Broken Submission

Prison Break

Me: *Rings the dinner bell*

The five people who consistently read my chapters: *break down the door* *stomp on it* *roar* wHeRe iS It WhErE iS My uPdAte

"—she might not be ready—hold on a sec—just wait—"

"Amelia!"

Amelia blinked as Brianna burst into her hospital room. Hair wild and Matthew trailing along behind, the exuberant woman filled the room with life.

"Uh, hey," she said, too shocked to give a more enthusiastic response.

Derek straightened from where he lay beside her. "Matthew? What are you doing back?"

Matt shook his head. "I told her not to come but—"

"He was supposed to ask you!" Brianna interrupted. "I told him to ask if I could come by when he came in before, and he forgot. So here I am," she declared.

The bright force that was Brianna's personality did more to push back the fog that surrounded Amelia than any amount of talking and moping had.

"I'm glad you came," she said with a genuine smile. "I really appreciate it."

Brianna flounced across the room and popped herself up to sit cross legged on the opposite cot. Amelia was bemused by the sleepover vibes that seemed to be taking over the room.

The two doms now shifting awkwardly in their shoes somewhat ruined it though.

"Why don't you two give us some girl time?" Brianna said, cutting straight to the point.

Derek shook his head. "I'm not—"

"I'd like that."

Derek pulled back imperceptibly in surprise. "Are you sure?" he asked, eyes trained on Amelia's face.

She nodded.

He and Matthew exchanged a look and left the room, Derek squeezing her hand and dropping a kiss on her forehead first.

Some of Brianna's bubbliness faded when the door shut behind them. An uncharacteristic seriousness imbued itself on her features.

"How are you holding up?" she asked.

Amelia sighed. "I don't know."

Brianna's eyebrows knit in worry. Lips pressing together, she leaned forward. "You don't have to talk. We can sit here and shoot the shit. But if you want an ear, I'm here. And I'm not going to judge you. And there's no chance that something you say will negatively impact our relationship."

Amelia winced. Brianna had hit the nail on the head when it came to her fears about talking through her experiences with Derek.

Amelia let herself fall back against her pillows. "I appreciate that. And when I said 'I don't know' it wasn't a deflection. I—I'm really not sure. I have a tendency to... repress. So much so that I'm rarely even aware that I'm having a hard time with normal problems, let alone... all this."

Brianna hummed. "I hear you. Autumn is the same way."

A silence passed.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

Amelia looked to Brianna in surprise. "What?"

"Leave," Brianna said. "Get out, stretch your legs. Eat a burger."

"God yes." The words were out of Amelia's mouth before she knew it.

Brianna grinned. "Let's do this. I always wanted to organize a prison break."

Ignoring the voices that told her to sit still and continue licking her wounds, Amelia jumped to her feet. They grinned at each other in mischievous camaraderie. "Let's do this thing."

It was a good thing Derek had gotten someone to bring Amelia some clothes. They crept out of the hospital like fugitives, eyes sweeping the halls for the men who would have their asses if they saw them.

"Matthew was going to take him to the cafeteria," Brianna murmured. "Still, better safe than sorry."

They got odd looks as they raced through the hospital, hugging the walls in an effort to be covert. At last, they pushed through the rotating glass doors, and Amelia breathed in the fresh air.

"This was the best idea." Amelia reveled in the feeling of being out of that hospital room. Though she'd been there at most 24 hours, it felt like years. And before that.... After everything, the freedom was invigorating.

Brianna grinned impishly. "There's a bar and grill a few blocks away. They have awesome burgers."

Still sucking in the fresh air, Amelia nodded. "Perfect."

They struck out in that direction. After a few minutes, worry started to tug at Amelia.

"Should we have—idk, left a note?" she asked, thinking about the last time Derek came back to the spot he left her and found her gone.

Brianna shook her head. "It's fine. I'm going to text Matthew once we're at the restaurant. Not where we are," she said, responding to her questioning look. "Just that we went out and not to worry. They will anyway," she laughed, "but not in a real, freaking-out kind of way."

"Won't you get in trouble for that?"

Brianna laughed again. "Oh yeah, my ass is grass. But it's worth it."

Noticing Amelia's lingering frown, she reassured her, "I pull a stunt like this at least once a month. Well," she amended, "maybe not quite like this, but close enough. Once I shaved off Matthew's eyebrows in his sleep."

Amelia snorted. "You didn't!"

Brianna's teeth flashed as she threw her head back with a laugh. "Oh yes I did. And then he made me draw them back on."

"Oh my god," Amelia squeaked, imagining the scene.

Brianna smirked. "I keep him on his toes, that's for sure. And he keeps me from going too far."

Amelia's laughter trailed off as she noticed the shift in Brianna's demeanor.

The woman continued. "I was a mess before Matthew came around. I'm bi-polar," she said, glancing at Amelia, who kept her face blank. "I chased the highs, and then I'd fall really hard. Matthew helps keep me on track."

She ran her hands through her hair. "That and some serious medication," she said with a huff of laughter.

"I had no idea," Amelia said.

Brianna shrugged. "It's not something I advertise. Once people know, they start looking for it. And I'm an exuberant person, you know? So then they think that that's just my wacko brain. But the meds keep me pretty steady."

"If you don't mind my asking," Amelia hesitated, "why do you need Matthew if the meds work?"

"Oh," Brianna said, "I wasn't on meds. I was completely addicted to the highs. I honestly probably still am. It took a while, but he helped me see why I needed to level out. That," she continued, "and the fact that during one of my lows, I ate a bottle of sleeping pills. Now, he reminds me why it's important that I keep on my meds and also keeps an eye on me when I'm struggling."

"Wow." Amelia contemplated the information. Both Brianna and Matthew seemed like really lighthearted, easygoing people. She would never have guessed that they'd gone through so much together.

They rounded the corner and found themselves at the entrance to the restaurant.

Brianna grinned at her. "The best burgers."

They spoke to the hostess who led them to a table on the patio. Amelia didn't want to be inside.

"So," Brianna wiggled her eyebrows, "wanna bet on how long it takes the boys to find us?"