Helen closed the door to Julie's apartment after her and Barry and then
rushed to his side to help him to the couch.
"Helen calm down, I'm okay." He said trying to smile but didn't quite manage. She slumped down looking miserable next to him.
"I can't calm down. Look at you Barry, you're a living bruise. Why won't you go to the doctor? He might be able to help. Maybe you should..."
"Helen." Barry interrupted her with a sharp tone of voice and she got silent. He smiled softly and put his hand on her cheek. "The doctor can't do anything. It's bruises and I'm not staying over at the hospital for a couple of bruises. I'd rather be here with you." He gently brushed some hair of her shoulder and played with it on her back.
She tilted her head, leaning it towards his hand again. She looked sad and worried, he hated when she looked sad and worried, at least when he couldn't make it go away. "How can you be so calm?" She mumbled. "I...I keep getting these awful memory flashes."
Barry pulled her closer. If he could do anything, he'd make it so that night had never happened. But he knew wishing didn't help. "I remember stuff too but ... Helen it isn't going to happen again. Julie is in a bad state of mind, we need to help her but the only way we can do that is if we stay stable. Don't go crazy like her."
He saw Helen was about to object to that but he hushed her. "She is a bit crazy Heller, don't tell me you believe that a killer is after us."
She looked into his eyes. "Not until I saw you like this."
He sighed. She was to smart this girl. 'You're next'. He shook his head to get it out of his mind. That could've meant anything. He wasn't going to worry Helen with telling her. She'd be frantic and would want to go the police or something.
"This was a bad timing, unrelated, accident." He claimed but he could see she wasn't convinced. He leaned closer and put his forehead to hers smiling at her. "I wouldn't lie to you." He said feeling like the most rotten person in the universe.
But he got a smile out of her. "I know." She mumbled and gave him a soft kiss. "I'm sorry did that hurt?" She afterwards asked since his lip was cracked.
He used his hands to cup her face. 'I love this girl' He thought.
"It's worth it." He told her and pressed his lips against hers again. She put her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer to him.
"Barry, I love you." She mumbled and he hugged her tightly.
"I love you to Heller."
They both smiled and then kissed again. Helen leaned down over him as he started to lean back on the couch. But they sat up abruptly when they heard the door being opened. They exchanged confused glanced. Julie couldn't be home now.
A red haired woman strolled in, putting her keys on a table. She paused looking surprised when she spotted them. "Oh, I ... didn't know you were here. I usually come here once or twice a week to water Julie's flowers."
Helen squinted a little. "Charlotte Lane right? Julie's psychatrist." She stood up from the couch and adjusted her clothing before she went up to shake the psychatrits hand once more. "I'm sorry if we startled you Ms Lane. We were just here to get a number to one of our friends."
"Oh." The woman smiled widely. "Call me Charlotte. Well don't let me be in your way." She glanced at Barry. "I'll just be a second." She let her eyes stay at him and crinkled her eyebrows slightly. "What happened to you Mr Cox?" She asked concerned.
Barry shrugged it off. "It's nothing."
"Mugger." Helen said and Charlotte nodded disliking.
"Yes, they've been an increasing number lately. It's a shame really." She shook her head a little. "You might want to let a doctor take a look at that." She added to Barry before she reached for her keys. "Well I should leave. Nice to meet you both again." She quickly left and Helen went back to Barry.
"I don't like her." He said. "She ...I can't picture her with Julie. Helping her."
Helen shrugged sitting down on the back of the couch staring at the door. "Well you've never really believed in psychiatry have you sweetie?"
Barry nodded admitting. "True, but if she came here to water Julie's flowers - why didn't she do any watering?"
Helen frowned. "Maybe we surprised her. She might not be a people person. Or she felt like she was intruding."
Barry put his hand on her back. "She was."
Helen glanced at him and smiled a little, but the mood was gone. She stood up and walked with long steps into the kitchen. "Let's get what we came for and get out of here."
Barry sighed and stood up from his place in the couch. Helen soon joined him again, now with a little pink note in her hand that she held on to with both hands. Barry smiled at her, thinking it was cute, and put his arm around her shoulders as they walked out.
"I'm sure Ray will come right away." Helen said sure of herself. "He'll come and everything will get better. I'm sure of it." She said as they got into the cab taking them back to the hotel.
*****
"I'm going to call Ray right away." Helen said as she and Barry walked into their hotel room again. She nodded smiling at Barry who was closing the door. Then she turned her head to go to the phone. She froze in her moves.
