FicWad

Basement stairs. Kitchen. Hallway. Joe’s front yard. Gerard running, blurring my vision. Rebecca still screaming as he dragged her by her hair and shoved her hard into the passenger seat. I followed, trying to help, needing to help. Over the passed few days Rebecca had looked out for me and now it was my turn to do the same.

‘Get the fuck off of her!’ Gerard shouted, making it all the way up to Alex before being pushed sharply back onto the grass

‘Stay out of my way’ Alex sneered, giving him a kick for good messure

I watched Gerard hold on to his ribs like he was afraid they’d fall out. Getting to his side as quickly as I could I made sure he was okay. His eyes were glazed over from the alcohol but no further damage was done. The engine to Alex’s car revved up and he flipped Gerard off before speeding into the night. I was about to call it a lost cause and comfort Gerard but he wouldn’t give up without a fight. Pulling himself onto his feet painfully he pulled his car keys out of his pocket and stumbled towards his car. I paniced.

‘Gerard!’ I shouted after him, ‘You’re drunk, man. I can’t let you drive’

He stopped in his tracks. I thought he was actually going to listen. Yeah, this was Gerard I was talking about. As if he ever listens. He looked at me as if I was stupid, shook his head and continued into his car.

‘Someone’s got to help her’ Gerard called from his car window, ‘This time, it’s me.’

And he was gone. Driving like a maniac, already over the speed limit before his trip began. I groaned, not knowing what to do. Everyone was outside by now, crowded by the frontdoor. Everyone, including Patrick, who hobbled to my side. He grabbed on to my head and pulled it to face him. His eyebrows arched, I knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth.

‘Just be careful..’ He pushed me lightly, kissing my cheek, ‘Make sure he’s safe…’

I nodded, getting in my own car. What the hell was I thinking? I couldn’t do this but I could exactly just cross my fingers for Gerard and hope he didn’t get killed. I would’ve been perfectly within my rights to throw my arms up and say that this was crazy. I know, I’m a chicken shit. On this occasion, I didn’t run away from the problem. I had to help Gerard. I could never live with myself if he’d died. Hell, I don’t think anyone else could’ve forgiven me if he died.

So, I followed. I was pretty far behind them so he was just a blip of lights in the distance. I swore loudly, driving as fast as the wheels on my car would take. Sixty. Seventy. Eighty. Ninety. Verging a hundred before the sirens began. I roared, pissed off to the limit by now. Sick of all the bad shit that happened to me and only me. I attempted a rescue and I was going to get a ticket. Jesus, Prince Charming never had these issues. I slowed a little and pulled into the lane on the far right but the police car whizzed straight passed me. My heart sank. I feared the worst. Pulling out all the stops I sped to my greatest capability along the road following the screaming alarm bell.

My mind kept coming up with these horrible images. Gerard on Alex’s hood, blood running down his face. Gerard under Alex’s car, crushed and lifeless. Rebecca, beaten to a pulp, head cracked open. My hands shook hard on the wheel as I tried desperately to push these images away. The police stopped a little ahead of me and when I saw the remains of Alex and Gerard’s car I felt like I was going to throw up. Stumbling out of my car I ran as fast as I ever have to the scene. A man in uniform stood on the sideline.

‘Stay back please sir’ He grumbled, hand out, barricading me

I was in half a mind to punch him in the face but I chose to dodge him instead. I ducked passed him and he shouted after me. I didn’t care. I just wanted to know if they were alright. The twisted carnage that was Gerard’s car wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. Seemingly he’d hit the back of Alex’s car and spun into a street light. The front was all screwed up and the windscreen was smashed into a thousand pieces of glass dust. It looked like he’d gone through it. I closed my eyes and took in a shaky breath. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a shape moving towards me. Well prepared to attack whoever was going to try and move me away, I turned, poised to strike, when the person collided with me and wrapped their arms around me.

‘Pete’ She choked into my shoulder, crying shamelessly, ‘They…’

‘It’s okay…’ I hushed, pulling her tight into me, stroking her hair, ‘Where’s Gerard and your husband?’

She shuddered slightly then pulled back so I could see the big red hand mark across her face. I winced, mostly from shock. I cupped her jaw and ran my thumb over the sore skin. She closed her eyes.

‘Bexz…’ I sighed, close to tears, ‘What does he do to you?’

She shrugged avoiding my eyes and pointed towards the ambulance where Alex was being loaded in. I placed a hand on her waist and held her chin between my thumb and index finger. I tipped her head up to look at me. Her eyes puffy and painful. Her lips dry and cracked.

‘You deserve so much better’ I say sincerely holding her to me,

‘He takes care of me’ She mumbled, still not wanting to look at me

‘Sure he does’ I retort sarcastically

‘He loves me’ She whispered hoarsly

‘He hurts you’ I shake my head, never wanting to let her go back to him

‘I…Know…’ She sobbed, quivering hard, over her shoulder a man I recognized well stumbled towards up

‘Gerard!’ I called, Rebecca tensed

He waved and hobbled over. Rebecca instantly let me go. I raised my eyeborw at her and she shook her head. Looking once, with hate in her eyes at Gerard she hurried over to the ambulance calling for her asshole husband. Gerard’s expressions dropped as he wrapped his arms around himself and fell into me. I grabbed him quickly before he quite hit the ground. He groaned, clutching himself. I called over the ambulance attendance, knowing he was hurt. Just before he drifted out of consciousness for the last time he looked up at me and grinned through the pain. His last words to me made me more proud of him than I’d ever been before.

‘I beat…the living shit.. out of him…’ He snorted, closing his eyes