Police Protection Program

Chapter 25

His eyes blazed so deep into mine, as if he was somehow looking into my soul. 

"Sian?" He whispered my name again, as if he couldn't believe it was me. His hand touched a lock of my hair. He held it between his fingers as he stared at me. 

My mouth wouldn't form any words. I simply stared at him, like a deer caught in headlights. 

"What happened? Are you alright? Where have you been? I've been so worr..." He stopped mid sentence. He was firing to many questions at me at once. His fingers released my hair. They brushed my newly bruised cheek instead. Then the cut above my eye. The cut on my lip, the scrape on my chin. "Sian, what's happened to you?" 

I swallowed as I attempted to prepare myself to speak. It seemed as if the emotions that I had stored away were suddenly breaking free from my mind. It felt everything all over again. And I was terrified. 

"I, uh, I'm fine." That was all I could muster up. 

"You don't look fine.  Who has done this to your face?" The tone he was using was all too familiar. 

I looked down at my hands conflicted. What was I suppose to tell him? I ran away from the hospital, Taylor beat me to within an inch of my life, and now we were lovers. 

He looked at my bruised hands. He raised them to his mouth, placing a kiss on each knuckle. I gasped audibly. 

"Sian, I have been worried about you." 

His words shocked me. "Really?" 

He nodded. "You disappeared from the hospital. I didn't even know the first place to begin looking for you. I searched the entire city." 

"You looked for me?" Something inside my chest fluttered. 

"Yes. But I figured you didn't want to be found. After the incident that happened at my house. The way Lucy and I gave you the cold shoulder, I'm ashamed." 

And suddenly I remembered why I had suppressed all of my feelings towards Officer Lee. I remembered why he could never love me. 

"I deserved it, Officer Lee." 

"What?" 

"I deserved the treatment from you and Lucy." 

"No, no, Sian you didn't deserve that." 

"I did something that I know you will never forgive me for. And I've accepted that. I've accepted that I was just a burden to you. And, I've accepted that you can never love me. And that's fine, because I've found somebody who can love someone like me." 

"Sian you were not a burden to me. Lucy and I loved having you in my home. It was your home too. It hasn't been the same since you were gone."

I shook my head. "You're lying." 

The small vein in his forehead was now making its presence known. I remebered what that meant. "Have I ever lied to you Sian? Ever?" His voice was becoming louder. 

I turned away from him. I couldn't hear anything he had to say anymore. 

I walked straight up to counter. The cashier told me that my order had come up to $30.24. 

I felt my pockets for money. "Shit." Since I had not been out of the house in months, I was to excited at the prospect of actually being free. I hadn't dawned on me to ask Taylor for money. 

Officer Lee handed the man the money without even a smile. 

I looked up at him, mildly embarrassed. "Thank you." I muttered.