Chapter 8: Aftermath redemption and a new life

Matt had not been able to stay with Beth, when they brought her to the Hospital. Doctor Smitherson and Hendy took charge of her immediately, Hendy telling Matt that she was in good hands and to call the next day.

"Matt. We will sedate her to start off, so there's no point in your hanging around. She may be unconscious for a day or even two, until we have found out what stuff they were pushing into her we have to take it slowly. Phone me tomorrow." With that he pushed Matt out of the front door.

As they drove, Janet regarded her Boss with sympathy. Someone had come unannounced and uninvited into his life and buggered it up, simply to take their evil pleasure, without regard to Matt's feelings. Now he couldn't know if he would get the same wife back, nor if his relationship with her would ever be the same. She was encouraged by the fact that Matt did not seem to hold Elizabeth responsible, but! Could either of them ever forget what had gone on in that room, and would those memories taint their future lives? Janet had seen enough of that room, and the terrible cuts and bruises on the cheeks of Elizabeth's arse, the cruel treatment her nipples had suffered, with dried blood encrusted on her breasts. It would haunt her for years. What it would do to Elizabeth only time would tell.

It took all Matt's reserve to delay calling the hospital until eleven o' clock, when his patience ran out. Hendy was unavailable, but he spoke to Dr. Smitherson. Who gave him a resume of the treatment.

"We have run some tests on her urine and blood. We are waiting for the Path. Lab. to come back with the results. I have treated her injuries, those are mainly to her buttocks. Her nipples, well I had to put a couple of stitches in both. The injuries appear to have been inflicted with someone's nails, so she has been given some broad spectrum antibiotics. That would appear to be the extent of her physical injuries. She is comfortable, but still sedated. I will ask Dr. Henderson to call you as soon as he has some information, but his treatment cannot start until she is conscious. I can only treat her physical injuries. Dr. Henderson is the one who will treat her mental ones."

"Doctor. I would like to come and see my wife."

"Well you can come anytime you wish. If you come today, be aware that she is sedated, so you will get no conversation from her."

"I'm on my way!"

Janet could hold the fort as well as he could, so apart from fielding any calls that needed his attention. Matt determined to find a hotel nearby so that he could be with Beth as much as possible. A nurse showed him into Beth's room. She was lying on her right side, with pillows at her back. Matt assumed that this was so the dressings on her bottom would not be disturbed. She was so still it unnerved him, yet the monitor showed that she was breathing regularly. He sat down at the bedside and took her left hand in his. There was nothing to say or do, yet he considered that somehow her mind would register that he was here with her.

A little while later a senior nurse came in.

"Mr. Bennett?" Matt nodded. "She's doing as well as can be expected, and she's comfortable. Stay if you wish, but I wouldn't think she will be in a position to talk for quite a few hours."

"I understand. I will stay though." The Nurse smiled.

"As you wish. Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?"

"A coffee would be good. No sugar, thanks." Three minutes later she was back with the coffee. Matt smiled his thanks, and she went to leave. At the door she turned.

"What kind of animals could have done that?" the disgust and anger in her voice was plain. Matt had asked that question himself.

"I don't know what makes them like that, but I am certain that they will regret their actions."

"Have you informed the Police?"

"They will know soon, I suspect. But I believe punishment has already been inflicted."

"Like for like, I hope." Matt nodded his head.

"Oh yes, very much so, and unlike my wife, I am sure their scars will never fade."

"Good." The expression on her face told Matt that whatever his idea of revenge was, hers would have been ten times worse. He went on. "My only regret is that I was not present to administer the punishment in person." She came over and put her hand on his shoulder.

"From what I know, you had to take care of your wife. That was your priority."

It seemed like hours, but was just two hours when Hendy came in. He checked the monitor and seemed pleased, that is if the "Humph" sound he made was indicative. He grabbed the other chair and came and sat down with Matt.

"I've got the toxicology results. As I suspected Rohypnol, Pentothal and something like ecstasy. They didn't give her anything else, thank God. If we had to deal with a dependency as well, it would be bloody, to say the least. She should flush her system within the next day or so. We will let her come out of sedation on her own. Painkillers should cope then. The real struggle is going to be with her subconscious. Hypnosis by-passes the conscious mind; that's where we do our logical thinking, and our principles govern our actions: The subconscious has no morals nor logic, so hypnosis can instil all sorts of ideas, and the subject has no recollection of them being planted. I have to hypnotise her and try to erase those ideas. I need your permission though."

