Blackmailed: Her Protector

"Thank you..." she said weakly with a small smile.

"I thank you, Miss Benes, and thank you too, Mr. Linhart. Then, when you are feeling better and released from the hospital, please come to our station to sign some papers."

"Yes..." she nodded.

"Goodbye..." he waved them farewell and calmly left.

They both watched him leave, and then looked at each other. Wilhelm caressed her cheek and smiled sweetly at her.

"You see?" he said softly. "Everything is going to be all right. They'll both be arrested and put in jail... and you'll be safe from them," he added, kissing her forehead.

"I don't even know how to express it..." she sobbed. "How much I want to thank you..." she said, hugging him tightly. "I couldn't do it myself... and you did it for me. Thank you so much, Wilhelm..."

"It's okay," he said, hugging her as well. "Any normal and compassionate person would do that for you."

Wilhelm stayed with her until the end of the visiting hours and then sadly had to leave, but he promised Eva that he would come to see her the very next day.

***

Eva slept a little more peacefully this time. She didn't have a bad dream and when she woke up in the morning she was much better.

After the visit, she got breakfast and around that morning someone came to see her.

She was a lady in her forties and introduced herself as a psychologist, Professor Nasr. Eva didn't object because she thought that talking to her might help her in the end.

She told her about her depression and how many times she couldn't sleep at night and now after all that she was still afraid to go out in public. The professor was nice to her and listened to her every word. She also asked Eva a few things, and finally decided that she should seek medical help.

"I will write you a referral to the Psychiatric Hospital in Bohnice.," said the professor.

"What?" Eva wondered in surprise. "The Bohnice? But I... I'm not crazy," she said a little dispirited, but at the same time she was little panicky.

The Psychiatric Hospital in Bohnice was the most famous mental hospital in Prague and in the entire Czech Republic. It was known for the fact that dangerously crazy people and other various maniacs were locked up there, and of course Eva knew about it and got scared.

But she also heard, that during the last few years the hospital reputation changed, and they were helping people there with any mental problem. Voluntarily and involuntarily. The psychologist suggested that they could help Eva there.

"You don't have to worry," she tried to reassure Eva. "You're not crazy. They'd just help you with your depression and you'd feel much better," she added, calmingly smiling at her.

"Can I think about it?" Eva asked.

"Of course. I'm not forcing you to do it. It would just really help you. Here's the referral," she said, handing her the referral paper. "If you agree to that... go there and one of the doctors will talk to you at the central reception, who will diagnose if you really need help. You can also look at their website and find out more about it."

"Okay... thank you," Eva answered feeling downhearted, because she didn't know how she should understand the meaning of all of this. Did she really need a professional help? Was she such a mess?

"I'm glad I could help. And if you still want to talk while you're still here... feel free to come see me anytime."

The professor smiled at her and left.

Eva thought about it all day. But she was still not one hundred percent sure, so she waited for Wilhelm to give her his opinion. His opinion mattered to her. Wilhelm had already helped her several times, and she herself felt that he was the only one she could talk to about it.

While she was waiting for him, she continued to think about it and found out some information about Bohnice on the Internet.

***

"Did you all see the picture of Daniel yesterday?" Michal asked, laughing, as he stood in front of the school with Wilhelm and other Lukas.

"Tell me who didn't see it?" Lukas replied, starting to laugh as well.

It annoyed Wilhelm that they were talking and laughing about it so openly, and he was getting more nervous every time they mentioned it.

"Hey Wilhelm," Michal said and Wilhelm looked at him. "Can you imagine our Daniel being a sissy who fucks around?" He chuckled.

Wilhelm gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Oh, just shut up..." he muttered. "You know nothing about it!" he added, trying to calm himself down.

"Enlighten us then," said Lukas ironically. "Do you know something about Daniel that we don't?"

"That's hardly possible... because Wilhelm is the one who bullied him just like us," Michal smirked. "We never cared about that runt."

Wilhelm couldn't take it anymore and grabbed Michal by the neck and squeezed him tight. Wilhelm was the biggest and strongest of them. "You know shit! So just shut up! You don't know what really happened in that photo! And her name is Eva, not Daniel!" he yelled at him and threw him to the ground until the cigarette fell out of his hand.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lukas asked, in surprise.

