Creating a Redheaded Monster Ch. 01

Author's note: This is a work of fiction. I don't believe for a minute that taking advantage of someone's fragile mental status could affect her as profoundly as I present it in the story. So please... don't try that at home (or anywhere else)! I hope you otherwise enjoy the story!

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Winter holiday break: several days to get your head back together, but not enough time to do much of anything else while having to visit relatives. Oh well, Scot hoped he would enjoy the next couple of days before New Year's. Then if everything went to plan, he'd really celebrate!

His girlfriend, Emma, was in Virginia visiting her family and promised to be back on New Year's Eve. They were planning on celebrating the change of the calendar by just staying in and trying to keep each other warm... or hot! Scot had additional plans he kept secret for that night.

He was thinking about all of this while stepping out of the corner store and walking the two blocks to his apartment. The part about keeping each other warm was a fond thought while he shivered and held his jacket tight around himself, the collar high around his muffed ears. The driving snow and blowing cold shot right through him while he walked.

Scot needed some food for the next couple of days, and was glad the family store was still open. That was the only thing that could have gotten him out in this mess. The storm was predicted to rage for a while and was quickly bringing the city to a halt. The streets were devoid of traffic, buses, cabs, or anything or anyone else with the quickly piling snow. He'd heard there was already two feet on the ground. The storm hit only a couple of hours earlier!

He was just about home and passing by the alley next to his building when something caught his eye. A cardboard box flew open but remained in its spot, flapping in the wind. He swore he saw what could be fabric... a jacket under it. He shook his head and kept going. Couldn't be...

The feeling was nagging at him and 10 feet past the corner he turned back and went into the alley. The flapping box was about 25 feet down, and when he was half way there he sped up as much as he could in the deepening snow. There was indeed a person being buried in it!

It wasn't moving, and he put down his reusable shopping bag to shake the person's shoulder. He yelled out trying to wake the form, but there was no movement. He didn't think, scooping his arm back through the handles of the bag and around the person's body. He lifted and stood, carrying it back to his building.

Scot rushed inside and put the body down on the tile of the foyer, checking for any signs of life while quickly reaching inside his coat for his phone. He jabbed at the screen, dialing 911, and waited for them to answer. He removed the person's snow covered hat, finally revealing the first signs of gender.

The operator answered and he tried to remain calm as he anxiously relayed the emergency into the phone. The problem was that the storm had indeed effectively shut down the city and getting a snow plow to bring in an ambulance would take quite a while.

"You need to get her cold, wet clothes off of her. Careful not to tug any of them off if they seem stuck to her skin. Get her warm as soon as you can, preferably in a warm tub.Not hotandnot dryheat!" the operator told him.

Scot picked up the girl and carried her into the elevator, jabbing his floor number and wishing for a quick ride. He stayed on the phone with the operator while he carried her into his apartment and into the bathroom. Turning on the tap in his smallish tub he put her down on the floor. Hitting the speaker, he started to remove her clothing.

This was Scot's first real opportunity to really realize that she was still alive. She struggled against his attempts to strip her.

"Young lady, we need to get these off of you. You might have frostbite," he pleaded with her. She just hugged her arms tighter. "Please..."

She relaxed her arms a bit and opened her eyes for the first time. Something sparked in her eyes and her lids widened, only to quickly close again. She went limp.

Scot quickly took the opportunity to comply with the operator's instructions, and told the lady what he was doing. He removed her coat. A teddy bear was underneath her coat and he set that aside. Next were her boots and then other pieces of clothing. They didn't seem too threadbare. In fact it looked like they might be in fairly good shape. Scot wondered just how long this poor girl had been on the streets.

When he had her stripped down to her panties and bra he quickly removed his coat and picked her up again, starting to lower her into the water. The moment the warm water hit her skin she yelped in pain, waking in his arms.

"It's all right. The water will help you," Scot said. "Please, let go and lean back into it."

She looked up at him and nodded but caught his hand before he could pull it away. Even in the warm water she was still shivering. She was very dirty, and some of it started dissolving into the water from her dark brown hair and skin. Bathing the dirt off of her was out of the question since he was specifically told not to rub her skin.

