Dealer | -Eddie Munson

You are safe

Eddie Munson

For the past two hours I've been practicing riffs on my guitar, i havent used my guitar in a while and the tips of my fingers are paying for it. I stop for a second to crack my knuckles and then continue but I hear someone knocking on my trailer's door.

It's late, maybe it's my uncle that forgot his keys.

I stood up from my bed to go to the door, open the door ready to laugh at my uncle, but my face dropped instead. Her light eyes meeting with my dark ones, the dim light above the outside of the door doesnt let me see her completely but I know something is off.

¨Hi...¨ Her voice was more of a whisper on the thick air.

I was fighting back my words, but I had a bad feeling. ¨Come in.¨I said steeping aside. I don't know what I'm doing, I should be angry but I can't.

She looks at me but she breaks eye contact just as fast. Doubtfully she enters but she held herself from the door frame sides like her life depended on it. It was fast, but I noticed making me furrow.

I close the door while she gave her back to me.

¨Do you want water, soda, or some juice?¨ I ask walking pass her to go to the kitchen. I stop as I reach the larder.

Picking through the shelves to see what else we had, I turn to look at her.

It was as if the air was ripped away from my lungs and at the same time I was punched on my got. Her face had purple spots and small cut in some places. She had her eyes on me, but as our eyes met she didnt took them away this time, instead she hardly bit don on her lower lip. She was trying not to cry.

¨What...¨ Before asking what I was going to, I was already flying towards her. I barely put my hands on her arms when she flinched away.¨Hanna what happened?¨

She broke with my question.

Her knees stared bending over for her to fall to the ground as a big sob came out of her, luckily I held her for a soft land. Her head on my shoulder and my arms around hers, while her hands barely held mine.

¨Hanna...¨

She took a big breath. "You couldn't stay quiet, do you?!" Her body slightly staring to shake.

Is she talking about me?

¨That sentence again, and again, and again. Every time he swung his fist, but louder, and harder.¨ Her voice braking with every sentence she spoke.

Who is that he? Harrington, no. He may be a lot of things, but not even in his worse would he hit a woman.

¨I was in the floor crying, begging he wouldn't...he wouldnt...ki-kill me.¨ Now her body was shaking harder, more and more with every sob.

It was a cry of pain and sadness, but above all fear.

I closed my eyes, pressing my lips to the top of her head. ¨I'm here, you are safe now.¨ I open my eyes but they got all blurred by the tears I'm holding back. ¨ Im here.¨

***

She kept shaking even when the tears where gone. We where laying on the sofa now, we where facing each other, it was like she was trying to sink on my chest. Her eyes looking down that was the only thing separating us. I didn't know what to do or what to say, but I played with her hair trying to make her ease somehow m. Slowly she faded away in her sleep. Once she was passed out completly in the sofa I took her to my room for her to lay on my bed and I would take the sofa.

As I carefully let her head lay in the pillow she takes me by the hand pulling me towards her. "Don't..."

She slowly makes space for me in the single bed, her forehead and mine touching. She kept her eyes closed even thought I knew she wasn't asleep, I started at her face for some more seconds before deciding to close my eyes.

Her body getting closer to mine is the only thing I remember before opening my eyes from pain cries. I turn my head to look at the clock in my night stand 3:15 am. As I strech I notice I was alone in bed and the door of the room was open. I step out of bed to walk towards where the cries come from, the door of the bathroom was closed the light from inside peeking through the tiny space between the door and the floor that allows it to open.

I knocked carefully on the door before open it. The door didn't open, the lock was on.

I panicked.

"Hanna, let me in please," I said softly trying to not scare her. She didn't respond.

I was about to ask her again to open the door but it wasn't necessary as she unlocked it opening the door at the same time turning off the light.

She stood in the middle of the bathroom with her arms over her stomach. I step closer to her and she moves away hiding her stomach more noticeably.

"Does it hurt?" I ask turning on the light of the room.

"No!" She turns around now that she is visible.

I frowned. "Let me see." I stand closer to her, my chest barely touching her back. "Please."

She sights, Hanna take some seconds to turn around. Once she does she closes her eyes, and my face drops. Her face looked worse than some hours ago, but my attention switched to her hand lifting the side of her shirt, I stopped breathing. The side of her body where her ribs are located had some really big bruises, it's hard not to think she might have something broken.

"We should go to the hospital..." I suggest not knowing what else to do.

"No!"

"But Hanna..."

Her eyes were so sad, so scared.

"Fine at least let me check if there are bandages somewhere." She nods.

I did not find bandages but I found some painkillers, hopefully that helps.

Walking inside my room where Hanna was sitting on the end of the bed I handed her a glass of water and the painkillers. She grabbed the glass of water but hesitated to grab the pills.

I didn't like that.

"What's wrong?" She grabs the painkillers.

Hanna doesn't answer.

I know that maybe is something i would prefer not to know but I want to, but it's not the time for that.

As she swallows the pills I take them and the glass of water off her hand placing in the night stand. After that I sit beside her placing my hand over hers that was between us.

"You are safe."