stay out of relationships for at least a year because the relationship either becomes a crutch or a stressor. With married people who want to stay together, it’s going to be important that you’re going through this with him and not just watching from the sidelines.”
“I had no intentions of just sitting back and watching or being his crutch.”
“No one ever does.”
I sighed, because as frustrating as it was to hear, I knew the man was right. “Can I see him?”
“You can, if you’d like, but I gave him a sedative to calm him for now.”
“Is that smart, considering?”
“You know what?” He asked, but didn’t wait for an answer before continuing. “I like you. Do you know how many family members wouldn’t even think to ask if that was okay? Too many,” he answered himself before I had a chance to. Far too many, and they’re usually my repeat customers.” He patted his hand on my shoulder. “The sedative is fine for now, it’ll help. I’m looking into the cocktail of drugs he was being given so I can see what I need to wean him off of and what he can go cold turkey on.”
“Cocktail?”
“After he wasted away the first go round, Sasha actually sought out a medical professional who was all too willing to build her a designer mix to suit her needs.”
I shivered. “What exactly was in them?”
“That’s what I’m waiting to see. I sent his blood work off to a lab to have it examined. I can already tell you that before she was using a combination platter of Viagra, MDMA, and I can’t be sure, but after hearing what Deck had to say about his experience, I would guess Rohypnol or something similar to it. He may have been given the same thing, in safer dosages this time, but I always felt like there was something else in his system too. I’m pretty sure she gave him coke to counter the issues Viagra will cause with a lower heart rate.”
“What does all this mean for his heart, his overall health? Is there permanent damage from what she did?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “There’s no way of knowing right now. I didn’t have anything to compare his health to prior to him being rescued from the bitch before. If you’ll allow it, I can get with his normal doctor to discuss his baseline from before and compare to what he has now, versus what he’ll have once he’s weaned off of everything again.”
“Whatever you need,” I told him. Then I addressed the elephant in the room. “If he had Viagra and Molly in his system, then she very well could have been raping him and that baby could be his?”
The grim line of his mouth told me everything I needed to know. “You can find out for sure now, if you’d like. There are risks to the bitch and her baby though.”
I shook my head. “No, I won’t risk the baby in case it’s his, but once she has it, we’ll run the DNA,” I confirmed my plan. “I have someone else I need to check in on,” I told Durbin as I looked down at the man I loved. While he was obviously sleeping, it didn’t appear to be a peaceful sleep. “Will I have time before he’s up?”
“In keeping with the honesty I promised, I don’t think he’ll want to see you when he wakes, at least not yet.” My head snapped back as if I’d been physically assaulted by his words. Durbin held his hands out to me in a calming gesture. “It’s not that he won’t want to see you. I’m sure that’s nearly all he can think about, but he also knows that there are things that were done to him that he feels great shame for and it’s going to take him some time to work up the courage to deal with that and face you with the truth.”
“I already know,” I told him quietly.
“No, you suspect. If he tells you, then you know, and the fear isn’t in you knowing, it’s your reaction that will matter the most. Think on that while you’re checking on your friend.”
A text came through just as I turned to leave.
Ava: I need you to come to the house, please, as soon as possible. Love, T.
My heart was in my throat as I left the clubhouse, followed closely by Angel Girl, Christina, and MiMi.
The girls outside, at my behest, while I made my way in