Chapter 8

Shh, You're Okay

*********************Evelyn's point of view**************

My head hurts, my back hurts, my wrists hurts. I am kneeling, tied up, and my paintings are being torn to bits and thrown out the window. I scream, and suddenly a knife is held to my throat, cutting into my skin. I thrash around screaming for Dan to save me.

"Shh! You're okay, you're okay, I've got you!"

I was in Dan's arms, on his bed, in his apartment, shaking and crying. My head pulsed.

"Dan!"

"You're safe. It's okay." He was rocking me back and forth, back and forth.

"It was…the assistant landlord! He…!"

"Shh…calm down! I don't want you to pass out again. Breathe. How do you feel?"

"Dan, he took my paintings!"

"I know, just relax, Evelyn. Phil went back to your flat and brought the rest of yours paintings and art stuff here."

"Really?"

"Evelyn, can you please tell me what happened?"

I was quiet.

"Evelyn, please?"

I didn't answer, and he didn't press me. I jest lay against him, listening to his breaths, taking in his scent, feeling his warmth.

One arm was around my neck, holding my head. The other was on my middle back, steadying me.

I opened my mouth to speak.

"I was sketching, …and I heard something outside my bedroom. So I went out and looked around and I didn't see anything. But I was so scared, so I called you…"

"And I didn't answer…I'm so sorry Evelyn!"

"Then…and then…"

"It's okay, it's okay."

"Then someone grabbed me and tied me up and said not to struggle or he's kill me. But I tried to free my hands so he…"

I stopped speaking.

I then pushed away from Dan and stumbled to the bathroom, passing a pile of boxes containing my paints and a stack of paintings and sketches.

"Evelyn!?" Dan followed me, reaching for me should I fall.

I passed Phil, who was on the sofa, and he also got up and followed me. I went to the mirror. I turned and pulled up my shirt to reveal the huge bruises on my back. Phil put his hand over his mouth. Dan covered his face with his hands.

I gingerly touched it and winced.

Shaking, I reached out my arms and pulled Dan and Phil to me, seeking comfort, but also to comfort them. Dan didn't uncover his face. I tugged on his shirt and we went back to the bedroom, Phil in tow. I sat down carefully and Dan sat next to me, taking his hands away from his face. His face was red and puffy. He was crying! I hadn't seen Dan cry before. It surprised me.

Phil left the room.

"Dan?"

He wiped at his eyes.

"I just can't believe someone would do that to you! It's my entire fault! I- I should have…"

"Dan, it's not your fault! Please don't feel that it is!"

Dan gazed at me sadly.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, moving slowly not to upset my head.

He wiped at his eyes again and smiled slightly.

Phil came back with a bag of ice.

He handed it to me.

"You're supposed to put ice on bruises," he said.

"Thanks," I said.

I put it on the bed and leaned back on it, wincing.

I exhaled slowly and squinted.

"Coooold…" I said.

"So, Evelyn..." Dan said as calmly as he could. "What happened after he…he kicked you?"

"I…then he…" I jumped up. "THEN HE TOOK MY PAINTINGS!" I yelled in fury, crying. I grabbed a pillow and threw it to the ground in anger.

I never lost my temper before, but MY PAINTINGS!

I cried tears of fury and rubbed at my face.

"Hey," Dan said getting up. He took my hands and I looked up at him, shaking, crying.

"Dan!"

He pulled me over to the bed. He grabbed a t-shirt from the floor and draped it over his jeans. He put the ice on top of that and helped me slowly, carefully onto his lap and rested my back against the ice. He wrapped his arms around me and rocked me.

"When he was taking all my things, you kept calling," I told Dan, trembling.

Phil came over and sat on the bed with us.

"I was going to faint, but hearing you helped me to stay awake. He said he was going to answer the phone, and I wanted him to because then you would know I was in trouble and come and save me. But he didn't answer and you came anyway!"

He smiled sadly.

"My head hurts, Dan... He slammed it on the desk."

Phil left quickly and brought me medicine.

"It was that assistant landlord!"

Then we all just sat there in the quiet, with me shaking and Dan rocking me, trying to get me to stop.

