SUEDE In the V.I.P. area of the club sat Justin. Rachael, Nick, Trace, who was joined by Joanna, Eytan, and Natalie were all dancing. Justin though didn’t feel like it without Nicole. He didn’t even want to drink and had barely touched his water. The group was having a blast, dancing to all the top music. Trace joked around saying, "Hey, Justin didn't you produce this? As a matter of fact, didn't you do all these songs?"
Justin did not make a remark to the comment. He sat in the velvet red couch, all alone with a wondering face. Natalie, who was sitting on Eytan's lap, asked Justin, "Are you okay, you don't seem your usual self." Eytan slowly kissed her neck.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a bad feeling. How was Nicole when you left? Was she okay? Did she say anything?"
"Yeah, she seemed fine to me. We talked a little and then you guys called me and I left. Everything was fine. Why?"
"No, you know how I get...I worry about her."
"J, call her on her cell phone and talk to her. It will make you feel better. Trust me.”
He got up and went into a small corner of the VIP section where it was quiet and called her. He got her voicemail, "Hey its Nicole, sorry I could not get to the phone. I’ll call you back as soon as possible.”
"Hey, it’s me. Give me a call back...I'm worried about you. Alright love you, bye,” he stated, desperate to hear her voice.
THE APARTMENT Grabbing Nicole’s wrists, Kyle made her drop the crutches from the pain he caused. He also had a good two inches on her, making her feel small. He shoved her roughly to the floor, her head colliding with the wood flooring. She tried to turn so the back of her head didn’t hit. If it did, she’d be in more trouble. She kicked her right leg, trying to connect with a part of him, and successfully hit him where it counted. He doubled over and groaned as she scooted back. She was almost to the door, all she had to do was open it, but he pulled her legs and dragged her.
He straddled her, pinning her body down as he started to punch her. She tried to cover her face but he only hit her that much harder in the stomach. She cried out in pain, voice rasping more with each blow. She got in a few punches herself to his jaw.
“You’ll pay for that! I don't know why Justin even wastes his time, you're nothing. He just takes pity on you,” Kyle screamed; now kicking her. “He’s just as much of a damn f******* b**** as you are.” He then stood up and surveyed the damage he inflicted. “There’s more where this came from.”
Nicole curled into herself as he kicked her one last time and slipped back out without being seen.
Nicole hearing her phone ringing made an attempt to answer it. But she could not make it into the hallway where it was. She was there all alone in pain, hoping that Justin would come home soon.
---
10 MINUTES LATER. Justin opened the door to his apartment. After the call at club, he wanted to get home. Everyone understood and went their separate ways. The first thing he noticed was flowers he didn’t send smashed all over the floor. He immediately waved Big Dog in, who was still behind him. The big guard stepped in front of him, searching the place for intruders. They saw Nicole’s crutches on the floor, a slight hole in the wall, a small trail of blood next to the crutches.
“Nicole!” Justin screamed, starting to panic. “Nicole, where are you?!”
There, just behind the couch like she’d tried to hide, the young woman lay in a heap. It looked like she tried to get somewhere safe but couldn’t move far.
“Nicole?” he asked his voice small and cracking with emotion. “Baby Girl, can you hear me?”
He reached out to touch her shoulder and her head flew up; eyes wide and scared, definitely tear-stained. The movement caused her to cry out in pain and Justin felt his throat close.
“Get help!” he croaked to the man at his side. He looked back at his girlfriend, wondering who did that, wanting to throttle the person, and his world feeling like it just fell apart.
---
Justin cautiously laid a sobbing Nicole on their bed. She obviously didn’t want to be touched and was too scared to even take in that he wouldn't hurt her. Big Dog called several guards to discretely close off the building and call for a private doctor. Justin tried to stay calm but Nicole’s cries ripped through him and he didn’t want her to see him fall apart, he had to stay strong.
The doctor Johnny had hired years ago for Justin, Dr Warner, had come quickly. She was somewhat familiar with the couple’s relationship so she understood the young woman’s needs. “Shh, shh,” Justin tried to sooth Nicole as she sobbed.
