Running

Chapter 34

"Do you really think this is a good idea Vy? The therapist thinks this will help?" Corey asked Vyla.

It had been six months since they had gotten married. Six long months of therapy for her. Corey had started to see a therapist as well. He wasn't sure at times if he was helping Vyla at all, or himself for that matter.

Both of them had grown a lot in six months. She was sleeping better, still having nightmares a few times a month, but not as bad as they were before. Corey had learned that it was Ok for Vyla to be alone when she asked to be. Vyla was working on being alone for short periods of time. It was hard for both of them, but they were managing, little by little.

"She said I need to work on this. I thought it sounded just as crazy, but it's something that is terrifying to me. It brings back memories. Ones that I have to start dealing with Corey." She explained to him.

"So I'm just supposed to stand here?" He asked.

"No. I'm supposed to drop this fucking glass, let it break, and your supposed to, I don't know...talk me through what it brings. If you don't want to, I'll call Tiny and ask him to drive up here." She said.

"No. Babe, I will help you any way I can. It's just...unsettling to see you like that. Of course I will help you. You know that." He said, cupping her face gently with his hands.

"I'm fucking scared." She said, holding on to his hands.

"I know, baby. But I'm right here, ok?" He said, hugging her close to his chest.

"What if it's too much? What if I-" he cut her off.

"Vyla. You have to talk about these things. We don't have to do it all at once, ok? Just one at a time." He said, holding on to her tighter.

"Is Molly upstairs? I don't want her to get cut." She whispered.

"Yeah. She's in our room. I shut the door." He said quietly.

Sighing, she stepped back from him. He kissed her cheek, moving across the kitchen, leaning against the counter. He watched as she picked up a glass, her hand already shaking in fear.

She looked at him with the blank stare he had seen before. It was almost as if she was already back at Mason's house. Her hands would shake, she wouldn't really say anything. It was like a trance almost. He hated it.

He watched as her hand desperately tried holding onto the glass as it shook. He watched the glass slip from her hand and shatter on the ground. She was breathing heavily, her hands shaking. She backed up against the counter, cautiously squatting down.

"Vy? Talk to me." She could hear a voice, it was far away.

"He's home. He's upstairs, he just heard it break. His boots are dragging on the floor. He's coming down the stairs." She said in a panicked whisper.

Corey moved a little closer, keeping an eye on her. She hadn't moved from where she was. Tears were falling.

"What happens next?" She heard the far away voice ask.

"He's yelling. He's so mad at me. He has me by my hair, dragging me. It hurts." She gasped. "He's punching me in the face. I'm not crying, because if I do, he will hurt me worse." She whispered, leaning into the corner of the counter, almost wedging herself in.

"Vy?" She heard the voice ask again. "Then what happened?" The voice asked.

"He hit my head against the floor. Hard. He's yelling. He has my hair again, dragging me up the stairs. I don't want to go up there." She said louder, crying more.

Corey had moved closer to her now, to where he was almost in front of her. "Baby." Was all he said quietly. He knew what she would say next, and it killed him.

"Vy? What's happening, Vy?" The echoed voice sounded closer.

"I don't want him to touch me. But he doesn't care. He's choking me. I can't breathe. He just let go. He's.....fuck....he's not letting me up...he's on top of me." She sobbed out.

"Baby. Look at me." She heard the voice closer. She saw hands reaching towards her, and flinched.

"Baby, it's just me. I'm not going to hurt you. Ok?" He said gently, moving his hand closer to her.

Tattooed hands. Corey? Why is he here?, she thought.

"Corey." She whispered.

"Yeah, baby it's just me. Look at me baby." She heard his gentle voice. She moved her head slowly, looking up at him. Big blue eyes. Worried, sad, blue eyes.

She let out a sigh of relief, throwing herself to him. "Corey." She whispered again.

He hugged her tight against him. Her whole body was shaking in fear. "I'm scared." She whispered.

"I know. I know. It's ok. I'm right here." He whispered. He picked her up, carrying her to the living room. She curled into his chest, even as he sat down with her.

"I'm so scared." She said, not letting go of him.

