Chapter 8

"Of course I heard you." Her lips slowly touched his. Their kiss was deep and passionate. His hands tangled in her hair, but all the while he was careful of her bruises.

When the kiss ended, he just held her. "Do you know how long I've wanted to do that?"

"The real question is: do you know how long I've waited for you to see me as more than your partner?" His heart beating against her ear lulled the trembling in her soul.

He smiled against her hair and whispered, "You're the only one that can put me in my place," he tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. "And get away with it."

She smiled. "Because you know I'm usually right."

"That you are." He kissed her nose.

"You'll go with me, right?" She said as her fingers stroked his lips. "I mean not in to see the doctor, but with me."

"If that's what you need to get through this…yes." He kissed her tenderly.

"And us?" She asked when the kiss broke.

"We'll make it through this…and anything else that life throws at us." He took her hand in his and held in to his heart.

Alex let him hold her hand, but only for a moment. When she pulled away, it wasn't quick, but she had to keep reminding herself that it was Bobby and Bobby would never hurt her. "I'll just go shower...get changed...I'll be quick." She tried to smile.

Once the bathroom door closed behind her, she slumped against it. Her whole body trembled. She turned the water to scalding and quickly removed her clothes. She stepped under the torrents of water and let the heat engulf her. Picking up her scrub puff she lathered on soap and tried once again to remove the remaining shame off of her skin.

She let the tears once again mingle with the water. She kept quiet by biting her fist as she stood beneath the water until it turned ice cold. She toweled off quickly and dressed in layers. She was so cold deep down in her soul that the scalding heat of the water or Bobby couldn't touch it.

She found him looking through an old family photo album when she emerged. "Ready?" she asked quietly.

He looked with a smile until he saw her reddened skin, that is the skin that he could see. "I'm ready…You?" He walked to her and wiped away an escaped tear.

She took his hand and squeezed it hard. "No, but I have to be." He held his arms out to her and she stepped into his embrace.

He held her face in his hands and spoke softly, "Alex, he's not going to hurt you anymore and you didn't do anything wrong…scrubbing him off…" He pulled up her sleeve. "This…baby…you can't keep doing this."

"I know," came her whispered reply.