“Where does it hurt tonight?” he asked.
Dr. Addams hadn’t even noticed that the sister had slipped past him. Whenever he saw Candi, everything else just faded away.
“The bump on my head is the worst of it,” Candi answered.
He was captivated by her, unable to imagine anyone lovelier. It didn’t matter that one of her eyes was nearly swollen shut. Or the dried blood caked around the nostrils of a nose whose bridge still hadn’t healed from the last time she’d needed fixing.
Dr. Addams probed the back of her noggin. It didn’t take long to find the knot she was referring to. As he gently applied pressure to it, he found it would’ve been harder for his hand not to land on it.
“Not your throat?” he inquired.
The years had not been kind, but beauty like hers couldn’t be beaten out of her. As much as life tried. As much as that animal tried.
“I mean, it’sa ‘lil sore, but I don’t really notice it.” She winced when she forced a smile.
He wasn’t so sure he agreed. And there were plenty of visits to choose from. That animal seemed to be trying to one up what he did to her. But what was just as sickening was that her pimp kept sending her back for more.
“Smile for me.”
He felt bad asking her to do so. She’d seen him enough times to know the drill. He wasn’t looking to cheer her up. He had to see if any of her teeth had been cracked again.
It was at this point in the examination he found his mind drifting to how he would treat her. She’d never leave the house in this state. He treat her right. He’d treat her with kindness. Like a princess. He couldn’t imagine any other way. He couldn’t comprehend how that animal could do this to her once, let alone again and again.
“It looks worse than it is,” she said to fill the silence, and he wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him, or herself.
“It looks worse than ever.”
Candi dropped her head, and he flinched at the thought of rebuking her. Even this he found was too harsh a treatment for her. Even though she needed to hear it. Even though it might lead to the change she needed to make in her life.
Even though it might save her life.
“I’m sorry,” he offered.
“It’s okay, Doc,” she said, again forcing a smile. Her anguish didn’t look nearly so bad this time. “I know you’re right.”
It wasn’t much, but it was the opening he’d been hoping for for the past few months. He wasn’t no time pouncing on it–
“Candi…”
–before chickening out while she stared at him expectantly.
“…Is there anywhere else he hurt you?”
She nodded, rising from the examining table with a grimace, disrobing. The skimpy nature of her wardrobe made it possible to do so without aggravating any of her other bruises. One of the bite marks on her breast looked like it had drawn blood. Her cheeks were crimson down to her thighs. She favored her shoulder where it had been twisted too far back.
That was new.
She still looked breathtaking. But seeing her so marred by that monster was too much. He should’ve been able to gaze at her naked body objectively, like he’d done with countless patients.
“Candi,” he started again with enough determination to see it through this time. “I’d like to revisit the conversation we’ve been having for some time now.”