| Angel |
John had come home drunk again. He�d starting hitting her, nothing new. She�d become numb to it. Only this time he didn�t stop. Before he was done he had broken her jaw. He then tossed her to the bed, ripping at her clothes. Something inside her made her fight. She couldn�t let him take her again. She reached out blindly grasping the first thing her hands felt. She�d smashed a vase on his head and stumbled blindly out of the house. She didn�t know how far she ran. She wandered blindly toward light, and fell through the door unto the floor. She couldn�t speak; she looked up and saw an angel. She saw him for the first time. He calmed her with his voice. She had no idea what he said; she only focused on his voice. He even sounded like an angel. She blacked out; hearing sirens in the distant. She remember the hospital next, she could barely move her body was so sore. She heard someone move and immediately thought of John and tried uselessly to escape. �Shhh.� He whispered, �It�s okay. You�re safe.� �Where . . .� she mumbled, realizing quickly her jaw was wired shut. �Don�t talk.� He asked. �The doctor said you shouldn�t talk.� She opened her eyes and saw him clearly for the first time. She looked into his blue gray eyes and saw warmth. His blond hair surrounded his face like a halo. His face - he was smiling at her. She closed her eyes; he was so beautiful it hurt to look at him. �You�re in the hospital. Your jaw is broken. That�s why you can�t talk.� He informed her. �The doctor also said you have some cracked ribs and a bruised kidney. Not to mention one helluva black eye.� Vanity taking over, she turned away from him. She felt him take her hand, and run his thumb over the top of her hand. �The police have been by. They�ll probably be back soon.� He informed her. �Can you tell them who did this to you?� he asked quietly. She opened her eyes when she turned back toward him; when the door opened. �Honey?!� John exclaimed, �Honey, I�ve been so worried about you.� He rambled as he ran to her side. She couldn�t stop the yelp that escaped her lips as John took her hand. �Honey, it�s me, John. Your husband.� He tried. The look of horror on her face was enough for him. Her blond stranger pushed the nurse call button without John noticing. �You�re her husband?� he asked. �Yeah, who are you?� John asked. �I brought her in. She stumbled in to the club I was in.� �Was she attacked? Do you know what happened to her?� John asked, his face blank. �She can�t speak. Her jaw is broken.� He informed him. �She just woke up, the police are on their way over to question her.� The words hadn�t completely left his mouth when the police walked through the door. �I need to question this young lady.� The officer stated, cutting all BS and pretense. �My name is John Alexander. This is my wife, I�m not leaving her.� John snapped. �I brought her in. I�d like to stay.� The blond stranger asked, tightening his hold on her hand. This gesture did not go unnoticed by John or by the officer. �Fine.� The officer huffed, as he moved next to the bed to question her. �Miss . . .my name is Detective Cooper. We need to know who did this to you.� He began, his tone changing drastically as he addressed her. Her eyes darted around her nervously, her eyes settling on the stranger when he squeezed her hand. She swallowed hard when she felt John�s hard eyes boring into her. �Miss, I know you can barely talk, but any help you could give us would be incredibly helpful.� Detective Cooper encouraged. Her mind was going a mile a minute. She was petrified. She knew John would maker her pay over and over again. She felt him staring at her, silently warning her. Her hand started to tremble. �No.� she mumbled, as she shook her head. �Ma�am� anything you could remember would be very helpful.� The detective persisted. She felt the stranger brush his thumb over her hand. And felt the tears in her eyes. She shook her head again, �Can�t help you.� The officer looked frustrated and huffed his thanks, �Sir, could I see you outside?� he asked of the blond stranger. He reluctantly let go of her hand and followed the officer outside. When the door closed behind them, her eyes flew to John, and he leaned down close to her face. �You keep your mouth shut bitch.� He sneered. �Your �friend� can�t help you. No one can help you.� As he leaned even closer he took her jaw in his hand and squeezed slightly - the pain shooting through her body. �You belong to me. You�ll never leave me.� He sneered. �I have a date. I�ll be back tomorrow. Have to keep up appearances.� When he got close to the door, he offered over his shoulder. �Get rid of your �friend.