Don't Leave

Chapter 47

Nick's POV

"Fin, Nick" Olivia called out to us.
We followed her into her office. This cant be good. I thought.
"The results of Amanda's rape kit came in" she said.
Me heart sank, I felt sick.
"Took them long enough" Fin said
"I don't think I want to hear this." I said about to exist the room.
"I think you should.." Liv began.
"No I don't! I don't need to hear because I already know what it says." I admited.
"What did she tell you?" Fin asked
"Yes, okay, I didn't want you say anything"
"What'd she say?"
"Nothing. Just um, read the report I gotta go." I ran out the door.

Olivia managed to track me down to the bar twenty minutes later.
"You know you don't have to do this." She said.
"She has nowhere to go Liv"
She didn't argue; how could she?
"I'm not upset or stressed because of her. I'm mad at the situation. I don't know how to help her."
"Well getting drunk isn't going to anything"
I set the glass down.
"I know" I sighed. "I've tried getting her to see a psychologist but I'm not getting anywhere. I know staying home all day isn't doing her any good either, but she doesn't want to go out either."
"We don't know what happened to her.."
"Yes I do."
Liv gave me a confused look.
"She talks in her sleep, screams should I say. Sometimes it's just a nightmare sometimes she told me, it's more like a flashback. And then there's the worst ones."
"Worst ones" Liv repeated.
"The ones she doesn't talk about, they're about me. You, Fin, other people she knows. I always know when she dreams about that. She'll avoid me, apologize for no reason, but most of all she'll look at me with fear burning in her eyes."
"She ever tell you about them?"
"No, just says how realistic they are. The only reason I know who they're about is because she says names while sleeping."
"What'd she say last night?"
I thought for a second.
"I'm going to go get lunch." I stood up.
"Nick"
"Liv, I don't want to talk about this right now."
I left got in the car and drove home. When I got there I heard screaming. I ran to the bedroom and found her asleep Apollo desperately trying to wake her.
"It's just a dream, just a dream."
She woke up still in tears.
"Wha, what are you doing home?" She asked.
"I just wanted to stop by. Look I think you need to get out of the house. Let's go out for lunch."
"I don't.."
I cut her off.
"You can bring Apollo, he's a service dog after all."
She smiled and pet him.
"Yes he is"

I called Liv as Amanda took a shower.
"I'm sorry I left in a hurry, I just I had to get home."
"No problem Nick, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just... you want to meet for lunch?"
"Um sure"
"Great, you and Fin meet me at Smiths. I'll see you there."
"Alright, see you than"

We had just ordered drinks when Olivia and Fin walked in. Amanda looked uneasy causing Apollo to sit up alert and ready to pounce if he had to. I knew she probably had just as bad of dreams about them as she did me, but they weren't there to show her it was nothing but a nightmare.
"Hi, how are things going?" Liv asked Amanda.
"Good" she gave a quick smile and went back to looking at the menu.
I moved to the same booth Amanda was sitting in and Fin and Olivia took mine.
"I'm going to the bathroom" Amanda excused herself and left.
"I know I didn't tell you she'd be here, but she needed to see you, both of you."
"I'm glad she's here, but what are you talking about?"
"I told you about her nightmares. She'd wake up and be terrified of me for days until I could regain her trust"
"But we never did" Liv finished my sentence.
"I'm lost" Fin said.
I filled in him, telling him everything I told Liv.
There was a loud crash from the restrooms.
"Crazy bitch" some guy said.
We ran back there only to see Amanda had climbed out a smashed window. I ran outside to find her outside.
"What are you doing?" I asked her.
She looked behind my shoulder.
"I need to get out of here"
She tried to take off but I held her arm.
"Calm down, why do you need to leave?"
"They don't like me."
"Who?"
"Why would you invite them? Do you know what they did?"
She was talking about Liv and Fin.
"Amanda, you know that was just a dream"
"No!" She yelled.
"What's going on?" Liv and Fin were behind us.
She stopped struggling and stared at Fin.
"Amanda?" He said.
She took off running.
"I'll get her can you go put Apollo in the car."

I tracked her down not too far away sitting outside a café.
"They're not with you are they?"
"No, Amanda what's going on?"
"You remember what happened in the bunks with Jeff?"
"Yes of course"
"Fin was there."
"No Amanda that was just a dream you know that."
"How do I?"
"Okay, okay what happened in the bunks?"
"I did scream." she said "Fin did hear me, he just, he watched it happen. He told me not to say anything to anyone."
I knew none of that was real, but it seemed so to her.
"No, that's not how it happened"
"There you are" Liv said "I got Apollo in the car, Fin's back there with him."
Amanda stood up.
"You're right, you can't trust me and I should've been fired. Why didn't you fire me?" Amanda said.
"Nick what's going on?" Liv asked me.
"I'll explain later. I'll meet you at the station."

"What happened back there?" Fin asked when heard saw me.
I told Amanda to wait in the interview room for minute so she didn't see me talking to them.
"Ever heard of the Mandela effect?" I asked.
"Yeah when you remember something differently than what it really is."
"Yeah well I think that's what's going on."
"Wait what?" Liv asked.
"So I told you about the nightmares, she thinks they're true, like she doesn't remember events taking place the way they actually happened." I said.
"She looked at me like she was terrified, what event are you talking about?" Fin questioned.
"You remember when she went backs to the bunks with Jeff? Well she remembers it differently, she remembers you being there with them."
He looked at me confused then upset.
"She thinks I let it happened?"
"No she dreamt it" I assured him.
"Right that's why she's terrified of me. I did, I did let it happen. I let her go back alone with him knowing she was scared."
"You didn't know for the last time."
"What was up with her saying that to me?" Liv said "it's not the first time she said something like that."
"I don't know"
"I'm going to talk to her. See if she'll say anything." Liv said.

We watched through the glass as they talked.
"What happened back there?" Liv asked her.
"Nothing" she replied.
"Amanda that wasn't nothing."
She stayed quiet.
"I know you think something happened that Fin did something, but Amanda that's not true. He's been worried sick about you this entire time."
She started crying and rubbed her head.
"I don't know what's real anymore" she whispered.