Alec by Margaret McHeyzer
Driving home, Serena is sitting beside me, trembling as she chews on her nail. I turn the heat up in the car in case she’s cold, but my instincts tell me the trauma of what happened to her is creeping up and she’s going to have a full meltdown.
Rightfully so, too.
I can’t imagine how traumatizing a home invasion would be for someone, especially a woman alone.
We pull into my driveway, and Rhett pulls up on the front lawn, parking her car. “Wait here,” I say as I unbuckle my seat belt, and jump out of the car. I jog over to Rhett who’s getting out of Serena’s car. “All good?”
“Yeah, no problems.” Rhett hands me the keys as we walk over to Dean’s truck.
“Hey, thanks for being here,” I say to both Rhett and Dean.
“Yeah, of course, man. Whatever either of you need, let us know,” Dean replies, and Rhett’s nodding his agreement.
Rhett easily jumps up into Dean’s truck, and shakes his head. “Where she lives...”
“She never told me where it was, except it was a bad part of Faith Haven. If I knew it was that bad, then I would’ve moved her out weeks ago.”
“It’s not safe for her to return,” Dean says.
“She’s stubborn but she’s not going back,” I say as I cross my arms in front of my chest.
“You can’t let her go back there, regardless of what she says. She was lucky tonight, next time, she may not be,” Dean says.
“She’s not going back,” I say adamantly. “As far as I’m concerned, she lives here now.”
“Look, go take care of her,” Rhett says. “And don’t be an asshole to her. Make sure you really look after her.”
I roll my eyes at Rhett. “I know.”
“Well, you can really be an asshole,” Dean echoes Rhett’s words.
“See ya.” I turn and walk away from them. I hear Dean quietly leave my street. When I get back to the car, Serena is staring out the window, completely devoid of any emotion. Her shoulders have sunken and she’s shivering. I open the back door and take her suitcase, then open her door and reach for her hand. “Come on, we’re home,” I say.
She turns to look at me, and narrows her eyes before taking my hand and climbing out of the car. Serena is an emotionless mess. She’s not saying or doing anything, which makes me think she’s on the verge of breaking.
I unlock the front door, and turn on the light in the family room. She merely follows me, without saying a word.
“Here you go. Sit. I’ll make you something to drink.” I guide her over to the sofa, where she sits and draws the blanket up to her chin. I take her suitcase into our room, and remember she also has her handbag, which she must’ve left in the car. I run back out to the car and grab her handbag before bringing it into our bedroom.
“Can I have a shower? I feel so dirty,” she says when I go out to the family room.
“Yeah, of course.” I hold my hand out again, and take her to the bathroom. “I’ll get you towels.”
“Thank you,” she says in a small voice.
I hand them to her, and she closes the door to the bathroom. I don’t want to hover, but if she needs me, I want to be able to be there for her. She needs some space to process everything that’s happened. I’ll keep an eye on the time while she’s in the shower and if she takes too long, I’ll go in there.
Serena turns the water on, and I look at the time. It’s just after three in the morning, and I know she’ll be tired. I head back into our bedroom, and change the sheets on the bed, then get an extra blanket from the closet in case she needs it. I pace outside the bathroom, stopping every few seconds just to listen. But I don’t hear anything.
This gives me enough time to pour myself a whiskey, and down it. I needed that. Leaning against the kitchen counter, I pour two more. One for me, and one for Serena for when she’s finished from the shower.
I listen for the water to shut off, but it’s still on. She’s been in there for what seems like hours, although when I look at the time, it’s only been five minutes. My gut is telling me to check on her. I’ll give her two more minutes, and if she’s still in there, I’ll check on her.
Pacing back and forth outside the bathroom, I keep checking on the time. The second I hear her small, smothered wails, I open the door and find Serena sitting on the floor of the shower, her legs drawn up and her head resting on her knees. “Hey,” I say as I stick my hand into the shower, turn the water off, then grab one of the towels laid out. “Hey,” I say again.
She turns her head to look at me, her eyes are puffy and red, and she’s still trembling. “I’m...” She looks up at me, completely broken.
Pulling her up from her shoulders, I wrap the towel around her shoulders, and get her to step out of the shower. With the other towel, I dry her body. Starting from the top, and working my way down. Her hair is soaking wet, sticking to her face and neck, as she stands, lifelessly allowing me to dry her. Once her body is dry, I try to towel dry her hair. I do the best I can, but her hair is long and wet. Like really wet. Shit, I think I’m fucking this up.
I’m struggling to even get her hair dry. “I’ll do it,” Serena says sensing my struggle with her hair.
“Thank you.” I notice she doesn’t have any clothes other than what she was wearing in here. “Come on,” I say when she’s wrapped the towel around her hair. Leading her to our bedroom, I go to my drawers, taking out one of my t-shirts and a pair of boxer briefs. I kneel before my queen, and tap her leg so I can get her feet inside the boxers then slide them up her body. They’re a bit big on her, but they’ll do for now. Then I take the t-shirt, and maneuver it over the towel on her head, as she lifts her arms, and allows me to lower the t-shirt over her torso. Serena stands, staring at me. “Are you hungry?” I ask.
“Nope.”
“Thirsty?”
“Nope.”
“You need a drink. Sit.” I guide her over to the bed, and sit her on the edge. “I’ll be back in a second. Running my hand through my hair as I walk out to the kitchen, I take a moment to just take a deep breath. She’s been through so much, and right now, she’s a mere shell of the person she usually is. I know it’s a speed bump in her life, and she’s probably thinking about the worst-case scenario of what could’ve happened. Truthfully, I’m struggling to think of anything else myself.
If I could find the men who broke into her house, I’d tear them limb from limb. And I wouldn’t lose a moment’s sleep over the hurt I’d bring them.
