Caged (5 page)

He stared at me with wide eyes when I perched myself on the edge of his bed and pulled the table towards me.

“Smells good.”

Taking the fork I stabbed at a small amount of egg and turned to Anderson with a large smile.

His brow was puckered in confusion as his eyes shot from my face to the fork and then back again.

I placed the egg in my mouth and smiled as I chewed. “Not bad. Not as nice as mine but it’s edible.”

Then repeating the action, I this time directed the fork to Anderson. He gulped, slightly rearing back.

“Try it,” I urged with a nod. “This is yours.”

Puzzlement cast his eyes to me again. “Mine.”

I nodded. “Yours.”

At last, he very slowly opened his mouth but he never took his gaze from me, watching me closely. Smiling, I slid the fork between his lips and nodded again, encouraging him to eat. He chewed quickly, swallowing with a loud noise. I wanted to giggle but took control of myself and offered him more. He became greedy, chewing rapidly and opening his mouth for more and more.

“Slow down.” I couldn’t help but laugh a little. He reminded me of a little bird. “There’s plenty more.”

The expression on his face when he took a piece of bacon will never leave me. It’ll be one of those life moments that replay when I die, the pleasure and surprise that portrayed every bit of his delight as he chewed even faster, desperate for more. His eyes lit up like it was the tastiest morsel of food he’d ever eaten. Sadness overtook me when I realised it really was the tastiest thing he’d ever eaten.

When he’d cleaned the plate I gave him a drink of his tea through the straw placed on the tray and listened to his deep slurp.

His eyes lifted back to mine when he’d finished. He worked his mouth again, opening and closing before he said, “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. I can’t wait until you try Ben and Jerry’s.” I chuckled as I stood up and pushed the table back down to the bottom of his bed, and then added quietly, “I’ll probably have an orgasm at the face you pull then.”

I froze when a low growl came from Anderson. Fuck, he had really good hearing!

“Right,” I declared a little too enthusiastically as I spun back round to face him, embarrassment glowing across my cheeks. Then I realised he wouldn’t even know what an orgasm was and relaxed.

However, his hot green eyes bore into me and I could feel the air struggle in my lungs as it tried to rush out in a single gush. Fuck, he also knew what orgasms were if the look on his face was anything to go by.

My eyes glanced at the clock and I wondered if 9am was too early for alcohol.

Brushing myself off, angry with my train of thought, I grinned a little too much. “Are you up to talking?”

He scowled. I guessed not then. Oh well.

Taking the chair that was in the corner of the room, I pulled it a little closer towards the bed and lowered myself down. Anderson watched every move I made, his eyes assessing me.

“I know it might be difficult and frustrating to start with but soon we’ll be able to take those cuffs off you.”

His eyes dropped to where his arms were tucked down by his sides, the strong leather bindings making sure I stayed safe until we learned to trust each other better.

“I would really like you to be able to move about, Anderson. But I can’t sanction that until you can manage to calm your temper.”

He lay still, staring at me. I knew he understood what I was saying, I could see the recognition in his eyes. Once again, he looked at the cuffs and frowned.

“I understand that you’re scared, angry and confused. All this has happened so quickly for you.”

He remained silent, listening and watching.

Blowing out a breath, I tried a different tactic. “What do you like, Anderson?”

His frown deepened.

“Tell me something you like. I have no idea what makes you feel, what makes your heart beat quicker.”

He blinked and lowered his face when a sadness seeped into eyes. “Tamsin.”

“Tamsin?”

The silence around us was deafening. I watched in horror when a tear rolled from Anderson’s eye and slid down his cheek. He tried to wipe it away with his shoulder and I quickly pulled a tissue from the box and gently reached to him. He pulled in a breath and cowered away but I persisted, going slowly as I gently wiped away the tear.

“Who’s Tamsin, Anderson?”

As I moved away he pushed his face closer to my hand, resting his cheek in my palm as his eyes climbed up my neck to my face and locked onto my eyes.

“Tamsin,” he whispered. His voice was choked and so full of sadness. “Dog.”

“Was Tamsin your friend?”

I didn’t want to move in case he closed up again so I sat on the bed, allowing him to rest his face in my hand.

He nodded. “She was my dog.” Those four words were the most I’d managed out of him and I had to clamp down my emotions.

“Did Tamsin live in the basement with you?”

He nodded. “Mary… she... Mary hit her.”

Oh shit.

“Mary? Mary who lived in the house with you?”

“Yes.”

I could feel him slipping away. I was stupid. I should have stopped. I should have shut my fucking mouth. But I didn’t.

“Did Mary hurt you too, Anderson?”

His eyes widened as panic rolled over him. His head started to shake from side to side as the most horrendous sound burst from him.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” I urged as I held on to his arms to stop him from shaking. Years of training and I made the most foolish error. I thought we’d made a connection. I thought I’d made some progress. I thought he trusted me. I was so wrong.

My body flew backwards as a tremendous pain sliced through my head and I fell onto the floor, instinctively bringing my hands up to where Anderson had just head-butted me. Tears of pain poured from my eyes as I gritted my teeth against the agony.

“Shit!” I heard Betty shout before someone stormed into the room.

Anderson cried out and I tried to get to my feet to tell them not to, but by the time my vision cleared and I lifted onto all fours, the drugs forced into Anderson’s bloodstream by none other than Vince had already worked, his tranquil sleep pushing back his nightmares.

“Shit, Kloe!”

“My own fault,” I groaned as Betty helped me into the chair.

“What the hell are you doing? You should have a chaperone!”

“I know. I just thought…”

And as if my day couldn’t get worse, Dr Krum piped up from his position by the door, “You didn’t think! And your incompetence has just put
my
patient back to the fucking beginning!”

I dropped my head into my hands and sighed.

