Colton McCarthy

"No no no no, please don’t make me stay here." Tears fell freely, her voice breaking as sobs broke free from her thin pale lips. Her heart broke, her voice braking. Nothing felt right to be here. Her hands swayed in front of her, her body crashing into the floor as she found her knees. “C-Colton, please make it stop.”

Colton quickly knelt next to her, curiosity rising as he wondered what she was seeing. He shook her body before holding her against him, his chin resting on the top of her head. He hushed her before placing his lips next to her ear. "Carter... What do you see, baby?"

"But it would help right?" Her voice low, her eyes looking around her bedroom. Her body shook, as memories flashed through her head. Brown eyes, deep and dark. The pain, the pushing and blood and tearing of her insides. Shaking her head, her chocolate blonde curls swaying as she stood up abruptly, her body aching as she spun her body around, her eyes surveying every inch of the room. "Brown eyes. Oh, god. I-I don’t want to be here, not in this room."

Colton looked down at her, his eyes showing confusion and concern for her mental health. He grabbed her by the upper arms before shaking her gently, his eyes firm on hers. "Carter... Carter, baby. It's okay! You can't avoid this forever. You need to face it one way or another because I'm not having you sleep on the couch." Colton said before cupping her cheeks and kissing her gently, trying to make her feel better.

Step by step, each one more grueling than the other. Each step cause Carter’s heart to ache, Each step made her remember those two weeks she spent, layed up in a hospital bed in agonizing pain. A pain cause by someone she couldn’t remember. It racked her brain, every night. Her body froze as she reached the doorway to what used to be her children’s nursery. Used to be being the key word. Blood stains in the carpet made her stomach turn. She didn’t want to sit, sit on the lounge doing nothing. Her heart ached even more at the sight of the once innocent nursery. Her hazel green eyes glazed over as tears welled in her eyes. “I-I don’t even r-remember what h-happened.” Her voice broke, sobs releasing from her thin pale lips.

Colton took Alex off of his mother and placed him in his bed before rushing back over to his saddened lover, helping her stand. He let her cry into her, hushing her loud sobs before picking her up and walking her to the bedroom, not wanting their children to witness their mother in such a way. He placed her down on the bed in the room before cupping her jaw, his eye focussed on her glistening hazel eyes. "Carter, listen to me. You don't have to remember. Okay? I know you want to but you can't be angry at yourself if you can't."

Guilty, that’s what the young, fragile girl was feeling. Ashamed, and guilty. Her eyes glazed over, her thin pale lips cracked and sore, skin peeling off. With a loud groan, her body ached- her heart pounding against her hallow chest. She didn’t know how Colton could promise her that. How he could say that everything was going to be alright. “Nothing is ever going to be okay again.” Her voice, a broken whisper as her eyes met his. There was no life in the brunette’s eyes, her body rocking as Colton wrapped the large hospital robe over her body. Carter pushed away from her lover slightly, her hands gripping the vanity to keep herself supported. Determination in her eyes, the girl pushed herself away from Colton and the vanity, her feet barely making it to the bed. Turning she faced Colton, her dull green eyes boring into his emotion filled blue ones. “How can you promise that?” She asked, tears welling in the edge of her eyes. She looked for her babies before realizing that Derek had taken the pair from the room. 

Colton looked down at her, slightly frustrated at her weakness. But part of him knew she would be exactly like this. He pulled her closer to him, looking her firmly and deeply in her eyes. "Carter, how can you say that? What about all that shit you went through with your father? Okay? You will get through this fine, baby. And you have Derek, your kids, and I to help you do that." Colton said before walking her back out into the hospital room and placed her on the bed, her eyes searching for her children. "It's fine. They're with Derek, most likely at a vending machine." Colton pulled the blankets up over her cold body before kissing her forehead, sitting down next to her. "Get some rest, baby."

Colton watched as Derek and the doctor left the room, listening to his lover whimper in the background. He turned to face her, watching as her face showed severe sadness. He walked over to her before cupping her cheek, getting her to look up at him instead of her body. ...

