He runs. For a long time. Until he no longer knows where he is. He collapses. Falls to his knees. His side is killing him. Then he yells. Her name. Over and over. When he stops, his throat is raw and all his tears are gone. For the longest time, He doesn't move. He can't.
The sun starts setting and Kristoff realizes that he should walk home. But his muscles don't cooperate. He tries to stand but a sharp pain breaks through his abdomen, he crumples to the ground and gasps for air. When he starts to shake, that's when he realizes something's wrong.
Anna sits on the couch slowly as the house reverberates with the slam of the door. The world starts spinning. She can hear the pounding of her brain inside her head. The sting of her tears running down her hot cheeks. Now you did it! You scared away the one person that was ever there for you.
That's when she starts to sob again. She realizes what she just did. She lost the best thing that had ever happened to her. Not because he wanted to leave. But because she didn't want to find out what would happen if he stayed.
The next day Anna doesn't go to school. Elsa left just before lunch yesterday, to travel to Europe for business. Anna fell asleep on the couch last night, crying and not knowing what to do. Now she sits, with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, on the balcony on the second floor wondering where Kristoff is.
He lays in a hospital bed with a fever. Every once in awhile he coughs up blood. His doctor checks in on him every so often, while his mom is asleep in the chair next to his bed. He knows how stupid it was to run on the night of being released from the hospital. And now he's back in. Because he has feelings for a girl who doesn't want him in her life.
When Kristoff's Mother pulls into the driveway she is greeted by a redhead sitting on the steps of the Bjorgman household. She gets out of the car and and walks over to Anna, who is holding on to her necklace for dear life. Anna looks up and smiles.
"Mrs. Bjorgman!" Anna squeals as she gets pulled into the bigger woman's arms.
"Anna dear! I was wondering when I would hear from you." Anna's smile falters.
"What do you mean?" She asks. Kristoff's mom releases her from her arms.
"I thought he would have told you." Anna stares confused at the her. "He's been in the hospital. For a week now." Anna's heart sinks.
"Wh-what?" She stutters. "A-A week?" She puts her hand on her chest, like it might stop her heart from falling into pieces. "What happened to him?"
"He was doing too much physical activity when he came home from the hospital. He ran for about 40 minutes that night. He hasn't said much since then, not that he really can, since the doctor says something is wrong with his lungs and-" Mrs. Bjorman gets slightly teary-eyed. "Sorry Honey, I don't mean to cry." At this point Anna's own eyes are damp, and a few tears have escaped her grasp. She shakes her head and wipes away some of her tears.
"No-no I understand. It's fine." Anna looks at their car, in the backseat Sven is lying down looking very upset. She points in the window. "Can I see him?" Mrs. Bjorman smiles and nods to Anna, who smiles back and opens the car door. She kneels on the ground, Sven perks up a little and jumps out of the car. "Hey Buddy," Sven rubs his head against Anna's hand.
"He hasn't seen him all week." Anna continues petting him. "The hospital won't let him in." Anna gasps.
"That's just terrible!" She looks back down to the dog. "I bet you miss him don't you." Sven wines and then lays down, his head on Anna's lap. "Sorry Sven. If it weren't for me, Kristoff would be here playing with you right now."
"Anna, it wasn't your fault-"
"But it was. He came over when he got out of the hospital. I told him to leave. He ran away from me." Her head falls into her hands and she begins to breath through the tears. As hard as it is, she controls herself. "Why am I so stupid? He is the only person who has ever really cared about what I felt, and I just watched him leave." She looks up at Kristoff's Mom, yearning for an answer.
"Sweetheart, sometimes we make bad choices, especially when we are scared or stressed. I think he will understand."
"Why-" He stops before his voice changes pitch. Anna looks up at him.
"I didn't know what I wanted." She doesn't move from her spot at the door. "But I will explain," She turns her eyes back to the ground. "I owe you that."
Kristoff stay quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry." His eyes are closed and he whispers, while his voice is scratchy and hoarse. "I'm sorry that I tried to push you into telling me what happened. It was wrong of me, and you don't owe me anything." Anna takes a step closer to him and he looks up at her, tears in his eyes. She sighs and walks over to his bed.
"Kristoff I owe you everything." She sits with her hands in her lap. "After everything you have done," She pauses to look into his eyes. "you almost died," She looks away. "Twice."
"Anna stop-" His voice is low but firm.
"No." She says firmly and he shuts up. "I still don't understand why you have been so nice to me when I wasn't very pleasant towards you. But I didn't come here to question you I came here to explain what happened to me."
"You don't have to Anna. I understand-I shouldn't have asked you in the first place."
"I want to tell you. I need to tell you." He slips his hand into hers.
"If you insist Anna." He smiles sadly at her. She takes a deep breath, bracing herself for the tears that she is certain will fall.
"It happened right before school started. Elsa was away for business regarding my parents company. I was home alone. The door was unlocked, so he just came in. Hans had been at a party and he had been drinking, I could smell it on his breath when he forced himself on me. I asked him what he was doing and told him to get off but he slapped me. Hard." Kristoff's jaw clenches and he holds Anna's hand a little tighter. "I tried-tried so hard to push him away from me but it was no use. He grabbed me by my hair and dragged me to my room. After that I didn't know what was happening, I knew it was bad, I could feel him touching me, and I remember screaming but his hand came over my mouth." One tear runs down her cheek. "I remember his voice was so rough in my ear and he said 'If you tell anyone, Elsa won't be as lucky as you.' before he-" Her voice shattered. His heart did as well, the only thing holding them together was their tight grip on each others hand. "I couldn't let him hurt her Kris." Kristoff nods his head and wipes away some of the tears she shed.
"He will not get away with this Anna." She looks up at him, desperately searching his eyes for a reason that he would want to help her.
"Kristoff, Why-why have you been so understanding to me? So kind? So willing to be there for me?" Kristoff goes back and forth in his head about whether or not to tell her how he really feels. He lets his head fall to his chest and his eyes close. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong. Anna, we are friends right?"
"Of course we are Kristoff, Why-" Anna is cut off by Kristoff's finger to her lips.
"Then why would I have a problem? I have you safe and sound, in my arms-away from that monster. Life is okay." She was surprised at his words, and for a moment all she could focus on was him and his voice. She forgot about everything, about Hans and what he had done to her, what he had done to both of them. She forgot about Elsa and the dread of telling her that she was pregnant. She forgot about all the worries of having a child, and being a single mother at the mere age of 16. All of the horrible, negative things in her life-gone because of Kristoff's soft and caring voice. Tears form in the corner of her eyes and a smile grows on her face as she realizes how happy she is here with Kristoff. The door of the room flies open to reveal a sufficiently pissed off Hans.
