Without You

by Kelly Elliott

  “Oh God, no,” Libby whispered.

  Taylor and Lauren both started crying. My heart was beating so hard and fast in my chest that it almost drowned out Luke’s words.

  Luke cleared his throat. “She wasn’t raped.”

  Libby let out a sigh and said, “Thank you, God.”

  I shook my head. “Raped? Someone tried to rape her?” I felt sick to my stomach.

  “They were at some girl named Chrissie’s brother’s house. Grace said she noticed that Alex had disappeared, so Grace began looking for her. Grace walked up to Chrissie and asked her where Alex was. She said Chrissie started acting funny and started frantically looking around. Then, she just blurted out that Blake had promised to get her into some sorority if she slipped something in Alex’s drink. Chrissie admitted that she did it, and then she told Grace where Blake had taken Alex. I guess Chrissie’s brother was standing there, and he and Grace ran upstairs. Grace said she heard Alex screaming out her name, and Chrissie’s brother kicked open the door. Right as it opened…um…”

  I looked at Luke. Anger along with tears filled his eyes. I looked at Colt, who had already been crying.

  I slowly glanced back to Luke. “What? Just tell us.”

  Luke looked down. “Grace said Alex asked her to help her, and then Blake punched Alex. She hasn’t woken up yet.”

  Colt and I stood up.

  “That motherfucker. I’m going to kill him,” I said.

  “What about Alex?” Colt asked.

  “The doctor said they drew blood and pumped Alex’s stomach. After Grace explained to them what happened, they’re certain that Alex was drugged.”

  “Has anyone called the police?” Libby asked.

  “Yes, they were called. I’m going to be honest with you, Will and Colt. I know where the fucker is. He’s still at the party, and Grace gave me the address and said the brother wasn’t letting Blake go until the police get there.”

  Libby jumped up. “No! Luke…” She turned to Colt and me. “Will, Colt, don’t do this. Do not do this, please.”

  I looked at my sister. “I love you, Libby.” I kissed her on the forehead. “Where is he?” I asked Luke.

  Libby began crying as she turned to Luke and put her hands on his chest. “Please. Please don’t do this, Luke. I know you’re angry, but please don’t go. I can’t bear the thought of you getting hurt.” She turned to look at Colt and me. “Or any of you getting hurt. Don’t do this.”

  Lauren walked up and said, “I disagree. Go teach that asshole a lesson.”

  “No! Oh my God, Lauren!” Libby stepped in front of me. “Don’t. Do. This. I understand you’re angry, Will. I am, too. Let the police take care of it. What would Dad tell you to do, Will?”

  I looked at Luke and then Colt. They both nodded their heads.

  “I’m coming with you,” Grace said in a weak voice from behind me.

  “No…” Libby whispered.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  Luke and Colt turned and started to head out of the emergency room.

  “Will! Luke! Colt! Please don’t do this!” Libby shouted.

  I closed my eyes quickly to blink away my tears. When I opened them, I knew what I had to do.

  We walked into the house, and Grace immediately pointed to Blake.

  Most everyone was gone, and Blake was sitting down, talking to two guys. I recognized him the minute I saw him. I started to head over to him.

  Grace stepped in front of me. “Will, Alex is going to need you when she wakes up. I’m not sure how much she’ll remember, but she’ll need you. You won’t be able to be there for her if you’re in jail. I told the police everything I knew, and I’m sure they will be here any minute to arrest Blake.”

  “She’s right, Will. Let Colt and me take care of this ass before the police get here,” Luke said.

  I shook my head. “No, he hurt Lex, and now, he’s going to hurt.”

  I walked up to Blake and stopped right in front of him.

  He jumped up. “Will? What are you—”

  “How far did you get?” I asked.

  Blake looked at me. “What? Is Alex awake?”

  I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled his face close to mine. “What the fuck did you do to her? I’ll fucking kill you if you touched her.”

  Blake pushed me, and I stumbled back, but Colt grabbed me. The way Blake was smiling at me turned my stomach.

