Black And Blue-E.Buckley (9-1-1)

One

Hand over heart, I'm praying 

That I'm gonna make it out alive

"911.. What's your emergency?"  A female voice rings through the speaker.

Eleanor sat in silence for a moment, thinking. Was she really going to do it this time? She stared at herself in the mirror, at the bruises and red marks that peppered her skin. Had she finally had enough?

"Hello?" the voice spoke again, snapping Eleanor out of her thoughts.

Eleanor wanted to ask her for help so badly. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She wanted her to know she was in trouble. But nothing came out. Her lips stayed sealed as if they were glued together.

"Hello? Can I help you? Just say something, anything." It sounded like the operator was about to cry. Like somehow she knew and felt Eleanor's pain. 

Eleanor heard footsteps coming down the hall. Heading straight toward the bathroom she had locked herself in. She panicked and backed away from the door. 

"El, who are you talking to? Come out here!" the male voice yelled.

"I'm sorry, wrong number." Eleanor quickly hung up, clearing the logs and shoving the phone into her pocket. She opened the door only to be grabbed and pushed against the wall.

"Who were you talking to?" Michael asked harshly. His face was only inches from her own.

"N-nobody.. they had the wrong number. I promise" A tear slipped down her cheek.

Michael glared at her before backing off and letting her away from the wall. Eleanor slid down the wall, slumping on the floor, and curling into herself as he walked away. She covered her face, sobbing into her hands. She wanted so badly to get away, to leave. But in a way, she felt like it would be worse if she did. The thought of what he would do if she tried to leave or if he knew that she had called 911 terrified her. She feared the outcome would be worse than what she already endured daily.

The police had already been to the house on multiple occasions when the neighbors had called. Each time he had played it off and gotten away with everything. Half of the police department was in his pocket anyway. And each time the punishment was worse than the last. She wanted so badly to scream for help. Every time they arrived she thought she would finally get away, that they would notice something or know he was lying. Maybe just once they'd see through her lies. And each time she was let down, again and again.

Eleanor wiped her face for the millionth time as she picked herself up off the ground. She made her way to her bedroom. She quickly changed into a shirt that wasn't ripped and covered in small blood stains. Then started her daily routine, layers of coverup and eyeliner to hide the bruises, tear-stained cheeks, and puffy eyes. She had gotten so used to doing this that it almost felt normal.

She nervously walked to the kitchen, not knowing where he was or what kind of mood he'd be in. After fights were always the worst times, she walked on eggshells because his moods were so bipolar. Eleanor peeked around the corner before slightly relaxing and walking into the kitchen. She pulled the fridge open, looking around before closing it again and grabbing the grocery list off the side of it. It was a pretty long list, she hadn't gotten out to the store in a while. She grabbed a pen from the drawer she added a few more things to the list.

"Hello, beautiful.." Michael whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She shuddered, wanting to pull away from him but stood still. She couldn't stand being in the same room as him anymore let alone this close to him. "What are you doing?" He asked as he tightened his grip a little.

"I was gonna take a trip to the store, we're out of a few things. If that's okay with you anyway.."

"Of course. Gotta be able to eat right," he smiled.

"Right.." Eleanor watched him warily as began making a pot of coffee.

"Well, go ahead then. You know the rules, behave." He said sternly before planting a forced kiss on her lips.

"Okay, I'll text you when I'm on my way back."

"Good girl," he smiled.

Eleanor hesitated for a moment before heading for the door. She grabbed her keys and purse from the entryway stand and quickly left. She speed-walked toward the car, jumping in and leaving as soon as she started it. This was her only time away, she finally felt free, at least for a few hours. Eleanor wished she could feel like this all the time. To not have to constantly look over her should or wonder what was going to happen next. She wondered what it would be like to have a normal relationship, a normal life, one where she didn't have to live in constant fear of every action.

****

"Hey Josh," Maddie smiled as she walked into the small break room.

"Maddie," Josh smiled back.

Maddie made her cup of coffee and sat down at the small round table in the corner. She looked down, playing with the spoon in her cup. She was still a little shaken up from a call she had earlier. It hit really close to home for her and all she wanted to do was help. She couldn't think about anything else. 

"You're quiet today, how's it going?" Josh asked as he sat down next to her.

"Been better honestly.."

"Wanna talk about it?" He pried a little.

"I got an eerily familiar call earlier. So I kind of looked into similar calls. I know I probably shouldn't have but I couldn't help it and I think this woman needs help. There have been countless calls from neighbors but today was the first one from the house itself. Josh, I've seen this before, I've lived this before and I can't just ignore it." A tear slipped down her cheek as she thought of the poor woman and what probably happened after she hung up.

"I know how you feel but Maddie you know we can't get involved unless they ask us to. Did she say anything?"

"No.. but I could hear it. I could sense the helplessness."

"I'm sorry sweetie.."

Maddie wanted to leave here and help that woman, she wanted to get her out. She wanted to help her escape like she wished someone would have done for her.. Maddie just couldn't get it off her mind. The call and all the possible scenarios plagued her for the rest of the day.

****

Eleanor took her time at the store, ensuring she didn't forget anything but also enjoying the time away from the house and away from Michael. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was always watching her. She kept checking over her shoulder as she entered each aisle. After she had gathered everything on the list she headed back home. She dreaded this every time she left the house.

The rest of the night was peaceful. They ate dinner in silence. Eleanor cleaned up as Michael watched his nightly shows before going to bed and for once they seemed like a normal, loving couple. Eleanor lay in bed, staring at the ceiling while Michael snored beside her. Sometimes, late at night when she couldn't sleep, she'd imagine what it would feel like to put a pillow over his face and watch him thrash around as he struggled for air..