Chapter 7 It Only Hurts
"...Please stop!"
"Shut up you stupid bitch."
"Don't hurt me, please. I'm begging you."
"I said shut up. This is what you get for messing up our plans."
"That's right. It's punishment for having us thrown out."
"You fuck with us, and we fuck with you."
"...what are you going to do to me.."
"...we are going to make you hurt...Alot..."
"And boy they certain followed through." I muttered to myself as I stood in front of my mirror and looked at my reflection, the sight of my face still making my stomach turn. I touched the dark bruise around my eye, that had almost turned black in color and felt the pain throbbing through my skin just from that light touch and I had to stop. It did hurt. It hurt a lot.
I didn't think that last night was going to end the way it did. I thought that Eric's outburst would be the worst thing to happen. But I was wrong. Oh I was so wrong. The minute I felt those hands grab me, I knew that the apprehension I had been feeling all night had been about this. I didn't see it coming but I felt it in my heart that something was about to happen and it had. I didn't know the names of these people but I knew their faces. It was the human couple who had been plotting to capture one of the vampires and drain them. The ones who I had warned the bartender about and had gotten thrown out. They had come back to get their revenge. I had foiled their plans and they wanted me to pay for it. And when I stepped out into that empty parking lot, they came at me like vultures and I didn't even have a chance to scream or even feel anything. It was like every emotion had been stopped before I could feel it and all that I was able to feel was the beating. They didn't have to use weapons or any kind of object to bring on the pain, their fists and legs did the trick. It didn't take long before I could feel the bruises start to spread all over my body and still they didn't stop. I waited for the moment when Eric would show up and stop this, but he never did. Even if I wasn't able to scream out for help, surely he would be able to tell that I was in pain, especially since it was happening in the parking lot by his club. But there was no knight in shinning armor, no white horse with my hero showing up on it to save the day and certainly no viking vampire flying in to rescue me. No, it was just this man and woman doing whatever they could to hurt me. And once they had satisfied their fill for vengeance, they kicked me one last time before finally leaving me curled up on the gravel, bloodied and bruised and alone.
The only fortunate thing was that they hadn't thought to steal my bag where my car keys were and I was able to muster enough strength to crawl behind the wheel and get myself to a nearby hospital for treatment. When I got into the emergency room, the nurses immediately pushed me down into a wheelchair and whisked me off to an examination room. The doctors wanted to know who had done this but I wasn't able to give them a straight answer because I was still in shock. I was barely able to talk enough to tell them what had happened. I was lucky though. I wasn't seriously injured, it just looked like I was. I had two black eyes, a cut near my hairline, bruises on my arms and legs, and two small fractures in my ribcage that made it extremely difficult to breathe or move. I had to be careful in the way I sat or laid down or else I would be hurting. Once the gash on my forehead was stitched up and my ribs were tapped tightly, the doctors moved me to a room to rest and get some pain-killers. They wouldn't allow me to drive home until the morning when they were sure I was able to operate my car correctly. I was in so much pain that I didn't fight it and just allowed myself to fall asleep in that hospital bed and drift away. I woke up mid morning and signed myself out and somehow made it home without driving off the road. I walked into the house slightly hunched over and found a note from Sookie saying she was working all day at Merlottes and wouldn't be home till tonight and that she hoped my first night at work had gone well. I crumbled the paper in my fist and dragged myself up the stairs to my bedroom where I eased myself into bed and fell asleep once again.
And now it was early afternoon and here I stood in front of my mirror in short and a sports bra that showed the full extent of my injuries. It made me sick to look at myself and see almost my entire body covered in blue and purple bruises. It was hard to see a spot where there wasn't some kind of marking. I had to turn away from it and shuffle towards my bed where I gingerly lowered myself down on to the mattress. I laid there like a corpse staring up at my ceiling. I tried not to move, but I fidgeted a little and stopped when the shooting pain flew up the sides of my ribcage. I had to bite my lip to keep from crying and nearly succeeded, but I was weak and the tears started rolling. And it was soon taking over and I fell back asleep with wet cheeks.
"Can we talk?"
"Not now Sam." Sookie said, brushing her boss off as she walked into the back part of the bar to restock napkin dispensers. She really didn't have to do it, but she was willing to do anything task that got her away from Sam. She just didn't have the energy to deal with him. He had been trying to talk to her the entire day and she either just walked away or just plain ignored him. Yes it was childish, but she was mad and didn't care how she acted.
