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She took several deep breaths, her handHer eyes took in Claire beside her, staring at her daughter’s blue eyes and blond hair “Claire…”
“Morabbed hers
Just like anymore than her own “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine Constance protected me”
“Protected you…? Protected you from what?”
“Everything’s fine,” I said “We’ll talk about it later” I ran h her hair just the way I did with Claire “You need to eat soe of the bed before I grabbed the tray of food and the pills
Beatrice didn’t look at the food on her lap Her hand explored her back, stilling when she found the bandages under her shirt She froze, eyes wide, everything co back to her in a heartbeat
“You’re safe now, Beatrice” It was inore how traumatic thisso through itMy eyesit would just make it harder if someone were to mirror her sorrow back at her
She must have been in really serious pain, because all she cared about were the pills She sed theraine
“I know you’re nauseated right now, but you’ll feel better if you eat—”
“Theythe horror of the memory, her mind elsewhere while her body res…and cut my back to find the, uncontrollable sobs
I stayed in their rooht
Claire fell asleep on the couch, her toys around her
Since Beatrice had slept all day and all night, she ide awake, gri the pills, but over-the-counter h to subdue the kind of pain she endured
She sat in the chair at her bedside next to the harp, her eyes forever in a daze She seeh it was torture, but she had to in order to make sense of what she’d suffered
But there was no sense to be made of it
I sat at the edge of the bed, wishing there were more I could do “We’ll find a way out of here, Beatrice We just gotta keep our eyes on the prize”
Lifeless, she stared at a random spot on the other wall
“I still have er He didn’t take it away from me”
Nothing
“Beatrice…talk to me”
She finally looked at me, her eyes heavy “What happened with Claire?”
I glanced at the sleeping child, as out like a light, tired out froet her to take a pill”
“A child?” She raised her voice and iain, she was quiet “Jesus Christ, this place…” She inhaled a slow breath and dropped her gaze “What happened?”