Safe and Sound

Chapter 10

Claire's POV

I woke up in Shane's arms. Birds sang from outside of our bedroom window and the sunlight beamed in. I sighed and snuggled more into my boyfriends side. His arms tightened around my waist and he breathed in my scent from my neck. "I've really learnt to love morning since I've been waking up next to you." He smiles into my skin. I reach my hand up to play with his hair; his fluffy, cloud-like hair. Not recently washed, but that's how I liked it. It was more Shane that way.

I spun around to face him. His eyes were open and they pinned on me as soon as I saw them. He moved a strand of hair behind my ear and kissed me softly. He tasted like morning Shane. There were different Shane's. The croaky, sleepy, soppy morning Shane, the cocky, slouchy, sarcastic Shane and the close, sexy, spontaneous Shane. I loved them all, but morning Shane was one of my favourites.

He lingered his fingers across my forearm, tickling me lightly. God, that was so relaxing. I sighed and closed my arms, taking in all the perfectness. I felt his fingers stop softly tickling me. Then he wrapped his full hand around my forearm, tightly. I frowned and opened my eyes. He was sat up now. I didn't feel him move though? And why was he holding a butchers knife above his head? A grin grew across his lips and he raised his eyebrows. "Worthless bitch." He breathed. His hand with the knife in came down faster than lightening. Right to my face.

I screamed and sat up, breathing hard with tears streaming down my face. I couldn't breath. What was happening to me? I looked around the white room I was in. Suddenly, pain rushed to every single part of my body. Pain wrapped itself around my lungs, my intestines, my heart. I tried catching my breath, but I couldn't catch anything. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by people. I recognised none of them, and I was absolutely terrified. One stuck a needle in my arm, one lay me down softly onto the bed, one put an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose, one clicked on monitors beside me and one sat stroking my hair, telling me to calm down. I decided there was no point in freaking out so I just focused on my breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. It calmed me down. It calmed me down so much I fell into complete darkness.

When I next woke, I had a raging headache and my whole body ached. The images of my nightmare still lingered in my head, but I shook it off. I had so much more to worry about at the minute. The oxygen mask that was given to me earlier was now replaced by a cannula that sat just under my nose. Whatever was coming through that cannula, it was bloody good stuff because I felt so relaxed. But it didn't take the pain away at all. I didn't want to move anything, not even my eyes, in case that immense pain came back all of a sudden.

After a few minutes of just lying there, staring up at the ceiling, a young nurse entered my room and greeted me with a warm smile. "Miss. Danvers." She gleamed as she walked towards me, holding a clipboard. "You're recovering well, physically." She crouched down and lay her hand on my head, checking my temperature, I presume. "You will still take a few days, maybe a couple of weeks to fully recover from your physically injuries. Your emotional injuries though..." She stood up and sighed. "That's a little harder to get over. We're all going to help you, Claire." She took hold of my hand, rubbing her thumb across my skin softly. "I was told you have your first night terror earlier. It's going to get tough, but we're all helping you sweetheart, okay?" I nodded. I didn't know what to say, or what to do. I felt tears welling in my eyes. I didn't want to think about my 'night terror' or the real-life terrors, or him. I wanted to just sink into a paradise where everything was perfect again, like it was before the draug. It wasn't perfect, but it was my perfect.

The nurse stared at me in pity for a short while, before giving me a warm smile. "I'll leave you to get some rest..." Before she could say anything else, police appeared at my door. "Oh...do you want met to tell them its not a good time?"

"No." I choke. "It's okay." My voice was weak and I sounded like a 12-year-old girl that was dying from a rare disease. Maybe I was... inside.

The nurse showed the police officers in. There were three of them. A tall, lean male who looked in his 20s, an older female who looked around 34 and another, older male who looked about 49... maybe in his fifties. And behind them, Michael Glass.

He almost ran up to me and eloped me in a hug. It hurt, but I knew he was trying his hardest to be careful with me. He sighed into my neck and whispered, "You're okay." He may not have intended for me to hear it, but I was glad I did.

He kept hold of my hand as the police spoke to me. It all sounded gibberish to me. They spoke about Shane, and something about they had him in custody, awaiting court on the following Monday. They asked me questions, I either nodded or shook me head or squeezed Michaels hand, so he would answer for me. Then they asked a question that struck me. This wasn't a question I could absent-mindedly answer, or a question I could get Michael to answer. This was on my own back. I had to make my own decision on this one.

"Do you want to press charges?"

I stared at the police officers for a while, not knowing what to say. Michael was rubbing my back. It was helping, but I still didn't know what to do. I had to sum up what had happened. Do I press charges against my boyfriend who has been abusing me for the back 6 months, who nearly killed me and my best friend? It shouldn't be this hard to answer, but it was the most difficult decision of my life.

"I don't know.." I finally say. I had to say something, they were getting impatient. Michael cleared his throat and rubbed my back a little harder. He hugged me. But he didn't mean it to be just a comforting hug. "It wasn't him." He whispered in my ear, so quietly I could hardly make out what he was saying. "Trust me. It wasn't the real Shane. Trust me, Claire." He broke away from the hug and returned to rubbing my back, like nothing happened. I cleared my throat and blinked away the tears. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he must've been talking some sort of sense. Michael always spoke sense.

"No." I say aloud. "No, no charges." The officers frowned.
"Sweetie." The woman said. "This man abused you and nearly killed you, he needs to have some sort of charge against him. His court date is this Monday, he will most likely be charged for manslaughter and domestic abuse." I felt my insides tighten. Thinking about Shane in prison made me feel physically sick. Yeah, he'd been there before. But not on my account. I couldn't let him go in there because of me, even if it was him that did it or not.

"No, you can't send him there.. please." My voice broke as tears fell from my eyes. Michael held me and let me cry into his chest. I heard him say softly, "Could you come back another time?" The officers must've said yes, because I heard them make their way out and shut the door behind them. I looked up and they were gone. I wiped my eyes and faced Michael.

"I know you're in so, so much pain, honey." He stroked my hair. "It's going to be so hard for you, but it wasn't him."

"I don't care how much pain I'm in, or how sick I am, you have to explain everything to me, please." I cried.

"Okay...It started with the draug..."

Im so sorry I haven't updated! I have been busy with the hospital and stuff, but heres the next chapter (sorry for the shortness!) And omg, I went to go and see The Fault In Our Stars today! Anyone a John Green fan here and read some of his other novels? I love him! And the movie was amazing! He's my inspiration for writing!

Anyway, please review! More reviews, a much longer chapter! The next chapter will be better, I promise! xx