Sharon felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could see how hard Andy had tried not to cry when she had told him what had happened. She had omitted the descriptions of what her assailants had done to her and flattened the story until just the dry details remained. It still got to him.

But what got to her was his promise to walk this road with her, be there and hold her hand when things got rough and love her through it.

When she stood in that hotel room, naked and bleeding as she waited for the police, she thought her life was over. Andy would not want her once he learned how damaged this event left her. She felt disgusted with herself and sick to her stomach with the notion of what these men had made her do and what all of this meant for her relationship.

And yet, Andy had accepted her lying and dishonesty, her pushing him away, both mentally and physically, and he still wanted to be with her.

"Can you tell me the truth?" he asked. "How bad you're injured?"

She expanded on what she had told him earlier in the car. A mild concussion, two cracked ribs, a sprained wrist, and many cuts and bruises. She explained that she underwent a surgery back in Vegas to treat the internal injuries, mostly tearing, caused to her by the rape, but assured him it shouldn't leave any permanent damage, that one day they'll be able to be intimate again.

"Do you really think I care about that?" Andy asked.

"I care," Sharon replied.

Andy agreed that it made sense; she wanted their lives to be normal again. It was understandable. But he ensured she knew there was no pressure from him and that intimacy between them would only happen if and when she felt comfortable with it.

"The most important thing to me is that you're here, that I can still see you and talk to you," he said, shattering her heart in a way she couldn't explain.

Then they let silence spread around them as they sat on the bathtub's edge, Sharon's head resting on his shoulder while his arm loosely wrapped around her shoulders, providing warmth and comfort, but also space.

"I hadn't showered in two days," Sharon said after a while. "The nurse helped me at the hospital, but I couldn't do it myself since then."

"Do you want my help with this?" Andy offered.

"If you promise not to cry when you see me," she said.

Andy nodded slowly, hoping he'd be able to keep his word.

Slowly, Sharon peeled her hoodie and let Andy undo the button and zipper of her jeans. He hissed when he saw her standing in front of him in her underwear. She downplayed her cuts and bruises. Her arms were covered in them, and so were her chest and stomach. It almost looked like she survived a bear attack, not a human attack.

She placed her palm on his cheek and offered him a soft smile. "You promised, remember?"

Andy swallowed hard and smiled back at her. "I love you."

Her smile grew wider, and she uttered the words back.

He helped her in the shower and then helped her get dressed and into bed.

"You need to eat," he said softly.

"That medication makes me nauseous," Sharon replied. She'd have to take it for almost a month, get tested, and continue if needed.

"Maybe just a little bit of soup?" Andy asked.

"Maybe later. Can you just hold me until I fall asleep?" she asked. "Not too tight because it hurts."

Andy loosely wrapped his arm around her middle, making sure that he wasn't hurting her.

"Sing something," she said.

"I'm a terrible singer, and you know it," Andy replied.

"Then hum," she insisted. "I wanna hear your voice."

Andy began to hum "Golden Slumbers", a song that he knew Sharon particularly liked. Within minutes, she fell asleep in his arms, and proper rest came to her for the first time in days.

There would be a long road ahead of them once she woke up: days when she would feel hopeless and terrified, days when Andy would need more AA meetings than usual, and days when they'd both cry in each other's arms. There would be two surgeries to her fingers and arm and a long rehabilitation to help her regain full range of movement. There would be nightmares, panic attacks, and endless worries about the future. There would be a trial back in Vegas, and Sharon would have to testify.

But there would also be a beautiful wedding that would bring their families together in a festival of joy. There would be a honeymoon in Ireland where they would make love to each other for the first time since Sharon went to Vegas. There would be graduations, grandchildren, holidays, and many joyous moments in their future. There would be smiles, jokes and eventually, a return to normalcy.

All that would happen to them because they walked this treacherous road together; because their love conquered all.

THE END