swallowed. “I’m okay now.” Her voice sounded hoarse, as if she’d been yelling all night.
    “Here.” Brock shoved an opened bottle of water towards her. “Drink up. You need the fluids.”
    She grabbed the bottle and drank greedily of the cool contents. As she did, the covers fell from her body and cold air snapped her back to herself. She gasped and tried to grab the covers to pull them over her body. Heat flushed through her face and neck.
    “It’s okay. We’ve seen you without clothes on before.” Brock laughed.
    “Brock. Don’t be an ass.” Brady rubbed circles around Jeni’s back.
    “It’s dark as pitch in here. Neither one of us can see that well,” Brock reasoned.
    Jeni shuddered at the thought of them seeing her body over the last few days. She hated the way her body looked. She was heavier than most of her friends had been. At least when she had friends.
    “Why don’t you go get her some juice? She needs the vitamins,” Brock said.
    “No. I can’t swallow juice. It hurts my throat.” Just the memory of the acidic burn on her raw throat sent shivers down her spine.
    Brady smiled but burst her bubble. “I’ll water it down some. He’s right, though. You need it.”
    She watched in misery as he pulled on his socks and jeans and ran from the room with all the zest of a track star. She could almost see her breath in the cold air of the bedroom.
    “Why is it so cold in here?” she asked.
    “Electricity is off, remember?” he asked.
    “Oh, yeah.” She wished she could see better.
    “Do you need to go to the bathroom? I have flashlights over here if you do.”
    “No, um, thanks, though.” Jeni was glad it was dark now. She was sure she had turned five shades of red.
    “What time is it?” she finally asked.
    A faint glow told her that Brock’s watch had a night light on it.
    “Quarter of four. Still plenty of time for you to sleep. Just as soon as Brady makes it back up here with the juice, you can try and go back to sleep.”
    The glow of a flashlight drew her attention as Brady walked in with a glass of juice in one hand and the flashlight in the other.
    “Here you go.” He handed the glass to Brock, who handed it to her.
    “She needs to take some more ibuprofen. It’s been about five hours since we got the last down her.” Brock reached for the bottle.
    “I’m okay now, right? I shouldn’t need