Any Other Name

Chapter 19

It had been a week since Eliza came home from the hospital.  Though she could essentially walk the first day she was still using crutches to make her way around.  It took that long to convince Marshall to go back to work and to stop smothering her with his kindness.  He had done everything to show her that he had changed—hooked up cable, though she wasn't much of a fan of TV since it gave her a headache; cooked her breakfast, lunch, and dinner; carried her up and down the steps since every time she came to it she would pause; bought her a new blackberry, though it didn't have internet and she didn't really know how to work it.  He had gone out only once to go shopping for food but he had done it while she was asleep.

He carried her down the stairs and settled her on the couch with a bowl of cereal and some toast.  He disappeared back upstairs and returned with her pain meds.  He promised to come visit on his lunch hour and kissed her on the forehead.  "Want me to pick up anything?  What do you want to eat later?"

"Something greasy."

He gave her a sidelong grin but agreed and went on to work.  Eliza nestled further into the blankets and slowly ate at her cereal.

She fell asleep within the hour but woke up to someone hitting the doorbell frantically.  She hobbled on her crutch and looked through the peephole before she opened the door.  "Tesey?"

He looked relieved the moment she opened the door and stepped in to hug her.  She had ditched the arm sling a few days despite the instructions in the take home packet the hospital had given them, but it was clear in moments like this that her collarbone and shoulder weren't healed completely.  She winced and he let go immediately and apologized, looking sheepish. "Sorry, sorry."

"What are you doing here?"

"Mrs. Kyle called me, said Marshall finally left.  Are you okay, has he done anything?"  He had his hands out close to her arms without touching her, looking her over. 

Eliza took a step back but kept the foot of her crutch between them to stop him from coming in.  "I'm fine, Tesey."

"Are you sure?  He didn't do anything to you?"

"Yes, I'm sure."  At the tone of her voice he looked her in the eyes and frowned.  She couldn't hold his gaze, not after watching it turn from worry to hatred so quickly and ended up looking away.  By now River had gotten up and was rubbing up against her leg.  "You should go."

"Go?  Go?  What the hell, Anne, did you let him get to you again?"

"I'm not going through this with you again." 

She tried to shut the door but he easily kept it open with his hand."Well, you're going to have to.  He hasn't changed, despite whatever it was that he promised you."

She pushed against the door but it made her shoulder throb and she gave up quickly.  "It's none of your business."

"Like hell it isn't—"

"If it's anyone's fault, it's yours!"

"Mine?"

Shit, she didn't mean to say that, especially not loud enough for Mrs. Kyle to hear.  "If you hadn't..."  She didn't know why she was blaming him.  She knew that Marshall was in the wrong and that Tesey only wanted the best for her.  She remembered agreeing with him in the hospital, why was it so different now?  "You should have let me get hit by that car."

"Fucking what?"  It was the first time she ever heard him curse.  When she looked at him she saw the hatred burning in his dark eyes, swirling with anger and something like betrayal.  "Do you hear yourself?"

She felt ashamed and turned away to hide her burning cheeks. She thought he might shake her and wasn't sure what she would do if he did.

"Okay, okay."  He took a deep breath and ran his hand down his face.  " Let's start over, okay? How are you doing?"