Glass Rose

Chapter 3

I stood in the doorway, rage coursing through my veins, as I saw Him slamming his fist on my sisters bedroom door. "MEG OPEN THIS DAMNED DOOR NOW!!!" He yelled, his speech slurred from alcohol. "Get out." I said my fists clenched. "AND WHO THE HELL IS...." He didn't get the chance to finish his statement. With a single quick motion I had moved from the door and was tackling him to the ground, my fist a blur, my vision red, then nothing. "MARK!" I heard suddenly. My breathing was ragged, I felt something sticky oozing down my arms and my knuckles were on fire but, that wasn't the first thing I had noticed. Standing in the doorway stood Ashley and my sister trying to get her out of the house, her eyes filled with fear and something else. I slowly stood my head bowed unable to look either of them in the eye from the guilt I felt from seeing her like that. "How's Ashley?" I asked as my sister walked into the living room "Shaken beyond measure," She said sitting down her home medical kit. "Not that i blame her. What the hell were you thinking Mark?" She scolded. "I wasn't." I stated simply as I gave her my hand so she could stitch my torn knuckles. "Well you know what dad would have said." She said shaking her head. "That I make a better hat rack than a thinker." I joked earning myself a smack upside the head. "That if you actually used that brain of yours you'd be the smartest man alive." She said finishing up. "And the day they name me that will be the day the world ends." I said having heard those words more times than I care to admit.

"Hey Ashley," I called through the door to the guest room. "May I come in?" I got no reply. I let out a small sigh before sayin. "I'm sorry you saw that. Ive always had a fighting streak when it comes to people I are about, but that doesn't excuse what happened." I sat down beside the door frame. "You asked me on the way here about the scars on my hand." I started. "Six years ago I was in a bad car crash, my hand was crushed by the collapsing metal." That's when i heard the door open. I stood and looked at Ashley standing in the door way and felt the tears fall all the feelings i felt gone except guilt and regret as i saw the black and blue bruise on her cheek. Darkness and a startled gasp was all i saw or heard before nothing.

Ashely's pov
"Megan!" I shouted as Mark suddenly collapsed. Marks sister, Megan, came around the corner with a stride that said this wasn't the first time this has happened. " He'll be ok." She assured me as I helped her move him to the bed in the small guest room. "It's an after affect from the crash," she explained. "After the crash Mark could no longer control some of his emotions mostly anger and his protective nature, but when he over exerts himself his brain kind puts him in what we've always called his reboot mode." "What happened to him?" I asked hoping maybe I could help him. "Honey, I'm sorry its not my place to tell, lets just say that it was worse than he ever says." She said giving me a knowing look. "He'll be out of it for awhile. So lets see if I can do something to help cover that." Meg held out her hand. I sat on the side of her bed as she searched through her makeup for something that would cover the bruise on my cheek. "I can assure you Mark didn't mean to do that," Megan said as she knelt in front of me as she prepared the concealer. "When he gets like that there's nothing we can really do to try to stop him." She gently applied the concealer as she talked explaining that this wasn't the first time he's pummeled her ex and most likely wouldn't be the last either. "There that's the best I can do for you." She said standing handing me a mirror. Looking you could barely see the bruise unless you stared close enough. "Thanks." I said my mind racing with all that had happened today. "Come on lets get you some tea it'll help settle those nerves." Megan said with a small understanding smile. 'Mark you were wrong about the excitement of this trip.' I thought to myself as we made our way to the kitchen.

Marks Pov

I woke like always sweat drenched and the dream still fresh in my mind the crash, the scream, the realization, everything. It took me several minutes to remember where I was when I heard the door open. Looking up I saw Ashely and felt the pang in my heart grow. "You ok?" She asked her voice soft and filled with concern. I was still gasping for breath, unable to form words. I just slowly shook my head lowering it into my hands the tears still flowing freely down my face. 'Damn it why. Why do I have to be so weak like this Mel?' I thought to myself wishing I could just crawl out of existence for a while. That's when I felt a gentle touch on my back as I was wrapped in a warm embrace and for the first time since the crash I didn't fight the tears, I didn't fight the memories. I didn't try to show i was fine. I showed what i had become a man that lost more than his courage but lost the love of his life. "Its my fault the rose broke." I whispered to myself though I knew Ashley heard too. "Melia was someone very close to you wasn't she?" I heard Ashely ask. "She was my girlfriend." I said as I began the long story of how my stupidity cost me the one person that saw me for who i really was and stood with me through thick and thin. The story that took Melia away forever.