Chapter 7: Words Unspoken
Raven clapped a hand over her mouth in shock and backed up into the hallway where she could not be seen from the stairs.
'How could she, she- this whole time.' Raven leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Moments later she heard the door shut and felt a hand on her shoulder. Raven opened her eyes and looked up, "this whole time?" she asked slowly, shaking with anger, not wanting to believe the truth. Roy looked down at the floor and sigh, "yeah." Raven shook his hand off her shoulder and pushed past him heading down the stairs.
Kori parked her black Mercedes in her two car garage and walked up the stairs to her front door, her mind still spinning from today's events. It was 6:00 P.M and almost dark already. After her visit with Richard she rushed to Jennifer and Wally's house for a visit, they were always good for a laugh, and boy did she need one. She thought back to there wedding last year.
As soon as she opened the door she froze.
If looks could kill, she would have dropped to the floor instantly. "Raven?" Raven stood in the middle of the foyer her anger rising with each passing second. She could barely control herself anymore, 'and that bitch had the nerve to yell and me, she's known for years, I've known for 3 days!"
Raven stomped up to Kori and in one swift, experienced motion brought her hand back and then slapped it across Kori's cheek. Kori stumbled back and gripped the door frame for support. Her other hand gripped her red, hot, stinging cheek. Kori looked up, tears threatening to fall. She looked into Raven's eyes, they were so full of hurt and betrayal and…anger.
"Go to hell!" Raven screamed running down the stairs and into the dark night.
Raven ran down the street trying to think of a place to go. She couldn't go home, at least not yet Kori would look for her there 'and I bet that backstabber told him where I lived too. I need to find a place neither of them will ever think to look.'
Raven suddenly knew where to go, but first she had to go home and get her car.
Raven pulled her silver Honda into Jump City Hospital's parking lot. She jumped out of her car and pushed open the big heavy glass doors. She ran up to the secretary's desk and banged on the wooden top.
The woman looked up from her paperwork and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I need to see Richard Grayson," Raven said panting.
The woman blinked a few time, registering what she had said, "Uh, yes of course, he-he's on the top floor in the first suite. "Thanks," Raven replied rushing towards the elevator.
Raven slowly opened the door to the huge, spacious room. She saw a huge window half open letting the cold night air fill the room. The lights were off and the shadow from the huge plasma screen television painted the wall shades of purple, black and blue.
She walked up to the bed her black heels clicking softly against the white tile floor. She looked down at Richard sleeping silently, she sigh in relief that he wasn't hurt as bad as the news was making it seem.
She looked at the IV in his arm, the sling on his other arm and the bandages on his forehead. 'I never thought I'd see him of all people like this, I'd hate to wake him…'
"Richard!" she whispered loudly. He stirred but only turned his head away from the noise. Raven rolled her eyes and sigh loudly. She gripped his shoulder and shook him softly careful not to hurt him. "Richard," she whispered again slightly louder.
Richard mumbled and squeezed his eyes shut; he shook slightly and opened his eyes. "Richard, you awake?" "Raven?" "Yeah, it's me, I need a favor." "Turn on the light."
Raven walked over to the other side of the room and moved the switch up slowly so his eyes could adjust to the different levels of brightness. She looked over at him and saw him struggling to side upright.
Raven walked over to his and help him sit up, "thanks," he said with a small smile. "No, problem," she replied as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.
"Now, what did you say about needing a favor," Richard looked up at her curiously.
"I know it may be a lot to ask but, I need a place to stay, a place where no one will find me. Think I could stay with you, ya know, for old time's sake."
Kori sat on the edge of her bed starring at the floor. Roy silently walked into the room slipping a glass of white wine into her hand. "I'm a horrible person." Kori stated, her eyes not moving from the floor.
"No you're not Kori," Roy said sitting next to her and slipping his hand up her back and onto her shoulders. Roy rubbed her shoulders moving his head close to her ear. His warm breathe tickled her neck. "You're an amazing person Kori."
Kori took a small sip of her wine, "I'm a liar. Raven trusted me and I betrayed her, she had every right to do what she did. And if she does not want to speak to me ever again, then I wouldn't blame her.
"You know that Raven doesn't know the whole story. You know that Gar wasn't thinking straight. Overdosing will do that to you. It wasn't enough to kill him thank G-d, but it was enough to make him delusional. Raven doesn't know that."
Kori looked down.
"But," Roy continued squeezing her shoulders slightly, "what she does know is that you're her best friend and you would never hurt her or let anyone else hurt her."
Richard looked up and blinked several times. "Sure Raven, wh-whatever you want, you're always welcome to stay at my place." "Palace is more like it," Raven mumbled. Richard grinned and looked at the night stand at his keys and wallet. Richard gestured towards the nightstand and Raven grabbed the keys.
