Chapter 64: Recovery - Helen

Helen Jones poured herself another cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table. She sighed and grabbed the newspaper. She tried to read an article, but she couldn’t focus so she put the paper down. It was so quiet and lonely when Taylor was at school and B was on the road. B was hopeful again when she left. She was a determined girl and Helen felt like she would find them eventually, she just hoped it was not a body when she did. She put down her coffee and cried again.

She reached for the magazine and opened it. She looked at the picture of her pretty girls in the bathing suits and ran her fingers over the picture. They were smiling, they actually looked happy. She sighed. The sadness was heavy today, her heart felt bruised. They had worked so hard for so long, but it was starting to feel hopeless. She missed her baby girl so much. She put her head down on the table and let her emotions flow out of her body.

The cell phone buzzed, and she lifted her head. She wiped her cheeks and looked at the screen. It was B, she got a horrible shiver as she looked at the screen. Please, please, do not let this be my worst fear. She picked up the phone with a shaky hand and pressed the button.

“Hey B.” She said, trying to sound hopeful.

“Helen, we have them.” She heard the words and dropped the phone. She pressed the speaker button. She tried to get her voice to work but her throat was too tight to let air through.

“Helen, they are alive.” B said.

“B? Oh God.” Helen said, uttering the only words she could get out of her mouth.

“We are headed for a quick debrief and then we are bringing them to Southside. Can you meet us there? It should be about an hour.” B said and Helen nodded like she could see her head shaking through the phone.

“Yes, B, thank you.” Helen said.

“Take a breath, you will see her in an hour, both of them.” B said and Helen laughed through her tears.

The phone beeped and she did not know what to do. She needed to get dressed, her housecoat was not what she wanted to be in when she saw her daughter for the first time in over three months. She needed to call people. She picked up the phone and dialed Marcus’s number.

“Hey, Mrs. Jones, what’s up?” Marcus’s sweet voice came over the phone. She took a breath.

“Marcus, they found her.” She said before the tears burst out of her eyes again.

“What? Is she ok? Where is she?” He said and she heard him breaking down. She thought about all the times he sobbed at this very table. It was so strange seeing a huge human in such despair.

“Marcus, the FBI is bringing her to Southside, they should be there in about an hour.” She said in a broken voice.

“Oh Helen, I am so happy. Is she ok?” Marcus said.

“I don’t know, all B said was that she was alive.” Helen said and now she started to think about what that meant.

“I will jump on a plane; I will be there as soon as I can.” Marcus said.

“Ok, be careful honey.” Helen said.

“Helen, this was a wonderful surprise, I had almost lost hope.” Marcus said.

“Yes, me too. I will see you soon.” Helen said.

“Bye Helen.” Marcus said and the phone beeped.

Marcus Robertson sat in his dorm room in Oklahoma and stared at the wall. He had been going through the motions of life for the last three months. He went through cycles of guilt in that he should have known something was happening to anger in that he couldn’t protect her and then to feelings of hopelessness that he would never see his shorty again. They found her. His heart was flipping in his chest. He took a deep breath and picked up his phone to call the airline.

Helen put the phone down and put her head in her hands. This was what she had been praying for since Cassie disappeared. She stood up and walked into the bathroom. She took a quick shower and threw on a dress and grabbed some comfortable shoes. She walked into the kitchen and looked at her phone.

Should she call Mike? They had started speaking again recently when the investigation caught fire. He was going through incredible guilt, and he was her father. She picked up the phone.

“HI Helen.” Mike Jones said.

“Mike, they found her.” Helen said.

“Thank God, is she ok?” Mike said, his voice cracking.

“All B said was that she was alive. They are bringing her to Southside.” Helen said.

“Should I come?” Mike said and Helen took a breath.

“I don’t know what shape she will be in Mike. Maybe you should wait.” Helen said.

“I understand, please call me after you see her. I love her Helen.” Mike said and Helen felt her heart hurt a little.

“I will. Goodbye Mike.” Helen said.

“Goodbye, Helen, this is wonderful news.” Mike said.

Mike Jones put down the phone and the memories of that day at the house hit him again. Cassie screaming at him as she told him that he and his sons had raped her. He felt horrible, he had raped his own daughter, how did someone ever come to terms with that? He looked at his laptop, thankful for the distraction of his job.

