Eyes Wide Shut

Chapter 21

            I gently raise her into the shower, the water soaking over her wounds, the blood washing down into the drain. She sits there, letting the water wash over her. I hold her upright, not caring about how wet I’m getting. She grips my wet shirt, her trembling body desperately trying to hold on to me.

            “Mollie…” She whimpers again, her voice shaking with unshed tears. But then she wraps her arms around my neck and cries into my chest. And I cry with her, but the water from the shower head causes my tears to remain unexposed.

            Who would do this to her? Nothing had been stolen. But the glass was shattered and the door was open. I don’t understand.

            “Frankie… who did this to you?” I whisper into her. She lets the question hit her before she pulls herself off my chest to look at me. Her eyes flutter as the water continues to drop on her.

            “He-he said it…” the words are suffocating her, “it was payback… for… for stealing you away from him.”

            My stomach clenches and the wind is knocked out of me. My heart stops.

            “Wh-what?” I choke.

            No… No… David. He would never… he would never.

            “Oh… oh my god,” He did this. He hurt her.

            And now I’m sobbing uncontrollably, knowing that this was my fault. She’s here, nearly broken because I left him. Because he knew I left him for her. Because I wouldn’t accept his apology.

            I hurt her… oh god.

            “Mollie-”

            “This is my fault. I made him leave….” I whisper. And I notice her hands gripping onto my face, forcing me to look at her.

            “Don’t. Don’t you t-think that,” the water still splashing on both of us, her shaking body hardly able to get the words out of her mouth. “D-don’t you dare…”

            My eyes are so heavy, the tears begging to pour out once more, but I stifle them back. I wipe the blood from her face and she grimaces.

            “Mmph,” she whimpers, trying not to show her pain.

            “I know, babe,” I whisper to her.

            She’s shaking as we gaze at one another, knowing both of us are here for each other and that’s what matters.

            I get up to shut the water off. When I turn back around to her, I am surprised to find her on her feet, with her arms tight against her trembling chest. I wrap a towel around her and I assist her out of the shower. I walk her into the bedroom, scared to leave her for a moment. But I do and I return with an oversized t-shirt. She gently releases the towel so I can pull the shirt over her head. And I half-drag her back to the bed, pulling back the sheets so she can lie down. She groans in pain as I pull the covers over her shivering body.

Noticing the blood that is slightly peering out of the gash on her forehead, I run to the bathroom to grab some gauze that we had leftover from the hospital. I return, gently placing it on the wound. I take my wet clothes off and change into an oversized t-shirt as well. I return to lie down beside her, giving us space between our bodies.

            “Mollie…” she whimpers again, reaching back under the covers for my hand. And she pulls it over her waist, inviting me to wrap myself closer to her.