Through The Len's Part Two

15: Happy 10 Years

"Has anyone heard from him?" I asked. They all looked nervous. I took that as a no. "Have you checked at the house?" I asked Paul. "Gate code is changed." I sighed. I knew that already. I had tried going around a few times to talk with him about seeing Indie. I looked at the TV and there were showing a few pictures of Ian over the past few weeks stumbling around the streets drunk, one shoe on. He had grown a big unkempt beard and his hair was longer sticking out. He looked to be in a bad way. The news reporter was making up utter shit about him.

"What do you want to do?" Phoebe asked me with a worried expression. I shrugged my shoulders biting my lip. "I don't know," I say looking away from the screen. "He's still in town which is a good thing." Daniel tried. Though it wasn't helpful. He could be hurt. He could be in trouble. "I'm going to go over to the house and see if he's there." "I'll come," Paul suggested.

"I can keep Indie for the night." "Are you sure?" I asked Nina. I wasn't a fan of Indie staying out, or being away from me. "We don't know if he's at the house... You're not going to sleep until you find him." I nodded agreeing. "Let's go."

---------

Pulling up at the house I tried the gate code a few times using different combinations. Nothing worked. I looked over my shoulder Paul was on the phone trying to call Ian again. He had been calling him the whole drive here but he just kept getting to voicemail.

I pulled myself up on the gate and tried to climb over, it was harder than it looked but I got up on the wall beside the gate. "Bella careful." "I'm fine," I tell him before jumping down. I put the override code in and the gates opened from the inside. I was glad he didn't change that or Paul would have been climbing over the wall too. "I'll bring the car up." I nodded as I jogged up to our drive.

I knocked on the door and got no answer. "Ian it's me, open the door." I tried. I didn't want to just walk in. What if he had company. "Just go in," Paul says pushing open the door. He went in first because I was hesitant. "Ian! It's Paul and Isabella!" He called out. I closed the door and put the chain on. My dogs ran to me. "Hiya boys." I greeted them picking Stitch up, he licked my face. "I missed you too," I tell him before putting him back down to pet the other two.

The house was trashed. The noise was coming from all different rooms. We walked into the family room and there was glass all over the floor from the picture frames that laid there too. The only picture that was still stood on the bookshelf was of Indie, and then one photo from mine and Ian's wedding. The rest were on the floor.

The TV was on playing a home video, I believe we were in the Maldives, I and Ian went on one of our many vacations. I still vlogged but never posted them they were for us to look back on. I guess Ian had been reminiscing. I paused it when he kissed my cheek. I looked so happy. He looked happy. We were happy.

I left the room and went into the main lounge and the TV was playing a different video, we went rollerskating he fell over and pulled me down with him so we were on the floor just laughing at each other. I smiled, that was before we found out we were having Indie. Maybe like a month before. I turned the TV off and the fire he had left on.

Paul comes in. "Not in the kitchen." I nodded and we made our way around the house, where ever there was TV a home video was playing.

"You go," Paul told me. We were stood outside my bedroom. Indie's video was playing the one I was putting together for Ian as a gift. I watched that video a million times I knew every word that was spoken in it, every moment every detail. I looked at Paul throw my lashes. "It's okay... Go on." I pushed the door open. Ian was laid in a puddle of his own sick on the bed. I panicked and tried to wake him up. He was okay, his eyes open and he looked confused.

"Thank god," I say pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank god," I repeated holding on to him. I didn't care I got sick on my dress as I did this. He was okay. He was here. "What are you doing here?" He slurred out clearly still intoxicated. "Making sure, you're alive, brother," Paul says moving Ian out of the sick. "I'm alive." He said with a fake smile. "I see that. I'm glad." He tells him holding him up as I left for the bathroom to get him some water.

"I don't want it." He tells me pushing it away. "You need it," I tell him putting the glass to his lips helping him drink something that's not alcohol. "Wheres my daughter?" "She's with her Aunt," I tell him. He smiled. "She okay?" "Misses her daddy, but she's okay," I tell him trying to get him to make eye contact with him so I could assess if he needed to go to the doctor. "I miss her." "Yeah? Maybe you could see her soon...Come to the beach with us maybe?" I suggested to him, he closed his eyes like he was going to sleep.

Paul was carefully taking the sheets off the bed that just needed to go in the trash. The smell in this room was disgusting it smelt like a trash can. But I pushed past it because he was safe. The dread I felt when I saw clips of him on the news. I was so scared he was hurt or worse. And seeing him like this despite it being less than perfect I was just glad he was breathing.

I got him to drink the rest of the water. "I'll go get him some coffee and something to eat. You okay to stay with him." I nodded and he left to go to a coffee shop. We had a few small ones around us so hopefully, he wouldn't be too long. "I missed you." He tells me putting his hand on my cheek. "Shall we get you cleaned up?" I asked him. "You need to eat more." He told me flatly when he held my hip. "You're sick... I should have helped you." I swallowed the lump in my throat. Control is a big thing for me. I felt like my life was out of control so I controlled my food. And I guess lost control of that too. "You're perfect you know." I managed to get him to stand up. "Don't need to... To do this to yourself." He says holding onto me for support. I took him threw to the bathroom putting him in the shower. I kicked my shoes off and tied the bottom of my dress in a knot so I wouldn't get it wet or stand on it.

I knelt down and pulled his top off him. "I want you to eat." "I'll eat Ian, I just need to clean you up okay." He cupped my face in his hands our eyes locking. "You're dizzy." He told me and I frowned. "There's a chocolate bar on the bedside table." He tells me. "Eat." "I will in a minute." "Now." He said with a warning tone, he was very authoritative when he was drunk. I got the chocolate and took a bite in front of him before putting it on the counter and taking his top off. "I'm sorry I hurt you." "It's okay." "No, it's not." I pulled his trousers off and then his boxers.

"I don't deserve you." "Ian we can talk when you've sobered up," I tell him. "You deserve a good guy... Someone you feel safe with." I began to hose him off with the shower. "I feel safe with you, E." "Why? I hurt you." "You protected me," I tell him as I brushed my fingers through his dark thick hair trying to get all the dirt out.

"It's our ten year anniversary." He tells me gazing into my eyes. "It is." I looked away from him as I begin to tear up. "I'm sorry I ruined us." I wanted to tell him it was okay and to forget about it. But I knew I wouldn't be able to move on so fast. "Hold this," I tell him handing him the showerhead. I stand up and get his hair wash and then run it through his hair.

Once he was clean I helped him change and took him to one of the spear rooms so he could lay back down on a clean bed. "You good in here for a minute?" I asked. "You're leaving?" He asked holding my wrist. "Just going to change out of this," I tell him my dress had sick on and it was a little wet from the shower. "I'll be back," I tell him and he slowly let go of me. I went to my closet and put on a random sweat set and tired my hair up. Whilst I was in there I texted Nina checking in on Indiana.

When I went back into Ian Paul was with him. "I told you she'd be back," Paul tells him. "You look different." He said to me. "Got throw up on my dress," I told him and he turned his nose. "I'm going to clean up a little."