“If I could take all of your pain, I’d hide it all away. I can say one thing’s for sure, you know I hate it when you hurt. And you’re worth every minute I wait…”


“Marie! Fuck, fuck, fuck! God, please… Marie!”

Her eyes blinked open slowly, choking as Marco poured water down her throat. When Marie got hold of her surroundings, she realized she was sitting in the shower with Marco behind her. The cold water sprayed down on the both of them and Marie swore she could feel him shaking. After coughing up the water, Marco turned off the shower and turned her around to face him. She didn’t quite know what she looked like, or even how long she’d been passed out, but the look of sheer terror on Marco’s face indicated it had been for more than a few hours.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her as close to his body as he possibly could. Marie made a mental note that he didn’t feel feverish anymore and his eyes, which had once looked dull and tired, had a new shine to them.

“You have to get out of here,” Her throat felt tighter and sorer than she remembered. “He’ll come back,”

“Who? Who did this to you?”

She looked towards the place where she’d been shackled and saw the plastic handcuffs broken into tiny pieces. Apparently he hadn’t tried to salvage them in getting her free.

“I don’t hear from you for thirty-six hours while some creep ties you up and now you’re telling me I have to leave? I’m not going anywhere,”

Marie glanced out of the bathroom, seeing that outside the window, the moon was the only thing in the sky. Thirty-six hours. “You’re sick, you don’t know what you’re saying. Marco, he’s gonna come back and if he finds you here, it’s going to be bad.”

“No, my fever broke yesterday. And then I didn’t hear from you so I started to get nervous.” Marco helped Marie up to her feet and carried her out of bathroom.

Passing by the mirror, Marie was able to see herself for the first time in thirty-six hours, only she barely recognized herself. Her face, where her father had struck her, had turned a gnarly shade of bluish purple and extended from her temple to just below her eye. She couldn’t see it, but she could feel the bump on the back of her head protruding from where her actual skull was. And her wrist, which had been handcuffed and had the plastic rubbing it raw, was bright red and looked like she had taken a butter knife to her skin.

“Who did this to you, Marie?” Marco urged as he sifted through her pantry. He settled on a box of cereal and carried it to Marie, where he had placed her on the couch. “Did you know him?”

“Marco please, you have to leave.”

“No, I’m gonna knock this guy into the next millennium. He’s going to see God when I’m done with him.”

The more and more he got worked up, the harder it was for Marie to just sit back and let him blow off steam. He spoke about how he’d pummel the man that did this to her, but once he found out it had been her father, she doubted he’d be so serious about that plan. He probably wouldn’t act so tough at the thought of having to beat her own flesh and blood.

She began piling fistfuls of cereal into her mouth, realizing for the first time she was actually starving. And then, above the noise of the crunching cereal, Marie heard the one noise that could’ve sent her back into a state of unconsciousness. The deadbolt on her door was unlatching, and she paused with her hand still submerged in the cardboard box. In a moment her dad would enter, having come finish what he had started.

And in each passing second, Marie felt herself scooting further and further back into the couch, wishing she’d just disappear into it. She closed the cereal box and tossed it onto the coffee table in front of her, before yanking a pillow into her lap.

Marco glanced back at her, confused as to why she was suddenly reacting this way to the opening of her door. When he turned back to see Bill walking through the door, he knew that she had been expecting him. And in expecting him, Marco knew Bill had been the one who’d abused her.

“Mr. Scandella, I was not expecting you here. I came to check up on my daughter,” Bill shut and locked the door behind him.

Marco turned to face Bill squarely, using his size to mostly block Marie from his view. It was hard to believe that her own parent could do such a horrible thing to her. “Trust me Dr. Thatcher, out of everyone I expected to come through the door, I never could’ve imagined it’d be you.”

“Well it’s me,” he wrung his hands together, shifting slightly to get a glimpse of Marie. “If you’d excuse us for a moment, I’d like to talk to Marie,” he took another step forward.

Marie pressed her mouth into the pillow and whined quietly. Marco turned to look at her, and after seeing her bruised face, he grew angry all over again. “No Dr. Thatcher. Anything you need to say to her, you can say in front of me.”

