Post by cal54382 on May 1, 2015 1:15:10 GMT
Mandy let herself into her apartment after a long day of work, looking forward to changing her clothes and heading for a swim to relax her. She made her way to her room, not noticing that anyone else was there. Brad grinned as he made himself comfortable in the apartment. He was actually surprised she hadn't noticed him yet. She was in the middle of changing her shirt when she saw him in her bed. She shrieked in surprise, stunned at first.
"Miss me?"
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Visiting you."
"I broke up with you, Brad. Stop sending me flowers, stop calling me, and definitely, definitely, never break into my apartment again."
"Why? Are you afraid of me?"
"Not anymore." She remembered the dislocated shoulder, black eyes, the times he'd thought it was funny to try to choke her, always letting go just before she passed out.
"I'm not going anywhere."
She walked calmly to her nightstand. Brad watched her, suddenly scared that she might have a gun.
"I've tried to be nice about this. Then I tried hiding. I want you to get the hell out of my home. I want you gone. One way or another." She did have a gun.
"Hey, I wasn't going to hurt you."
"You always say that. You say that as much as you say you're sorry for hurting me."
"I just wanted to scare you."
She lowered the gun, her first mistake. Brad leaped towards her, trying to grab the gun. He got it away from her. He aimed the gun and shot, missing by an inch.
******************
When she woke up, he was gone and she was sore all over. Her boss, landlord, and best friend was sitting near her, an ice bag on one of her worst injuries. "Kelly?"
"Hey Mandy, you okay?"
"I don't know."
"I called an ambulance, they should be here any minute."
She groaned. "I hope the police don't come again." She'd moved to Dade County because Brad's buddies were all cops, but it put her in her dad's county.
"If you don't want them, I won't call."
"Dad's gonna freak. You don't know him. And Natalia will tell him. If I could get Calleigh or Ryan, then maybe I'd have a chance."
"I can call Ryan for you."
She nodded. Kelly grabbed her phone and dialed the number she had programmed into her phone.
***********
An hour later she was in the emergency room in Miami. As luck would have it, Alexx was on duty.
Alexx came in, confused. "Mandy?"
"Please don't tell Dad."
"I won't."
She looked relieved, hoping Ryan would say the same. "Can I tell you what happened when I tell Ryan?"
"Of course."
"Everything hurts. I don't know what he did to me. I must...I must have blacked out." She hadn't seen a mirror so she had no way of knowing how she looked.
"It's alright."
Kelly waited for the man she'd heard so much about to come through the emergency room doors.
Ryan ran in, not sure who to look for. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Mandy _____." He asked a nurse.
"Ryan?" Kelly approached him. "I'm Kelly. I'm the one who called you."
"Where's Mandy? What happened?"
"They already took her back. Come with me." She walked past the nurses where she'd left her friend.
"Who hurt her?"
"Her ex." She stopped short, letting him go in where Alexx was finishing her exam.
"Mandy?"
"Hey, Ryan." She tried to smile for him, but didn't much feel like it. Alexx got her an extra blanket, knowing the chill had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.
"Mandy, what happened?"
"My ex, Brad, was waiting for me when I got home. I pulled my gun, trying to make him leave, and I lost it." She paused. "He shot near me, I know he didn't mean to hit me, he's the best marksman at his precinct."
"He's a cop?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"I'll kill him."
"Ryan," Alexx said softly, wanting to kill him as well.
"What? He hurt her, and he's going to pay."
"Killing him is the only way he will pay," Kelly told them. "She's pressed charges twice. Once with the police, once with the sheriff. She even moved in with me. Nothing worked."
"Does H know?"
"No," Mandy said quickly. "Please. Please don't tell him."
"Okay."
"I'm going to run those tests we talked about and get you something to help with the pain. If I release you, do you have anywhere else to go other than home?" Alexx asked.
"She can stay with me," Ryan said.
Kelly nodded. "You already tried with me and it didn't work. At least Ryan can be with you, protect you better."
"It's not your fault, Kel. I won't ever be safe. You did all you could to make me feel that way for awhile though."
"I won't let him hurt you, I promise."
She wanted with all her heart to believe him.
"I'll shoot him if I have to."
"It's your best choice, sweetheart," Kelly said gently. Mandy finally nodded her agreement.
"Can I take her home now Alexx?"
"I've got to run some tests. As soon as that's done, she can go and I'll call with the results."
"Okay. Mandy, do you need anything while we wait?"
She shook her head. "Can you sit with me?" She was afraid to close her eyes without knowing someone was there.
"Of course."
She closed her eyes, resting. Ryan took her hand and held it, whispering to her softly. Alexx drew some blood to run the tests and made sure the papers were in order.
"How long will the tests take?"
"I need to make sure I don't need more blood, but most of it is getting the papers in order to release her."
