Only the "Strong" Survive | Paul Lahote |

*chapter seven*

| Paul |

Never in my life have I felt the kind of fear I had watching her lay there, watching Sue tape up her arms and try to get the bleeding to stop, trying to get her warm enough to stay alive. It wasn't anger, I was used to anger, it was pure, complete fear. Fear that I wouldn't get to know her, fear that I wouldn't get a chance to protect her, to love her, to help her know she was okay now and would never be in a position to hurt herself like that again.

I woke up in the chair I'd been in since she got here, soft murmurs waking me up. Sue asked her name and she told her it was Joni. How beautiful is that? I stretched and stood up as Sue explained her that we should probably take her to a hospital.

I watched her mesmorized but then she got up to leave, she grabbed her shoes and instinctually I stood up reaching for her arm to stop her and she dodged me. So I followed her outside, I followed her as she walked down the driveway I don't think she even knew where she was going.

"What do you want?" She said turning to me, giving me a chance to look into those beautiful eyes.

I'd never been speechless before, but this was the first time I'd spoken to her and I couldn't help but stutter, "She...Sue is right you need to go to the hospital. You can't just try to...you can't just do what you did and not be evaluated."

"You can't make me, I don't even know you people."

Now I was frustrated, I just wanted her to be safe and I knew she'd be safe with Sue, where I could see her and check on her, "I. Don't Care. Either you stay here and let Sue watch you or you go to a hospital. We don't trust you to be alone."

I clinched my fist trying to control myself, but her just wanting to runaway after doing this, it was infuriating. I could see in her eyes I was making her feel uncomfortable, she crossed her arms looking away from me. As if she thought I was going to hurt her, and then walked inside the house. I sighed and watched her, not following this time because I knew she was doing the right thing now. After calming myself down some, I went and sat on Sue's porch, I wanted to hear what they were saying and be as close to her as possible.

"I left my parents house, it wasn't a good place to be and I'm an adult, legally anyway. I was attacked the night before last, a man he followed me and when I got back to my motel after work, he...he forced himself on me. And between my parents and him I didn't want to live anymore."

Anger, all I felt was anger. "He forced himself on me", her words rang in my head over and over. I knew when I found her that morning that something like that had happened, but hearing it from her. Her sweet voice, cracking and soft, I couldn't take it. I stood up and phased running through the woods not being able to get her words out of my head. I hollowed and ran as fast and I could, as far as could, round and round in the large circle that was the reservation.

"Paul?" Sam's gruff voice popped into my head making me stop cold, "What the hell are you doing?"

He appeared next to me, also phased, he must've been on patrol.

"She's awake," I stopped taking a deep breath, "But she's not okay Sam. I don't know if she'll ever be okay."

I replayed her words, and with a sigh and a nod he shift backed to human. And I did the same, we both dressed and Sam just looked at me. One of his usual, dad-like comforting looks because he just didn't know what to say. That wasn't something that happened to Sam often, he usually always had the right words. But this time, it being my imprint who was hurt, who had tried to...I can't even think the words. He just swung his arm over my shoulders and walked with me as we headed to his place. And that was all the comforted I needed.

The house was full as usual, Seth and Leah had been here all day - Sue made them leave when we brought her in. Everyone tried to joke with me, they tried to tease me. But I couldn't, not today. Not knowing what I knew now about her. Her beautiful eyes danced in my mind and all I wanted to do was make her smile and feel okay again - she didn't deserve what she'd been through. And heaven help the man who hurt her, I'll kill him if I ever find out who it was.