Any Other Name

Chapter 4

A/N: There is some domestic violence in this chapter.  Discretion is advised.

Marshall decided to call her Riverside, and the sheltie took to the name quickly. She liked to bark, but he also managed to tamp that down a little bit within the first weekend. Otherwise, River's energetic herding often brought a smile to Marshall's face and had Eliza feeling a little easier.

After about a week of having River and taking her out himself, Marshall let Eliza do it. With only a leash and a map on a napkin to the nearest dog park in her hand, Eliza let herself out of the door—something she hadn't really done in a year—and walked out the steps of the townhouse without Marshall by her side.

It was...unnerving. Though River was a welcome comfort, Eliza thought of all the times that Marshall had warned her of being out here without him. Going to the store was hard enough but to the dog park? It was maybe four blocks away and she didn't have to cross any major streets but facing the outside world had her sitting on the steps trying to ward off the weight building in her chest.

River butted her head against her good side and did the dance she did when she was trying to herd one of them to her food bowl. It made Eliza smile and she pet River's snout with an uneasy feeling in her chest.

"I'm okay," she soothed and took a deep breath to convince herself of it. "I'm okay, I'm okay." She got up from the front steps and let River lead her to the dog park.

This was a bad, bad, bad idea.

Eliza was not only surrounded by other, very excited dogs that tried to either tackle her or sniff her butt once she was on the ground, but by people who all seemed to want to talk to her. She was overwhelmed by the first person to come by and ask her about River, and by the third, she was spent. She wanted to call Marshall to come pick her up, but she knew that he'd be furious about leaving work early just for her.

That left either getting an Uber back or walking, and the moment the memory of what happened at the grocery store popped into her head she knew she was walking.

Walking wasn't so bad with River—it was much better than the walk to the park now that she had gotten her fill of smelling everything. The walk even seemed to clear Eliza's head.

What clouded it was seeing Marshall's car in the parking space in front of the townhouse.

River didn't seem to notice Eliza's hesitation and pulled her along until they were at the top of the steps. Eliza's hands were shaking as she patted her pockets to find her keys, and as soon as she had them the door opened.

Marshall's face was twisted into an angry grin. "Elly, honey, where've you been?"

Eliza's heart stuttered in her chest. Her grip on the leash loosened enough for River to escape inside. Her keys clinked together as her hands shook.

He reached out and put his hand flat on her shoulder blade. "What are you doing, standing out there? Come in, come in." He pushed her inside and closed the door gently, hand still on her when he turned her to face him. "Where have you been, hun?"

Eliza's voice came out small and shaky. "I was out walking River."

"What made you think that was today, dear?"

Tears were welling in her eyes and she hadn't even made her defense yet. "You said, you said I was walking her today."

"No, I didn't."

"But you said—"

The hand on her back was suddenly on her chest and pushing her back against the wall. Her head cracked against it and swung to the side when Marshall brought the back of his hand against her cheek. She dropped her keys and pressed the pads f her fingers against the wall trying to find traction. His grip on her shirt was the only thing holding her up until she got her feet back under her. "No, I didn't."