What If I Lived a Lie? [You Me at Six]

Chapter Thirteen: If You Fall, I Will Catch You

"Olivia, please. I think we should go to the ER."

"Josh, I can't," she pleaded, voice tearful and eyes swollen—though the right was not solely swollen as a result of tears.

"You come home looking as though someone has attacked you, you are battered and now you don't want to go to the emergency room? Olivia, 'Livy, please, baby, this is serious."

"That's because I was!"

It took a few moments for the words to sink in. That's because I was. Meaning, that's because she was attacked. Just as quickly as he understood the literal meaning of her words did he begin to think about who possibly could have done this to her—and when he arrived at his conclusion, he felt physically sick.

"It was that fucking dude, wasn't it? That's why you didn't want me or Hunter or anyone to know anything about him, isn't it? He's been fucking beating and abusing you!"

"N-no, he just... He just has a temper, but it's not abuse because we're not really together—" is what Olivia began to say in response before Josh blew up.

"His temper is no fucking excuse for him to put his hands on you, Olivia, do you understand that?! Who is he, where did you meet him? Where can I find him now? He is bat shit fucking crazy if he thinks he can just get away with doing this to you!"

"Josh, please!" she started, and the terror in her eyes was so real and genuine, that even Josh himself became a little tense, "I... I don't want to get him into trouble, I just... I just want to be done with him, but I'm too scared to tell him I can't, nor do I want to see him again."

"Fine, I will."

Josh hadn't realized she had to resort to physically restraining him when he blew up just moments ago, until her hands dropped back down to her sides—that explained some of her fear, he imagined; the last person who'd blown up at her like that was him, and he'd hit her immediately afterwards. He hadn't just hit her, though, he'd beat her. He gazed down at her, her beautiful, swollen brown eyes glazed over with tears. The sight made his heart ache.

"Oh, 'Liv," he sighed, almost despondently. He sat himself down on the edge of her bed, and she immediately climbed into his lap, shaking arms barely allowed time to curl around his shoulders before she began to sob into his chest. He'd never considered her crying in front of him as a part of something that was in the realm of possibilities so the mere fact that she was signified just how badly she was hurting, and it worried him.

"Sweetheart," he started, as gently as he could possibly manage, "I need you—I know this is going to be hard—but I need you to tell me what happened with him, please? It'll help me make sure this never happens to you again, okay? Don't speak, just nod your head slowly for me, okay?" And she did. "Now, is it easier for me to ask you questions and you respond, or is it easier for you to tell me yourself."

"A-answer questions, then I'll explain." He kissed her temple to let her know he was proud of the few words she had managed to speak, his arms tightening around her protectively before he continued to speak.

"Okay, darling, we'll start out slow. So, just to clarify, Derek did this to you?" She nodded. "Was he angry with you?" She nodded again. "Did you get into an argument with him?" Another nod. "So, you said something he didn't like, and he hit you in response." Again. "Did he hit you more than once?" Again. "More than five times?" Again. Josh felt his body tense, and he was almost fearful of asking the next question. "More than ten times?" Slowly, she nodded again. "More than... fifteen—more than twenty times." Another nod. His entire body was wrought with tension, but he had to ask, for her own sake. "More than twenty-five times?" Then, finally, she shook her head. So, he'd hit her more than twenty times, but less than twenty-five. Still, it was twenty but less than twenty-five times too many, and he felt like he was going to be sick.