Listen To Your Heart (7/11)
Chapter 7, enjoy!
Comments are still very much appreciated. Tell me what you think, please.
Emily was exhausted, as last day’s events were finally catching up with her. She quickly changed into her sleeping clothes, and she was asleep before her head properly touched her pillow.
Three hours later, she woke up to a blood-curdling scream. It took her a moment to realize where the scream could come from, but when she heard it again, she didn’t hesitate and hurried over to the spare bedroom. She found JJ tossing and turning in her bed, mumbling so quietly Emily couldn’t understand.
Emily quickly walked over to JJ, and sat down next to her on the bed. She started to gently stroke JJ’s hair while whispering calming words to her. From the moment she started talking and touching her hair, JJ immediately seemed to relax. When JJ’s breathing had returned to normal, Emily stayed with her for a couple more minutes before returning to her own room.
She had barely reached it when she heard another scream. She ran over to the other room again, where she saw JJ obviously back in her nightmares. Wanting nothing more than to help her friend, Emily did the only thing she could think of. She pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed, her front against JJ’s back. She gently placed her arm around JJ, her hand resting protectively on the baby bump, and was pleased to find that it seemed to calm her. She managed to stay awake until she was certain JJ was sleeping peacefully, and then finally lost her battle and fell into a deep slumber.
JJ woke up the next morning, better rested than she had been for a long time. She wanted to get up, but stopped when she felt an arm around her waist. She started to freak out a little bit, since she was supposed to be in bed alone, but she relaxed when she turned around and saw Emily’s face. She wondered why Emily would be in bed with her, until she remembered her nightmares, and the sudden feeling of safety she had felt, like nothing could ever happen to her. She figured that was Emily’s doing, and she felt a wave of gratitude and love go through her, because Emily, who was undoubtedly still hurting from the previous day, had given up her own bed to make sure JJ slept peacefully.
JJ tried to get out of the bed without waking Emily, but realized she had failed when she felt Emily stir next to her.
“Too early. Sleep” Emily grumbled before falling asleep again.
JJ couldn’t help but chuckle; Emily clearly wasn’t a morning person. She reveled at the thought of seeing Emily without her guards up. She tried to get out of the bed again, but really failed at not waking up Emily this time. Emily was struggling to wake up, and only after a few moments did she manage to open her eyes without them falling shut again.
Emily looked up at her, and when JJ looked her in the eyes, she immediately saw the walls going back up again. It saddened JJ, but she was glad she had at least gotten the experience of seeing an unguarded Emily, even if it wasn’t for long.
“Good morning,” Emily said with a smile.
“Good morning,” JJ replied.
“How’d you sleep?”
“Better than I have for weeks, actually. Thank you, really, for staying with me.”
“No problem. Do you want to talk about it? Tell me what it was about?” Emily asked worriedly.
“No, not really.”
“Okay, you don’t have to. Just know that I’m here, whenever you need me, okay?” Emily offered. She got up and went for the door, but was stopped by JJ’s voice.
“Dogs,” JJ said.
Emily turned around with a confused look on her face.
“My nightmare. It was about dogs. From the Hankel case,” JJ clarified.
Now Emily understood, although she was a bit shocked that those dogs still haunted JJ after all this time.
“JJ, that was more than a year ago. Why didn’t you tell me it still bothered you that much, I would’ve helped you.”
“I know you would. But it’s not really the dogs that are the problem, anyway.”
“It’s not?” Now Emily was really confused.
“No. It’s being alone. I was alone in that barn for what felt like hours, but eventually, you guys came. Now, at nights, no one comes. I see those dogs jumping at me, and I can’t pull my gun fast enough, and I’m all alone.”
Tears were running down her cheeks now. Emily wanted to say something, but she knew she should let JJ talk, get things of her chest.
“This job, what we do… It’s dangerous. Anything can happen, but that never scares me. I know you guys will be there to back me up. But outside of the job, I’m alone. And it terrifies me, being alone, especially now that I’m pregnant. I have someone else to care for now, and I’m so scared I won’t be able to do it.”
