As promised, a more timely update for you! Thanks for all the reviews :)
I've only been to New York a couple of times so I'm using my artistic license to potentially alter some geography in this chapter!
Chapter 10
Blair wasn't sure where she was going, she just knew she needed to get away from that building as quickly as possible. She kept walking at speed, not really registering which streets she was walking down until she reached a green space and an empty park bench. Looking around she realised she was in Madison Square Park; the sun was shining, and Blair closed her eyes as the warmth soaked into her skin.
Chuck had given Arthur the morning off after his late-night venture, so he was in another town car with a different driver who didn't seem to know all the back roads through New York. They had been in stationary traffic for nearly 10 minutes and Chuck was getting frustrated. In the end he decided it would be quicker to walk and ordered the driver to meet him at the Police Unit where Serena was waiting.
Chuck, knowing Blair as well as he did, guessed she would be heading to a park. It made his search easier knowing that she didn't have her bag with her, it meant she couldn't have walked that far, and his search area was significantly smaller than if she'd had the ability to pay for a cab.
He scoured Bryant Park but couldn't find Blair anywhere so carried on walking. As he entered Madison Square Park, he spotted her sitting alone on a park bench with her eyes closed. She looked radiant in the sunlight. He watched her for a few moments, cementing the image in his memory, hoping it would take the place of the horror movie scenes that were still saturating his thoughts whenever he was alone. He quickly sent Serena a text to let her know that he'd found her, then he picked up two coffees from a near-by cart and walked over to sit down next to Blair.
"Coffee?" He extended his arm out to Blair to offer her one of the cups. Her eyes shot opened, startled by the sudden presence next to her, but she relaxed when she saw it was Chuck and gratefully accepted the drink. They sat in silence for several minutes, both watching people walking through the park, a few stopping to chat and others sitting on nearby benches to enjoy the sunshine.
"Do you have a cigarette?" Blair suddenly asked.
"What?" Chuck nearly choked on his coffee.
"A cigarette? Don't play the innocent with me, Bass. I know you still smoke occasionally."
As far as Chuck was aware, Blair had never smoked. That was a lie, she'd tried it once when they were teenagers, but it made her feel sick and when her mother had found out and told her it would cause her to age prematurely, she'd vowed never to try again. Chuck considered himself a social smoker, he would join investors for a smoke if they ventured outside during a meeting but that was it. He did, however, carry a packet of cigarettes around with him, in true boy-scout style, so that he was always prepared should the need arise to offer them out. He never expected to be offering them to Blair Waldorf.
Chuck reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the packet of cigarettes. He placed one in his mouth and lit it before passing it to Blair. Normally, she would have been offended that he felt the need to light it for her, but she didn't have the energy to argue so said nothing and took the cigarette from him. She inhaled the smoke and coughed as it irritated the back of her throat. Chuck had to stop watching her, it appeared the vision of Blair smoking turned him on, and this was not an appropriate time for those feelings to start stirring. Blair held the cigarette in front of her and watched it burn down slowly.
"You're wasting a good cigarette there." Chuck said as he risked looking at Blair again. Blair knocked the ash from the end of the cigarette and passed it back to Chuck.
"It still makes me feel sick."
Chuck smirked at the reference to her first smoking experience and took a drag on the cigarette. He could see why people smoked, there was something relaxing about watching the smoke disappear into the atmosphere as he exhaled.
"Serena said you were at the police unit. Why did you leave?" Chuck asked as he continued to smoke.
"The look in the receptionist's eyes, no-one has ever looked at me like that. She pitied me. Then she took me to this stark white room, it was uncomfortably clinical and smelt of bleach. The whole thing was too overwhelming, I just had to get out of there."
"No-one pities you, Blair. People care about you and want to help. You can take this at your own pace and I can't promise it won't be difficult but we're all here for you if you still want to do this. If you don't, I can take you home right now if you'd prefer?"
Chuck hoped Blair wouldn't go for the latter option, but he wanted to make sure she felt this was her decision and not someone else forcing her to do something she didn't want to do. He finished the cigarette, dropped it on the floor and stamped it out.
"I don't know what to do, Chuck. I want to hide and never come out. I want to go back in time and not drink so much at that stupid event. I want to remember! What do you think I should do?" Blair stared at the coffee cup in her hands. She was tired of making all the decisions. She wanted someone else to guide her through it all, to tell her where to go and what to do so she didn't have to think or process what was happening.
"Blair, I can't make this decision for you. But I think going back to that police unit may help to answer some of your questions."
Blair sighed and picked at the lid of her coffee cup as she contemplated Chuck's statement. Eventually, she looked up at Chuck and a ghost of a smile flashed across her face. "Okay. Let's go, before I change my mind."
...
