Shattered

25. The Resolution

Alec heard the lock open and then someone fall. Hurrying, he got up on his feet, wiped his face and prepared himself to get inside.

The door didn't open completely. He pushed it and as the door slowly swung, Alec's apprehensions and worries increas what he was going to witness. He was worried if he could pick up the broken pieces together and save her.

As the door swung inside, he began getting a glimpse of the damage that had been done. He understood why Beth had fainted in the OT, why she had disappeared.

As the door swung open, he saw how much he has pushed her, how hurt she was, how broken she had been all this while.

As the door swung open, he saw the apartment. Broken glass pieces were covering the floor, the curtains that hung were torn and the sofas were upturned. The legs of the centre table were lying carelessly, waiting for someone to trip over them, while the table was lying on the rug with shattered glass.

And then he saw her.

He saw her, lying as broken as everything else in the house. Her legs laid twisted on the floor, lifeless. Her back drooped for support against the wall. She sat, clutching a sharp glass piece in her hand. She kept looking at him, her eyes, begging for him.

"Beth!" he rushed to her side. Quickly he threw away the glass piece from her hand. There were still small cuts from holding it. Droplets of blood were begining to ooze out. He opened a few buttons of his shirt and tore a piece of clothing to tie on her hand.

"Beth, what were you doing with that?" She kept looking at him with the same dazed expression that he had greeted. He quickly dressed her wound. She still laid like a broken doll on the floor.

"Beth!" He shook her. He looked at her tear stained face for a response. "Beth? Are you okay?"

A whisper escaped her lips, before she fell into his arms, "help me."

•

Alec held Beth close to him as she slept. She screamed Noah's name again as she saw another nightmare. She clutched his t shirt and sweat beads formed around her hairline.

It had been over four hours since she had fainted. After she had regained her consciousness, she just drank a glass of water before going to sleep.

The first time he heard her screaming was when he was cleaning the house. Since then, she must have screamed three more times. He tried waking her up but she was in stuck far away in her nightmares for him to bring her out. So, he decided to hold her and stay by her side until she wakes up.

She shivered and wrapped himself closer to her. Her breathing eased and she relaxed a little. She looked like a little child and he remembered the first time he had held her like this. He remembered that night, when he had first realised he loved her.  And now here he was again, holding her trying to protect her from her nightmares only difference was her nightmares had gone worse, their relationship, if they were still in any, was a mess. His only hope was his love for her. It had only grown stronger and made him stronger and now all he hoped that with this night's end, he could end her troubles too. He hoped that by tommorow morning when the new year starts, he could start over again....... with her.

He checked his watch, it was almost 9:30 at night. Few more hours, he thought. Will they be able to survive?
But before he could think about the answer Beth called for Noah in a blood chilling scream.
"Beth! Beth!" He grabbed her. "Are you okay? Beth?"