Scot told the operator that he had her in the water. She informed him that help would still be another half hour away. When they were closer she would call Scot back to let him know. They hung up.

"Get down into the water as far as you can," he instructed the girl.

She complied, staring at Scot intently. He figured she was scared with a stranger taking care of her in this way, and kept watch for any funny business. He started to scoop water onto her face and head with his free hand while her body became mostly submerged in the water.

Still her eyes were glued to him. He turned off the tap with the water finally up near the top. Her face was exposed from her nose to her forehead, but other than that she was completely in the water.

Scot just tended to the girl, making sure to drain and warm the water as needed. He couldn't get over how much she gripped his hand and stared at him. Something was starting to become familiar... something about the way she stared and her eyes, but he couldn't figure it out. He mentally shrugged.

When the phone rang it startled them both. Scot answered it and found out that the ambulance was pulling up to his building. He hung up and looked at the girl.

"Young lady," he had no idea what else to call her and wondered why he didn't yet ask. "What is your name?" She just stared at him unmoving for a moment. The buzzer went off, startling the girl, and Scot tried to stand and move away. She just held his hand. "I need to let the paramedics in. I promise I'll be right back!" He said with a reassuring squeeze of her hand.

Her face did not change at all but Scot felt the pressure on his hand lessen and then her hand was gone. He made a comforting swipe across her forehead as he stood to go to the buzzer. Propping open the door he returned to the girl, taking her hand again.

It took only a moment for the paramedics to walk in the apartment and into the bathroom to start to attend the girl. She was frightened when Scot tried to release her hand to let the men work. "It's ok. I won't go anywhere," he said feeling her squeeze. She slowly released his hand again and he stepped back, picking up her clothes along the way.

The paramedics were blocking her view of Scot so he took an opportunity to clean up a little, remove his soiled and wet shirt, and put his perishable groceries away quickly. A minute later he was looking through her clothing to find any kind of identification. Locating a wallet in her inside coat pocket he pulled it out, returning to the bathroom.

"I'm glad you're back, sir. She was becoming agitated without you here," a paramedic said. Scot was confused, and it must have shown on his face.

The girl relaxed a lot seeing him. She reached out a hand for him. "Let these men work on you, ok? I'll stay right here." He saw her nod slowly.

He took the opportunity to look through the wallet he found. There wasn't much in it, just a couple of cards. He pulled out a card with a familiar color and saw that it was a student ID for Johnson Memorial High, the school in which he taught mathematics since he graduated college two and a half years earlier. 2015-16, Senior... Scot recognized the name and school photo on the ID. "Holy shit!" he hoped he said under his breath.

He looked up and saw the paramedics raising her out of the water a bit, her eyes still on him. They were trying to get her to talk but she just stared at Scot unregistering. "What is your name?" one of them asked.

"Mona Kelly," Scot answered for her, handing her student ID to the paramedic with the clipboard. She should have graduated the previous May but... well things went wrong and she disappeared. She was such a cute girl in his classes, those blue eyes always staring at him... That was it! That was what he recognized! The cute girl with bright red hair! He looked over at the girl with the dark brown, dirty hair.

He felt the realization soften his face. Mona's also softened a bit seeing it.

"She has a few areas of what appear to be minor frostbite. More importantly she has signs of malnutrition and dehydration. We're going to take her in for care," the paramedic said to Scot, helping her stand.

"How long will she need to be there?"

"A couple of days."

The other one moved in with a towel but Mona backed away shaking her head. The paramedic stopped and she pointed at Scot.

"Mona, please let the men do their job," Scot said. Mona still stared at him, but eventually nodded.

This girl was a mystery and he wanted to know more. With the weather outside he knew... "I'm going to pack a bag and come along with you." He turned to one of the paramedics. "I should have asked first, is that all right if I join you for the ride?"

"If she agrees, yes."

Scot and the paramedic looked at Mona, who was nodding vigorously and almost begging with her eyes. He had no idea why Mona was like this around him, why she was so trusting of him. "I'll be right back, ok?"