� I don�t want to see him back here tomorrow.� He turned to look in her eyes. �Don�t make me punish you.� She bit her tongue to hold back the tears. Why hadn�t she said anything? John couldn�t possibly hurt her anymore. �Short of killing you.� That was the thought echoing through her head as the stranger came back in. He grabbed the stool and sat it as close to the bed as possible picking up her hand again. �The doctors seem to know you pretty well around here. They told me your name is Mercedes. That�s a beautiful name. My name�s Chris.� She only nodded her understanding. �Why didn�t you tell that detective that your husband did this to you?� he asked plainly. Mercedes didn�t say anything for a while. She didn�t even blink, to acknowledge his statement. She didn�t know the answer to the question. �Only cowards hit women.� Chris continued, �Let the police help you. Let me help you.� He asked. �Doesn�t mean to.� She mumbled, �Gets upset. Loves me.� she answered automatically. The lines so embedded in her mind; they were so bitter on her tongue. Even she didn�t believe them anymore. Chris gently traced her jaw with his finger barely touching her. �Is this how much he loves you?� he asked quietly. As much as she�d been through, as much as John had done to her during their marriage it hurt her to her core to see the pain in his eyes. �Scared.� She finally mumbled, feeling the tears run down her face. He leaned forward kissing her forehead. �You don�t have to be. I�ll protect you.� He whispered. �Why?� she asked, her voice barely audible, the pain of trying to talk finally getting to her. �I fell in love with you when you stumbled into that club.� Mercedes couldn�t stop the laugh that bubbled out of her throat. Then winched at the pain. He smiled at her reaction, �I realized you weren�t looking your best. But I saw your eyes�I saw your soul.� Whispered the past part as the doctor walked in. �I won�t let him hurt you.� He promised. �Never again.� ~~*~~ During the night the police arranged to have her moved to another room. When John returned the next day he found only an empty room. As he stood there fuming, Chris entered. John leaped at him his hands going for Chris� throat. Chris side stepped the moved and plowed his fist into John�s stomach forcing him to his knees. Chris smiled to himself as he crouched down to look John in the face. �You�ll never find her.� He began. �You�ll never touch her again.� �Where is my wife?� John gritted as he began to rise. �Your wife?� Chris questioned, as he too rose. �More like your punching bag.� Chris took a breath to control himself. �Men�� he began, �No,� shaking his head. �Cause guys like you aren�t men.� �You confused the hell out of me. She�s the most beautiful woman I�ve ever met and you treat her like she doesn�t matter.� Chris stopped before he got wound up again. �But never again.� Pulling papers from his back pocket. �These . . .are divorce paper. It�s good to have lawyers on retainer�they work faster that way.� �Fine! You want that bitch�� WHACK! Chris punched John in the mouth. �Like I said,� Chris stated as he walked toward the door, �you�re never going to hurt her again. If I have any say so, you�ll never even see her again.� ~~*~~ The weeks that followed went by quickly. Mercedes healed quickly and was soon released from the hospital. Chris insisted she stay in his apartment. She discovered he was a wrestler and frequently traveled. Chris hated leaving her alone but called her at least twice a day. Mercedes tried to distance herself from him. She didn�t want him involved with her. She tried not answering the phone, which didn�t work. The first time he sent his neighbor over to check on her. The second time she didn�t answer for two days he sent the police to the house. The police being fans, waited around until she called Chris on his cellular phone, talking to him for half an hour to assure him she was fine. Chris was with her the day she went to court to finalize her divorce. Mercedes was still sitting at the table with her lawyer, Chris in the front row behind her. She didn�t want him there. She�d tried desperately to convince him not to come. Mercedes� lawyer had told her this judge was particularly harsh and was demanding all facts to be laid out before him. When Mercedes took the stand and was sworn in she was forced to re-live every year of her marriage to John. Her voice was steady but she couldn�t� stop the tears that fell as she was instructed by the judge to explain in detail the first time John raped her. She could still feel the knife John had pressed to her throat. Her lawyer had a photo of the scar