[Scars]

:: 04 ::

Zacky's POV

I scanned the street, looking for the well known Main Street Diner.

The pouring rain was not helping with the visibiliy.

"Fuck. And Chris is out here." I said to myself.

I parked the car in the diner parking lot and ran inside.

"Grace, have you seen Chris?" I asked, the head waitress turning to look at me.

She nodded and led me to the back of the restaurant.

There was an office back there and she opened the door.

Huddled on the floor and crying, was Chris.

I looked her over and my eyes widened.

She was wearing a bathrobe that was hanging by a thread and I could see she had a blackened eye.

I went over and kneeled in front of her.

"Chris, what the hell happened?" I asked her, trying to keep my voice level.

She looked up at me and her eyes were glistening with tears.

"He tricked me Zacky. Told me he would give me a fix for a few bucks. It was laced. Knocked me out. And he, he---." She couldn't even finish because she started to sob.

But I know exactly what she's going to tell me.

I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white.

I wanted to kill whatever man did this to her.

I put my hand gently on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

She looked up at me and I wiped her tears away.

"Let's go home." I said gently.

She stared at me and more tears came to her eyes.

I didn't say a word, just wiped the tears as they came.

It was a few minutes later that she had gotten herself under control and stood up slowly.

"Let's go home." She said.

I nodded and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

We started to walk towards the door and I saw her walking slower that usual and she was limping.

I looked down at her foot and she was putting all of her weight on the top of her foot.

"What happened to your leg?" I asked her.

"I jumped from a two story window. Guess I landed wrong." She said.

I picked her up bridal style and carried her out to my car.

I ran to the car so she wouldn't get too wet.

I made sure to buckle her seatbelt and then I ran over to my side of the car.

Switching the heater up to high, I made my way home.

It was a quiet ride to my house and we pulled to the driveway.

I saw Gena's car parked in the garage and I sighed deeply.

'This is going to be great.' I thought to myself.

I helped Chris out of the car and carried her into the house.

I laid her on the couch and went to my room, trying to find some warm clothes for her to wear.

I searched through Gena's drawer and found a pair of sweats, a thick sweater and a pair of my socks.

Chris was sitting on the couch, clutching the robe to her chest.

"Come on Chris. You have to take a bath." I told her.

She got up without question and I ran a nice, hot bath for her.

I left her in there so she would have some privacy.

But when she didn't come out for another twenty minutes, I went over and knocked on the door.

No answer.

"Chris? I'm coming in okay?" I said in a soft voice.

I opened the door slowly and smiled as I saw Chris sleeping soundly, her head laying against the side of the tub.

I went over to the tub and emptied it.

I couldn't help but stare at the cuts and bruises all over Chris' upper body.

Her nipples had dark bite marks around them and her neck was littered with dark red hickies.

My fists clenched tightly again and I grabbed a towel, throwing it over Chris' body before I picked her up, and brought her out of the tub.

I carried her over to the spare bedroom and I laid her on the bed, gently drying her off.

I made sure to be careful as I dressed Chris.

I didn't want her to wake up unexpectedly and think she was with that man again.

Thankfully, she didn't wake up at all.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I pulled the sweater over her head and laid her down on the big pillows.

I covered her with the comforter and watched her face.

When she's asleep, no one would ever guess that she's a junkie.

That she's in constant pain that she has to drowned it out with drugs and alcohol.

And it fucking breaks my heart.

There's nothing worse than seeing someone you love and care about, in pain, and not being able to do a damn thing about it.

I ran my fingers through her still wet hair and watched as she snuggled her face deeper into the pillow.

I ran my hand across her cheek and she leaned in to my touch.

She grabbed my hand and laid her cheek against it.

I grinned as a little smile made it's way across her face.

She feels safe with me.

And that made me feel happy.

But with it came the sadness, and the realization that this might not ever end.

"How much longer are you gonna do this Chris? Because honestly, I don't know how much more I can handle." I whispered.

She stayed sound asleep and I kissed her forehead gently.

What am I gonna do with her?