One and Only

Chapter Two

***This deals with adult subjects and the aftermath of abuse. Adult language and situations.***

A voice, deep and comforting, was next to her ear whispering softly, "Shhh, sweetheart. You're safe now." By the time they allowed him to go in and see her, her face was swollen to the point he wasn't sure how she was breathing. Hell, he barely recognized her. Blood still ran in small rivulets from her nose as she whimpered and moaned in pain. It broke his heart. How could any man do this to a woman?

"Nnnnhhh, wwhhhtt 'appen'?" she asked through swollen split lips, realizing she couldn't move her eyes.

"Shhh. Don't try and talk, love. The bleeding is almost stopped." He paused for a second and continued, "Larry attacked you as you were about to get into your car. They arrested him. He will not hurt you again," he asserted as he spoke to her comfortingly.

Everything was foggy but that voice she recognized. It was Tom. A flood of relief flowed over her. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but her mouth hurt so bad she decided against it at the moment.

Another voice was speaking, "Ms. Alexander, we are putting you in a room for overnight observation possibly longer. You have a concussion; therefore, I cannot give you anything for the pain save for Paracetamol. I have however ordered some nausea medication to be placed into your drip and that will make you drowsy. Can you hear me all right?"

She nodded an answer that sent a new wave of pain through her head and neck making her moan as tears built up behind her swollen eyes.

Tom gently traced her veins and bruised hands thinking, you will never know how it hurts me to see you cry. "Please, don't cry, love, it will only make your pain worse," he cautioned her tenderly.

He wasn't sure why he felt the way he did toward her. This feeling he had was something new. It had come over him almost from the moment he laid eyes on her, as if they had met before but he would have remembered someone as beautiful and talented as she was. It didn't matter one way or the other he wasn't going to deny the feelings he had. If it turned out to be all for naught, then so be it but he was going to give it everything he had, and he truly believed that she would do the same.

She appeared so fragile right now, and in a way she was. But he knew she was a strong and independent woman. She stood he guessed at about five foot nine and was built as they say like a brick shit house. But she didn't see herself as being beautiful or even pretty.

Wiping his face, as if that would remove the images from his thoughts, he admonished himself. In his mind they were standing in front of a large mirror and she had just told him how she felt about her body, "I have so many scars. I'm ashamed for you to see me like this."

"You're ashamed of your body? My love, your body is perfection," he made a point of nibbling along her jawline as he said, "Look into the mirror. See how your waist is perfect for my arms to encircle you? How the curves of your hips give me a perfect hold? How you fit perfectly against me? How your breasts overflow into my hands? Can you not feel how much simply caressing your skin excites me? Keep watching, my love. I want you to watch me show you how much I love your body."

He really should get his mind off her body because the damage that bastard had done was not going away soon. A perfect shoe print in the center of her abdomen. Four cracked ribs, numerous cuts and bruises that were too many to count and on top of that a concussion. Eyes so swollen she couldn't open them. Her lips cut and swollen from the slaps and punches she had received. He should have walked her out, but she had reminded him that she was parked right there in front of the pub in sight of everyone. He would give the asshole one thing he had some huge stones. By the time he had reached her Larry was running off into the darkness with several of the patrons in hot pursuit. He had gently bent down and leaned over her afraid to touch or move her as he dialed 999 and gave them the information.