Out of the Darkness...Light (9/?)

[dublinscot.livejournal.com]

 

Title: Out of the Darkness...Light ( 9 /?)

Author: DS

Pairing: Orlando/Viggo

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Orlando undergoes a terrible, life-shattering experience, but

will find a light at the end of the tunnel

Warnings: Mentions of rape and violence; extreme emotional suffering

Disclaimer: I have no affiliations with any of the actors, only the

plot is mine.

Feedback: I'd love to hear what you think.

Note: I originally began writing and posting this story several years ago,

but was sidetracked by real life and had to put the story on the shelf.

I'm back now and want to finish it, so I'm going to post it once again. I'm

starting at the beginning, for those who missed it the first time:)

******************************** 

CHAPTER NINE

"Wow! Nice digs you got here, Orli. Much better than…" Dom trailed off, as if suddenly realizing what he’d been about to say and now uncertain of how to proceed. Silence enveloped the room. But only for a moment.

Billy broke the mood for them all—hobbits, man and elf.

"Pretty popular, I’d say. Look at all these flowers! I almost couldn’t get into the room."

From his vantage point in the corner, Viggo noticed a slight twitch of Orlando’s lips, but nothing more. Sighing, he turned to look out the window at the glorious day outside. Allowing his thoughts free range, he scoped out the parking lot below the window, looking for Sean’s SUV.

Well, it was a start, anyway. Orli had only been moved out of I.C.U. this morning. Maybe now that he was in a private room they’d see a change in his demeanor. At this point, anything would be an improvement. The boy had a permanent frown etched onto his face, not to mention the look in his eyes—a look Viggo didn’t want to dwell on. Actually, the boy looked like a lost, forlorn puppy dog, all sad eyes and tousled hair. A puppy dog who’d been mistreated and abused—which wasn’t so far from the truth.

Sighing again, Viggo glanced at his watch. Sean should be here with Orlando’s family at any moment. The two women had certainly helped open the young man up the previous night. He hoped it wasn’t a one-time occurrence.

Physically, Orlando was healing. In fact, Dr. Meadows had said he could go home at the end of the week—barring any complications. Mentally…well, that was another matter. The counselor had assured him that Orli’s reaction during this first session had been completely normal. It just bothered him to see the young man hurting so badly. It made him want to protect the boy all the more.

And there was another thing. Dr. Meadows had hinted at some sort of past abuse. And Orlando’s reaction, when questioned by the police, had also suggested that something had, indeed, occurred in the young man’s past. Something that wasn’t good. But what? Well, maybe the young man’s mother could shed some light on that. He was anxious to talk to her.

"No!!!"

Viggo’s attention was drawn away from the view outside to the bed inside…and it’s patient. The patient who had gone from silent and withdrawn to a screaming banshee in a matter or seconds.

All four hobbits were in the process of backing away from the bed—quite hurriedly. Sean Astin was in the forefront, one arm outstretched in front of the others, as if to protect them from the patient’s wrath. If it hadn’t been for the irate young man in the bed, Viggo would have laughed at the confused and shocked expressions on the faces of the four hobbits.

"Sod off!!! Do you hear me???!!! Just sod off and leave me alone!!!"

Not quite sure what had triggered this outburst, Viggo pushed away from his haven in the corner and moved quickly towards the bed, one arm outstretched.

"Don’t touch me!" snarled the boy in the bed.

But Viggo heard the panic beneath the threat. Turning to the others, he nodded his head towards the door, and then proceeded to herd them out into the hallway, nodding as the nurse on duty rushed past them and into the room to see what had happened.

"What the hell was that all about?" Dom.

Elijah. "I just squeezed his shoulder. You know, to let him know we’re here for him."

"I’m sure your intentions are good, but right now, Orlando needs to feel safe. You violated his personal space."

The five men looked over at Candace, who had been alerted by the cries coming from room 412.

"But I was just…"

"I know, Mr. Wood. You were just trying to help. And it’s wonderful that Orlando has friends who want to help. Right now, however, that’s not the kind of aid he needs."

"What do you mean?" Sean Astin.

"I mean, let him be the guide. Don’t push him. Let him progress at his own pace."

"How?" Billy.

"Think about what he’s been through. A terrible, horrible experience. His world has been slanted. Changed. Completely altered. He needs to feel—to know—that he’s safe again. And it will be a long, slow process for him to get to that point."

"So what do we do?" Viggo, finally.

"For one thing, don’t automatically assume that a hug or a touch meant to comfort will do that. Not at this point. Think about what brought Orlando here—how he was touched."

Silence, as the five men mulled this over, took it all in. Then, Viggo repeated his question.

"So what do we do now? Right now?"

Candace smiled at him as she turned to enter Orlando’s room, which was now, thankfully, silent.

"Let him tell you!"

 

"Could I talk to you for a minute? Before you go in?"

Orlando’s mother hesitated, obviously torn between her desire to accommodate Viggo and her desire to see her son, to make sure he was all right.

Samantha solved the problem for them both.

"Go on, mum. I’ll wait for you inside."

Sonia Bloom inclined her head in acquiescence and followed Viggo down the hall, where he ducked into a small, deserted waiting area. He wasted no time.

