pacing
“Shay? Gabby called as she entered the house back from a grocery run. When she turned her head to the living room, she saw Shay pacing back and forth. "What's wrong?"
After getting no response she looked around and noticed the place was a mess.
“Shay?” Gabby questioned seeing this. When she was quiet she finally heard the rapid gasps for air from her. “Shay. Shay baby you’re scaring me. You need to breathe.”
But she couldn’t, her brain felt fuzzy and her ears were buzzing. Too many things had happened and she couldn’t control them anymore. She then stumbled on the leg of the chair and hit the ground face first, causing a bloody nose. By now she was downright hysterical and she couldn’t breathe.
“Okay.” Gabby sat behind Shay and pulled her into her, not caring about the blood. “Listen to my heartbeat and match my breathing.”
Shay struggled momentarily but then grabbed onto Gabby's shirt to try to ground her. “One....two....three...four....”
She repeated this process until Shay was breathing normally again. “Okay. Good girl. I’m not going to ask you to do anything. I’m going to get up and grab a washcloth to clean the blood from your face. Is that okay?”
Shay nodded looking away. Within moments, her girlfriend had returned. “Close your eyes.”
“No!” Shay managed. She was terrified of closing her eyes and seeing everything. “Okay, how about one at a time, just so I can clean you up?” Gabby asked gently. Shay nodded reluctantly and Gabby began the process.
Soon it was over and she was blood-free. “I heard a noise, so I looked outside. I...I um saw a telephone pole come crashing down. It didn’t hit anyone but it made a loud crunching sound as it hit a parked car. Just like the sound when I fell through the factory....”
“Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry. Come here.”
Shay obliged and crawled into Gabby's lap letting her girlfriend comfort her. “I got you. I’m not letting anything happen to you. What do you say to a hot bath and a movie night?”
“Can I pick the movie?”
“Always. Come on, I’ll get the bath started.”
“Will you stay with me? I don’t want to be alone…”
“Hey. There's no place I'd rather be than holding you in my arms. Nowhere. Got that?”
“Yeah. I got that.” And for the first time that night, a smile reached Shay's eyes.