As soon as Gavin left to follow the nurse, most likely to find out her age, the girl shifted and curled up a bit.

“Are you cold?” I asked.

She just looked at me and curled up a bit more. It was getting harder and harder to maintain a firm and secure posture, especially after hearing Solloman’s words. Muteness not caused by physical disturbances or accidents, but by trauma; shocks that literally took her voice away. Calmly, I took one of the white blankets from a plastic bag on the bed and covered her.

I noticed that when my fingertips touched her shoulder, she tensed up and closed her eyes. I backed off, and she opened them again, staring into the void.

Resistance to touch. I stared at her, a bit frightened by the temporary conclusion that came to my mind.

The girl looked at me once more, this time with her eyes filled with tears. She made a very subtle gesture with her head, almost as if she were apologizing.

“What?...” I murmured aloud. Then I spoke more clearly so she could understand me: “You don’t need to apologize for anything. It’s okay. I’m here.”

I saw her fists gripping the sheets tightly and resisted the urge to approach and take her hands in mine. I wanted to comfort her, to take away her pain, but all I could do was offer my support with looks and words. No hugs or comforting touches, which would provoke the opposite reaction.

“We’re going to take care of you. You don’t owe us anything… We’re doing this from our hearts. We care about you.” I took a step forward and added, determined: “We’re committed to helping you in any way we can. We won’t let what hurt you come back to you.”

As if I had said the magic words, something remarkable happened.

The girl slowly sat up, looking at me intently.

I remained as silent as she was, wondering what she would do next, reflecting on every word I had said and whether any of them could have triggered something negative in her mind.

But she placed her hand above her chest, right where the heart is, and bowed her head slightly.

She was thanking me.

I couldn’t contain myself. Tears flowed freely down my face.

She lay back down slowly, blinking more and more slowly, and began to fall asleep; most likely due to the painkillers that must have been administered in her IV. I approached her fragile body, still not bothering to wipe my face.

I heard the door click, but I didn’t move. I continued looking at the dark and worn face of the girl I wanted to see alive, healthy, and well. Then Gavin’s footsteps grew louder until he was right beside me.

“She’s twenty-one,” he said quietly so as not to wake her.

I turned to him quickly, incredulous. He was surprised by what he saw and put a hand on one of my shoulders.

“Oh my God. Do you want some water or coffee? Do you want to sit down for a bit?”

“It’s okay, Gavin.”

“You’re crying.”

“I am. I...” I stammered. All the eloquence people say I have just disappeared. I wanted to tell him exactly why I was reacting this way, but I couldn’t even organize my thoughts.

“Come on. She’s going to sleep for a while longer, and we should eat something. I, at least, am feeling hungry.”

“Are you going back to the apartment?” I asked, already wiping away my tears. We left the room and headed straight for the corridor, towards the exit.

“Yes, but just for a quick snack and then I’ll come back here. I don’t want to leave her alone in the hospital, surrounded by strangers.”

“We’re strangers to her too.”

“Less strange than them,” he justified. He was deeply unhappy and affected.

“Gavin.” We stopped. “You’re not to blame for what happened to her. She would have done it one way or another, waited for some opportunity.”

“I… I knew, but… I should have been smarter… I wanted to leave her alone to bathe; I admit that at first I didn’t realize the danger I left her in…”

“She’s fine now. She’s being cared for and monitored. We just need to make some adjustments in our lives so this kind of thing doesn’t happen again. We’ll avoid it as much as possible.”

“I have to completely clean my apartment of threats like those.”

“And I, mine. You know, I imagine that at some point she’ll need to stay under my care; so I’d better get everything ready. We’re in this together, Gavin.”

“Thanks, Donovan…” He sighed in anguish. “I want her to stay alive. I want to know everything about her…”

“I also want her alive. Happy and fulfilled, I want to see her smile…” I gave a small smile at the thought. “All we need is time, patience, and organization. I’m sure we’ll succeed.”

“I hope she trusts us…”

“I think… she already does.”

Gavin looked at me questioningly. I explained calmly, trying not to get emotional about what had happened a little while ago.

“She thanked me. She put her hand on her chest and nodded.”

He looked at me, amazed and astonished. Then I realized he was holding back tears too.

“Then… then she really understands us and what’s going on around her. But she’s too lethargic in her own pain to interact. I’m very happy she did that, this direct contact with you.”

“Didn’t she do something similar with you?”

“We stared at each other in silence. I always talk to her, just so she can hear and know what I’m doing and why. But she hardly ever looks at me, she’s distant. But sometimes she looks me straight in the eyes. Almost as if to say she’s focused on recognizing who I am… and… what I’m doing for her…”

He looked at me.

“What we’re doing for her.”

“I wish I knew her name…” I lamented aloud.

We sighed together.

“I wish I knew her name too.”

And so, we hugged in farewell, exchanged words of support and hope, and left. I got into the Audi and drove to my apartment.

When I arrived, I collapsed on the couch and stared at the ceiling. I was never one to believe much in gods or saints, but suddenly I found myself praying to all of them, begging them to have mercy on a broken girl and help her rise again.

And I knew that no amount of money in my wallet, in the bank, or in the whole world could bribe them. All I could do was offer the sincere and painful supplication of my heart.