“Oh, Dani. I'm so... so sorry..." I whispered.

Danielle took a pained gulp, staring at me with a malevolent anger that

I could barely comprehend. Her one good eye was flaming green, hard-edged, and she grimaced while glowering at me with undisguised hate.

Ny sister managed to croak, "It's all your fault.”

Much later, a nurse would tell me that the anger was a healthy psychological response. Rather than wallow in self-pity, Danielle lashing out at me so soon after her ordeal showed that she would recover from being victimized and her personal strength would help her get her life back and move on. And beyond that, she was a Little unhinged from her pain medications. At least that's what the nurse said.

But right then, whatever the reasons for her anger, I felt like I could die. I wasn't even sure why Danielle was blaming me for what happened, but I started bawling like a little baby at the sting in Danielle's words.

I sat down on a chair next to Danielle's bed, with my face in the sheets and still holding her hand. Amber was stroking my back in a futile attempt to soothe me, but she wasn't any help as every time I looked up at my sister I saw the same accusing look in Danielle's eyes.

The next thing I heard was the police officer and attendant nurse excusing themselves out. The cop was saying, “I've already questioned

Danielle about the attack. If she mentions anything you might find useful, please contact me. Here's my card."

Somewhere behind me, Amber said "Thank you.”

“And I'll be back in a few minutes when they've calmed down a bit," the nurse said.

Amber replied, “Of course" and went back to stroking me soothingly. And then it was just the three of us in the room.

It took a minute, but I managed to compose myself to look up at my sister. And then she coldly said again, “It's all your fault.”

“Why?" I blubbered.

The first signs of pain crept into the corners of Danielle's eyes. Her chest heaved as she choked back a sob of her own. "Because... if you had just made love with me tonight, I never would have been raped.“

I was shocked into dead silence, and now Danielle began crying. But the fire in her eyes never went out as she Looked down at me.

"I was so ready, so horny. If you had just taken me to bed I would have given myself completely to you.”

“But... we couldn't," I croaked.

“But if you had... then I would have been with you," Danielle's voice cracked as the tears were now freely rolling down her cheeks.

“My first time with a man would have been beautiful. And I wouldn't have gone to the store to get some beer to drown out the pain of listening to you fuck Amber and E-Beth. I wouldn't have been alone on the sidewalk. And

I wouldn't have gotten raped tonight."

Danielle shuddered.

“He even jeered about how wet my panties were. They were wet for you, David. For YOU. If I could just have been with you, this wouldn't have happened to me."

I squinted my eyes shut against the pain throbbing in my own head and buried my face to the sheets again.

Amber tried to come to my rescue.