Heaven // Ryan Tedder

Chapter Twenty-Nine; Someone To Save You

Meanwhile, Ryan was cooking himself some dinner, making the same thing he had made for him and Janelle the other night, since he really wasn't in the mood to come up with anything else to cook.

He was trying to keep his mind off of Janelle; he could only hope that, with time, she'd come to realise that the situation she was in was not a good one, and that she didn't deserve to be treated so poorly.

Although, at this point, he was a little upset with her for not listening to anyone. He and Abby had tried so hard to make her leave Joshua, yet, even when he showed her plenty of reasons to walk, or more so run, away from him, she still believed that he loved her.

Ryan shook off the thought; he didn't want to feel so annoyed right now, not with Janelle. Joshua, now, he didn't mind being annoyed with, considering that he was a complete idiot that Ryan was one-hundred percent sure he absolutely hated.

He sighed softly, turning off the stove, before picking up the pan of food, sliding what was in it onto a plate for himself. He opened the drawer behind him, pulling out a fork to eat his dinner with.

Just then, he heard his doorbell ring, causing him to bite his lip.

"Just a second!" He called, although he knew whoever was at the door probably wouldn't be able to hear him from in there.

He quickly turned on the sink, rinsing off his hands, which were slightly greasy from cooking, before drying them off, heading out to the other room. He approached the front door, unlocking it, before opening it up.

His heart dropped when he saw Janelle standing there, her hair a mess, her cheek red with another small cut on it, and her left hand being held in the other one. Her hands were trembling and her eyes were filled with tears as she looked up at him, looking more broken than he had ever seen her.

"Janelle.." he said softly, going over to her.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest as she began to sob loudly. He was careful to hug her gently, as to not hurt her in this fragile state, as his eyes wandered to the concrete leading up to his house, where a small suitcase laid on its side.

As she continued to cry, he reached up his hand, running it through her dark hair soothingly.

"Hey, let's go inside, okay?" He said gently, patting her back a little. "I'll get your bag."

She nodded, pulling away from him, before heading inside of the house. Ryan jogged down the steps to his house, going over and picking up her suitcase, before carrying it inside.

He set it down, immediately going over to Janelle, who just stood in the doorway, staring down at her feet. He took her right hand, since the other one looked bruised and hurt, leading her over into the living room to sit on the couch.

As she looked down, another tear streamed down her face, and he reached up his hand to wipe it away.

"What did he do to you, Janelle?" He muttered softly.

She didn't answer him, so he reached for her left hand, which she had laid on her lap when they both sat down. She lifted it up, and he took it in his hands gently, looking it over. One of the bones had clearly been fractured or broken, as the bruising was way too dark for it not to be. He looked up at her, seeing that her cheek, the same one that had been red yesterday, was dark red yet again, with a small bruise over by her ear.

She let out a broken sigh, looking up into his eyes. "Why didn't I listen?" She mumbled, blinking away tears. "I keep trusting him, and all he does is break my heart and hurt me...he was drinking tonight, Ryan. He accused me of cheating.."

She let out a gentle sob, and Ryan immediately wrapped his arm around her, rubbing her back soothingly.

"He pulled my hair, and he hit me again.." she sobbed. "I tried to get away, and he stepped on my hand."

Ryan shut his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that he kept imagining Joshua doing those things to her. Ryan was at a loss for words; how could someone be that evil to want to hurt someone so badly? Especially Janelle. There was a reason Ryan had fallen for her; her personality, Beauty, and mystery had drawn him in. The fact that Joshua could put her through pain like that, it crushed Ryan. And If he wasn't trying to comfort Janelle right now, he'd probably be on his way to the apartment to kill Joshua.

He sighed, continuing to rub her back as she cried.

He wished there was something he could do, other than just sit here. But now, he was helpless; the only thing he could really do was attempt to make Janelle feel better, at least, until he had a chance to put Joshua in his place.

As Ryan comforted Janelle, to his surprise, she leaned against him, burying her face in his chest. He felt his breath hitch in his throat, but he swallowed, keeping himself composed. He hesitated, before wrapping both arms around her, giving her a loving squeeze.

In that moment, he began to wonder why on earth she was with Joshua. He didn't deserve her, he didn't deserve moments like this.

Perhaps this was all meant to happen. Perhaps it was really Ryan's job to get her away from her broken relationship, to help her start again.

And no matter how much it took, Ryan was willing to do whatever he could to save her.

Meanwhile, Abby laid on the couch with her fiancé, Kenneth, as she stared at the ceiling.

She let out a weak cough, before sighing. "My stomach hurts.." she whined, looking over at him.

"Mine too, babe." He mumbled, reaching up to play with a strand of her dark hair.

"This sucks.." she sighed again. "Do you suppose I should tell Janelle that we caught the flu?"

He shrugged. "She was here only a couple days ago." He said. "Maybe she already has it, too."

Abby yawned, reaching over and picking up her phone from the coffee table. "I'll just send her a text." She said. "Besides, I haven't checked on her in a bit, anyway."

She sent Janelle a quick text, telling her that she and Kenneth had come down with the flu, and that she may or may not be getting it within a few days. After she sent the message, she put her phone back on the coffee table, laying her head back. In a matter of minutes, she had fallen into a deep sleep, wrapped in the arms of her fiancé.