Stupid!

A
NDERSON WAS STARING OUT OF
the window when I went back four days later. It was a bright but cool morning and I saw the amazement in his face as he watched the branches of a nearby tree move slightly in the light breeze.

He’d been conscious for two of the days I had stayed away. It wasn’t that I was scared to go back, but I mentally had to back off. Anderson had to be treated like a child, because emotionally he was exactly that. There were parts of him that were very much adult and man, however, he wasn’t psychologically capable of dealing with the varying emotions that tore through him. He became quickly heated, his confusion frustrating him and making him lash out. And it was that that had to be addressed first.

“You want to go outside and feel that breeze on your cheeks?”

He turned to look at me as I stood in the doorway to his room. His face pinched, guilt hanging heavy in his eyes when he spotted the bruise to the top of my nose.

“You didn’t think I would come back?”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Kloe.”

His voice was clear, full of remorse. His words were pronounced slowly, each one taking effort but each syllable was coherent and well-defined even though his tone was still rough and gravelly. I had to compress my lips to stop my mouth from falling open.

“Have you been practising?” I couldn’t help but smile with pride when he nodded.

“Then your effort is very much appreciated.” Pulling up the chair, I sat down and placed my bag beside me on the floor. “However, I think I’ll sit here today.”

Lowering his eyes, he nodded.

I looked at him then sighed. “Your old life is gone now, Anderson. I understand you’re scared and you have no idea what is happening. But I’m here to help you. If you don’t want to talk about what happened to you then that’s fine, we can talk about the weather, or dogs if that’s your passion. We can even talk about the damn colour of the walls. But I will not tolerate you hurting me.”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Do you want me to help you?”

He looked at me, his eyes huge with alarm as he nodded quickly. “Yes.”

“Okay.” I smiled and sat back into the chair. “Do you want to tell me why you hurt me?”

Swallowing, he stared straight at me. “It hurt. It hurt me.”

“To talk about Mary?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then we’ll not talk about Mary yet. Deal?”

He looked confused, squinting at me as he tried to work out what deal meant.

“Do you want to talk about Tamsin?”

His face brightened a little and even though sadness flashed in his eyes, he nodded. I reached into my bag and pulled out a photo and showed it to him. “This is Dave, my dog.”

My breath felt too hot for my lungs when Anderson’s face lifted with the most beautiful smile. It reflected in his eyes, the deep green sparkling with happiness. “Dave,” he repeated.

I nodded. “He’s an ugly bugger, but he’s amazing.”

“Dave is your friend?”

I nodded, flashing him a grin. “He’s my friend, my keeper, my master and my partner.”

“Tamsin was brown. Big. And hairy.”

I laughed at his description.

“She kept me warm.”

My stomach sank. “I bet you kept her warm too.”

He nodded. “Tamsin liked me. She licked me a lot.”

The more he spoke about his beloved Tamsin the more he became animated and the more he said. It was encouraging, especially after the gruelling last few days.

“She liked to chase wood.”

“Like fetch?”

“Fetch?”

“Yeah. You threw her the wood and she brought it back to you?” He nodded in understanding. “Dave likes to fetch my shoe, although he doesn’t always bring it back and I have to dig it out of the rose bed.”

He didn’t understand a word I’d said but he smiled. “You love Dave.”

“I do, very much. He takes care of me. He licks my face when I laugh and he lets me cry into his fur. He also doesn’t mind when I get mascara on his coat.”

Anderson’s face dropped and he blinked at me, the deep green of his eyes dimming. “You are sad?”

“Sometimes,” I answered honestly.

Looking down at the bed, Anderson sighed. “Tamsin also hugged me when I was sad.” His sentences were growing and enthusiasm burrowed deep inside me. “Licked my tears.”

“That’s because you were her friend and she wanted to help you.”

He seemed to contemplate this for a moment and then he frowned. “You are my friend?” he asked, referring to one of our earlier conversations. “Like Tamsin?”

“Yes, I am.”

He was just about to say something else when the door opened and Krum walked in. Anderson tensed, much the same as me.

“My office, Ms Grant.” The way he spat my name set my teeth on edge.

My eyes widened when the room filled with the sound of a low growl, the pitch raw and untamed. Many men growled in annoyance or frustration, or even in passion, but Anderson’s growl was nothing like that. It was feral, wild, the replica of the way a dog would snarl, the tone dangerous and low, and the way his lip curled also gave him the appearance of a wild animal.

“It’s okay, Anderson,” I said quickly. “I’ll send Jimmy in. I’m sure you need the toilet.”

The sound of my calm voice cut through his strange behaviour and he nodded to me.

Dr Krum didn’t wait for me; he was already sat in the chair behind his desk when I walked into his office. The space was large, all the modern appliances making me shake my head in frustration. The hospital was desperate for money for equipment yet this doctor made sure his own personal space was equipped with everything.

“Sit down, Ms Grant.”

Smiling sweetly, I did as he asked, propping my bottom into the plush chair opposite him.

He threw a folder onto the desk. “Judd’s preliminary report.”

Surprised he was sharing, I picked up the file and glanced through it. It didn’t show much I didn’t already know but I was pleased to see Anderson’s health was, shockingly, in good condition after years of abuse and lack of nutrients.

“When can we expect your first report?”

Blowing out a breath, I leaned back in the chair. “I’m sure you’re aware this is a special case.” He nodded, giving me all of his attention. I couldn’t help but frown at his sudden change. “Anderson is, as expected, very scared, but he’s also curious which is a good sign. He’s not as withdrawn as I would expect. We have to remember that he has no life experience at all, no social skills. He’s never been outside in twenty-one years. Life will be extremely hard for him.”

Nodding again, he tipped his head. “So when will his transfer to Seven Oaks be recommended?”