"Mrs. Bloom."

"Sonia, please."

"Okay. Sonia. I…" Now that he had her attention, Viggo was struck dumb. Although he’d rehearsed this conversation over and over in his mind, no words were coming out now. Realizing his mouth was still hanging open, Viggo snapped it shut. How to proceed?

"Yes, Mr. Mortensen?"

Orlando’s mother couldn’t stop her gaze from travelling through the open doorway to Orlando’s room. She was obviously anxious to join him.

Mentally shaking himself, Viggo gained control of his faculties once more.

"Viggo. Call me Viggo."

At her nod, he gathered his wits and forced himself to continue.

"Sonia…I care about your son…Orlando. A lot."

With a slight smile, she inclined her head towards him.

"I gathered that," she said wryly.

"Yes, well…I care about him a lot and…I…we want him to get well. We all do."

"Of course. And I’m grateful for that."

"So, there’s something I want…need to know."

"Yes? What is it?"

This was the uncomfortable part. Although they weren’t that far apart in age, Viggo suddenly felt like a timid schoolboy trying to talk to the school principal. But Sonia Bloom was waiting expectantly, no signs of disapproval or objection to him or how he viewed her son. Clearing his throat, he forced himself to continue.

"When Orlando was first brought to the hospital, tests were done. The doctor indicated…she said that those tests showed evidence…" he stumbled, unsure how to continue, knowing he needed to just get the words out. The woman’s look of increasing concern didn’t help matters. But he forged on once again.

"She said the tests showed that Orlando had been abused before…sometime in the past. And she said that in order for him to recover, that incident needed to be treated as well as this one. Do you know anything about it?"

With a sinking feeling, Viggo realized she knew nothing. The look of disbelief and shock on her face told him that beyond a doubt.

"What do you mean, abused before? That can’t be." Her voice was low, constrained, as if she was forcing herself to remain calm and even. The shattered expression on her face spoke otherwise, though, and was mute testimony to her true feelings.

"I don’t know. All Dr. Meadows said was that the scans indicated past abuse. When Orlando spoke with the police he…he didn’t mention any other incidents. He hesitated at one point, though, as if there was something there and he just didn’t want to talk about it. The police didn’t force the issue. But I want to know. I want him to get well and if there is something in his past that could prevent that…"

Viggo trailed off when the distraught woman before him suddenly burst into tears. Unsure for a moment what to do, he finally stepped forward and gathered her in his arms, reckoning that human contact might help. Orlando’s mother hesitated only briefly before leaning into his embrace. Patting her back awkwardly, Viggo mentally assessed the situation.

He now knew nothing more than he’d known before. Except for the fact that Orlando’s mother knew nothing about any past incidents. As his mind worked frantically to decide where to go from here, Mrs. Bloom seemed to pull herself together and moved away from his light embrace. The tears still flowed, albeit slowly, but she had gathered her wits about her and obviously wanted to know what had happened to her son. Studying her surreptitiously, Viggo tried to determine if her reaction was genuine. It seemed to be.

"Mr. Mortenson. What does this mean? Does this mean that my son has been…" she hesitated, as if unable to say the word aloud. Finally, she visibly forced herself to continue. "Does this mean that my son…my baby has been raped before?"

At a loss and feeling very frustrated, Viggo just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"I don’t know. I don’t know what it means."

"What what means?" Samantha Bloom entered the room, a guarded expression on her face as she took in the agitated expressions and the emotions flowing throughout the room.

Sonia Bloom slowly turned to look at her daughter. Wiping her eyes and inhaling deeply, she asked the question uppermost on their minds.

"Samantha. Mr. Mortenson has just informed me that the doctor’s tests indicate that Orlando has been…that there was…" she trailed off, unable to continue with the painful words. Viggo decided to rescue her.

"Dr. Meadows indicated that Orlando has suffered past abuse."

"What?"

"The tests revealed scar tissue and the doctor relates it to past abuse. Do you know anything about it?"

Viggo watched as the young woman shook her head in denial, even as her expression spoke otherwise. She was suddenly as pale as a ghost, and even her mother looked at her in sudden concern.

"Samantha," she asked. "Do you know anything about this?"

The young woman continued to shake her head, an expression of fear in her eyes.

"No, it can’t be. It can’t!"

Her mother moved to encircle her daughter in her arms, pulling her close and hugging her gently.

"Samantha. If you know something, please tell us. It will help Orlando."

"But mom, I can’t. I promised!"

 

Comments

[roomfor2.livejournal.com]

ooh what does she know?!

You're always leaving us with cliffhangers damn it! lol

[sitaray.livejournal.com]

Damn...another cliffhanger!!!!!!!!! What does sammie know??? Please update soon!

[ireth06.livejournal.com]

Oh, what is Sam gonna do? Break a promise and help her little brother or not....
This chapter is full of tension....Orlando sure scared the Hobbits out of their furry feet!!

Can't wait for more....thanks for sharing, hugs and kisses!!!

[estels-artemis.livejournal.com]

WHAT DOES SHE KNOW??? Please tell us soon.:)