Eventually I did.

"I'm so tired…"

"Do you want to be alone?" Dan asked.

"On, no, please don't leave, Dan!" I cried.

"I won't, okay? I'm not gonna leave."

I slept.

I woke about an hour later, still in Dan's arms. Dan and Phil were talking softly.

Dan saw that I was awake.

"Evelyn?" Dan asked softly.

"What?"

"We should go to the police."

"I…I don't…but…"

"It's okay, Phil and I'll go with you," he reassured me.

"Yeah, and they might be able to get you your paintings back!" Phil pointed out.

"But I'm so tired…" I said, pressing my face into Dan's chest.

"Come on," he said, gently lifting me up.

We were back from the police department. I had told them my story. Phil and Dan had held my hands. They took pictures of my back and wrists and head. They went to the apartment and reported back that the landlord's assistant was gone. Vanished. Of course. I collapsed onto the sofa, yawning.

"Evelyn?"

"I'm soooo tired, Dan," I whispered. Then I jumped back up.

"Oh, no! Dan? I don't have to go back, do I?"

"Where?" he asked.

"Back to the apartment?"

"Oh, no, no Evelyn! I'm never letting you stay there again! We are going to find you an apartment, okay? We will! But it's late. Stay here for tonight, okay?"

I melted exhaustedly onto the sofa.

"No," he said, coming over and picking me up carefully.

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"You're all injured and I'm not letting you sleep on the sofa."

"But it's your house!" I protested. "The bed is yours!"

"Injured people need beds, not sofas, Evelyn."

He placed me gently on his bed.

"Dan?"

"Hmmm?"

"I don't have any nighttime clothes."

He dug around in a drawer.

"How's this?" he asked, holding up his tie-die t-shirt.

"Great," I said, taking it. He also handed me some sweatpants.

"See, now I'm going to wear your boy-sweatpants like you wore my girl-sweatpants, and I'm not embarrassed!"

"Yeah, but you'll still be adorable in boy-sweatpants!"

"You were still cute in girl-sweatpants!" I said, getting up and going to change.

"There's an extra toothbrush in the closet," he said.

I am kneeling, tied up, and my paintings are being torn to bits and thrown out the window. I scream, and suddenly a knife is held to my throat.

I woke up, gasping and trembling in Dan's bed. I looked at the clock. 3 AM. I hugged myself, shaking. What if he comes back for me? What if he brings that knife?

You're being paranoid, I told myself.

I got up to get some water, but after a few steps I suddenly got dizzy from my head injury and fell on my back. I shrieked. The light turned on, blinding me.

"Evelyn?" Dan was at my side, putting his arms around my middle and gently pulling me up, looking concerned.

He placed me on the bed, where I fell over, head pulsing.

"The light, Dan!" I said.

He hurriedly turned off the blinding light and returned to the bed.

"Evelyn, what happened?" he asked.

"I had a nightmare so I got up to get water and I got dizzy and fell on my back."

I was shaking.

"Oooh, Dan, my head hurts."

He got me more medicine.

"You okay now?" he asked.

I shook my head no.

He took me into his arms and rocked me.

"Dan, I'm scared he'll come back for me! He told me if I told he'd kill me! And we went to the police!"

"I won't let him get to you! You're safe now! Please don't be afraid, Evelyn!"

I pressed my head into his chest. He smelled good. It was comforting to me.

The shaking eventually subsided.

"Evelyn?"

I looked up at him.

He kissed me, holding me as gently as if I was a glass doll about to crack.

Then I fell back on the bed.

"Goodnight," he whispered, leaning over me to kiss me again. He pulled the covers over me. Then he got up and went to leave. I sat up quickly, causing my head to spin.

I grabbed my head and Dan came quickly back to the bed, reaching for my head.

"Evelyn, are you okay?"

"Yes. Dan, please don't leave me! I'm scared."

He sat next to me.

"Then I won't leave."

He stretched out on the bed and reached out for my face.

"Don't be scared," he whispered. "You're safe, I'm here."

I fell asleep, feeling safe, and had no more nightmares that night.