Vicki followed close behind, wanting to reach out to her, but afraid of pushing her further into her shell.
"Are you alright?"

"Uh, yes," Tea answers, snapping out of the spell. She takes small, tentative steps toward the livingroom, toward the window.

"Tea, I was thinking, that maybe I should stay with you for a few days, to help you get settled." Tea says nothing, just continues to stare out the window. The doorbell rings. Vicki reluctently turns her attention from Tea, to the visitor at the door. "Who is it?"

"Carlotta." Tea had not wanted Carlotta to visit her in the hospital, she didn't want to be seen in her weakened state. Vicki opened the door, partially, whispering through the crack.

"Carlotta, I don't think right now is a good time."

"It's okay," Tea yells as much as she can yell from the livingroom.

Carlotta brushes past Vicki, carrying several bags of groceries, drops them on the floor, and moves to hug Tea. She notices a look in her eyes, one that stops her cold. Neither makes a move, making the silence even more awkward.

"Tea, how are you?"

"Fine." What a stupid question! What do they expect me to say? I've been beaten, raped, broken, but other then that, I'm feeling pretty good.

"Well, I brought you some things to eat. I'll just go and put them in the kitchen." Tea nods her head in acknowledgement.

"Why don't you go upstairs and try to get some rest," Vicki suggests. "I'll bring you some tea." Again, Tea nods her head, and walks up toward the stairs.

"Vicki, would you give Carlotta my apologies?"

"Yes, of course."

The bedroom was exactly as she had left it. A NYU sweatshirt and jeans were tossed carelessly across the bed. If I had just gone with my first instincts and worn that, maybe it wouldn't have happened.

The bathroom seemed so much larger, she felt dwarfed. She turned the shower to hot, as hot as her body could stand, undressed, carefully avoiding the mirror, and stepped under the faucet. She scrubbed her skin, trying to rid herself of each contaminated layer. But nothing she could do would rid her of that dirty feeling, inside and out.

Get off of me. Stop it. I can't get clean. I can't wash it away. I just want to be okay. I just want to feel normal. What is normal? Just take it back, undo it. I can't do this. I don't know how to do this. Oh, god, help me. Please, help me. I am dead. She slid down the shower wall, and buried her face in her hands, willing the water to wash away her pain and cleanse her soul.

*****

Vicki sat on the couch and watched the fire that she had just started. She thought back to the years of sexual abuse that she had endured, reliving the pain. She knew that she would never completely be over the abuse, and certain times were harder then others. This was one of those times. Her mind wandered to her friend upstairs, and what she must be experiencing.

Carlotta stood in the doorway, watching Vicki, watch the fire. She knew of Vicki's history of abuse, and Tea's rape must have forced hidden emotions to the surface. Vicki wore the same pained expression as Tea, betraying her strong exterior.

"Vicki, where's Tea?"

"She went upstairs. She said to thank you for coming, and that she's sorry."

"Are you going to be staying with her?"

"Yes."

"She doesn't want to see me does she?"

"I don't think that's it, Carlotta. I think it's more of her not wanting anyone to see her like this. Please, don't take it personal. She will reach a point when she'll want you, and need you around, just give her some time."

Carlotta retrieved her purse, and headed toward the door. "I'm glad that at least you can be of comfort to her. Please, keep me posted and let me know if she needs anything." The two women embrace, and Carlotta leaves.

*****

The shower has been running for quite some time. Vicki waited in Tea's bedroom with a cup of tea, but became concerned after waiting for several minutes. She gently raps on the bathroom door, but there is no response.

"Tea, it's Vicki. Are you alright?" She continues to knock, but there is only the sound of running water. She tries to open the door, and finds it unlocked. "Tea, I'm coming in." Her eyes scan the room, finally landing on the shower door. She sees Tea's sillouette, sitting on the floor, motionless. A white towel, monogramed with the initials T.M.D.M. lies carelessly thrown on top of the sink. Vicki grabs it, turns the shower off, and wraps it around Tea. "Can you hear me?"

She nods her head, too pained to speak.

"Okay, good. I need you to help me. Can you walk?"

She nods her head and gingerly stands up.

