Kill The Innocent

Chapter Nine

He turns his back on me and heads towards the bathroom. I hear the faucet running and when he returns he has the two orange bottles in his hand and a glass of water. He sits on the bed next to me and hands me the water.

I notice there isn't a sticker with my name or the medication type, just a blank orange pill bottle. He opens the lid and pulls a pill out from each one, careful not to mix them up. He hands me one pill at a time and I swallow them without even questioning. What ever will help me. I realize this probably isn't the best idea and that I could be being poisoned right now and I wouldn't even know. But oh well, wouldn't be the worst idea.

"I gave you the anxiety one first, so it should kick in before the sleeping one." Declan says, "I want you to try and sleep though, you need it."

I lean back on the comfy bed and stare at the ceiling. "How long do you think this will last?" I ask, my gaze not shifting.

"Your nightmares?" I nod. "I don't know." Declan looked down at his hands, not saying anything. The look on his face told me that maybe he does know, but he isn't willing to share it with me.

Wonderful.

I don't know exactly when it was that I fell asleep, I assume soon after the conversation with Declan because I don't remember much that happened after that. Either I fell asleep, or I lost memory because the drugs Declan gave me made me forget.

When I woke up, Declan was next to me. I don't know that he noticed when I did wake up because he was fast asleep next to me. The digital clock on the nightstand said noon. I had managed to sleep a full seven hours without a nightmare. I never had a desire to want to swallow pills til I can't feel pain but I'll swallow the pills from Cohen til I die if it means no more sleepless nights.

I stay next to Declan, careful not to move. I can't help but feel bad. He's spent just as many hours awake as I have. He's just as sleep deprived as I am, just without reason to be awake. I feel bad, but not bad enough.

Declan is the only reason I've been able to sleep at all. Declan is what's helping me. Declan is the only reason I've been able to calm down. Declan is doing it all.

"Good morning," I hear, and then almost feel worse. Was I thinking too loud? "Did you sleep good, love?"

"It's afternoon," I correct. "And yes. Thank you."

"Always." He sits up on his elbow and his lips meet my temple for all of two seconds before he's up and out of bed. A short kiss that leaves butterflies in my stomach.

He stretches, then disappears into the closet. I sigh and roll out of bed myself. I make my way into the bathroom and take a look at myself in the mirror. The bags under my blue eyes seem to have faded away most of the way. My hair is knotted and tangled in every single direction possible. I run my fingers through it in attempt to help make it look better. It doesn't work all that well.

I yell from the bathroom that I'm going to shower, and Declan responds with a short 'okay.' I shut the bathroom door then start the faucet and let the water warm up while I try and brush through my hair. Once the water is warm enough, I jump in. By the time i'm done, Declan finished whatever he was doing in the closet and left the room. I was alone in the huge master bedroom.

I put on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and my converse, then left the room. I didn't like the idea of staying in the empty room by myself for however long. I've been in that room with nothing to do for entirely too long.

I worry that I will get stopped again by people who don't know me, but then I brush the thought away. I can take them. And if I can't, I'm sure Declan will have something to say about it.