"I'm not going to let anything happen. I'm right here. I love you so much, baby." He whispered softly to her.

She sat, not letting go of him, with her head in his chest. He could feel how tense she was, her body still shaking. She stayed like that for over an hour, until he felt her loosen her grip on him. He moved her gently, laying her back on the couch. He went to the kitchen and swept up the glass, throwing it away.

He went back to the couch, laying down next to her, moving her closer to him. She tensed. "Corey?" She asked in a mumble.

He smiled softly, holding her tighter to him. "Yeah, baby. It's just me. I love you." He whispered. He pulled a cover over them, slipping into a deep sleep.

She woke with a jolt a few hours later, feeling Corey's arms tighten around her. "Vy? You ok?" He asked sleepily.

"Uh, yeah." She said, sounding unsure.

She was still turned, not looking at him. He held her closer. "Your heart is pounding. What is it?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I don't really know." She said.

"Bad dream?" He asked.

"No. Just startled for some reason." She said. "Where's Molly?" She asked.

"Shit. She's in our room still. I'll get her." He said, getting off the couch.

He returned a few minutes later, Molly following close behind. Vyla felt a wet nose gently poking her ear. She turned and smiled at Molly, then moved over so Molly could get on the couch with her.

"I'm getting replaced with the dog?" He grinned.

"She missed us." Vyla smiled.

"Uh huh. Want to go do something?" He asked.

"Like what?" She said looking at him.

"I don't know. Some of the guys wanted to hang out. They haven't seen us in a while. You haven't talked to Sid much either. Everything ok there?" He asked.

"Its fine. I just needed some space from everyone." She said quietly.

"Well he thinks your mad at him." Corey said, sitting next to her.

"I'm not. I have no reason to be." Was all she said.

"So, want to tell me what the real problem is then? You haven't said much to me either lately. You go to therapy and come home, and sometimes you say nothing else the rest of the day. It's been that way for 2 weeks. And you haven't talked to Sid for 2 weeks." He said.

"I'm having a hard time dealing with Gabe's death. 2 weeks ago made it 4 years that he's been gone. I should have told you and Sid. I'm sorry I didn't." She said.

"What happened with Gabe?" He asked, carefully. She had never told him the story before.

"He came back after getting out of the Marines, and we weren't as close. When we did talk, we argued, because of Mason. Then we didn't talk for a year before he died. I got a call from my dad one morning, saying Gabe was found. He was dead inside of his truck, parked by the river. He blew his head off. I was devastated. Then the day of his funeral, Mason wouldn't let me leave the house. He was beating the shit out of me. I didn't care. I didn't feel anything other than the pain of losing my brother. Him hitting me, meant nothing. I didn't realize until later that night he had burned me even." She said, wiping her eyes.

Corey sat stunned in silence. "Goddamn Vy. That's awful. I'm sorry." He said softly.

She shrugged. "Nothing I can do about it now." She said.

"I know, but still, doesn't make it any easier I'm sure." He said.

They sat quietly for a few minutes. She turned to look at him. "How come you never told me about Paul?" She asked him, catching him off guard.

She watched his whole body stiffen. "Where is this coming from?" He asked almost defensively.

"I've been meaning to ask you about it. Sid said he had to throw you in the shower one day. He told me a little bit about Paul. I was just wondering why you never mentioned him to me." She said, watching him look away.

She could see the pain in his face at the mentioning of his name. She could see him clenching his jaw. He wouldn't look at her.

"I guess I just figured you knew." He said, still not looking at her. His tone changed. He sounded irritated with her for mentioning it.

"You want to play that bullshit card, do you? Guess I should have googled it, right?" She said hotly, standing up.

"I figured you knew. Everyone knows. Christ. Didn't realize this was an issue." He said, standing, walking into the kitchen. She could tell he was annoyed with her.

She walked in the kitchen, leaning against the doorway, crossing her arms staring at him. He turned and looked at her. His eyes had become an icy blue, almost grey. His body was tense, and he was fidgeting with his hands. He looked at her, irritated. His cheeks were becoming red.

"What?" He asked, almost shouting at her, as he glared at her.

