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Eighty Eight

Aubrey Hart

It's been two weeks.

My nose is now fully healed and good as new, my bruises have faded, my graze wound is now a fresh scar, my tattoo is healed and touched up, and the scars on my stomach have all gone from scabs to actual scars. Some of the fresher ones were bloody and scabbed-over at first, but they've healed by now.

I still can't look at the scars without crying, and nobody other than one specific nurse and my doctor has seen them. I want it to stay that way. I don't want to look at them, and I definitely don't want anyone else looking at them. My stomach is simply off-limits, currently being covered by one of Harry's baggy t-shirts. We packed our necessities up since we can't stay there. We'll grab everything else when we find somewhere to go, but for now, we're staying with my moms.

Elora's arm is in a cast for a few more weeks post-surgery, she's able to eat and drink on her own now, and she's gaining back some of her muscle mass. Her voice is back to its usual soothing honey-like sound instead of the rasp from her screams, and her bruises have faded just like my own.

We both decided on getting haircuts today now that she's discharged like I have been for a week now, the shedding of our overgrown locks being a bit symbolistic of getting rid of what's happened to us and attempting to start over. My hair is mid-length now while Elora's is as well, hers remaining natural and healthy instead of matted like it was from nine months of improper care. We're finally getting a chance to start over after taking some time to recover. Since my act of self-defense has already been admitted to and taken care of, there isn't much more to do. The second the filed lawsuits are processed and decisions are made, we can leave this in the past.

Though I've been discharged for a week, my temporary home along with Harry's, Jade's, and Ruby's has been Elora's room. Zayn has been more occupied with Louis, and Harry tried to keep an equal balance between the two. Niall also spent his time there before he left after his two-day stay, introducing himself to Elora before leaving to catch his plane and go back to work like usual. The concern for the man across the hall isn't unreasonable, either. He deserves all of the care he can get right now.

Louis is paralyzed from the waist down.

While 25% of people in his position are able to walk again after about a year of recovery, that number isn't exactly promising. In order to get there in the first place, he's going to have to go through intense physical therapy, observation in check for a late neurological decline, and seemingly constant testing to see if any feeling is slowly regained. It's possible, but the odds aren't in his favor.

I feel absolutely horrible. I made my way into his room to talk to him about everything a few days ago, and I could see all over his face how utterly guilty he felt for everything. He didn't know any of this would happen. He didn't even know the story of my history with Ian, his lack of caring making him miss vital pieces of information such as the car crash, restraining order, and jail time. He was just annoyed by my presence as Harry also was in the beginning, and he thought my ex coming back to visit and talk to me would change something.

He kept waving off my sympathy, saying he deserves what has happened to him after the part he played in this entire mess. Really, the more I think about it, the more I realize how minuscule his part in it all was Ian would've figured out my code somehow, Louis is just the victim of it all. No matter what, he would've gotten it, enabling him to take the creepy videos of Harry and I through my window that he showed me.

He's still in the hospital for a while longer, Zayn and Jade now focusing on him as Harry, Ruby, Elora, and I all head to my moms' house per their request. They've been taking care of Charlie, got Elora's clothes out of storage, and insist on the four of us coming to stay for a while since the loft, my house, and Elora's apartment are all unsafe options that Thomas knows the locations of.