She nodded and he left the room. The girl was very filthy, and he had no idea with staying at the hospital with her for a day or more due to the storm when he'd be able to shower again. He ran to his room to change and pack an overnight bag.

Scot finished in the bathroom with his toiletries and grabbed his spare winter jacket. He returned to the paramedics, who had Mona on a stretcher and were working quickly to cover her in bandages and blankets, putting a warming blanket over her.

The paramedics started to push the stretcher to the elevator, riding it back down. Scot held her hand, walking beside the stretcher until they were out in the cold behind the ambulance.

She had to release his hand for the paramedics to get her on board. One climbed in after her and the other went to drive. Scot climbed in and took the seat as he was told. Her hand immediately sought his again. They drove mostly in silence behind the snow plow to the hospital, fifteen blocks away.

The ER docs weren't going to let Scot in but Mona's death grip on his hand convinced them. She did have to let go of his hand, however, so they could work. Scot stayed close but out of the way and she stared at him. Those eyes were always staring at him.

Some doctors worked on her skin while nurses got out bags of fluid and IVs. One of them removed what was left of her clothing, thankfully blocking Scot's view while they worked. Another asked her questions. Mona never said a word and just kept staring at Scot. One of the nurses asked a question and motioned toward Scot. She shook her head a little. The nurse asked another question and she nodded. A clipboard was brought near her and Mona looked away long enough to sign it and another two pages that were flipped over for her.

The nurse walked over to Scot.

"Mona has consented to have all medical information shared with you. I need your signature here if you agree..." she pointed toward the clipboard and he quickly signed it. "It seems you found her just in time. The doctors think she's going to be just fine with no apparent permanent damage from the cold. They want to keep her here for a couple of days to treat the malnutrition and dehydration."

"Is her inability to speak related to all of this?"

"No. For that we're bringing in a psychologist when she's a little more stable."

Scot nodded. He knew why she wasn't talking. It was obvious to him. Mona's family had been killed in a home invasion. Mona was home and saw it all, left alone by the robbers for some unknown reason. Rumors spread quickly around school and she never came back, even though she had only three months left until graduation.

The doctors and nurses were starting to disperse and one of the doctors approached Scot. "We're going to take her up to a room in a little bit, after she has a little something to eat."

"Thanks," Scot said. Mona was reaching out for him again and he approached her to take her hand again. A nurse brought a chair near for him to sit.

Before long they were being taken to her room. She had to let go of his hand again but he didn't go far, sitting in the reclining plastic covered chair. Mona just stared at him until she could again take his hand. After the workers left, they both fell asleep from the exhaustion of the night.

Scot heard a moan in the middle of the night and looked to see a hand searching out his again. A nurse was in the room checking the IVs and other things. The same thing happened after the sun rose.

That young nurse asked Scot to step out with her when she was done while the other kept Mona busy. "Why are you looking after a homeless girl you found on the street?"

Scot shrugged. "She was a student of mine once. I guess I want to find out what happened."

"Well, Mr. Knight in Shining Armor... could you try to get her talking today? We need to ask her questions."

"I'll try, but I suspect it might be tough." He told the nurse what he knew and she nodded.

"Thanks. I'll tell the doctor that's coming in later to talk with her."

"What about bathing her? The last time I saw her, her hair was bright red."

The nurse looked over at Mona and scowled. "We'll check with the doctor and get right on it."

Scot walked back into the room and sat beside her bed again. Mona didn't instantly grope for his hand, which made Scot sigh in relief.

About a half hour later two nurses arrived to bathe the girl. Mona struggled with them, but Scot kept reassuring her that he was going nowhere. Reluctantly on Mona's part she was bathed. Scot called out to her from beyond the door whenever he heard the nurses ask her to stop struggling.

They helped the freshly renewed redhead back to her bed. Her body clean – well at least one thick layer of dirt removed – Scot could see the girl's freckles again. He really recognized her when he saw those dots and smiled.

He tried to talk with her as requested by the nurse. "Mona, how have you been? It's been almost a year since I last saw you." Her eyes started to tear up. "I know what happened, and I'm so sorry," he said taking her hand in his and rubbing her arm with the other.

