"Shepard," he said, pressing his forehead to the door. "Shepard, let me in. Come on, baby."
She didn't reply. She was too busy throwing various objects at the walls of the master bathroom. He heard glass smash to the floor, sending hardened shards skidding across the tiles. No doubt she was using her biotics to do a little stress relief. Or in this case, anger management. He considered going to get the broom, but he decided to wait until she opened the door.
He heard her let out a frustrated noise, caught in her throat somewhere between a groan and a scream. She pounded on what he assumed to be the sink. He didn't know who or what had made her upset. He came back from his run and she was holed up in the bathroom, throwing things.
"Just lemme in, baby, come on," he groaned, pressing his head to the door. It was like reasoning with a bull. "Whose ass do i need to kick?"
He heard a stream of obscenities on the other side of the door, and then a sniff. More serious than he'd thought. He jiggled the doorknob, but it was still locked. He considered making a comment about breaking down the door, but he didn't want to risk joking around anymore. He waited patiently as plastic clattered to the hard floor. He sighed.
Suddenly, a guttural noise came from her, a pent up yell, a cry. Half a moment later, he heard the sound of glass breaking and flying to the floor. Then another, and another. She cried behind the door.
"Shepard, Shepard let me in… Mallory," he pounded his fist on the door. She didn't respond. He could hear the little noises she was making. She sounded hurt.
With a quick jab of the wrist, and a little help from his biotics, he forced the door open. The doorknob bent under the force but he had bigger issues to deal with. He pushed the door open and surveyed the destroyed room in front of him.
She sat next to the bathtub, clutching her side. She had tiny scrapes on her face, one of them big enough to leave a trail of blood from her forehead to her lip. She was surrounded by the wreckage of her assault on the room, glass all over the floor. The mirror was broken into shards and were scattered all about her. She'd blown a hole through the window by the sink and destroyed the skylight, a few stray pieces of glass coming down from the ceiling. She clutched her abdomen tightly, like she was hurt, but she wasn't. She couldn't have hurt herself that badly in here.
He knelt down in front of her, taking her chin in his hand. "Shepard," he breathed, looking on her with more worry than he thought possible. "God, Shepard."
She shook her head, pulling away her hand. It was full of glass, pieces big and small all stuck in her skin. It was like she didn't even notice. Kaidan cringed, gingerly taking her fingers into his hand. She finally groaned as he pulled a piece of the mirror from her palm. He eased her down against the tub and ran to the kitchen, retrieving a bottle of whiskey. Without a word, he made her drink a couple sips before he continued.
"What's going on?" he breathed, looking at her hand to her face. She shook her head, chewing her chapped lips. She took another sip of the alcohol as he pulled more shards from her hand. She was bleeding.
"Why do you stay with me?" she asked quietly. He froze and looked up at her. "Why?"
"I… Shepard, you're all I've got. I love you. I promised I always would," he said, like it was the most natural thing ever. She shook her head, moaning as he returned to his picking.
"You deserve better, Kaid. I'm a fuckin' wreck," she sighed, pushing away tears and blood with her free hand.
"I don't want anyone else. I love you." He grabbed a bandage from the cabinet and knelt before her again, tenderly wrapping her hand. He cradled her face in his palm and kissed her gently. "I always will."