"Good, now we're going to go to your room so you can get some sleep." Vicki supports Tea's frail body, and they walk to the bed.

*****

She has finally drifted off into a restless sleep, fighting an invisible demon. Vicki sits in a chair next to the bed, reliving some of her abusive childhood. The memories flood her mind, so clear, it's as if it were yesterday. Her cellular phone chirps from her purse, startling her. She picks it up quickly, not wanting to wake Tea, and walks into the hall, closing the door behind her.

"Hello?"

"Vicki, it's me."

"Todd, how are you?"

"Fine, how's Tea?"

"She's not doing very well, I'm afraid."

"What's not well? I mean, what's going on? Is she eating? Is she sleeping? Is-"

"Wait, slow down. She's in an incredible amount of pain, I think you and I can both identify with what she's going through. She is having a hard time performing her daily functions, like eating, sleeping and things like that. But that's to be expected."

"Has she asked for me?"

"Why does everything have to be about you Todd?"

"It's not, I just, ya know, I wanted to know if she needed me? I don't know why she would want to see me, given my history."

"She loved you knowing all about you history. Right now, I think the one thing she needs, above all else is time." She peeks into the bedroom to make sure that Tea is alright. "Todd, did you make a decision as to whether or not you're going to see her?"

"Yeah."

"Do you feel like sharing?"

"I don't share."

"Todd."

"Okay, okay. If I tell you something, you gotta promise not to tell."

"Alright, I promise not to tell," she says descending the stairs.

"Okay."

"Hang on a minute," she says, hearing a faint knock on the door. She peeks through the peep hole, and sees Todd standing on the other side. She opens the door, wanting to both hug her brother, and scold him. She opts for a hug. He reluctantly responds by wrapping his arms around her. "I can't believe it's you."

"Who else would I be?"

"As sarcastic as ever I see. Come on in."

"No, wait, I have to show you something." He steps aside so that she can join him in the hall. "See those," pointing to four cameras positioned to capture everything that happened on that floor, "they're security cameras. I figure that if someone was stalking Delgado, or something, they would probably come here, right? So, if they do, we got them."

"Todd, is this really necessary?"

"I wasn't here to protect her then, so I can at least protect her now. I also hired a body guard to watch her when she's out."

"I know there's no talking to you once you have an idea in your head, so I'm not even going to try." She turns to go back into the penthouse. "Are you coming in or not?"

"Is she asleep?"

"She was, yes."

"Can I go up and watch her? I won't disturb her or anything, I just want to look at her."

"You're going to do what you want anyway."

"Yeah. Do me a favor, and don't tell anyone that I'm here."

"I'm not going to lie for you little brother."

"We all know that the mighty Victoria Carpenter doesn't lie, just don't volunteer anything, okay."

"That, I can do."

*****

He walked down the hallway, that he had walked down a million times before. She had not changed anything. He peeked in Starr's old bedroom, still filled with her toys. Tea's old room was just as he had remembered. When he came upon the master bedroom, he stopped in his tracks. He was eager to see her, yet afraid of what he might find. He wrapped his fingers around the doornob, then quickly removed them, as if he was burned. He tried several more times, each ending with the same result. Finally, he finds the strength to turn the knob and open the door.

Her sleeping body lay spread-eagled across the bed. Sweat soaked through he over-sized t-shirt; he hair stuck to he wet forehead. Todd stepped closer, just as he had so many nights when they were married, and watched her. Her expression was so much different then what he had remembered. She used to sleep with a soft smile, replaced now with a look of extreme sadness.

He wanted to touch her, to calm her, but he didn't want to do anything that might wake her. The more he watched, the angrier he became, at himself, at the bastard who did this to her. Oh man Delgado, I'm so sorry. I used to say that a lot to you. I'm sorry, I'll never do it again. I won't leave you like your mother, so I left. He sits next to the bed, leaning close to her. One of the few things I was honest with you about is how much I love you, how much I'll always love you. I'm not going to hurt you again, and I'm not going to let anyone else hurt you. He buried his face in his hands, and sobbed uncontrollably. He felt a pair of hands rubbing his back, lifting him from his chair and leading him from the room. He turned to his sister, and clinged to her for support.