Beatrice held onto Cassie as the copter screamed through the sky. She looked at her and she had fallen asleep. She did not look good, the terror in her eyes when they found her was disturbing. It was like she did not know where she was or who she was, she didn’t even recognize her. She did respond to verbal so that was something, maybe there was a little sliver of sanity left in there. She could not imagine what they had gone through, she was afraid she was going to find out and it would test her patience. She took a deep breath as they slowed down to land at the base.

Helen ran into the hospital and the nurse gave her directions to the ER. She ran into the room and her sweet daughter was laying on a white stretcher while people worked on her. Her body was covered in bruises and scratches. She grabbed the collar of her dress and tried to stay calm. She saw a huge bruise on her left breast. They moved her to her side, and she saw a marking on her left butt cheek, what was that? They laid her back down and the doctor walked over to her.

“Mrs. Jones?” The doctor said.

“Yes, doctor, how is she?” Helen said.

“Her vitals are stable; she is non-responsive but that could be due to the trauma.” He said.

“Trauma? Can you tell what happened to her?” Helen said.

“Well, she has been beaten, there are many bruises all over her body. She has also been raped multiple times. Her vagina and anus are inflamed and bruised. How long has she been missing?” The doctor said.

“Three months, doctor.” Helen said and her voice broke a bit.

“Ok, we are going to get an X-ray and a head CT, there are bruises on her head and I am worried about a concussion in addition to any broken bones. We will admit her before we do the tests. The nurse will let you know what room.” The doctor said.

“Thank you doctor.” Helen said and the doctor went over and talked to a nurse.

They put a gown over Cassie and rolled her out of the room. Helen walked to the nurse’s station.

Beatrice walked into the hospital dressed back in her civilian clothes. She wore a nice blue dress that felt comfortable after running around in full tactical gear. The softness of the dress reminded her of her softer side, she needed that reminder occasionally. Holding Cassie as she shivered in fear brought out her soft side quickly. That poor girl melted her heart, she had already loved her for her strength in putting up with her Tony’s abuse for so long. Now she was put through God knows what for the last three months. Beatrice had an idea what went on, but she was afraid there were even more gruesome details to be uncovered in the future.

Beatrice saw Helen in the chair as soon as she walked into the room. Jennifer was sleeping in the bed nearest the door, there was no one sitting with her. That made her sad. Cassie was also asleep in the other bed. Helen stood up and hugged her as soon as she got close.

“B, thank you so much for finding my little girl. I will owe you for this forever.” Helen said and cried into her shoulder.

“Helen, you know it was not only you that motivated me.” Beatrice said. Helen picked up her head and wiped her eyes.

“Yeah, I know. I have seen that love in your eyes for the last three months.” Helen said.

“What did the doctor say?” Beatrice said.

“She has a lot of bruises, and they are worried about a concussion. He said there were bruises on her head.” Helen said and a sob broke out. Beatrice put out an arm around her and looked at Cassie.

She did look small in the large bed. She saw the bruises on her face and around her eyes. She looked over at Jennifer and her face was smooth and showed no signs of abuse. She had an idea what happened, the scenes in the movies she was able to get a hold of showed her that Cassie had been protecting her all along.

“Beatrice, they also mentioned the sexual abuse.” Helen said softly. Beatrice looked at her and touched her cheek.

“Helen, we knew what was happening. We saw some of it ourselves.” Beatrice said and Helen nodded.

“I know, it just hits different to hear a doctor describe it.” Helen said and looked back at her sweet daughter.

They both looked up to see a doctor walk in. He stopped next to them and smiled.

“Mrs. Jones?” He said and Helen nodded.

“Yes, doctor.” Helen said.

“I am Dr. Smithson; I am the attending here. I will be taking care of your daughters.” He said and Helen looked at Jennifer. She had no one. She did not correct the doctor.

“Yes, do you have any news?” Helen said.

“Yes, ma’am. Jennifer is relatively healthy; she was very malnourished, but we are correcting that quickly. She did not have any visible bruises or damage to her body except for the genitals. Ma’am, your daughters were severely abused sexually.” He said and Helen nodded.

“Yes, doctor, I was aware. Is there any permanent damage?” Helen said.