Mona started crying. Her right arm went up in the air as if she wanted a hug, so Scot stood and moved into it. He put his arm under her back behind her neck and just held her while she cried. When her sobs lessened, he moved back and sat.

"Please, could you tell me what happened after you left school?" Mona looked at him shocked and shook her head. "Please. You were one of my favorite students. I want to know." He stretched the truth about being a favorite, but figured the white lie would help. Truth is, besides her staring at him he barely noticed her. She was never very outspoken in Trig.

Scot just stared into her eyes waiting. Mona's mouth started opening and closing, but no sounds came out. Scot patiently stared for several minutes.

"When you're ready I'll be here," he said reassuringly. "I want to help you."

He sat back and his stomach growled. Looking at the clock he saw that it was approaching noon. He never did eat last night or, well it had been almost a day.

"Oh, but first I need to go and get something to eat. I'm starved!" he said standing. "I'll be back soon, I promise." He didn't see the hand flailing out toward him while he walked toward the door.

He reached the door and opened it. He made it to the threshold when he heard, "No!" It was soft, hoarse, and begging.

Scot turned around and looked at Mona. "'No' what?" he asked. Mona's fingers from her outstretched hands beckoned him to come close. Scot stood and waited, but nothing else happened. "Tell me what you want, use words," he softly commanded.

Mona's face screwed up. She was battling something in her mind. Scot waited a few minutes but then shrugged his shoulders and started to turn back to the hallway.

"Don't..." she said softly. Scot stopped dead in his tracks and waited, not turning. "Don't... go..." he heard.

He turned toward the girl and smiled. "Good," he said pausing. "One more question, why?" She looked at him funny. "Why shouldn't I go?"

Mona's face was concentrating even harder. Scot stared at her again and waited. Again it seemed to take too long and he turned.

"You... you safe... you save me... Mr. Petrovsky," she said very slowly, almost agonizingly so.

Scot turned and smiled again, walking into the room to take his seat. "I'll only stay if you tell me what happened."

Scot waited, watching her face contort as if it was wrestling with her mind. Mona's struggle was immense, and eventually she shook her head and looked away from Scot for the first time.

"Are you afraid of what I'll think?"

Mona looked back at him and slowly shrugged.

"Don't be. I want to help you; if I didn't I wouldn't have rescued you and stayed here all night. You can tell me..." he said holding her hand and stroking her arm again.

Her face struggled again but less so. Her strangled words finally started coming out. "Family... shot... killed..." she said, her eyes quickly filling with tears.

"I know about that, and I'm so sorry," Scot said moving the stroking hand up to her forehead to move his thumb across it and resting the hand on her head.

Mona took a deep, labored breath. "No... family... no... money..." She stopped talking again.

"You had no other family and nowhere else to go? You didn't have money or a job?" he asked. Mona nodded. Scot started filling in the blanks. "You ended up living on the street?"

Mona nodded again and started crying. Scot moved in to hug her again. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you." She hugged him back and he let her cry against his chest.

After a few moments he asked, "Did you ever get help for what you saw?"

Mona looked at him completely bewildered.

"Did you ever talk with a doctor? You know: a psychologist?"

Mona stared at him wide eyed. "Not... crazy..."

"That's not what I mean. A doctor can help you sort out what happened. They can help your mind feel better."

Mona just looked at him like he was the one who was crazy.

As if on cue, a doctor walked in. He had, of course, been listening at the door for a while. "Hello Mona, I'm Dr. Martinez. Your friend is correct and I'd like to see if I can help you."

Mona looked at the man and then back at Scot, gripping his hand tighter. "Is it all right if I stay for moral support?" he asked raising their joined hands slightly, flailing his fingers outward to show the death lock she had on him.

Dr. Martinez nodded. "That's fine if it's what Mona wants." Mona looked at him and nodded.

Scot just sat there holding her hand for the next hour, encouraging her to speak her broken words in response to his questions. Mona wouldn't answer the doctor at all without Scot encouraging her.