Lynne's Love Triangle (19 page)

“Um hum.” He took her blood pressure once again and checked her IV. “We’ll be at the hospital in about ten minutes.” He tucked her blanket over her shoulders. “Are you in a lot of pain, ma’am?”

“Not much. My skin hurts where the tape is still stuck and burns where the jerk yanked it off my legs and re-taped me. My face stings, too.” God, she sounded so whiney. Normally she was pretty tough, but this was more than a woman should have to go through.

“The nurses will be very gentle, and I’m sure they’ll have you feeling better in no time.”

Lynne continued to tremble. Would she ever get warm? She was cold on the inside. Troy and Kurt were going to have to work hard to warm her up. It might take a man sandwich to get her warm again.

Her attacker hadn’t broken her. She might be down, but she sure as hell wasn't out. He might have scared the pee out of her and her skin stung from the tape, but she was alive. She sure hoped the nurses knew what to do for her tape burns, because she was miserable.

What was happening to Kurt and Troy? Were they going to be arrested? They didn’t deserve to go to jail. They’d only been protecting her.

“Here we are,” the paramedic announced and about two seconds later the double doors opened and her gurney was lifted out.

“Where are Troy and Kurt,” she begged the nurse who had walked up to them.

“If you’re asking about the young men with the messed up hands, they’re being treated and should be with you shortly. I’m afraid they both have a couple of broken bones.”

“Oh, no. My poor babies.”

“Are they your sons?”

Lynne’s heart dropped to her feet. “No, they are my boyfriends. Good friends.”
My dearest
lovers.
“They came to my rescue before the jerk could rape me.”

The nurse smiled. “Bless their hearts.” She led the way into the emergency area and had the paramedics roll her close to a bed. “Can you get yourself over to the bed?”

Lynne groaned. “I guess.” The longer she lay still, the worse her body began to hurt. Her hips were screaming in pain, and her bottom was on fire.

Lynne wasn’t a big woman, but she still needed help to move from the gurney to the hospital bed. It was so awkward, and she was still naked except for her fuzzy bathrobe and the duct tape the men decided to leave on her. They’d cut her from the chair, but left the tape around her breasts, upper body, thighs, ankles, arms, and wrists.

Could things get any worse?

Just her luck—turned out taking the tape off was a major undertaking. Especially since the police wanted pieces of tape as evidence. By the time the nurses were done, Lynne was in tears and the skin over most of her body was raw. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we are going to admit you tonight. Dr. Holly wants to be sure you don’t have a concussion and internal injuries so he’s ordered an MRI for tomorrow morning. If it comes back clear, you can go home and rest.” Her nurse, Maria, was sweet, small, and very dark. She had the most beautiful braids Lynne had ever seen.

“Did you do your braids yourself?” Anything to not have to think about the burning pain and humiliation she’d been through.

Maria turned three shades of red. “No, ma’am. My mama does it for me. I never learned how to do it. Mama does a great job though. All I have to do is her laundry once a week.”

“Your mother is very talented.”

Maria smoothed the blankets and left the room. She returned a few minutes later with a syringe of medication. “I’m giving you a tetanus shot. Dr. Holly isn’t sure when you had your last one, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Thank goodness the injection went into her IV tubing. Lynne was beginning to feel like a damned pincushion.

It would be great if she could go home and cuddle with her boys. They were always so nice and warm and loving.

Maria gently rolled Lynne on her side and rubbed some soothing cream on her bottom. She covered the cream with padding and rolled her back. “Comfy now?”

“I think it’s going to take a while before I quit hurting.”

“Dr. Holly also prescribed a shot for the pain.” Maria checked her watch. “I’ll be bringing it in about fifteen minutes.”

Lynne smiled. “I can’t wait.” A shot for pain wasn’t what she needed. She needed the arms of her big, strong men around her. Then and only then would she feel safe.

* * * *

“Can we get anything for you? You’re still shaking.”

“Just hold me. I feel safe in your arms.”

There wasn’t room enough for both Kurt and Troy to lie with Lynne on the hospital bed, so again they argued until Lynne made them toss a coin. Tails meant Kurt was first to hold her and warm her.

Lynne sighed and held out a hand to Troy who grasped her fingers and kissed them one by one.

Eventually Lynne fell into a restless sleep. Troy and Kurt remained silent watching her sleep. Troy turned on the TV and put on a hockey game, but left the sound off.

“I love her, you know,” Kurt whispered.

Troy nodded. “I love her, too.”

“Well, what are we going to do about it?”

“I have no idea. Can we both marry her without causing legal problems?”

Kurt shrugged. “I’m not sure I want to be married to
you
.”

“Yeah, well I’m not so sure I want to be married to you either, but it looks like it’s going to be the three of us for a long time to come.”

Kurt stared at the floor and mumbled. “Hmm, well at least you’re good with that cock of yours. I guess it wouldn’t be too awful.”

Troy laughed. “Yeah, yours is pretty special, too. It won’t be so awful. Having Lynne in our lives makes it all worthwhile. Not to mention we all enjoy a great life.”

Chapter Fifteen

Lynne sat quietly through every day of the scum’s trial with the two men she loved at her side, waiting for the fateful day he was announced guilty. He ruined her world, turning it upside down, and he fought against every piece of evidence, trying to disprove the claim of guilt. Anything to get his case thrown out of court and the charges dropped, which is why Lynne never missed a single day. She had to ensure the man was put away for a long time and he never did this again.

On the third day, Lynne was called to testify against him, and he fired his lawyer. Lynne swore it was to make her falter, just so he could intimidate her on the stand to make her recount her testimony.

She approached the bench and was asked to swear in, promising she wouldn’t lie under oath.

Until the moment she touched the bible, she'd been terrified of this part of the trial.

