Pushing My Limits

Matt stormed into the hospital, Jacoby at his side. By then, the whole family was there. Michelle and Brian, Leanna and Jimmy, and Lacey and Johnny. He didn't listen or hesitate as Jacoby tried to calm him down. He was already fed up with Chris, the police, and his earlier argument with Val. Without thinking, he pushed to doors open to the waiting room. He met Zack halfway, his back facing Matt. Without any warning, he grabbed Zacky by the shoulder, turned him around, and punched him in the eye, "What the fuck!" He yelled, falling to the ground.

"First, you insult my daughter, then come visit her without telling me!?" Matt screamed over him. Zacky lay there, a hand over his bruising eye.

"I just wanted to help, Matt," He replied softly.

"Yeah, well you didn't. Because of you, my daughter is in the hospital and Val's filing for a change of custody," He spat. Matt bent down, grabbed him by the collar of the shirt and pulled him up close, "I swear to God, Zack," He growled, "If I lose my daughter because of you, I'll fucking kill you."

By now, Brian was pulling Matt back and Gena was tending to Zack's eye. Matt was sat down on one of the chairs. Brian sat next to him, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head, "I know you're more than pissed off right now, Matt," He started, "But taking it out on Zack isn't the answer."

"You know what he did, Syn," Matt snapped, "He was a dick to Kathrine in my own home. Then, he drove himself and his family to visit her when I couldn't even talk to her over the phone."

"I know that upsets you... But think about Kat. What ever is going on right now, it can't be as worse as what she's going through," He tried to reason.

"You know when Kathrine was born and I held her in my arms for the first time," Matt's eyes glazed over at the memory, "I thought about how amazing she would be. I pictured her as this talented girl with plenty of awards and smiling all the time. I practically saw her life before my eyes," He trailed off and paused for a few moments, "And in that, I never saw this. I never saw my daughter as broken or hurt. I never intended for this to happen," Matt started to sob.

Brian reached over and put a hand on his shoulder, "You can't prevent something like this, Matt. These things just happen."

"I should have been there!" Matt cried into his hands, "If I had watched her more over tour instead of partying with the guys, this wouldn't have happened!"

^^^^^

I couldn't meet his pale eyes, for I knew what sorrow would soon come. Jacoby was like another uncle, only more distant. We saw each other regularly on holidays and birthdays. Tours were always fun with him around, and he managed to buy some of the best presents for me. We cared a lot about each other, and be both cared about Elizabeth, "What happened that night?" He asked, his voice hoarse. I shut my eyes, trying to do everything I could to block everything out.

"Elliot," I whispered and I saw regret flash in his eyes. Of course he had blamed Chris, I had known that all along. Now he knew the truth, and wished he had done something to change it, "Took us into the woods," I paused, "We were in Denver and Chris invited me to the party that the merch and roadies threw on the last night of tour. I had a lot to drink..." I stopped.

"It's okay, Kathrine. I don't blame you for anything... I just want to know," He said softly and placed a hand over mine, avoiding the i.v.

"I was drunk, and I couldn't find Chris anywhere. I told Elizabeth I wanted to go back to the hotel. She offered to take me, and Danielle was with her too. Elliot said he would walk us. He put me over his shoulder, because I couldn't walk straight. He was holding Danielle's hand, and Elizabeth was on the other side of him. She was mad because she knew it wasn't the way to the hotel or the buses. He claimed it was a shortcut, but she knew better. Eventually, we came to a clearing. He threw me down near the tree as Elizabeth was asking what was going on.

"Elliot went over to her and started to hurt her. He threw her to the ground, kicked her. Basically beat her until she was barely conscious. I sat there and watched as Danielle tied me up. Then he," I paused and took in a deep breath, "I saw him rape her," I didn't glance at Jacoby, because I knew he was crying, "After she stopped screaming, she tried to fight back. She tried to save me at least."

"Where did he take her?" He asked and I sighed. He still thought she was alive, "Where is he hiding her, Kathrine?"

"Jacoby," I glanced up at him, "Elizabeth is dead."

My hear beat at a million miles per minute as we sat in silence. It wasn't fair that this was happening, but I was used to things not being fair.

"Dead?" He choked out and I nodded, "Oh God," He whispered and started to cry harder. His eyes shut, as if someone had punched him in the gut, and he let out a long painful moan. The amount of pain I saw him in couldn't prepare me for what I had to tell dad soon.

He cried with me for what seemed hours. He would whisper things to me, rubbing my hair, letting me know that it was okay and that I wasn't to blame. I wonder if deep down, he really thinks this is all my fault.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked after all of the tissues were gone and his tears had dried. Mine remained, though they were more of a silent stream.

"Can I talk to my Dad?" I asked and in his heart, he must have known that what was coming was bad. I hadn't talked to Dad since the night before I left. Even being her at the hospital for almost a whole day, I hadn't seen him.

"Sure thing," He whispered and gave my hand a final squeeze before walking out the door. He left it open just a creak, and I could hear him faintly say that he knew the truth and that he was on his way to the police. A deep voice answered, and I knew it was Dad.

He walked into the room and rushed over to me without hesitation. His weight slightly pulled on my i.v., but I didn't complain. He was there with me, and he wasn't mad. This was all that mattered at the moment, "Please don't ever leave me again," He whispered.

He sat down in the same place Jacoby had before. He took both of my hands into his and I got a good look at him. He looked exhausted, with bags under his eyes and his cheeks with stubble. His eyes weren't their usual brightness, as they were a dull brown. He seemed haggard and over concerned with the world. A permanent look of worry tattooed on his face.

"I heard everything you told Jacoby," He said, "I had my ear to the door," He confessed.

"Doesn't surprise me," I shrugged and he couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes.

"He hurt my baby, didn't he?" And I nodded. He tried to keep the tears in his eyes by not blinking, but they ended up cascading down his face anyways.

"Dad," I whispered and he shook his head.

"Don't worry about me. I just want to know what happened," He interrupted, "What did Elliot do after he murdered Elizabeth?"

This was the question I had kept the answer to for so long. I had tried to hard to keep it away from the world, and not let it know it's existence. I tried to make it seem like no one would ever know, not a soul in the world.

"Daddy," I sobbed and fell into his arms. At that moment, I knew that he could tell it was bad. He held me tight and slowly rocked me side to side.

"You have to tell me Baby-Girl," By the tone of his voice, I knew he didn't want to realize what had happened, but it was a priority.

In every existence known to man, animals and humans, they are known to protect their young. Fathers with sons; mothers with daughter. But nothing can compare to a father protecting his daughter. A silent bond that is invisible between the world, but shines brightly between the two. A bond that states nothing in the world will hurt the other. Nothing could break us apart, because he was Daddy to me. I was his only girl, and his only focus in life.

"He raped me," I whispered, not breaking apart from our hug. I didn't want to see his face when realization struck him.