The apartment was quiet. And very suddenly. So suddenly that for a moment, Alec wonders if he'd imagined this whole thing. But no.... no, his sides hurt... his arm hurt... his face hurt. And each tender spot was from Ryan's fist. But it wasn't even the physical pain that tormented Alec now.
Going to the door and closing it, he slowly locks it again. Trudging to the window, he looks out to see Ryan buried in Eli's embrace. Brother and sister. Both hurting. Both angry. Both giving the other the shelter they needed.
Alec glances over his shoulder. His living room was empty. His life was empty. His heart was empty. The sight of Ryan's tears haunted his thoughts. Her yelling at him. Her angry strikes. What had he done? Had he truly thought that beating up Tal would win her over? That she would accept him for doing that? Had he really believed that violence would bring her back? That even if she did break up with Tal, that she would even want anything to do with him? How? How could he have ever thought that? She hated him - to the core. She wanted to hurt him, not love him. She wasn't scared of him - she was angry with him. She wasn't intimidated - she was courageous out of righteous anger. How could he have ever believed that going after Tal would solve anything?
Sinking down on the floor once again, the weight on his back seems to have grown ten fold. His eyes find the now-crumpled paper on the floor and it makes his stomach turn. He hadn't done the beating this time. He hadn't wanted it to be this bad. But he'd done it the first time - he'd hurt Tal enough for him to remember it. And he'd hired Cutter. Whether he'd intended it to just be a minor assault or not... it wasn't Cutter's fault. It was his own. And the entire thing had backfired.
All of a sudden, Alec felt as if he were waking up from a terrible dream. Since returning, he'd been so full of anger and vengeance that he had completely blinded himself to the truth - the truth that Ryan didn't love him anymore. And he'd been so very upset and jealous that he had been willing to do anything to get her back - even harm someone she loved. It had made perfect sense before. And now it seemed the most ridiculous notion he'd ever had.
But that realization had come too late.
Once outside, Eli hugs Ryan close. They weren't usually physically affectionate towards each other, so it was rather rare, but Eli didn't even hesitate. When his sister hurt, he hurt - it was just the way it was.
"I know," he answers softly. He'd blown up at Alec too and lost control. He knew exactly how she'd felt. Pulling away, he looks his sister in the eye, brushing back some hair from her face. "I'll follow you to the hospital, alright? We're just going to let this go for now and concentrate on Tal recovering, okay?"
Giving her a last squeeze, he nods his reassurance. They didn't have much of a choice right now, and so there was no point in trying to go after Alec again yet.
...At the hospital, Tal still lay in sleep, closely monitored, though visitors were allowed.
Carson lets his eyes fall shut and he murmurs his approval of Misty's hand running through his hair. He could stay like this forever.
"Dizzy spell huh? Sounds like you're too stressed at work."
Hearing about supper, he opens his eyes and gives her a little nod. "Yeah... yeah, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything all day." He usually at least had a bite for lunch in the kitchen, but today he'd had a sour stomach. "Meatloaf sounds really good."
"Trey?" Reese knocks on Trey's door and waits
until he has permission to enter. Coming in a couple feet, he pauses and
nods to Trey. "Good morning."
It
was the next day at TJY, and things had been quiet, thus far. For that,
Reese was grateful. Yesterday had been a nightmare. "I just wanted to
come talk to you for a minute." His tone wasn't business-like as usual,
nor was he upset with anything Trey had done. On the contrary, he held a
somewhat soft air about him this morning. Something he usually didn't
let Trey see.
"Actually,
I wanted to apologize." Folding his arms and remaining standing, he
purses his lips. "I, um...well, I don't think I have been very fair to
you since you've arrived. I could blame the system, but... it's probably
my own fault."
He
clears his throats, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "When you
came here, I honestly didn't know for how long it would be and... I was
worried about putting anybody else around here in danger. I realize the
situation in Mexico was not good and I did want to help keep you from
harm. But... someone reminded me yesterday that I probably could have
done more than keep you here like one of our prisoners." He needn't say
who that someone was.
If
Trey's attitude had remained the same as when he'd arrived, Reese
wouldn't be saying these things now. But there was no need in pointing
that out. He didn't need to rub it in that Trey had given everyone a bad
impression to start out. Now though, Reese did acknowledge a change in
the young man. It was obvious that the chip on Trey's shoulder had
shrunk.
"That
said... I've made some calls, and it seems the level of danger has
reduced in Mexico. It's still not good - but it's not as bad as it was. I
don't know if you were planning on returning or not, but if you want
to, we'll make it happen. If you don't..."
Reese
nods slowly. "Then the Elite will help you find a place of your own
around here and assist you for a reasonable amount of time until you can
support yourself. It hasn't been fair to you, making you live here. You
deserve your own place."