She stared at him for a moment, unsure of why he was so upset. "Just wondering if you were going to tell me about him is all." She said, quietly.

She saw his jaw clench, as he paced the kitchen. "Just leave it alone." He snapped, stopping to lean his hands on the kitchen island.

She looked at him, surprised by his reaction. "I have to told you every sordid detail of my life, but you don't have to tell me anything? That's not fair Corey." She said, softly.

"I told you to leave it alone Vy!" He yelled, slamming his hands down on the counter, his face red with anger. His eyes were an icy blue, as he glared at her. He was breathing heavy, his face red with anger. It was like he became someone else.

She jumped at how deep his voice went, taking a step back. Her heart was slamming against her chest, as she felt the tears in her eyes. She was shaking.

He looked at her, realizing his mistake. She was terrified of him. He could see her body trembling. "Shit. Vy, I'm-" She didn't let him finish. She started to back up from the doorway slowly.

She kept her eyes on him, stepping back, watching him. He cautiously started to move from behind the kitchen island. "Vy, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry." He said in almost a whisper.

She reached cautiously for her jacket. Without looking away from him, she slipped on her shoes. She slowly picked up her bag off the counter. Taking a few steps back, she watched him move a few more steps toward her. She gasped, as she walked backwards to the door, not taking her eyes off of his movements.

She turned her back to him once she got to the door, trying open it quickly, her hands shaking and fumbling with the lock. She heard his footsteps behind her, and froze. She couldn't breathe.

"Baby, wait." She heard him say in a soft tone. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest, her breathing ragged. She felt dizzy. She couldn't move, she was frozen in fear.

"Vy, please, stop." She heard him say. She felt his hand on her arm.

"Don't touch me. Please." She whispered, scared to look at him.

"Please. Just don't go." He whispered, dropping his hand.

As soon as he dropped his hand, she ran to her car. She got in her car starting it, driving away from him, not looking back.

Corey watched helplessly as she sped away. Leaning against the door, he sank to the ground. "Fuck!!!" He yelled, slamming his fist on the floor.

What did I do? She was only asking about Paul. Why did I get so mad?, he thought to himself.

He sat in the deafening silence of the house, against the front door. He was so angry with himself. More than anything, he knew Vyla was scared of him. That was one thing he never wanted, was her scared of him. It had been the one thing he always wanted to prove to her was that he was nothing like Mason.

He sent her a text saying: Vyla, I am so sorry. I never should have acted like that. I swear to you I would never hurt you. Please come home.

He waited and waited for her to respond. He checked his phone, realizing she had been gone for three hours now, and she hadn't responded to him. He wasn't sure she was Ok even.

He felt the panic rising in his throat. She hadn't been alone that long since she was attacked. He stood up from the floor, looking out the windows, willing her to come home.

Checking his phone again, he saw no response from her. Sighing, he called Sid.

"What's up man?" Sid answered.

"Hey. Is Vyla with you?" He asked quickly.

"No. I haven't talked to her in two weeks, remember?" Sid said in a worried tone.

"Has she called or anything?" Corey asked, sounding panicked.

"No. Corey, what the fuck, man? What's going on?" Sid demanded.

"We had a fight, and she took off. I can't get a hold of her. I thought she was with you." He said, sounding desperate. "I have to go look for her."

"Stay at your house, ok? You need to be there if she comes back. I'll go look for her. Is she in her car?" Sid asked. Corey could hear Sid already in his car, starting it.

"Yeah. She's got her car. Think she went to Mick's?" Corey asked hopefully.

"Maybe. Is there any where she may have gone that you maybe took her to, or she liked going to?" Sid asked.

"There's a park. A place in the woods that I took her to. It looks out over the city." Corey said.

"I know which one it is. The one I had to haul your ass out of once when you were shitfaced. That one?" Sid asked.

"Yeah. That's it." Corey said quietly.

"What the fuck happened man?" Sid asked, almost demanding.

"I fucked up. It's a long story. I just fucked up." Corey said.

"I'll let you know when I find her. Just stay put." Sid replied, hanging up.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!!" Corey growled.