“You see we might be talking about some personal things… her school, her life, her body… things of that nature. That might be a bit too personal for your futile relationship.”

“Actually sir, I can assure you I’ve come to know most, if not all, of Marie’s body pretty well.” He grinned smugly, reveling at the sight of Bill’s disturbed glare. “From the birthmark on her left hip to the scar on the small of her back… I even know about her insides as well,” Marco could barely hide his excited chuckles at his innuendo. “Two kidneys, a liver, a stomach… a heart and two lungs. She’s even got her tonsils. You see Dr. Thatcher, when it comes to your daughter I’ve got her pretty much mapped out. And now I’ll have more scars to memorize; you made sure of that.”

“I don’t know what you’re…”

“You ambushed her; waited for her to get home, thought about what you’d say and what you’d do. So when she did, you roughed her up some… beat her until she wouldn’t and couldn’t fight back. And then you chained her in a bathroom. I’m trying to figure out what sort of father does that to his daughter.”

“I’d be careful with your words, Mr. Scandella. Because here’s the thing; this is all mine. This apartment, Marie’s car, her education… it’s all mine. And I came here today with a final word of advice for my daughter.” Bill paused and stared at Marie, “break up with him or I will make sure you have nothing. If you continue to see this boy, I will take your car, your apartment, and your tuition. Don’t test me, Marie. I will not hesitate to put you out on the street if you choose this boy over your own blood.”

“Look what you’ve done to her,” Marco growled, stepping forward. He got right up in Bill’s face and stared down at him. “Get outta here,” his fists balled at his side.

Bill returned the smug glance Marco had had previously, and turned on his heels to walk out of the apartment coolly. Marie gasped and threw the pillow she’d been clutching besides her, choking on her breath. She believed what her father had said and didn’t doubt that given the chance, he’d take everything she had.

Her sobs got heavier by the time Marco sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He tried to comfort her but it was pointless because the more Marie thought about the situation, the more she felt there was little she could do to remedy it. Her father would never accept the relationship and as long as she still depended on him financially, his acceptance was necessary.

Marie’s cell phone began to vibrate on the kitchen table, and Marco jumped back up, looking down at the caller ID. He looked at his girlfriend who lay in shambles on the couch, and decided he’d take the call outside.

“Hi,” he murmured once the front door was shut again.

“I was not expecting you,” Carol responded somewhat flustered. “Can I speak to Marie, please?”

“Did you speak to Bill about mine and Marie’s relationship?” He was speaking more candidly than he ever had with her.

“I mentioned it to him very briefly. Like I told Marie, I’ll support your relationship but I don’t necessarily like it.”

“He beat her. And Ms. Rosen, I’ve seen the scars on Marie’s body so I know it’s not the first time he’s done it. He’s just threatened to take everything she had if we don’t end things, so now I need something from you…”

“Is she okay? I need to speak to her,”

“I need you to buy Marie’s car from Bill that way she can keep it. Don’t worry about anything else; she can live with me and I can pay her tuition for school. I just don’t want her to have to owe him anything,”

“How is she?!” Carol protested.

“She’s got a few bumps and bruises, but she’s alive. Can you do your daughter that favor please?” Marco paused but when Carol didn’t answer, he knew it was because she was mulling over everything she’d just been told. “I’ll let Marie know you called,”

---

Marco was back in action just as he wanted to be. But he also never thought he’d be dealing with Marie’s intense emotional trauma. And although she still looked like a battered person, she was showing signs of recovery. Her wrist had returned to its normal color, now only having a few small cuts along the sensitive skin. The knot on the back of her head had gone down as well, leaving her skull in the shape she remembered. And her eye, which had been blue and purple, was now a less attractive yellow-blue. She had also spent the last few days at Marco’s condo, per his request. Neither of them knew if Bill was still in Minnesota, and sensing he had vengeance on his mind, Marco felt more at ease with Marie staying with him. And she had to admit it put her at ease too.

Marie spent most of the days within the confines of Marco’s condo, doing schoolwork or cooking to take her mind off of everything. And like today, where Marco spent much of the day at the rink, she felt exceptionally lonely. On game days he was too busy and too focused to make sure she was feeling as well as she possibly could. Tonight was particularly tough because immediately after the game, Marco and the team would be starting a three game road trip. Given the circumstances, Marco had asked the coaching staff if Marie could fly with them throughout the trip, and they agreed as long as Marco promised she wouldn’t be a distraction to him or his game.

