The Untold Story

5. But alas...

When Natasha's eyes finally fluttered open she found that she was in a hospital room lying on a bed. She lazily turned her head to her right and saw Detective Henderson sitting on a chair next to her bed, quietly watching her. Her eyes opened wide in surprise and she blinked a couple of times thinking she was hallucinating.

"Natasha?" Nathan said softly moving closer to her.

"Detective Henderson," Natasha said with a small nod of acknowledgment.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"A bit thirsty actually," Natasha confessed rubbing her throat with her fingers. Nathan poured some water into a tumbler and passed it over to her, making sure she was firmly holding it before he let go. Natasha took a few sips slowly, wincing from the discomfort then passed the cup back to him.

"Thank you," she said lying back on the mountain of pillows behind her.

"It seems it's become commonplace for me to be giving you water in odd situations," Nathan said smiling at her. Natasha smiled back at him as she remembered their first moment alone together in the interrogation room at the station the night she was arrested.

"Natasha, I'm sorry to have to ask you this right now, but do you remember what happened earlier?" 

Natasha closed her eyes trying to push through the fogginess in her brain and remember how she had ended up here. It all came rushing back to her; the bakery, Max, being strangled and falling.

"Max," she muttered turning pale.

"Relax Natasha. Max is in a holding cell. You're safe," Nathan said soothingly.

"For now," Natasha sighed looking fearfully around the room as if she expected Max to jump out from under the bed and attack her again.

"He isn't going to come near you Natasha, I'll make sure of it," said Nathan squeezing her hand. The gesture, though quick and short surprised Natasha but she said nothing.

"Why did he attack you?" 

"I don't know. Something about me deserving to be in jail for killing his father. He wasn't making much sense," said Natasha.

"Okay, I'll just take down your statement and then we can lay an assault charge on him," Nathan said taking out a small notepad and a pen.

"No!" Natasha yelled startling Nathan as she sat bolt upright on the bed with a panicked look on her face.

"What?" he asked confused.

"No charges. I don't want to press charges," Natasha said.

"Why not? He almost killed you; you can't just let him get away with it," Nathan argued.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Natasha murmured in what she thought was a very low voice but the Detective's sharp ears caught it.

"Wouldn't be the first time for what? Trying to kill you or getting away with it?" he asked. "Or both?" he added in a horrified voice.

"Nothing, Detective," said Natasha pensively wringing her hands together due to her growing anxiety. Nathan regarded her, eyes narrowed.

"This wasn't the first time he tried to hurt you was it?" he asked solemnly. Natasha didn't answer him and only continued fiddling with her hands.

"Natasha," Nathan called softly but authoritatively.

"Please Detective, let this go. If I lay a charge on him, he'll get off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist and then he'll come after me for revenge. You saved me from him today but what happens when he comes after me and I have no one to protect me," Natasha said sadly.