Shoot me down

chapter 6

Beca woke abruptly in the middle of the night as something violently thrashed against her and cried out. At first everything was a sleepy blur and she tried to fight off whoever was annoyingly waking her so early, but as her eyes focused and she came round she saw her attacker was in fact Chloe. She instantly became alert and tried to stop the thrashing fist that was headed her way. It was too late as she felt Chloe's hard knuckles crash into her face and it wasn't long until she could taste blood in her mouth. "Chloe, wake up!" Beca called out, but it had no effect whatsoever. As she tried to pin down her arms, Beca noticed Kimmy Jin get out of bed and say, "Seriously Beca, don't invite your weird friends over. I want to sleep," and she left the room to go and stay with someone else for that night.

Beca scoffed at how inconsiderate her roommate was, and then turned her mind back to Chloe who was only getting more and more distressed. She was covered in sweat, her face was full of pain, and she was desperately lashing out with her arms and legs at whoever was troubling her in the nightmare. "Chloe!" Beca shouted as she tried to wake her. Realising that there was only one way to pin down both her girlfriends arms and legs at the same time, she swung one leg over Chloe so she had a leg either side of her and sat down on the upper part of her kicking legs. They wrestled as Beca tried to hold her arms down, and the more successful she was the more pained Chloe seemed to become.

It was necessary, Beca told herself. She had to wake her, and she thought she was finally victorious when all of a sudden a fist crashed into her face again, leaving a stinging sensation in her left eye. Enough was enough, and Beca grabbed Chloe's arms above her head and rammed them into the bed. "Wake up!" she cried, desperate to pull her out of the nightmare. Eventually her body fell still and her eyes opened, full of panic and confusion. Beca released Chloe's arms and rested a hand on her cheek, stroking it with the pad of her thumb. "I've got you," she soothed, and once Chloe had calmed slightly she placed a tender kiss on her forehead then got out of bed.

She flicked a switch on the wall filling the room with light, and returned to the side of the bed. Beca crouched down so she was eye level with Chloe, who was wiping away tears with shaky hands. She reached up and took Chloe's hands in her own, and instantly they stilled. "How long has this been happening?" Beca asked as she wiped away new tears from her girlfriend's face. "Ever since he first hit me," Chloe croaked, "I've hardly slept. I manage to get a couple of hours each night, but then..." she trailed off. She turned her head and looked directly in Beca's eyes and pleaded, "I'm so tired Beca."

"I know," Beca replied and cradled Chloe's face in her hand. Chloe nuzzled against the soothing hand, and then began to sit up realising how disgusting and sweaty she felt. "I'm going to go have a shower," she said. Beca nodded then wandered over to the sink as Chloe gathered up a towel. Feeling blood still gathering in her mouth from when she was caught by Chloe's fist, Beca spat into the sink. Realising what she had done, Chloe appeared at her side and said, "Oh my god, are you okay? Did I hit you?" Beca nodded, but waved it off trying not to induce any feelings of guilt. As Chloe began apologising profusely, Beca took her by the hands and said, "I'm fine, honestly. Go and have your shower, then come and get some sleep."

Chloe left and Beca grabbed some new bed sheets from the cupboard. She proceeded to remake the bed, discarding the old, sweaty sheets in the laundry basket. Time passed, and eventually Beca started to worry. Surely it didn't take that long to have a shower, she thought. She gave Chloe a few more minutes, and when there was still no sign of her she left for the showers to check if anything was wrong. She opened the doors, and peeked in. "Chloe?" she called out, hearing water running. There was no response, so she repeated herself a little louder. Still there was no reply, so Beca walked round the corner and saw Chloe collapsed on the floor. She hadn't even made it into the shower before collapsing, as her body was dry and she still had her underwear on.

Instantly Beca turned off the shower and knelt next to the limp body on the floor. She began to shake Chloe by the shoulder as she repeatedly called her name. Slowly she opened her eyes, and Beca let out a sigh of relief. "Can you stand up?" she asked, but her question was answered when Chloe remained on the floor after a failed effort to pull herself up. Beca reached over to the bench and grabbed the pyjamas sitting on the side. Completely unembarrassed by her girlfriend's naked upper body, Beca pulled the pyjama top over her head and guided her arms through the holes. Chloe's eyes drifted shut again as she rested her head on Beca's shoulder. Worrying something was majorly wrong; Beca didn't bother with the pyjama trousers and attempted to lift Chloe into her arms.

Cursing her weak strength Beca remained on the floor and wrapped her arms protectively around Chloe, but then she heard someone walking down the corridor. "Hello!" she called out, "Can you help us!" After a pause the footsteps seemed to be getting louder, and Beca whispered into Chloe's ear, "Someone's coming, it's going to be okay," and she placed a kiss on the top of her head. Seconds later Fat Amy came in through the door and said, "Holy shit, what happened?" Hurriedly Beca explained how she had found Chloe collapsed, and that she knew she hadn't been sleeping well recently. Fat Amy pressed her hand against Chloe's forehead and said, "She's fine, she's just exhausted. If she hasn't been sleeping; combine that with Aubrey's strict training scheme and it's no wonder she collapsed. Come on; let's get her out of here."

Beca watched as Fat Amy scooped Chloe up in her arms, and was impressed as she carried her effortlessly out of the shower room. She turned right to head for Chloe's apartment, assuming that's where she had come from, but Beca stopped her and said, "Why don't you bring her to my room? She can sleep in my bed, and it's less far for you to carry her." Fat Amy agreed it was a good idea, and Beca thought she had got away with it until a few steps later Amy said, "She was staying at yours in the first place, wasn't she?" Astounded, Beca looked at her in shock and stuttered a nondescript response. "Don't worry," Fat Amy continued, "I know about you and her, you're not exactly great at hiding it in rehearsals. For the record, I think you're good together. She's good for you, and you're good for her. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

The next few moments were spent in a shocked silence, but as they approached the room Beca said, "Thanks, for helping. And for not telling anyone about us." She opened the door, and Fat Amy placed Chloe softly on the bed before covering her with the duvet. "Don't worry about it," she said, "I was voted best secret keeper in Tasmania," and she tapped her nose before walking out. Beca pulled up her desk chair to the side of the bed and watched Chloe sleep for a while, admiring just how beautiful she really was. The way how even as she was sleeping, her hair seemed to fall perfectly in place; how her lips were the pinkest of pink, even without makeup. Beca sat in the chair and forced herself to keep her eyes open for as long as she could, ready to sooth Chloe back to sleep if she had another nightmare. Eventually, she was too tired and her eyes drifted peacefully shut.