“It is hard to tell until the swelling recedes. We should be able to do an extensive exam tomorrow. Both show external signs of vaginal and anal damage. So far, it looks superficial and should heal.” He said.

“They said they were concerned about Cassie’s head.” Helen said.

“Yes, Cassie has a serious concussion. There was a small crack in her skull, it should heal but it was the result of a severe blow or blows to the head.” He said and Helen sobbed. Beatrice hugged her.

“She has a lot of bruising and scratches. The muscles in her legs seemed to have locked a little, it looks like she was not allowed to stand for a prolonged period of time. We can correct that with therapy. Lastly, her rotator cuff is severely torn. It looks like it has been that way for a while, the muscles have started to heal incorrectly. We are taking her into surgery tonight to correct that.” He said and Helen tried to stay calm. She knew her poor girl had been abused but it did not make it any easier to hear.

“Thank you doctor. Why is she not waking up?” Helen said.

“I am not sure, there is no reason other than the head damage. She may have just succumbed to the trauma. We will monitor her and make sure her vitals stay solid. It will not be that bad for her to stay under for a day at least while we run her through all the tests and her body has a chance to start healing.” The doctor said and Helen nodded.

They heard a whimper and looked over at Jennifer. She was moving and her head was going back and forth. Helen ran over to the side of her bed and grabbed her head.

“Baby, you are safe.” Helen whispered and Jennifer opened her eyes.

Jennifer saw the familiar kind eyes and she saw Beatrice walk to the other side of the bed and take her hand. She looked back at the kind eyes and smiled.

“Mom?” Jennifer whispered and Helen’s heart fluttered.

“Yes, baby, I am here.” Helen said and Jennifer’s face crumbled.

Jennifer recognized Cassie’s mom and she felt safe instantly. She felt her heart relax and her emotions exploded out of her face. She started sobbing as all the horrible things started to fly across her mind. Cassie’s mom picked her up and hugged her and then she remembered the hugs. She put her arms around Helen’s neck and cried.

“Sweetheart, can you let me examine you?” Dr. Smithson said after he let them hug for a few minutes. He could not imagine getting your daughters back after so long.

Helen laid Jennifer back onto the bed and the doctor leaned over and looked into her eyes. Then he felt around her neck and the back of her head. He pulled down her gown and listened to her chest.

“I am going to examine your chest, is that ok?” He said and Jennifer nodded.

He pulled the gown down gently and exposed her breasts. He ran his fingers softly over them and paused on the underside of her right breast. He ran his fingers over the soft skin and looked at her.

“You have some bruising here.” He said and she nodded.

“A cruel man hit me a lot with a cane.” Jennifer said. Helen gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Jennifer reached out and took Helen’s hand.

“Mom, it’s ok, we made it.” Jennifer said to Helen.

“Where else did he hit you?” Dr. Smithson said.

“My thighs and butt.” She said and he nodded.

“There are small wounds here, what are those?” Dr. Smithson said as he examined her breasts.

“Fishhooks.” She said and Helen tried not to react, but tears flowed across her cheeks.

The doctor looked confused, and Jennifer smiled.

“I was punished in the dungeon for a day, a man put a lot of fishhooks in my boobs. Emma cleaned them good when she took them out.” Jennifer said as the doctor ran his fingers over the small wounds on the young girl’s breasts.

“Who was Emma?” Dr. Smithson said.

“She was our friend; it was her master that put the hooks in me. She knew how to take them out correctly, so they didn’t hurt that bad.” Jennifer said and the doctor shook his head. Helen took a breath and tried to stay calm.

“Well, she did a good job, these will heal nicely.” Dr. Smithson said.

Helen was struggling as she listened to this little girl talk so casually about torture.

“Mom, how is Cassie?” Jennifer said and looked at Helen.

“Not good sweetie.” Helen said and Jennifer frowned.

“Doctor, the men in the cabin hit her a lot the last couple of days. They smashed her head on the table and the floor. They also did not let her stand up for the whole time we were there.” Jennifer said and the doctor looked sad.

“Thank you honey that explains a lot.” Dr. Smithson said.

“Also, her shoulder is really messed up, can you fix her?” Jennifer said and the doctor smiled.

“Yes, ma’am, we are fixing her shoulder tonight. Her head is hurt but she will recover from that. We are also going to work with her in therapy for her hands and legs.” Dr. Smithson said, suddenly wanting to share everything with this little girl. She was looking right at him as he talked.

