Blood Stains and Burn Marks

Chapter 22

"So that's it? I give you my all and it still isn't enough for the precious Devena." His laugh makes me boil.
"I never asked you to!" He's targeting me like a wounded animal, but he of all people should know that corning a wounded beast causes it to bite. "I never once asked for your assistant!"
"You sure seemed to that night with Chase. If I wasn't there you'd probably be his bed time buddy every single night."
"You know what Tate, it probably would of worked out better for me anyway!"
"Really!? How so!?"
"Because." My voice starts to crack. " It would of hurt a hell of a lot less than having to wake up everyday knowing that every time I saw your smile another part of me fell in love. It would of hurt a hell of a lot less knowing that I didn't have anyone to let down when I messed up because that's all I know how to do Tate. And seeing you have so much hope in me and me just letting you down killed me inside. I never asked to be almost raped Tate, but godamnit I never asked to fall in love with you either."
For a long time the room goes silent. Neither one of us knowing what to say. Without saying a word Tate starts to continue unhooking the machines. He pulls the IV out of my arm as if he's done it a million times. He walks over to the other side of the room and grabs the wheel chair, along with my change of clothes and the daisy he had picked for me the other day. He picks me up after and places me in the chair. I try to protest but at this point I don't think it would do much use. Everything that actually meant something had already been said and there was nothing I could do to take it back.
He finally breaks the silence.
"Devena I know this is a hard thing for you to do right now but I need you to trust me. I honestly don't know if we'll get out here alive but I promised you I'd try. So here it goes." He starts to wheel me out of the room but I stop him in his tracks. He gives me a puzzled look and for a moment I see the scared boy I once knew. The boy who use to hold me in his arms and gave me cupcakes when I had been good. I see someone who was so damaged that the only way they could be whole was to fix someone else in the process. I instantly forget what I was going to say so I just shake my head.
"Here goes everything." I say.
"Here goes everything."

*****

We keep our heads low hoping no one spots us. Tate tells me that around this time the nurse goes for lunch so she shouldn't be our biggest problem. We decide that taking the back stair way is our safest bet but it sounded easier than reality itself. In the last couple weeks I had lost so much blood that walking become an extremely hard task let alone stairs. Tate's patient with me but I know he wants to move faster than this. He hasn't taken in account for how weak I would be. If we don't move faster soon the nurse will be back and notice we're gone if she hasn't already.
"Here let me carry you." He squats down, applying that I should jump on his back like a 6 year old at a amusement park.
"Tate I'm too heavy-"
"Please." I hop onto his back and he motions forward almost as if he's about to fall over. These last few weeks have made him rather weak too. He carries me to the bottom. 11 flights later and Tate looks as if he needs a piggy back himself. We hurry to the exit. My fingers grasp the knob of the door. Freedom already lingers on the tip of my tongue. We really made it. We really made it. Until I hear a voice behind us.
"Stop! Or I'll shoot!"
We almost made it.