Chapter 8.
. 28 Hours to bet .
Something jarred Memphis awake. Dragging his mind from its hazy cloud of sleep, he groggily opened his eyes and tried to focus on the blinking red digits of his alarm clock. 4am. He rolled over to see what the hell was going on at 4 in the morning, only to encounter cool sheets besides him.
"Sway?" He mumbled.
"Go back to sleep Memphis." Sway voice drifted over from the other side of the room.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes, wondering why Sway was not where she should be, only to find her standing at their wardrobe, fully dressed, stuffing clothes into a small hold-all. Now he was awake.
"Sway what are you doing?" He asked warily.
"Nothing," she muttered indignantly "Go back to sleep."
The shit had hit the fan. Memphis knew it would soon enough. He pulled back the covers and rose from the bed.
"Sway." He said to her turned back.
She didn't reply, and instead continued to pull clothes from the closet and forcefully ram them into the black bag.
"Sway." He repeated.
"Go, back, to sleep." Sway voice had a tone to it now that Memphis knew all too well. She was trying intensely to keep her cool, and sounded as if she was talking through clenched teeth. Although it was suicide, he knew he had to keep pushing her, she needed to snap.
So he repeated in the same calm voice that grated on Sway so badly.
"Sway."
"WHAT!" She turned towards him, and threw the now full bag in his direction "What the hell do you want!?"
He raised his hands "I just want to know what you're doing, packing a hold- all at 4 in the morning."
"Well, why don't you just go back to sleep and leave me to what ever it is I might be doing!"
"I doubt that's a good idea." He was managing well to maintain his calm exterior and could see the red hot anger boiling up behind Sway's contrasting icy eyes.
"OH FOR FUCKSAKES MEMPHIS!" She screamed at him "Quit with the preacher will you!" She stormed around the bed to where he was standing and snatched up her bag from his feet.
As she rose back up from the ground, Memphis grabbed her arm. She flipped her head up and looked scathingly into his eyes. She was breathing deeply, her hair all over her face, and Memphis could see the fire burning behind her gaze.
"Get the hell off me." She hissed through her teeth.
He prepared himself, and said in his quiet patronizing voice,
"No."
He managed to duck just in time to miss her right hook and clambered over the bed to the other side to avoid a second forceful swing.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!" She screamed
"What's wrong with me!?" His calm facade had cracked and Memphis decided it was time to let off his own steam "You're the one packing a bag at 4am in the Goddamn morning!"
"Yeah well," She picked up the bag from where she had dropped it and swung it over her shoulder "You don't have to worry about that anymore because I'm done!"
And with that she stormed from the room. Memphis suddenly felt a well of panic rise up inside him.
"Sway?" He jumped over the bed and followed her "Sway what are you doing?"
"Leaving Memphis. I would have thought that might have been obvious enough!"
"What!?" He ran and caught up with her before she reached the door "Where are you going? You can't!"
"Just watch me boy scout." She muttered as she began to unlock the front door.
"I won't let you go." He ran around in front of her and put himself between her and the door, his back pressed hard against it.
She closed her eyes and took a deep shaky breath.
"Move out of the way Memphis."
He shook his head "I'm not letting you out of here."
Her breathing started to increase again. "Move out, of the way."
"No."
"Memphis. Move out of the Goddamn way!" Her voice had started to rise again.
"I'm not going to let you just walk out!" He shouted back.
"DO YOU WANT ME TO SWING FOR YOU AGAIN!?"
"FINE!" Memphis threw his arms up in the air "HIT ME, SEE IF I GIVE A SHIT!"
"DON'T TEMPT ME MEMPHIS!"
"GO ON THEN!"
Sway drew back her arm in anger.
"You can hit me as hard as you like!" Memphis stared her right in the eye "But I'm never going to let you leave me like this!"
Sway drew shaky breaths through clenched teeth and pulled her fist back further. She looked into Memphis's desperate gaze and something inside her snapped. She couldn't stand this, deep inside him; she could see how panicked Memphis was that she might leave him.
Memphis drew a sigh of relief as he watched Sway's eyes soften and her hand drop to her side. She sunk to her knees and did something which terrified him to his very being. She cried.
He had seen her cry before, but never properly. This time it was more than just a few tears, she was really crying, really hurting. He dropped down with her.
"Sway? Baby?" he reached out to touch her arm, but she pushed him away.
"Get the hell away from me!"
"Sway." He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to encounter tear-streaked cheeks.
"I just can't do this Memphis." She sobbed, "I can't. I'm so sorry, I have to get out of here."
She reached up and brushed a light finger over his lips. "God Memphis, what did we do to deserve this?"
