'Til the Need Seeps In

Adam and the woman split. As soon as I saw her face, I recognized her from my charity events. She was the wife of another big shot in the city and I knew I stepped into scandal. They turned their heads looking annoyed, but didn't release until they saw my face. Adam started to sputter as the woman ran to get her skirt and button her shirt all with only one pump on. Adam made his way towards me and I gasped, punching his left cheek. I ran into our master bedroom, locking the door behind me. I locked all entrances into our room and I collapsed on the bed.

I stripped of my clothes and showered, without emotion. Adam was banging the doors and walls here and there, yelling at me to hear him out. I wouldn't, I had seen enough to know that this had been going on for quite some time. The heat of the water beat against my back as I stood there, letting the scorching water burn my skin and wash down the drain. Soon, my skin burned everywhere and I decided to let the heat down. I cooled my body off and genuinely showered as the events sunk in.

How could he do that to me? I love him so much. I would give my life for him. Didn't he know that? As his yells died down, so did my sobs. I wiped my eyes, only to have them wet again with silent tears. I couldn't hear him at all anymore, meaning he'd either fallen asleep or was waiting for me to do something.I sighed and walked over to the computer in our room. I used it mostly to check the weather so that I could dress accordingly, but every so often, there were moments like this where I just needed to get my mind off of something.

At first, I had Notepad open, ready to type out a juicy article to about this affair, but I thought better of it and decided that I would give myself some time to brew up something really nice for the press. So in order for this to happen effectively, I needed time and my evil thoughts.

"Write it" a whispering voice came.

I turned around in fright, looking every where to see where the voice had come from, but I found nothing but the wind howling outside and rattling my balcony doors.

In the mean time, I thought back to Mike and my conversation. On a whim, I googled Jonas Holmes. A few results popped up, but nothing of use. Just some articles on the writer and some people on facebook. I checked the alumni listing of his college and he was there. "Jonas Jamison Holmes" but nothing else. I then checked the listings of psychologists in the tri-state area and something popped up. Before I had a chance to read what had come about, Adam was jiggling the door handle again.

I sighed and put my cheek up against the flimsy door.

"Adam, I don't want to talk to you right now. Just go to sleep"

The next thing I knew, his fist punched through the hollowed wood of the door and I was sent flying back, the pain of his fist searing against my cold skin. He stomped over me, walking over to the computer screen. He ripped it out of the wall and threw it at me, I managed to roll away before it hit my head, but it clipped me in the leg and smashed into the wall behind me.

"What did you write? What did you write to the press?!" he shouted furiously.

"Nothing. I didn't write anything" I stuttered, tearing leaking down my bruised cheeks.

"Liar!" he shouted, throwing the computer at me.

It hit my arm and shoulders dead on, and I hear various cracks and pops. I screamed in pain, the burning, sharp sensation reverberating throughout my body. Adam stomped his way over to me, and crushed the computer, smashing it to peices. He stomped his way over to the vanity and threw everything there at me. The pain made my head spin and I didn't move much when he started throwing my own things at me.

I prayed that one of our neighbors could hear us fighting and had called the police since I would not have been able to. My small make-up things and my perfume all hit me and smashed into the ground, leaking perfume and breaking powdery blush and foundation everywhere. He continued to scream the same things over and over and I stuttered the truthful answers at him, just hoping that somebody would come to rescue me. The police sirens outside didn't necessarily mean that they were there for me, but I could hope. As the sirens approached, Adam's rage heightened. The things on my vanity had run out and I could hear the stomp of boots in the hallway of our apartment building.

I screamed for help. Adam took the mirror off the vanity and threw it at me like a Frisbee. It hit my chest hard before it shattered and it knocked the wind straight out of me. I couldn't breathe, no less call for help anymore. The door sounded as if it were being broken down and the rush of footsteps signified the help. Adam lifted me up from my broken arm and I shrieked in pain. He managed to punch my face a few more times before he was stopped and I was to be released. The police apprehended him and I looked up at them with red puffy eyes, partly from crying, but mostly from the cuts and the bruising.

"You're gonna be okay ma'am," one of the calm voiced paramedics claimed.

"The stretcher's on it's way up right now," another said to the man who was talking to me.

"Help is on the way. Are you okay?" he asked.

"I think he broke my arm. It hurts so much"

"Well, we're gonna get it fixed miss. Now is that your husband?"

I tried nodding, but it hurt too much.

"Yes he is"

"Okay, well the police are going to talk to you after you're cared for okay?"

"Okay," I said, letting him put me into the neck brace and helping them lift me onto the stretcher.

The wheeled me as fast and carefully as possible into the waiting elevator. The elevator seemed to be going extremely slow that day. The ride to the hospital was short, since there was barely any traffic at this time of night. I had never been in an ambulance, and the ride was far from pleasant. It reminded me of just how many pot holes there were in the city roads and I sighed, even though my breathing was short already.

We came to a halt and they pulled me out of the truck. Just as they were wheeling me through the halls and they were giving me words of encouragement, I passed out. When I woke up, I was laying in a darkened room. my arm in a cast and all manners of pain in my body. I laid there for a while, soaking everything in and soon, a nurse came in and noticed me awake.