When the doctor stepped in, Nicole tried to scramble up the bed. She shrank back against the headboard. “It’s just me, Dr Warner,” the aged woman said. She turned to Justin. “Do you know what happened?”
“N-no. I came home and she was - ” The young man gulped, still trying to digest all this. “She was like this when I found her.”
Nodding, Warner continued. “Nicole, I have to make sure nothing was broken. Will you let me check?”
The girl’s eyes darted to her boyfriend, as if just realizing he was home. She nearly sprung into his arms, crying harder with the pain. “I’m here, I’m not leaving you again,” he whispered. He gently settled her back, removing her hold on him but keeping one hand on her hair and the other on her hand.
The doctor moved fast and careful, checking her ribs, eyes, head and wrists. Each time Nicole whimpered or cried, Justin whispered softly to her. He reluctantly stepped out of the room to hear the diagnosis. “How is she?”
“Well, she’s got extensive bruising but I didn’t detect internal bleeding. She has a mild concussion and a sprained wrist you’ll have to keep wrapped. If the pain worsens or she starts vomiting, get her to the hospital. Nicole will be sore for awhile and will need a lot of reassuring and comfort. Her mind is more fragile than ours so just keep an eye out. All-in-all, she’s strong and will recover.”
Justin went back into the bedroom as Rachael and Johnny took care of the police, the press and cleaning up the place. Surprisingly, there wasn't a media uproar yet but he knew when the couple was in public, there would be. But everyone who knew them knew Justin would never hurt Nicole.
---
“Nicole, everyone’s gone, Sweetheart,” the young man called softly. She looked up at him, eyes still wide with fear and pain. “It’s ok, it’s just us. I’m sorry, Baby Girl. I wish I was here to stop all this from happening.” Seeing her eyes fill up as his did, he cleared his throat. She hadn’t said anything since he found her. “I ran you a warm bath. We can get you cleaned up, in comfy clothes and then we can go to bed.”
Nicole barely nodded so Justin slowly took her in his arms, noticing her flinch at the contact. “Shh,” he murmured. Taking her to the bathroom and setting her on her feet, he kept an arm around her waist to hold her up. He gently slipped her torn and slightly bloodied shirt off. She hissed in pain as her arm moved out of the sleeve and he apologized. “I’m sorry, am I hurting you?” When she shook her head, he proceeded. Sitting Nicole on the closed toilet, Justin carefully slipped her jeans off.
He took in the sight of her bruised legs and the already badly purpling marks on her ribcage. His breath hitched as his anger rose once again. This was his girlfriend, the woman he loved with all his heart. She had been through so much and didn’t deserve this. He knew this would knock down most of the confidence she had, not to mention her trust in people. She was very intelligent despite what most people thought at first knowledge of her disability. But, as he’d mentioned before, she had an innocent side when scared. She still sought comfort like a child would. This showed she felt safe and trusted him enough to protect her.
Snapping from his thoughts, he felt a soft trembling hand on his shoulder. He looked up, giving a small smile before continuing with his original task. Stripping his own clothes, he settled her in the tub before climbing behind her. Taking a soft wash cloth, he started to clean the offending marks carefully. She leaned back into the cradle of his arms, only flinching when a cut was accidently touched.
The warm water seemed to soothe Nicole and momentarily ease the worry in Justin’s body. He knew exactly who did this to them, knew it was Kyle as soon as he saw the finger marks on her arms. He quietly let Johnny and the police know before everyone left. They assured him security would be upped and Kyle would be taken care of.
Feeling the water cool, Justin got out and dried off before gently lifting Nicole. He changed her into an oversized plaid shirt, which happened to her favorite shirt of his and his black sweatpants. Laying her under the covers, he climbed in next to her, holding her closely but carefully as so not to hurt her.
Chapter End Notes:
THE END
AN: we decided we'd leave it here and let everyone imagine what happens down the line. tell us what your ending would be!
AN: we decided we'd leave it here and let everyone imagine what happens down the line. tell us what your ending would be!
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MrsTimberlake18 is the author of 41 other stories.
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