Heartburn

𝟎𝟎𝟐

"Bel, please. Help me. Bel!"

She shot up from her bed, face full of sweat. It had felt so real, again.

Annabel had been having these nightmares for weeks in a row, she used to have the same nightmare over and over when the accident first happened but then they stopped. they started up again when that young girl had been brought into the hospital.

it had been weeks since that incident but she had to find a way to get rid of them. They weren't good especially considering her job, she couldn't afford to loose sleep.

She had been prescribed sleep tablets a while ago when she had this same problem but she never finished the bottle. She searched through the cabinet in search of them and finally found them before taking two. She wanted to make sure they really work.And just like she wanted she was out like a light until the next morning when her shift started.

Her alarm went off and she sat up in her bed, not doing anything just staring at the wall. and what felt like a few minutes turned into ten and shortly after a ring came from her phone. it was bobby, which was quite unusual considering it was 8am and they haven't talked for a few days.

Annabel answered the call and placed it up against her ear, but before she could ask if bobby was okay a female voice came from the other end.

"hello? annabel?" the voice questioned, it sounded so familiar but she couldn't pinpoint where from. "yes this is she. wheres bobby?" Annabel was confused as to why this woman had bobby's phone.

"you're down as bobby's emergency contact, he's in rough shape" said the woman and that was all annabel needed to hear before she got up, took her car keys and went out the door. She was still in her pajamas but it didn't matter, she just prayed to the gods that he hadn't broken his sobriety. he worked too hard to become sober.

And within ten minutes she was at his door, it was already open. she stepped in and headed to the bedroom and there he was, again. that firefighter from a few weeks ago, buck. And next to him was henrietta , she was also at the hospital a few weeks ago and that's why her voice sounded so familiar.

Annabels eyes then drifted to the man face down on the bed, "oh bobby" she sighed looking disappointed when she saw the liquor bottle empty next to him. she walked past the two standing there before crouching down to the bed, "bobby? can you hear me?" she asked shaking him.

"don't worry, hes not dead just blacked out" hen sighed before telling buck to grab one end of bobby while she grabbed the other. "lets get him to the shower" she grunted carrying him.

"hey you're that surgeon chick from when chimney was in the hospital, how do you know cap?" buck asked while placing bobby into the shower. Annabel's mind went blank, she couldn't tell them how they really knew each other so she made up a lie and said that he was an old family friend.

"great outfit choice by the way" buck smirked before turning on the shower to wake bobby up. A grunt diverted their attention to bobby, he was becoming alert. his eyes opened and saw buck and hen then he saw annabel and how disappointed she looked.

"we'll let you get dried up cap, we will wait for you on the couch" hen said before following annabel and buck out. the silence was deafening, no one wanted to question why annabel looked so disappointed for bobby or the fact that they didn't believe annabel was an old family friend.

Eventually bobby came out from the shower and sat on the couch not saying a word. "how long has it been?" hen questioned looking at him.

"546 days, 45 and a half if you're being picky. fine 18 months" he spat out to which buck tried to comfort him by saying the crash was hardcore.

"we all have our breaking point" annabel said staring at the floor. He was doing so well and now it was out the window. the conversation then changed to the fact that there were 4 plates set out but bobby lived alone. "i don't know, i was drunk" bobby said trying to move the conversation to a different topic.

"but i'm going to be fine, i promise it was only a one time thing" he continues sharing a look of comfort to the three of them. "i'm sorry i put you all through this" he continued but he mainly stared at annabel while saying this.

"maybe ask for help once in a while" buck suggested which made bobby stare at the floor before breaking down. "help" he said before his head was in his hands, tears running down his face. hen and buck comforted him, held him while he cried but annabel couldn't.

All she could do was just stare at the scene unfolding before her, she felt helpless. Although she only knew bobby for a little while they had grown close, like a father-daughter bond between them.

Once bobby had gathered himself together buck and hen left leaving just annabel and bobby alone. "im sorry" boby sighed looking over towards her, "i broke my sobriety, and i promised you i wouldn't".

"you don't need to apologize to me, you need to forgive yourself so you can move on and try again" annabel smiled trying to bring bobby's mood and it helped. "oh crap" she grunted before taking her phone out and heading into another room.

She had forgotten to call into work and let them know that she would be running late, and she knew she was going to be in for it when she got back. She couldn't afford to just turn up late especially because she was only an intern.

she dialed the only number she could think of, ivy. "oh my god ivy im so sorry but i had an emergency and i forgot to" she rambled on but ivy calmed her down and reassured her that she has it handled but that shes gotta be in soon.

"thanks ivy you're a lifesaver" she sighed ending the call and running back into bobby, "i really got to go bobby but if you still aren't feeling okay i can stay" she offered.

"no,no go" bobby insisted, "ill be okay, i promise". Annabel then gave him a hug goodbye before leaving his apartment and heading to work, she already knew it was going to be a long day.

~ Chapter 1 was re written so I hope you enjoyed it and chapter 2 as well!~