"If one more time... one of you mentions that photo... there will be blood!" Wilhelm growled through his clenched teeth. "She is the victim here, not the willing participant!"

He threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomped on it, and walked away from them. He was extremely irritated and needed to calm down.

He was no longer Eva's bully... and even mentioning about his past enraged him. Now he was her protector and after an hour of walking around the city he relaxed a bit and took the subway to Motol.

***

He arrived at the hospital and went straight to Eva's room.

When he entered her room, Eva was lying quietly on the bed watching TV.

"Hi..." he said and she looked at him.

"Wilhelm..." Immediately a smile appeared on her face and she opened her arms for him so Wilhelm could hug her.

Wilhelm sat down on the edge of the bed, embraced her lovingly and kissed her on the top of her head. He realized that he had kissed her like this several times recently, but it felt natural to him.

"How are you?" he asked her with a smile.

Eva snuggled up to him. "Quite well. I've calmed down a lot. But you know... I'm still scared. Of how people around me will treat me now."

"Don't worry about that. Anyone who offends you in any way will have to deal with me." He comforted her.

"Thank you..." she whispered, placing a small kiss to his t-shirt on his chest.

They again spent together all day. Wilhelm sat with her on the bed, holding her side, and they were talking and watching TV.

At evening, a moment before Wilhelm had to leave again, Eva was deep in thought and after a few minutes of silence she spoke to him,"You know... I talked to a psychologist this morning about my depression," she told him quietly.

"And? What did she tell you?" he asked immediately.

"That I should... go for treatment to... to Bohnice." She sighed morosely.

Wilhelm stopped and thought for a moment.

"She said they would help me there. But I wanted to... ask you first, Wilhelm."

Wilhelm looked at her questioningly. "Why me? You're an adult and it's your decision..." he answered her with a smile. "How do you feel? Do you want to talk about it with some mental health specialists?"

"I'm a bit confused. I wanted to know your opinion if I should really go there. I know you're trying to help me, and whatever you do helps me a lot, except for one thing... Please tell me what you think, Wilhelm. Should I do it? You're my... best friend and I'm grateful to you for many things..." She looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Okay..." He sighed softly and stroked her hair. "I think you should go there. I don't think you're crazy. It's just that you've been through something really horrible... and they can help you with all the trauma and depression you're carrying," he replied softly, stroking her cheek. "I may not be able to deal with it accordingly. They know better ways to work with the effects of such serious trauma and sexual abuse. My support may not be sufficient in your case."

Eva squeezed his hand and smiled at him. "So you really want me to go there?"

"If you don't want to... then don't go there. But if you really need professional help... they have people there with experience in working with similar cases, of that I'm sure, and I believe you will feel much better after it."

Eva shed a little tear, but she still had a smile on her face. "Ok... I'll try," she finally replied and again snuggled up to Wilhelm.

***

The next morning. Eva ate breakfast as usual, and then the doctor came to visit. She had good news for her. Eva had no serious injuries and she added that she will be discharged home today.

Eva was calm and thought about what to do next.

She thought about whether she should go to the psychiatric hospital right away or wait a few more days, but she also thought that she probably wouldn't be able to handle the reactions of the people around her to that photo of hers.

Eva sighed. Maybe not. It's probably better if I go there now. I want to get rid of the trauma and depression, I'm just afraid of treatment. I don't want to be tied to the bed and immobile, she thought, feeling a little apprehensive.

Wilhelm was at home as usual, since he had no classes on Wednesday, so he just drank his morning coffee and smoked in his bathrobe on the balcony. It was already colder because autumn had started, so he returned back inside after a while.

He sat down on his couch and turned on the TV. He switched back and forth between channels for a while until he came across the ČT1 channel where there was live news. The news reported what had happened the day before yesterday and that the perpetrators couldn't be arrested and they were both on the run, so they were wanted.

Wilhelm breathed a little sigh of relief when he saw that the police had really taken care of it and hoped that Eva would be happy about it too, unless she was also watching it at the hospital at this time.