“Good, she has been hurting a long time. She thought I didn’t know.” Jennifer said.

The doctor pulled the gown up and covered the cute breasts. He moved the sheet and uncovered her left leg. He picked it up and bent it. He ran his hands over the soft skin and felt the small bruises on the front of her thighs.

“That was the cane.” Jennifer said as he ran his fingers across the small lines on her thighs.

The doctor examined her other leg and then had her turnover on her belly. Helen gasped again when she saw Jennifer’s butt, there were small lines visible across both cheeks. You could tell they were not fresh, but they were still visible. The doctor ran his fingers across the soft skin and then pulled up the sheet and had her turn back over.

“Honey, are you in any pain?” Dr. Smithson said.

“Not really doctor, my pussy and ass are sore but that is normal.” Jennifer said and Helen squeezed her hand. Jennifer looked at her.

“It’s ok mom, we are good healers.” Jennifer said and Helen sobbed. Beatrice touched Jennifer’s cheek and Jennifer turned to look at her.

“Thank you for saving us. We would not have lasted very much longer.” Jennifer said and Beatrice nodded.

“Honey, what can you tell me about the last couple of days.” Dr. Smithson said. Jennifer looked at him.

“What do you want to know, there is a lot.” Jennifer said.

“Mainly can you tell me what happened to Cassie so we can help her better.” Dr. Smithson said.

“They hit her a lot, she made them mad like she always did when she thought they might hurt me. She has been doing that for a while. When we found the cabin, we broke a window to get in, then we ate some food we found in cans. Then there was a bear so we were afraid to go outside but Cassie got sick from the chili and had to go near the porch, they got really mad about that.” Jennifer said.

“A bear?” Helen said and Jennifer looked at her.

“Yeah, it was big and brown, and Cassie distracted it so I could get back in the cabin. She outran it and barely made it onto the porch.” Jennifer said and Helen tried to imagine her daughter running from a bear in addition to everything else that happened to her.

“What else did they men do to you?” Dr. Smithson said.

“Well, they raped us a lot but then they got really mad about the poop by the porch and made Cassie go and clean it up while they raped me some more. Then they had a dog and he started licking me. Cassie came back and distracted the dog away from me.” Jennifer said and started to cry. Helen rubbed her head and looked at the doctor.

“Doctor, can this wait?” Helen said as Jennifer sobbed in her arms.

“I am sorry ma’am. Just a couple of more questions please.” He said and Jennifer looked at him and sniffled.

“Jennifer, why are her hands and leg muscles atrophied?” he said.

“If you mean why are they not working right then it is because they started treating her like a dog after the dog had sex with her. They made her have sex with the dogs a lot and they would not let her stand up or they said they would beat her more. She even ate some of the dog food when they left us, I couldn’t do that. Doctor, she stopped talking, I think she started thinking like a dog.” Jennifer said and started crying again.

“Mrs. Jones, I am sorry. That is enough for now. I think we have enough to go on.” Dr. Smithson said and looked at Jennifer.

“Thank you honey, I am sorry I upset you.” Dr. Smithson said.

“No, doctor, it is ok. I just cry a lot, thank you for helping us.” Jennifer said and he smiled.

The doctor left and Helen sat on the bed and held Jennifer’s hand. She grabbed a Kleenex and wiped the cute little cheeks. Beatrice sat on the other side of the bed.

“It is so nice to see you guys. I had almost given up hope.” Jennifer said.

“Baby, you have no idea how happy I am to see you.” Helen said.

“Mom, she would tell me stories about home on the rough nights and it helped me get through it. I tried to do that for her at the end, but I don’t know if she understood me by that point.” Jennifer said and sobbed.

Helen put her hand on Jennifer’s cheek.

“Jennifer, you are both safe now and we will all work together to get past this. You did everything you could, so there will be no feeling guilty about anything ok?” Helen said and rubbed her cheek.

“Ok.” Jennifer said and a very young doctor walked into the room. Helen looked up at the woman and smiled.

“Hello, are you Mrs. Jones?” The doctor said and Helen nodded.

“Nice to meet you, I am Dr. Patricia Watkins, I am from Psych.” The doctor said and shook Helen’s hand.

