Monster
Page 9
“No, you don’t,” I said, pulling her face around to look at me. “Ally, look at me.”
She didn’t respond.
“OPEN YOUR EYES, AND LOOK AT ME, DAMN IT!” I yelled firmly, determined I was not going to let her fall back to sleep. I didn’t know that much about overdoses, but I knew enough to know I couldn’t let her fall back asleep. Not yet. “Ally, please.”
Her eyes blinked open, and she groaned as she tried to focus on my face.
“That’s it,” I said, smiling at her as I scooped her up from the floor and carried her from the bathroom, back out to the bedroom. “Good girl. Now, keep your eyes on mine.”
I quickly set her down on the bed, making sure to turn her onto her side, then I removed the wet towels from around her. When I did, I noticed some bruising on her arm where Jacob had grabbed her earlier that evening. I wished now that I’d smacked him in his smug mouth when I saw him before he scurried out of the house. I quickly covered her with the huge throw that covered the bottom of the bed, wrapping it around her tightly.
“Keep your eyes on me, Ally,” I repeated, smiling at her once more. “I need you to stay with me.”
“No,” she groaned, rolling onto her back, closing her eyes once more. “Leave me alone.”
“Come on, Ally,” I said, quickly turning her back on her side. “Open your eyes and look at me.”
“Why didn’t you just leave me?” She whispered as she opened her eyes and looked up at me. “Why didn’t you just let me go?”
“Because this is not how your story ends,” I said, giving her a smile. “Now, I need to go get my phone so that I can call 911, can you please, stay on your side and stay awake.”
“No,” she cried, reaching out and grabbing hold of my hand, suddenly a little more alert. “Please. You can’t call them. They will call Jacob.”
“Ally, I have to,” I said, moving back towards the bed. “I need to have a doctor check you over.”
“Please don’t,” she begged as tears danced in her eyes. “Jacob will find out…I don’t want him to know. I don’t want anyone to know.”
“I don’t give a fuck about Jacob,” I hissed, wishing once more I had knocked that scumbag on his ass when I had the chance to. Instantly my eyes fell to the red mark beneath her eye, and anger coursed through my veins. “You’re all I care about, Ally, and I need to take you to the emergency room.”
“No!” She cried, squeezing my hand tighter. “Please. Everyone will know. Please don’t take me there.”
I stared at her for a moment, knowing in my heart that the right thing to do was take her to the emergency room. She was practically dead a few minutes before; she still could die, so she needed to see a doctor. That’s when I had an idea.
“Okay,” I said, sitting back down on the bed. “I won’t take you to the emergency room, but you have to let me get someone to check you over. I need to get someone that can help.”
“No!” She insisted, shaking her head. “I don’t want anyone to know.”
“This isn’t just anyone,” I said, giving her a smile. “I just need you to trust me.”
She stared at me for a moment, and I knew she really wanted to fight me on this, but she also knew I was not going to let this go.
“Fine,” she eventually sighed, looking like she was feeling completely deflated. “But no doctors.”
“Just trust me,” I said, making her no promises.
About fifteen minutes later, the doorbell sounded, and I hurried down the stairs from the bedroom to open it.
“Have you lost your damn mind?” Travis asked the moment I opened the front door and found him standing there with his bag in his hand. “You know I could get into so much trouble for this, not to mention, she should be in an emergency room. She nearly died, Jax.”
“I know, Travis,” I replied as I closed the door behind him, before leading him to the stairs quickly. “But she refused to go, and I didn’t know what else to do.”
When I called him a short while earlier, I knew he was going to freak out at me, and I was right. Still, it was the only way I knew to get Ally some help, while keeping her secret now.
While I was talking to him, I gave him the code to the front gate and begged him to hurry up. He promised he would be straight over, and sure enough, he was here much faster than I’d thought he would be.
“She’s just down here,” I continued as I walked along the corridor towards Ally’s bedroom.
She was now dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of panties, something I knew she was embarrassed to let me help her with, but she could barely sit up, much less stand to dress. So, I helped her because the last thing I wanted was for someone else to see her so naked and broken, not even Travis.
“Do you know what she took?” He asked as we reached the door of the room.
“Sleeping pills, I think,” I said, stopping at the door to respond to him. “She washed them down with a bottle of vodka, but she was drinking earlier today too. She was already quite drunk before this happened. Thought maybe she had sobered up a little. And she has vomited a couple of times.”
“Jesus, Jax,” Travis sighed. “She really needs an ambulance. I don’t know what I can really do for her. This is beyond stupid.”
“Just try, Trav,” I pleaded, giving him a look that said I really needed him to do this for me. “Please.”
He released a long sigh, then gave me a nod.
I gave him a grateful smile before I opened the door and led him inside to where Ally was still lying on the bed, still rolled on her side, still struggling to remain conscious. But she hadn’t been sick again since I carried her from the bathroom. I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing.
“Ally,” I said, shaking her slightly, and instantly her eyes opened and met mine. “This is Travis, my brother. Travis is a doctor.”
