Saved By You

Chapter 7

When she meets my gaze again she stared back so much softer it scared me, a small shadow of a smile on her lips as she blinks a few times, silence filling between us. Understanding.

‘Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you should talk to someone. Whoever it may be. It will help. A lot. You can even talk to me whenever you feel like it. Come to my house maybe? We don't even have to talk about whatever’s happening, just a little comfort.’ She puts a hand into her pocket and pulls out one of those business cards, her phone number on it and the warm, velvetiness filling me with… hope maybe?

But I was still angry at Mack for taking me here. Why couldn’t he have just left me?

How many days are there left til I… died?

I looked up from the card and into the doctor’s eyes wondering how long I have to live. Wondering how long I have to wait til I can leave the man I hate most.

‘380 days, unfortunately, you’ve been out for four days. Your friend Mack over there has stayed by your side, night to day. His parents couldn’t even make him leave… young love. So sweet,’ she says with a smile sliding off the bed serenely just as Mack walks in.

I almost laugh at that. Young love? I used to hate him. He used to hate me. Why does he suddenly care? Why is he so nice to me now of all times to choose when I actually want to die?

‘She’s fine, she just needs a little rest and company is all… give her time,’ I catch her whisper at the end as she walks past him and out the door, shutting it quietly behind her familiar frame.

I look at Mack, wondering why and what made him change.

‘Hey,’ he says smoothly, eyes staring back at mine just as wondering and intently as mine probably were, something weird tingling inside me.

He keeps his distance, standing there quietly, before looking out of the small window showing the continuous fall of snow and the big car park which was all I had to see, the forest beside everything.

‘You know, you don't have to go back home if you don't want to… you can come back and stay at mine. I wouldn’t mind.’ He says his voice so sincere and caring I wonder if I should.

But like I said. Why?

I look back at him to see what his expression was, but it was completely plain, neutral and unreadable. Probably like mine at all times and I realised how infuriating it can be.

I frown. He looks back. I stare. He stares.

‘So is that a yes?’ he asks cocking his head a little and talking me like he was seizing up something small and fragile. I frowned but he didn’t back away, only stepping closer so he was now two meters away from my bed, head straight.

As much as I wanted to say yes, moving into someone else’s house and angering my father scared me even more. Of course I’ve tried before, living somewhere else – the street even; anything was better than home. And what did he do? Followed me and dragged me home again to beat sense into me. Literally.

I looked down at my hands clenched slightly in my lap, my strength barely in my muscles yet I could still barely move around properly. He shuffles a little closer and so instead of nodding I shook my head slightly, knowing he saw my movement. But he pushes on.

‘I won’t take no as answer you know? I want you to come live with me, at least away from your father.’ He says as if he knew more than I thought he did.

My eyes shoot up and into his, panic washed over me. How much did he know?

‘I know enough after knowing you since kindergarten Claire; we were once best friends remember? Before…’ he trails off and I look away.

Please don't say his name. Just don't.

Who you wonder? You’ll find out sooner or later. It’s too hard to even think about the boy who was once my world.

He sighs, ‘look, Claire, I know your father, my father knows your father, and I know what he’s doing to you. I know what you’ve been trying to hide but failing. And at the start of high school you did a pretty good job too. But in the last few years… you’ve just been downhill. Zoning off and never paying attention even though you’re passing everything. The bruises, the scars... I can see the way your eyes watch life pass as if it were nothing, as if you were counting down the days til something... What are you waiting for?’ he whispers the last part, almost as if he’s scared of the answer.

I looked back up at him but said nothing and as my eyes glazed over a little and I looked back out the window. Yet even though my body felt empty, my chest feeling nothing – barely even a beat of the heart, I was convinced I had nothing in there – tears threatened to spill, hot, wet, continuous tears. But I didn’t let them come out.

‘Please talk,’ he begs stepping closer and finally reaching my bed, his sudden presence so close making me look back at him and frown.

I blinked as he stared back so intently again before dropping my gaze to my hands. Questions to why he chose now to finally care about me. Why he came back to me after what I did all those years ago. Flooded my mind.

‘Claire, just please come live at my house, at least for now until your father… until he cleans up his act a little… if you don't… I’ll bring the police into this and I know you don't want to mix with them again; I know and have enough to prove what he’s doing to you… but the papers and questions…’ he trails off knowing I got where he was going at.

Blackmailing was the last thing I’d think he’d do, was he that desperate for me to get away from my father? Why does he even care?

I look up again and glare at him but he definitely doesn’t back down. I scowl. He smiles.

‘Now that that’s settled, I'm gonna go get your doctor and see if you can be let out early.’ He smiles sweetly only being met with another dark glare of mine.

He winks before practically skipping out of the room and somehow, just somehow, I felt my shoulders drop slightly as if I were somewhat happy I was going to be staying somewhere that didn’t have my father anywhere near me, happy that I won’t have to put up with him again even though I now had to put up with bloody Mack.

Well, at least I don't have to stay in this hospital forever. White, plain walls… scare me. Hospitals scare me.