Sunshine (Take Two Sequel)

Chapter 18: Ben

Joe had been gone for a long time and I was starting to get worried. It was around three when I finally got a call from him. He was definitely in trouble, which was what I was afraid of. I tracked his phone and went out to find him. He was at least thirty minutes away from our home at an old house in the middle of nowhere. When I got there I saw him lying on the sidewalk on his side, completely still. I ran over to him, relieved to see he was still conscious, but he had bruises on his neck, red marks on his face and a blood stain on his pants. It was pretty clear what had happened and it sickened me.

"Oh my God," I yelled as I ran over to him. Joe looked up at me and broke down in tears.

"They came back, Ben," he cried.

"Who did, baby?" I asked softly. "Who did this to you?"

"Nick Diamond," he said. "And his three goons. The ones who beat up Freddie and Roger. They brought me here and they... they..." He started crying harder as his voice trailed off. I wrapped my arms around him and rubbed his back softly.

"Shh," I whispered. "It's ok, honey. You're safe now. I'm going to take you home and take care of you. Come on, let me help you up." Joe nodded and I helped him stand up slowly. He started limping to the car with my help.

"I'm so sorry, Ben," he cried as we walked.

"For what?" I asked him.

"You told me to come home," he said. "I should have listened to you. This never would have happened if I had just come home!"

"Shh, it's alright," I whispered. "This is not your fault. You didn't deserve any of this." I got him in the car and drove us both home. When we finally got there, I helped him inside and up the stairs.

"We should get you in the shower and clean you up," I said. Joe nodded as we walked to the bathroom. I turned the shower on and made sure it was a good temperature. "Get in, honey," I said. "I'm going to get you some comfy new clothes, ok?"

"Ok," Joe said, sniffling slightly. I went back to our bedroom and found a new pair of underwear, some soft PJ pants and a t-shirt. I grabbed a towel from the hall closet and went back to the bathroom. I put the towel and the clothes on the counter as I listened to Joe's quiet sobs from the shower. I felt so terrible for him, and I felt guilty. If I had just been a little less stubborn he wouldn't have gone out by himself and he wouldn't have been raped. He didn't deserve this. Nobody did. I pulled the shower curtain back and saw him leaning against the wall, crying. He was clearly still in too much pain to stand up straight.

"Are you alright, Joe?" I asked him. He sighed heavily and shook his head, trying to hold back tears.

"It hurts so much, Ben," he said. "I just want to lie down."

"Well, why don't I help you," I said. "That way you can get out of the shower and lie down in bed faster. Is that ok?"

"Yes," he said. "But can you just come in here with me, please?"

"Are you sure?" I asked him. He nodded rapidly. I took my clothes off and grabbed a washcloth before hopping in the shower with him. He leaned on me, trying to relieve some of the pain.

"Baby," I said softly. "I know you're hurting, but you have to turn around if you want me to clean you up." Joe nodded and turned away from me, leaning his arm against the shower wall to hold himself up. I wet the washcloth and gently started to clean the blood off of him. He flinched as soon as it touched his skin. I softly rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. "It's ok," I said softly. "I'm just cleaning you up, I'll be gentle." Joe nodded and let me finish.

After I was done, I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist before helping Joe out of the shower. I dried him off a little before helping him get dressed. He had no problem with his shirt, but I had to help him get his pants on, slowly. Once he was dressed, I helped him to our bedroom and quickly got myself dressed while he lied down on his stomach on our bed. I climbed in bed with him and covered us both with a blanket before turning to face him.

"Do you feel better?" I asked him.

"A thousand showers woudn't make me feel better," he said. "But at least I'm home with you."

"I'm sorry I've been so terrible to you," I said. "Do you forgive me?"

"Of course I do," I said softly, running my fingers through his hair. "As long as you forgive me."

"Of course," Joe said. "As far as I'm concerned I owe you. You found me and you're taking such good care of me, even after I was such an ass to you, and I lied to you about what I was doing with Rory. She did kiss me, but I didn't tell you why we were together."

"That doesn't matter," I said. "I'll always take care of you. I love you. That's the whole reason I picked a fight today. I wanted us to make up so we could be happy again. I miss sleeping next to you."

"Me too," he said. "And I know it doesn't matter now, but I won't lie to you again. You don't deserve that." I smiled and kissed his forehead. I tried to give him a hug, but he winced and I immediately pulled away.

"I'm sorry," I said. "It still hurts?"

"Like hell," Joe said. "Honestly it's worse emotionally though. Our first time hurt like hell too, but I still loved it because I was with you, and I love you. But this... this is a whole different kind of pain. My body hurts and I feel so disgusted with myself."

"You shouldn't," I said. "This isn't your fault."

"I still feel gross," Joe said. "Just thinking about the fact that that asshole was anywhere near me. He didn't use protection either. What if he gave me something?"

"We can get you tested if you want," I said.

"How are you so calm about this?" Joe asked me.

"It's a struggle," I said. "But if I didn't keep myself calm I'd kill those guys." Joe swallowed and looked away from me. "I'm sorry," I said softly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's not that," Joe said. "I just remembered something Nick said to me after he... left me on the street. He's coming for us Ben. They're coming for all of us."

"Don't think about that," I said, although what he told me made me nervous too. "We should get some sleep."

"Will you snuggle with me?" He asked me. I gave him a little half smile and rubbed his back.

"I'd love to," I said. "But I don't want to hurt you." Joe just smiled and moved a little closer to me. I rolled over on to my back as Joe nuzzled his head into my chest. I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed his forehead as he softly closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, my love," I whispered. I closed my eyes too, but I couldn't sleep. I still couldn't believe this happened and I was worried about Nick coming after us. But I couldn't let Joe know that. He needed me right now and I was going to be there for him, no matter what.