on her throat from when John gave her a warning of what would happen if she didn�t cooperate. She tried to avoid Chris� eyes during the testimony. She couldn�t handle seeing the sadness she saw there. But she felt him watching her during the entire time. Mercedes couldn�t figure out why Chris was helping her. She replayed his little speech in her head over and over in her mind. She knew it had to be a lie. No one loved her, John certainly had not. John had made sure she knew that he was the only one who would look twice at her. Then after being married only months, her face and body were usually bruised and batered that she avoided people in general much less men. She was waiting for the first slap; the first backhand. John had been sweet and attentive in the beginning as well. Just like Chris. She wouldn�t allow herself to be fooled again. After regaling the judge with a laundry list of injuries, incidents, photos of numerous beating John had inflicted on her, and listening to the doctors who had seen in her in 4 different emergency room. The judge was finally persuaded that her life was in danger. He granted her divorce and added a retraining order. As the judge finished and signaled the end of the session with his gavel, they all heard a commotion from the prosecution�s table. Two officers were holding John as he tried desperately to reach Mercedes. Chris saw the look of terror cross her face. �You bitch!� John screamed. �You think putting me in jail is going to stop me!? You�re my wife!� he screamed, as he was lead from the courtroom. She felt Chris beside her, his arm around her waist, the other holding her hand. She turned to him and smiled. �My angel.� She whispered to herself. Every time she though she knew what he would do she came back to the eyes of her angel. The look in his eyes when he looked at her; it frightened her. She didn�t want to believe what she saw there. ~~*~~ Mercedes sat in the living room of Chris� apartment while Chris opened a bottle of champagne. �It�s all over.� He announced when the cork popped. She only nodded, she had to tell him but she couldn�t figure out how. She had to leave; he deserved so much more than her. He deserved better. As she started to open her mouth to speak the phone rang, and Chris reluctantly rose to answer it. �What do you mean? I�m supposed to be off.� He yelled into the phone. Mercedes couldn�t stop the knot in her stomach, when she heard his voice rise. �Fine, I�ll be on the first flight in the morning.� Chris slammed the phone down. As he walked back to the couch he saw the look in her eyes, and wanted to kick himself. �Oh god! I�m sorry, I didn�t mean to yell like that.� He apologized. He sat down on the couch next to her and hugged her, and was heartbroken when she stiffened against him. He leaned back to look in her eyes, and took her face in his hand. Mercedes only stiffened more and tried to break the hold on her face, moving to the end of the couch. Chris reluctantly let go knowing it was better. �Sweetheart . . .listen to me please.� Chris began, speaking slowly and softly. �I�m not him. I would never . . .never touch you like that.� �You�re angry.� She whispered. �Yes . . .my work called. They said they need me to come back. I was supposed to be off. I wanted to spend some time with you.� He tentatively reached for her hand to find it trembling. �Please . . . .please don�t ever be scared of me.� He asked. �I won�t insult you by saying I know what you�ve been through. But I can only promise you that I will NEVER hurt you like he did.� Chris stated emphatically. �Nor will I let anyone else.� He stroked her hand with his and slowly began to feel her relax, and the terror leave her eyes. �Since everything is final and I have to go back to work. I had planned to work up to this, but I want you to come with me. It�s kind of hard to get used to - living on the road. But I don�t want to leave you here alone. I want you with me.� She only stared at him at first. Five minutes ago she was planning to walk away, then she�d seen him get angry and was ready to run away. Now she was unable to say no. Truthfully she wanted to be with him. She enjoyed his smile, his protection and his patience. ~~*~~ After only a few weeks, she knew she couldn�t stay any longer. She was falling in love with him. It was so hard to walk away this time. She knew he deserved some one else. Someone less damaged than her; someone who wasn�t so broken. She wanted so badly to stay. She taken the cowards� way out, she�d left a note with a lame excuse of �it just isn�t working out.� But she�d been unable to get a flight because of the weather. |