Don't Leave

Chapter 16

Amanda's POV

Of course I wanted to tell the truth. Lying to my coworkers was excruciating, but I don't need to drag them back into my problems again.
"That man's a monster!" I heard a woman yell out in the hall.
I looked out the window and watched a patient being escorted back to her room. I shook my head and went back to my bed. By now I could leave my room. I didn't want to though. I just wanted to be alone at this point.
After a couple hours of being left alone with my own thoughts the door opened. He came back in.

Nick's POV

"That nurse Annie was yelling about, he's Amanda's nurse too." I said.
"And?" Liv asked.
"You really think Amanda gave herself a black eye?"
"Nick we can look into it, but you of all people should know Amanda can get very violent during her nightmares. She could've hit herself on something very easily."
Liv had a point. I mean she tried to stab me before during a nightmare. Still something didn't sit right with me.

Later on in the evening I went back up to the hospital. She was facing the wall rubbing her neck not acknowledging me.
"Hey, Amanda?" I got closer and realized she was crying.
"Amanda?" I placed my hand on her shoulder.
She jumped and turned around. She backed into a corner of the bed still rubbing her neck.
"It's just me. I'm sorry I didn't mean to..." She looked down. "Amanda?" I pulled her arm off her neck to reveal bruises in the shapes of fingers. Clearly someone did it to her.
"Who did this?" She didn't answer.
"Amanda I know you know who did this." Still no answer. "That's it I'm calling Liv."
I walked out of the room and down the hall.
"You need to get down here. Now." I told Liv on the phone.
"Why? What's going on?"
"Just get down here ASAP" I hung up.
"Hey" I stopped the doctor who was walking by. "Why the hell is Amanda covered in bruises?!"
"I told you earlier."
"Oh she choked herself? You expect me to believe that?!"
"I'll look into it, detective." She walked away.
I waited there for a couple minutes when Liv arrived.
"What's going on? Is Amanda alright?" She asked as she walked in.
"No, she's not. I know how bad she gets during her night terrors but you can't convince me she can choke herself." I told her.
"What do you mean?"
"There are finger marks all over her neck."
Liv flagged the doctor back over.
"Who has been taking care of Amanda recently?" She asked.
"Joshua, he has since she got here. That haven't been any issues that I'm aware if."
"Where is he now?!" I asked.
"I don't know, somewhere around here. What is it 9 pm? He's probably checking to make everyone's in there room."
"Right now?!" I rushed down the hall.
"Yeah, I'm sure he can do his job just fine without your interuptions"
I paid no attention to the doctor and made my way to Amanda's room. He was in there with her. I opened the door and pulled him off her.
"What the hell?" he yelled at me.
I punched him. Olivia came rushing in and went over to Amanda who was on the floor.
"Nick get off him!" Liv yelled but I didn't listen. I continued beating him up.
"Nick!" she pulled me off "Are you trying to get fired for excessive force?"
I looked over at him seeing his bloody nose and beat up face.
"I get it, I get it. I'm done." I stepped back from him.
Liv went over and cuffed him. I looked over to the corner.
"Hey, where's Amanda?" She wasn't in the room.
"She was right there." Liv pulled Joshua back to his feet. "Go see if you can find her. She couldn't have gotten far."
I went out in the hallway and found the doctor.
"Have you seen Amanda?" I asked.
"She's not in her room?"
"Not anymore!"
"Alright I need this floor on lockdown! There is a patient on the run known to be violent!" She called out to the hall.
Oh for God's sake she's not gonna help. The nurses and staff rushed to close off exists and searched the entire floor. I rushed to the stairs. Amanda's not stupid. She got as far away from here as possible by now. I ran up the stairs calling her name.
"Amanda! Amanda!?"
After a couple flights of stairs I stopped to notice a door that must've lead to a supply room or something. I opened the door. The room was pitch black.
"Amanda" I whispered.
No response. I slowly crept into the darkness.
"Amanda" I tried again.
I was just about to leave when I saw movement behind the furnace. I went over to the source. A flash of blonde caught my eye.
"Amanda, come on let's get out of here."
"No!" she exclaimed. "I can't go back there, please don't make me go! I'll do anything!"
"I'm not gonna make you go back just please come out from behind there."
She didn't budge.
"Come on. I promise you're not going to have to go back."
She reluctantly came out from behind the furnace. I breathed a sigh of relief once I had a hold of her.
"I'm going to get the doctor to release you. You won't have to stay here." I told her. "Now come here." I brought her into a hug. "Let's go back before they start putting the entire hospital in lock down."