Saviour (Saviour #1)(14)
“Here we go with the dramatics. Turn the light off while you’re down there, there’s a good girl” He actually laughs as he turns over and away from me, closing his eyes.
I get up onto my knees and attempt to stand. I am aware of the sound of blood dripping onto the carpet. My nose is bleeding but there is blood dripping down my back too. I put my hand into my hair it’s soaked; I am momentarily horrified by the amount of the dark red blood coming from my head and just stand and stare... Think, think, think.... I want to curl up in a ball and hide....I swipe the back of my arm across my nose and attempt to calm my breathing and steady my legs. Adrenalin is coursing through me and I am shaking badly. The pain in my shoulder is excruciating to the point that I think I'm going to vomit. I try to hold onto it, I don't want to make any kind of noise that might wake Jason up but he is now snoring so I rush into the toilet and empty the contents of my stomach. Calm, calm, calm is all that I'm thinking. I need to stay calm and get myself out of here before he wakes. I walk into my wardrobe and pull on my UGGS and I grab a hoody but I almost cry out loud when I try to pull it over my vest and shorts. I check that I can still hear Jason snoring and instead grab a long cardigan and just put one arm in. I know I have enough time to grab my bag and throw in my purse, phone and glasses, I grab my charger too, another of life's essentials and not planning on returning here, ever again, I creep out of the bedroom, out of the front door and out of my marriage.
I run down the street and onto a back road. I want to avoid the main roads incase Jason wakes up and realises I’m missing. I pull out my phone and press Jo in my contacts. I choose her because she lives alone so it’s only her I will be disturbing and not an entire household as I would if I called Jem or Lu.
I carry on walking as I wait for an answer but the call rings out and goes to message bank. I know I need to calm myself but I’m terrified he will drive along and find me. I call twice more before Jo answers
“Lauren, what's wrong?”
“Jo” I sob “Jo can you come and get me please, I've had a fight with Jay”
“Where are you?”
“I have no idea...I got out of the house and ran when he went to sleep, I can’t see the name of the street” I’m crying and trying to catch my breath... I do know the name of this street but my brain won't function properly. A car drives by and I'm frozen with fear, it drives straight on and I actually whimper with relief. I can hear Jo calling my name down the phone.
“Lauren, listen to me, please calm down and listen to me, go to the little row of shops where the bakers are and wait there, I'm already in the car and on my way. I'll be as quick as I can, calm yourself down and just wait for me”
“Jo, just make sure Jays not driving by looking for me, when you get here” I sob
“Yeah ok, stop panicking.... Don't let him get you into his car if he does come along, just hang up and call the police if you need to, love you, the phone will cut out when the blue tooth kicks in but I’m still here okay, it will just drop out for a few seconds” It takes about 30 seconds before I hear her again.
“Right I’m back, how far from the shops are you?”
“About five minutes”
“Okay, hurry up, don’t talk, just get your arse there, I am about 6 minutes away”
It takes me about three more minutes to get to the shops and I stand back in a door way, out of sight of any one driving by. I tell Jo I’m here and she reassures me she won’t be long. As I wait I start to shake uncontrollably and my legs start to give way. I crouch down and try to breathe deeply but start to sob, I vomit again and don’t hear Jo pull up and jump with fear when I hear my name called, and without meaning to, I cry in complete panic. She moves towards me, using her phone as a torch. I know that I’m on the verge of hysteria but I just can’t calm myself. I'm so pleased to see her I can barely breathe between sobs and I launch myself at her.
“Jo, Jo he kicked me out of bed, I'm bleeding, I didn't know what to do so I just ran and I don't know if he's looking for me”
“Okay, shush shush, let's get you in the car, I don't want to hang about out here, in case he does come looking for you... Can you stand up babe?”
I stand up on shaky legs and start to walk to the car. Jo helps me in. She runs around to the driver’s side and jumps in locking the doors behind her.
“Right, let's get out of here, and then we can get you cleaned up, alright?”
She drives quickly to her house, helping me out when we get there. As we walk into the bright lights of the kitchen, I hear her gasp.
“What the f*ck has he done to you Lauren?”
She shakes her head and tells me to sit down at the kitchen table. The first thing she does is pour us both a drink. I think it's brandy or whiskey, I'm not sure but it’s horrible and burns my throat on the way down, I drink it anyway, anything to help numb how I'm feeling right now .
“Right, let's see what damage that f*ckers done under all this blood, what's wrong with your arm?”
“I think I've dislocated my shoulder”
The adrenalin is slowing and the pain is really kicking in now. Jo looks at my shoulder
“Oh God Lauren” Is all she says and I suddenly feel like I’m going to pass out.
“Shit I think we need to get you to hospital Hun that gash in your head is pretty big and it's still bleeding and I have no idea how to put that shoulder right”