|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:35 pm
The tears wouldn't come, her eyes were totally dry. She wasn't sure whether it was due to shock or just because the policeman was there, but she just couldn't cry right now. A few tears, that was it. Still her breathing was raggard and she was still shaking. It was clear she was going to be shaken up for a while. Swallowing was painful now as her throat swelled a little but Ivie, being Ivie, didn't complain, simply clinging to Nye tighter.
It wasn't until they'd pulled into the station and the officer opened the door, clearing his throat and looking a little awkward, that Ivie raised her head.
"Ah, we've arrived." He said, standing aside. Swallowing again and rubbing at her eyes, Ivie let herself be helped out of the car but refused to allow the man to help her into the station. She wasn't helpless, so she liked to think, yet it was still a relief to be ushered into a large, comfortable chair away from the hustle and bustle of the main centre. Butch was no-where in sight - a good thing, he was the last thing Ivie needed to see right now - yet the officer allowed Nye to trail in afterwards.
There was no cocoa offered but she did get some water which was downed quickly. It felt good against her throat and the inside of her cheek, which was swelling in de ja vu of earlier that week. Her story? She told it, right up until she was choked into unconciousness. To her credit she manage to keep the tears at bay until she got to the part about Butch force-kissing her. That was when they broke, and the rest of her story was muffled by sobs. When she was done her knees were once more tugged to her chest and her head rested on them, as if she was trying to hide the fact that she was crying.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:27 am
Nye let go of Ivie to let her climb out of the car, and climbed out himself almost directly after. With his hands shoved into his pockets, he just silently did whatever the officers at the station told him to do, and tensed up unnaturally when Ivie was out of sight.
He stood against the wall when he was allowed into the room, and watched the floor intensely as he listened to Ivie. His frown went from bad to worse when she began crying, but he still didn't say a word, and wouldn't until the officers did. The law was a tricky thing to play with, especially for him, but perhaps he could play them all into getting her a restraining order.
It was kinda funny how Nye could go from one of the nicest guys to someone more cold, calculating and business-like in seconds.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:37 am
The officers seemed a little awkward when Ivie started crying yet they didn't comment, simply thanking her for the information and saying she could stay in the office until she felt alright, as long as she wanted. Nodding miserably, Ivie personally felt that she'd never feel alright again. This is what mild shock must feel like, she knew that. Crying, shaking (she'd noticed her hands by now) and feeling an awful lot like you're going to be ill yet not. Just not.
Another glass of water was downed and she simply stayed where she was, shivering. The lone officer in the room stood, though seemed reluctant to leave her there. He moved her gently to the couch instead - it was lower, he reasoned - there was less chance of damaging herself here - before he glanced at Nye. The man had already been questioned and fingerprinted, and the victim herself said he was innocent. There would be no harm leaving them here, not with the secretary typing away around the partician.
"Would you mind watching her, Mr Hemmingway? She probably shouldn't be left alone and we have to question the two suspects. We've got your addresses so you can leave whenever you please. Shall you be in your respective homes tonight or is there some other number we should contact you by...?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:49 am
Nye nodded carefully when the officer instructed them about staying in the office, and finally raised his eyes from the floor. They traced Ivie to the couch, only turning to the last officer when he began asking stuff about where they would be that night, et cetera et cetera. "Perhaps my mobile's a better thing to leave, I'm not always home."
Pushing off the wall, he went over to the officer and recited his mobile while the man in uniform jotted it down carefully, confirming it with the area code just in case. "Ivie? You have something other than a house number for them?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:52 am
The couch was the best place they could have put Ivie. She immidiately curled up in one of the corners, enjoying the support, and just zoned out while Nye and the officer talked. What they were talking about she had no idea, yet as soon as Nye spoke her name she seemed to wake up a little.
"Ah...just my mobile." She recited it, trailing off a little at the end and seeming to zone out again. Giving the girl one last, concerned look, the officer took his leave and closed the door behind him. Ivie never heard him leave. She was busy rubbing at the darkly coloured bruise under her neck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:56 am
Nye gave the officer a quick wave and waited until he closed the door to trail over and plop down on the couch next to Ivie's feet. It definitely must have been a shock for her to have something like that happen. All the more reason to get some form of restraining order and put the emergency number on speed-dial.
There were also other ways of dealing with the problem, none of which Nye wanted to take.
"You think you're gonna be alright?" he asked timidly, but only after a few minutes of uneasy silence.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:02 am
Never, ever in her relationship with that man had he ever hurt her that badly. Sure he was never gentle - hugs were out of the question unless he was after something - but he'd only ever hit her two or three times. Forced sexual acts? Perhaps but never, ever choking. Ivie's hand closed around her own throat gently, covering about half the bruise with her much smaller hand.
She nodded, not trusting her voice right now. She looked like hell; the small amount of eye makeup she'd put on that afternoon was streaky and her eyes were bloodshot and not, this time, from lack of sleep. Her cheeks were splotchy red and she was paler than normal. No, deffinately not alright. Would she admit it? No.
She wouldn't be Ivie if she admitted to needing help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:07 am
The one thing Nye noticed about Ivie is that she was a terrible liar when she was upset. He sighed for the thousandth time that day and stood up from the couch. Instead, he went over to crouch in front of Ivie, to catch her at eye level. "Come on. I'll take you back to my house, and you can chill out with Lizzie, a movie, and some takeout pasta. Hm?"
