Never Again

** LACEY'S POV **

I woke up in the morning in a blissful state of mind. My back was pressed up against Patrick's bare chest, his arms wrapped tightly around my middle and our legs intertwined under the covers. Through the steady rise and fall of his chest, it was clear that he was still asleep which brought a smile to my face. Even in his sleep, Patrick wanted me and he wanted me close. I let myself truly enjoy the moment-- I let myself feel his steady breathing, embrace the feeling of his body wrapped and pressed around mind and I let my mind relax with the thoughts of how lucky I was to have him and be able to call him mine.

Ever so carefully I turned around in his arms to look at his beautiful face and I was saddened by what I saw. His normally happy, relaxed features were replaced with traces of worry and stress. Usually, in his sleep, Patrick's mouth is always agape and light snores can be heard from his direction if you listened carefully. This morning, his eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth was closed in a tight line. I lightly traced his chest and jaw with my fingers and wondered what could have possibly caused him to be so on edge in a state of unconsciousness. I reflected on the last few days in my head: I had been discharged from the hospital, I was home, Pat is protecting and taking care of me. The only thing that was even remotely negative was Pat having to tell me what happened that night in full detail, but he seemed to be okay right after that conversation took place. The memories of the night before came flooding back to me and I felt my mood instantly worsen - How could they possibly tell me that I can't go to work or school? Those are the two things which I love doing and need to do for my future, and the last thing I wanted to do was delay them. I'm a grown woman and I'm more than capable of making my own decisions.

With a quick look at the clock I realized that it was still early enough for me to get to my nine a.m class on time if I hustled, which was exactly what I was going to do. Being careful not to wake Patrick, I slowly removed myself from under the covers and got out of bed. I reluctantly decided to skip a shower due to the noise it would create, so I tiptoed to the drawer where Pat is temporarily storing my clothes, pulling out a pair of nylons, a black skirt and a red shirt. In law school, the key to success is 50% being studious and 50% being dressed for the part. When I found everything that I needed, I entered the master bathroom clicking the door shut behind me.

As I was washing my face and applying my makeup, there was a light knock on the door which Patrick's voice quickly followed.

"Lacey, sweetheart, are you alright? Are you feeling sick?"

When I gave no response, he tried to twist the doorknob but was unable to get in. "Babe, let me in, are you okay? You're worrying me."

Hoping to get by Pat without much of a hassle, I quickly opened the door and tried to push past him but was stopped when his hard body hit mine. Damnit, I had forgotten how muscular he was. Without hesitation his arms constricted around my waist leaving me unable to move and his lips found the side of my head. I tried to pull away from his embrace and when I did, he held me at an arm's distance and took in my fully clothed, fully made up condition.

"Where are you going, Lace? It's eight in the morning and you have nothing to do today."

"I'm going to school, Patrick. I have a class at nine and I have to work at noon."

He must have seen the look of determination on my face because his expression instantly softened and he brought a hand up to cup my cheek.

"Babe, no. You need time; you're still hurt- you need to let yourself heal, both physically and emotionally. School and work will not help your recovery in the least. Come on, let's go back to bed. I'll make you breakfast after." He took his hand and ever so gently brushed past my broken ribs as if to emphasize that I'm not okay, but I wasn't having any of it. When he moved his hand to my lower back to guide me back to the bedroom, I slipped away from his grip and headed for the door.
"Lace, come here. You're making a big mistake."

My frustration seeped through in my raised voice, "am I Patrick? Am I really?"

He was still calm and he gently extended a hand to me. "Yes. Come on, let me take care of you."

"No. You know what my mistake was Patrick?" My voice hit a high that I never knew I had before. "My mistake was letting you take care of me in the first place. You don't know me, and you don't know what's best for me. School is what's best for me, not sitting on my ass and 'healing.' And if you think that you're going to stop me, then you've got another thing coming, [i] sweetheart. [/i]

With that, I stormed out the door and made sure to slam it.

♦ ♦ ♦

After leaving Patrick alone in his apartment, I did the one thing every girl does when they argue with a boy -- Call their best friend. I dialed Grace's number and she picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Grace, I was wrong about Patrick. He's a conceited asshole, and nothing but."

"Whoa, whoa! Where is this coming from?"

"He just is."

"Oh my God. He didn't cheat on you, did he? I'll kill him, I swear I'll kill him. Where is he?"

"He's at his apartment, I think. And no, he didn't cheat on me. Thanks for your concern, though. It's nice to know that you think I'm the type of girl worthy of being cheated on."

"Shut up, I was just asking, you know that's not what I meant. What did he do, then?"

"He won't let me go to school or work."

Silence.

"You're not supposed to go to school or work, Lace. You have three weeks off, you know that."
"The hell I do. I don't need time off, despite what Patrick and apparently you think. I'm completely fine."

