Author's Note: a special shot out to all those who vote and comment. You have a special place in my heart. Thanks for the support!

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I slept through Carrie's muffled screams much easier than I expected to. Hunter's cries were the only thing to wake me up. I rocked him in my arms and let him sleep on the bed between Jimmy and me.

My eyes fluttered open when Jimmy ran his fingers through my hair and kissed my cheek. The sunlight had filled the room. I rolled over onto my back and stretched out my sore muscles. Jimmy mustn't have set his alarm.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said.

"Good morning." I dug the heel of my hands into my eyes.

"I didn't set an alarm," he told me. "I wanted you to get your rest. I know dealing with Carrie can be a lot of work."

"Thank you."

"Get changed quickly," he said. Jimmy tossed a pile of clothes down beside me. "Carrie is still in Tommy's room. He told me that he wants her to stay there all day, so don't let her leave."

"I won't," I told him.

I slipped into the long striped dress. The bottom was worn out and faded. I wondered how many girls this dress has been passed around to. I combed my fingers through my hair and tied it into a bun. Jimmy watched me with his lips curled into a smile.

"You're so beautiful," he said.

"Thank you." The heat was rushing up to my cheeks.

Jimmy wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in. I cupped his face in my hands. I traced my finger along the scar. He leaned down and crushed his lips against mine. His fingers tightened in my back as I got up on my toes and deepened the kiss.

Somebody pounded on the door. Jimmy groaned and broke the kiss. His arms were still tight around me.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"I need to talk to Julie," Tommy said through the door.

"About what?"

"Just get out here."

Jimmy gave me another peck on the lips before grabbing my wrist. He pulled me out into the hall. Tommy had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Tell her what you need to say." Jimmy tighten his grip around my wrist.

"Can her talk to her alone?" Tommy asked.

"Not a chance," he said. "I don't trust you alone with her."

Jimmy snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me up against his body. I felt him rest his chin on top of my head. Tommy let out a deep breath and rolled his eyes.

"I'm just talking about Carrie," he said. "I'm not going to touch her."

"I don't care. Just tell her what you need to say. I can hear it too."

"Fine."

He ran his fingers through his short hair. I could feel my heart pound. The thought of being alone with Tommy was terrifying. I was thankful for Jimmy protecting me.

"Julie, I don't want Carrie leaving the room," he started. "She's tied up right now, but I'll let you untie her. Just don't let her leave the room."

"I'll try my best," I told him. I tried to swallow, but I could feel the lump in my throat.

"She has a wound on her stomach. If she tries to overpower you just go for it. You'll stop her."

I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded my head. Hopefully, I wouldn't need to hurt her. Hopefully, she's warmed up to me enough that she'd listen to me.

"Okay," I managed to choke out.

Tommy nodded his head before running down the stairs. Jimmy spun me around and pressed his lips against my forehead.

"Go get Hunter from Dad," he told me. "I love you. I know you'll do a good job with Carrie."

"Thank you." Jimmy pressed his lips against my forehead again. "I love you too."

Jimmy slid his arms off of me. I followed close behind him as he walked down the stairs. Charles was sitting at the dining room table. He was pouncing Hunter up and down on his lap. Hunter had his fingers in his mouth and a stream of drool was rolling down his chin.

"I can take him." I held my arms out towards them. Charles handed him over and I cradled him in my arms. Jimmy kissed my cheek before leaving with Charles and Tommy.

I looked over at the stairs and felt my stomach twist into a knot. I didn't want to know what Tommy had done to Carrie. I could only imagine the pain she is in.

I cradled Hunter tighter into my arms. I walked up the creaky stairs. Not a sound came from Tommy's room. My fingers curled around the cold knob and I gently pushed the door open.

Carrie was lying on the bed among a mess of blankets. Her arms were tied to the bedframe with rope. Her blonde hair was matted to her face. A piece of cloth was wrapped around her mouth, gagging her. Her eyes grew when she saw me. She began to fight against the restraints.

"Don't hurt yourself," I said.

She settled down and I sat down on the edge of the bed. Most of the dress I gave her was torn off. A few shreds were left over her naked body. A new collection of bruises and cuts covered her skin. A placed Hunter down on the pillow beside her. She turned her head to the side so she could stare at him.