Completely forgetting about their shopping trip, Nye was more focused on getting Ivie back up onto her feet. That, and he rather enjoyed her company anyways, as did Lizzie. And he could go for some takeout pasta himself. Having Ivie around just gave him an excuse to splurge on something more expensive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 4:25 am
Any other day Ivie would protest, saying she was imposing and that she didn't want to put Nye out. Today, however, she was going to give in for the second time and let Nye look after her a little. Staying at home by herself didn't sound at all pleasant and in any case, she didn't think she could really argue about it at this point. She just didn't the will-power right now. Nodding and letting the man help her up and out of the police-station.
Stuck as they were, one of the officers offered them a ride back to the shopping centre which they gratefully accepted. The last thing either of them needed right now was a harrowing trip on the bus, and Nye's car was out there anyway. They were dropped outside amongst curious stares from the public and there, right where they left it, sat Nye's car. It was time to get out of here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:06 pm
Nye ignored the stares from passerby and thanked the officer as he helped Ivie out of the car. His automatic car starter beeped with the press of a button and the vehicle started up with a mellow roar. The doors unlocked with two consecutive clicks, and Nye ushered Ivie into the passenger seat before walking around the car and climbing in behind the wheel.
About twenty minutes later, Nye had his car parked near his apartment complex and was leading Ivie back in. He even opted for the elevator, one a bit more trustworthy than Ivie's, for the sake of the girl's comfort. A bit of fumbling with the keys lead to the apartment door to be opened with a creak and several greeting barks as the golden retriever, now definitely a tad bigger than when Nye first got her from the girl and her father, scampered up to greet the pair.
Nye walked in and ditched his coat on the hook by his door, taking Ivie's as well and hanging it up. He crouched down to give Lizzie a pet, and then went straight for his phone. "Alright, I'm gonna call the pasta place. Make yourself at home, and tell me what you want. They have some really good chicken alfredo penne, youknow."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:48 pm
The majority of the trip home was one giant blur for Ivie. She vaguely remembered being prodded into Nye's car and out again at the other end but beyond that? Not much. It was a strange feeling of de ja vu when they walked into the apartment and she sat down on the couch. Well she had been there before we a throbbing face, now hadn't she? Lizzie, who was feeling slighty jilted at Ivie's lack of fussing, jumped up onto the sofa next to the girl and began licking her face, causing her to flinch. Seeming not to notice, Lizzie plopped down in Ivie's lap and began to settle, obviously pleased 'her' other human was back. Ivie gave a soft smile before cuddling the affectionate pooch.
"Ravioli or gnocchi, if they have it, please." Yes, something was deffinately wrong today; Ivie hadn't even offered to pay. In truth the idea hadn't even come into her head and she shifted a little, placing said head on one of the armrests and curling up, puppy close.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:06 pm
Nye nodded and went over to get his phone and the number to the pasta place. Hoping that Ivie wouldn't notice, he went into the other room to order their food. The actual ordering part, that was rather audible and followed Ivie's instructions, but after Nye hung up the phone, things got a little tricky.
He redialed another number and began talking quietly into the phone, something about deliveries and credit card numbers and cutting people. Hopefully inaudible to Ivie, Nye tried to keep the conversation as hush-hush as possible until that business was over with and he could re-emerge into the light.
"Dinner'll be here in fourty minutes."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:15 pm
Nye didn't have to worry. Too wrapped up in her own thoughts, listening in on his phone conversations was the last thing on Ivie's mind. What was going on in there, however, was rather depressing. There were quite a few 'Why?' thoughts floating around, why on earth was she stuck with a stalker ex for example, and a few other little voices saying she'd probably incurred it herself through some unintentional mistake. What she didn't know, but it sounded plausible in her addled mind.
Hence Nye got no reply when he reentered the room. In the artificial living-room light, Ivie's bruising stood out horribly against her pale skin and her eyes had glazed a little, staring at the rug. Lizzie was play-chewing her hand yet whining at the same time, confused that she wasn't getting the normal reaction. Oh, Ivie was alright, just...not quite over it yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:14 pm
Nye was worried.
He stayed in the doorway between his bedroom and the living room, waiting for some sort of response, but all he heard was Lizzie's whining against the slight whirring of the heating system. It was an uncomfortable silence, but Nye felt like he ought to leave her alone, even for a few minutes.
So, in search of something to do, he picked up some dishes that he left around the house, still attempting to make a habit out of it, and went to wash them and add the running of the sink to the small orchestra of ... household noise. Rescrubbing the dishes once he was finished didn't sound like a great idea, and he was entirely too worried about Ivie's unresponsive nature.
Nye went over to stand behind the couch, and ended up leaning his forearms onto it nonchalantly. Ivie was definitely not paying attention. "Why so serious, Miss Callaghan?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:41 pm
For all Ivie heard of Nye's dishes-doing she might have been asleep. Actually, no. If she was asleep, it would have woken her up; Ivie Callaghan was a notoriously light sleeper when away from home or nervous. She was both, so hence couldn't be asleep. Lizzie had given up on her attempts at play and had decided to huddle on Ivie's lap, still whining. Ivie wasn't even patting her anymore.
Whatever Ivie was thinking so terribly hard about burst like a bubble when Nye suddenly, or so it felt to her, appeared behind the sofa. The girl yelped and jumped suddenly at the sound, snapping out of it. The puppy, poor thing, was so suprised she leapt off Ivie's lap and scittered away across the floorboards, tail between her legs.
Well that was embaressing.
"Good gods, don't sneak up on me like that, Nye!" The red-head got out, a hand pressed against her heart. "You'll kill me next time!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
