Chapter 13: Selling the Drama

"There is no refuge from memory and remorse in this world. The spirits of our foolish deeds haunt us, with or without repentance." –Gilbert Parker

EPOV

Panic. Rage. Regret. Terror. I felt all of those things as time seemed to creep along. No matter how heavy my foot was on the accelerator, it felt like I was barely moving. Thank fuck I knew how to take corners at high speeds or I would have skidded out of control long before my car came screeching to a stop in front of the shop. From the outside, everything looked normal, minus the light that was on inside.

I grabbed my phone out off the passenger's seat and threw the driver's side door open. My gut told me not to touch anything and that I should probably wait for the cops to arrive before going inside but I needed to see for myself if Sookie was okay. I had screamed into my phone for a good thirty seconds, hoping that if I shouted loud enough she would magically reconnect on the other end of the line.

Why the fuck didn't I lock the fucking door?

All of this could have been avoided if I had just put the fucking key in the lock, and made sure Sookie was locked inside. It wasn't as if she would need a key to get out if there was a fire or something. It was pure stupidity on my part. She could have been…

The door opened easily when I yanked on it and I stormed inside without much thought as to whether or not the intruders might still be inside. I went straight for the counter where I kept a loaded revolver tucked away under the register. Sookie didn't know that, of course, and I was kicking myself for not telling her about the gun, or the panic button. Had she hit that, a silent alarm would have been triggered and police would have responded before the assholes who broke in would be able to escape.

Fuck, shit, fuck.

I stopped short when I saw Sookie's purse overturned on the floor, pennies, chap stick, her mini makeup bag and a bottle of perfume were scattered on the floor. I was willing to bet her wallet was missing. Fuckers. In the back I could see one of the glass cases had been smashed and since it was all where the rarities were kept, I knew whoever had stolen what was in there had made off with several thousand dollars worth of merchandise.

But what really got me was the foot sticking out from behind the counter. My heart stopped in my chest. My vision started to cloud and then tunnel. I staggered over to where Sookie was laying and I felt my stomach turn. She was face down on the cold, hard tile. Her skirt was up and I nearly threw up at the thought that she might have been sexually assaulted.

Blood was pooled around her, dripping from a cut somewhere on her head. No doubt she'd been pistol whipped, at the very least. Sirens screaming in the distance were getting closer. I wanted to get down on the ground and touch her but I wouldn't jeopardize her health because I was afraid for her. I backed my way out of the store with my hands up and waited for the police to arrive.

I don't even know what I said to them when they showed up. All I could remember saying was, "Please just get my girlfriend out of there."

I was being asked a million questions and all I wanted was to get in the back of the ambulance with Sookie. Fuck the shop and everything in it. I called Chow to get his ass down there to deal with the cops so I could go with Sookie. He knew more about what would be missing from the case than I would. He was furious with me for waking him up but when I told him what happened, he cursed in his native tongue and promised to be at the shop in five minutes.

Paramedics loaded a still unconscious Sookie onto a stretcher and it was obvious the detectives were pissed when I ditched them to go with Sookie, but I didn't care. There was plenty of time to answer questions later. The important thing was making sure Sookie was okay.

"Can I hold her hand?" I asked the EMT who was relaying Sookie's vital signs to whoever she was talking to at the hospital. She nodded and I grabbed Sookie's hand. It was lifeless.

"Sookie, baby, can you hear me?" I leaned closer to her. "Please open your eyes."

Nothing.

I kissed the back of her hand and kept my eyes on her face. I apologized to her over and over again. God I was such a fucktard! How could I have been so damn stupid as to leave the fucking door unlocked?

When we got to the hospital I was told I had to wait in the waiting room and since I wasn't a blood relative of hers, nor was I her husband, the staff wouldn't be able to update me on her condition. I thanked God Jason had given me his phone number at Alcide's wedding and even though it was almost eleven o'clock, I called him. If nothing else, he had the right to know his sister had been attacked.

"Hello?" His sleepy voice was raspy as fuck.

"Jason, its Eric. I know it's late but Sookie's in the hospital. I need you to get over here right away," I told him.

"What? What happened?" Jason was alarmingly more alert.

