Beyond The Veil (A Paranormal Romance)

Chapter 9

Try not to worry about it. His words kept echoing in her ears throughout the day. How exactly did that work? It was impossible to blend out the fear her father had instilled in her over the years. Even now, away from home in the hospital, where she was supposed to recover, his presence hung over her like a storm cloud. He was always there, no matter where she was. Running away would only give her temporary refuge, for he would haunt her in her memories, in her dreams, in her very being. No, she could not just take off, this would not solve anything. It might protect her from his violent assaults but it would not guard her soul. He was part of it. He was family. Whenever he turned against her she did not only see the intoxicated man inflicting pain on her body, but she also recognized her beloved daddy who took her out on picnics on Sundays or to visit the animals at the zoo. She had always loved the giraffes. They were so huge yet so elegant. "Do you want to take one home?" he used to joke and they both would laugh. Somewhere, hidden deep inside under a thick layer of grief, this dad still existed, she was sure of it. With a little more support he might be able to stop drinking, and who else could provide the support, if not her?

No, she couldn't leave him. And even if she wanted to, how was she to come up with a monthly rent? She didn't even own a laptop, let alone a cell phone. Sometimes she wished she had one, but then again, who would she call or text? She once had a best friend, Anna, but after her mother's death the friendship went down the drain, as did everything else.

Emily had already exchanged the hospital gown for her clothes when Professor Cole returned.

"I see you're all set," he smiled cheerfully. Her heart dropped to her feet. This smile, paired with the velvet black of his eyes that seemed to penetrate her skin paralyzed her. This was not right. No one should be able to do this to another person.

"As promised, I have a plan," he announced proudly. "First, we are going to get your stuff. You know, the most important things. I talked to Mrs. Jennings, the woman who allocates the dorm rooms, and she said she will have something for you in a couple of weeks. Until then, you're going to stay at a hotel. Of course, I will pay for the room."

Uh.. no?! What was he thinking? This was exactly why she hadn't wanted to agree to this in the first place. Emily didn't want his pity, nor did she want his charity. The clothes were a one-time thing, and she already felt bad about taking them. He had persuaded her to accept them with his amazing charm but this time it would not work. She had to stay strong and do what she thought was best. He didn't even know her father or her living situation, so he was really not in the position to tell her what to do.

"This is a very nice and generous offer but I can't accept it. I don't want you to pay my expenses. I don't want to owe anything to anyone, and if I stay in college, I will collect enough debt as it is. I think it is better if I stay at home and take care of my dad. He needs me, even though you might not agree. I know him and I know I can help him overcome this.. this phase. I learned how to handle him over the years. It might not seem that way now with me being in the hospital and all, but it was an accident. An unfortunate accident. It won't happen again."

Professor Cole narrowed his eyes, staring at her in complete bewilderment. "Listen," he said slowly and Emily could tell he could hardly contain himself. "I want to pay the room for you because I want you in a safe place. This is no loan, no charity, this is just me taking care of your health. I don't expect you to pay anything back. In fact, I would be offended if you did. And let me tell you that you are being unreasonable. You are naive to think you can improve the situation all by yourself. The only one who can improve it is you father, but he doesn't have any intention to do so. And you know why I am so certain about this? Because your arm is in a cast, your face is injured, and he is not even here to see how you are. Wake up, Emily. You cannot help someone who doesn't want help. He doesn't realize he has a problem. You have to see to it that you are safe and that means you have to be far away from him. You think you can help him, you think you can handle him. And you might be right. Nothing might happen for a long time, but sooner or later he will snap again and God knows what he will do to you then. Do you seriously expect me to just watch while he is destroying your life, while he is destroying you? Do you think I will close my eyes to this? Think again, Emily."

His words left her speechless. He made it sound like she was in grave danger, but that was not true. There were people who had it far worse than she. Of course, the past years had been extremely hard on her and she hadn't exactly been doing great, but why was he so sure he could change all of that? Why would he even want to? After all, he wasn't her friend or anything.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, going into offensive mode. "So you just swoop in and make it all better overnight," she summarized sarcastically. "I guess you don't understand..."

"No," he interrupted her harshly. "You are the one who doesn't understand. And frankly, I don't feel like having this discussion now. It is pointless and doesn't get us anywhere. Let's cut this short." He took a deep breath and reached out his hand. "So," his voice was now soft and calm. "Are you coming with me?"

Under normal circumstances she wouldn't think twice. He had come to her rescue, he didn't try to take advantage of her, he was just honestly concerned and tried to help. He was so similar to the person in her dream, to the angel. He was her angel. And on top of that, he was gorgeous. If she would look up the definition of 'perfect' in a dictionary, she was certain she would find his picture. But the circumstances were not normal. She could see why he didn't want to let her go back, why he didn't understand her reasoning, but this was about her and her family, not about him.

"Thank you for being so kind to me," she began cautiously. "No one ever has done this for me. I am so deeply grateful."

He withdrew his hand. "You're going home."

She nodded silently.

Professor Cole chewed on the inside of his cheek while examining her face carefully. "I can't force you." He pressed his lips together and sighed. "Take good care of yourself, okay?"

He didn't wait for a response, just turned and left.