Late that night, Andy came home yet again to a dark, empty house. Without bothering to turn the lights on, she went straight to the answering machine in the hall. No messages from anyone, least of all the police. Andy knew what that meant. They hadn't found anything, they hadn't found her girls.
Deflated, she looked around. Suddenly she was aware of just how big and how quiet the house was, and she knew at once that she didn't want to be there. She turned around and marched right back to the front door, which she'd left partially adjar by accident. She went out, making sure to close it this time, and got into her car, hoping that Lu's previous invitation was still open.
-x-
Around the same time, Lu got back to her apartment. Her door, too, was partially adjar, but Lu knew that she'd locked it when she left that morning. Thinking maybe that her son had come home from his father's house a day early, she went in and called his name.
"Marc? Are you there? I'm home, honey. Oh, there you-"
She gasped, never finishing her sentence. The man on her couch was not her son. It was Mickey, and he looked awful.
She sat down next to him, her large brown eyes filling with concern. "Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?"
"I can't do this, Lu," he sobbed.
Lu held her breath for a second, trying to ignore the strong alcohol smell on his breath. "Can't do what?" she asked calmly, making sure maintain a reassuring eye contact.
"I love you, Lu, but I'm not ready for this," he continued, not seeming to have noticed her question. "You can't do this to me, to us. I won't let this destroy us, Lu, which is why I'm telling you one last time: Take care of it."
Lu gaped at him in horror, finally understanding. She'd been so startled by finding him drunk in her living room when she got home that she'd completely forgotten about their conversation the previous night, and what he'd said to her then. She stood up, not wanting to be near him any longer, and with a sharp intake of breath, drew herself up to her full height, which admittedly wasn't much compared to the lanky man on the couch. Still, she felt it might help in talking him down from his drunken stupor.
"Mickey," she started in what she hoped was a soothing tone, "I'm not going to do that. I know this isn't the best time, but I wasn't exactly prepared for Marc either, and you've said yourself that he's a great kid, so see, we'll be okay-"
"No," he interrupted. He got up quickly, easily towering over her. "You should have listened to me," he warned. "I won't lose you because of this. I have to... I have to do what you can't. It's for both our good, you'll see."
He raised his hand to hit her, but the alcohol had seriously hindered his speed, and she was able to easily duck out of the way. She took a step back, putting her arms up instinctively as he came toward her...
-x-
Due to unusually light traffic that night, Andy arrived at Lu's apartment building just a few minutes after she'd left her own house. Checking the paper with Lu's address on it to be certain she had the right apartment number, she proceeded upstairs.
When she got to Lu's floor, Andy had to check the paper again, comparing it with the number on the door she stood in front of. "This can't be right," she said to herself, checking it again. But it was right. She was standing outside Lu's apartment, and from what she could hear, there was definately some kind of struggle going on inside.
Andy heard a scream, unmistakably Lu's, and burst through the door. What she found shocked her. Lu was on the floor, backed into a corner, shaking, and Mickey was standing over her, ready to strike. Mickey showed no signs of noticing Andy's presence, but Lu caught the other woman's eye, and, without turning her head, looked quickly over at the dining room chairs, then back at her rescuer.
Andy stepped quietly over to the table, picked up the nearest chair, and advanced on Mickey with it. It wasn't until she was within striking range that he heard her approaching and spun around.
Lu, who had been resisting the urge to scream ever since Andy came through the door, couldn't help yelling out her partner's name as her boyfriend turned on her. But Mickey was slowed by the effects of the alcohol, and Andy had the advantage of military training and perfectly honed reflexes. She raised the chair, making contact with the side of his face, and he went down, unconscious, in front of them.
Andy stepped over him, and pulled Lu to her feet. The latter woman was shaking even worse than ever. "My God," she whispered. "Is he... He ain't...?"
"He's not seriously injured," Andy assured her. "He'll be fine. I'm more concerned about you."
"I'm okay," Lu insisted, but her voice was quavering, and her knees were so weak that she had to grip Andy for support in order to keep from falling down.
Andy half led, half carried her over to the couch. "Luisa, you're not okay, he could have killed you. What happened here?"
Lu told her everything, from the moment she found Mickey in the apartment until just before Andy walked in. By the end, she was crying, though she tried unsuccessfully to hide it from her friend. Andy got up to make tea, giving Lu time to regroup. While she was in the kitchen, Andy called the police. Lu watched her quietly, keeping her back turned to Mickey, who was still out cold.
"This is so crazy," Lu said as Andy sat back down. "I mean, I don't even know for sure I'm pregnant yet and he comes in here trying to give me an abortion the hard way. And this... It's just not like him. When we were in school together, he was the sweetest guy in the place. He was never violent, ever."
"That's what I thought about Les," Andy reminded her. "There's a first time for everything, Lu, and it only takes once to know someone's capable of it. And don't you dare blame yourself, okay, he's the one with the problem."
Lu looked up, studying her friend. "How did you know I was starting to blame myself?"
Andy gave Lu a sad smile. "I did it, too. When Les hit me, I tried to convince myself that I had provoked hiim, that it wasn't his fault, but it was."
Lu hugged her. "Thanks for being here, Andy. God, if you hadn't showed up..."
Andy shushed her. "Don't think about that, Lu. The important thing is that you're okay."
Lu nodded slowly. She felt shaken, scared, and far from 'okay', but she wouldn't let her partner see that. However, in her current state it was easy for Andy to read her mind.
"Hey, do want me to stay with you tonight?" she offered.
Lu started to shake her head, but her eyes fell on Mickey, and she nodded, fighting back tears. "Yeah, if it's not too much trouble. I... um, I don't want to be alone right now."
