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Leaning across her bed, I grab one of the two stuffed toys: a ratty, old red and black gingham bear with mismatched white button eyes and a badly sewn-on nose. Its mouth gives afriendly, lopsided smile. The rabbit that matches the keychain can stay. This thing looks much more … loved.
“Diana?” a woman’s trembling voice calls. “Diana, thank God! It’s been three weeks, I was worried something happened to you—” The woman cuts off as I enter the living room, her face turning ghost white.
Diana was angry with me; never once these past three weeks have I seen fear on her face. I don’t want her to fear me; no one should be in fear of another human.
This woman? The word petrified would not be enough to describe what I see in her eyes. And there is a green bruise on her face that makeup can’t hide.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Wait,” I call, wishing my voice wasn’t naturally deep and commanding. I don’t want to scare this woman further.
She turns to me, visibly trembling.
“Diana is my fiancée,” I tell her. “I was just getting a few things for her.” I hold up the bag and doll.
She looks less scared now; more sad and despondent as tears come to her eyes. Looking away from me, she nods. “I’m glad she’s getting out of this Hellhole. I hope she never sets foot here again. Can you … can you tell her I said thank you for protecting Whitney and helping me out when she could?”
“Protecting?” I ask. Shaking my head, I decide I will ask Diana. “Of course I’ll tell her, Miss?” I pause, waiting for her to give her name.
“Thompson. Mrs. Thompson. My husband passed but I still prefer missus,” she explains, raising her eyes to meet mine. “Congratulations to you both. But if I may, ensure you cancel her lease if you haven’t already. Rick will come after her for lost money.”
“Rick is the landlord?”
She shivers. “Not surprised Diana never mentioned him. Anyway, I need to figure some things out, I’m sorry. Congratulations again!” She scurries away, hunched over as if preparing for an attack.
Something doesn’t sit right with me, and I need to have a talk with my fiancée.
Back at home, I go right down to the basement and knock on the door before I open it, finding Diana sitting on the edge of the bed, looking off into the distance. Sometimes when she does this, she looks pained. Today, however, she looks happy. I almost wish I didn’t have to disturb her.
“Diana.”
At her name, she jumps and turns towards me, watching me with wary eyes.
“I have questions for you.” I shut the door and walk towards her, shocked when she doesn’t flinch, just moves over to let me sit. Good. I don’t want her scared of me. What I do is for her own good. I think, deep down, she knows that.
“First … I brought you something,” I admit, reaching into the bag to pull out the teddy bear.
Her hard, wary eyes fill with tears, and I see the girl she once was, the woman she could be. Whatever happened in between those two periods to bring her to the life I saved her from, I hope to erase it completely.
She nearly snatches the bear from me, clutching it to her chest, as tears fall down her sweet face.
“I went to your old apartment,” I admit.
For the first time, I see terror in her eyes. “Why would you— Wait. You mean where I live now?”
“Lived,” I correct, mentally tabling another discussion I will need to have with her. Where on Earth did she live before? Was she not with family? “You live here now.”
She clutches the bear tighter to her chest, no longer looking at me. Ah well. In time she will come to think of my home as her home. As soon as I finish my work with her.
“I ran into someone there, a Mrs. Thompson.”
Her eyes widen, but still she doesn’t look at me. “Is she okay? What about Whitney, her daughter?”
“She didn’t look well, and appeared to panic when I said you wouldn’t be returning,” I say. “She told me to thank you for protecting her daughter, and she was glad you got out of that building.”
Diana is silent.
“What goes on there that you needed to protect her child?” I press.
