Disastrous

Fifty Five

I awoke from a deep slumber when someone's arms wrapped around me from behind. My lips curled slightly, tired eyes squinting into the darkness of the room as I nuzzled myself backwards into the warm embrace. However my bones instantly chilled when I realized this embrace was far from warm.

I screamed as the arms clawed me back down to the bed when I tried to run away. I wriggled violently until I was pinned down to the mattress, my arms being pressed down by his knees. I cried in pain as his hands surrounded my throat, thumbs pressing down into my windpipe. My eyes bulged and I choked vigorously, trying to pry my arms free, kicking my legs repeatedly.

"You're so worthless," his drunken voice mocked, finally letting up the grip on my throat. I gasped and choked, but was unable to compose myself as a harsh slap was left across my cheek.

"I'm sorry." I cried, and I wanted to beg for mercy but it was never any use. Nothing I ever said could control the urges he had to overpower me when he was piss drunk, nothing I ever did would make him realize he was always in the wrong.

And no matter how many times he apologized profusely in the morning, the marks on my skin remained and my heart shattered a little more each time.

"It's not real." I whispered to myself, squeezing my eyes shut when my airway became restricted from his hands once more.

"It's not real. This isn't real." I chanted, my voice increasing, my arms prying out from the weight of his knees as his hateful voice drifted away.

"You can't hurt me!" I screamed and immediately gasped into consciousness, now fully awake and alert in Niall's dark bed room. I shuddered as chills from my nightmare rushed down my spine, and when I glanced behind me Niall wasn't in bed asleep next to me.

My body was still trembling as I stood up, my limbs covered in sweat from tossing and turning. My throat was ridiculously dry and my eyes watery. I needed water.

I walked out into the living room, seeing Niall asleep on the couch with the TV on. I shut it off as a snore left his parted lips, shaking the awful dream that used to be reality from my mind before heading into the kitchen and turning the faucet on. I gulped down more than half a glass when I realized I really needed to pee, then I needed to get some serious rest as I had an early morning appointment at the hospital for the baby.

Niall didn't know I was going, though I should probably tell him and even encourage him to come along. It was his child too, I just wished he would act more interested in what I was doing. Sometimes it was like he didn't care at all, and that's exactly why he still didn't know that this pregnancy wasn't going very smooth.

He was gone too often to even realize that I was experiencing uterus pain, nor did he know that our baby's health wasn't where it should be. It just aggravated me to no end that he always seemed to have more important things to do. He was always 'working' but I didn't even know if that was the truth.

After finally getting back to bed, I stuffed my face into my pillow but huffed in annoyance when I couldn't get comfortable. Why was Niall's bed so lumpy?

I rolled over to my other side, before giving up and facing the ceiling with a pile of pillows under my head and back. I counted the tiles, 3 times, before yawning and placing my hands over my belly.

I hoped everything would go okay tomorrow, and I hoped that Niall would be there with me.

~
~

"Aren't you coming?" I asked Niall as I gasped for breath, already winded from running around the apartment trying to get ready. He looked up from his coffee mug, Rory wrapped around his legs as he sat on the floor. Taking a sip before setting the hot mug on the coffee table, he ran a hand through his hair as he seemingly delayed a response, like he couldn't remember where it was I was going. I rolled my eyes.