By eight that night, a car had come by to take her to the airport. This would be the only flight she’d have to take alone for this trip. Because of security and having to check into her own room, she had to get to Philadelphia before the team did. None of that unnerved her. She knew her dad wouldn’t be on her flight to Philly, and she definitely knew he wouldn’t follow her to three different cities in the continental US. Once in the air, Marie felt a certain level of safety that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Even touching down in Pennsylvania, a state she’d never really seen, there was an overwhelming sense of easiness. She just wanted to be okay again. It was time to let go of everything that was holding her back; to wash the weight from her shoulders and start over.

It was almost one in the morning by the time she hauled her gear into the lobby of the hotel. Marie knew the team would already be in the air so she wouldn’t have to wait too long. The hotel staff was pleasant, and they checked her in without any issue, allowing her the chance to get up to her room as quickly as possible. She slid the card key into the door, and when the little green light flashed she pushed it open. Marco had really been too kind to her. He had paid the expense of the flight on top of the three hotel rooms she’d have throughout the road trip. But unlike the gifts from her father, which had been laced with expectations, Marie felt Marco was just doing this out of the kindness of his heart.

She unzipped her suitcase and pulled it open, carefully digging through the rolled clothes to find exactly what she was looking for. Thankfully this weather permitted her preferred choice of pajamas. Marco’s sweatshirt hung loosely over her body, and she shrugged her shoulders to bury her nose beneath the collar. It smelled like him, and not in the way that it was doused with his cologne, but just his own personal scent.

What Marie really wanted to do was call Jess and tell her everything that had happened since they last spoke. In the past, Marie would confess everything just to get it off her chest. Sometimes she wished she still had her best friend around so she could do that, but instead Marco was taking that place. And he was learning more than Jess ever had.

With silence pounding in her ears, Marie searched her phone for some soft music that could take its place. In recent years, she’d taken to buying compositions from various films that could lull her into a quiet and deep sleep. Many a night, she found herself falling asleep to the light and whimsical theme from Forrest Gump. It wasn’t until she had nearly gone through the entire playlist, that there was a soft knock at her hotel room door.

She crawled out of bed and unlatched the metal chain before tugging the door open to find Marco leaning against the doorframe in his navy suit and his duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

“Hi beautiful,” he smiled and stood up straighter as she lunged towards him. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head, gently shuffling his way back into the hotel room. When Marie retreated back to bed, Marco loosened his tie and slipped it over his head. “How was your flight?”

“Fine. There was a little turbulence over Michigan,” she watched him get undressed, smiling to herself as he crossed over into the bathroom in only his briefs.

“Yeah we hit that too,”

Marie figured the conversation could wait as Marco began brushing his teeth. She reached over for her phone and turned off the music. With Marco beside her, she wouldn’t need the music to lull her to sleep; having him there would be enough.

He finally sauntered to bed and lay down next to her, tucking his arm over her waist and pulled her body into his. The closeness was something she’d never get over. Marco moved his fingertips beneath the fabric of his sweatshirt and ran them over Marie’s skin, teasing his way down to her hips and then back up. She groaned playfully and turned onto her back to look up at him.

“Do you feel like we’ve actually been together for five months instead of two? Like do you count summer?” Her question came out of left field and Marco looked at her like she was partially insane.

“I don’t know. It definitely feels like it’s been longer than two months. Do you want us to count summer just so our relationship seems more awesome?” He said it mostly as a joke, but when Marie nodded her head eagerly mixed with a small giggle, Marco lowered his head and kissed her lips softly. “Alright then. We’re officially adding three months to our overall relationship period.”

“We can do that, right?” Marie laughed and turned into his chest.

“We can do whatever we want. We’ll celebrate our five months tomorrow,” Marco leaned in closer to her and carefully kissed her bruised temple. He could feel her tense up, afraid that it might hurt. But when she felt him being as gentle as he possibly could, she relaxed and melted closer to him.

Notes

"This Is Me Being Honest" by E For Explosion.