#unknownfather

Piper! God Piper, why didn't you listen to me? The young brunette faintly heard the words coming from her best friend's lips, traveling to her ears. She knew he was close, could feel the warmth of his body beside hers and yet it felt as if he was calling for her from miles away, his voice barely a whisper. Desperately she tried to speak back, tried to tell him she was sorry and was ashamed for not believing him, but nothing came out when she opened her mouth. At least, she thought she was speaking, thought she was looking at him, telling him she was sorry. In truth, Piper was being cradled in Lincoln's arms, carried for the Grand National he had parked outside, her limp body weak, broken and barely hanging on. There didn't seem to be a lot of hope for her, just by looking at her, but it was the love for Lincoln, the love she felt from him by the way he carried her that kept her hanging in there. Inside the car she could hear the faint sounds of the radio, hear his soft voice, speaking through sobs and telling her to hang in there for him, to just be okay. She felt the car jerk to a halt, the sound of a car door slamming before once more his shouts were barely whispers to the weak teenager, before the darkness looming over her set in.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Piper heard faintly in her ears as she felt her eyes fluttering open slowly, fading in and out of consciousness as she could hear the whipsers of the many nurses in the room, tending to her broken body. One whispered to another, speaking of how lucky she was to be alive, another speaking of the boy to save her, how heroic he was in finding her and putting himself on the line to save her. “L—L—Linc...” Piper tried to whisper, her voice weak and hoarse as a nurse tried to place a finger to her lips, telling her to rest. Her head tilted off to the side, sleep taking her a second time but not before she whispered for Lincoln a second time.

Another hour passed, a few more tests being run and another rape kit being taken of Piper before she was finally awake and alert, thought finding it hard to see only out her left eye. She had asked numerous times to look in the mirror, to see what she looked like, the damage that had been done to her but not one nurse wanted to let her out of bed, nor let her even out of bed with the pending results of her tests. “I want to see Lincoln. Please.” She spoke, her voice still hoarse from the damage done from the times Brandon choked her, damaging her vocal chords slightly. Before she was going to be allowed to see her best friend and the one she deeply loved the doctor had to have a moment alone with her, needing to give her some unsettling news. Shock covered the brunette's face, even minutes after the doctor left, any questions she had going unanswered by her silence, though it was quickly broken the moment she saw the blond locks of her best friend, who rushed immediately to her side.

His head fell into her lap, his tears staining her hospital gown as she heard him confess the very thing she had to him almost two months before: he was in love with her. “L—Linc... Shh...” She spoke softly, the fingers on her left hand tangling in the shaggy mess of hair that was before her. “D—Don't cry... I'm gonna be okay. We are going to be okay.” She told him, licking her lips before trying to get him to sit up and look at her once again. “I love you. This... What he... That monster did to me, it's all going to heal. I promise.” She stated, finding herself suddenly in tears. Her right eye stung from the swelling, the tears irritating it as she felt his hand press to her swollen cheek, wanting to wipe away the tears.