Never-Finished Fic: Nicole

[rsadelle]

"Who gave you the shiner?"

Nicole jumped. "What are you talking about?"

The woman next to her carefully reapplied her lipstick before answering. "I've seen a few women try to cover up black eyes in my time." She turned to face Nicole, eyeing her carefully. "Let me guess, you walked into a door."

Nicole lightly touched the edge of her hidden bruise. "Something like that," she answered.

"If he hits you, you should leave him. He's supposed to love you, not hurt you."

"He does love me," Nicole said. "That's why--" She snapped her mouth shut.

The woman rolled her eyes. "That's why he hits you. Yeah, I know. I've heard it all before. Don't think it'll stop with you. He'll hit the kids one day."

Nicole blanched. "He wouldn't do that. He loves them."

"And he loves you too, right?" She shook her head. "Don't be stupid. Leave him." The woman dug through her bag and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. She scribbled something down and handed the paper to Nicole. "Cell, home, and address," she said, pointing to each thing in turn. "If you ever leave him and want help." She snapped her bag shut and sailed out of the bathroom.

Nicole glanced down at the paper. "Salma" was scrawled across the top. So that was Salma Hayek. She stuffed the paper into her bag and dusted a little more powder over her eye. It would have to do.

***

She waited until Tom was asleep, then dragged herself out of bed. She ached all over. She slipped into the bathroom and carefully shut and locked the door behind herself. She turned on the shower as hot as she could stand it and stepped in under the water. She watched the water wash the blood from her thighs. She was too numb to even cry.

She got out of the shower and rubbed herself dry. She went back through the bedroom to the walk-in closet and shut the door before she opened drawers as silently as she could. She pulled on some clothes and shoved others into a small bag. She yanked a hairbrush through her hair, then dropped that into the bag too.

She checked to make sure Tom was still asleep, then she crept out of the room. She went to Connor's room first and threw some of his clothes into a backpack. She picked him up and took him with her into Isabella's room. She set him down on the other bed and put some of Isabella's clothes into a second backpack.

She leaned down and shook Isabella's shoulder. "Isabella. Wake up."

Isabella looked sleepily up at her. "Mommy?"

"Come on, sweetie. We have to go."

"What?"

"There's no time to explain. Come on, get up." Nicole handed the backpacks to Isabella. "Carry those and be quiet."

Isabella hefted the backpacks onto her shoulders while Nicole picked up Connor again. They crept down the stairs. Nicole grabbed her purse off the hall table before they slipped out the door. Nicole reset the alarm and led Isabella to the car.

"Mommy?" Isabella asked once they were safely out of the driveway. "Are we leaving because Daddy hurt you?"

Nicole nodded. "Yes, sweetie."

"Good." Isabella was silent for a while, watching the streetlights go by. "Mommy?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Where are we going?"

Nicole's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I don't know." She remembered the woman who'd given her a piece of paper and some advice. She opened her purse and dug through it. "Come on," she muttered. "It has to be here." It was crumpled up in the bottom of her purse, under a pack of gum. She smoothed it out on the steering wheel. "Well. Time to throw ourselves on the mercy of strangers."

When she finally found the address she had, after stopping twice for directions, she steeled her courage and pulled into the driveway. She rang and rang and rang the doorbell. She was just about to give up and try to find somewhere else to go when the door was yanked open.

"What the--" Salma stopped and looked at Nicole. "Well, you've finally decided to leave him."

Nicole nodded. "I thought-- You said-- I didn't have anywhere else--"

Salma pushed the door open farther and gestured Nicole in. "Of course. Come in." She locked the door behind Nicole and the kids and took Nicole's bag from her. "Let's get the kids into bed. Follow me." She took them up the stairs and showed them into a guest room. "Why don't they share for tonight? We'll work something else out in the morning."

"Thank you," Nicole said softly. She put Connor down in one bed. He stirred a little, but went back to sleep when she kissed his cheek.

Isabella crawled into the other bed on her own. She held her arms up to Nicole for a hug. "Daddy won't hurt us, will he?" she asked.

Nicole shook her head and brushed her lips over her daughter's hair. "No, sweetie, he won't." She tucked the covers around Isabella and kissed her cheek. "Go back to sleep."

"Night, Mommy," Isabella murmured.

"Night, sweetie." Nicole followed Salma out into the hallway and carefully left the door open a crack.

Salma gave her a questioning look. "Do you want to go to bed or do you want to talk?"

"Bed, please," Nicole said warily. "I need some sleep."

Salma nodded. "All right." She gestured down the hall a little way. "There's a room on the other side of the kids, or you can sleep across the hall. Your choice." She pointed to the door on the other side of the bedroom next to the one they'd put the kids in. "I'm in there."

Nicole nodded to the room between. "I'll stay there."

"Done." Salma took her into the room and showed her where the towels were. "Don't hesitate to ask if you need something."

"I won't." Nicole dredged up a smile. "Thank you."

Salma reached out and squeezed her arm. "You're welcome. Good night."

"Good night." Nicole headed into the bathroom for another hot shower before she felt comfortable climbing into bed.