"You won't be," Andy promised. She gave Lu's hand a squeeze, and the two women waited in silence for the police to come.
Deflated, she looked around. Suddenly she was aware of just how big and how quiet the house was, and she knew at once that she didn't want to be there. She turned around and marched right back to the front door, which she'd left partially adjar by accident. She went out, making sure to close it this time, and got into her car, hoping that Lu's previous invitation was still open.
-x-
Around the same time, Lu got back to her apartment. Her door, too, was partially adjar, but Lu knew that she'd locked it when she left that morning. Thinking maybe that her son had come home from his father's house a day early, she went in and called his name.
"Marc? Are you there? I'm home, honey. Oh, there you-"
She gasped, never finishing her sentence. The man on her couch was not her son. It was Mickey, and he looked awful.
She sat down next to him, her large brown eyes filling with concern. "Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?"
"I can't do this, Lu," he sobbed.
Lu held her breath for a second, trying to ignore the strong alcohol smell on his breath. "Can't do what?" she asked calmly, making sure maintain a reassuring eye contact.
"I love you, Lu, but I'm not ready for this," he continued, not seeming to have noticed her question. "You can't do this to me, to us. I won't let this destroy us, Lu, which is why I'm telling you one last time: Take care of it."
Lu gaped at him in horror, finally understanding. She'd been so startled by finding him drunk in her living room when she got home that she'd completely forgotten about their conversation the previous night, and what he'd said to her then. She stood up, not wanting to be near him any longer, and with a sharp intake of breath, drew herself up to her full height, which admittedly wasn't much compared to the lanky man on the couch. Still, she felt it might help in talking him down from his drunken stupor.
"Mickey," she started in what she hoped was a soothing tone, "I'm not going to do that. I know this isn't the best time, but I wasn't exactly prepared for Marc either, and you've said yourself that he's a great kid, so see, we'll be okay-"
"No," he interrupted. He got up quickly, easily towering over her. "You should have listened to me," he warned. "I won't lose you because of this. I have to... I have to do what you can't. It's for both our good, you'll see."
He raised his hand to hit her, but the alcohol had seriously hindered his speed, and she was able to easily duck out of the way. She took a step back, putting her arms up instinctively as he came toward her...
-x-
Due to unusually light traffic that night, Andy arrived at Lu's apartment building just a few minutes after she'd left her own house. Checking the paper with Lu's address on it to be certain she had the right apartment number, she proceeded upstairs.
When she got to Lu's floor, Andy had to check the paper again, comparing it with the number on the door she stood in front of. "This can't be right," she said to herself, checking it again. But it was right. She was standing outside Lu's apartment, and from what she could hear, there was definately some kind of struggle going on inside.
Andy heard a scream, unmistakably Lu's, and burst through the door. What she found shocked her. Lu was on the floor, backed into a corner, shaking, and Mickey was standing over her, ready to strike. Mickey showed no signs of noticing Andy's presence, but Lu caught the other woman's eye, and, without turning her head, looked quickly over at the dining room chairs, then back at her rescuer.
Andy stepped quietly over to the table, picked up the nearest chair, and advanced on Mickey with it. It wasn't until she was within striking range that he heard her approaching and spun around.
Lu, who had been resisting the urge to scream ever since Andy came through the door, couldn't help yelling out her partner's name as her boyfriend turned on her. But Mickey was slowed by the effects of the alcohol, and Andy had the advantage of military training and perfectly honed reflexes. She raised the chair, making contact with the side of his face, and he went down, unconscious, in front of them.
Andy stepped over him, and pulled Lu to her feet. The latter woman was shaking even worse than ever. "My God," she whispered. "Is he... He ain't...?"
"He's not seriously injured," Andy assured her. "He'll be fine. I'm more concerned about you."
"I'm okay," Lu insisted, but her voice was quavering, and her knees were so weak that she had to grip Andy for support in order to keep from falling down.
Andy half led, half carried her over to the couch. "Luisa, you're not okay, he could have killed you. What happened here?"
Lu told her everything, from the moment she found Mickey in the apartment until just before Andy walked in. By the end, she was crying, though she tried unsuccessfully to hide it from her friend. Andy got up to make tea, giving Lu time to regroup. While she was in the kitchen, Andy called the police. Lu watched her quietly, keeping her back turned to Mickey, who was still out cold.
"This is so crazy," Lu said as Andy sat back down. "I mean, I don't even know for sure I'm pregnant yet and he comes in here trying to give me an abortion the hard way. And this... It's just not like him. When we were in school together, he was the sweetest guy in the place. He was never violent, ever."
"That's what I thought about Les," Andy reminded her. "There's a first time for everything, Lu, and it only takes once to know someone's capable of it. And don't you dare blame yourself, okay, he's the one with the problem."
Lu looked up, studying her friend. "How did you know I was starting to blame myself?"
Andy gave Lu a sad smile. "I did it, too. When Les hit me, I tried to convince myself that I had provoked hiim, that it wasn't his fault, but it was."
Lu hugged her. "Thanks for being here, Andy. God, if you hadn't showed up..."
Andy shushed her. "Don't think about that, Lu. The important thing is that you're okay."
Lu nodded slowly. She felt shaken, scared, and far from 'okay', but she wouldn't let her partner see that. However, in her current state it was easy for Andy to read her mind.
"Hey, do want me to stay with you tonight?" she offered.
Lu started to shake her head, but her eyes fell on Mickey, and she nodded, fighting back tears. "Yeah, if it's not too much trouble. I... um, I don't want to be alone right now."
"You won't be," Andy promised. She gave Lu's hand a squeeze, and the two women waited in silence for the police to come.