Two months later…
"Come on Nick, do you wanna get there today?" Brian called as Nick struggled with his luggage. "I’m comin! How did you fit all of you clothes in one bag?" Nick asked, as he followed Brian through the airport. "Well I didn’t pack my whole wardrobe. And to tell you the truth…I don’t plan on wearing too many clothes while we’re here" Brian said with a smirk. "Thank you for that lovely picture. Can we go now?" Nick said.
As the cab pulled up to the curb, Nick saw Becky getting into her car. He jumped out of the cab, and ran to her car. "Nick! What are you doing here?" Becky exclaimed, getting out of her car. "I flew up to see you" he replied. "Good. I need you" she said, giving him a hug. "Guys, no one’s home at Gaby’s. Is it alright if I hang with you?" Brian asked, walking across the lawn. "Brian" Becky said, running over to him, putting her arms around him. "I’m happy to see you too" he said, before noticing that she was crying, "What’s the matter?" he asked. "It’s Gaby…she’s in the hospital." she replied, wiping her eyes. "Why? What happened to her?" he asked, becoming worried. "She…she…" she said, starting to cry again. "She what?" Brian asked, tears forming in his eyes. "She was raped last night…" Becky said, crying on Brian’s shoulder. The tears started streaming down Brian’s cheeks, "No…Oh my God…No." Brian said through tears. "I’m going over to the hospital now." Becky said, pulling away from Brian. "Come on." she said, leading him to her car. Nick got in the front seat next to Becky, and Brian got into the back seat. The whole way to the hospital, Brian just stared into space. "She’ll be happy when she sees you." Becky said. Brian nodded his head a little, still out of it.
When they got to the hospital, they went up to her room. Her mother and sister were sitting outside the door. "Hey." Becky said, as they approached them. "Hi." They responded, both of them looking exhausted. "Can I see her?" Brian asked. "She’s sleeping, but you can go in." Kate said. Brian slowly turned the door knob and went into the room. He walked over to the bed, trying not to disturb her. She was covered with a sheet, her arms out, revealing black and blues on her wrists, and a deep cut near her shoulder. She had a small cut on her cheek and she had a black eye. Brian sat down in a chair beside Gaby’s bed. A few minutes later, a nurse came in to see how she was doing, and Gaby woke up. "Hello Gaby!" the nurse said cheerfully. "Hi." She mumbled, not noticing Brian sitting beside her. "I have a headache." She said quietly, putting her hand up to forehead. "You also have a visitor." The nurse said, pointing to Brian, "I’ll get you something for your head." She continued, leaving the room for a few minutes. Gaby turned her head to face where the nurse had pointed. "Brian! What are you doing here?" Gaby asked, surprised to see him. "I came to see you…then Becky told me what happened when I found no one at your house." Brian said, going over and sitting on edge of the bed, taking her hand in his. Gaby closed her eyes for a moment, then quickly opened them. "Brian…it was the scariest moment of my life." She said, as tears fell from her eyes. "I can only imagine how horrifying it must have been." Brian said, taking her into his arms. "How long are you going to stay?" Gaby asked, still clinging to him. "I’m not going to leave you." Brian said, pulling away, kissing her forehead. "I’ve missed you so much. You have no idea how good it feels to be in your arms." Gaby said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I’m sure you don’t want to talk about it…but do you have any idea who it was?" Brian asked quietly, rubbing his hand on her back. "No…it was dark, and he was wearing all black, and a ski mask. He was tall…" she said, trailing off as tears gathered in her eyes again. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked…" Brian said. "No I need to talk about it…its the only way I’ll get past it…" she said, sitting up, as the nurse came in. "Here. Take this. It’ll make you feel better." The nurse said, handing Gaby a pill and a cup of water. "Thank you." Gaby responded, as the nurse left the room again. "Bri, I’m scared to go home. What if he…he…" she said, looking down at her bruised wrists. "I’m gonna be with you baby, I won’t let him hurt you again." Brian said, lifting her chin, looking into her eyes.