Jennifer looked at the doctor and she was very pretty and very young. She had long dark hair like she did, and it was back in a ponytail. She had on a white coat, but she could see she was wearing a blue dress underneath.

“You must be Jennifer; I have heard a lot about you.” Dr. Watkins said and looked at Jennifer.

Jennifer saw her smile and thought she had a pretty smile. Her face looked kind; she reminded her of the doctor at HQ. She hoped she was ok.

“Hi.” Jennifer said. Helen stood up and the doctor sat on the edge of the bed. She took Jennifer’s hand.

“You can call me Dr. Trish, ok?” Dr. Watkins said and Jennifer nodded.

“Ok.” Jennifer said. Dr. Watkins looked at Helen.

“Mrs. Jones, I am in residency in Psych, the head of the department is on vacation this week. I would love to work with your daughters if that would be ok.” Dr. Watkins said. Helen looked at Beatrice. The doctor saw and looked at Beatrice.

“Are you the sister?” Doctor Watkins said, and Beatrice shook her head.

“Family friend.” Beatrice said and the doctor nodded.

“Beatrice has helped me through the last few months, she found the girls. I trust her and need her judgement.” Helen said.

“I understand. I have no issue with that. Do either of you have any questions?” Doctor Watkins said.

“How long have you been practicing?” Beatrice said and the doctor chuckled.

“I know, I get that a lot. I am 23. I graduated high school at 16, college at 19 and med school last year. This is my second residency. I don’t have a ton of experience, but I think I can help your girls. My specialty is emotional trauma resulting from sexual abuse. I also am a proponent of confrontational therapy and from what I heard about Jennifer that should be a good fit.” Doctor Watkins said.

“What is confrontational therapy?” Helen said and the doctor smiled. She squeezed Jennifer’s hand.

“It is about handling trauma by directly addressing it honestly and bluntly. It can be very difficult, but I have found in certain severe cases it is incredibly effective.” Doctor Watkins said and looked at Jennifer.

“Um, ok. I guess.” Helen said and the doctor looked up at her.

“Mrs. Jones, there is no wrong decision here. I can work with your girls this week and when Dr. Bloomberg returns you can discuss it with him and decide how you want to proceed.” Doctor Watkins said, and Helen nodded.

“Also, I want you in any session with your girls, it helps to give you a perspective and lets you help them when I am not around.” Doctor Watkins said, and Helen nodded. Doctor Watkins looked back at Jennifer.

“Now sweet girl. Where should we start?” The doctor said and Jennifer shrugged.

“I don’t know, there is so much.” Jennifer said.

“I understand, we will just keep talking about stuff until we cover it all. We don’t have to start at the beginning, or the end and we can jump around all we want. Do you want me to start?” Doctor Watkins said, and Jennifer nodded.

“Let’s start with what I know. Mrs. Jones is not your real mother, but I understand the attraction since your real mom handed you over to your cheerleading coach for grooming when you turned 14.” Dr. Watkins said and Helen gasped.

“Ma’am, it is ok. I am sure Jennifer is not shocked by this at all.” Doctor Watkins said, and Jennifer shook her head.

“What do you mean by grooming?” Helen said.

“Grooming for sexual servitude. The organization her coach was involved with recruited young girls for sexual slavery or outright sales to overseas clients.” The doctor said and Helen was stunned.

“I don’t understand, how do you know all of this?” Helen said.

“I am thorough, ma’am. When I heard your girls were missing, I was intrigued. I had run across other situations like yours in my prior research. I dug into Jennifer and Cassie and found out what I could. When the FBI blew up the organization, I looked deep into that as well. When I heard they were found I was very happy, not all cases like this have happy endings.” Doctor Watkins said and looked at Beatrice. Helen nodded.

“So, Jennifer, do you have any questions so far?” Doctor Watkins said and looked back at Jennifer.

“Yes, ma’am. What happened to my real mom?” Jennifer said.

“I believe she is in jail, isn’t that right, Beatrice?” Doctor Watkins said.

“Yes, Jennifer, she was arrested two weeks after you went missing.” Beatrice said.

“Good.” Jennifer said and looked at the doctor.

“That is very healthy. We will dig into that a lot more.” Doctor Watkins said.

“Something else.” Jennifer said.