"Do you want me to untie you?" I asked.

Her head shot back up to look at me. I reached down to her mouth and pulled away the gag. She took in a deep breath.

"Please, Julie," she begged. "Please let me go."

"I can untie you," I said reaching for the ropes. "But Tommy told me you have to stay in the room."

My fingers fiddled with the knots. They were tied tightly and I didn't want to hurt her even more.

"Julie, please," she continued to beg.

"We'll just have some girl time. I'm staying here with you," I said.

I managed to loosen up the knots. I pulled the rope off of Carrie's raw wrists. Her skin was swollen and red. She pulled her arms down and tried to sit up. She yelped out in pain, grabbed her stomach and fell down on the bed.

She has a wound on her stomach.

My shaky hands pulled her hands off of her stomach. The fabric of her dress was soaked with blood. I peeled it back and Carrie grabbed my wrist.

"Don't, it really hurts," she told me.

"I just want to look at it," I said. "I want to clean it up for you so it'll heal faster."

She let go and finished peeling the fabric back. A large wound covered her side. It was much deeper than I expected it to be. Tommy must have stabbed her.

"Can you watch Hunter for a sec?" I asked her. "I just need to run to my room."

She nodded her head. I ran to the bathroom in my room. I needed to make sure she wouldn't have time to get out of the room. I pulled the bottle of rubbing alcohol out of the cupboard. I grabbed the package of gauze and a towel. When I went back to Tommy's room, Carrie was still lying on her bed. She was watching Hunter kick his legs out. I sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"Keep talking to me and this won't hurt," I told her.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked.

I unscrewed the lid on the bottle and poured it onto the towel. I knew this was going to hurt, but I couldn't tell her the truth. Jimmy's cleaned my wounds and it burned horribly. I couldn't imagine how much this would sting on a stab wound.

"Did you have any pets?" I asked.

"No, but I always wanted a dog," she said.

"We have a dog." I wiped the towel along her wound.

Carrie's fingers curled into the sheets and she screamed out in pain. My heart started pounding harder, I didn't want to hurt her.

"We'll we used to. I haven't seen him in a while, but the boys keep him outside," I said. The tears were streaming down her cheeks as I cleaned the wound. I could feel her body shake. "Look at Hunter. It'll distract you."

Carrie turned her head so she was looking at Hunter. She was breathing heavily as she continued to cry.

"Why haven't you left?" she asked me.

"This is my family," I told her. "Why would I want to leave?"

"This isn't your family."

"Yes they are. They're the only family I've ever had."

"What about your parents?"

I stopped cleaning the wound and began to bandage it. I was amazed at how quickly the bleeding stopped. Tommy knows what he is doing.

"They're dead," I said. "I was all alone until Charles brought me here."

"Weren't you scared?" she asked.

"I was terrified. They're values and traditions are a little different, but I got used to them quickly. They're the only ones who truly love us."

"This isn't love."

I began cleaning the rest of her wounds up. She had the cut on her collar bone I watched Tommy give her. There were slashes that were on the inside of her thighs.

"Did your parents love you more than this?" I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?"

"They split when I was young." Her voice was starting to crack. "They go remarried. They never had time for me, but they had time for my step-brothers and sisters."

"You'll always be loved here, Carrie," I told her. "We won't ignore you."

I washed the blood off of her legs. I could see faint white scars crisscrossing her skin. I couldn't help myself from tracing my finger along one of them.

"You did this to yourself?" I asked.

"A long time ago," she said.

"You're beautiful. You shouldn't."

I threw the towels and rubbing alcohol on the ground. I was going to put them on the nightstand, but I didn't want her to see the bloody towels. I grabbed one of the blankets and covered her with it. She reached out her hand and stroked Hunter's cheek. Her lips curled into a soft smile.

"You can hold him," I told her.

I picked him up and placed him in the crook of her arm. She continued to stroke his cheek and she tapped his nose.

"He's so cute," she said.

"I never wanted kids before I met Jimmy," I said. I lied down next to Carrie on the bed. "I'm so happy I have Hunter."

"I've always wanted a baby girl," she told me. "Maybe one day you'll have a niece, Julie."