Page 93 of Without a Doubt

I return to the room, thinking Eva will be done, but she's only three-fourths of the way through her stitches. The paramedic wasn't lying when she said she would need a lot. Eva looks at me with questioning eyes.

“Glen and Lori are on their way. They're going to make sure we get both us and our vehicles home. Catherine wants you to call her when you feel up to it. So do your parents.”

“Thank you.” She turns her hand palm up and I take it, kissing her knuckles.

We sit silently until the doctor is finished. Glen bursts into the room and rushes over to her. He looks her over before kissing her forehead.

“Glad you're okay, Eva.”

“Thanks for coming.”

Lori hovers in the doorway, but no one says anything to her. Eva does glance her way in acknowledgement. She's probably still annoyed no one will tell her what happened between the two of them. At first, I didn't tell her because not only is it not my place, but I figured if Glen wanted her to know, then she would know. When I brought it up to Glen that she was asking me about it, he made me promise not to tell. Of course, I agreed.

Lori, apparently not one to be ignored, speaks up. “Do y'all need anything?”

“We're fine,” I answer with an appreciative smile. “Thank you though.”

“When are you being discharged?” Glen asks Eva.

“I don't know. Whenever they get the paperwork in order, I guess.” Eva shivers and Glen immediately takes off his jacket, slinging it around her shoulders when she sits up.

He looks at me with a wry smile. “Sorry, I don't have one for you. You're going to freeze your ass off when you go outside.”

I shrug. A few minutes of cold weather I can handle.

“You should be a better girlfriend,” Eva tells him, making us laugh.

Our laughter dies when an officer enters the room. “I'm sorry to bother you twice in one night, but I was wondering if I could show you some mug shots and see if either of you recognize anyone.”

Eva nods. “Okay.”

He hands us three sheets of paper with nine mug shots on each of them. On the third sheet in the upper right corner, we point out the guy. The officer smiles.

“Thank you for your time. He's already been arrested.”

“How?” Eva blurts out.

“He was arrested an hour ago for attempting to buy drugs from an undercover officer. With the descriptions you gave earlier, the amount of cash he had on him, and the bloody knife found in his vehicle, we suspected he might be the same man, which is why I hauled tail back over here to see if you two could ID him. We'll be in touch if needed. Have a good night.” He tips his chin before leaving.

Shortly after, Eva is discharged. Glen takes us back to Sub Grub where I get my truck and Lori drives Eva's car back to my apartment. Glen hugs Eva tightly before promising to see her on Thanksgiving. She's been awfully quiet since the officer left. It worries me. We change into clean clothes and I carefully wash her hair in the kitchen sink, rinsing away all the blood.

When we're in bed, I pull her to me. That one action seems to break her. Sobs pour out of her as her entire torso shakes from the tears. I hold her tighter, repeatedly kiss her temple, and run my hands over her.

“It's okay,” I whisper. “It's over now and you're safe here with me.”

“I was so scared,” she says, managing to hiccup three times.

“I know. I was too, but you're fine. You're safe.”

She cries herself to sleep and I hope the meds she took for any pain and discomfort helps her sleep soundly.

Thanksgiving goes really well. This time, I was able to see Eva actually interact with her family more than I did when we came for her mother's birthday. Her mind isn't weighted down with doubt over our relationship. However, Eva seems happy to come back home because everyone was fussing over her the entire time. I think she was tired of them acknowledging something had happened. She wanted some normalcy and she wasn't getting as much as she wanted with her family.

Thankfully, she hasn't had any issues sleeping and she hasn't cried since that night. However, when it's time for her to return to work, she quits. Eva never makes it out of the apartment. She sits on the bar, dressed for work, and stares at the door, her hands trembling. It's painful to watch, to know that he fucked with her mind, that she is panicking before she could even stand to leave. I hold her in my arms once the tears start falling, trying to calm her down.

She can't do it. She feels bad about it, feels weak, but she says she can't handle walking back in there again. I can't blame her. I don't know if I could ever watch through those doors and not see her sprawled on the floor with blood seeping into my t-shirt. So, I tell her I'll support whatever she feels she needs to do. She calls Barry, who is very understanding, and doesn't go into work. I call in sick and stay with her for the rest of the day.

On the bright side, she's able to quickly find another job at a store in the mall.

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