Rock Bottom And Below

“Don’t Go,”

Jesse didn’t know why he said those words. He knew he should’ve slammed the door in her face. He knew he should’ve shouted and screamed at her. He knew he should’ve done so many things. But he just couldn’t. Nora looked shocked for a second, before she nodded. Jesse stepped aside so she could get past, and she walked right in. He couldn’t believe Nora was here. After two years! She still looked exactly the same, but what worried him was the state she was in.

“Where did you get all those cuts and bruises from?” Jesse asked softly

“Fight,” Nora mumbled

“A fight? What the hell?!” he exasperated

“Don’t judge me,” Nora said sharply, narrowing her eyes

“Nora...” Jesse sighed

“This is Nora?” Charlotte asked, shocked

Jesse chewed his bottom lip, but nodded. Charlotte pressed her lips into a thin line, clearly not happy.

“Can you wait upstairs, Char?” he pleaded

Charlotte looked like she was about to protest, but she must’ve seen how desperate her boyfriend was.

“Fine,” Charlotte said monotonally

When his girlfriend had disappeared, Jesse turned back to Nora, who looked uncomfortable.

“Why here? Why me?” he frowned

“No-one else would care,” Nora said quietly

“Family? Friends?” he pushed

“I’m not welcome at home, and my ‘friends’ just like beating shit up,” Nora muttered, using her fingers to make airquotes around 'friends'

Jesse groaned and ran a hand through his messy hair.

“Nora, why are you here?” he sighed

“If I had any other choice, you know I would’ve taken it, Jesse,” Nora said through gritted teeth

Jesse missed the way she said his name. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, Jesse looked back at her.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he murmured

Jesse started walking towards the kitchen. 22 steps. He hesitated in front of the door, tapping the handle three times in shame before opening it. In silence, he thrice-tapped the closest cupboard door handle, before opening it and reaching at the top of the cupboard for a first aid kit. He was a bit embarrassed because of being bare chested. It’s not like Nora should see him like this any more, is it?

“Why do you tap every handle three times?” Nora asked curiously

“I got a couple of OCD’s after you left,” Jesse explained awkwardly

“Oh,” Nora mumbled, “sorry,”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m used to them,” Jesse shrugged

He looked at Nora’s beaten face, chewing his bottom lip.

“So what hurts?” Jesse asked softly

“Uh, I think I got a bad bruise on my cheekbone and my knuckles are killing me,” Nora confessed

He took a subtle deep breath before lifting her hands. Jesse couldn’t help but wince – they looked dislocated, if not broken. Damn, what kind of fight was this?!

“I’m going to have to move them back into place,” He told her

“Okay,” Nora nodded

“It’s going to hurt like hell,” Jesse pointed out

“I’m used to it,” Nora shrugged

He frowned. Why would she be used to it? She doesn’t get beaten like this all the time...does she? He moved his thumb on top of her hand.

“Ready?” Jesse asked, looking into her beautiful hazel eyes

Nora just nodded. Jesse hated the whimpers she made as he moved all her knuckles back into place, wishing so much just to hold her close to take the pain away. But he knew he can’t do that any more.

“I’ll get you some ice,” Jesse said softly

Nora just grimaced, obviously still in pain. Silently Jesse walked over to the fridge-freezer. There was a clean glass on the side so he used that to hold the ice as it came out, reaching in a nearby drawer for a few small handtowels. Then he made two small bundles and handed them to Nora.

“Use one on your cheek and one on one of your fists. Switch between the fists and you should be alright,” Jesse told her

“You’re too good to me,” Nora said sadly

Jesse knew that. He walked to the sink. Soap, rinse. Soap, rinse.

“I’ll make you a bed up on the sofa. Come on,”

He motioned for her to follow him again. Three taps. 25 steps.

“Er, the sofa’s pretty comfy, so you should be alright. I’ll get a couple of blankets,” Jesse said, gesturing to the large white monster

“Thanks Jess,” she smiled as he walked to a nearby cupboard

“No problem,” Jesse shrugged. Three taps. He pulled out 2 warm brown blankets.

“No really, I mean it. No-one else would’ve taken me in,” Nora said softly, her eyes connecting with his as he laid one down as a base and one as a cover

Jesse didn’t know what to say. Nora always left him tongue-tied, and now was no exception.

“Uh, I, um...pass your bag and I’ll dry your stuff. It must’ve got soaked,” he said, changing the subject

Nora looked down once at the soaking bag, before silently handing it over. He chewed his bottom lip again as he noticed all her clothes were blood-stained. She can’t sleep in them.

“I’ll get you some clean clothes to wear. Leave those on the floor and I’ll wash them in the morning,” Jesse said softly

“Uh, sure,” Nora nodded

He took her bag back to the kitchen. Three taps. In the corner is the washer and dryer, so Jesse opened her bag and pulled out all the clothes he could find in there and shoved them in the machine. Once it was going, he looked at the pile of clean and dry clothes on top, pulling out a pair of sweat pants and a white t-shirt, both his. They would be huge on Nora, but there was no other option. Jesse sighed, leaning against the kitchen side for a moment. What was he doing? Why was he letting the one girl that hurt him so badly back into his life, even for only one night? Then he noticed Nora appear in the doorway, frowning slightly.

“You okay?” she asked, concerned

“Yeah,” Lie.

Jesse handed her the clothes.

“They won’t fit, but they’re all I’ve got,” he said, slightly embarrassed

“It’s okay. It’s not like I gave you warning, is it?” Nora shrugged

No, no she didn’t.

“Uh, I’d better get to bed now. I’ll see you in the morning,” Jesse said softly

He made a move to hug her, but froze, deciding against it, and just walked past her. Jesse didn’t look back as he walked up the short flight of stairs; he didn’t want to look at the hurt on her face. Taking a deep breath, Jesse paused outside the bedroom. He knew Charlotte would be angry. Three taps. Jesse opened the door.

“What took you so long?” she hissed

Jesse sighed and shut the bedroom door.

“I gave her some ice for her bruises, I made a bed for her on the sofa, and I put her wet bag of clothes in the washer and dryer,” he said simply, getting into bed next to his girlfriend

“If I hadn’t had been listening, I would’ve thought you were fucking her,” Charlotte muttered

Jesse rolled on his side, cupping Charlotte’s face with his hand as he looked into her blue eyes.

“I would never cheat on you – you know that,” Jesse said seriously

Charlotte looked guilty for a second, nodding.

“Yeah I know. I just don’t think having your ex-girlfriend here is a good idea,” Charlotte sighed

“She had nowhere else to go, Char,” Jesse said softly

“She’s using you because you’re too nice,” Charlotte exasperated

Jesse knew that.

“It’s for one night. That’s all. Then she’s gone and it’s back to just us,” Jesse said warmly, pulling Charlotte into his arms

Charlotte snuggled into his side, resting her blonde head on his bare chest.

“Good. I don’t want her taking up your time,” Charlotte said bitterly

“Hey, you know you’re the only girl for me,” Jesse chuckled, rolling his eyes

“That’s what I like to hear,” Charlotte smiled

Jesse kissed the top of her head, smiling too. This was right. This was what he needed.He didn’t need Nora.

“Goodnight babe,” Charlotte yawned

“Night,” Jesse replied softly

Jesse closed his eyes, praying for sleep to come. The only thing is, when it did finally come, all that filled his dreams was the brunette girl downstairs, the one that held his heart.