Barry came up to her. "What's wrong?" He wondered but then followed her eyes. It wasn't hard to realise what she was staring at. Their room, it had been totally trashed. Everything was ripped out of bags and drawers, a lamp lay broken on the floor. Even the bed sheets were all torn out of the bed.
"What the hell?" Barry asked angry stepping further into the room. "What the hell happened?" He growled. It looked like a hurricane had gone through there. Helen was so shocked she couldn't even say anything. She slumped down on the bed still staring at the destruction all around.
What was going on?
*****
"Ray? It's me ...Helen. Helen Shivers." Helen explained happily into the phone line when their old friend had picked up on her second try of reaching him at that number. First time no one had answered.
She was calling from their new hotel room. They staff of their hotel had been extremely helpful and understanding once they'd understood that it wasn't Helen and Barry themselves that had trashed the room. They'd gotten a new one almost in an instant and got help to move their things over. Some of it was broken though. But Helen didn't let it put her down.
"Helen?" Ray seemed surprised. "It's great to hear from you!" He hesitated "Is...everything alright?" He sounded worried and Helen sighed a little, she'd missed Ray she realised now.
"Helen?"
She shook her head a little. "I'm sorry that I have to tell you this but - no - everything is not alright. Barry and I are in Boston, visiting Julie." She started and could practically hear how Ray grabbed a tighter hold of his reciever.
"Julie. Is she okay? Tell me she's okay?" He breathed hard and Helen glanced sadly at Barry who caressed her shoulder, urging her to go on.
"No...she's not. She ...had an accident." Helen didn't want to tell him that it was a possible suicied attempt. She just couldn't get the words over her lips. "Calm down Ray." She commanded a little bit firmer when he started to rant something.
"We were hoping you could come here. I mean to help Julie"
Ray got quite for a few seconds. "I want to come, don't get me wrong Helen but - does she want me there?"
Helen wasn't sure if Julie did or didn't, but she had given her the number. She was sure Julie wanted to, she just didn't want to admit it to anybody. "I'm sure she does Ray. You are important to Julie. Now I don't know why you guys broke up, but I do know that you're important to her. Very important. She needs you." She clutched Barry's hand harder hoping that Ray would say yes.
"I'll take the next flight." The other boy promised and Helen smiled. She knew they could at leats count on Ray.
"Helen calm down, I'm okay." He said trying to smile but didn't quite manage. She slumped down looking miserable next to him.
"I can't calm down. Look at you Barry, you're a living bruise. Why won't you go to the doctor? He might be able to help. Maybe you should..."
"Helen." Barry interrupted her with a sharp tone of voice and she got silent. He smiled softly and put his hand on her cheek. "The doctor can't do anything. It's bruises and I'm not staying over at the hospital for a couple of bruises. I'd rather be here with you." He gently brushed some hair of her shoulder and played with it on her back.
She tilted her head, leaning it towards his hand again. She looked sad and worried, he hated when she looked sad and worried, at least when he couldn't make it go away. "How can you be so calm?" She mumbled. "I...I keep getting these awful memory flashes."
Barry pulled her closer. If he could do anything, he'd make it so that night had never happened. But he knew wishing didn't help. "I remember stuff too but ... Helen it isn't going to happen again. Julie is in a bad state of mind, we need to help her but the only way we can do that is if we stay stable. Don't go crazy like her."
He saw Helen was about to object to that but he hushed her. "She is a bit crazy Heller, don't tell me you believe that a killer is after us."
She looked into his eyes. "Not until I saw you like this."
He sighed. She was to smart this girl. 'You're next'. He shook his head to get it out of his mind. That could've meant anything. He wasn't going to worry Helen with telling her. She'd be frantic and would want to go the police or something.
"This was a bad timing, unrelated, accident." He claimed but he could see she wasn't convinced. He leaned closer and put his forehead to hers smiling at her. "I wouldn't lie to you." He said feeling like the most rotten person in the universe.
But he got a smile out of her. "I know." She mumbled and gave him a soft kiss. "I'm sorry did that hurt?" She afterwards asked since his lip was cracked.
He used his hands to cup her face. 'I love this girl' He thought.
"It's worth it." He told her and pressed his lips against hers again. She put her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer to him.
"Barry, I love you." She mumbled and he hugged her tightly.
"I love you to Heller."
They both smiled and then kissed again. Helen leaned down over him as he started to lean back on the couch. But they sat up abruptly when they heard the door being opened. They exchanged confused glanced. Julie couldn't be home now.
