Chapter 4
Emily lay upon her back in bed, looking up at the ceiling with a sigh. She hadn't yet been able to get any sleep. Even though the young female teacher she had newly taken under her wing was an adult in every sense of the word, she couldn't help but feel concerned. Dinner had passed by without her showing up, and when she had gone to bed, Evelyn still hadn't showed up either. Something in the pit of her abdomen ensured her that something wasn't quite right. She sighed once again, this time rolling on her side hoping that that position would make sleep come more easily.
Right then the sound of soft footfalls reached her. Both her gut and experience told her that it wasn't Aimee going down to get some water like sometimes happened. The footsteps were slightly heavier – even though not by much – and uneven, as if the person to whom the feet belonged had difficulty climbing the stairs. Emily moved to sit up in bed and pushed the covers off her, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, then pushing herself on her feet. She had a faint idea whom these feet must belong to, and that only made her worry increase. Emily didn't bother to find her robe, already slipping through the crack of the door, just seeing Evelyn stagger into the room which she had already been occupying for the last four days.
Slowly, she walked into the same direction, and as she reached the door Evelyn hadn't bothered shutting entirely, she could hear the sound of someone weeping. Not wanting to disturb the younger teacher, Emily remained unmoving at the door, looking through the crack and seeing the woman curled up at the foot of the bed, much like a fetus: her knees were pulled up tightly against her chest, and she had her arms wrapped about them. Emily couldn't watch it any longer when she saw that, though. She took a deep breath in and pushed the door a little farther ajar. Evelyn didn't even seem to notice as she walked further in the room and sat down by her at the edge of the bed. "What's the matter?" she voiced in the softest tone she could possibly muster, fighting against the urge to reach over and stroke a wisp of hair away, just like she had once done so often with Aimee.
Evelyn merely shook her head in the pillow which she had clutched tightly against her in response.
Emily sighed, and unable to stop herself she finally reached over to stroke the matted hairs off of the younger woman's face. "You're bleeding," she stated in a matter-of-fact way, noticing the red color seeping through the young woman's dress and dispersing upon the covers.
"I know…" Evelyn brokenly whispered, feeling ashamed for marring the covers – they weren't even her own. She wished that she could just become invisible.
"Do I need to call a doctor?" Emily wondered, wanting to ask the young woman's opinion first. At once, Evelyn's head shook as if in fear. Emily's hand stilled midway trailing the length of the younger teacher's hair as she tipped her head to eye her a little better, worry obvious in ocean blue. "Why?" she questioned.
"Please don't…"
Emily sighed, not questioning again the reason why. Evelyn curled up possibly more. "I'll leave you alone for now then – please just remember if you need me, I'm only down the hallway." Relief seemed to wash over the younger woman. She then slowly got to her feet again and moved in the direction of the hallway to give the teacher a bit of time alone.
They hadn't known each other for so very long yet. Maybe it was only reasonable that she didn't entrust Emily with the reason for her coming home in the middle of the night, in tears and bleeding… If she needed anything at all, Evelyn would come to her… she hoped. A soft female voice cut through the distance as Emily finally reached the doorway. "I just can't believe it…" Emily stopped at the doorframe, looking slightly over her shoulder. "I can't believe that that's the man I married and loved so very much." Emily turned then, watching as the younger teacher looked up at her with teary eyes. She again shook her head in disbelief – a familiar gesture of hers in the past four days. "He waited me up after school hours…" Evelyn finally elucidated. "I just… I couldn't do anything at all… as he…"