Remember Me.

eleven

The faintly lit table lamp was all that illuminated the Carter's master bedroom. Beyoncé, disheveled from the event that took place just a few minutes prior, sat with her back against the tufted grey headboard and looked somberly at her estranged husband who had finally managed to resort back into a deep sleep. She mistakenly assumed everything was on the road to normality after their movie date a few hours ago, but when the couple returned home and to bed, Shawn awoke with a violent night terror that sent him into a panic attack of no other, striking Beyoncé in the process as she tried her hardest to calm him down and not wake their precious daughter Sienna.

"Shawn, please! It's me! Beyoncé your wife! B-baby, please calm down-"

"Can't you see we're under attack!? The bombs, they won't stop coming! The noise, stop the noise!" He screamed helplessly while backing into the corner.

"Baby there are no bombs, I promise .. no bombs. We're in our home, baby. Just me & you-"

"Man, get the fuck off of me! I don't know you, just go away!!" With quickness, Shawn forcefully grabbed her arms and slammed her down to the floor. Agonizing pain radiated throughout Beyoncé's back and she screamed in terror, "Corey please!"

Once she mouthed his middle name - a name only she would call him - in the midst of begging and pleading , Shawn's tight grip to released. He had finally let go with a look of sorrow in his eyes, freed from his night terror, and began to realize the damage that he had done. He then broke into a fit of tears and recited close to a thousand "I'm sorry" phrases to her, yet she didn't say a word as they rocked back & forth in each other's arms. Now with everything detained, it pained her to experience this. Ever so often, she'd wipe away a tear or two while gently stroking Shawn's hand beneath their cozy covers.

Releasing the deep breath that she held for so long, Beyoncé slowly removed her hand for a second to rearranged the not-so-helpful heating pad to her lower back. Still in deep thought she wondered, how would she now explain this to those close? Shawn would never think about raising a hand to his wife, yet that Shawn was in his right mind and unbothered by the possibility of suffering from brain damage and post traumatic stress disorder. Now thinking back, she regretted even taking him to see that movie cause it trigged him in more ways than one; yes, she was pleased to show him a glimpse of their past, but with the countless sirens and scenes of war, she wasn't surprised that it trigged the unpleasant from within him.

"I should of known better.." she mumbled to herself, now worn out from all that took place. After placing a slight kiss on Shawn's forehead, she reached to shut off the lamp and began her descent under the covers and into a deep slumber.

***

A few hours later, Beyoncé awoke from her achy back. "Lord help me.." she mumbled while taking her time to maneuver to the edge of the bed. Through the curtains, the sun beautifully adorned the bedroom and settled Beyoncé into a state of zen as she slowly made her way over to the medicine cabinet located in the bathroom. Quickly, she grabbed her token bottle of organic, topical anesthetic and massaged a nice coating around the tops of her shoulders and lumbar spine to calm down the pain. Due to breastfeeding, she was against the use to oral pain medication in fear that they'd be harmful to her baby girl, so she made it her duty to find alternative pain management measures that would aid her to a full recovery.

Once she was finished in the bathroom, she threw on a pair of black leggings and one of Shawn's blue, Navy t-shirts, then journeyed downstairs to see who was the cause of all the morning ruckus. When she appeared, she found Nicole rummaging through her kitchen cabinets.