His phone began to ring. He looked to see who was calling him and saw that Eva was calling him and immediately picked up.

"Hi Eva. How are you? I'm just watching the news and..." He immediately started to speak, but she interrupted him.

"Wilhelm... they want to release me today," she announced.

"Really? You want me to pick you up?" he asked excitedly.

"That would be nice. It's just..." She paused for a moment. "I'd just like to pack up a few things in my dorm room and then... if you could take me directly to the Bohnice?"

Wilhelm was a little taken aback. "Do you want to go there today?"

"Yeah... I think the sooner I go there and they help me... that... the sooner I'll be healthy and... free," she replied, but she felt a little unsure and still afraid.

"Okay... I'll get dressed and be right there, okay?" Wilhelm said.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you keep helping me like this..." she answered and hung up.

Anytime, Eva. Anytime, he thought with a smile.

He got up from the couch and immediately started to get dressed. He put on his favorite dark blue jeans and gray t-shirt and pulled on his black leather jacket. He grabbed his car keys, left his apartment and took the elevator down to the garage where his black Skoda Kodiak was parked.

***

When he arrived at the hospital and stopped at the parking lot, he immediately went to Eva's room and found her already ready and dressed in the clothes Wilhelm had brought her the day she had tried to kill herself.

Eva spotted him and immediately jumped to wrap her arms around his neck. Wilhelm grabbed her hips and gently pressed her against him.

"Hello..." he said softly.

"Hi," she replied.

"So... do you have everything? Can we go right now?"

"Yes... I'll just check in at the nurses' station that I'm on my way," she said, leading Wilhelm into the nurses' station.

Then, when everything was done, Wilhelm led her to the parking lot in front of the hospital and they both got into his car.

Wilhelm started the car, but then leaned back in the seat and looked at Eva.

"Eva, I just want to tell you... If anyone in the dorm gives you any trouble, even if it's just taunting you or whatever, you don't have to worry. I'll be with you and respond immediately," he told her gently.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Thank you... but please... don't hurt anyone." She begged him.

"Come here..." he said gently, hugging her and patting her back. "Don't worry about anything. I'm not going to hurt anyone. I just... I want you to be safe and not have to worry about anything."

"With you... I feel safe, Wilhelm. You know that..." she answered in a whisper and pressed a small peck on his cheek.

***

Wilhelm drove her to her dormitory and, of course, accompanied her to her room, holding her by the waist to keep her calm. Eva looked down at the floor. She didn't want to look at the other students they passed and see their expressions.

They reached room 66, which had a repaired door, and Eva knocked. She was sure that Martin would be inside because he did not have class today and mostly stayed in his room all day.

After a moment of waiting, the door opened and Martin, who opened it, froze in one place. His face became annoyed.

"Eva? What are you doing here?" he said with a frown.

"I'm just going to pack a few things," she replied with her head down.

"Can you tell me what that was supposed to mean? I can't believe it..."

"So don't believe it..." said Wilhelm tersely. "And please move aside," he added firmly.

He stepped aside and let them both in. He sat down on the bed and watched Eva intensely. She sat down on her bed with Wilhelm.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Martin asked her again. "Is this truth you wanted to kill yourself?"

Eva was uneasy. She didn't want to talk about it again. Wilhelm wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her against him to comfort her a little.

She took a deep breath and began to speak with tears in her eyes. "Martin... I was blackmailed because of that photo. What you saw..." She began to tremble, interrupted, and didn't want to speak anymore.

Wilhelm sighed and finished the sentence for her. "She was... sexually abused. That's what was in that photo," he said, a little angrily, as he continued to comfort Eva.

"Oh shit..." Said Martin in shock.

"Now that you know... please leave her alone," Wilhelm added.

Eva wiped away her tears because she didn't want to think about it anymore either. She wanted to get treatment to sort through her painful past, and find some healing. So she immediately started packing her things.

"Just one more thing..." Martin wanted to ask something again, but Wilhelm raise his hand in a sharp gesture to stop him. He wanted Martin to just let her be, and the student obeyed.

He just sat on the bed and watched the two of them.