"She was in my shop and someone broke in. She's just knocked out but the doctors won't tell me anything and I need to know if she's okay," I was on the verge of tears for the second time. My next call was going to be to my father.

"Which hospital?" Jason asked.

I gave him the information and he promised he'd be there as soon as possible. My call waiting beeped and it was Chow on the other line. I clicked over to find out what he wanted and not too surprisingly, he didn't really care about Sookie. He was more concerned with what had been taken.

"Looks like they got everything that was in that case. I pulled the security tapes for the cops so they could have a look." Chow informed me. "They want to see you first thing in the morning but I think one of the guys is on his way over right now."

"Great," I sighed. "Anything else missing besides the stuff in the case?"

"It looks like they tried to pry open the register. The cops think your girlfriend's wallet was stolen too, since the crime scene people couldn't find it anywhere in their search. We're going to be out of business until at least Saturday," Chow said angrily.

"I'll try to get in there tomorrow if I can to see if there's anything from the book inventory that's missing," I shook my head, exhaustion starting to take hold of me since my adrenaline was wearing off.

"Sounds good. Fuck, I have to go before someone screws up the comics," Chow said and hung up. He wasn't a people person.

I sank into a vacant chair and called my father.

o.O.o.O.o

Jason arrived ten minutes before my parents did. While he went to go get an update on Sookie's condition, my mother wrapped me in a hug so tight I thought I was going to lose circulation. Dad peeled her off of me, but she wouldn't let go of my hand. I recounted the whole story for them while we waited for Jason.

"Sorry to interrupt, but they're going to let me back to see Sookie," Jason said once he got over to where we were sitting. "I'll let her know you're here if she's awake."

"Tell her I love her?" I stared right at Jason, who gave me a respectful nod before following a nurse through the doors I couldn't pass.

Stupid hospital policy.

I'd reached my limit on talking for the night. I sat there still as a statue and completely silent. Dad went to get coffee for all of us while Mom kept rubbing circles on the inside of my wrist in attempts to keep me calm. I don't know if it was working or not but at least I didn't want to punch a wall anymore.

I didn't know if I was angrier with myself or the punks who had broken into the store. And really, was it even fair to call it a break in, since my stupid ass didn't lock the door? I kept running my hand over the top of my head and when I started to nod off; I got up and started pacing. No way was I going to sleep until I knew for sure that Sookie was okay. Hell, I wasn't planning to leave the hospital until she could. I didn't care if that meant living in the waiting room until then.

"Eric?" Jason's voice caught me and I whipped around to face him.

"How is she?" I stuffed my hands in my pockets so he wouldn't see them shaking.

"She's still unconscious but the docs think it's just a severe concussion. They had to put a couple of stitches in the back of her head but other than that, she's fine." Jason told me and when he didn't mention if she'd been sexually assaulted or not, I wondered if he knew. I wasn't going to say anything though. "I told her doc that you're her boyfriend and Sook'll be angrier 'n a wet cat if she wakes up and they won't let you back there to see her."

So it wasn't just squirrels in that head of his after all. Sookie would be impressed when she woke up. "Thank you, Jason."

"No problem, man. Thanks for calling me. So uh, what happened anyway?" Jason asked and after I told my parents I was going back to see Sookie, I started telling Jason the story.

"Motherfuckers," he cursed under his breath.

"My thoughts exactly," I sighed and squeezed the bridge of my nose.

"Well listen, I have to get back to Bon Temps. There's nothing else I can do for her right now and I'm sure she'd much rather see you when she wakes up anyway. But if anything changes, you'll let me know, yeah?" Jason looked concerned and the fact that he'd shown up in a timely manner told me it wasn't just an act; he really did love his little sister.

"Absolutely," I nodded and then let him muscle me into one of those bro hugs.

I pulled back the curtain and peeked into Sookie's little area to find her lying on one of those gurneys that barely qualifies as a bed. Her dress was gone and replaced with a generic hospital gown. Her hair was fanned out around her and I could still see trace amounts of blood in it from where she'd been hit. I staggered over to the chair beside her bed and fell into it. I wanted to get into bed with her but there just wasn't enough room for us both.

