Quantum Entanglement ~ Tamber

Chapter 17

Signing out against medical advice wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. She filled out some forms and let the kind nurse know her decision. She tried to talk her out of it but ultimately relented when it seemed she wasn't getting anywhere. Amber helped her get dressed – leg brace and all, they grabbed whatever medicine had been prescribed, and then they got the fuck out of the hospital. Tara already knew that if they hadn't, the hospital attack would have still happened. She didn't want to relive the terror of trying desperately to wheel or crawl away from whichever monster was hunting her in that moment. 

They went to the Carpenter house. Given Richie's history of showing up at Amber's house uninvited and the fact he and Sam were staying at the only hotel in town, it just seemed like the safest option. She quickly shot off a text to her sister informing her of their decision and making sure she was still alive. She was. 

Recognizing that her girlfriend probably couldn't hobble up the stairs to her bedroom, Amber took all the spare blankets and pillows she could find and built a little fort out of them. In the center of the crude little construction was a laptop so the two of them could watch videos and cuddle up together. 

They decided on illegally streaming Bottoms. They'd buy tickets if it ever came to their local theater, they argued. It was their moral obligation to watch lesbians fall in love, after all, and that couldn't wait. With the movies, snacks, and each other, it felt like it could be any other date night. For a moment, they could forget the chaos around them. 

In the back of her mind, however, Tara was aware that if Amber was with her, it was highly unlikely that she'd get the chance to kill anyone else. It was enough of a relief to get her to relax a little. 

Amber allowed herself to be used as a pillow, which the smaller girl took full advantage of. Tara had never been a very touchy-feely person, but the Freeman girl had always been an exception. She always had to be touching her, even when they were younger. She would lock pinkies with the girl or make sure their arms were always touching. She'd drape herself over her, craving a closeness that she didn't quite understand at the time. If anyone else even tried to touch her, she'd immediately get the ick and send Amber after them to scare them off. 

She knew her girlfriend had been the same way. Amber absolutely abhorred being touched by anyone but Tara Carpenter. She would actively push people away from her if they got too close and make gagging noises to get them to go away. But she had always accepted the smaller girl into her arms, clinging to her as if she might disappear should she let go. 

Inside the safety of their blanket fortress, though, Tara was the one clinging to Amber. She felt drowsy and needy and grateful and scared all at once. So she held on as tightly as she could, while the taller girl drew hearts on her shoulder blades with her fingertips. 

"I'm sorry I hurt Wes," Amber finally said, breaking their peaceful silence. "Sometimes I get scared at the lengths I'd go to keep you safe and by my side." 

Tara lifted her head to look at her girlfriend. She studied her face for a moment. "Do you remember when we first met?" 

"Of course." 

"You punched that one boy in the face, because he wouldn't let me on the swing set," she recalled. 

"Yeah, well, he was an asshole. Cried like a bitch, too," the taller girl mumbled proudly.

"The first time I saw you, I associated you with safety." 

Amber pulled back and looked Tara in the eyes. "You did?" 

"Yeah, I did. I was small and shy. I had no friends, and I was too much of a nervous wreck to make any. But you waltzed up and punched a kid in the face for me. You were my hero from that day forward."