In the Office (ManxTransWoman)

Chapter 18

Danny's eyes welded with tears before he immediately snuggled back into Neal's chest. Neal rubbed his back and waited for his husband to calm down before looking up at me.

"Thierry's never been good at expressing his emotions, especially if he thought that they made him appear weak and vulnerable. After you two separated, he took it pretty hard but bottled his depression up. He began to bury himself deeper into work or drowned himself in liquor. Thierry refused to talk about you or his issues to anyone. Last night, something must have made him snap. He stormed out of his office and went back into his office bedroom. Danny tried to talk to him but was ignored. When we arrived at work this morning, we noticed Thierry wasn't there, which is very unusual. When he didn't answer when we knocked on the door, we got nervous. Then, we noticed a faint scent of blood. I knocked the door down and we were horrified to see a pool of blood forming outside the bathroom door. I opened the bathroom door while Danny ran out to call 911. Thierry was laying in a mess of scattered glass and blood. He had a faint pulse still so I grabbed him and carried him downstairs. The ambulance arrived shortly after and we called all of you after we arrived here."

"Oh my..." Madison whispered in terror.

I felt myself stumble before Totiyuna grabbed me and sat me down in a chair. My body felt numb as pictures of a broken, bloody Thierry ran through my mind. Guilt and heartache coarsed through my veins as tears began to pour down my face.

How could I not have noticed? Thierry was acting strange and degrading towards himself before he left me in the Brazilian café. Danny hinted at something happening in the past that changed him so I knew something was affecting him mentally and emotionally. I should've have given up on him! This is my fault!

My tears turned into sobs as I curled into myself. I jerked away from Danny and Madison, not feeling worthy of their comfort.

"N-No, Olivia, don't you dare blame yourself! This is not anyone's fault but those bastards' who hurt him! He couldn't handle himself because of them and you couldn't because you didn't know his situation. This. Is. Not. Your. Fault." Danny growled, forcing me into a hug.

I cuddled into him and warmed when I felt Madison and Totiyuna wrap around me. Neal hugged Danny and threw his arm around our group. I still felt guilty, especially since I went on a date last night, but I'm glad I have my friends here with me.

"I bet we look crazy as hell." Totiyuna grumbled, yet made no move to remove herself from our tangled ball of bodies around a single chair.

"Look crazy? I'm more worried about this arm rest that's embedding itself into my pelvis." Danny jokingly snapped back, making us all laugh.

We separated once again, all of us feeling much more relaxed and stable. They all grabbed chairs for themselves and placed them near mine. A nurse passing by an annoyed look as our group formed into a circle that blocked a little of the hallway but we payed him no mind. Well, everyone but Tot, who shot him a bird.

After a quick group prayer for Thierry, we made small talk, trying to distract ourselves from the event that brought us here. Danny and Neal also grabbed some of the food we brought in. However, a few foreign shouts outside in the hall distracted us.

"Deixe-me passar, seus idiotas! Onde está meu bebê?!" An angry, deep woman's voice hollered.

A second later, a tiny, slightly stout older woman marched through the doors. Behind her, a tall, lean older man strolled through, looking equally as mad. Finally,  two tall, strong men and one beautiful, curvy woman nervously walked in, looking bashful, upset, and angry wrapped in one.

Danny and Neal immediately hopped up and walked over to the bunch. The older woman brightened and gave both men a kiss on the cheek, leaving brown lipstick marks on the pair. The older man gave them both a hug while each younger person offered pats on the back and handshakes.