Broken Apart

Chapter 4

Michael's POV: I managed to sit up and crawl to the bathroom. I locked the door and sat in the corner. I was in so much pain. I was breathing very heavily. I lifted up my shirt. A large bruise had formed where she kicked me. It hurt so much. I shuttered in pain. I gained some leverage from the sink and pulled myself up. I opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the ibuprofen. This little bottle of pills has become my best friend since I met her. I popped the pill and drew myself a bath. I slowly got undressed and stepped into the tub. I made sure that the water was just right so my bruises wouldn't hurt worse. I just laid there for an hour, relaxing. This was the only time I could really relax, and I enjoyed every second of it. It also helped with the bruises. Not much, but enough so that I didn't hurt when I walked. I slowly got out and got dressed. I left the bathroom and sat on the couch. "I'm heading out. I'll be back in 10." Maria said as she walked to the door. "Love you." I said faintly. "Yeah, whatever." She said as she left. I slowly got up and went upstairs and into the bedroom. The only time I can rest on the bed is when she's out. I laid down and turned on the TV, making sure the volume was low so I could hear her when she comes back. I heard the phone in the living room ring. I got up and quickly answered it. "Hello?" I asked. "Michael! Where are you?! You were supposed to be here at 2!" I heard my manager's voice. "Something came up. I can't come in today." I said. We've been discussing plans for my next tour, but in my condition, I can't even think about it. "Alright then, but we've gotta forgive something out here Michael! You haven't shown up for a week!" He said. "I know I know, I'll think of something. Bye." I said before hanging up. I heard the car pull up out front. I quick jogged to turn off the bedroom TV and laid back on the couch. "I'm back. You didn't do anything did you?" She asked. "No, I've been here writing." I said as I jotted down more lyric ideas. "Whatever." She said as she walked into the kitchen. Eventually, the day passed and I fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I was so sore that I could barely move. I didn't hear Maria up yet so I went into the kitchen and got a cup water. After her outburst yesterday, I didn't want to take any chances with a cup of coffee. At least the water was cold and would feel good. I heard her come down the steps. "Morning." She said. "Good morning." I replied. She filled her travel cup with coffee. "I'm heading to the pharmacy to grab some makeup. I'll be back in about 15-20 minutes." She said as she walked out of the room. "Alright, see you." I said. "See ya in a bit." She said as she left. She seemed way too calm there. Usually she would have kicked my ass just because, but she seemed awful calm. I went into the living room and the phone rang. "Hello?" I answered. "Hey Mike, are you doing ok?" I heard LaToya's voice on the other end. She wasn't lying when she said she would check up on me. "Yeah, she was really calm this morning for some reason." I said. "You mean she didn't hurt you?" LaToya asked. "No actually, for once she didn't." I replied. "Ok, just call me if something bad happens. Love you." She said. "Love you too. Bye." I said. As soon as I hung up, the phone rang again. "Hello?" I answered. "Mike! I forgot my list in the nightstand drawer! Could you run up and read me the nail polish colors I wanted please?!" Maria asked. "Yeah, just give me a sec. I'll be back." I said. I sat the phone down and jogged upstairs. I looked through her drawer for the list, but found something worse. Heroin. A vile of heroin and a bunch of needles. I saw a needle in the trash. I just emptied all the trash cans yesterday so this must be from this morning. Now that I think about it, this must be why she was so calm. She usually gets calm for about 2-3 days, then has her outbursts for a week or two. That must be from the withdrawals. She's a junkie, that's why she does this. When she doesn't have her fix, she hurts me. It makes sense now. I found the list and jogged back downstairs. "Ok, you have purple holo, pink sunshine, pastel orange, and green with envy." I said. "Thanks a lot hun! See you in a bit!" She said. "See ya." I said before hanging up. It makes so much sense now. That's why she's calm. I don't know what to do now. Should I turn her in, or let her keep doing this?...