Ten days had passed since the awkward time spent with Gerry in the office and each day had ended the same for Sandra; crying on the sofa with a glass of wine and tonight was no different.

She had just collapsed in an exhausted heap on the sofa when the doorbell rang. She sighed and got up with her frustration being reflected in her movements. The harsh actions managed to knock her fresh glass of wine all over the fluffy white carpet; staining it a dark crimson colour and littering it with little glass shards, reflecting the light like tiny diamonds. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she made her way to the front door. The minute she opened the door, the colour began to drain from her face and she couldn't help but stare at her visitor and what they were looking at.

Gerry sighed as he knocked on the door of Sandra's house. He hadn't been able to pluck up the courage to come and see her until today; hoping that ten days was enough for them both to slightly forget about their encounter. He was shaken out of his thoughts by a faint crash followed by the hallway being lit up. It wasn't long before the front door was opened and he couldn't believe his eyes. This wasn't the same Sandra he knew from work. This Sandra had red, puffy eyes which were filling with salty tears quicker than he ever thought it could happen. It was only a split second before he noticed the rest of her appearance. His eyes were immediately drawn to her exposed arms. Faint and harsh red and purple wounds scattered her skin like freckles. As he returned his gaze to her face, he noticed that her usual slightly tanned complexion had been replaced by a much paler one.

As she began to slam the door in his face, he placed his foot on the threshold. The bottom edge of the door hit the side of his foot with force and he knew full well that it would leave a bruise as the best ending and a bone fracture as the worst.

"No Sandra. I know you like to shut everyone out, myself and your mother included, but this has to stop now."

He gently pushed open the front door, realising that her strength was only temporary. He quickly ushered himself inside and closed the door behind him. Tears began to cascade down her cheeks quicker than before. He didn't know what to do, other than open his arms and hope Sandra would accept the hug. The minute his arms had opened, she had collapsed into him; sobbing rapidly. Her arms wrapped around him tightly; clinging to him like he was her only chance at surviving. He softly returned the gesture and held her close. He could feel her tears beginning to soak through the thin material of his shirt and dampen his chest hair but he didn't care.

He gently pressed a kiss to the side of her head and sighed, "Sandra, why didn't you say anything?"

She shook her head against him and continued to sob until her heart couldn't take it anymore. He knew better than to push her; following her previous outbursts at work when she was no where near this broken. Gerry didn't know what to do other than lead her through back to her living room and sit her back down on the sofa.

Sandra couldn't process what had just happened. Had she actually been that stupid? She knew never to let herself answer the door without a jacket otherwise this would happen. She let Gerry lead her through her hallway. What was the point anymore? Her chest was physically hurting from her breakdown as Gerry held her.

Gerry had sat next to her after cleaning up the glass shards on the rug. He didn't know how to approach this situation, he'd never been in anything similar before. He may have come across similar elements in cases before, yet he didn't know how to cope when it was someone he cared about.

"Sandra.."

He looked up from his lap only to be faced with an empty seat. He turned around to find the source of a crash his ears seem to have missed. His heart broke at the sound of sobs coming from behind the kitchen island. He cautiously moved closer to her cries. Tiptoeing over the remains of at least 3 mugs, he finally got to Sandra. She was slumped on the cold kitchen tiles against the cupboards with her knees pressed to her chest and her head in her arms, facing the floor. It wasn't until Gerry sat next to her that he noticed the small splashes of the familiar scarlet liquid on the tile in between the pair. He slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug.

It wasn't until the moment an arm wrapped it's self around her shoulder that she remembered Gerry was in the house. Everything since the moment he released her from the hug was a blur to her. It felt like only minutes had passed since she slumped down on the floor however a glance at the clock quickly proved her wrong.

2.45am

Had she really been sat on the floor for over almost 5 hours? She allowed herself to study her surroundings. She noticed the pieces of ceramic surrounding her and Gerry, almost covering her entire kitchen floor. She sighed knowing that they would mean she would have new injuries to clean. She cautiously looked towards Gerry; scared of his reaction to the mess she had made. A breath of relief escaped her lips as she heard him softly snore. His arm was no longer around her which allowed her to slowly get to her feet. Each movement she made was almost silent, with the exception of her sweeping up the ceramic shards into a neat pile in the corner of the kitchen.

She quietly opened one of the kitchen cupboards and retrieved the first aid kit. With each action she made, she glanced over at the sleeping man in the corner. She didn't want him to find out this way. If he had to know, she would have preferred to tell him herself. Her sharp intakes of air made toned down hissing sounds, much like those of young snakes. She sighed and held her face in her hands.

"Sandra? What are you doing?"

She turned to look at Gerry. If it wasn't for the slight creases in his shirt and the stiffness in his movements, she never would have guessed he had been sleeping. He straightened his shirt out and swept himself down before sitting in the chair next to her at the breakfast bar. He placed two cups of coffee down in front of them and smiled at her.

"When did you boil the kettle?"

She gave him a small smile in return.

"Sandra, do you have these blanks often?"

She held the mug in front of her with both hands and looked down into it.

"They aren't really blanks. I don't lose time, I just can't focus on anything around me other than me."

"And your thoughts?"

She looked at him to meet his gaze and nodded. He picked up the antiseptic wipes on the counter and held his hand out for her. She reluctantly let him clean both arms, making sure all wounds (both new and old) had been looked after.

"Have you slept?"

He was asking whatever he could to try and get some answers without pushing her too hard as he tidied away. She shook her head and finished the remaining coffee in her mug before placing it in the sink alongside Gerry's already finished mug.

"Would you like me to stay with you?"

She nodded slowly and allowed him to follow her to the sofa. She didn't want to go upstairs tonight. The very little energy she had went into getting to the sofa. She sat with her knees to one side, and rested her head on a pillow she placed on the arm. Gerry gently covered her with a blanket and sat in the armchair opposite. It wasn't long before he succumbed to his exhaustion. Sandra sighed and closed her eyes, hoping for at least some rest for what remained of the night.