"Thank you so much, I know I owe you an explanation and trust me you'll get one." Raven said as she stood up and headed for the door.
"Raven?" Richard yelled from his bed, "yeah?" Raven asked from the doorway. "Can I ask you something?' Raven looked at his concerned face; his smile had vanished as fast as it had appeared. Raven's face became solemn as she walked back into the room and sat on the edge of the bed.
She sighed heavily. "What would you like to ask me Richard?" she looked away already dreading the question.
"Before I ask, I need the truth," he reached up and turned her face toward him, "the whole truth."
Raven closed her eyes and nodded. "I promise," she whispered.
Richard sighed and looked down, "what happened to my child?"
Garfield and Victor sat in an almost vacant diner in jump city a few blocks from Victor's house. "I don't know what to do Vic," Gar looked down at his coffee and ran a hand through his unruly brown hair.
"You just have to let her go, I mean I know you didn't mean what ya did but…"Vic trailed off and looked down at his hand and fiddled with his wedding ring.
At this statement Gar jumped up from his seat, "I love her Vic! I can't just let her go, I never thought I'd see her again," Gar sat down and lowered his voice to just above a whisper, "and now that she's actually here…I need to tell her, she needs to know. But how do I get through to her? How do I explain?"
"She's needs time." Victor said looking up at him. "I've given her time! Its been years!" Garfield yelled in anger, causing the few customers in the establishment to turn as stare.
"Well, maybe she needs more."
"I can't do that Vic, she needs to know, now." He whispered solemnly.
Kori pulled into the driveway of a two-story brick Split. She jumped out of her car and ran up the driveway. She rang the bell hurriedly and knocked fiercely, bouncing the heels on her shoes on the brick stair repeatedly. 'Please be home, please.'
Suddenly to Kori's relief the door opened. "Who's-" before she could finish her sentence she woman was wrapped in a tight hug. "Karen, thank goodness you're home, I really need to speak to you."
Raven took Richard's hand in her own. "It's not my place to say. I know I made a promise to you but I made a promise to her that-" "No! I need to know" he yelled staring her down.
"You would have if you would have been there. You were her hero, her Prince Charming and what you did to her was awful. She planned on raising that baby with you. After we all went out separate way she still wanted to."
"She wasn't going to give the baby away?" "No, she wanted that baby. She blames herself for that miscarriage, but it's not her fault it's that-" Raven froze she knew she had already said too much. "Look, if you want to know what happened take it up with Kori, like I said, it's not my place. I'm not going to speak for her. Now can I go, I have to still go home and get some things and I don't want anyone to be there when I am. Thanks for doing this for me Richard. You don't have even the slightest idea how important this is to me."
Raven ran through her front door into her house, which wasn't far from the hospital and grabbed a suitcase. She ran around the living room and bathroom grabbing toiletries and the some books and her laptop from the living room.
Then she headed for her bedroom. She pushed the door open and stopped dead in her tracks. Dropping the bags she turned to run when she was grabbed by the wrists and pulled into the room.
Kori quietly sipped that coffee Karen had made for her. "Where did she go?" "I don't know Bee, I just hope she's okay. I know Raven and she doesn't think very clearly when she's angry."
Kori felt tears sting her eyes and she held her hands to her eyes and tilted her head up. She shook her head slightly and then retrieved her coffee cup off the table in the dinning room once again.
Karen sat across from her and ran her right index finger around the edge of the mug. "Maybe she went home?" "She wouldn't because she would know that I would look there." "Have you?" "I drove by and her car wasn't there so I assumed she had taken it and left somewhere, somewhere where I cannot find her." Kori looked down in regret.
Realization hit Kori and she shot up from the sofa and rushed out the door. "Hey, Kori where ya going?"
Raven flailed her arms shaking the man's grip. "Let me go, why can't you just leave me alone?" She screamed running towards the door. He once again grabbed her arm. "Beast Boy I don't want to see you! I hate you! I'll always hate you for what you did!" His eyes widened and he let go of her arm causing her to slam into the wall. She turned around and looked at his face.
Raven looked into all the hurt in his eyes and for a second wanted nothing more than to be able to comfort him, to tell him everything was alright. 'But everything is not alright, he doesn't want to love me, he wants to kill me. He has unfinished business to take care of.'
"Why are you here?" she asked sternly slowly stepping towards the door and grabbing the handle of the door behind her back.
"I need to make you understand, you need to understand!" he said loudly taking a step forward causing her to grip the door tighter. He flinched at the sign of fear she exhibited when he stepped closer to her.
"That night," he began with a sigh, "something happened before you came into the picture…
something that I regret."
Kori slowly opened the heavy wooden door and crept into the large room. She slowly went over to the bed hesitating more and more with each step. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly.
"Richard, I need your help."
I know this is a short chapter but it's just setting the scene for the next chapter-PROMISE!
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