"Yes." "Good. I'll get you to sign the release form later. Are you going to be here much longer."

"As long as it takes."

"Matt! We could be talking weeks."

"I didn't realise that."

"I have to take it slowly. It's like chipping away at a block of Granite. You don't go into someone's head and hit the subconscious with a simple instruction, but I have to tell you that it may be impossible to completely eradicate all the ideas." Matt was confused.

"Why?"

"It has to do with Elizabeth's own psyche. If she is naturally a sub missive, then I cannot erase that. You will have to deal with that."

For days after Matt pondered those last few words. He understood most of what Hendy was saying, but could not comprehend that statement. He had stayed by Beth's side until the evening when she showed signs of waking. The monitor was obviously being repeated at the Nurse's station, as soon the senior nurse came in. She checked Beth's pulse and blood pressure.

"She'll be back with us soon. It will be good for her that the first thing she sees will be her husband."

It was three hours later that Beth's eyes fluttered and opened, then closed for another minute or so, then opened. Her first reaction was a huge smile.

"Matt. Oh Matt it's so lovely to see you." Matt leant in to kiss her, a kiss that was returned with joy. Then Beth looked around. Immediately she saw that she was in a hospital. At first her brow creased with questions, then memories came back to her, and horror suffused her face. Her eyes closed and tears flowed slowly from under the lids. Matt put his arm around her neck and pulled her up slightly, so that his mouth was close to her ear.

"I love you, Beth. I will always love you. Nothing will ever change that." He felt her shake her head, and she whispered something. Matt didn't ask her to repeat it. It didn't matter, he suspected it was something to do with her actions.

"Beth! Whatever happened you are not to blame. You are not to blame. Remember that. I love you, remember that as well." Beth had stopped weeping and regarded Matt with hesitancy and caution. He smiled. Her eyes opening to watch him warily. He repeated. "Remember! I love you."

The nurse came in and without preamble went about the checks she had to do.

"Welcome back, Beth." Beth replied forcefully.

"My name is Elizabeth. Only my husband has the right to call me Beth." Matt had to hide the smile. That was the proper Beth. The nurse apologised.

"I am sorry, Elizabeth, quite right too. I will write that on the sheet."

The next two weeks were agony for Matt. Hendy had taken Beth and as he said had hypnotised her again and again gradually supplanting the suggestions that the Frenchman had placed there. Matt called often and sat with Beth. She was no longer a bed patient, but seemed lethargic and uncommunicative. Hendy was little better, refusing or perhaps unable to discuss the progress that his patient had made. Matt was tearing himself apart. Visiting Beth as often as he could, racing back to the office whenever a crisis threatened, constantly booking, cancelling and then re-booking his room at the local hotel. They were very understanding, accepting the story that his wife had been in an accident, and that Matt was trying to keep many balls in the air like a juggler. Then Gary phoned asking to meet.

He came to the hotel and brought Matt up to date on the situation with the Moillet's.

"I won't tell you about how they were punished; better that you don't know in case anyone asks; but they are in hospital as we speak and likely to be there for some time. They are under police guard. The evidence we found and left for the police got the local guys in a complete panic. As I thought they handed it all over to Special Branch, who are having a field day, interviewing more than one politician, and other prominent figures. There are some very worried people in high places at this moment. There's an information clamp on this, nothing in the papers as they don't want suspects deciding to take long holidays. They brought the computer to me, and I have given them some extremely interesting information, which I cannot divulge to you, except to say that some of our European partners and allies are not quite as friendly as you would think. However from what I can gather, these governments are denying all knowledge of what was happening."

"So it goes beyond just these evil bastards indulging their fetishes?" Matt pondered. Gary nodded.

"Yes. Far beyond that. There was intelligence gathering from the high and mighty, blackmail, and human trafficking. If you hadn't stopped them, Elizabeth was already sold to someone as a slave. The other interests have washed their hands of them and the Moillet's have been hung out to dry, so to speak."

"What do you think will happen to them? Will they go on trial?" Gary was shaking his head.

"No. There's too many of the Great and the Good involved, not to mention our so-called partners. They will quietly disappear, and leave questions in the minds of other states, not to mention many politicians. How much did the police find, and how does it affect them. They are going to worry for years."