Grace's heavy sigh was heard on the other end of the line, followed by a barely audible whisper, "Lacey, you could have been killed. We just want what's best for you."

More silence.

"Look, I have to work Lacey, but please, please think this through. We're worried about you, is all. Deep down, you know you need the time off to get better. Just think about it, okay? I love you."
Those were the last words I heard before the line went dead.

♦ ♦ ♦

** PATRICK'S POV **

When Lacey walked out on me this morning, I didn't know what to do so I went back to bed. The Lacey that woke up beside me this morning was not the same Lacey that I was developing really strong feelings for. It was almost as if something had possessed her- her eyes were glossy, her voice raised and her personality did a complete 180. I guess I was secretly hoping that if I went back to bed, I would wake up from some horrible dream and she would be back beside me in my arms, keeping her safe.

Naturally, I was wrong.

When my alarm started blaring at noon, Lacey still wasn't beside me. I got out of bed and walked around, hoping to find her sitting on the couch watching TV but she wasn't there either. Feeling defeated, I sent her a quick text.

[i] Patrick: Come home. [/i]

There were a million things that I wanted to convey in those simple two words: I miss you, I need you, I'm worried about you and most of all, please don't leave me. I might not know much about relationships, but I know that sometimes, giving each other some space is the most affectionate thing a person could do, so that's what I was doing. That doesn't mean that I was okay with her storming out. I was worried about her physical well-being, mental well-being, and I was worried about us. I might not have known her for that long, but I knew that I was falling for her hard and fast, and I couldn't afford to lose her.

After two hours of no response, I decided to call Grace. I promised her that I would protect Lacey and if I couldn't have her at home with me to make sure that she was safe, I wanted someone to be watching her. The problem was in order for that to happen, I had to know where she was.

"Hello?"

"Grace, I need your help."

"Well hello to you too, Mr. Kane. How many I be of assistance today?"

"I need to know where Lacey is. She stormed out of me this morning."

"I know, she called me. Isn't she at school?"

"I would assume as much, that's where she said she was going when she left. But I need to know what building, I feel so on edge not knowing if she's okay or not."

"Are you sure that this is a good idea, Pat? She can handle herself, as stubborn as she is. You don't need to physically be with her at all times."

"I'm sure, I just need to know that she's safe. Please, Grace. She's not answering my texts and I don't know what to do."

"Fine. She should be on a break, which means that she's probably in the library. Just be careful, okay? Don't push her further away, that won't help anything or anybody."

"Don't worry, she won't suspect a thing, I promise. Thanks, Grace."

"Don't mention it. Take care of my girl, you hear?"

"Will do."

Immediately after hanging up, I dialed a new number.

"Jon? I need your help."

** LACEY'S POV **

After my 'art of prosecution' class, I had a big three hour break to occupy with some readings and some assignments. I made my way to my favorite place in the whole school: the library, which has two floors. The first floor was for group work and computer labs, whereas the second floor was for quiet, individual study. It was on the second floor that I found my own personal sanctuary: a single desk at the end of a row of books which overlooked the city of Chicago through the window. Seldom few people ever came near it and it was always where I did my best work.

Going up the stairs, I smiled at the librarian who was sitting at her desk and walked directly to that little isle of books that I loved so much. I was just about to put my books down when someone's voice caught me off guard. The ladies voice was laced with concern and intrigue.

"Sweetheart, are you alright? You don't look much like yourself today, and you're walking differently."

I turned around and found myself face to face with the librarian. I never thought that she would recognize me, but I guess I came up here often enough that she's memorized my face.

I put on the bravest face I could muster before replying, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you. I pulled a muscle during a workout this weekend, it's no big deal."

She looked at me skeptically with her big, hazel eyes. "If you're sure."

I smiled, "I am."

"Alright, let me know if I can help you with anything, then."

I smiled at her again and put my books down on the desk. I pulled out the chapter on criminal law and began to read, but stopped when I realized that I wasn't actually absorbing any information. For at least an hour I ended up staring blankly at the words on the page and let my mind wander, so it wasn't difficult for me to figure out when I was no longer alone.

I first noticed that something was off when I heard someone shuffling some books around on the next shelf. Although it was rare, I can't say that it was unusual for someone to look for a book near my desk. As much as I wanted to believe that it was my private area, it was still in a public library and from time to time I had accepted that my silence would be disturbed. What was unusual about this particular disturbance was that through the gap that the removed book left on the shelf, I noticed a pair of big brown eyes observing me rather than the book. Whenever I would attempt to make eye contact with the stranger, they would look down, put the book back and repeat the process with a different book on the same shelf. Eventually, I was beyond the point of caring and I stared at the man until realization hit me.

"Jon."

No response.

"Jon, look at me." His eyes flickered up briefly but they quickly went back down.

