Touching Scars(85)

She was doing everything she could to act like nothing was bothering her. It didn’t go unnoticed, though, that every time someone came in, her eyes would dart up in slight panic. Or when she needed to go to the bathroom, she’d ask me if I would go check it out. I’d stand outside the door until she was done. There were little things here and there that were going to take more time for her to settle back into. Unfortunately, the fact that Adam was out there somewhere didn’t help her in the least.

I was watching her from the pool table, enjoying seeing her laugh and smile at those around her. She really was loved and cared for around here. I was finding my own place in this little town, too. For once, I felt like I had found my place in this world.

Kat was having a conversation with Mel, no doubt about Beaver and whatever new sexcapades they’d been experimenting with. Kat’s cheeks were bright red and she was covering her mouth, trying to stifle her laugh, when someone next to me threw a beer bottle at the wall. It shattered into a million pieces and shouting started up right next to me. I watched as two men exchanged some pretty heated words. Beaver came into my line of sight and tried to break them up. I thought about stepping in and giving him a hand, but thought better of it when I turned to look at Kat to make sure she was okay. She wasn’t standing behind the bar where I’d last seen her, nor was she coming around it on her way over to where I was. The flick of her dark, red streaked hair caught my eye just as she disappeared down the hall. Shit.

I started towards where she went, picking up my pace as my heart started beating quickly in my chest. Beaver and Mel were too distracted to notice me running towards the back, so I was on my own. As I turned the corner, Kat wasn’t standing there or leaning against the wall. Growing more concerned, I figured I might find her in the cooler, so I went further back. I heard a crashing sound come from the women’s bathroom.

“Fuck, Kat!” I yelled, coming back to a stop in front of the door. I turned the handle and it wouldn’t give. I heard her sobbing on the other side and I felt the fear taking hold of me. Turning to my side, I threw my shoulder into the wood, attempting to break through. It didn’t take much and the cheap wood shards splintered all over the floor.

My first thought before I forced my way inside was please don’t let me see the same scene I’d seen a month ago. Nearly falling from my forward momentum, I stopped myself with a hand up on the wall. What I saw standing there wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Kat was holding the side of her hand, staring at what used to be the mirror.

My breathing was still erratic, but I slowly approached her. “Baby, what happened?”

She wouldn’t look at me. Her chest was heaving up and down, and I heard a small sob escape her throat. “When will it be the same again? When will I not jump when something startles me?”

I placed my hand on her head and stroked it down her wavy hair. She jerked away from me as I rested it on her lower back. “Don’t!” she turned to shout at me. “Don’t touch me.” Her tears were falling fast and her eyes were red. “This isn’t normal, Timber. I’m not normal.”

I sighed, letting my hand drop. “You’ve just been through something horrible, Kat. You’ve got to give it time.”

“How much time, huh? How much time do I need to realize I’m never going to be the same again? When I heard that bottle break, my first thought was, Adam‘s back. I ran. I ran because all I could do is run.”

I glared. Not at her, but at the mention of his name. “He’s not going to come back.”

She laughed a laugh that made me feel like I was an idiot. “He’s going to come back, Timber. Wake the fuck up! He will keep his promise and not stop until he has me however he wants me.” Her hand flew up to her mouth. She was starting to gag. Her arm was now streaked with blood from when she broke the mirror. I was going to need to get a grip on this so I could take care of her hand. “I’m going to be watching my back for the rest of my life. This is no way to live.”

Oh no. No, no, no, she wasn’t giving up. Not when I just found her, and not when things were settling back down. “He’s not going to come back here, Kat. The condition I put him in… he knows it’s his death sentence if he steps foot back in this town. Everybody is watching and making sure he doesn’t show his face. But baby, you need to come here so I can fix your hand.”

She looked down as if seeing it for the first time. “It’s fine.” She shrugged me off. “Just superficial cuts, they’ll heal. But I won’t.” She whispered the last sentence.