Instead, I grabbed onto her hand and rested my head on her stomach so I was looking up at her. With her fingers against my lips I said, "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

The guilt was killing me. Why the hell did I even go on a coffee run anyway? I hate the stuff. So many things I would do differently if I could and yet it was a waste to list them all because I couldn't change the past. There was no rewind button, no time machine for me to go back with. Bad things happened to good people every fucking day. It just sucked that Sookie's number had come up in that particular lottery.

"You must be the boyfriend," a quiet voice said from behind me and I turned to see a pretty redhead with big blue eyes smiling back at me.

"Yeah, I'm Eric," I reached a hand out to her.

"Jessica. Do you have any questions?" She asked while checking the monitors Sookie was attached to.

"Yeah, I uh…when I found her in the store she was already out cold so I couldn't ask her myself…" I trailed off and tried to force the words out of my mouth. "Was she…her dress was weird so I…was she raped?"

Jessica's face softened with sympathy and she said, "We did a rape kit just in case. The doctor didn't find any evidence of sexual trauma."

I squeezed my eyes closed with relief. I nodded but had nothing else to say to the nurse. Instead I squeezed Sookie's hand a little tighter and put my head back on her stomach. I wanted to be the first thing she saw when she woke up so she would know she was safe. All I could do was hope she would be able to find a way to forgive me for being so careless.

Something was in my hair. Warm, soft, over and over I felt it. My eyes fluttered open and then I remembered I was in the hospital. My eyes jerked up toward Sookie's face to see her smiling down at me. She looked like she always did and the urge to wrap myself around her, to protect her from everything and nothing completely overwhelmed me.

"How ya feelin', sleepyhead?" Sookie continued to run her fingers through my hair.

"How long have you been awake?" I sat up and moved so I was sitting on the bed with her.

"About four hours now. Doc came in and checked me out and everything and you just kept on sleeping. I didn't have the heart to wake you," she stroked my cheek.

I don't know why, but I started laughing. The overload had probably gotten the best of me. I leaned toward her so our foreheads were touching and she winced quietly, stopping my laughter in its tracks. "Did I hurt you?"

"My head's a little sore. Doc says it's going to be a couple of weeks before I feel like myself again, and I'm off work for at least the next two weeks." Sookie informed me and then sucked that bottom lip into her mouth.

"What?" I knew something was up.

"Well, because it's a concussion, it's better if I have someone to keep an eye on me-"

"You're staying with me," I grabbed her hand tightly. "I don't want to fight about it, I just want you to nod your head, blink or squeeze my hand to let me know you're down with it."

"I love you," she said and that was really all I needed to hear.

"How soon can I take you home?" I tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"The papers are being drawn up now," she turned and kissed my palm. "Your parents are still out in the waiting room. They let your Mom back for just a minute after I woke up. Why don't you go let them know what's what? Your Mom was worried about you."

"I'm fine," I insisted, even though the tears on my face indicated I most definitely wasn't fine, but Sookie didn't try to argue.

"Well she's not. Go give her a hug and let her know you're okay. I'll be right here when you get back, I promise," she kissed the tip of my nose.

"You win." I kissed her softly on the mouth.

It felt like there was something else I should be saying to her just then, some parting remark but instead I just told her I loved her and then went to go deal with my parents. I found them sitting on a little love seat type thing in the waiting room, leaned up against each other and surrounded by a bunch of empty coffee cups. I tapped Dad on the shoulder first, knowing he wouldn't startle awake the way Mom did.

"How is she?" Dad asked with concern.

"She's okay. The doctors are releasing her and I'm going to bring her back to my place until she's ready to go home by herself. Because of the concussion, she needs someone to keep an eye on her for a few days." I said and even if that wasn't the case, I probably wouldn't have let her go home alone.

"Have you heard anything from the police yet?" Dad asked as he rubbed his face.

"I haven't checked my phone," I shrugged. I wasn't really even thinking about that yet. My main priority was getting Sookie home and settled in.

"Alright, well, call if you need anything. I can come by and help you straighten up the shop if you need it and you know your mother will be cooking up a storm to make sure you both eat well." Dad warned me and I smiled.

