Him & I

Break On Me - Part 2

Take as long as it takes, girl
Break on me
Put your head on my chest
Let me help you forget
When your heart needs to break
Just break on me
——Break On Me, Keith Urban

"Rae, you can't know that," Cait said quickly. But her voice was shaky.

"Cait, I did clinical rotations in all areas of medicine," Rae said softly. "I wasn't always a pediatric nurse. He's unhinged. I'm telling you. He did it."

"I've known him for almost ten years, Rae," Cait said softly.

"And maybe he wasn't always this way," Rae told her. "But something has triggered a psychosis. Cait, he was looking at you with such fury. I'm not sure I'd put anything past him."

Cait pressed a hand to her aching head and shivered.

*****

Jared returned to his office, the look on his face keeping anyone from talking to him. He told himself that he had to get control of his emotions. That he couldn't let that red headed witch get him worked up again. But the blood was pounding in his veins.

She was going to have that rat bastard Allen's baby. He'd put that aside while he was away but seeing her again reminded him of that conversation he'd overheard.  That wasn't the way this was supposed to go.

He needed to think, but his head was pounding. He pulled open the drawer of his desk and took out the photo he kept there. Cait on a medal podium, hand over her heart and flowers in her left hand. He ran a finger over her face. "Stay away?" he whispered. "Not for long, sweetheart, not for long."

*****

They found Grayson watching Duke and Wake Forest. But after the game was over, Cait let Rae tell Grayson about the encounter and her opinion that Jared was guilty. She watched his jaw working. But she was a little too upset to try to calm him right now.

"Where the fuck do you come up with these guys?" Grayson muttered in frustration.  "First Jake and now this asshole?"

"Jake just wanted my money," Cait said hollowly.  "This is different.  Jared's family is plenty well off."

Her tone made Grayson stop and look at her.  And he saw that she was actually scared.  And upset.  He blew out a breath.

"I think I'll go make dinner," Rae offered quickly, as she headed for the kitchen.

"Come here," Grayson whispered.  He pulled Cait to her feet and down the hall to their bedroom, tugging her to sit beside him on the bed.  "Take a couple of deep breaths.  Just relax.  Breathe in and out and focus on that."

Cait wanted to tell him that she wasn't in the mood for any of his Zen bullshit right now, but she didn't have the energy to fight with him.  Instead, she listened to the calming sound of Grayson's voice as he told her to focus on her breathing.  And on the feel of the bed underneath her and floor under her feet. 

After a few minutes, he told her to open her eyes and she did.  He was just studying her.  "Didn't it help a little?" he asked.

"I don't know," she whispered. 

"You should try it," he said with a small smile. But he reached an arm around her and pulled her in so her head was resting on his chest.