In the meantime, Eva packed everything she would need for the psychiatric hospital in several of her bags. Pajamas, bathrobe, clothes for home, slippers for going out, slippers, hygiene items and shower gel and shampoo.

When she had everything packed and ready, Wilhelm took her bags and left the room with her.

"Thank you..." Eva said softly as they walked down the hall.

"But of course. I told you that I would intervene immediately if necessary," he answered her with a nice smile.

They reached his car and Wilhelm loaded her bags into the trunk and then got into the driver's seat next to her.

***

PN Bohnice

Wilhelm parked the car not far from the hospital and accompanied Eva, holding her bags. They went through the gate to the main psychiatric building, where they asked where to go next and were directed to the Psychiatric Outpatient Central Patient Reception which was only a few steps away from the main building.

They walked through the building onto the hospital grounds and proceeded to the central reception area.

At the reception desk, Eva reported why she was there and showed the nurse the referral written by the psychologist. In the meantime, the nurse asked her to sit down, and Eva sat down next to Wilhelm in the reception waiting room.

They talked quietly, and after a while a doctor who might be in his late 30s came to the reception desk and the nurse handed him some papers. Then the doctor turned to Eva.

"Are you miss Eva Benes?" he asked with a sweet smile.

They both stood up.

"Yes..." she answered.

"And this young gentleman is your companion?" he asked her, looking at Wilhelm.

Eva nodded and Wilhelm introduced himself.

Then the doctor led them both into a room where Wilhelm and Eva sat down on a comfortable couch with a small table and a chair, and Wilhelm noticed that when the doctor came into the room after them, he... locked the door behind him.

Eva noticed this too, and became very nervous, but Wilhelm took her hand and calmed her down a bit.

The doctor sat down on the chair opposite them and asked what had brought Eva here.

"I have... severe depression and trauma. Professor Nasr from Motol advised me to come here," she answered.

The doctor nodded. "Okay... so... Your depression. Do you know where it comes from? Do you know why you're depressed and how often the incidents happen?"

Eva swallowed quietly. She was still nervous to talk about it, but Wilhelm calmed her down again and Eva told the doctor her story, including her suicide attempt.

"So... Your depression and trauma are there for rather legitimate reasons. Anyone would have them if they were in your place," he told her gently, trying to reassure her. "So that's good news, as if the depression has no obvious reasons, it's much harder to deal with. So... That voice in your head... how often do you have it?"

Eva thought for a moment. "The last time I had it was sometime last week. It appeared every time I resisted doing something... sexual. Often I couldn't even sleep because of it," she said with a shaky voice.

"Ehmmm," the doctor mused, looking at Wilhelm after a moment. "Now you Mr. Linhart. Do you know anything about miss Benes that she didn't mention here, that could add to a picture, and be helpful in her recovery?" he asked him and Eva looked at Wilhelm as well.

Wilhelm thought.

After all, I know almost nothing about her. I only know what she went through, but I don't know her interests or anything else. he thought and swallowed hard.

"You know..." He began to speak to the doctor. "I don't know Eva that well, although I knew her from the high school. The first time I got close to her was at the beginning of college... Before that... we weren't exactly on friendly terms, I bullied her... It was stupid - I was stupid! And I hurt her," he said truthfully. "Now I regret that I treat her that badly and I want to help her," he added convincingly.

The doctor smiled again. "That's commendable of you." And then he sighed softly. "Now I'm going to ask you, Mr. Linhart..." he said, rising from his chair, unlocking and opening the door. "I'm going to ask you to wait in the waiting room while I go over the formalities of her admission with Miss Benes."

Wilhelm first made sure that Eva was all right, and she nodded uncertainly. So he reluctantly got up and went through the door into the waiting room, and the doctor closed and locked the door behind him again.

Why does it keep getting locked? Like... are they going to keep Eva involuntarily or what? he thought nervously as he sat down in the reception waiting room.

Eva was also nervous when Wilhelm left and the doctor sat back down in his chair.

"You want to... keep me here?" she asked weakly.

The doctor smiled at her. "Don't worry, miss. You are here voluntarily," he replied, trying to reassure her.