JJ was sobbing now, so Emily quickly rushed over to her and threw her arms around her, letting the blonde get everything out. When her sobs finally subsided, JJ pulled back, looking gratefully into Emily’s eyes.
“I think that was one of the reasons I was with Will. The thought of being with someone I didn’t have feelings for didn’t scare me as much as the thought of being alone.”
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore. I am personally going to make sure that you won’t be alone again. ‘Till the point where you’ll wish for some peace and quiet,” Emily said with a grin, hoping it would cheer up the younger woman. It worked. JJ smiled, a bit tentative at first, but soon evolving into a full blown grin.
“See, there’s that beautiful smile again. Now why don’t you go and take a shower while I make us some breakfast?” Emily suggested.
Thirty minutes later they were eating breakfast. JJ was throwing a glance at Emily every few moments, wondering why the older woman had suddenly become so silent. She figured it had something to do with the previous day, and her heart clenched at the thought of what might be bothering her friend.
“What’s wrong, Emily?” she tried.
“Nothing, just thinking,” Emily replied. JJ didn’t buy it though.
“Emily, did something happen yesterday? With Cyrus?”
“What do you mean?” Emily really didn’t know where JJ was going with this.
“Well, he was being questioned for sexual assault, and we heard him beat you up, but then they took you away and we didn’t hear anything and ...”
She didn’t know how to finish her sentence. She had no problems with it during the job, but when it was possibly involving her friend, she just couldn’t. Thankfully, Emily understood.
“No, no, God no, he didn’t do anything. They took me upstairs and tied me to a bed, but they didn’t do anything.”
JJ let out a sigh of relief.
“I guess it’s just starting to sink in how easily it could have been worse. And not only yesterday, but every time we go out in the field. Anything can happen, and days like yesterday make me realize that.”
JJ understood. She felt that way too, sometimes. Both women sat lost in thought for a while, before Emily started talking again, about a less heavy subject.
Part 8
Comments are still very much appreciated. Tell me what you think, please.
Emily was exhausted, as last day’s events were finally catching up with her. She quickly changed into her sleeping clothes, and she was asleep before her head properly touched her pillow.
Three hours later, she woke up to a blood-curdling scream. It took her a moment to realize where the scream could come from, but when she heard it again, she didn’t hesitate and hurried over to the spare bedroom. She found JJ tossing and turning in her bed, mumbling so quietly Emily couldn’t understand.
Emily quickly walked over to JJ, and sat down next to her on the bed. She started to gently stroke JJ’s hair while whispering calming words to her. From the moment she started talking and touching her hair, JJ immediately seemed to relax. When JJ’s breathing had returned to normal, Emily stayed with her for a couple more minutes before returning to her own room.
She had barely reached it when she heard another scream. She ran over to the other room again, where she saw JJ obviously back in her nightmares. Wanting nothing more than to help her friend, Emily did the only thing she could think of. She pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed, her front against JJ’s back. She gently placed her arm around JJ, her hand resting protectively on the baby bump, and was pleased to find that it seemed to calm her. She managed to stay awake until she was certain JJ was sleeping peacefully, and then finally lost her battle and fell into a deep slumber.
JJ woke up the next morning, better rested than she had been for a long time. She wanted to get up, but stopped when she felt an arm around her waist. She started to freak out a little bit, since she was supposed to be in bed alone, but she relaxed when she turned around and saw Emily’s face. She wondered why Emily would be in bed with her, until she remembered her nightmares, and the sudden feeling of safety she had felt, like nothing could ever happen to her. She figured that was Emily’s doing, and she felt a wave of gratitude and love go through her, because Emily, who was undoubtedly still hurting from the previous day, had given up her own bed to make sure JJ slept peacefully.
JJ tried to get out of the bed without waking Emily, but realized she had failed when she felt Emily stir next to her.
“Too early. Sleep” Emily grumbled before falling asleep again.