“I said no, doctors!” She groaned as she pulled the blankets closer to her, turning away from us both.
“Then you’re in luck,” Travis said as he moved closer to the bed. “Because I’ve barely started. Also, I’m certain I won’t be one tomorrow if anyone finds out I’m here. So, does that make it better?”
She turned back over and stared at him for a moment, then gave him a weak smile.
“Good,” he replied before he turned to me. “Why don’t you go make some coffee. I think we’re both going to need some because we have a long night ahead of us.”
“Sure,” I said, giving him another grateful smile, then I glanced at Ally one more time before I turned and hurried from the room.
I was standing at the back door, staring out into the darkness when a sound behind me caught my attention. I turned to see a very tired looking Travis standing in the doorway.
“How is she?” I asked as I turned to him immediately. “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’s sleeping now,” he replied as he walked across the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee pot on the counter and pouring himself a cup. He gulped back half of the cup before he continued to speak. “Her blood pressure is okay, but her pulse is still a little slow, and her body temp is still a little low too. I have given her something to reverse the effects of the drugs in her system, and I’ve put in an IV to help get fluids into her system quicker, but honestly, I still think we should take her to the emergency room. I would be happier to have someone more experienced check her over.”
“She doesn’t want to go,” I replied, knowing that he didn’t understand why I was fighting him on this.
“Jaxson,” he sighed, giving me a worried. “She just tried to kill herself. I don’t think she’s really thinking rationally right at this moment. This shouldn’t be her call.”
“I know,” I replied, knowing he was right. Still, I had made her a promise, and I was going to try my best to keep it. “It’s just complicated.”
“Jax, she could have died tonight,” Travis tried to reason with me. “What’s more complicated than that?”
“I know she could ha
ve died, Trav.” I sighed, as the image of her lifeless body lying in the bath crashed into my mind. It was an image I don’t think I would ever forget. “I was there. I pulled her from the damn bath. But she didn’t. And now she has to live with what she has done. She doesn’t need the rest of the world knowing it too, judging her for one stupid mistake.”
“But she could be hurt,” he continued, still trying to talk some sense into me. “There is a mark on her face. What if she banged her head when she fell?”
“She didn’t bang her head,” I assured him. “As I said, she was in the bath when I found her. The mark is from her husband.”
“Shit,” Travis said, realising instantly what I meant. “And I suppose the bruises on her arm are his doing too.”
I nodded, confirming that he was correct. He stared at me for a moment, but he didn’t say a word.
“Travis, I know you’re right,” I said, trying to make him understand why I was doing what I was doing. “I knew it the moment I found her. But she isn’t dead, and her life is already so much more messed up than you could possibly imagine. I need to protect her, and I don’t just mean from the monster that is stalking her. I mean from the monsters that are living right here in this house. I can’t take her to the hospital.”
Travis stared at me for a moment but didn’t say a word. Then suddenly, a look of realization spread across his face.
“You’re in love with her,” Travis said like suddenly everything made perfect sense to him.
“What?” I exclaimed, surprised by his comment. “Don’t be so ridiculous. Of course, I’m not in love with her. I’m simply doing my job.”
“No, you’re not, it’s more than that,” Travis said, giving me a knowing look. “You might not realise it yet, but you’ve fallen for her. That’s why you’re so adamant that you want to protect her. Any other client, you would have called 911 without even thinking about it, no matter how much they protested, no matter how much damage it would cause. But you didn’t for her because you’re thinking with your heart and not your head.”
“Travis, that’s a very nice story,” I replied, with a laugh. “But I can assure you; I am not in love with this girl.”
“Jax,” he sighed, giving me a worried look. “I know you really believe that, but it’s written all over your face. I just hope you know you’re playing with fire. She is a married woman, and she is married to someone who could destroy your life. Not to mention, she is in a very vulnerable condition right now…”
“Nothing is going on, Trav!” I insisted. “So, you can stop with the pep talk. I know what I’m doing here, and I promise you, there is nothing going on between Ally and me.
“Okay,” Travis sighed, knowing he was not going to win this argument. He quickly finished off his coffee and set the cup down on the counter before he turned and headed back across the kitchen. “I’m going to go back up to check on her. May I suggest you get some sleep, because you look like shit.”
“I love you too,” I hissed back at him, but it was too late. He’s already disappeared out through the door before he heard my response.
I just stood there for a moment, thinking about what he’d just said and laughed to myself. There was no way I was in love with this girl. Sure, I liked her, and even felt sorry for her, but love her? Not in a million years.
She was a married woman, and I knew better than to mess with that bullshit. Besides, I was no home wrecker, even if the home was already pretty much in pieces.
There was no way I would ever allow myself to go there.
No, Travis was wrong about that.
But he was right about one thing. If this were any other of my clients, I would have called the emergency services without blinking an eye, no matter how much they pleaded with me not to. So why didn’t I call them for Ally? Why had this girl gotten under my skin so much?
I looked down at the coffee cup that was in my hand, and suddenly I wished I was holding something a little stronger than coffee.