Colton watched his lover crouch down and cradle herself as she tried to wash herself thoroughly, scrubbing at her skin to clean the dirty feeling of what had happened to her. He walked over and turned the taps off before wrapping his arms around her, hushing her as she rocked backwards and forwards in his arms. He let out a slight whimper. He had never seen someone he loves in such a state. He helped her to her feet before wrapping the towel around her and drying her off, trying to keep his eyes in hers and not the injuries inflicted on her. He places her robe onto her body gently before looking her deeply in the eyes, his eyes glistening from the tears in his eyes from seeing such a beautiful woman in this way. "Carter, it's okay. In a couple of days you'll be home and we'll try and get this all behind you. I promise I'll try my hardest."

Hidden Secrets Revealed

Carter listened to each words the three men spoke, her eyes bouncing from Derek to Colton and the doctor. As Derek took the children of her lap she breathed out a heavy sigh, the weight off her bruised and battered legs. Looking to her children, her eyes watching them with a sad smile on her face. She wasn’t sure what she looked like, she could only imagine how bruised and swollen her face would be. She felt dirty, disgusting covered in filth she couldn’t get off. As the doctor spoke, her eyes looked down at her hands. When the doctor walked out, she looked up her eyes connecting with Colton. “I-I need to s-shower, I’m dirty, u-uh- I’m filthy.” She stuttered, her hands finding the edge of the blanket. She pulled it off, ignoring the searing pain in her entire body. Carter pulled her legs off the bed, her body shaking. “I feel gross… and, and digusting.” Carter rubbed her arms up and down, trying to clean the nonexistent dirt. “C-Colton, help.. help me p-please.”

Colton watched as Derek and the doctor left the room, listening to his lover whimper in the background. He turned to face her, watching as her face showed severe sadness. He walked over to her before cupping her cheek, getting her to look up at him instead of her body. "Carter... Carter! Look at me. You had a shower a couple of hours ago. You're fine. You're clean. Okay, baby? It's okay." Colton tried to place her back in her bed as she rubbed her body up and down trying to clean herself. There was not a spec of dirt on her. The only colour that covered her body was the bruised and cuts. He knew exactly what she meant though. He let out a sigh before giving in, helping her out of her bed. "Come on then, baby. I'll take you over to the shower." Colton wrapped his arm around her waist before walking her over to the shower through a door from her room. He turned on the water before turning to face her, his eyebrows raised. "Do you need a hand getting off your hospital robe?"

Hidden Secrets Revealed

Derek looked down at Carter as her eyes shut, her mind remembering aspects of the attack. He sat down next to her hospital bed and hushed Carter, gasps escaping her mouth as she flinched in the bed. "Carter, baby. You don’t have to remember right now. Just think about getting better." Derek held her hand before looking up at Colton, his eyes wide. He couldn’t believe any of this. He looked down at Carter and the children before taking them off her lap as she tried to remember, he body flinching in the bed. 

Colton looked down at Carter before kissing her forehead as her eyes clenched shut trying to remember all the tiny details. He looked up at Derek as he hushed her, his eyes filled with tears. He wiped his eyes before looking up at the doctor, just wanting to take his lover home to look after him herself. "Doc, when can she go home?" Colton said before looking back down at the fragile woman, his eyes filled with sadness. "As soon as she is showing signs of improvement." 

Hidden Secrets Revealed

Derek watched the doctor as he spoke, his eyes locking onto Carter’s weak body as he revealed the large, heart breaking news. He walked over to Carter before grabbing her hand gently, looking down at her already two amazing children. Derek looked up at the doctor before clearing his throat, his eyebrows raised. "Doctor, was there any evidence of who… Of who raped Miss Monroe?" Derek asked before walking closer to the doctor. His eyes widened as anger raised inside of him as the doctor spoke. "Unfortunately, there was no significant evidence that gave us DNA of who abused Carter. There were traces of the lubricant on the outside of a condom, but nothing else was found. My apologies." Derek looked over at Carter and Colton, obviously shaken by the news. 