A red haired woman strolled in, putting her keys on a table. She paused looking surprised when she spotted them. "Oh, I ... didn't know you were here. I usually come here once or twice a week to water Julie's flowers."
Helen squinted a little. "Charlotte Lane right? Julie's psychatrist." She stood up from the couch and adjusted her clothing before she went up to shake the psychatrits hand once more. "I'm sorry if we startled you Ms Lane. We were just here to get a number to one of our friends."
"Oh." The woman smiled widely. "Call me Charlotte. Well don't let me be in your way." She glanced at Barry. "I'll just be a second." She let her eyes stay at him and crinkled her eyebrows slightly. "What happened to you Mr Cox?" She asked concerned.
Barry shrugged it off. "It's nothing."
"Mugger." Helen said and Charlotte nodded disliking.
"Yes, they've been an increasing number lately. It's a shame really." She shook her head a little. "You might want to let a doctor take a look at that." She added to Barry before she reached for her keys. "Well I should leave. Nice to meet you both again." She quickly left and Helen went back to Barry.
"I don't like her." He said. "She ...I can't picture her with Julie. Helping her."
Helen shrugged sitting down on the back of the couch staring at the door. "Well you've never really believed in psychiatry have you sweetie?"
Barry nodded admitting. "True, but if she came here to water Julie's flowers - why didn't she do any watering?"
Helen frowned. "Maybe we surprised her. She might not be a people person. Or she felt like she was intruding."
Barry put his hand on her back. "She was."
Helen glanced at him and smiled a little, but the mood was gone. She stood up and walked with long steps into the kitchen. "Let's get what we came for and get out of here."
Barry sighed and stood up from his place in the couch. Helen soon joined him again, now with a little pink note in her hand that she held on to with both hands. Barry smiled at her, thinking it was cute, and put his arm around her shoulders as they walked out.
"I'm sure Ray will come right away." Helen said sure of herself. "He'll come and everything will get better. I'm sure of it." She said as they got into the cab taking them back to the hotel.
*****
"I'm going to call Ray right away." Helen said as she and Barry walked into their hotel room again. She nodded smiling at Barry who was closing the door. Then she turned her head to go to the phone. She froze in her moves.
Barry came up to her. "What's wrong?" He wondered but then followed her eyes. It wasn't hard to realise what she was staring at. Their room, it had been totally trashed. Everything was ripped out of bags and drawers, a lamp lay broken on the floor. Even the bed sheets were all torn out of the bed.
"What the hell?" Barry asked angry stepping further into the room. "What the hell happened?" He growled. It looked like a hurricane had gone through there. Helen was so shocked she couldn't even say anything. She slumped down on the bed still staring at the destruction all around.
What was going on?
*****
"Ray? It's me ...Helen. Helen Shivers." Helen explained happily into the phone line when their old friend had picked up on her second try of reaching him at that number. First time no one had answered.
She was calling from their new hotel room. They staff of their hotel had been extremely helpful and understanding once they'd understood that it wasn't Helen and Barry themselves that had trashed the room. They'd gotten a new one almost in an instant and got help to move their things over. Some of it was broken though. But Helen didn't let it put her down.
"Helen?" Ray seemed surprised. "It's great to hear from you!" He hesitated "Is...everything alright?" He sounded worried and Helen sighed a little, she'd missed Ray she realised now.
"Helen?"
She shook her head a little. "I'm sorry that I have to tell you this but - no - everything is not alright. Barry and I are in Boston, visiting Julie." She started and could practically hear how Ray grabbed a tighter hold of his reciever.
"Julie. Is she okay? Tell me she's okay?" He breathed hard and Helen glanced sadly at Barry who caressed her shoulder, urging her to go on.
"No...she's not. She ...had an accident." Helen didn't want to tell him that it was a possible suicied attempt. She just couldn't get the words over her lips. "Calm down Ray." She commanded a little bit firmer when he started to rant something.
"We were hoping you could come here. I mean to help Julie"
Ray got quite for a few seconds. "I want to come, don't get me wrong Helen but - does she want me there?"
Helen wasn't sure if Julie did or didn't, but she had given her the number. She was sure Julie wanted to, she just didn't want to admit it to anybody. "I'm sure she does Ray. You are important to Julie. Now I don't know why you guys broke up, but I do know that you're important to her. Very important. She needs you." She clutched Barry's hand harder hoping that Ray would say yes.
"I'll take the next flight." The other boy promised and Helen smiled. She knew they could at leats count on Ray.