"I think now is the best time." He insisted, taking her by the arm and pulling her down the hall to his office. "Besides, you won't return any of my phone calls and you have your fiancee throw me out every time I show up to your house."
"Can you blame me?" Sookie asked, frowning when he pushed her into the room and shut the door behind him. "I don't really want to talk to you unless I have to."
"Ok, enough of this bullshit grudge. It's getting old." He snapped, whipping around to look at her and she could see the desperation in his face. "Can't we just move passed this?"
"You think it is that easy?" She asked, crossing hers arms. "You think it is as simple as just saying sorry and things are ok?"
"It can be be like that. All you have to is accept my apology and things can be normal." Sam replied, rubbing his face with his hands. "I don't want us to lose our friendship because we're too stubborn to stop this fight."
"I am not stubborn. I have every right to be mad." Sookie snapped, her anger reaching her voice and causing Sam to flinch. "You hurt Allison and you think that is something that is easily forgivable."
"It can be if you let it." He answered with a sigh, pacing the floor in front of her. "I know you don't want to be mad at me."
"Guess again, Sam Merlotte. Mad doesn't even describe half of what I am feeling towards you right now." Sookie shot back, but her voice wavered for a second and she actually had to turn away from him. It almost felt like she wanted to cry and she had no intention of doing it in front of him when she was trying to keep an angry face up.
"Sookie, please. I hate what is happening between us. I don't want it to be like this anymore." Sam pleaded, coming up to her and placing his hands on her arms. "I am willing to do whatever it takes to make things ok. I can't take this."
"If it really bothers you that much, then why aren't you trying to work things out with Allison?" She asked, looking up at him with a frown. Her question seemed to stump him and he stepped back with his mouth open. "I mean, you're trying so hard to get me to forgive you, but you haven't even tried to repair your friendship with her."
"I don't know why..."
"No seriously, answer the question." She pushed, her eyebrows turning downward. "I want to know the reasoning why you are campaigning so hard to get me to accept your apology, but you won't even try and talk to her."
"It's not that simple." Sam tried to say but she shook her head and he fell silent once again.
"Yes it is. You just don't want to admit that you were in the wrong. And until that happens, I don't know how to forgive you." She told him, walking across the room towards the door and grabbing the handle. He didn't stop her and she paused in the doorway, her head swirling with thoughts. She looked over her shoulder slightly and locked eyes with Sam. It did hurt that they were mad at each other, but she knew deep down that she wasn't the one who had to make amends, it was him. And looking at him right now showed that he also knew that too. "You know that things won't be ok until you make things right with Allison. You know that right?"
"Yea, I guess I do know that."
"Why did I have to wake up?" I groaned out loud in the empty room as my eyes opened reluctantly and looked up at the same spot I had been staring at when I fell asleep a few hours ago. I really didn't want to be awake. Because the moment I was awake, the pain started again and I couldn't escape the images of the beating I had taken the night before. Things were so much simpler when I was asleep. I didn't have to think. I didn't have to feel. All I had to do was be lost in the darkness. And I could no longer do that now that it was starting to get dark outside and I had to be up to get to work.
Which was why I summoned the strength to throw back the covers and ease myself upwards into a sitting position. I placed my hands on my side when I slide my legs across the mattress and set my feet on the floor. Every movement I made had to be slow and steady or else the pain would be swift and sharp. And it took all I had to stand up and shuffle towards the bathroom, being careful to avoid furniture in case I tripped over any exposed parts. I gingerly picked up a towel and entered the cool tiled room and shut the door silently behind me. As soon as I reached into the shower to turn on the water, I was faced with the task of having to figure out how to take off my clothes without putting myself in a huge amount of pain. My mind briefly jumped to Eric, but as soon as his name entered my head I stopped it in it's place. I didn't want to think about him and I couldn't think about him. Because then I would remember that he wasn't there when I needed him and I would hurt all over again. So I closed my thoughts off and just focused on pulling my pajamas off and dropping them on the floor by the hamper. Then I had to un-tape my ribcage that was encased in rolls of beige gauze before I stepped carefully into the shower. I had to be careful when I let the water hit me, because of the stitches in my head, but besides that, I just let the water rush over me and soothe my body. It relaxed my muscles and my mind and that's when I allowed myself to drift away into my thoughts.
