Love's A Hard Game To Play

The Phone Call

Lindsey, Mick and John found Stevie and Christine fast asleep. They didn't want to disturb them so they asked the hospital staff if they could stay in an empty room that was next door to Christine's room.

Once in that room, they all finally let out their sadness, their anger, their frustration.
Lindsey called for extra security to be placed around the hospital while they were there. He wasn't taking any chances.
Lindsey wanted to go out and search for Joe himself but Mick and John convinced him that that wasn't a good idea. Also, they convinced him to get some rest in the empty hospital bed that was in the room.

A few hours later, Christine woke up and saw that Stevie was still sleeping.
She groaned a little, it was only now that she could feel the pain from her beaten face; the medications they gave Christine wore off.
She reached for a button that would release a small amount of medication to help with the pain.

Relief spread throughout Christine's body as the medication ran through the I.V. and into her body.
She then looked out of the window and saw the clear blue sky. It must have been late afternoon she thought to herself. She could see out of both eyes now which meant the swelling had gone down.

Now that she was alone with no one to talk to, she began to think about all that had transpired the night before.

Humor had always been a part of Christine's personality, also her sarcasm. It has helped her get through some of the most difficult times in her life.
However, now she began to feel the weight of the situation.

When Joe showed up at her house, she felt completely terrified. When he began to punch her, she was stunned then he continued to do so over and over again until Christine found some strength and punched him back.
They fought back and forth for a while.
He kept asking where Stevie was and of course Christine didn't reveal anything to him.
When Christine didn't tell him where he could find Stevie, Joe's strength seemed to multiply and pinned Christine to the ground.
Then he...

"Stop Mcvie! Don't think about it! It's over now!" Christine thought to herself as tears rolled down her cheeks.

She was 43 years old and in all her life, nothing like this had ever happened to her before.
She knew she was going to need help dealing with what happened to her, she would need to see a therapist.
When she was brought to the hospital, the doctor checked her over and documented everything in her chart, they then suggested some counseling.

Christine looked down at Stevie; Stevie looked so peaceful. Christine smiled a little as she noticed movement coming from Stevie's belly.
Christine decided not to tell Stevie about what else Joe did to her.
Stevie had already been through so much; Christine didn't want to add to her pain.

Stevie began to stir; the baby becoming more active.
Stevie opened her eyes and for a second forgot where she was.
She then remembered she was in Christine's hospital bed. Stevie raised herself up a little to check on Christine.

Stevie noticed Christine's tears; Christine wasn't quick enough to wipe them away.
Stevie's and Christine's eyes lock and they stared into each other's eyes. Stevie could see that Christine's humor was just a facade to keep from showing her true feelings.
Stevie saw that Christine was reaching her breaking point.

Christine broke down and began sob.
Stevie wrapped her arms around her and held on tight. It was now Stevie's turn to comfort her friend.
Christine then told Stevie what happened except for last part of the story of what he did before leaving her home. She also told Stevie how she felt.
Stevie's tears matched Christine's.
"No matter how much he hit me, I didn't give him what he wanted." Christine said. "I wasn't going to lead him to you."