SENSITIVE / BRILLIANT

@manslavghter  ;  answered

Sergio shifted again to sit up. The blanket pooled around his hips as he leg hung off the side of the bed. His matching white pants hung loose at his ankle. Goosebumps spread along his arms and shoulder in the silence that stretched between them, the slight chill in his cell contrasting against his warm skin.

“It’s good to see you… you’re looking better,” The doctor tried, only to be greeted with her stare. He waited for her to continue the conversation, letting her lead it.

He smiled again and nodded at her thanks, “You’re welcome.”

She looked so small, curled up in a ball on the hard chair settled in front of his cell. He knew she wasn’t okay. No one would be okay after what she endured, and the lack of evidence of what they did to her would be both a blessing and a curse.

He wasn’t going to lie to her or sugarcoat what she was going through. Serg had lied to her enough, and was determined to be honest - even if the truth was a little brutal.

“You will be, for a while,” His voice was gentle and soft, but it was also sad. Serg would give anything for her to be spared this. “You’ll have nightmares of it. You’ll wake up sometimes and think you’re back there… that all of this was a dream; but eventually, you’ll go to sleep… and you won’t dream. You’ll wake up and feel safe. Trust me, I know it’s hard, and it will take time; but you have to face it - conquer it. You’re strong Mckenzie. You can do this.”

Kenzie continued to chew at her lip, plucking away just the surface of a thin layer of skin only to have it form back as if her teeth never touched it. She kept her eyes on him, listening as he told her of the nightmares she would more than likely have—she could already feel her chest tightening and her heartbeat quickening at the mere thought of it. She took in a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly. Absently she began to grind her teeth together, her jaw tensing as she thought of something to say. Anything. She needed a reason to be down there other than just being in his presence, because she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to admit that he was the only person who made her feel safe. She couldn’t trust him—-not like she had before, no matter how badly she wanted to.

“I don’t feel very strong,” she finally said, giving a faint shake of her head. Her hands gently trembling as she softly gripped the fabric of her plaid pajama pants, “if I was strong—-I wouldn’t still be in here..” she glanced up at the security camera in the corner of the room, wondering if there was still anyone monitoring the feed this late at night.