I know I said I wasn't going to allow myself to think about Eric, but it was impossible to do when I was getting ready to go to work at the very bar he owned. So I had no choice but to allow him into my head. And the fact of the matter was that I didn't want to deal with him tonight. I didn't want to see him this soon after the attack. He would probably come up with some sorry ass excuse of why he wasn't there and I had no desire to listen to it. He probably didn't care enough to come up with a reason why he let me get beaten like this. He wouldn't care that I was in pain. All he cared about was his own satisfaction and getting what he wanted from me, which I still didn't know what it was. He was selfish as a vampire and I'm sure he was selfish when he was human. That kind of character trait didn't just disappear over the years. People like that didn't change, maybe some did but I highly doubted that he was one of them. So why was I in the shower, cleaning up for a night of work at his business?
Because I was a moron that's why.
Ever since I was a kid, even when people hurt and betrayed me, I still performed my duties. I felt like I had to do it. I was always taught to full fill my obligations even when I didn't want to. And this time was no exception. It was a lesson that had stayed with me for years, through adolescence and my early twenties. It wasn't something that was easily forgettable. Not that I didn't consider doing the opposite because that was what the other half of my heart and mind were telling me to do. There was no reason for me to have to go in to that club and help that vampire when he didn't help me. The only thing keeping me from following through was my stupid pride and stubbornness. Even though it was something that I was taught to do, I remembered an exception to the rule. That there was a difference between full filling duty and being a push over. And that's what I was doing now, I was being a push over. I had always been a push over. I always just let things go by and never challenged them, even when the situation called for it. I had been doing it all my life and I hated it. So when was I going to grow a freaking backbone and stand up for myself? When was I going to stop helping people who didn't return the favor?
"Screw this. I'm not going in tonight." I whispered to myself as the water pelted down on me. I reached to the wall and turned the knob and the water was gone. I stood there in the shower, just feeling the steam rise up around me and struggled to keep my frazzled nerves steady. It wouldn't do me any good to start crying again.
I got out of the shower and wrapped the towel around my damp body and shuffled across the tiles to the counter where my change of clothes were waiting. I dried my battered body and picked up the roll of ace bandages sitting on the top of the small pile and began wounding it around my ribcage, taking care not to do it too tightly. Once it was secure, I bit my bottom lip and grimaced when I bent down to pull on my panties and shorts, the bending was the worst because there was no way around it. Then there was the task of having to pull on a bra and a tank top which required some movement and that in turn brought on the pain. I gritted my teeth and just went through it. When I was finally dressed, I ran a comb through my hair just to get the knots out and then left the bathroom and shut the lights off. I headed right to my bed and crawled back under the covers.
I wasn't even laying there for 2 minutes before the tears started rolling down my face.
"I am so glad this day is over." Sookie mumbled to herself as she got out of her car and slammed the door shut. She stood there for a moment and just enjoyed the silence of the early night after the chaos of her day. She had been in a bad enough mood with the customers being extra rowdy and then there was Sam to contend with. After their talk, he still tried to make conversation and no matter how much she ignored him, he kept it up all afternoon and right up until she was ready to leave. She never thought she would ever be glad to be rid of him, but standing beside her car, she was glad she wouldn't have to deal with him until tomorrow. She looked around the yard and spotted Allie's car parked in it's usual spot on the right side of the house and smiled. That mean her cousin hadn't left for work yet. She would be able to get a moment to spend with her.
Sookie hurried across the yard and into the house, shutting the door and dropping her bag on the hallway table. The downstairs was dark and there was no noise at all coming from the second floor. That was strange. Allie's car was here, so she obviously hadn't left for work. But then why was everything so deathly quiet? Sookie felt her heart thud as she slowly walked up the step, she didn't know what to make of this and had learned from past experiences that when in doubt, proceed with caution. And that was what she did. She let down the walls in her mind and listened for any foreign thoughts. She reached the landing and there was no sign of anything amiss. No tables over turned, no glass shards on the floor, no broken furniture, nothing was out of place. She looked down the hall to her cousin's room and saw that the door was closed but there was light coming from under it, so she must be still sleeping. Sookie breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the room, her hand reached for the knob and turned it swiftly. She was ready to walk in quietly so she wouldn't wake Allison, but she was shocked when she opened the door and saw her cousin standing at the window, with her back to Sookie and staring out into the yard. She didn't even turn when Sookie walked into the room and that raised a red flag. Sookie could tell by the girl's posture that something was wrong. "Allison? What's going on?"
