Chapter Twenty-Three

Patch's POV- Present

"No, I'm not doing anything tonight," Ezra answered.

"Nor I." Nehemiah agreed.

"Awesome. I'd appreciate it if Nora met you both." I told them.

I had to leave Nora early in the morning; Nehemiah had gotten into a skirmish and needed some backup. Besides, I wimped out when it came to telling Nora the truth on my own. It was embarrassing, honestly. I'd done so many bad things without blinking an eye, yet when it came to admitting to those things, I was terrified.

"So, when she—"Ezra started, but paused as I held my hand up.

Someone's in the studio, throwing things…I said, frowning. I could hear someone aggressively searching for something, as cupboard doors were opened and slammed shut. We slowly entered the studio, on edge, ready to attack.

Turning swiftly, Vee faced us, her face red and posture stiff. She knew she was busted. I relaxed, and waved my hand at Nehemiah and Ezra to as well.

"Vee? What are you doing here? And how the hell do you know which door is mine?" I demanded. Vee wasn't my favorite person. I found her obnoxious and kind of rude at times, and didn't understand why someone as sensible as Nora would be friends with her.

She lifted her chin. "Wouldn't you want to know, psycho? Nora's brought me here before. You weren't supposed to know, but in the circumstances…" Turning, she began leafing through more drawers.

"Hey-"I said, reaching for her arm. She jumped back, avoiding my touch. "Why are you going through my things?" I hissed.

"They're Nora's things too! And I'm looking for something."

I sighed angrily. "Obviously. Where is Nora, I need to talk to her."

"She's not here. Obviously." Vee retorted. I looked at her like she was crazy (and she is).

"Then please do me a favor and remove yourself from my home. And if I catch you again, next time it won't be as pretty of a please."

She didn't leave, but she did stop searching.

"Why are you searching through his things?" Nehemiah reiterated. She jumped; maybe she didn't think he could speak?

Vee sighed. "I need…I need Nora's iron pill prescription. I know she keeps it here."

I immediately became worried. "What happened? Tell me what's wrong. Where is Nora?"

Vee's chest puffed as she inhaled, and her eyes thinned to slits. "I'm not going to tell you!" She shouted. "In fact, you stay away from her!" Clutching her purse, she tried to run past me. Ezra blocked the door, and I placed my fingers on the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

"Vee, you're really aggravating me. Stop bullshitting and tell me what's going on!" We stood there in silence. Finally, she spoke up.

"Nora doesn't need you right now. She's really stressed, and sick, and I need to get her medicine. If you could please tell me where it would be." She said quietly. I reaching into my jacket, I pulled out the small paper with the information on it. Her eyes widened in surprise. I approached her, holding it out of reach.

"I keep it, just in case. Now tell me. Is Nora hurt? Did someone hurt her?" I asked intensely, placing it in her hands.

"Someone? No. You? Did you hurt her?" She responded. I jerked back, insulted.

"How dare you. You know I would never hurt Nora!" I growled. She glared at me.

"No, Patch, I don't! But you know what I do know? Sometimes memories have a way of coming back. When we don't tell someone the truth, they explode. They might hurt the ones we love."

I knew she was alluding to our arguments, but I didn't find it relevant. "Okay?" Nehemiah inhale sharply, as if he'd seen someone hit in the face.

"In fact," she continued "they might stab them over and over in their hearts. They feel the pain, more than they can bear. Still, they try to believe in you, though it does nothing but bad for them. At the moment, my best friend is in the hospital, struggling, literally suffering from a bleeding heart!"

Her voice was filled with emotion. She'd walked past me at this point, facing the door. I'd frozen once I understood her.

"I'm not sure what that Lowry girl did, but whatever it is, it's happening to Nora and she doesn't deserve it! Excuse me, while I go and take proper care of her!"

Ezra must have moved, because I heard her take off quickly into the catacombs. I slumped onto the couch and placed my head in my hands.

Of course…of course she'd see that memory! It explained why she didn't want to be near me, why she refused to tell me the truth last night…

I charged towards the door. I needed to get to the hospital, I needed to make sure she was safe, and explain everything to her…

Nehemiah threw himself into me, stopping me. As I glared, he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"It's no good. I've looked into your future and if you show up, Vee will only fight you. Nora may get hurt in the crossfire." He said quietly. I shrugged his arm off aggressively. Ezra moved back into the doorway, stiffening when I shifted into a fighting stance.

"Do you really want the love of your life to see you harming her best friend? What will that do but separate her from you forever?" Nehemiah continued, not raising his voice.

"Nora will understand—"

"No, she won't! Not in the state she's in! You'll only terrify her!"

"Listen to reason, Patch. You're not only making this decision for yourself, it's for Nora as well." Ezra added. I backed up and sat on the couch.

"I'll go to her in her dreams." I replied stiffly.

Nehemiah nodded. "Maybe I ought to go first." I looked up at him through blurred eyes. "To relax her. If you try to visit her, she may panic and immediately eject you. I'll go and clear her dreams. Ezra," he said, turning. "Get him a drink, he looks catatonic."

Ezra chuckled; glad someone thought that this was funny. "Got you, dude."

Nodding, Nehemiah sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes.

Ezra placed the drink in front of me. "Drink up. You need to at least look brave. Your woman is out there suffering; be strong for her."

I glared at him. "I don't need alcohol for bravery. I'll face her when Nehemiah's finished."

Shrugging his shoulders, he downed it himself. Too nervous to sit, he began to pace the room.

I could believe it. I honestly could. There was only so much time before my memories began to spill out. What I didn't understand was why Nora would take Katherine's place in the memory. I would never harm Nora…An old hate flared for a moment as I realized that the bitch was ruining something else for me, but it dimmed as regret filled in. It had been my choice to kill her. I couldn't take it back, and now it was hurting the one woman that I'd ever loved. What if Vee wasn't the only one who thought that it was better for me to leave Nora alone? What if Nora felt that way herself? I couldn't blame her at this point. She'd seen a side of me that I never wanted anyone to see again. An uncontrolled, vengeful, miserable person. A person who she could now picture brutally murdering her.

I sighed. The best I could do was to tell her the complete truth. I could deal with her reaction when it came. A memory of Chauncey came to mind.

"You will slip. One day, something or someone will actually mean something to you, and when it does, it will suffer in your place!"

Nora was suffering. But he wasn't completely correct. We were suffering together. I would trade anything to remove hers, and suffer completely on my own.

One thought kept repeating itself over and over in the back of my mind, begging.

Angel…Angel I'm so sorry…you have to believe me…

Vee's such a good friend. That aside, I really wish she'd get the hell out of Patch's way sometimes. I felt like she would do something like this. And I also thought that Patch would be so protective that he'd keep anything Nora needed on his person (cuz he's just that sweet). Read and review!