"Hahaha!" Eric laughed. The gun wasn't loaded. "So you would have killed me, huh, Amanda. I can't believe you would have really killed me!" Eric said.
"Well, as you can see, I would have! I hate you, Eric Marshal! No, I despise you! I wish I was able to kill you!" Amanda cried. Eric approached her, snatched the gun from her hands, and stuffed it in his pants.
"You are not calling the police, you hear me? Or I will put bullets in here and empty it in your head and Crystal's, you hear me?" Eric said, in a deadly tone. Amanda fearfully nodded. She looked at her helpless daughter, strewn on the bed, almost dead. Tears started to flow down her cheeks.
"If anything happens to my baby, I don't know what I'm going to do," she whispered.
"The little bitch is fine. So forget about her," Eric said. He grabbed Amanda's arm and dragged her from the room. "Come on, baby, I have needs," Eric said, pulling Amanda into their room and shutting the door.
"No! Leave me alone!" Amanda protested.
"Are you gonna make me force you, is that what you want? I can get ugly, I can assure you. You know first hand how ugly it can get, my dear," Eric warned. Amanda knew not to argue.
Nick decided to call Crystal, since it was apparent that she wasn't going to. He wondered what had happened with her father. Maybe he shouldn't have let her talk him into leaving. But he knew it would have been worse if her father had found him in her bedroom. He quickly picked up his phone and dialed Crystal's number. It rang and rang, but no one picked up. He began to get worried. What if something had happened? He decided to go over there and find out.
Josh groaned. He lifted his head slightly off the floor. His head felt as if it had been run over by a truck. He put all of his strength into sitting up. He groaned. "God, I feel like I'm gonna die of a headache!" he whined. He looked around for Crystal, and saw her sprawled on her bed. He forcedly stood up, suddenly getting dizzy. He swayed, but caught his balance, he walked to her bed, and sat down beside her. He saw her face and gasped. It completely swollen. Her body had cuts and bruises all over.
"Crystal!" he croaked out. "Crystal, wake up." He shook her, but she didn't even stir. He shook her harder, but got no reaction from her. Fear crept into his heart. He felt for a pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found one. He contemplated taking her to the hospital, but he didn't want to get butchered by Eric Marshal. He sighed, debating on what to do. He finally decided to leave. He didn't want to have another encounter with Eric. He planted a soft kiss on her mouth before he stood up and walked out of the room, and out of the house. He decided to go for a walk. That would clear his head some, and his parents wouldn't see him like this. They would want explanations and he didn't feel like giving any at the moment.
Nick crept into Crystal's room from the window again. He found her on her bed, beaten up and torn. He gasped loudly, his tears filling with tears. He rushed to her side.
"Crystal! Crystal, wake up! Oh, God, not again. She looks worse than before. Come on," he said, picking up her limp body. "I'm taking you to the hospital, and there's nothing anyone can do or say to stop me," he whispered. He walked out of her room, and carefully down the stairs. He walked across the street to his father's car. He knew that his father always left the doors unlocked, so he opened the passenger side door, and gently placed Crystal on the seat. He put on he seat belt, and shut the door. He jogged into the house, and went where his father usually left the keys. He found them, and went back out and entered the car. He turned on the car, revved the engine, and backed out of the garage.
A few hours later...
"Mr. Carter, Ms. Marshal barely made it. If you hadn't brought her in when you did, she would have been gone. Her injuries are very extensive. Her head suffered trauma, she has five cracked ribs, and two broken, her eyes are swollen shut at the moment, but the medication will help the swelling to reduce," Dr. Martin told Nick in the lobby of the hospital. Nick solemnly nodded, physically and emotionally drained out. "She had some internal bleeding but we have been able to mend her up. That's why she was lucky to have been brought in when she did."
"I understand, Doctor. So, will she have to stay overnight?" Nick questioned softly.
"Yes, she will. We will have to contact her parents-"
"No!" Nick said. "Her father was the one who did this to her. I don't think he would take this very well, and he would continue to hurt her. Please don't call her parents. I'll take care of her."
"Well, okay," the doctor reluctantly agreed. "But only because of what you have told me. Why don't you go home, and come see her tomorrow morning?" Dr. Martin suggested.
"No. I want to stay by her side. Can I see her?" Nick asked.
"Yes, of course. I will give you a special privilige. You will be able to stay in her room the whole night if you want. Let me get you a pass," Dr. Martin said. "I'll be right back."
Nick sank down on the sofa again and put his head in his hands. How could things have gotten so out of control? His whole life was a joke. His dad abused him emotionally. His mother didn't really pay attention to him. His siblings hated him. The only good thing about his life was Crystal, and look how she was suffering. Her father physically and emotionally abused her, her mother didn't do anything to prevent it, and her boyfriend was having sex with Jason's girlfriend. Jason was another screw up of his own. Nick knew that Jason was doing drugs. He'd seen him the other day snorting cocaine in an alley on his way back from school. Nick sighed. The doctor approached him again and handed him a slip.
"Here you go. I'll be checking up on her, okay? I'll see you later, Mr. Carter," Dr. Martin said. Nick nodded. The doctor walked away. Nick looked down at the slip. It said room 428. He stood up and walked to the elevators. He pressed 4, and waited until the doors slid open.
A few minutes later, he entered her room. She looked so frail. He walked towards her and pulled the only chair in the room close to her bed. He sat down and reached for one of her hands.
"Crystal, I'm so sorry. I should have never left you alone." Tears welled in his eyes. "I love you so much, Crys. I'm hurting so much for you right now, you wouldn't imagine." He sniffled. "I promise you that as long as I live, Eric Marshal will never lay a finger on you again. I swear." Nick closed his eyes. He was so tired. He brought her hands up to his lips and kissed it softly. He laid his head on her bed, and closed his eyes. Almost instantly, he was asleep.
Chapter 14
Back To Index
Back To Fanfiction
Back To Main Page