"We might not have formally met, but Patrick has pictures of the two of you at his apartment. You're the captain of the Hawks, and I therefore highly doubt that you're a student here. So strop trying to spy on me and spit it out. Why are you here?"

I heard a sigh on the other side of the shelf and soon enough Jonathan was pulling up a chair next to my desk. I pretended to be engrossed in my book and I mumbled "talk to me" under my breath.

"I don't have anything to say, really. Pat wants to give you some space but he also wants to make sure that you're safe, so he asked me to check up on you."

"I don't need to be checked up on."

Jon scoffed. "Had you just answered his text, we wouldn't be here right now."

I looked up. "I don't want to talk to him."

Another sign left Jon's lips. "Look, I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I know that Pat's falling in love with you. I've never seen him like this before, you're literally all he ever talks about. It's kind of annoying, really."

I chuckled. "Sorry to be of annoyance."

"It's not a problem at all, every single one of the guys on the team are happy for you two. And, I can tell by how your eyes light up that he makes you happy, too. Go home, Lacey. Pat's worried sick and you're really not being fair to him."

This time, it was my turn to sign. I closed my book and met Jon's gaze for the first time in this whole conversation.

"You're completely right, I'm sorry."

Jon looked at me sympathetically. "Don't apologize to me, there's someone at home waiting to hear your apology. Come on, I'll give you a ride."

** PATRICK'S POV **

I was pacing back and forth in my condo impatiently waiting for my phone to light up on the table, indicating a message from either Jonathan or Lacey. I was about to pick up my phone and call him to see what was taking so long, when I saw the doorknob of my front door twist and open to reveal the both of them standing there.

My first reaction was to let out a sigh of relief. Lacey, my wonderful Lacey, was safe. She didn't appear to be in any more pain than she was in before she left this morning. I was about to run to her and take her in my arms when I had my second reaction: anger. How dare she leave this morning and leave me in the dark? How dare she risk me worrying about her and her possibly being hurt more than she already is?

I was about to open my mouth to let her have it when Jon's voice caught my attention.

"Patrick."

I looked up at him and saw him mouth something along the lines of "go easy on her" to me before I truly took in Lacey's appearance. She was looking as good as ever, but her eyes told a completely different story. Through her eyes, I was able to see all the pain she was really in emotionally, physically and mentally. She looked like she was about to lose it at any given second.

I moved forward and gave Jon a man hug, "thanks."

"See you at practice", and with that Jon closed the door and left me and Lacey alone.

"Patrick, I'm so-"

"No. Lacey, I don't want you to apologize; I want you to accept that you're hurt and that the best thing for you is to stay exactly where you are, here with me."

I wanted nothing more than to give her a hug, but I also knew that I needed to be somewhat stern with her or she would never learn.

Lacey wouldn't look up to meet my gaze so I took my fingers and ever so gently lifted her chin up from the ground, which caused Lacey to break down in tears.

"Lacey, baby. Come here."

I wrapped her in my arms as tightly as I could without applying too much pressure to her ribs. I had started by just holding her, but then my selfish desire to be near her faded and my need to protect her and make her happy again took over. Carefully, I started rubbing her back and pressed countless kisses to the top of her head.

"Lacey, Lacey, Lacey. What are we going to do with you?"

I guess that wasn't the right thing to say because it brought on a new round of tears.

"Hey, hey, hey. None of that. Okay?" I moved my hand from her back and I gripped her hip with it and wiped her frantic tears away with the other. "You're okay, I'm here, and everything's fine. You have nothing to worry about."

She had been silent besides her attempt of an apology until now, "you deserve better."

I couldn't believe her words. I deserve better? No, absolutely not. Lacey might have some problems, but she is everything I could ever want and more.

"No, baby. [i] You [/i] deserve better. You're so beautiful, so smart, and so passionate about the things you love. You're so much more than I deserve, and I'm so lucky that I'm able to call you mine."
She pulled her face out of the crook of my neck and roughly grabbed my face, kissing my lips over and over again with force.

"Please don't leave me, Patrick."

I intertwined our fingers and brought her hand to my mouth and pressed light kisses to her knuckles.

"Never."

Notes

So when I said that I would update in a week, I wasn't lying. This chapter has been written for that long, but there was a death in my family. When you mix that with working 45 hours a week while being a full time college student, you get a very tired writer who doesn't have the energy or the time to do anything besides sleep.
That being said, I submitted my final assignment of the semester today and being liberated from all schoolwork has motivated me to finally type this up and put it up here.
I'm so, so sorry that I wasn't able to keep my one week promise, but sometimes life happens, I guess.

Thank you to everyone who is sticking with this-- I sincerely hope that you guys still like it and that you're still willing to read it.
Comment, subscribe, recommend. Anything.
-Sarah