Chapter 11
Vince pulled up to the house just as a black Honda civic pulled away with the sequel of the tires. Vince's heart started to race. Who the fuck was that? Oh shit where the fuck is Claire?
He thought as he climbed out of the car quickly. He rushed to the front door. He stopped when he saw it was kicked in. Vince entered the house cautiously. "Claire? You in here?" he shouted as he stepped inside the door.
He looked around, and didn't see anything. He walked further into the room. He stopped short when he saw Claire on the floor, looking she had just been tossed aside. Vince's breath caught. He felt like someone had hit him in the gut. He kneeled down next to her. "Claire? Can you hear me?" He asked as he turned her over to face him.
This time he gasped out loud. "Oh my god." he whispered.
Her face was bleeding profusely from a several cuts. Her lip was busted open and her right eye looked like it was going to swell up. Her eyes were closed. Vince couldn't tell if she was conscious or not.
"Claire, can you hear me?" he tried again. Come on come on. Be awake, he prayed.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her groan slightly. "Hang on Claire. I'm gonna call the police," he said and then ran for the phone. Vince quickly dialed nine-one-one and explained what he knew. After hanging up he went back to Claire. He kneeled down beside her.
"Claire an ambulance is coming. Everything is gonna be okay." He said, trying to remain calm when all he wanted to do was throw something.
When she whimpered and tried to move, he held her down gently. "It's okay Claire. It's Vince. He won't hurt you again. I promise." He said venomously. He stoked her hair until the ambulance came.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Claire woke up in a strange room. She looked around trying to figure out where she was. She tried to remember the last thing before falling asleep. No, that's not right. She scrunched her face trying to remember something. I didn't fall asleep. I went to work then I went home and then. Oh my god SAM! Claire looked around frantically trying to see if he was still around, she had to get away. She tried to get up but couldn't. She looked down frustrated and saw why she couldn't move. She was wrapped in blankets. She moaned in frustration. She had to get away before Sam came back. She didn't see the monitors or the IV drip connected to her arm. She had to get away.
Claire tried to wiggle out of the blankets, but then someone grasped her shoulder. She looked up frightened. Her body sagged in relief when she saw it was Vince.
"Claire, stop." he told her in a low voice.
Claire panicked again. Why is he being so quiet? She looked around frantically.
"You're in the hospital. Everything is okay. Sam isn't here," he told her as gently as he could. When she woke up and looked scared Vince realized she thought she was still at the house with Sam.
Claire looked up at Vince and the tears welled up in her eyes. "He.he.said.I--"
She couldn't explain what happened. She couldn't bring herself to tell him.
Vince shook his head. "Don't worry. Brian had the cops arrest him. Why didn't you wait for me to come get you? Why did you go home by yourself?" He asked in a harsh tone.
He didn't mean to sound that way. It wasn't her he as angry at. He was mad at himself. It was his fault. If he had stayed home he would have been there. He should have sat outside in the parking lot until she was done. I should have fucking been there, damn it! He thought.
Claire closed her eyes and turned away. She did not want to hear how stupid she was. She knew she should have waited. It was all her fault. She should have called Daisy or even Carlos.
"Go away." she told him softly.
Vince opened his mouth indignantly. "I --"
Claire cut him off, "please. Just go away." She told him, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Vince glowered at her. God damn it! Why the fuck does she have to be like that? Vince left the room abruptly.
Claire heard him leave, and then turned to look at the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was a couple of days before the hospital would let her go home. They wanted to monitor her because of her heart problem. She sat in Brian's car staring out the window.
Brian watched her. "Claire, you okay?" he asked gently.
She sighed. She really wished everyone would stop askin her that. "Yeah Brian. I'm fine. Stop asking me that. You're just going to piss me off. I've been thru worse. You know that," she stated firmly.
Brian's shoulders slumped in defeat. He knew she wasn't okay, but she wasn't ready to talk to him about it yet. He still didn't know what happened exactly. She had talked to the police alone. She hadn't wanted any of them in the room.
Claire went up to her room as soon as they arrived at the house. She didn't want to speak to anyone. She wanted to be alone.
Everyone watched her go up to her room. When she was gone they all looked at Vince who was still staring at the stairs. He stood up and headed for the front door.
"Where you going bro?" Leon asked.
"Out," he replied curtly. He walked out the door and slammed it shut behind him. Vince climbed into Claire's car and drove off.
He didn't know where he was going, but he needed to get away from that house. After driving for twenty minutes he pulled over and parked on the side of the road. He scowled at the windshield.
God damn it! I don't care! I don't. I don't care if she's hurt. It's just HER. She's only Brian's sister. She's not part of the team. She doesn't count. It's her fault. If she had waited for me like I said she would have been fine.
He thought angrily. He growled in frustration because all he could think about was what she looked like when he came home and found her on the floor.
Home? We don't have home. Not here. Not with her.
Vince banged his fist against the steering wheel.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Claire lied down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She scowled, angry with herself. I can't be falling for him. I don't even know him. He doesn't speak to me. What the hell is wrong with me?
She snapped at herself. She shivered at the memory of his voice when she was lying on the floor of her house when he found her. She remembered the feeling of him stroking her hair. She closed her eyes and rolled over. Stop it! He doesn't want you. He never will. Just let it go, she told herself firmly.
