For muse_shuffle - July Disc One
10. All the world just stopped now
(Tori Amos - ‘Tear in Your Hand’)
[Relates to THIS and pullmysteth's NEEDLESTICK plot]
She really hadn’t been expecting anything to be wrong. She’d just assumed that Riley had been a little late in answering the door and had gone off with Lachlan shortly after. That had been why she’d found the apartment empty. Or so she’d thought. Hoped, really.
But there was no denying the way her heart just seemed to stop when she’d entered the bathroom and seen the blood. The room had spun around her and she’d sunk to her knees as she tried to fight off the tears. She couldn’t cry until she knew what had happened.
Then she cried anyway.
It was all too much. She’d said she’d stay no matter what and she meant it, but seeing his blood-and it had to be his blood-was just too much. She struggled to keep from touching any of it, her hands clutching at her stomach as she just sobbed and sobbed.
Then she thought of Tab. His sister would have to be coming home soon, and she’d be expecting her brother, not a pool of her brother’s blood. Beth stopped crying with a choked cough, and wiped at her face before she stood up. She had to clean it up. She had to clean it up, and try and act like nothing was wrong.
She sniffed and went into the kitchen area to try and find the rubber gloves she’d bought for doing the dishes. Riley hadn’t had any, and she could still remember the way she’d managed to make him smile after teasing him about his wrinkly doctor hands.
With the gloves on and a wet cloth and paper towel in hand, Beth went back into the bathroom to start cleaning. Her tears had dried, and she tried to ignore the multitude of scenarios as to how the blood got there running through her mind. None of them were good, and one of them even made her throw up.
It was Riley’s blood. Her Riley’s blood. She scrubbed and mopped until she was sure the floor was about to wear away. And even though she’d been wearing gloves she scrubbed at her own hands until they were red raw.
Her hands trembled and she went out into the main room to find the phone. Lachlan had to know something. Surely he knew something. He’d been here, he would have found…
He would know something.
She punched in his mobile number and waited. It went to voicemail and she sighed as she slumped into a chair. “Lachlan Campbell, if you know something about Riley and all the blood I just cleaned up you had better be calling me soon. I’m nay in the mood to play silly buggers.”
She hung up and sat there for all of three seconds before she was on her feet again and grabbing her coat. If Riley had been bleeding, then he’d be in the hospital. That was logical, right? So now Beth would be going to the hospital and checking every damn room if she had to.
Beth Anderson
Original Character
Words: 505
pullmysteth, drcampbell, and asinthecity used with permission.
(Tori Amos - ‘Tear in Your Hand’)
[Relates to THIS and pullmysteth's NEEDLESTICK plot]
She really hadn’t been expecting anything to be wrong. She’d just assumed that Riley had been a little late in answering the door and had gone off with Lachlan shortly after. That had been why she’d found the apartment empty. Or so she’d thought. Hoped, really.
But there was no denying the way her heart just seemed to stop when she’d entered the bathroom and seen the blood. The room had spun around her and she’d sunk to her knees as she tried to fight off the tears. She couldn’t cry until she knew what had happened.
Then she cried anyway.
It was all too much. She’d said she’d stay no matter what and she meant it, but seeing his blood-and it had to be his blood-was just too much. She struggled to keep from touching any of it, her hands clutching at her stomach as she just sobbed and sobbed.
Then she thought of Tab. His sister would have to be coming home soon, and she’d be expecting her brother, not a pool of her brother’s blood. Beth stopped crying with a choked cough, and wiped at her face before she stood up. She had to clean it up. She had to clean it up, and try and act like nothing was wrong.
She sniffed and went into the kitchen area to try and find the rubber gloves she’d bought for doing the dishes. Riley hadn’t had any, and she could still remember the way she’d managed to make him smile after teasing him about his wrinkly doctor hands.
With the gloves on and a wet cloth and paper towel in hand, Beth went back into the bathroom to start cleaning. Her tears had dried, and she tried to ignore the multitude of scenarios as to how the blood got there running through her mind. None of them were good, and one of them even made her throw up.
It was Riley’s blood. Her Riley’s blood. She scrubbed and mopped until she was sure the floor was about to wear away. And even though she’d been wearing gloves she scrubbed at her own hands until they were red raw.
Her hands trembled and she went out into the main room to find the phone. Lachlan had to know something. Surely he knew something. He’d been here, he would have found…
He would know something.
She punched in his mobile number and waited. It went to voicemail and she sighed as she slumped into a chair. “Lachlan Campbell, if you know something about Riley and all the blood I just cleaned up you had better be calling me soon. I’m nay in the mood to play silly buggers.”
She hung up and sat there for all of three seconds before she was on her feet again and grabbing her coat. If Riley had been bleeding, then he’d be in the hospital. That was logical, right? So now Beth would be going to the hospital and checking every damn room if she had to.
Beth Anderson
Original Character
Words: 505
pullmysteth, drcampbell, and asinthecity used with permission.