[ COMPLETED ]
Elijah West and Aliyah Pryce have something in common: They have both been hurt before.
Aliyah Pryce plans weddings. That's one thing she was absolutely sure about doing. She loved the idea of love so when she plans an amazingly beau...
"Aliyah," He trails off, not knowing what else to say.
She shakes her head, "They want me to do a rape kit."
Tears well up in Elijah's eyes at her words. Her nonchalance. Her lack of emotion.
She begins to cry, "He didn't, though." She pauses, exhaling deeply, "He was about to but then, I screamed and-and-and, I ━" Her words become hectic as she tries to find the words to say.
"Hey, you don't have to talk about it if you don't wan ━"
"No, I-I do," She stammers, "I just ━ I can't belive this h━" She chokes up as her bottom lip trembles in horror, "I can't believe this happened."
Finally, for the first time that night, Aliyah looked at him. That just weakened his resolve. A tear flees from his duct, but he quickly wipes it away.
"Please, don't look at me like that," She sobs, taking in the pity on his face, "I know it's hard not to but please don't look at me like that. Just be here for me, please."
"Of course, Aliyah," Elijah reaches behind him for the seat that is usually set up for family members. He positions it right in front of Aliyah and lowers himself onto it, "I'm always here for you." A moment passes in which Aliyah taps her finger against her thigh, her body still shaken up, "Am I allowed to hold your hand?"
Aliyah hesitates before nodding gently, inching her hand forward until it's met with Elijah's. He intertwines their fingers, receiving a sigh of relief from the woman in front of him.
She breathes heavily, looking down at their connected hands, "Don't call my mom."
"Lee ━"
"All that's going to do is freak her out, Eli," She tells him, her eyes still avoiding his, "I can't put this on her. Promise me you won't tell her."
He searches her brown eyes rimmed with red, "I promise." She releases a shaky sigh, her head rolling back to stare up at the ceiling. When she sniffles, he questions her, "Have you gotten any rest?"
She shakes her head, "I couldn't sleep without knowing that you're by my side."
"Hey," He captures her attention. For the second time, she looks at him, "I'm always gonna be by your side, alright? I'm always gonna be by your side and I'm always gonna be here for you."
It seemed like such a foreign thing to Aliyah when she smiled. It felt like she hadn't done it in years, but it's only been a couple of hours.
A couple of hours since she'd been in that situation.
Suddenly, she remembers something vital, "He has my things, Elijah."
"What?" He asks, shocked.
"My drivers license with my address, my house key, my phone," Her voice gradually quietens as she comes to the realization, "I-I can't go home. He knows where I live."
Aliyah's breathing becomes frantic as she arrives to another freak out. Without thinking, Elijah rests his hand on her knee in order to comfort her, only for her to flinch away. He quickly moves his hand away, receiving an apologetic look from her.
"I'm so sorry," She whispers, reaching out for him.
"It's fine, Lee," He reassures her, "It's still fresh. And, don't worry about going home; stay with me."
She shakes her head, hesitantly, "I can't do that."
"Lee, I told you that I'm always going to be by your side," He tells her, "That means that you can stay with me until they catch this guy and you're comfortable going back home, okay?"
"Eli ━"
"It's up to you but I'm not taking no for an answer."
Not even ten seconds pass before Aliyah makes her decision. She nods, receiving an understanding nod in return from the man in front of her.
The moment between the two is interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Aliyah tilts her head away, not having the energy to look at whoever is there.
Elijah looks for her. A nurse is standing there, a man dressed in a police uniform behind her, a notepad and pen in hand.
"Ms. Pryce, if you're ready, an officer with the police department would like to speak with you."
Elijah averts his gaze to her, a questioning look on his face, "You up for this?"
She shakes her head, not ready to relive that moment in her life, "No, but I have to be."
"Want me to stay with you?" He asks her, eyebrows furrowing.
She nods, "Yes, please."
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whew i cried a lil bit more in this chapter but here ya go 😢