I bring the two glasses of whiskey into the bedroom, and sit beside Serena on the bed. I hand her the glass. “What is it?” she asks. She slams it down before I have a chance to answer. “Whiskey.” Serena winces, and shakes her head then hands me the empty glass.
“Do you want mine too?” I hold it out to her, and she throws that back too. “Better?”
She sits staring at the floor, then pushes back, and leans against the headrest. Looking at me, tears start falling again. She’s such a strong woman, but right now, she’s a mess. “I can’t help but replay it over and over again.” She grabs the hem of the t-shirt, and wipes at her eyes. I look around the room searching for tissues. Shit, I don’t have any. “I think if those two guys from down the street didn’t come when they did, then I’d be...”
“What two guys?” I ask. “What are you talking about?” She told the police it was only two guys who broke in.
Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head. “Nothing, nothing, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Serena, what happened?” Is there more to this than she’s already told me?
She lowers her chin, and buries her face into her hands. “I was so scared, Alec. So, scared. It all happened so fast.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“I can’t. I just can’t.”
“You can trust me. What happened?” I move closer to her, and rub my hands up and down her legs. She remains quiet for a few more seconds. “Serena,” I urge her to open up.
She lifts her chin, and wipes at her face again. Looking away again, she brings her hand up and chews at her nails. “It all happened so fast. There was someone bashing at the front door, which woke me.” She gulps and takes a breath. “I heard them calling for Jordan to open the door.” Serena worries her lower lip between her teeth. “Then the bashing continued, and I knew I was in trouble. Um, they got in,” her voice breaks as more tears stream down her cheeks. “And they were looking for Jordan. They got to my door, and they tried it. But, I’d locked it, because Jordan had broken into my room and stole things before to pawn for drugs.” Her breathing is labored, short but heavy. Through her tears and talking, I’m trying to piece together what exactly happened. “They broke it down. When they saw me, they...they asked me where Jordan is, and I told them he’s in rehab. But then, they looked at each other, and I knew right then, my life was on the line.” She grasps her chest with a shivering hand. “And then the two guys from down the street, they came in with guns, and told them to leave.”
“Why didn’t you tell the police, Serena?”
She shakes her head. “They told me not to say anything, Alec. They helped me when I thought the other two were going to hurt me. I owed them my silence in gratitude.”
Shit, this is hard. The right thing to do is to tell the police. But I also understand her insistence on not saying anything too. “We should tell the police, maybe those two from down the road know the other two.”
“NO!” she yells. “I promised them, I wasn’t going to say anything. I’m not saying anything to the police. They saved me; I’m not saying anything. I’m not. No way,” she adamantly repeats.
“What happened after the two with the guns came in?”
“They got rid of the two who were looking for Jordan. Then, one of them turned and told me I’d never belonged in that neighborhood and it’s not safe for me. Then they told me to pack my shit and leave.” She humorlessly chuckles. “In all the time I’ve lived there, they’d sit outside on a ratty old sofa, and watch me come and go from home. They’d watch me like a hawk, and they scared me to death. But now I know, they’ve been keeping an eye on me. And because of that, I owe them, Alec. I can’t say a single thing to the police about them. And trust me, it’s killing me not to say anything, but it’s the right thing to do.”
This is a tricky situation. But the fact they’ve been looking out for Serena means I owe them a debt, too. They were watching out for her when I wasn’t. There’s a tightness in my chest and a sinking feeling in my stomach. I’ve got an internal battle going on, but I should push it aside and look after my woman. She’s the one who’s trying to keep it together. If I don’t calm her fears, she could end up scared of her own shadow.
“I feel so hopeless, Alec. I’ve been working my ass off for so long, trying to do what’s best for Jordan, that somewhere along the line, I put myself in danger.”
“You didn’t do this to yourself, Serena. Unfortunately, you were in the wrong place, at the wrong time. This isn’t on you.” I don’t want to tell her that it’s Jordan’s actions that put her in danger, not where she lived.
“If I got Jordan help earlier, maybe this wouldn’t have happened,” she argues back, still trying to take responsibility. “It’s playing over and over again.” She taps her forehead with the pads of her fingers. “I can’t get the look on their faces out of my head.”
“You can’t torture yourself with this, Serena. It’s not your fault, and it’s over now. You’re safe.”
“I just wish I could’ve helped him earlier. I wish I pushed to get a loan, to have him in rehab twelve months ago, maybe then this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Stop.” I grab Serena around the hips, and move her to sit on my lap. “Listen to me. This isn’t on you. Chances are Jordan owes those guys money for drugs, and they came looking to collect. You told the police one had a knife and the other had a baseball bat?” Serena nods. “They weren’t going to kill him, they were going to hurt him to teach him a lesson.”
“This is fucked,” she says in a long breath. “Totally and utterly fucked.”
“It is,” I agree. “I’m just relieved you’re safe, and here with me.” I hug her against my body. Serena’s posture is rigid. I keep holding her close to me, and over the next few moments, she softens and melts into me.
“I’m tired,” she whispers.
“I bet you are.” I move her back to the bed, and lay her down. Standing, I go to turn the light off.
“Where are you going?” she asks with desperation.
“I’m just turning the light off.”
“Please, don’t leave me alone tonight. Please,” she pleads.
“I won’t.” I toe off my shoes, take my jeans off and crawl into bed beside Serena.
She moves so her head rests on my chest, and her arm is draped across my stomach. “Alec?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you.”
Even at her worst, she’s still putting me before herself. She has to be the strongest person I’ve ever known. I kiss the top of her head, while drawing lazy patterns on her back. In my arms, she falls asleep. Though the night is spent with Serena tensing and whimpering, and me holding her through each and every cry.
