13. Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Matt
T ime stretches endlessly as Nat falls, her body hitting the bottom stair.
“Nat!” I shout, my voice breaking as I lunge towards her. But before I can reach her Al grabs my feet and yanks me back into the corridor. The bastard picks his moment well, attacking when my back’s turned. He’s a coward and he’s proving it once again.
“No mate. If I can’t have her neither can you,” he sneers, laughter dripping with malice. He stamps down on my ankle and the pain is immediate and excruciating, making me scream as I twist around and lie on my back. I kick out with my other foot, landing a solid blow to his chest. He stumbles back but the crazed look in his eyes tells me this isn’t over.
I don’t give a damn about him, he’s scum. All I care about is getting to Nat and making sure she’s alright. But as long as he’s here that’s impossible.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I roar, pushing myself to my feet, but he’s quicker and with a shove he sends me crashing backwards again.
“You had her and you let her go. You don’t deserve her,” he spits, his voice full of venom.
I ignore the blinding pain in my ankle and get to my knees. I reach for the wall, trying to steady myself, but Al doesn’t give me a chance. He kicks my legs out from under me and I crash back to the floor.
Before I can recover, he’s on me, dragging me across the corridor with brute force. “Stay down!” he growls, his hands around my throat. I gasp for air, my vision blurring as I struggle to break free.
I manage to shove him off by using every ounce of strength I have but he’s relentless. He scrambles back onto me, trying to pin me down. “I’m not letting you ruin this for me!” he snarls, his eyes wild with rage.
I throw a punch, landing a hit to his jaw that makes him reel back. I try to get up but he grabs my shirt and drags me back down. “Get off me!” I roar, but he only tightens his grip, his face inches from mine.
“This is all your fault! She was good before you came back!” he hisses, his breath hot and foul against my face. He’s like a rabid animal, desperate and vicious.
With a surge of adrenaline, I break free and kick out, hitting him in the stomach. He stumbles back, giving me a precious few seconds to crawl towards Nat. My head is spinning, my body aching, but I have to get to her.
Just as I reach out to her, Al lunges at me again, grabbing my collar and yanking me away. “Not so fast,” he growls, his grip like iron as he throws me against the wall. I land hard on the floor, and it takes me a second to orientate myself.
“Good night,” Al hisses, raising his foot above me to stomp on my head. But before he can bring it down, there’s a loud cry of pain, and he gets yanked backwards crashing onto the hardwood floor.
“I got him!” Ryan’s voice cuts through the chaos.
“Nat!” I scramble to her side, my head still spinning but determination driving me forward.
“Jane?” Ryan’s voice rings out. Jane’s head appears around the doorframe.
“Police are on the way and so is the ambulance,” she says, looking relieved and scared all at once. Al is cursing and thrashing, but Ryan has him under control with a vice-like grip.
“Why is it always me who ends up pinning these bastards to the floor?” Ryan grumbles.
“Nat,” I say softly, brushing her hair back from her face. Her eyes are closed, but her pulse is steady and her breathing is even. I gently press my hand to the back of her head to feel for blood. There’s none but I can’t rule out internal injuries.
I support her head as much as I dare but I don’t want to move her too much until the ambulance arrives.
I should be enraged with Al, should be desperate for revenge, but all I feel is fear. Fear that I’m losing Nat before I’ve had the chance to truly have her back. Fear that the woman I’ve loved for so long might slip away from me just as I’ve found her again.
The police and ambulance finally arrive after what feels like an eternity. The corridor erupts into chaos. Four police constables wrestle Al into the waiting car while paramedics swarm around Nat.
Her eyes flutter open for a brief moment. I seize the chance to reassure her, whispering that she’s safe now. I can’t tell if she can hear me before her eyes close again but I need to believe she can.
They move her onto a gurney and wheel her towards the ambulance. I attempt to follow but my ankle is killing me and I struggle to keep up. Ryan steps in to offer a steadying arm.
“What made you come over?” I ask, trying to mask the pain in my voice.
“Jane heard your scream. She called the police and I rushed over as quickly as I could,” Ryan explains, his tone a mix of relief and determination.
“Thanks, mate. I really mean it,” I say, my voice thick with gratitude.
“Don’t mention it. Consider us even for Buttercup,” he says and gives me a weak smile.
“Oh shit, Egon and Venkman,” I remember suddenly, realising that in the commotion the cats must have bolted out the front door.
