Exhale

A Challenge

After putting the twins to sleep later that night, I join Derek in our bedroom. He's sitting up in bed grading papers. "They finally asleep?" He asks. I nod and climb into my side of the bed. He continues grading, "Hey Derek, you think she's going to be ok?" I ask and then there's a knock at our bedroom door. I climb out and open the door. Bailey stands before me holding her blanket, "Can I sleep with you guys tonight?" She asks sheepishly. I open the door further letting her in. She runs in and jumps on the bed snuggling next to Derek. He rubs her back, "You ok, honey?" He asks her and she just nods. I come back over to bed and I notice her shirt coming up as he rubs in small circles.

I lean in to examine a dark spot and once I get closer I realize it's a bruise. I push her shirt up more and see more bruises and some scattered scars. Derek looks down and his eyes go wide. "Bailey, honey look at me." He asks her and she sits up. "Who hurt you?" She looks down almost ashamed, "I tried to run away so she would hit me and when I bit her friend he hit me too. But I was bad, I tried to leave." She says. "Bailey, what she did was wrong. You didn't do anything to deserve this." Derek tells her, I tuck her light brown hair behind her ear, "Bailey do you remember her friends name" I ask her and she nods. "Mr Ivan." Derek and I stare at each other and he jumps out of bed and bolts out the door.

Bailey looks up at me with tears in her eyes, "Did I make him mad?" She asks. I hug her and kiss the top of her head. "No, honey. He's just angry that this happened to you." I try and explain to her. She nods and lays back on Derek's pillow.

Noelle's POV

Months before Bailey was kidnapped...

After finally getting a decent apartment in this god forsaken hick town, my plan for getting Derek back is in full swing. I need to head to the store and get some essentials for the apartment.

I walk into this piggly wiggly type store and head for the cleaning supplies, I know they cleaned it but god only knows what they didn't get. I pass the isle full of baby diapers and things, and I spot Derek. I walk down and bump my cart into hs. He looks surprised and dirty? "Hey, handsome, whats's new." I ask. He looks tired, "Nothing much. What are you doing here?" He asks looking around. "Well it's a store, so obviously I'm shopping." I say sliding my hand down his arm. He smiles at my touch, my that's a first, I might have a chance yet.

"So, where's your lovely wife?" I say sarcastically. He shifts uncomfortably, "At home with the kids." He responds. "Kids?" He reproduced with her, ew. "Yeah kids, Bailey and the twins." Twins wow! "Must be really busy around that house, huh? Well listen if you ever just wanna get away and have some fun, As friends. Call me." I say writing my number down on his list. He smiles, "You know, who knows I might, we were great friends at one point." He says with a smile and continues on. This plan might actually work.

Derek and I have been hanging out a few times a week. I think he tells Maggie he's either working an extra shift at the sawmill or grading papers. Either way he's with me, alone, at my apartment. I bring him a glass of wine, finally found some decent wine. "Oh none for me. I quit drinking." He tells me. "Why, did your wifey tell you too?" I ask. "Actually yeah, in a sense. She really just opened my eyes. I didn't want Bailey growing up with a drunk for a dad." He explains further on about why he drank and what he went through.

"Wow, I'm sorry baby. See with me you wouldn't have had to go through that." I say combing my fingers through his soft hair, I play with his ear knowing how much he likes this. I notice his eyes close slowly and he licks his lips. He takes my glass of wine and drinks it down quickly, "I wasn't that bad a little wine won't hurt." He says with a wink. "Derek, we were good together, remember?" I ask. He just nods, and quickly turns to kiss me. Yes this is what I've been waiting for.