Sam used her sleeve to wipe away the tears that blinded her as she tried to provide comfort to the girl. “It’s okay,” Sam said, smoothing the hair back from Brooke’s sweaty brow as she caught Harry’s gaze.

He nodded, silently encouraging her to keep talking to Brooke.

“You’re okay.” She was so damned relieved that Brooke was awake and talking that she could handle the screaming and the crying if need be, even if every scream and every tear broke her heart.

“Sam, make them stop,” Brooke said between sobs. “They’re hurting me.”

“They aren’t the ones who hurt you, honey, but what they’re doing will help us to find out who did. It’s really important, or I wouldn’t ask you to go through it. Is it okay if they finish?”

Brooke looked up at Sam with wild eyes, but she bit her lip and nodded as tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

Sam watched as the nurse practitioner worked quickly but efficiently, taking swabs and samples and cataloging Brooke’s injuries.

Brooke screamed again when the speculum was removed, and Sam caught a glimpse of blood smeared on the plastic instrument.

Wrung out emotionally, Sam pressed her lips to Brooke’s forehead. “The worst part is over, honey.”

“She’s going to need some sutures,” the doctor said, debunking Sam’s theory that the worst was over.

“No,” Brooke said, tears streaming down her face. “Don’t let them touch me there again, Sam. Make them stop!”

“Can we sedate her for that?” Sam asked.

“Yes.”

“It’s okay, Brooke. You won’t be awake for it. It’ll be over before you know it.”

She looked up at Sam again with big, frightened eyes. “Why is this happening to me, Sam?”

“I was hoping you might be able to tell me why.”

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

It was after three in the morning by the time Brooke was transferred from the emergency department to a room in the Intensive Care Unit. Sam had stayed by her side throughout the entire ordeal, including when she was sedated for the procedure to stitch the wounds in her vagina. Thankful for the sedation that had knocked the girl out, Sam dropped into a chair next to the bed and texted Tracy to let her know what room they were in.

While she waited for the others to arrive, Sam took a moment to collect herself after hours of hell. Her hands were trembling, her legs and back were aching and her legendary cop cool had been shot straight to hell. Everything was different when crime and violence struck close to home. Someone had had very rough sex with Brooke, but whether she’d been a victim or a willing participant remained to be seen.