A Walking Dead Story

Upside Down
Chapter Four: Falling Apart
Catherine

One whole week it's been since the incident happened and I had gotten some news from Tess she came round earlier today and had told me that they had found the guy that attacked me and he was found dead in his apartment. I asked Tess how he died and she gave me look telling me all I needed to know, Vincent had killed him. For once I didn't care if he took a human life. I don't care how bad that makes me sound but I didn't, I hope that Vincent made him suffer like I had to suffer as he… did that to me.

Things with me and Vincent are strained to say the least. I flinch every time he touches me and he asks me to talk about what happened to me but I just can't seem to do it. I'm trying to deal with all of this going round in my head and on top of all of that every time Vincent leaves the apartment my mind started thinking about Alex, I kept wondering if he had gone to see her or wondering if she had left New York already.

I know it sounds stupid that whilst I'm dealing with what happened to me I'm worrying about Vincent cheating on me but I just can't help it. Since we've met he ran off with Alex once already and he kissed Tori whilst we were together and then got with her and now he had cheated with Alex once again. How many more chances do I need to give him? I've given him three already and each time he's gone off with another woman. Was I not good enough for him? Was I not giving him enough? What did he see in all of these women? Now he has even more reason to cheat because I'm damaged goods.

From my bed I heard the front door close and knew Vincent was home, I heard him walking towards my bedroom and the door opened and he stood there in the doorway. We smiled at each other and he came into the room and sat down next to me "You alright?" He asked me.

"Yeah I'm feeling better today" I told him and he smiled at me "Where did you go?" I questioned and tried not to use an accusing tone

"I just went and seen JT for a little while, he sends his best" He told me.

"Alex there?" I asked.

He sighed "No she wasn't she's gone. Catherine I'm sorry for what happened between me and Alex I really am but you can't sit here for the rest of the our relationship wondering where I am and who I'm with. I know I haven't given you any reason to trust me but I'm asking you to" He said to me.

"Vincent you have done this to me three times now and two of them times was with Alex. I want to trust you and I want us to move on but I can't help but think that every time you go out without me you're going to do something" I explained to him "I can't do all of this… I need a break from this… from us" I told him.

"Please don't do this Catherine" He said.

"I have to. I've got things that I have to deal with on my own and then I need to think about us and where we can go from here, if I can trust you enough to make this relationship work… I… trust me I want us to work because we've gone through so much together but I need time" I told her.

He got up from the bed and nodded at me and left the bedroom, I heard him walking towards the front door and then he slammed it closed behind him. I grabbed my covers and gripped them tightly in my hands then I started crying. I loved Vincent so much and I hated the fact that I had to let him go but I needed time to recover and time to think about everything that's going on in my life.

An hour later the front door knocked and I dragged myself out of my bed and went to the door, Tess stood on the other side with a bottle of wine "I heard what happened with you and Vincent and thought you might need this" She said, I let her in and we went through to the kitchen where Tess got us some glasses and poured us a wine each "How you feeling?" She asked me as we walked over to the sofa.

What was I meant to say "I don't know. I'm hurt, sad, angry, confused… I just don't know what I want anymore" I told her.

"Vincent's at JT's right now saying the exact same things" She said "Do you think you two will make up this time?" She asked.

"I don't know. I really don't know. I want us to work it out but like I told him, I don't know how I can trust him again after everything that's happened. If he cheated before then what's stopping him now I'm damaged goods?" I questioned and felt the tears starting to form in my eyes.

"Cat don't say that. You're not damaged goods and if you say that one more time I will shoot you with your own gun" She told me and I looked down at the couch "I mean it Cat… don't make me go and tell Vincent this is what you're thinking" She said.

"Go and tell him then, he's only got himself to blame" I said getting annoyed and put the wine down before storming off to my bedroom where I slammed the door shut behind me. I heard the front door slam closed and knew that Tess had left my apartment and I became frustrated at myself, I shouldn't have spoken to Tess like that she didn't deserve it.

Everything was falling apart around me and there was nothing that I could do about it, I had been violated in a way I never thought would happen to me, my boyfriend cheated on me for the third time, I'm now single and I realise now that I can't rely on anyone. Since meeting Vincent I have relied on him and JT to help me find criminals and I had relied on Tess and Gabe to cover for Vincent and it wasn't fair for me to ask that of them. I couldn't do this anymore I just had to get on with my life and do things for myself for a change and make sure criminals are put away in the right way.

Vincent
The door opened and Tess came in looking frustrated "Vincent you have to go and speak to her… she just said the most ludicrous thing to me" She said and sat on the sofa next to JT "I asked her if she thought the two of you would get back together and she said she didn't know… she told me if you could cheat on her then before everything happened last week then what's stopping you now that she's damaged goods" She told me and I was shocked.