"Oh, how long have you been up?"

"Not long," I lied, not wanting her to feel bad.

"Oh. Well, I'm Leigh and I'll be your nurse. I'm going to set you up real nice with a meal and some medicine to help the healing.

Then the police are going to come in an ask you a few questions about what happened okay?"

"Yes, That would be fantastic"

"Well okay then Misses Reeding"

"Um, Holly please"

"Alright Miss Holly. I'll be off to fetch you something to eat. Oh, a friend of yours stopped by. Mike Mavery that make-up artist. But the police are giving him a talking to"

"Thank you, Leigh"

She nodded and walked out. I sighed and looked around the room, the remote control to the TV was laying on the night stand beside me and I turned the TV on. It was just about the middle of the afternoon when I had woken up and I decided on some daytime TV, with nothing else to watch. Leigh brought in the pills and the food which I ate promptly. As soon as I was done, Leigh came in and cleaned it all up, the policemen coming in after me.

"So what happened last night?" they asked, pen and pad out to take notes.

I relayed to them my story and they nodded, it was an open and shut case, but that didn't mean it didn't take two hours for them to get all the information they needed.

I didn't mind there was nothing else to do anyway. By the time they were done, the five o' clock news came on, our story the feature story on every channel. They didn't know what had happened save for footage of me being wheeled into the hospital and Adam being put into a cop car, still furious and shouting gibberish.

They didn't know the story, but I didn't care. The more that I ruin his life, the better. Reeding's Insurance was going down and Wells Law was going up, that was enough for me. Mike walked into my room, stubble growing out on his chin.

"How are you feeling?'

"Shitty"

He nodded.

"Do you need anything from home?"

I listed what I needed and he made his way back to my messy apartment to get this things that I had wanted. While Mike was gone, I called my mom.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom"

"Oh Holly! I saw you on the news! I tried calling, but you didn't pick up and your faher and I tried to come, but he's working a big case. He's in court right now"

"Ah. I just want a divorce"

"Don't worry sweetie, I'll get the papers ready"

She sighed.

"Thi is all my fault"

I agreed, but I didn't voice my opinion.

"No Mom it's my fault. You just wanted what was best for me and I messed it up"

"You didn't do anything wrong. Right?"

"I'll explain it all when you come home. I don't wanna say it on the phone"

"Okay sweetie. We'll be home as soon as possible. The next flight to New York, we'll be on it"

"Okay mom thanks"

We chatted for a little longer, just explaining my injuries and how long til I'm healthy again. Mike came in with Ceci as soon as I hung up and I greeted them both.

"Ceci let me in. The police were questioning her"

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you Misses! But he made me promise not to tell. He threatened me"

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll get about ten to twenty five years in prison or so. Domestic violence and threats are pretty big offenses"

Ceci nodded, still looking solemn. Mike held a suitcase and my laptop bag.

"Ceci packed it for you," Mike said, placing the suitcase down and putting the laptop case on the edge of my bed.

I grabbed it and pulled up the internet. The wind rattled the windows here as well and the breathy voice came again.

"Write it"

And so began my article on what happened.

Mike and Ceci stayed with me throughout the whole night, comforting me and helping me. They had to leave after visiting hours were over and I finished up the article. I saved it to my laptop, waiting to see what my Dad would say to this and I pulled up the internet again.

I looked Jonas up again, making sure that I followed the exact same steps that I had before. I found the lone article that popped up to me.

'New York City Obituaries Archive'

The article stated that he had died last year, he had gotten into an accident and his wounds got infected. He died from complications. I frowned, my eyes watering despite the fact that I had convinced myself to hate him.

I immersed myself in work until my parents came.

"Half psychotic, sick, hypnotic. Got my blueprint, it's symphonic"

The song played out and the man said that they wanted to put this song on loop for my show. The artist had apparently been a fan of mine and found that that particular part of her song was good for a runway. I was still partial to Hella Good by No Doubt, but I could half and half it. It was pretty good and it was catchy, so it would do. But I could consider it for my next line instead of this one.

I got off the phone with the man a few minutes after my parents had come into the room.

"How are you feeling?" My dad asked.

"Better than yesterday"

My mother put a folder on my lap and I opened it. I read it over quickly. Nothing out of the question. I signed and dated, then my dad talked to me about custody and representation. It wasn't too complicated and I was smart enough to put everything under my name. It was all mine, so easy peasy. There was nothing of his that I particularly wanted. But the only complicated thing was the money demand. I wanted him to pay for what he had broken and my pain and suffering costs. It wasn't a lot. Just enough. As much as I wanted to bankrupt him, I decided against it.

I relayed my story to my parents and my dad told me to give him the article. He'd handle it all. I trusted him and copied it onto his flash drive. He was a big shot and I was proud of my father for being such a good lawyer. My mother was still huffing over me and she still blamed herself, blabbering about how if she hadn't been so flawed, I would have never gotten hurt. My father managed to calm her and they left to go to the jail where hopefully, Adam would sign our marriage away.

I sighed and laid back against the bed. It was a long day. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks and I had no idea why.