Four Miles In

The Doctor was very sympathetic and understanding, explaining each and every touch and move he now made on her.

Her body flinched as he cupped her welted breasts in his hands. Then smoothing his hands beneath them gently pressing thumbs into her midriff as they trailed to the sides of her ribcage.

Angel let out a gasp as he pressed firmly on the sides of her tiny waistline.

"Nurse, Call up to x-ray. We're going to need an MRI."

The Doctor was pushing and pressing and voicing medical jargon that the nurse on the other side of the room was writing down as his hands felt their way down Angel's trembling abused flesh.

"Now, I'm just going to place your feet in these stirrups Angel. They may feel cold."

Her hand squeezed mine even tighter now as he guided her bruised feet into place.

"Now can you inch your bottom down my direction to the edge of the table, please?"

Her body stiffened as she promptly obeyed his request, scooting her dripping bottom down until he told her to stop.

She was a real trooper, doing exactly what he told her to do, never questioning, just obeying.

"Nurse, get me the rape kit please." He called to the slim brunette nurse standing at the counter on the other side of the room.

Angel was whimpering as the Doctor gently parted her thighs, pushing her knees open wide, before probing, swabbing and photographing her savagely raped sex.

He sounded off some medical terms to the nurse to log down as he closely examined Angel's torn labia and perineum.

"I'm going to need some anesthetic and sutures here." He said looking up to the nurse assisting him.

With a look of disbelief written on his face, he shook his head turning his attentions back to Angel's exposed groin.

Angel's hand was squeezing mine tighter and tighter as the Doctor pulled and tugged at her most intimate folds.

I leaned down close to her face. Gently caressing her brow. "It's going to be all right Angel. I'm right here Baby doll. I'm right here." I felt her grip slowly begin to relax in my hand.

But she flinched again when the Doctor lubricated her anus before inserting a gloved finger inside her.

"Bare down for me now Angel, please." He asked softly as he stood up, pushing his finger deep inside her used bowels, pressing and pushing and probing...

Angel let out a blood curdling scream and her hand went limp in mine.

"Doctor, she passed out!" I announced as I gently caressed her cheek.

"Just as well." He answered. "We need to get her up to surgery. Just as I suspected her bowels are ruptured and the contents are spilling into her abdomen. Nurse, Let's get her up to OR STAT!"

Everything happened so quickly.

Orderlies appeared out of nowhere and Angel was snatched from me, being wheeled off to surgery. I just stood there in a daze.

When I finally emerged from the examining room, my head was hung down, shaking from side to side.

"That father of hers should be shot!" I said out loud as I entered into the hallway.

"Are you all right Sir?" A soft female voice asked breaking into my solitary hell.

I looked up to see a petite uniformed woman standing in front of me.

Her badge read: Sgt Lisa Wilkes.

"I'm sorry Ma'am. No, Not really. If I could get my hands on that son-of-a-bitch that did this to her. I'd kill the bastard." I screamed out loud.

The policewoman put her arm around my shoulder and guided me to a couch in the nearby waiting area.

"That's my job Sir. The hospital called when you brought the girl in. Do you know if she's going to be all right?" She asked in a sympathetic tone.

I was struggling to hold back the tears welling in my eyes. I felt such an overpowering sense of protection towards this little Angel.

I cupped my hands over my face, regaining my composure before wiping outwards with the palms of both hands, drying my eyes, dragging over my temples and onto the smoothness of my scalp, my hands cupping the sides of my head, staring at the floor I answered.

"She's in surgery. I just don't know." I said in a quivering voice.

The officer quietly sat there beside me, patting my shoulder, silently acknowledging my pain, my helplessness at the situation.

She'll never know how much I appreciated her silence at that moment. Most woman just do not know when to shut up.

I don't remember how long we sat there like that. I was in such a stupor.

A nurse dressed in hospital greens, with cap and covered shoes waddled towards us, saying Angel made it through the surgery. It was just a matter of time.

I gave a big sigh of relief. So did Sgt Lisa just as my pager began buzzing.

I looked down.

"Holy Shit," I blurted out loud. "It's 9 o'clock already.

"Officer, I've got to get to the office and check in. If...When you see Angel, would you tell her Gary promises he'll be back to see her later?"

"Of course I will. And thank you for rescuing her!" She said leaning into me, giving me a big appreciative hug. "Now, you'd better be off. I'll stay with her." She added as she pulled back.

I sprang to my feet and turned heading to the OR exit.

Looking back I waved and called out. "Hey, Thanks Sarge!"

Officer Lisa took the elevator up to the Fifth Floor, Psychiatric Ward where Angel had been taken to a semi-private room.

In her fragile state, they were restricting her visitors. Just let her father come looking for her.

Lisa gave the door a gentle nudge, peeking round the corner.

There by the window, with monitors wires and tubes trailing to and fro, was Angel.

Lisa slipped in around the door and walked softly over to her bedside. Even all bruised and battered she was a beautiful young woman. She looked almost angelic as whimpers and soft moans escaped her helpless entangled body of tubes.

"How could anyone do this to another human being?" Lisa wondered as her emerald green eyes began to flood with tears. She was new on the force and this was her first encounter with such a savage assault.

She leaned over Angel's bed being careful not to bump the many tubes leading in and out of Angel's wired body.

Looking into her face Lisa reached down and gently took Angel's hand in hers.

It was cold and trembling.

She stood there for what felt like hours, praying silently for this poor creature while gently cupping Angel's hand, watching as her breathing grew more and more labored.

Suddenly the monster machine on the other side of the bed began to scream out.

Nurses, Doctors and Orderlies pushing carts came bursting through the door, soon flooding the room with persons and resuscitating equipment.

Releasing Angel's lifeless hand Lisa jumped back as the team pushed between her and machines getting to Angel, jerking tubes from her and tearing open her hospital gown. The Doctor ordered everyone to stand clear as he held the charged paddles to her chest.

Her body flinched and jerked off the bed before slamming back down.

About this time Gary walked unsuspectingly into the room, pulling his baseball cap off his shiny head.

Looking up he gasped as the Doctor held the paddles to Angel's body once more.

"Stand Clear!" He called out again.

Angel's body once more responded by jerking and jumping involuntarily off the bed before slamming lifelessly back down onto the cold sheets.

Gary hurried over to a trembling Lisa huddled in the corner of the room, out of the way of the staff who was working feverishly to bring Angel back from the grips of death.

Tears were flowing from Lisa's swollen eyes. She had never witnessed someone dying before.

Gary took her into his comforting arms as he heard the Doctor say. "Sorry, we did all we could."

A rumble was building inside Gary he knew was out of control. Releasing Lisa he dashed out into the hallway.

Alone there he burst into tears.

As he drove in silence back to the office only beautiful images of Angel filled his thoughts.

He knew he would never be able to forget her.

That next Spring when the Park reopened the Falls to the general public, its trails and grounds had been totally refurbished. Including the beautiful, new hand carved plaque mounted on a huge boulder placed just beyond the water's edge on that grassy clearing that read...

~~ Angel Falls ~~