“What honey?” Doctor Watkins said.

“You can work with me until she wakes up then you have to work with her. She needs you more than I do.” Jennifer said.

“Why do you say that sweetie?” Doctor Watkins said.

“Because she helped me while we were there. She made sure I remembered and that I never lost hope. I tried to help her, but I was not good enough, so she had no one and I am afraid she is broken.” Jennifer said and started crying. Helen joined her and the doctor took Helen’s hand and held them both as they cried.

“I tell you what, let’s say this is enough for our first talk. You stay with your mom, and I will be back later to talk some more. Would that be ok?” Doctor Watkins said, and Jennifer nodded.

Doctor Watkins stood up and squeezed both their hands. She helped Helen sit back on the bed. She took a couple of steps and looked back.

“Thank you, Dr. Trish.” Jennifer said.

“You are welcome sweetie.” Doctor Watkins said and walked out of the room. Jennifer looked at Helen.

“I like her.” Jennifer said.

Cassie walked into the diner, the door made its familiar tinkle as it opened and closed. She loved that sound; it was comforting for some reason. She walked over to the counter and the boss was already sweating over the grill. Emily was filling the ketchup bottles and Cassie started getting the coffee ready. She looked out at the dining area and there was only one customer. She looked at the clock and thought that was strange, they weren’t even open yet.

“Emily, who is that?” She asked. Emily motioned for her to step over. She pushed the button on the coffee and walked over closer.

“He is the new owner.” Emily said and Cassie looked at the man. He was dressed in a suit and looked very put together. She could not see his face as he sipped his coffee.

“What do you mean?” Cassie said and looked at her boss. He had his head down and he looked different.

“The boss ran into trouble and had to sell. This man bought the place, no one knows what will happen now.” Emily whispered.

Cassie heard the bell and saw a family walk in. They looked like they were dressed for church. Mom and dad sat in her section, there was an older boy and two younger girls, they looked identical. The boy had on nice pants and a white shirt with a tie. The girls were wearing identical white lace dresses with white shoes. They were both blonde and they were adorable.

“I guess we will find out.” Cassie said and Emily nodded. Cassie noticed one of the coffee carafes was full, she grabbed it and walked to the man’s table.

“Mom, I am hungry.” Jennifer said and Helen chuckled.

“I can check with the nurse to see when dinner should be here.” Helen said.

Jennifer felt her pussy tingle and she looked over at Cassie. She looked so calm, but her face was messed up. What was going to happen to them now? She felt safe for the first time in a long time, but she was worried about Cassie. The last days were scary, she worried she would not get her friend back, at least not all of her. She noticed Cassie grimace and her head moved a little.

“Mom, she is moving.” Jennifer said and Helen looked over. Cassie’s head was moving back and forth slowly, and she had a look of pain on her face.

“B, get the nurse.” Helen said and jumped up.

Helen walked over and sat on the bed. She put her hand on Cassie’s cheek and stopped her head. Her face had a strange expression on it, like she was in pain. She pushed some blonde hair off her face. Her eyes were bruised as was her cheek and there were still red and blue marks around her neck. Helen felt her heart squeeze as she looked at the signs of abuse.

Cassie’s head was smashed down on the table hard. The man was holding her ponytail and used it to drive her head down. She felt dizzy for a second and then she looked at him. His eyes were cruel.

“Welcome to the new management style. Things will be different around here now. You are nothing but meat to me and to my customers. Anything I ask you will do without question, or you will be executed right here in the middle of the restaurant, do I make myself clear?” The man said.

“Yes sir.” Cassie stammered as her head throbbed.

“Good, I am glad we understand each other. Now kneel and suck my cock.” He said and let go of her ponytail.

Cassie scrambled down to the ground, she noticed his cock was already out and sitting on his thigh. She grabbed it and sucked it deep. Her head hurt but her instincts took over and she swallowed him completely as soon as he got hard. She held him in her throat and massaged him with her swallowing. He did not make a sound as his cock fired three massive loads into her stomach. She pulled back and wiped her mouth, still on her knees. She heard the door tinkle again.

“That was a good start, your mouth skills are exemplary, that will come in handy.” He said and he motioned for her to stand.

She grabbed the table as she stood, her head was really throbbing now. He chuckled as she wobbled on her feet.