She fell in a restless sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Vince pulled up to the house just as a black Honda civic pulled away with the sequel of the tires. Vince's heart started to race. Who the fuck was that? Oh shit where the fuck is Claire?
He thought as he climbed out of the car quickly. He rushed to the front door. He stopped when he saw it was kicked in. Vince entered the house cautiously. "Claire? You in here?" he shouted as he stepped inside the door.
He looked around, and didn't see anything. He walked further into the room. He stopped short when he saw Claire on the floor, looking she had just been tossed aside. Vince's breath caught. He felt like someone had hit him in the gut. He kneeled down next to her. "Claire? Can you hear me?" He asked as he turned her over to face him.
This time he gasped out loud. "Oh my god." he whispered.
Her face was bleeding profusely from a several cuts. Her lip was busted open and her right eye looked like it was going to swell up. Her eyes were closed. Vince couldn't tell if she was conscious or not.
"Claire, can you hear me?" he tried again. Come on come on. Be awake, he prayed.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her groan slightly. "Hang on Claire. I'm gonna call the police," he said and then ran for the phone. Vince quickly dialed nine-one-one and explained what he knew. After hanging up he went back to Claire. He kneeled down beside her.
"Claire an ambulance is coming. Everything is gonna be okay." He said, trying to remain calm when all he wanted to do was throw something.
When she whimpered and tried to move, he held her down gently. "It's okay Claire. It's Vince. He won't hurt you again. I promise." He said venomously. He stoked her hair until the ambulance came.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Claire woke up in a strange room. She looked around trying to figure out where she was. She tried to remember the last thing before falling asleep. No, that's not right. She scrunched her face trying to remember something. I didn't fall asleep. I went to work then I went home and then. Oh my god SAM! Claire looked around frantically trying to see if he was still around, she had to get away. She tried to get up but couldn't. She looked down frustrated and saw why she couldn't move. She was wrapped in blankets. She moaned in frustration. She had to get away before Sam came back. She didn't see the monitors or the IV drip connected to her arm. She had to get away.
Claire tried to wiggle out of the blankets, but then someone grasped her shoulder. She looked up frightened. Her body sagged in relief when she saw it was Vince.
"Claire, stop." he told her in a low voice.
Claire panicked again. Why is he being so quiet? She looked around frantically.
"You're in the hospital. Everything is okay. Sam isn't here," he told her as gently as he could. When she woke up and looked scared Vince realized she thought she was still at the house with Sam.
Claire looked up at Vince and the tears welled up in her eyes. "He.he.said.I--"
She couldn't explain what happened. She couldn't bring herself to tell him.
Vince shook his head. "Don't worry. Brian had the cops arrest him. Why didn't you wait for me to come get you? Why did you go home by yourself?" He asked in a harsh tone.
He didn't mean to sound that way. It wasn't her he as angry at. He was mad at himself. It was his fault. If he had stayed home he would have been there. He should have sat outside in the parking lot until she was done. I should have fucking been there, damn it! He thought.
Claire closed her eyes and turned away. She did not want to hear how stupid she was. She knew she should have waited. It was all her fault. She should have called Daisy or even Carlos.
"Go away." she told him softly.
Vince opened his mouth indignantly. "I --"
Claire cut him off, "please. Just go away." She told him, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Vince glowered at her. God damn it! Why the fuck does she have to be like that? Vince left the room abruptly.
Claire heard him leave, and then turned to look at the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was a couple of days before the hospital would let her go home. They wanted to monitor her because of her heart problem. She sat in Brian's car staring out the window.
Brian watched her. "Claire, you okay?" he asked gently.
She sighed. She really wished everyone would stop askin her that. "Yeah Brian. I'm fine. Stop asking me that. You're just going to piss me off. I've been thru worse. You know that," she stated firmly.
Brian's shoulders slumped in defeat. He knew she wasn't okay, but she wasn't ready to talk to him about it yet. He still didn't know what happened exactly. She had talked to the police alone. She hadn't wanted any of them in the room.
Claire went up to her room as soon as they arrived at the house. She didn't want to speak to anyone. She wanted to be alone.
Everyone watched her go up to her room. When she was gone they all looked at Vince who was still staring at the stairs. He stood up and headed for the front door.
"Where you going bro?" Leon asked.
"Out," he replied curtly. He walked out the door and slammed it shut behind him. Vince climbed into Claire's car and drove off.
He didn't know where he was going, but he needed to get away from that house. After driving for twenty minutes he pulled over and parked on the side of the road. He scowled at the windshield.
God damn it! I don't care! I don't. I don't care if she's hurt. It's just HER. She's only Brian's sister. She's not part of the team. She doesn't count. It's her fault. If she had waited for me like I said she would have been fine.
He thought angrily. He growled in frustration because all he could think about was what she looked like when he came home and found her on the floor.
Home? We don't have home. Not here. Not with her.
Vince banged his fist against the steering wheel.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Claire lied down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She scowled, angry with herself. I can't be falling for him. I don't even know him. He doesn't speak to me. What the hell is wrong with me?
She snapped at herself. She shivered at the memory of his voice when she was lying on the floor of her house when he found her. She remembered the feeling of him stroking her hair. She closed her eyes and rolled over. Stop it! He doesn't want you. He never will. Just let it go, she told herself firmly.
She fell in a restless sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~