He shook his head gently and kissed the palm of her hand. "Please don't leave me Sway." He looked desperately into her eyes "I need you."
"I just can't do this Memphis, it's so hard! Seeing you and the guys brought into all this again. Kip was doing so well until all this started. I hate it!" She angrily brushed the tears from her face "And it's all because of me!"
Memphis shook his head again "How many times do I have to tell you Sway, it could have been any one of you! You're all just a way to get at me! You leaving won't stop anything, he'll just pick someone else."
"Yeah, but then it won't be my fault anymore will it? And I know that's so selfish of me, but I just can't sit back and watch all this happen."
"You don't think it's hard for me too!? When this actually is my fault!"
"Nobody blames you Memphis."
"Nobody blames you either!"
"Uggghhh!" Sway jumped to her feet in frustration, and was quickly followed by Memphis "We're just going round in circles here!"
He grabbed her hand "Please Sway. You can't go."
He stared at her imploringly for what seemed like a lifetime until she finally shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere Memphis."
"Oh thank God." He sighed pulling her into his arms.
She rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. How could she even consider doing this to him? She couldn't imagine her reaction if she woke up in the middle of the night to have him announce that he was leaving her. Something inside her clicked, she was never going to leave and doubted she could if she'd wanted to; she needed to do something about this.
Memphis lightly kissed the top of her head "I love you Sway, you know that right?" He mumbled into her hair "And you don't have to do this if you don't want to." She nodded gently "You can just stay here and have my dinner waiting for me when I get home!"
She pushed him backwards and playfully punched him in the shoulder "Dream on sweetheart!"
He smiled at her "You comin' back to bed baby?"
"Not yet." She said picking up her keys from the floor "I have to go do something first."
A look of alarm sprang behind his eyes. She held up her hands "Don't worry! I'm coming back." She handed him the hold-all "Unpack this for me will you?"
He leaned in and kissed her "With pleasure!"
Sway grinned and opened the door "I'll be back soon okay?"
"Okay." Memphis watched as the door swung shut behind her and then walked over to the couch, collapsing down into a seat. He sat back and closed his eyes, running his hands over his face, the realization of what he had almost lost washing over him. Johnny was going to pay for this.
The sound of Sway Corvette springing to life and pulling out of the lot below filled the room. Memphis knew exactly where she was going.
*** End chapter 8 ***
. 28 Hours to bet .
Something jarred Memphis awake. Dragging his mind from its hazy cloud of sleep, he groggily opened his eyes and tried to focus on the blinking red digits of his alarm clock. 4am. He rolled over to see what the hell was going on at 4 in the morning, only to encounter cool sheets besides him.
"Sway?" He mumbled.
"Go back to sleep Memphis." Sway voice drifted over from the other side of the room.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes, wondering why Sway was not where she should be, only to find her standing at their wardrobe, fully dressed, stuffing clothes into a small hold-all. Now he was awake.
"Sway what are you doing?" He asked warily.
"Nothing," she muttered indignantly "Go back to sleep."
The shit had hit the fan. Memphis knew it would soon enough. He pulled back the covers and rose from the bed.
"Sway." He said to her turned back.
She didn't reply, and instead continued to pull clothes from the closet and forcefully ram them into the black bag.
"Sway." He repeated.
"Go, back, to sleep." Sway voice had a tone to it now that Memphis knew all too well. She was trying intensely to keep her cool, and sounded as if she was talking through clenched teeth. Although it was suicide, he knew he had to keep pushing her, she needed to snap.
So he repeated in the same calm voice that grated on Sway so badly.
"Sway."
"WHAT!" She turned towards him, and threw the now full bag in his direction "What the hell do you want!?"
He raised his hands "I just want to know what you're doing, packing a hold- all at 4 in the morning."
"Well, why don't you just go back to sleep and leave me to what ever it is I might be doing!"
"I doubt that's a good idea." He was managing well to maintain his calm exterior and could see the red hot anger boiling up behind Sway's contrasting icy eyes.
"OH FOR FUCKSAKES MEMPHIS!" She screamed at him "Quit with the preacher will you!" She stormed around the bed to where he was standing and snatched up her bag from his feet.
As she rose back up from the ground, Memphis grabbed her arm. She flipped her head up and looked scathingly into his eyes. She was breathing deeply, her hair all over her face, and Memphis could see the fire burning behind her gaze.
"Get the hell off me." She hissed through her teeth.
He prepared himself, and said in his quiet patronizing voice,
"No."
He managed to duck just in time to miss her right hook and clambered over the bed to the other side to avoid a second forceful swing.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!" She screamed
"What's wrong with me!?" His calm facade had cracked and Memphis decided it was time to let off his own steam "You're the one packing a bag at 4am in the Goddamn morning!"
