Listen To Your Heart ~ Book One.

I Hate You part 3

(Billie extends her arms out towards me. I step closer to her, and she spits in my face, and begins laughing.)

"Billie!" (Her mother exclaims.)

"It's okay...it's okay." (I say.) "Say bye to your dog, Billie."

(I step away and go over to untie her dog and leave.)

"NO! Don't take my dog away!"

"Then what's it going to be?"

"I... FUCKING...HATE...YOU!!" (She hisses at me thru clenched teeth.)

"So, what are going to do about it?"

(Billie holds her arms out towards me again. I approach her cautiously. She puts her arms around my neck.)

"On three...okay? One...two...three." (I go to lift Billie up; she cries out in pain. I lower her back down. She begins swinging wildly at me.)

"YOU STUPID FUCKER! I TOLD YOU I COULDN'T DO IT!"

(I grab Billie's wrists and pull her arms around my neck again.)

"Focus on the objective...not your pain."

(Billie slowly stands. I step backwards slowly, as Billie takes her first step, then another, and another. She stumbles and I hold her up until she regains her balance.)

"I... hate...you." (She says breathing hard.)

"Good. Now look back at your wheelchair."

(Billie turns her head back to look at her wheelchair, then she looks back at me.)

"You just took your first three steps. You're welcome."

(The nurse brings Billie's wheelchair closer. I help Billie sit down, then go untie her dog and hand it to her. Billie makes over her dog, as I go to leave.)

"David?"

"Yea?"

"I still hate you."

"Yeah...I know. Which is why I'll be back tomorrow."

(I walk out of the rehab doors.)

"Hey...hold up. I want a few words with you." (Finneas says.)

(I roll my eyes and turn around.)

"Thanks for helping my sister." (He extends his hand. I just stare at his hand...totally shocked. We shake hands.)

"You're welcome...she still hates me though. Oh well."

"I'm guessing she's angry because of what happened to her. We've tried to get her to talk about it, but she refuses. She won't even talk to any investigators about it, which isn't helping them catch the bastards who did this. You had some balls standing up to her, not many people will do that."

"Guess that explains why she hates me. I'm still not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do to help her."

"Just be there for her. That's all we can do."

================================

(For another two weeks, I'm at the hospital every day to visit Billie, and offer her help with her rehab. Each day she seems to become more withdrawn and angrier. She doesn't talk much, and her blue eyes seem dimmer. I ask Finneas if he thinks me writing Billie a song might help. Him and Claudia both agree that it couldn't hurt anything. A few days later, I get a call on my phone from an unknown number.)

"Hello?"

"The ball is dropping. Be prepaid to go."

"But sir...my girlfriend...she was..."

"I know about that. You need to choose between your country or her. You can't have both. Not yet."

"I'm not leaving her."

"You said for her you were all in. Don't force my hand!"

"Damn it! I said that before she was raped! What the fuck you expect me to do?"

"Only you can decide that. The clock's ticking. Make a decision soon."

(The call ends.)

"FUCK!"

(Four days later. I'm at the hospital with Finneas. He had agreed to help me play my new song for Billie. Whether it would make her open up or not, remained to be seen. We set everything up in the recreation room. All the patients were there, along with some hospital staff. I look around for Billie, she's nowhere in sight.)