"She sees herself as damaged goods?" I questioned and she nodded "I'm going to go and talk to her" I stated.

When I got to Catherine's I didn't know whether to go through the front door with my key or go to the fire escape and knock on the window. I decided to use my door key and when I opened the door I closed it quietly behind me "Catherine?" I called out softly, I didn't want to scare her and I didn't want to wake her if she was asleep.

I went through to the bedroom and seen her fast asleep but on the bedside table I seen a bottle of empty wine and a bottle of half empty sleeping pills. I started shaking her and calling her name but she wasn't waking up, I listened close and heard her heart beating. It wasn't a strong heartbeat but it was there "Catherine hang on okay… just hang on I'll save you like I always do" I told her.

I called her an ambulance and then I called JT and Tess and told them what had happened, they said they would meet us at the hospital. Whilst I waited for the ambulance to arrive I packed Catherine a bag for the hospital so she had some of her own things when she woke up.

As I went around to the opposite side of the bed I seen a note laying on the pillow addressed to me and I was about to open it when the front door knocked, I put the note in my pocket and ran to the front door opening it and telling them everything that I could to help them help Catherine.

They put her on a stretcher and took her down to the ambulance and I followed them in my car to the hospital and I rushed inside and went and seen Tess and JT already there. Tess started throwing questions at me but I told her I didn't know anything right now and I needed to wait for the doctors and we went through to the waiting room.

Vincent
I know it's going to be you that finds me because Tess said she was going to go and tell you what I said about me being damaged goods. I'm sorry that its you that has to find me like this but I don't feel that I have any other choice. I tried my hardest to fight through everything but I just can't do it. I love you and I'm sorry for the pain you're going to feel but please don't use my death as an excuse to go back to your old ways of taking the law into your own hands… you've come so far and I'm proud of you. I want you to be happy Vincent and if Alex makes you happy then the two of you have my blessing but make sure that she treats you right. Make sure you tell Tess that she's the best partner that I have ever had and I love her like a sister, tell JT that he's amazing and he's to look after Tess or I'll come and haunt him and tell Gabe that I appreciate everything he's done for me. Don't worry about telling Heather anything I've written her an e-mail and I know I have no right to ask but when I've been confirmed dead please can you send it. I love you, I'm proud of you and I'll miss you.
All my love
Catherine

I became angry at her for doing this to not just me but to Tess, JT and Gabe. She was taking the easy way out and she wanted me to pass on messages for her "Dude calm down" JT said and placed a hand on my shoulder. I threw his hand off my and stood up and folded up the note putting it in my pocket before leaving the waiting room and going to find answers from somebody.

As I got to the nurses station on Catherine's ward I seen the doctor who met Catherine when she was in the ambulance and I rushed over to him "How's Catherine? Is she alive?" I questioned him.

"Yes she's alive, we've pumped her stomach and now she's resting" He told me.

"Please can I go and see her" I begged.

"Not right now, in a couple of hours maybe but not now" He said.

"Just for two minutes… I need to tell her something" I told him.

"Two minutes" He said and pointed to Catherine's room.

I went into Catherine's room and seen her laying on the bed still out of it with tubes and wires stuck to her, I grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her forehead "I love you so much and I don't think you're damaged goods" I told her and placed another kiss on her forehead "I won't ever hurt you again… I won't speak to Alex again… whatever you want Catherine I'll do it, I love you" I said. I left Catherine's room and thanked the doctor for letting me in and then I went back to the waiting room.

When I got back to the waiting room I seen Tess and JT speaking to Gabe who must have shown up when I went to speak to Catherine, when they seen me they stood up obviously expecting the hear the worst "She's alive" I said and everyone let out a relieved sigh "The doctor said that they've pumped her stomach and she can't have any visitors for a couple of hours" I told them.

Tess and JT hugged each other and Gabe came over to me and held his hand out to me which I shook "Thank you for finding her" He said and I nodded once at him. Gabe walked back to his seat and sent a message on his phone.

I got Catherine's note out my pocket and read through it again and with each word I felt guilty because what she was saying was that if I hadn't cheated with Alex last night, she wouldn't have gone out with Tess and she wouldn't have been attacked and if I hadn't cheated on her at all then she wouldn't have been as confused about what she wanted to happen between me and her for the future… it was all my fault.

Maybe when Catherine woke up I should just stay away.

Even the strongest of women become weak. Do you think Vincent's guilt is right? Should he stay away? Is Catherine better off without him? Please check out my Walking Dead FanFicition, Light In Times Of Dark, Thanks for reading please review. LMM06