"Yeah well," She picked up the bag from where she had dropped it and swung it over her shoulder "You don't have to worry about that anymore because I'm done!"
And with that she stormed from the room. Memphis suddenly felt a well of panic rise up inside him.
"Sway?" He jumped over the bed and followed her "Sway what are you doing?"
"Leaving Memphis. I would have thought that might have been obvious enough!"
"What!?" He ran and caught up with her before she reached the door "Where are you going? You can't!"
"Just watch me boy scout." She muttered as she began to unlock the front door.
"I won't let you go." He ran around in front of her and put himself between her and the door, his back pressed hard against it.
She closed her eyes and took a deep shaky breath.
"Move out of the way Memphis."
He shook his head "I'm not letting you out of here."
Her breathing started to increase again. "Move out, of the way."
"No."
"Memphis. Move out of the Goddamn way!" Her voice had started to rise again.
"I'm not going to let you just walk out!" He shouted back.
"DO YOU WANT ME TO SWING FOR YOU AGAIN!?"
"FINE!" Memphis threw his arms up in the air "HIT ME, SEE IF I GIVE A SHIT!"
"DON'T TEMPT ME MEMPHIS!"
"GO ON THEN!"
Sway drew back her arm in anger.
"You can hit me as hard as you like!" Memphis stared her right in the eye "But I'm never going to let you leave me like this!"
Sway drew shaky breaths through clenched teeth and pulled her fist back further. She looked into Memphis's desperate gaze and something inside her snapped. She couldn't stand this, deep inside him; she could see how panicked Memphis was that she might leave him.
Memphis drew a sigh of relief as he watched Sway's eyes soften and her hand drop to her side. She sunk to her knees and did something which terrified him to his very being. She cried.
He had seen her cry before, but never properly. This time it was more than just a few tears, she was really crying, really hurting. He dropped down with her.
"Sway? Baby?" he reached out to touch her arm, but she pushed him away.
"Get the hell away from me!"
"Sway." He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to encounter tear-streaked cheeks.
"I just can't do this Memphis." She sobbed, "I can't. I'm so sorry, I have to get out of here."
She reached up and brushed a light finger over his lips. "God Memphis, what did we do to deserve this?"
He shook his head gently and kissed the palm of her hand. "Please don't leave me Sway." He looked desperately into her eyes "I need you."
"I just can't do this Memphis, it's so hard! Seeing you and the guys brought into all this again. Kip was doing so well until all this started. I hate it!" She angrily brushed the tears from her face "And it's all because of me!"
Memphis shook his head again "How many times do I have to tell you Sway, it could have been any one of you! You're all just a way to get at me! You leaving won't stop anything, he'll just pick someone else."
"Yeah, but then it won't be my fault anymore will it? And I know that's so selfish of me, but I just can't sit back and watch all this happen."
"You don't think it's hard for me too!? When this actually is my fault!"
"Nobody blames you Memphis."
"Nobody blames you either!"
"Uggghhh!" Sway jumped to her feet in frustration, and was quickly followed by Memphis "We're just going round in circles here!"
He grabbed her hand "Please Sway. You can't go."
He stared at her imploringly for what seemed like a lifetime until she finally shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere Memphis."
"Oh thank God." He sighed pulling her into his arms.
She rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. How could she even consider doing this to him? She couldn't imagine her reaction if she woke up in the middle of the night to have him announce that he was leaving her. Something inside her clicked, she was never going to leave and doubted she could if she'd wanted to; she needed to do something about this.
Memphis lightly kissed the top of her head "I love you Sway, you know that right?" He mumbled into her hair "And you don't have to do this if you don't want to." She nodded gently "You can just stay here and have my dinner waiting for me when I get home!"
She pushed him backwards and playfully punched him in the shoulder "Dream on sweetheart!"
He smiled at her "You comin' back to bed baby?"
"Not yet." She said picking up her keys from the floor "I have to go do something first."
A look of alarm sprang behind his eyes. She held up her hands "Don't worry! I'm coming back." She handed him the hold-all "Unpack this for me will you?"
He leaned in and kissed her "With pleasure!"
Sway grinned and opened the door "I'll be back soon okay?"
"Okay." Memphis watched as the door swung shut behind her and then walked over to the couch, collapsing down into a seat. He sat back and closed his eyes, running his hands over his face, the realization of what he had almost lost washing over him. Johnny was going to pay for this.
The sound of Sway Corvette springing to life and pulling out of the lot below filled the room. Memphis knew exactly where she was going.
*** End chapter 8 ***