"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice sounding strained, as if she were weakened by something. "What makes you question that anything is wrong?"
"Because the house is dark, there is no noise coming from anywhere and your car is here and you usually come downstairs when I get home." Sookie explained, stepping into the room with her eyes on her cousin's back. While she couldn't read Allison's mind at the moment, she could still feel something strange radiating from her. "Not to mention you won't look at me and that makes me worry. So can you just tell me what is going on before I whip myself into a panic?"
"If I tell you, you need to remember something." Allie said slowly, her body moving slightly as if to get comfortable in her standing position. "Just remember to stay calm and that I am ok."
"You're ok? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Why wouldn't you be ok?" Sookie snapped furiously, her mind already jumping ahead to something bad, and she didn't know how bad it might be. But if Allison was telling her to stay calm then that meant there was something bad about to come around the corner and she had to prepare herself. "Allison...?"
"This is why." The young brunette said and Sookie didn't know what she meant by that. It didn't explain anything. But she got the message when her cousin finally turned around and faced her.
"Oh god. No." Sookie cried out softly, her hand coming up to her mouth when she looked at Allison. There was no more horrifying sight that she had ever seen then the one in front of her eyes at this very moment. Allie was broken, she was utterly broken. Dark purple bruises surrounded her eyes that were so dark they almost didn't look real, there was a bandage on her forehead showing that she had been bleeding there from a cut. The skin on her arms and legs were covered in wide spread blue and purple marks, there was hardly a spot that wasn't covered in bruises. And just when it couldn't get any worse, Allison reached down and pulled up the bottom of her tank top and Sookie nearly wept when she saw the wrappings on her ribcage.
"It's just a few fractures. Nothing too bad." Allison said, dropping her hand and looking down at the floor. "I'm fine."
"Not too bad? What the fuck is wrong with you? You look like you were beaten to literally an inch of your life." Sookie snapped, feeling a slight anger wash over her at that second. "You are not fine."
"But I am. I may not look it. But I will be fine." Allison said, lifting her head to stare Sookie in the eye. It was hard for her to keep her focus on her cousin when she looked so hurt and beaten.
"What happened to you?" Sookie managed to ask, wanting to go to her cousin but she held back because she knew even the smallest touch could put her in more pain then she already was in.
"I was at work last night and everything was ok. But then I overheard a human couple's thoughts and they were going to try and drain one of the vampires. So I went out to warn a bartender about it and Eric had them thrown out." Allison explained, slowly making her way towards the bed and Sookie could only watch her with tears in her eyes. "And when I was leaving, I had just reached my car when I was attacked. It was the couple that had been thrown out. They didn't like that I messed up their plans and they were paying me back."
"Damn it, damn it, damn it." Sookie muttered, taking it in and trying not to cry but she was finding it very hard to do so. "Where was Eric when this was happening? You drank his blood and he should have felt that you were in danger? Why didn't he show up and save you?"
"I don't know and I don't care." Allison said, sitting down and looking like she was on the verge of crying herself. "I thought...I thought he cared. Or at least cared enough to help me when I was in trouble. But I guess he doesn't."
"Oh Allie..." Sookie started to say, walking over to the bed and sitting down beside her cousin and went to reach out for her hand but Allison shook her head.
"Don't Sookie. I can't handle it if you touch me right now. I will just start crying." She said, sniffling slightly and turned her head to the side.
"Ok." Sookie agreed, laying her hand down on the bed and sighed. "Is there anything you need?"
"No, I'm ok. The hospital gave me pain-killers and said to rest so I will be ok." Allison replied, tucking her hair back. "But there is one thing you could do for me."
"Anything."
"Call Fangtasia and tell Pam I won't be coming in tonight. But don't tell her why. It's none of their business."
"That's it?"
"Yes. That's it."
Sookie nodded and stood up, getting the feeling that her cousin wanted to be left alone. She leaned over and kissed the top of Allison's head and then went to leave the room to make the call. She got to the doorway when she looked back and saw Allie staring out the window again with small tears rolling down her face.