You should never have taken this damn job! I thought to myself miserably as I turned and looked out the window once more. I knew it was a bad idea from the moment that son of a bitch Wallace called me. But I let my heart rule my head. The moment I saw Ally that first day. There was just something so sad about her; I couldn’t say no.
“And you’re not falling for her!” I laughed to myself, realising now that what Travis had said had struck a nerve. Either way, from now on, I needed to keep things on a more professional footing.
I turned around and set my coffee mug down on the counter. I needed to go back up to check on her for myself. I knew she was in good hands with Travis. He might have doubted his medical skills, but I never doubted him for a second. But still, I wanted to see her, just for my own peace of mind.
I climbed the stairs slowly, then made my way down the corridor to Ally’s room. I stopped for a moment before I turned the handle and stepped inside. When I did, I found Travis standing at the table across from the bed, going through his medical bag. I turned to look at Ally and saw that she was fast asleep. She was already starting to look a little better; she even had some colour back in her cheeks.
“Is she okay?” I asked as I walked closer to the bed.
“I think so,” Travis replied, looking up from what he was doing. “Her temperature is back to normal, and her pulse is a little stronger. I think the medication I gave her is doing its job. She was lucky this time. She was lucky you were here.”
“Thanks, Travis,” I said, giving him a grateful smile. “I really mean it. You don’t know what you have done here tonight.”
“I’m just glad she’s going to be okay,” he replied, then turning to look at Ally, he added with a sad smile. “I just don’t know that she’ll feel so lucky in the morning. We might have fixed her body, but I have no clue what’s going on with her mind.”
Chapter 10
Ally
I woke up slowly, stretching out in the bed, letting out a low groan when every inch of my body ached, especially my chest and my head. I had no idea why, but I couldn’t remember a time I felt so horrible.
What the fuck happened to me? I thought to myself, my head feeling fuzzy, and my memories muddled. I groaned again as I slowly rolled over in bed, turning onto my side. As I did, I opened my eyes and froze the moment I saw Jaxson fast asleep in the armchair in the corner of my room. The moment I saw him, everything that happened the night before came crashing into my head, but in jumbled snapshots and random memories.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I chanted to myself as I rolled back onto my pillow.
I was still alive.
If I was honest, I didn’t know how I felt about that fact. I didn’t know if I should be relieved, disappointed, or just simply embarrassed. If I was honest, right at that moment, I think I was feeling all three.
I could only just imagine what Jaxson thought about me now. Or what Jacob would say if he were to find out what I did.
The one thing I did know for sure was, last night, as I swallowed those pills and drank the bottle of vodka, I’d really wanted to die. Right at that moment, as I sat in the bathroom staring at the pills in my hand, it felt like the only choice that made sense to me. I had never felt sadder or more alone than I’d felt right at that moment. I couldn’t see a way out, so it felt like the right thing to do.
Now, in the cold light of day, maybe it was a stupid decision.
I glanced over at Jaxson once more, watching him as he slept. He’d found me. He’d found me and saved my life. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he thought when he found me naked in the bath, unresponsive.
Part of me felt embarrassed he’d seen me at my lowest, and part of me was grateful that he had. If he hadn’t, I would have died.
Most of what happened when I regained consciousness was pretty blurry to me. I do, however, vaguely remember Jaxson picking me up from the bathroom floor, then carrying me back to my bed, but the memories were just flashes and images. It was all just muddled up.
But there was something else. Something more when his eyes met mine, and it was that something, whatever it was that made me want to not give up. It made me suddenly want to fight.
As I lay there watching him sleep, I took in the lines on his face; the v that was formed in the middle of his forehead, just above his eyebrows. He looked like he was worried, even in his sleep, and I couldn’t help but worry that I was the one he was worried about.
Once more, I wondered what his story was. I knew so little about him, yet I trusted him more than I’d ever trusted another human being. In some ways, I even more than my folks and Teddy.
I knew they all loved me. I knew they would have done anything for me. But I don’t think they would have understood what I did last night. If I was honest, I didn’t fully understand it myself. But the way Jaxson looked at me. I knew he was upset; I even knew he was worried, but I knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect me, and for that, I would forever be grateful to him.
As I continued to watch him sleep, I wondered how different my life would have been now if I’d have met someone like Jaxson first. Would I still feel as empty and alone as I did now, I was married to Jacob?
Jacob! I thought to myself, and instinctively I raised my hand to my face. I still couldn’t believe he’d hit me. Recalling the look on his face before he stormed out of our room, I think he’d even stunned himself by what he’d done.
The things he’d said to me, the words he used were unlike anything I’d ever heard from him before. He was so angry and cruel that I almost didn’t recognise the man I had married standing before me. But still, I never imagined that he would ever hit me. How wrong was I?
I’d hurt him by siding with Jaxson back in the bar. I knew that before he even walked out of the ladies’ bathroom the night before. He said he didn’t even know who I was anymore. That I was doing everything I could in my power to destroy our marriage.