Endless

Bruises

SAGE'S POV

"Angel, you said he didn't hurt you..." He'd just told me what happened to him and what Hensley had done to his abdomen.

"I'm okay," he whispered. "My stomach just aches a little." He was trying so hard to sound convincing, I could see it, but I could tell he was lying.

"Come on," I said gently, pulling him towards the couch carefully. Tommy followed warily.

I put a bit of pressure on Angel's shoulders, guiding him onto his back. He winced, peering up at me with nervous eyes, his hand gripping on the hem of his shirt. I knelt beside him, inhaling deeply before looking at his eyes. The fear in his gaze broke my heart.

"Baby, remember what I told you when Mr. Hensley tried to hurt you before?" He nodded slowly. I smiled a little, nodding with him. "What did I tell you?"

"You told me I was safe here... that I was safe with you," he answered quietly, eyes pricking with tears.

"Yes. You are safe with me, Angel." He shut his eyes, releasing a small puff of air. He sniffed once before nodding.

"Okay." He slowly released his shirt from his grasp. My eyes lingered on his for a moment before they trailed down to the base of his shirt, and Tommy watched anxiously next to me. I tugged the shirt up, and I stared in silence for a while. Tommy's complexion was coated in a sheet of white.

Angel's abdomen was covered in bruises, already black and blue, and my eyes burned, threatening to flood with tears.

"Sage..." Angel trailed off, his eyes replicating worry. I shook my head, blinking a few times.

"You're going to be fine," I murmured, pulling his shirt back down.

I forced a smile, sitting him back up slowly. He winced again, staring at me uncertainly, but said nothing else. He let me guide him to the front door with Tommy, then down the hall to the elevator. None of us dared to say a word.

Once outside, we were greeted by the incoming ambulance, and they helped us in to drive us to the hospital.

When we arrived at the emergency room, the paramedics helped Angel out first, then Tommy, then me, and we all walked in, side by side.

The medic who was with Angel helped him into a wheelchair, handing him off to a nurse who pushed him through a set of double doors. Another nurse simply took Tommy into one of the trauma rooms that were empty to examine him.

I protested profusely when one tried to
help me, but he wasn't having it, ordering me into a trauma room.

I huffed once seated, and he cleaned up the superficial cut on my forehead and stitched me up. When he was finished, I mumbled my thanks and asked him where the waiting room was.

Once there, I plopped down in an empty seat that was a reasonable distance from other people. I pulled my knees up to my chest and set my chin against them, squeezing my eyes shut and regretting it immediately. All I saw was flashes of Angel's torso, and the sight of Mr. Hensley hovering above him, ready to hurt him.

I pried my eyes open, looking around and reminding myself that it was over.

I pulled my phone out, dialing Terry's number. She answered almost immediately.

"Sage, is everything okay?" She asked worriedly. I never called her, so she must've known something was wrong.

"No." I explained in short about what happened, not getting into detail. It was enough to worry her, though, so she said she'd get Carlos and be at the hospital as soon as possible.

I called Ben next, who said he'd come and bring Leo, while I felt sick over having to make these calls.

When they all arrived, they rushed to me. Carlos knelt in front of me, and Terry,
Ben and Leo sat in the chairs around me. My chin was still on my knees, and I couldn't bring myself to meet their gazes.

"Sage, what happened?" Carlos started, placing a hand on my foot. I shook my head silently, no idea what to say, because what the hell happened?

"Sage, babe, you've got to talk to us," Terry said softly, her voice gentle. I met her eyes and then Carlos', and he nodded softly.

"He came out of nowhere," I said softly, my voice wavering. "I don't even know how he got in."

"Who, Sage?" Leo asked.

"Mr. Hensley." His lips parted in surprise and Ben frowned.

"Angel's old professor?" I nodded, burying my face in my knees, but careful not to touch my stitches.

"He hit me over the head with the-the gun and tied me up. I could barely process what was happening until it was already done." Terry slipped her fingers through mine and squeezed my hand softly.

"Had anyone come out and updated you yet?" Carlos asked hopefully, and I shook my head sadly. As if on cue, a doctor came out, scanning the room.

"Is Angel Cole's family here?" She asked. The five of us scrambled to our feet.

"That's us," Terry said. She nodded softly.

"I'm Dr. Morris. The good news is, there's no internal bleeding and he's alert and aware," she began, and Terry and Carlos sighed in relief. I simply stared at her.

"The bad news?" I asked, and her eyes met mine.

"The bad news is that his wrist is fractured, and he's got a cast on for it to heal properly. But, he should be completely healed in about 8 weeks, and if all goes well, he should have a full recovery." I nodded slowly.

"Can we see him?" Carlos asked. Dr. Morris nodded, and politely guided us to his room.

"You coming in?" Terry inquired when she caught my hesitation.

"Um... yeah, I'll be there in a little bit. I'm just going to go to the cafeteria and get him something to eat. Two minutes," I half lied. Terry nodded, disappearing into the room.

I walked down the long white hall, following the signs to the cafeteria. Before I even made it there, though, my stomach flipped and I quickened my pace. I ran into the closest bathroom, bursting into one of the many empty stalls. I knelt in front of the toilet, emptying out all the contents in my stomach.

I slid to the floor, leaning on the stall door. I breathed heavily as I attempted to calm myself down, resulting in crying instead. I covered my mouth to block the choked back sobs that I knew were coming.

My heart was broken.

When I got myself together, I warily left the bathroom after washing my hands and rinsing out my mouth.

I went to a nurse's station, asking if they had any spare dental materials. Luckily, they did, and the nurse gave me a new toothbrush, and a travel sized mouthwash and toothpaste. I went back into the bathroom, brushing my teeth and rising my mouth with mouthwash.

I put the items into my pocket before exiting the bathroom again, starting for the cafeteria. It was nearly empty, only a few people at a couple tables. I sighed, seating myself at one of the empty tables quietly.

I fiddled with a loose string on my jacket, going over all of the events of the night in my head.

Everything had been going so well. Angel and I were happy and we were making plans and we were getting married. And Hensley just had to go and... interrupt all of it.

I felt so disrupted and violated, and I couldn't even imagine how Angel felt. The thought sprung tears into my eyes and my lip quivered as I stared at the loose string.

I was so angry at myself and I wanted things to be good. I was supposed to protect him — Angel — and he'd ended up with a fractured wrist in a hospital bed. I felt the lowest I'd ever felt and I just wanted to go back.

Take me back, I thought helplessly. Let me go back.