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"Ready to go?" Lisa called through the door. I pulled myself to my feet and flushed away the evidence.
"Just a minute!" I rinsed out my mouth out, the bitter taste of vomit lurking at the back of my throat. I took one last glance at my broken reflection in the mirror. A stranger stared back, a pale, unfamiliar ghost of what I have become. 'This isn't me' I thought.
This isn't me...

Lisa
When Remy had mentioned going back to her apartment once she'd been discharged, both me and Allison refused point blank. We told her that the police were still using it for evidence, but the truth was that we didn't want her going back to a place with so many bad memories lurking in every damn crevice. We half convinced-half bullied her into agreeing to come and live with me for a while. She reluctantly conceded in the end, and I watched her as she packed her pain meds. Her eyes met mine and she flashed me a coerced smile. I took her bag from her unresisting hand and we left together.
She looked around the bustling entrance of the hospital, and I could tell quite clearly what she was thinking; that despite all the pain she'd been put through, life had still gone on with or without her. At home a pile of mail would be waiting at her doorstep, the books she had borrowed from the library would still be collecting overdue fines on them, and the bus that she passed almost every day on her way to work would still be on its usual route.
"Ready?" I asked softly. She nibbled her lip, but nodded.

Allison joined us that evening. I ordered pizza, and we all squished up on the sofa to watch TV. Remy was sandwiched between us; we served as a kind of barrier against all the malice and corruption in the world. When the food came, she politely excused herself and went to the bathroom. She emerged several minutes later, her face flushed and sweaty. Me and Allison exchanged a glance but said nothing. Remy didn't eat anything in the end and instead stared intently at her clasped hands. Her head was starting to loll forwards, so much so that she was in danger of falling off of the sofa. Allison gently pulled her sideways until Remy was lying with her head in Allison's lap. She stroked her back and traced her spine and ribcage absent-mindedly. We both watched her sleep- fitfully, but at least detached from the cold, bitter harshness that was, unfortunately, reality.

I was standing in the middle of the room, totally naked, my hands interlocked and resting on the back of my head. I had been standing there, demeaned and more embarrassed than I ever thought possible, for nearly an hour when I heard the creak of a door opening. Instantly, both my pulse and breathing escalated. I didn't dare turn round, so instead I watched Sean's shadow pace tauntingly back and forth on the floor in front of me. Neither one of us uttered a single word, the only noise in the room being Sean's heavy boots clunking on the floorboards. Every muscle in my body tensed in dreaded anticipation.
Finally, when he was right up in my face, our eyes connected. His cold, humourless blue eyes penetrated my own.
And then he growled the words I will remember for the rest of my life.
"Get down on your knees and beg, bitch."

I woke covered in sweat, tears pouring down my flushed face. My head (rather embarrassingly) was in Allison's lap, and both her and Lisa were leaning over me, concern etched on their faces. I shivered involuntarily, and Lisa reached over to place a hand on my cheek.
"Your burning up." she announced, and Allison juggled me around in her arms while at the same time trying to peel of my jacket.
Lisa got to her feet and went in search of a thermometer.
And I closed my eyes and said nothing.

***

The next morning I was woken at half past two by a raging, agonising pain in my abdomen. I gasped and dragged myself upwards, feeling as if a red hot poker was digging through my insides. I kneaded my fist into my side, and pulled myself from my bed on the sofa. I only got halfway to the bathroom when I was violently sick. I flopped onto the hardwood floor, writhing in the blinding pain and crying bitterly.
"Lisa!" I rasped, my lips not quite able to form the words. Silence. She hadn't heard me. I rolled over clutching my stomach, as something inside of me 'broke' and what I presumed to be blood trickled down my thighs. I took a deep breath in, and screamed. "LISA!" She was by my side in a heartbeat, a hand to my sweaty forehead.
"I sorry" I cried. "I made a mess. I sorry!" Lisa shook her head.
"It doesn't matter now. Can you sit up?" I shook my head, and screamed as a fresh wash of agony attacked my body. Cuddy swore, and half carried me to the bathroom, where she peeled back my pyjama pants and wiped me down with a damp cloth.
"Try to stay still honey." I let myself go limp, tears streaming down my flushed face. I felt sleepy, and I could feel my eyes starting to droop like a Basset Hound's.
"Remy? Remy!" Lisa sounded panicked. "Stay with me baby, okay? Just stay with me..." I tried to keep my eyes open and watched her as she ran for the phone to call an ambulance. I couldn't hear what she said, and I was too delirious to work out what was happening for myself. When she came back she took me into my arms and stroked my hair; and despite her protests, I fell into a welcome sleep.

Someone's shouting my name. I can hear it. But I don't want to acknowledge it. So instead I groan and turn over sleepily, only to be pulled back. My hands, my feet, they are being strapped in.
Oh God. He's back. He's going to kill me. No, please, no.
I scream, loudly, but instead of the excruciating pain I am anticipating, a pair of gentle hands gently shake me by the shoulders.
So I open my eyes.

Lisa stood over me, tears slowly tracing lines down her pale cheeks. I tried to reach out and brush them away, only to find that I was strapped to my bed. I clenched my fists, feeling trapped and betrayed.
"Gettem off me" I mumble through my oxygen mask. I hadn't been tied up that way since Sean, and I was unwilling to have to go through it again. Lisa looked away, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry, we didn't want to have to do it. But you were moving too much, and we couldn't help you because we couldn't wake you, and..." her voice just trailed off.

"Fuck, bitch!" Sean cursed as my leg spasmodically swung backwards and accidentally hit him. "You're in for it now." He yanked me up by my hair, ripped the shirt off my back and threw me back down. I cried out in pain I hit the paved floor, a bone in my arm cracking under the force. I watched nervously as he searched around in his wardrobe for a minute, eventually pulling a few lengths of rope out. He tied my wrists to the leg of the sofa and slowly unlooped his belt from his trousers. I turned away and stared at the floor, trying to block out the excruciating pain.
He pulled his arm all the way past his shoulder, and brought the belt down with a 'SWISH' and a sickening 'CRACK'.

"What's wrong with me?" I gasped through the pain still gnawing at my insides. I clenched and unclenched my fists. Lisa sat down on the side of my bed.
"You had an ectopic pregnancy sweetie. We're about to prep you for emergency surgery." Tears stung my eyes. I hadn't even known I was pregnant. This was the second baby I'd lost before my thirtieth birthday. I felt numb all over; I was mildly aware of Lisa attempting to comfort me but nothing could pull my mind away from this horrible, tortuous hurt. I was angry. I was upset. And before I knew it, I was being anaesthetised and was fading into unconsciousness.

Meh. So much drama!
I don't know if this has crossed your minds yet, but this is thoroughly unrealistic. I'm turning House into a frigging soap! (Sorry!)
Anyway, I tried to make this chapter longer than usual but failed miserably.

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