The men she loved were with her, and their strength was giving her strength. She had to do this for herself. She was tired of the nightmares and lack of sleep. She was tired of being trapped by her own fear in the house..

Her attorney had given an opening statement making it clear to the court she was the innocent victim of a stalker. She'd been told she could give a statement, but in so doing it would open her up to questioning by the defense. She never thought would mean a direct confrontation between herself and her attacker.

The judge leaned towards her. "Do you have anything you'd like to say to the court, Mrs. Hughes?"

Lynne stared across the courtroom at Troy and Kurt. They had begged her to decline giving a statement. She looked at Mr. Benson. There was an evil gleam in his eyes.

Her stomach rolled, and for a moment she was afraid she was going to pass out.

"Shall we take a break, Mrs. Hughes?" the judge asked.

Lynne shook her head.

"How about a drink of water? Will that help?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

The court clerk handed her a glass of water, and Lynne took two swallows. She couldn't do it. She wasn't going to open her wounds and bare her soul to a roomful of strangers.

The judge said, “Now then, please in your own words, tell us what happened to you on Friday, January the 15
^th
?”

Tony and Kurt had hired a lawyer for Lynne and up until this time, he'd handled the case. He too had begged Lynne to remain silent.

"My attorney, Mr. Taylor, suggested I not speak and therefore, your honor, I wish to decline."

"That's perfectly understandable, Mrs. Hughes. Do you agree, Mr. Taylor?"

"Yes, your honor. My client wishes to decline."

"Well, it would seem, Mr. Branson, you're on your own. Do you wish to question Mrs. Hughes?"

"You bet I do."

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Branson. This is a court of law and you are out of line."

"Whoops, sorry your honor."

Branson turned to Lynne. "Where were you the night of March 15th?"

“I was home alone. It was the day I was attacked by Mr. Branson.”

“Objection! She can’t identify me as guilty. The law says I'm innocent until proven guilty, your honor!”

The judge turned back to face Lynne. “Mrs. Hughes, can you identify the man who assaulted you in this courtroom today?”

Lynne gulped. She was relieved the judge was not going to allow Mr. Benson to attack her verbally.
One for the good guy.
Her finger trembled when she pointed directly at the red-faced man directly in front of her. “Yes, sir. He's standing right there."

“Objection overruled.” The judge calmly prodded her statement further. “You may continue, Mr. Branson. And, let me remind you yet again. You are on trial, sir, not Mrs. Hughes.”

"So, you're saying I'm the man who attacked you?"

"Yes." Lynne answered.

"Ah, hah. If it was me, and I'm not saying it was, what was I wearing?"

"A black knit ski-mask, desert camouflage-colored pants and shirt, desert boots and gloves."

"So I was totally covered."

"Yes."

"Then how can you be so sure it was me, Mrs. Hughes?"

"Well, when you ran up the stairs, my boyfriends attacked you and pulled off your mask. I saw your face."

"What if I was some guy they pulled off the street and decided to beat up?"

"Kurt and Troy would never do such a thing. They are gentlemen."

Benson stood staring at the floor.

"Any other questions, Mr. Benson?" the judge asked.

"Mr. Taylor, do you have any questions for Mrs. Hughes?"

"Yes, just a few, sir."

Her lawyer, Mr. Taylor, walked to stand in front of Lynne. "Mrs. Hughes? May I ask how you've faired since the attack?"

“Not too well. It's been tough to trust people, and it continues to be an emotional journey.” Lynne wanted to tell him she still felt raw, helpless, and sick since the day he'd tied her and taped her to the rusty chair. She ached to tell what a sick, disgusting person Mr. Branson was, but she didn't. "I no longer feel safe in my own home. When I go out in public, I am always looking over my shoulder and wondering if someone is going to sneak up on me. He took away my freedom, not to mention my personal security. I no longer feel in control of my life, because I am ruled by fear on a daily basis.”

The judge interrupted. "Mr. Taylor, perhaps we could move this along. During the trial, the court merely needs to establish a crime was committed and who did it. Do you have any other questions for Mrs. Hughes?”

"Mrs. Hughes, I realize there is a lot more to this account than we can bring out in court. But, before I let you go, I want you to be sure Mr. Branson is the man who attacked and nearly raped you?"

"Yes, he's the one." Lynne wanted to shout at Edward Branson.
You're the one who tried to kill me - you're the one who almost succeeded in
killing my best friend. I hope you fry in hell
. But, Mr. Taylor had warned her against any outbursts, so she kept her mouth shut and hoped she wouldn't break down in tears.

Kurt and Troy had an alarm installed on the house, and they'd bought her a sweet, seemingly docile Doberman Pincer who was trained to attack on command. He would just as soon rip the liver out of a stranger as look at them. Eventually, she would get over the fear. She was strong, and she had her men to guard her. In the meantime, things were pretty rough mentally.

"No more questions, your honor," Mr. Taylor said and returned to his seat.

"Mr. Benson? Rebut?"

"Just one more question, your honor?”

"Get it over with," the judge grumbled.

“I was wondering, Mrs. Hughes...did you enjoy it?”

There was a loud gasp from the courtroom. The judge banged his gavel. "Quiet, or I'll have you all removed from the courtroom."

"Step forward, Mr. Branson." The judge put his hand over the microphone. "I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth. You've gone too far, sir. Sit down and shut up.” The judge turned to Lynne. "Do not answer his question."

Edward Branson spluttered, but he sat down.

"Mr. Taylor, perhaps you have a few more questions for your client?" The judge was being much kinder than Lynne had expected.

"Certainly, your honor." Mr. Taylor strode to the jury box and paused. "Lynne, before Mr. Branson attacked you, did you know him?"