"Okay."
She had to come back and get more blood, wincing when Mandy cried out softly. "I'm sorry, baby," she said, hating to put her through more. "It's time to wake up though, so you can go home."
"Miss me?"
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Visiting you."
"I broke up with you, Brad. Stop sending me flowers, stop calling me, and definitely, definitely, never break into my apartment again."
"Why? Are you afraid of me?"
"Not anymore." She remembered the dislocated shoulder, black eyes, the times he'd thought it was funny to try to choke her, always letting go just before she passed out.
"I'm not going anywhere."
She walked calmly to her nightstand. Brad watched her, suddenly scared that she might have a gun.
"I've tried to be nice about this. Then I tried hiding. I want you to get the hell out of my home. I want you gone. One way or another." She did have a gun.
"Hey, I wasn't going to hurt you."
"You always say that. You say that as much as you say you're sorry for hurting me."
"I just wanted to scare you."
She lowered the gun, her first mistake. Brad leaped towards her, trying to grab the gun. He got it away from her. He aimed the gun and shot, missing by an inch.
******************
When she woke up, he was gone and she was sore all over. Her boss, landlord, and best friend was sitting near her, an ice bag on one of her worst injuries. "Kelly?"
"Hey Mandy, you okay?"
"I don't know."
"I called an ambulance, they should be here any minute."
She groaned. "I hope the police don't come again." She'd moved to Dade County because Brad's buddies were all cops, but it put her in her dad's county.
"If you don't want them, I won't call."
"Dad's gonna freak. You don't know him. And Natalia will tell him. If I could get Calleigh or Ryan, then maybe I'd have a chance."
"I can call Ryan for you."
She nodded. Kelly grabbed her phone and dialed the number she had programmed into her phone.
***********
An hour later she was in the emergency room in Miami. As luck would have it, Alexx was on duty.
Alexx came in, confused. "Mandy?"
"Please don't tell Dad."
"I won't."
She looked relieved, hoping Ryan would say the same. "Can I tell you what happened when I tell Ryan?"
"Of course."
"Everything hurts. I don't know what he did to me. I must...I must have blacked out." She hadn't seen a mirror so she had no way of knowing how she looked.
"It's alright."
Kelly waited for the man she'd heard so much about to come through the emergency room doors.
Ryan ran in, not sure who to look for. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Mandy _____." He asked a nurse.
"Ryan?" Kelly approached him. "I'm Kelly. I'm the one who called you."
"Where's Mandy? What happened?"
"They already took her back. Come with me." She walked past the nurses where she'd left her friend.
"Who hurt her?"
"Her ex." She stopped short, letting him go in where Alexx was finishing her exam.
"Mandy?"
"Hey, Ryan." She tried to smile for him, but didn't much feel like it. Alexx got her an extra blanket, knowing the chill had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.
"Mandy, what happened?"
"My ex, Brad, was waiting for me when I got home. I pulled my gun, trying to make him leave, and I lost it." She paused. "He shot near me, I know he didn't mean to hit me, he's the best marksman at his precinct."
"He's a cop?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"I'll kill him."
"Ryan," Alexx said softly, wanting to kill him as well.
"What? He hurt her, and he's going to pay."
"Killing him is the only way he will pay," Kelly told them. "She's pressed charges twice. Once with the police, once with the sheriff. She even moved in with me. Nothing worked."
"Does H know?"
"No," Mandy said quickly. "Please. Please don't tell him."
"Okay."
"I'm going to run those tests we talked about and get you something to help with the pain. If I release you, do you have anywhere else to go other than home?" Alexx asked.
"She can stay with me," Ryan said.
Kelly nodded. "You already tried with me and it didn't work. At least Ryan can be with you, protect you better."
"It's not your fault, Kel. I won't ever be safe. You did all you could to make me feel that way for awhile though."
"I won't let him hurt you, I promise."
She wanted with all her heart to believe him.
"I'll shoot him if I have to."
"It's your best choice, sweetheart," Kelly said gently. Mandy finally nodded her agreement.
"Can I take her home now Alexx?"
"I've got to run some tests. As soon as that's done, she can go and I'll call with the results."
"Okay. Mandy, do you need anything while we wait?"
She shook her head. "Can you sit with me?" She was afraid to close her eyes without knowing someone was there.
"Of course."
She closed her eyes, resting. Ryan took her hand and held it, whispering to her softly. Alexx drew some blood to run the tests and made sure the papers were in order.
"How long will the tests take?"
"I need to make sure I don't need more blood, but most of it is getting the papers in order to release her."
"Okay."
She had to come back and get more blood, wincing when Mandy cried out softly. "I'm sorry, baby," she said, hating to put her through more. "It's time to wake up though, so you can go home."