“Leave it to me,” Ryan reassures me. “I’ll tempt them back with some treats. I might have to bring them to my place though—who knows how long the police will be clearing up.”
“Thanks, Ry,” I say, and I think my relief must be palpable.
“Anytime. Just look after Nat,” he replies, helping me into the ambulance.
I take a seat on the chair fixed to the back wall next to the gurney, trying to make myself comfortable despite the throbbing pain in my ankle. Nat looks pale but her chest rises and falls rhythmically, a small but hopeful sign that she is stable. I gently take her hand in mine and place a tender kiss on her knuckles.
“This was the last time, Nat,” I whisper, my voice filled with promise and resolve. “The last time he’ll ever come near you. I swear it.”
“Sir I need you to look at me,” a young paramedic says, gently interrupting the moment. She checks my vitals and eye reactions, her touch professional and calming. Everything seems fine apart from my painful ankle which is swollen and throbbing.
I lean back as the ambulance drives through the dark countryside, trying to focus on the comforting weight of Nat’s small hand in mine. This has to be the end of it just as I promised her. I don’t think she can endure any more of this.
But the truth is no matter how many years Al gets it won’t be enough. In the end, he’ll be out and we’ll have to worry about him again. The thought of it churns in my mind like a relentless storm.
It’s early morning when someone pulls the curtain back that separates me and Nat from the rest of the ward.
“I brought you some clothes,” Ryan grins at me.
“How did you get in here at this time of the day?” I ask.
“Power of persuasion and connections. Tommy’s Operations Manager’s husband works here. Many phone calls were made so you can finally shower and change. I didn’t want to say anything last night, mate, but you stank,” he laughs.
I look down at the sports gear I’m still wearing. I was soaked with sweat when I came downstairs and found Al and Nat. No wonder I stink. I lift my shirt and take a sniff. Musky.
“I can’t leave her.” Nat’s hand is in mine as it has been all night. She has a severe concussion and nurses kept waking her to check on her through the night. But afterwards she would immediately fall asleep again.
“I’ll stay with her, I promise,” he says. He holds out a bag which I assume contains fresh clothes. “There’s also your phone and some food in there. Oh, and Egon and Venkman are currently cuddling with Buttercup. Rossi is not amused.”
“Thanks, Ry.” I keep saying thanks but I don’t think I can thank him enough.
I carefully get off my chair and take the bag.
“What about your foot?” he asks.
“Hurts like hell but it’s only a soft tissue injury. I was lucky,” I shrug.
The lovely nurse shows me to a shower and after I have washed myself and slipped on clean clothes I feel a lot better. I hobble back to our bay and find Ry in the chair next to Nat. He looks tired.
“How much sleep did you get?” I ask as I drag another chair over and drop in it.
“None so far. The police were around for ages and we had to settle the cats. After that, Jane and I talked for a long time.”
“Was it safe for you to drive?” I ask.
“Nick gave me a lift,” he explains. Nick is a member of Ry’s FMR unit. Those guys go through thick and thin together so I’m not surprised that someone jumped in to help out.
“What’s going to happen now?” he asks me.
“Don’t know. I assume they’ll revoke his bail, they better fucking do. And then we wait for the trial. I’ll speak with the solicitor later.”
Ryan nods. “What about you and Nat?”
“Friends. For now at least because she needs time to get over this. But I don’t mind waiting. I’ll wait forever if that’s how long it takes. She’s seeing a therapist now and that seemed to be helping until the wanker turned up again.”
“Maybe you should see someone as well?” Ry suggests again and he’s not wrong. I have thought about it. I know that my experience doesn’t compare to Nat’s but talking to someone might help me to help her, and that would be worth it.
“I’ll look into it.” I pull the tinfoil packets from the bag and unwrap one. “Bacon butties!”
“Jane insisted,” Ryan laughs before slapping me carefully on my back. “I’ll leave you both but if you need anything or need us to give you a lift back just call.”
“Will do.” I reply through a mouthful of bacon. Ry laughs before slipping out from our little bubble. I swallow a few more bites of the food and then take a large gulp of water.
Nat’s hand is twitching on top of the mattress and I place mine on top of hers. As soon as I do she seems to calm and the hand movement stops.
“I love you,” I whisper so only I can hear it. One day I will be able to say it out loud to her again but for now it’s my secret.