JJ couldn’t help but chuckle; Emily clearly wasn’t a morning person. She reveled at the thought of seeing Emily without her guards up. She tried to get out of the bed again, but really failed at not waking up Emily this time. Emily was struggling to wake up, and only after a few moments did she manage to open her eyes without them falling shut again.
Emily looked up at her, and when JJ looked her in the eyes, she immediately saw the walls going back up again. It saddened JJ, but she was glad she had at least gotten the experience of seeing an unguarded Emily, even if it wasn’t for long.
“Good morning,” Emily said with a smile.
“Good morning,” JJ replied.
“How’d you sleep?”
“Better than I have for weeks, actually. Thank you, really, for staying with me.”
“No problem. Do you want to talk about it? Tell me what it was about?” Emily asked worriedly.
“No, not really.”
“Okay, you don’t have to. Just know that I’m here, whenever you need me, okay?” Emily offered. She got up and went for the door, but was stopped by JJ’s voice.
“Dogs,” JJ said.
Emily turned around with a confused look on her face.
“My nightmare. It was about dogs. From the Hankel case,” JJ clarified.
Now Emily understood, although she was a bit shocked that those dogs still haunted JJ after all this time.
“JJ, that was more than a year ago. Why didn’t you tell me it still bothered you that much, I would’ve helped you.”
“I know you would. But it’s not really the dogs that are the problem, anyway.”
“It’s not?” Now Emily was really confused.
“No. It’s being alone. I was alone in that barn for what felt like hours, but eventually, you guys came. Now, at nights, no one comes. I see those dogs jumping at me, and I can’t pull my gun fast enough, and I’m all alone.”
Tears were running down her cheeks now. Emily wanted to say something, but she knew she should let JJ talk, get things of her chest.
“This job, what we do… It’s dangerous. Anything can happen, but that never scares me. I know you guys will be there to back me up. But outside of the job, I’m alone. And it terrifies me, being alone, especially now that I’m pregnant. I have someone else to care for now, and I’m so scared I won’t be able to do it.”
JJ was sobbing now, so Emily quickly rushed over to her and threw her arms around her, letting the blonde get everything out. When her sobs finally subsided, JJ pulled back, looking gratefully into Emily’s eyes.
“I think that was one of the reasons I was with Will. The thought of being with someone I didn’t have feelings for didn’t scare me as much as the thought of being alone.”
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore. I am personally going to make sure that you won’t be alone again. ‘Till the point where you’ll wish for some peace and quiet,” Emily said with a grin, hoping it would cheer up the younger woman. It worked. JJ smiled, a bit tentative at first, but soon evolving into a full blown grin.
“See, there’s that beautiful smile again. Now why don’t you go and take a shower while I make us some breakfast?” Emily suggested.
Thirty minutes later they were eating breakfast. JJ was throwing a glance at Emily every few moments, wondering why the older woman had suddenly become so silent. She figured it had something to do with the previous day, and her heart clenched at the thought of what might be bothering her friend.
“What’s wrong, Emily?” she tried.
“Nothing, just thinking,” Emily replied. JJ didn’t buy it though.
“Emily, did something happen yesterday? With Cyrus?”
“What do you mean?” Emily really didn’t know where JJ was going with this.
“Well, he was being questioned for sexual assault, and we heard him beat you up, but then they took you away and we didn’t hear anything and ...”
She didn’t know how to finish her sentence. She had no problems with it during the job, but when it was possibly involving her friend, she just couldn’t. Thankfully, Emily understood.
“No, no, God no, he didn’t do anything. They took me upstairs and tied me to a bed, but they didn’t do anything.”
JJ let out a sigh of relief.
“I guess it’s just starting to sink in how easily it could have been worse. And not only yesterday, but every time we go out in the field. Anything can happen, and days like yesterday make me realize that.”
JJ understood. She felt that way too, sometimes. Both women sat lost in thought for a while, before Emily started talking again, about a less heavy subject.
Part 8