  “What’s wrong? Your girlfriend doesn’t remember how fucking turned-on she was for me? Her pussy sure was wet enough when I slipped my fingers inside her.”

  The flood of anger moved through my body like I’d never felt before. One of the guys standing nearby called Blake an asshole. I took two steps toward Blake and pulled my fist back. Blake was saying something to the guy, and when he turned around, he didn’t see my fist coming straight to his face. The moment I made contact, he fell backward and hit the chair.

  I started for him when I felt someone grab my arms. “Let me go!” I shouted.

  “Dude, the cops just got here. I want to hurt him as much as you do, but calm the hell down,” Luke said.

  Colt walked up to Blake and kicked him in the side as hard as he could. “That’s for my sister, you motherfucker!”

  Some guy walked up to Colt and said something to him as he backed Colt away.

  Lying on the floor, Blake moaned like the pussy he was. I wanted nothing more than to beat the shit out of him. When the cops walked up, they asked for Blake Turner, and one of his friends bent down and helped him up.

  “Who hit him?” the cop asked as he looked around.

  No one said a word. I watched as Blake’s friends all shook their heads.

  “Fine,” the cop said as he proceeded to put handcuffs on Blake.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong. Let me the fuck go!” he slurred.

  It was then I noticed how drunk he was. I turned and watched as the cop began reading Blake his rights while walking him out of the house.

  Luke walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “Come on, let’s get back to the hospital. My dad sent me a text. My parents are at the hospital, and Gunner and Ellie will be there shortly.”

  I began following Luke and Colt out. I glanced over and saw some girl crying hysterically, and one of the guys who had been talking to Blake when we’d walked in had his arm around her as she talked to a cop. I turned and looked for Grace. She was watching the same scene play out as she walked slightly behind Luke.

  She looked up at me and said, “That’s Chrissie and her brother.”

  I nodded my head. “I’d like to slap the shit out of her.”

  “You’d have to get behind me,” Grace said.

  I shook my head as I looked back at Chrissie. She looked at me, and her face said it all. She was racked with guilt.

  Good. Serves her ass right.

  We piled back into Luke’s truck, and my phone went off. I pulled it out to see a text from Libby.

  Libby: Will, the nurse said Alex is sleeping, but she’s calling out your name. Please come back.

  Me: We’re on our way now.

  “Luke, I need something from our room. Please, it’s for Alex,” Grace said.

  Luke nodded his head. “Okay, but be quick, Grace.”

  When we got to Duren Hall, Grace jumped out of the truck and ran into the building. I continued to stare out the window. I couldn’t drown out Blake’s words, no matter how hard I tried to block them.

  Her pussy sure was wet enough when I slipped my fingers inside her.

  I felt the bile building up, and I opened the truck door. I jumped out and began throwing up.

  Colt was out and standing there within seconds. “Jesus, Will, are you all right?”

  I shook my head and threw up again.

  Luke walked up and put his hand on my back. “It’s gonna be okay, Will. I promise you.”

  I stood up and wiped my mouth as I looked at him with tears rolling down my face. “You don’t know that, Luke. He
touched her. God knows how far he went. I pray to God she doesn’t remember. Oh God, I hope she doesn’t remember.” I felt my knees give out as I began crying harder.

  Colt and Luke both grabbed me as my legs buckled from underneath me. Colt pulled me into his arms as I let out every emotion I had been holding in. They helped me back over to the truck, and I slowly got into the back seat where I attempted to get control again.

  Grace got back into the truck and asked Luke what happened. When he told her what happened, she wrapped her arms around me.

  “I swear to you, he didn’t get that far. Her pants were still on, Will, I swear to God.”

  I pulled back and saw Colt quickly wiping away his tears. I nodded my head and looked down at what Grace was holding. She had Lex’s doll.

  “Emma,” I whispered as I looked up into Grace’s eyes.

  She smiled and nodded her head. “Come on, let’s get back before she wakes up.”

