Without A Trace

Thirty-Nine.

The fire crackles in Michael and Ivys dimly lit room. I dump some bath salts into the warm water and give it a small stir, allowing them to dissolve. Ivy sits in the bath with glossed over eyes from crying, staring at the fire. The red flame glows against the giant wall of books they have in their room.

Anna takes a cloth and dips it in the water before ringing it out. She gently dabs the cloth against Ivys scrapes against her back, casuing Ivy to wince at the pain slightly.

I sit on the small cushioned stool and put some cream on my finger before gently dabbing the little cuts on her face. I grab her hand and gently rub the cream into her battered and now bruised knuckles. She pulls her hand away slightly from the pain but I continue before wrapping them in gauze and resting her hand back on the side of her tub.

Ivy doesnt say a word besides staring at the fireplace before looking towards the door as Thomas walks in. A tear falls down her cheek at the sight of John scooping a very upset Pippin up and walking away with her as Pip reaches out for her mom with tears flowing down her cheeks.

Ivy turns her head back to the fireplace before leaning back to look at the ceiling. Thomas walks over to the table and sets down a silver tray with tea, whiskey, cigarettes, and some medication for Ivy to take for pain.

"I know its not much, but let me know if theres anything you need," Thomas says empathetically to Ivy before making his way back to the door. When he opens it Michael stands there with big eyes before looking over at Ivy and takes a step into the room.

Thomas grabs ahold of his collar and stops him in the doorway. Thomas looks over at me before back at Michael, "Michael, you turn right the fuck around and don't come up here for a while, aye?" Thomas says lowly. Michael looks over at him and shares a long gaze with him. He clenches his jaw and walks away from Thomas, down the hallway towards the livingroom where Pippin is.

I start to close the door as Thomas leaves. I look up at my husband and talk quietly, but still threateningly, "Do not let anybody come near this fuckin door or I will be the one to answer it."

Thomas nods his head before walking down the hallway as I close the door behind him. I take a seat next to the door and light a cigarette, taking a few puffs off it before removing it from my lips.

Anna takes the medicine in her hand and hands it to Ivy with some tea. Ivy takes it reluctantly and swallows the medication and sips on the tea before setting it back down.

"That will help with the pain," Anna says softly before pouring a few glasses of whiskey.

"Nothing can fix the fuckin pain I'm feeling right now," Ivy says before taking a cigarette and lighting it. She runs her thumb over the engraving on her cigarette case. She pauses for a moment before throwing it against the wall as tears swell in her eyes.

"The one thing he promised me. The most important thing, he could ever fuckin promise me," Ivy says as her voice cracks. She raises her shaky hand to her lips and puffs off her cigarette, "And he wasn't fuckin there to protect me."

"We all were looking for you," Anna says crossing her leg over the other, "Its partly my fault for not keeping a closer eye on where you were..and I'm deeply fuckin sorry about it," Anna says as she wipes a tear off her cheek with the back of her hand.

"Even if that is the case," Ivy says taking a glass of whiskey, "Michael promised me he'd be there before anything bad happened and he wasnt," she says before taking a sip from the glass, "I was almost fuckin raped and probably killed."

Anna and I wince at the thought of Ivy in that condition.

"He told me since day one nothing bad would ever happen to me while I was with him," Ivy say sniffling before looking up at the portrait of her Michael and Pippin above the fireplace. "But I guess now I'll have to fuckin depend on myself if my husband can't even keep me safe anymore."

"Ivy, Michael is in shambles too," Anna says calmly. "You should have seen him downstairs before we came up here with you. He's really beating himself up," she says.

"As he should," I chime in from the back. The girls look in my direction as I shift in my chair, "Michael should have been there. Moreso than any of the rest of us. Ivy is perfectly validated to be as upset as she is."

I stand up angrily as someone knocks on the door. I open it and lean in the crack to see Polly standing there.

"What do you need Pol," I ask rudely.

"My son is a fuckin wreck down there," Polly says glaring at me. "You let him in this fuckin room to see his wife. Now. Cora."

I shake my head and step out into the hallway closing the door behind me. I grab ahold of Pollys throat and slam her against the wall, knocking down a few pictures causing them to crash on the ground. "You fuckin tell Michael, he isn't nearly a fuckin wreck as his almost raped and sexually assaulted fuckin wife," I say before throwing her down into the broken glass. I walk back into the room and close the door back behind me and take my seat again by the door.

"Who was that?" Ivy asks swirling her drink in her hand staring at the liquid inside.

"A nobody," I say puffing off my cigarette.

Ivy winces in pain as she lowers herself into the tub. The sting of the scrapes on her back mixing with the water shoot through her nerves. She rests her head against the back of the tub with her eyes closed for a moment.

"If nobody will protect me, I'll fuckin protect myself," She says after a few moments of silence. "Michael thinks I can't fend for myself, he'll fuckin learn here soon that I dont fuckin need him."

Anna leans back against the side of the couch as she takes a sip out of her glass.

"The only people I can depend on is myself, and you guys," Ivy says looking over the side of the tub at us. "I think we need to make it clear to them, don't you?"

Michaels heart breaks a little more as he clenches his jaw, listening on the other side of the door. He balls his hands into fists and angrily runs his hands through his hair before walking away and back downstairs. I glace over at the door hearing his movements before looking over at Ivy.

"That sounds like a plan to me," I say taking another hit off my cigarette.

"Me too," Anna says taking a sip out of her glass.

"Then that settles it," Ivy says gripping the tub, trying not to cry at the pain of her injurys in the water, "We'll make them learn they fuckin need us more than we need them."

Anna takes the cloth again and wipes Ivys neck softly as blood drips down it.

"Alright come on," I say handing Ivy a dry rag. "Bite down on this. We have to wash your wounds on your back with alcohol."

Ivy takes it and leans forward in the tub. Her breathing intensifies as she places the rag in her mouth. Anna places herself infront of Ivy and grabs ahold of her arms.

"Ready?" I ask taking the small canister of alcohol off the tray.

Ivy nods her head as her breathing is now rapid and deep. Tears start to fall down her face as she white knuckles the edge of the tub. I pour the liquid on her scrapes as she screams out in pain biting down on the rag.

Downstairs Aurthur holds Pippin against him rocking softly, covering her ears to try and muffle her mothers screams. Pippin in tern screams as more tears fall down her face.

She looks over at Michael and asks her dad in between sobs, "WHATS WRONG WITH MY MOMMY?!"

Tears swell in Michaels eyes and he rests his head in his hands. The sounds of Ivys screams fill the house along with Pippin crying. Michael looks over at Thomas as tears fall down his face. Thomas sits there, looking away from him as he blows the smoke out of his mouth.

Anna hugs Ivy and strokes her head softly, "I know Ivy. Its all over now."