Fall for You | OT4

ninety seven

TW// mentions of abuse, r*pe, and sexual assault

___________

"hi luke, this is mary simons from the sydney police department. dayla west has been arrested on counts of domestic violence, first-degree rape, sexual battery and sexual assault. we arrested miss west last night. she will be transferred to a higher security facility some point today. you may see her arrest made public on tv and articles, as a fair warning. i strongly advise speaking to a lawyer to move this case forward. i would like to personally applaud you for your bravery. i wish you a good day, mr. hemmings."

luke replayed the voicemail over and over. it had been well over an hour, sitting on the floor and rocking himself as he listened to the voicemail. this isn't real, he kept telling himself. this is a cruel nightmare and i'm going to wake up soon. but he didn't, this was real. dayla is gone, put behind bars like she should have been two years ago.

the boys were at an interview, meaning luke was alone. well, he had petunia, but he didn't have a person in arms reach. petunia sat at his feet, doing her best to keep luke calm and provide comfort. luke had forgotten that dogs could feel stress, and he knows that he is stressing petunia out.

he debated on attempting to call one of his boyfriends, but decided not to. he didn't want to get them in trouble, or cause them any more stress that they must be feeling already. so, he called kat. she answered on the second ring, to luke's relief.

"she's been arrested." was all luke could say. kat responded with a quick "we're on the way". 'we're' being she and sierra, and luke was even more relieved that he would have an extra person. he and sierra have grown closer the past few months. it turns out they have a lot more in common than they thought. they have a lot of shared trauma. kat is thankful that luke is able to have a bond like that with someone. she felt useless because she didn't know what it is like to have trauma from abuse. she didn't know what to say or do in certain instances.

he couldn't cry. all he could do was stare at the wall and rock himself, every so often stroking petunia's short fur when she whimpered. he subconsciously traced the promise ring, giving him a sense of further comfort. as long as he thought about his lovers, petunia, kat, and sierra, he would be okay.

shit. he had to tell his mum and dad that dayla was arrested. he'd feel shitty if they found out through the news station or a news article. with shaky hands, he picked up his phone and anxiously waited for his mum to answer the call. he began to think she was busy or at work as the phone kept ringing, but the ringing finally stopped and he heard a cheery "hey lu! sorry, i was doing dishes and had to dry my hands."

"hi mum, is dad there? i need to tell you something." he states nervously, picking at his bottom lip.

"is everything alright?" she pauses and shouts for her husband. "you sound upset." she says worriedly. "your father is here, please tell us what's wrong."

luke sighs shakily, blinking back tears that he refuses to let fall. how ironic is it that the time he wants to cry, is telling his parents that his abusive ex-girlfriend has been arrested? "dayla was arrested last night. she has counts of domestic violence, first-degree rape, sexual battery and sexual assault. she's gone, mum. she—she's gone."

"oh honey..."

"i should be happy, right? i should be leaping for joy. she can't find me, she can't hurt me anymore. yet i feel this—this dread. why do i feel so bad about this instead of good? i-i don't understand, mum." luke chokes out. nothing about his emotions made sense to him.

"you've dealt with this trauma for two year, honey. right now, your mind and body doesn't know how to react. it isn't used to not being in danger anymore, having not to look over your shoulder at every corner you turn. you're free, luke. you are free from her and her burdens she laid on you. it's time that you put them to rest." liz responds gently, not wanting to upset her son any further.