  We weren’t that far from the hospital, but it felt like an eternity before I was walking back through the emergency room doors. I overheard as the nurse told Lauren, Libby, and Taylor that Alex had been moved to a room.

  As everyone walked to the elevator to head up to the floor where Alex’s room was, Libby grabbed my hand. I peeked down at her, and she smiled at me. My heart instantly felt better from just having Lib here with me. I closed my eyes and waited until the elevator door opened, and we exited.

  We walked up to the nurses’ station. A nurse told us that only two people could visit at a time. Colt and I looked at each other.

  He nodded his head. “Let’s go,” he whispered.

  I looked back at Libby.

  She nodded her head and mouthed, It’s okay.

  Colt and I stopped at Lex’s door and looked at each other. I glanced back at the door, pushed it in, and walked inside. Colt followed, and he walked directly up to Lex as I held back.

  He started crying. “Oh God. Oh, Alex. I’m so sorry…oh God, I’m so sorry.” His body was shaking as he cried harder.

  I closed my eyes and opened them again before I walked around the bed, still not looking directly at Lex. When I got to the other side of her, I took a deep breath and looked at her. My heart slammed against my chest, and a feeling I’d never experienced before washed over my body. I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep from crying. I was afraid she could hear us. My heart had never beat so fast and so hard in my life.

  I looked at her swollen face and swallowed hard. Her right eye was black and blue and three times the normal size. Her lips were busted open. The whole right side of her face was bruised. I put my hand up to my mouth and attempted to hold back the sobs wanting to come out.

  Colt looked at me and shook his head. He turned and walked out of the room as I tried to regain some sort of composure.

  Thirty seconds later, Libby walked in. She looked at Alex and started crying as she made her way over to me. She turned me to face her, and she wiped away her tears.

  Taking in a deep breath, she whispered, “Be strong for her right now. Do you hear me, William Gregory Hayes?”

  I quickly nodded my head. I somehow reached deep down inside me and pulled out the strength I needed to settle down. I would be here for Lex.

  I’ll be the strength she needs right now.

  Taking in a deep breath, I turned back to face Lex.

  I took her hand in mine. “Lex, baby, I’m here now. I promise you, Lex, you’re safe. I love you so much. Please wake up for me, baby.”

  I needed her to hear the love in my voice. I needed her to come back to me.

  “Lex, I love you so much. It’s time to wake up now, baby.”

  Will…

  “Alex? Baby, please wake up now. Grace brought you Emma. Oh, Alex. Please, honey, wake up.”

  Mom…

  “Hey, baby girl. Daddy’s here now, Little Bear. You’re all right.”

  Daddy…

  My face hurt. My body hurt. I just wanted to sleep, but everyone was talking to me.

  Will…

  I need you, Will.

  Someone took my hand.

  “Lex, I’m right here.”

  Will…

  I forced my eyes to open, and the first things I saw were his beautiful blue eyes. I attempted to smile, but my entire face hurt like hell.

  “Will…” I said in a raspy voice. “I hurt so bad.”

  He nodded his head. “I know, baby. I know.” He leaned over and did something.

  “Yes?” a voice answered from what sounded like an intercom right next to my ear.

  “She’s awake,” Will said.

  “Thank you, Mr. Hayes. I’ll let the doctor on duty and her parents know.”

  I looked around. Where am I? What happened?

  “Where am I, Will? I just remember needing you. I was so scared, and I needed you.”

  His eyes filled with tears. He looked away and then turned back to look at me. “You’re in the hospital, Lex, and I’m here. I’ll always be here for you.”

  The nurse came in, took all my vitals, and gave me some medicine.

  “The doctor will be in shortly, Ms. Mathews.” She smiled sweetly at me before turning and leaving.

  I was about to ask Will something when I heard a door open, and I slowly turned my head to see my mother and father walking in. They both had fake smiles on their faces to hide their fear.

  “Oh, Alex…baby, I’m so glad you’re awake.” My mother walked to the side of the bed and took my hand in hers.

