"Michel..." Audrey sighed but didn't push.

Standing up, he gently placed Fanny in the warm water.


He winced as his feet made contact with the floor, the bullet still lodged inside.

Closing his eyes, he ignored the burn so he could focus on Fanny.

Holding her in a sitting position, he let the water cover her body, desperately hoping that she would warm up.


She is still very cold, and Michel is afraid that she will stay in this frozen place forever.

Audrey crouched behind Fanny's head and quickly washed her hair.


The water turned a dirty brown, as Michel ran his hand over her neck and arms while the same questions swirled around in her head.

How did Fanny live in hell in this state? How can she survive?

His throat burned as his heart throbbed and spasmed in his chest.

Spraying some soap in his hand, he quickly washed her feet and then her back.

When he was done, he pulled her out so Audrey could quickly drain the dirty water.

Placing Fanny back in the empty tub again, Michel repeatedly showered her, making sure she was cleaned of all filth, pouring water over herself, and rinsing off the soap.

When she was clean, Audrey wrapped a towel around Fanny's still form while Michel sucked in a painful breath, stood on his feet, and pulled her into his arms again.

Michel limps into the bedroom and finds Christian and Rosabella just walking through the door while Charles pulls the blankets off the bed so he can put her on the mattress.

"Fanny!" Rosabella called out as she immediately dashed forward, nervously scanning her best friend's eyes, eyes welling with tears at the sight.

"Oh my, she..."

"Rosabella, we need to evaluate her. You need to be strong right now. Can you do it?" Christian speaks to her, taking her as the meaning of his words to her, prompting her to respond with a choked but firm nod.

Meanwhile, Charles' gaze moved to Michel's injured leg, his face constricting with disappointment.

"Christian, you need to look at Michel's leg. He's bleeding too much."

"I'm ok," Michel growled, placing Fanny on the bed.

He wrapped the towel tighter around her and pulled the blanket up.

"Let me sew it up for you first." Christian goes behind Michel.

The anger that he was holding in his heart finally poured out.

"We don't have time for this. Are you all blind?" Michel roared as he angrily swept the room in menacing silence.

"You're bleeding. You're not nice to Fanny like this." Charles cut off, his voice and eyes angry as he saw Michel's face pale from blood loss.

Michel ignores him and turns to Christian.

"Make sure she's okay. I want her to be okay. Heal her."

When Christian hesitates, Michel jumps forward and wraps his fist around his collar. "Did you hear what I just said?"

Christian swallows hard and nods.

Michel released him as Charles shook his head in exasperation. "Christian, do what he says. He'll never listen to any of us." He gave up, arms crossed.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Audrey quietly leave the room, giving them privacy.

Christian and Rosabella approached the girl on the bed and began, carefully pulling the blanket and then the towel away from her body.

Michel's hands clenched at his sides.

He hates the thought of another man seeing Fanny's body, but what other choice does he have?

He hears Rosabella take a breath and glance up to see the shock on her face as she looks at the bruises that spoil Fanny's pale skin.

Following her gaze, he also stared at them. Dark purple marks covered Fanny's arms and legs.

Some have faded, but others look fairly new. Maybe just a few days.

Her knees and elbows were scratched. Probably from the hard ground. Her skin looks ragged in some places.

As Michel continued to look at her body, his breathing became erratic while his lungs tightened.

One of her left legs is almost black, and one of her arms is starting to turn an ugly green.

This bruise is probably less than a week.

There are also other small cuts all over her body while her face is also a bit bruised but still looks much better than the rest.

With the terror now etched into his memory forever, Michel closed his eyes and opened them.

It was at that moment that he swore to himself that he would never let her go again. No problem will come. Never again.

Christian and Rosabella quickly examined the bruises and wounds, disinfecting them to then wrap bandages around the worst.

As Rosabella continued to apply the medication to several areas, Christian then stepped forward and placed his hand on Fanny's chest, using the stethoscope around her neck to listen to her breathing, a frown appearing on Michel's face as he is doing so.

"I'm worried about her breathing. It's labor. So that's not a good sign. Rosabella." He motioned for her to bring the IV drip he had prepared beside the bed.

Rosabella pressed her lips together to keep her from losing it and continued her work.

She quickly and deftly fastens the needle and drips on Fanny's hand, hooking two large bags filled with liquid onto the stand while Christian continues to examine the rest of her.

"I was concerned that she was in the early stages of pneumonia so we put her on a strong course of antibiotics. The other bag was for the loss of nutrients she had suffered. She can sleep like this for a few days, but that's for the best. It will help her recover."

Michel clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth. "So will she be okay?" Michel was forced to speak.

Christian starts coming back to him. "Yes."

Michel nodded.

Christian licks his lips and takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Physically, yes. But she suffered a major injury. We won't know how severe the effects of that will be until she wakes up."

Dead silence in the room.

Charles stood by the window, forcing him to look out as Rosabella fixed her eyes on the task in front of her.