Page 37 of Unexpected

I cleaned the broken glass and reassembled the cushions on the couch. The coffee table was broken yet again, and I made a mental note to come over another time and make sure it was fixed.

After I stuffed the leftover pizza into the fridge and double-checked that I hadn’t missed any glass, I went to find Hazel. She hadn’t reappeared from her bedroom, and I began to worry.

“Hazel? You ready?” I asked as I knocked on the bedroom door. It was slightly ajar and when I knocked, it opened wider. The comforter had been stripped from the bed and lay in a pile next to the door. On top of it were what looked like bathroom rugs and towels also stained with blood.

I opened the door farther and spotted Hazel on her hands and knees in the middle of her bathroom. The entire bathroom was pristinely white aside from the streaks of red on the floor and the counter. The odor of bleach was noxious in the small space. I flipped on the exhaust fan as I walked into the bathroom.

“There was blood everywhere. I couldn’t just leave it like this,” Hazel said. She didn’t look up from where she was intently and viciously scrubbing the grout between the tiles.

It seemed like something she needed to do—clean the tiles, clean the sink and wash away the evidence. I would have preferred she leave it for the cops to see, but she was already more than halfway done by the time I found her.

When she finally stood, the tiles were whiter than I could have imagined. She tossed the sponge into the sink and used a towel to wipe up the excess bleach. She was still wearing her large T-shirt, and she hadn’t yet washed her bloodstained face.

“Umm… okay. Let me just grab a few things,” she said, mostly to herself as she grabbed a bag and chucked in pants, a shirt, and toiletries. She nervously flitted around her closet and the bathroom.

“Could I—” She started as I took a step out of the bathroom to give her privacy. She cleared her throat and started again, swiping a hand through her hair. “Could I shower at your house? I don’t want to be here longer than necessary.”

“Yeah, of course. Just grab what you need, and we can head back now.”

Hazel nodded, her eyes still far away, as she pulled on a pair of joggers and zipped her bag. I grabbed her small duffel before she had a chance to and tossed it over my shoulder. When she smiled up at me, peering through tear-soaked lashes and still lost in her own head, I wanted nothing more than to console her, comfort her and do whatever I needed to do to make her realize not all men were like him.

She stepped next to me and was about to walk out of the bedroom when I reached for her hand and intertwined our fingers. My hand swallowed hers, but she didn’t pull back.

Thankfully, I had taken the time to bitch at Josh about leaving the huge mess in the guest bedroom, so it was clean when I set Hazel up in there. She finally showered and washed her face, clearing off the final remnants of blood. The dark circles under her eyes were morphing into black eyes, but she hadn’t begun shaking again and seemed more in touch with reality.

I was in the kitchen, grabbing a beer and contemplating what Hazel may want, if anything, when the water turned off in the shower and I heard her walk into the guest bedroom. She was in the bathroom for almost half an hour. When I walked past to throw extra blankets on the bed, I thought I heard her crying.

Sadie was snoring at my feet in one of her favorite spots on the kitchen rug when she also heard Hazel shuffling down the hallway. She perked up, tilted her head to one side, then the other, ears flopping before she bounced up and followed the sound.

“Sadie, hey, leave her alone,” I said as I approached the door hot on her tail. Sadie jumped up and used her paws to push down on the door handle to open it with an expertise she had honed in the few years we had lived in the house. I reminded myself for the millionth time that I needed to replace the damn door handles.

“Sadie, come,” I said in a stern voice and turned the corner into the room before I knew what I was doing. My only intent was to give Hazel some privacy, but I ended up walking in on her changing.

She was wearing black athletic shorts that hugged her thighs and using the towel to dry her wet hair.

“Sadie—” I began again, but I couldn’t finish the command. Hazel hadn’t yet put on a shirt and quickly covered her chest with the towel when she realized I had also stepped into the room.

Sadie hopped on the bed, sniffing inside of Hazel’s small duffel bag, as I whipped my head, looking back down the hall. As quick as I was, I still got an eyeful of Hazel’s bare back. Her skin was pale and appeared smooth, almost without imperfection but for the angry blue bruise plastered to her side. From my short glance, it appeared the bruise began just under her right breast and wrapped around her side, ending just underneath her shoulder blade.

The bruises I noticed on her neck were too faint for me to see anymore, especially from where I stood several feet away, but the bruise on her side was fresh, new.

I was serious when I told Hazel that I wanted to kill him.

I turned back into the room once I heard Hazel saying something to Sadie. “So, your dog knows how to open doors?” she asked, smiling at Sadie before glancing at me.

Relief flooded over me when she smiled. “Yes,” I said with a laugh. “I usually tell people to lock the door, but I totally forgot this time. My bad…”

“That’s okay. At least I like you, right, Sadie?” she cooed at Sadie as she flopped over on the bed, begging for Hazel to rub her stomach. Hazel giggled when Sadie pawed at her and obliged the very needy dog.

“I was maybe going to throw on a movie if you want to watch it with me. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to sleep anyway,” I offered.

Hazel’s smile immediately dropped. “I’m so sorry, Luke, for putting you out like this…”

“No, no. You have nothing to apologize for.” I crossed the room and stopped just in front of where she sat on the edge of the bed.

She seemed to believe me that time, so she nodded and continued stroking Sadie, who had begun to fall asleep on the bed. “I think I’m going to try to get some rest. I’m not sure I’ll be able to, but…”

“Sounds good. I work in the morning, but you’re more than welcome to stay here as long as you need. You’re not putting me out, and I’ll let Josh know you’re here so he doesn’t freak out when he does eventually come home.”

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