•Fallin For You By Colbie Calliat•

"She'll be okay, she's strong, she'll pull through." I swear if anyone says those words to me again I am going to come unglued on someone. And trust me, that isn't anything you want to see.

I leaned forward in the chair and buried my face in my hands while furiously trying to blink back tears. Charlotte was taken for surgery a little while ago and the image of her tiny little form hooked up to so many machines and tubes and wires is still ingrained in my brain. It's a sight I know will haunt me for a long time.

My hands curl in my hair and I nearly rip the dark strands from my scalp as I try to hold myself together. A soft hand rests on my back and I immediately flinch away.

"Hey, you alright?" Her already heavy accent is thick with worry.

The tears and pain all wrapped up in me chokes off my air and I can't take it anymore. The chair slams against the wall as I shoot up in my seat and take off. Evelyn calls after me but I can't look at her right now. I'm a mess and she shouldn't have to deal with me.

The air is cool and refreshing as I circulate it through my lungs. The dam breaks and all the pain and fear and hopelessness rushes through me. I can't hold back the wounded yell as I turn and punch the brick building.

"Fuck fuck fuck." I hiss out through gritted teeth as I cradle my probably broken and bleeding hand.

Tears stream down my face and I slide down the brick building, choking down the sobs. The memories start to return and this time I let them. One particular memory rises and I squeeze my eyes shut as it streams across my mind.

"You're pregnant? You stupid bitch." Pain explodes across my jaw as his fist connects with my face. Tears pour from my eyes immediately and my hands come up to cradle the injury.

"It's no-not my fault." I sob out, curling deeper into the corner and drawing my legs up to protect the precious life now growing in me.

His beady black eyes meet mine as he bends down to grab me. My screams fall on deaf ears he halls me up and slams me against the wall. My head bounces painfully against it sending another wave of pain through my brain.

"Not your fault?? I told you what I'd have to do to you if I caught you going through my things again. Tell me again how it's not your fault?" He snarls into my face.

I can only sob back at him. His hands tighten around my arms, and I'm sure I'll have a few bad bruises. "I'm s-sorry." I cry, trembling in his grip.

He drops me with a huff but before I can run off to my room he grabs my wrists in one hand and pins them above my head. My breathing is cut off as something cold and sharp is pressed against my jugular. Terror consumes all rational thought.

He leans over me and I can feel the knife run from my neck to my stomach. "Whatever. Now I just have to fix your stupid mistake."

"Scout?" Her voice snaps me out of the memory but my body still remembers. I'm trembling so hard I fear that I won't stop. The grey eyes that look down at me are soft and filled with sadness as she takes in the broken person before her.

I know I must look terrible. Makeup everywhere, hair all knotted, bloody and bruised hand. I was a wreck.

"Oh sweetheart."

Her arms immediately wrap me in a cocoon of warmth and safety. I let it be for a moment before the pain in my hand is too much and I pull back. She eyes me questioningly for a moment before her eyes catch sight of my hand.

She gasps and immediately latches onto it, making me bite back a yell of pain. The eyes that meet mine are no longer soft, they're the sharpest I'd ever seen them. "What happened?" Her eyes may be hard and unyielding, but her voice was like silk as it intwined itself in the ruins of my mind.

"I should've left sooner." I rasp out.

Her face twists into confusion but she doesn't say anything, sensing my need to talk. "I knew it was bad. I knew he was bad, but I didn't leave. I stayed. Even when he continued to break me I still stayed. Why? Because I though I had nothing else. But now I have Charlotte and she's all I have left. I can't lose her."

I'm sobbing again and she just pulls me too her. My face finds its home at the crook of her neck and shoulder and I just cry. Her hand runs through my hair a few times in a comforting motion. "You have me, and I promise you'll never be alone again."

My heart blooms with warmth at her soft spoken words. I've never been one for the mushy stuff but she chases away the darkness in me and if that means being mushy then I'm all for it.

The cool air is almost torturous against my blistering hot skin and my tears have stuck to my face very un-attractively. After a minute of just soaking up her strawberry and mint scent I force myself to pull away and wipe my face.

I can't look at her. My face burns as I advert my gaze. I'm not used to this feeling of comfort, of safety. I'm used to harsh words and hard fists and broken bones that heal wrong just so they have a reason to break me again. She makes me feel safe, and that's such a strange feeling I don't know if I can handle it.

"Hey." Her demanding tone of voice has a tremor flashing through me. Her soft fingers grip my chin lightly and turn it towards her. "Don't do that. Don't shut me out. I'm here for you, let me be here for you." My eyes water slightly as her demand takes on a pleading tone. I can't tell from her expression what she sees when I finally return my gaze to hers, but the gentle look in her eyes nearly had me breaking down again.

"This isn't......this isn't right." I force myself to be strong even though the words taste like acid. The softness in her eyes immediately dissolves. "You're my principle....I was, I was wrong to think this cou-" I jerk in surprise when she abruptly leans forward and stops my sentence with a kiss.

Her lips are rough and searching against mine and my vision flashes when she pulls away. Her fingers brush a stray hair behind my ear.

"Did that feel wrong?" She growls, her chest heaving slightly from loss of breath. My eyes are wide as they stare back at her slightly flushed and gorgeous face.

"B-but I'm your-" she places a finger on my mouth and shakes her head at me."I know what you are. But I don't care. I know who you are, and that's all that matters to me right now."

I search her face for a moment before nodding. She sighs and stands up, offering me her hand. "Let's go check on Charlotte."

<><><>

"Ms. O'Brian, is it?" The brunette beauty in front of me asks. I nod, my gaze still riveted on the form in the bed. My eyes follow her breathing for a second before I manage to tear my eyes away.

The woman in front of me is extremely beautiful. Sharp jaw and cheekbones, green eyes and wavy brown hair that cascades down her back. She holds a hand out to me in greeting. "My name is Carrie Daniels. I'm the head of neurosurgery in Seattle but they called me down to look at your case. I operated on your daughter this afternoon." My gaze snapped to hers and a knowing look crosses her face.

"I was able to subdue the bleeding in her brain but it is still quite swollen. I am hoping that will go down in a few days as she recovers from the trauma of surgery and of the fall. I will be keeping a very close eye on her, you have my word." The determination in this woman's voice has me relaxing slightly and I let out a low breath and nod.

"She is remarkable, with the force she hit and at her age she shouldn't have survived, but she did. You are very lucky."

"Can I stay with her?"

The woman's demeanor softens immediately. "Of course. I'll have a cot brought in for you. Meanwhile, we need to have that hand checked out. Come."

I start to follow behind her but glance back at the room as a flash of panic streaks through me. Evelyn appears by the door and sends me a small smile. "I'll stay with her."

I smile gratefully at her before I turn and let the doctor lead me away.

❤️😊