Damaged Hearts

Chapter 5

Zach

This women is wild when she's wasted. Holy shit. I've brought in some doozy's on the job over the years but she is something else. It took me a minute to get her into my truck. She wanted to finish singing a song in the parking lot. Now she's quiet, I think she's gonna fall asleep.

I get her to her parents place, she's living here temporarily until she finds a place of her own. I help her out of my truck and start walking her to the front porch. I take her parents are already asleep because when I look up at the house, there's not a single light on.

"Hold on." she says and throws her head over the grass to throw up.

"Oh shit." I try and get her hair out of the way. Pulling it all up for her, just in time for her to throw up again. This time I can tell she's upset with herself. "Hey, it's okay. I got you." I tell her gently. This hurts me to see honestly. I've never seen Nicole this drunk, I think deep down this whole split custody thing is destroying her.

"I don't feel good." She says as I move her along.

"I know, it's okay. Almost inside." I tell her moving her up the porch steps. "Alright, you got your keys?" I ask when we get to the front door that's locked.

"They are in my car. I'll get them."

"Your car? Nicole your car isn't here."

"Oh no...I think someone must've stole it." She says drunkenly. I sigh. I should've made sure she had all her shit together before we left.

"It's fine. I guess we'll just wake everyone up." I huff out and knock on the door. She goes and sits in the porch swing. I see a light turn on and the door opens. I take it it's her dad, he's wearing checkered pajama pants and a white t- shirt. I've never met him until now.

"Evening sir, I'm Zach, I brought Nicole home...she had a little too much to drink."

"Zach who?" He questions.

"Zach Carson. I'm a police officer, I was at the bar she was at tonight. Off duty of course. I work with Brian actually so we go way back." I inform with a hard swallow. I don't want him to get the wrong idea.

"Oh you're that Zach, got it." He says and comes out to the porch to see Nicole passed out on the swing. I don't know what he meant by "that" Zach but it doesn't seem to be a negative thing.

"I can help her get her car in the morning if-"

"Oh don't bother, one of us can run her back. If she's not still drunk till then..." he walks over to her. "Poor thing. Nicole? Let's get inside honey." He tells her with a wipe of hair off her face.

"You want help?" I ask because he's kind of a smaller guy, older too. I can't envision him getting her upstairs by himself without one of them falling.

"You know what that might be a good idea. I got a bad knee." He says and backs up from her to let me take over. I slip one arm under the backs of her shoulders and the other under her knees. Carrying her fireman style I follow her dad into the house and up the stairs. I lay her down in her bed and he covers her up with her blankets.

"She did puke out in the yard twice." I tell him in hopes he doesn't plan on leaving her on her back.

"Did she? Damn it." He says thinking.

"Maybe I'll turn her on her side? Is someone gonna stay in here with her to make sure she's alright?"

"Um I mean I could go wake my wife. Or I guess I could stay in here maybe."

"Would you let me stay? I really don't mind."

"Don't you got a wife or girlfriend at home you gotta get home to?"