  I looked over to my father, who was standing next to my mother. “Hey, Little Bear. There’s my girl. I love you, sweetheart, so very much.”

  Something was terribly wrong. My father only called me Little Bear when something was wrong or when he was very emotional about something.

  “What happened?” I looked at them and then back to Will.

  Will peeked over at my father.

  “Will?” I asked.

  He kept his eyes on my father. Looking back at my father, I saw he was staring at Will. They both had looks of terror on their faces. I glanced over to look at my mother.

  My mother swallowed and tried to smile. “Alex, honey, don’t worry. You’re okay. You’re just a little banged up, and they…well, you…” She turned away.

  “Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Mathews?”

  My parents turned to face a beautiful lady, probably in her mid-twenties, with shoulder-length blonde hair. She stood there, holding a file folder, and I noticed that I was having a hard time seeing. It was almost like I was looking out of only one eye. I reached up, touched my right eye, and let out an inner cry.

  Holy shit. That hurts like hell.

  “Hello, Janet.” My mother looked back at me. “Alex, Janet is here to talk to you, sweetheart.”

  The blonde turned her attention to Will. “How are you doing this morning, Will?”

  He smiled slightly and said, “I’m good.”

  Janet cleared her throat and pointed to the police officer standing next her. “This is Officer Franks.”

  My mother quickly nodded her head and took a step back. My father held her in his arms.

  Why is a police officer here?

  I attempted to smile as Janet walked closer to me. Something about her made me feel…safe and comfortable. It was like she recognized this strange feeling inside me.

  “Alex, my name is Janet. I’m a counselor, and I work for the hospital. I’m here to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?”

  “Hi, Janet. Um…sure,” I said.

  She smiled back. “Alex, do you remember anything about last night? Anything at all?”

  “Um…not really. I was at a party with Grace.” I closed my eyes and tried to remember.

  Damn, maybe I drank too much. I must have fallen and hit my eye—

  My eyes snapped open. I frantically looked around the room.

  Oh God. Oh God. No…Blake.

  “Blake,” I whispered.

  A warm sensation filled my body as Janet
touched my hand.

  “Alex, you’re safe, sweetheart. He’s not here.”

  I felt the tears burning my eyes, and my head began pounding. “He…he tried to…I think he gave me something…he…Oh God. He slapped me because I was fighting him back.”

  Janet held my hand. “Alex, sweetheart, Officer Franks would like to ask you some questions.”

  I nodded my head and looked back to where Will was standing.

  Officer Franks cleared her throat and took a step closer to me. “Alex, I’m going to ask you some personal questions. If you prefer, I can ask everyone to leave the room.”

  I shook my head and whispered, “No, they can stay.”

  “I need to ask you something important,” Officer Franks said.

  I looked back at Janet. I began crying harder as the memories of last night started to come together.

  “O-okay,” I whispered.

  “How much do you remember about last night? Specifically, about your time with Blake Turner?”

  I closed my eyes.

  Chrissie…

  The room was spinning.

  She told Blake she gave something to me.

  I felt sick.

  Blake carried me up the stairs.

  Get Grace, Chrissie…

  “I asked Chrissie to get Grace. Blake wasn’t acting right, and he said…he said…”

  “It’s okay, Alex. Take your time,” the officer said.

  I opened my eyes. “He was mad about me not passing out. He ripped my shorts open and put…”

  I looked at Will. I slowly turned to my parents and then to Officer Franks. Then, I looked into Janet’s eyes.

  “I can’t…” I shook my head.

  Janet looked up at Will and then back at me. She nodded her head.

  Officer Franks took my hand. “It’s okay, Alex. You did great. I want you to know that Blake has been arrested. Chrissie spoke to the police and confessed that she gave you a drug called Rohypnol. Blake had given it to her. You must not have had very much to drink because you were able to stay awake and fight him off.”

  I took in a deep breath as I remembered that I’d dropped the beer Chrissie had given me. “I only took a few drinks of it. Someone bumped into me, and I dropped it.”