Mom always turned to cooking in times of crisis. I guess it gave her some sense of control when she was lost in chaos. "I'm sure she will," I sighed and then put a hand on Dad's shoulder. "Thank you for coming."

"You might be an adult, but you're my boy. Besides, your mother never would have gotten back to sleep if we stayed put."

I knew all about nervous energy. I'd inherited my penchant for pacing from her. I stooped down to kiss Mom's forehead but she didn't move. I also inherited sleeping like the dead from her. Dad knew how to handle her though, and I knew I'd be hearing from Mom soon enough. With that in mind, I went back to Sookie.

o.O.o.O.o

"Eric, you don't have to carry me upstairs," Sookie stopped me when I tried to pick her up. "I only have a headache, not a broken back."

"I know…I just…this is my fault," I told her and her mouth dropped open.

"Eric, what happened is not your fault. Please don't blame yourself for this," she squeezed my hand.

"I didn't lock the door," I couldn't look at her just then.

"So that makes it okay that those two idiots broke in? You had no way of knowing that was going to happen. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm going to be okay," Sookie assured me but I wasn't ready to let it go just yet. "What about the store?"

I looked at her like she had two heads. "I'm not worried about that."

"Don't be silly," Sookie pulled me toward the kitchen.

"Where are you going? You need to be in bed resting," I pulled her back toward me.

"If I go upstairs and get in bed, will you bring your laptop and phone so we can get some of the stuff with the store straightened out?" Sookie asked. "I need to call the credit card companies and cancel all of my cards. And I need to file a claim with my insurance company for my Gran's ring."

Fuck. Her Gran's ring. I had completely forgotten Sookie had been wearing it the night before. Monetarily I had no idea what the ring was worth, but I knew the personal value on it was priceless. I suddenly felt like a dick for being so wrapped up in myself when I should have been more concerned with getting Sookie situated. I was so hell bent on protecting her from a threat that didn't really exist I couldn't see anything else.

"Yes, I'll bring that stuff upstairs," I promised her.

"Thank you. Oh, and maybe some water?" She nibbled her bottom lip.

"Anything you want," I touched her cheek.

"Just water for now, Jeeves," she smiled at kissed my wrist.

At least she hadn't lost her sense of humor. I watched her walk up the stairs slowly and while I was getting her the water she asked for, I heard the shower start upstairs. She couldn't wash her hair for another day or so but I couldn't blame her for wanting to get clean. Being in hospitals always made me feel like I was a walking time bomb of infectious material.

I gathered everything she asked for, along with a spare legal pad so she could make notes of all the things she needed to do. I went to the bathroom to check on her and after I was sure she was fine, I started up the laptop. The doorbell rang downstairs and I went to get the door. Two detectives from the Shreveport Police Department were standing there on my porch. I vaguely recognized them from the night before.

"Mr. Northman, I'm Detective John Sanders and this is my partner, Jo Colbert. Can we come in?" Detective Sanders asked.

"Yes, of course," I stepped back to let them in the house. "You can have a seat in there," I pointed toward the living room. "I'll go upstairs and get Sookie."

"Thanks," the Detectives walked into the living room but didn't sit down.

I ran up the stairs two at a time and headed for the master bathroom. Sookie was just stepping from the shower and wrapping a towel around herself when I found her. "There are some detectives downstairs that want to talk to us. Are you feeling up to it?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute to get dressed and I'll be right down," Sookie gave me a faint smile. "Oh, and Eric?"

"Yes, love?" I turned back to face her.

"Put on a pot of coffee for me, will you? I can never get the damn thing to work right." Sookie grabbed her toothbrush.

"Yes, dear," I laughed internally at her insistence on southern hospitality even when she was about to be questioned about a crime that had been committed against her.

Only my Sookie.

See? No memory loss! Just a knock on the head and a couple of stitches. Not great, but better than having amnesia lol. I really never had any intention of going there so you don't have to worry about that becoming an issue. What you should worry about is Eric feeling all that guilt with his obsessive personality. Oy. And I realize that Sookie probably should have been kept another night in the hospital but I released her into the care of her very watchful, very protective boyfriend who is more than happy to be her personal slave for the next few weeks. Wonder how long it'll be before Sook goes nuts? Thanks for reading!