While she had given him closure, she had a feeling Otis hadn't properly dealt with his feelings toward the incident. She knew all hell would break loose eventually. Preferably when she was there to help him through his emotions, but she knew he would try to hide his pain from her as much as he could.

She came home after work, exhausted and just looking forward to seeing him again. He always brightened her day, no matter what kind of day it had been, he always made her smile. She loved him more than anything, and she would go to the ends of the earth for him. God, she loved him.

She climbed the stairs, depositing her purse in their room and flopping on their bed, snuggling into his pillow, just to get his scent. He wasn't there, but he would be soon enough.

Then she heard the sobbing.

It was coming from the bathroom. Terror rose in her. Was something happening to him again? She quietly opened the door and peeked in.

Nope, nobody there. But the bathroom was full of steam from the shower.

She could see his silhouette. He was curled into a ball, knees against his chest with his arms wrapped around them, sobbing.

Her heart broke. He had let on that he was fine, insisted he was. She knew he had to be terrified, though. She had heard the nightmares come cropping up again, had been fought with in the middle of the night as he tried to fend off invisible foes. She knew it had brought up all kinds of memories he had pushed down for years.

"Goddammit...Fucking worthless piece of shit...Fucking idiot..."

Tears brimmed her eyes. She debated on waiting for him in bed or throwing the curtain to the side and confronting him. She knew it would startle him, but was it worth it?

"You're fucking disgusting..."

That was it. She drew back the curtain slowly, hoping to alert him to her presence before he got scared. He was trembling, his face buried in his knees, sobbing. "Otis..." She stepped into the shower, fully clothed, and gathered his wet, naked body to her. He didn't startle, to her relief, but he just went limp. "Hey, don't do that. Don't be all ashamed. Don't...Please don't."

"You're...You're gonna get all wet..." He choked.

"I don't care..." She stroked his hair, pulling him against her chest. "Shhhh..." She kissed his head. "Otis...just let it out...Holding it in is just going to harm you in the end."

"I...I know...I just...didn't want you to see this..."

"Why?"

"Because...I'm so ashamed of it all...I'm so ashamed of what happened. I'm so ashamed of what happened before. I can't fucking get away from it...I...I wish I could just forget...I..."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of." She tilted his head back with her finger and kissed him. "Absolutely nothing...And you're not disgusting. I don't ever want to hear you say that again."

"You weren't supposed to."

She sighed, smiling. "You silly man..." She kissed him again. "You know I love you. You're not disgusting for what happened to you. Far from it. It wasnt your fault, and you shouldn't feel like it is...You fought as hard as you could to get away. The only reason you stopped is because you couldnt anymore. That doesn't mean you wanted it. So stop thinking it did. I know you didn't, if that's what you're worried about. I love my silly man."

He rested his head on her shoulder. They stayed there a moment, letting the water pour over them.