Several hours later and the trio exited the police unit and climbed into Chuck's waiting car. It had been a long and traumatic process for Blair. To maintain the integrity of the evidence, Chuck and Serena were asked to wait in the reception area while Blair went through the process on her own. Chuck kicked off at the absurdity of making Blair do it alone, but the staff assured him that a specialist support officer would be with Blair throughout the process. She'd given an initial account to a specialist doctor who then talked her through the need to complete a full examination and collection of potential evidence. Blair questioned the benefit of it considering she'd delayed coming forward and had showered since that night, but the doctor explained that evidence could still be found 48 hours after the incident. After the examination, Blair had requested a break and joined Serena.
"Where's Chuck?" Blair asked as she stepped into the reception area to see Chuck had disappeared.
"He's outside, getting some fresh air." Blair nodded and walked out of the building to see Chuck just round the corner, smoking.
"Blair! Have you finished? Shall we go home?" Chuck asked, trying to hide the cigarette he was holding. He wasn't sure why he did it, it was instinctive and futile because he knew Blair had seen it.
"No, they want me to give a proper statement now. They've collected all the evidence, took photos." Blair's voice was monotonous, as though she were reading off a list of groceries. "Can I have another?" She indicated to the cigarette.
Chuck lit up another cigarette for her and passed it over. Blair leaned against the wall next to him and watched the cigarette burn away. She didn't even try to take a drag, she just watched the paper burn and knocked off the ash every now and then. It eventually burnt down to the filter, and she dropped it on the floor before stepping on it with the heel of her shoe.
"I better go back in, don't want them to think I've run off again."
It took nearly 2 hours for Blair to give her statement. She requested two further breaks during the process and Chuck joined her outside to light up another cigarette each time. She never smoked them, she just watched them burn away then threw them on the floor. It seemed to relax her in some way, as though it provided enough of a distraction to take her mind off all the questions and flashbacks. Chuck remained outside and smoked the rest of the packet while they waited for Blair to finish. He'd tried to sit with Serena inside the building but it felt claustrophobic and the silence was deafening.
The journey back to Blair's apartment was quiet. Serena insisted on staying with Blair, despite Blair's claim that she would be fine on her own. Chuck sent a few messages to Nate to update him. He'd been in the bar at The Empire with Nate when Serena had called. Nate had asked him to keep him updated as he rushed off in search of Blair.
The trio were just sitting down to dinner when Blair's phone rang. It made her jump as it vibrated on the table. The caller ID told her it was the police calling, she let it ring for a few moments before answering.
"Hello… Yes, this is Blair Waldorf… No, my friends are here with me…. Okay…. Okay…. Thank you…. Yes, I will… Okay, thanks… Goodnight."
Blair let the phone fall from her hand, and it hit the floor with a thud. Chuck and Serena stared at her, waiting for her to speak but she burst into tears. Chuck was next to her in a second, encasing her in his arms as she clung to him. Hearing her sob broke his heart, his eyes stung as they began to well up, but he fought back the tears and focused on calming Blair down. Serena wiped away her own tears, holding onto Blair's free hand as she exchanged a frightened look with Chuck.
"He didn't rape me." Blair muttered. Her voice was so quiet that neither Chuck or Serena heard her properly and asked her to repeat it. "There were no signs of sexual assault. He didn't rape me."
"Oh, thank god." Chuck hadn't meant to vocalise his thoughts as he hugged Blair closer, but he didn't care at that moment in time. The overwhelming relief shocked him, he exhaled the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding in and a few tears escaped. Chuck buried his face in Blair's hair to try and hide them from Serena, but she'd seen them and smiled at the rare outpouring of emotions she was witnessing from her stepbrother.
"Did they say what happens next?" Serena asked once Chuck had composed himself and lifted his head away from Blair's.
"It's up to me really, they've said I could press charges for GBH, but it can be difficult to get enough evidence when the offender is a boyfriend. They said the bruising is significant and apparently I've fractured a rib."
"Oh, Blair…" Serena whispered. This was the first time she'd heard about any bruising, from Chuck reaction she guessed he already knew but when Blair mentioned the broken rib, Chuck visibly tensed his jaw and his eyes darkened in horror.
"I said I'd given them an answer tomorrow. Can we talk about something else now? I'm done talking for today." Blair continued to rest her head against Chuck's chest as he played with her hair. Serena seized the opportunity to do something helpful and offered to make drinks from everyone.
The trio moved to Blair's living room for the rest of the evening. Serena filled them in on her plans to go travelling again in the summer and Chuck mocked her for not having a proper job and trying to relive her youth. Blair welcomed the distraction and fell asleep on the sofa as Serena and Chuck argued over whether writing a fashion blog would count as a real job.
"We should probably wake her up, she can't sleep down here all night." Serena said, nodding in Blair's direction.
"Don't wake her, I'll carry her to bed." Chuck said and lifted her into his arms. Chuck saw the knowing look on Serena's face, but he ignored her and carried Blair up to her bedroom.
To be continued...
So I'm not exactly sure how the legal processes work in cases like this so apologies if there are any inaccuracies or errors - and please let me know! Would love to know what you think, if you're still enjoying it, thoughts/ideas on what you'd like to see happen. I have a general plan for the rest of the story but I'm very easily influenced aha!
Lx