Kevin waited while A.J. tossed most of the pillows off the king-sized bed to make room for the girl. He gently placed her on the bed. She looked so small and pale in the big, dark blue bed. Kevin, Brian, and A.J. silently went out the door, closing it softly.

Denise went into the adjoining bathroom and came back with an armload of towels and washcloths. She filled a bucket with warm water and put it on the nightstand next to the bed. Then, she picked up the camera and took a few pictures of the girl with the torn shirt on and a few with it off. After a close up of her face and one of her neck, Denise set the camera aside.

Denise put towels under the girl to keep the comforter dry and then picked up a washcloth. She had to change the water twice before she got all the dirt, grime, and blood off the girl's left leg. After the other leg was clean, Denise went out of the room and called to the guys from the top of the staircase.

"I need the bag from the front seat of my car and a first-aid kit."

Denise went back into Howie's room after hearing chairs scrape the floor downstairs. She went over to the girl and felt like crying. She gently pulled the silky material of the girl's high- waisted panties down an inch and smiled with joy when she saw no scratches or bruises. 'Maybe she wasn't raped.' Denise said to herself.

Just as she had started cleaning the cuts on the girl's flat stomach, the door opened and Kevin, Brian, and A.J. came in. A.J. put the bag on the floor next to the nightstand, and Brian and Kevin walked towards Denise, their arms full of every possible ingredient in a first aid kit. She gestured towards the nightstand and they put the stuff down.

"Do you think she'll be all right, mom?" A.J. had called his mother because she was a nurse and would know if the young girl needed to be taken to a hospital or not. "Yes, she doesn't have a concussion, and all her vital signs are good. Other than the obvious, she seems okay." They relaxed and headed towards the door.

"Call us if you need anything." Brian said as he closed the door.

Denise smiled at him and nodded. She took a picture of the girl's legs and feet now that they were clean. The scratches and cuts were a vivid red contrasted against the pale, barely tanned skin. After wiping her legs with an antiseptic, Denise put an antibiotic cream and bandage on the deepest cuts. Then she wrapped the girl's right ankle, which was horribly bruised and swollen.

After her arms and torso were also clean, Denise shifted the girl so that her head was at the edge of the bed. She washed the girl's hair, trying not to touch the tender bump any more than absolutely necessary. Then she wiped the blood off the girl's chin and went into the bathroom to dump out the dirty water.