Colton felt the tears welling in his eyes and grasped onto Carter's hand tighter as the doctor spoke. He looked over at Derek before feeling his knees go weak again, resulting in him falling backwards slightly and falling into the hospital chair next to his lover's bed. The tears spilt over the brim of his bottom eye lid before letting go of Carter's hand and holding his head in his hands, his body shaking as the news became too overwhelming. He let out loud sobs before sniffling up the tears, his eyes tightly shut. He looked over at Carter before up at the doctor as he spoke, his eyes wide. "What do you mean, there was no DNA? Was there anything under her fingernails? Any hairs? There's got to be something to let us catch this fucker!" Colton spoke loudly before thinking back to what the doctor originally said. "This son of a bitch injured Carter so badly we can't have children anymore! We can't do... We can't raise more children that... We won't be able to see more of our children grow up. This is bullshit!"

Hidden Secrets Revealed

Derek attempted to hold Colton’s body up as he sobbed, the news hitting him hard. He hushed him before looking in to see Carter’s hurt face looking towards them. He pushed Colton up so that he was standing on his own, his eyes flickering between him and the hospital room every now and then. "Colton. Come on, get a hold of yourself. You see Carter? She is strong, okay. You need to help her through this. We don’t need you to be focussing on who did this to her at this very moment, you just need to be there and support her." 

Colton looked into the room as Derek held him up, wiping the tears softly off of his cheek. He stood up tall before letting out a muffled sob, fixing himself up before turning to walk into the hospital bed. He smiled at Carter as she held the children on her bed, his icy blue eyes watching his children's. "Carter, I love you. Okay?" Colton said before leaning over and pressing his lips against his lovers. As he stood away, a doctor walked in and asked to talk to Carter. Colton's eyebrows raised. Was there more?

Hidden Secrets Revealed | c a r t e r & d e r e k

Derek watched as she spoke to Colton, his eyes watching the couple closely. After Colton hushed her and held her hand, comforting her, it was time for Derek to tell Colton what happened to her. He smiled down at her two children before standing up and taking a few steps towards Colton, his eyes showing sadness. "Colton. I have to talk with you. Do you mind stepping outside?" Derek took the male outside the hospital room before looking down at him, wiping his face with his hand. "Colton, Carter was badly beaten and bruised. She has 4 broken ribs, 3 cracked ones, a fractured jaw and… Colton… Carter was raped…" Derek said before looking into the hospital room, looking at Carter smiling at her children.

"Carter, baby. I understand. It's okay. You're safe now." Colton said before kissing her forehead, his eyes diverting to Derek after he had spoken. He stood up straight before before walking outside with Derek, his eyes widening as he listened to every words Derek was saying. Colton could feel his legs weakening underneath him, stumbling slightly before having Derek hold him up. "W-What... C-Carter... Who?" Colton said, his legs building up strength to hold himself up. He looked into the bedroom before back at Carter before looking back at Derek, his rage building up inside him. His fists clenched into a fist before leaning against the wall. "I'm going to fucking kill him!"

Hidden Secrets Revealed | c a r t e r & d e r e k

Derek walked over to the doorway to the hospital bedroom, letting out a loud, thankful sigh as Colton finally answered his phone. "Colton. Where the hell have you been?! Carter’s in hospital and you… What’s been so important that you couldn’t even protect your girl, huh? What’s so important that you let her get so hurt?! You need to get your ass to the hospital right now. And bring the twins. Carter is asking for them and you." After listening to Colton reply, he hung up without so much as a good-bye, worry in his voice as he ended the phone call. He gripped his phone tightly before looking over at Carter, seeing the pain she was going through.

Colton's mouth fell open before looking at his mother, tears welling up in his eyes hearing that his lover was hurt. He grasped the phone tightly in his hand before turning to face the door, not wanting his children to hear him curse. "W-What do you mean? Derek, Carter texted me and told me to take the kids and leave. She told me she didn't want to see me again, so don't you dare tell me how this is all my fucking fault!" As Colton heard Derek instruct him to go to the hospital, he dropped his phone on the ground before taking the children off of his mother and taking them to see her mother. Of course he didn't want them to see her in this state, but she was asking for them, and what was he going to say? No? As he arrived at the hospital, he paced in quickly asking the desk clerk for her room number. He walked down the haunted hallways before turning into her room, seeing Derek holding her hand as she laid there in pain. He sat the twins up on a chair before walking over to the other side of her bed and holding her other hand. "Carter... Baby?"