There was a body pressed next to mine, the heat from his flesh burning my back. I was in the motel room. The warmth wasn't from his flesh, but his blood. I tried to sit up, unable to move. Frozen in paralysis. Choking on something, my own blood? Finally I was able to move, sitting up with a start. No sound emerged from me, yet my mouth was open in a scream. He had taken my voice from me. I couldn't get that back. The lights around me were blinding. I couldn't catch my breath, my heart beating so heavily, it threatened to jump through the skin. I clawed at my chest and throat, trying to let in more air. I was drowning.

There were hands on me. Holding me down, grabbing my wrists. He was going to put me into restraints again. Not the ropes. I tossed against the hands, refusing to be held down again. I wasn't going to let him into me again. I was going to fight to the death this time. I closed my eyes from the blinding light and thrashed in their grip, kicking and silently screaming.

There was more than one voice around me, surrounding me, but I only recognized one. It was Liam. I opened my eyes, coming face to face with many wide eyed doctors. All men. They'd never understand. Liam was standing above me, trying to soothe me with his voice.

I yanked my arm from one of the doctors. He tried to grab at me again, but Liam held back his hand, instructing him to leave me be. I wished I could do that for myself. I rested my hand on his cheek. Feeling his face, no stitches or scars to be seen. His hair brown, not blonde or black. It was my Liam. I smiled at him, genuinely relieved. My breathing slowed, calming down, my heart ceased its pounding.

The other doctors released their grip on my wrist and ankles and left the two of us in the room alone. I wanted to speak, but I still couldn't. My voice weak from the tubes and yelling that I had done. But I was safe. I knew that and truly believed it now. I knew my nightmares wouldn't cease, but Liam would always wake me and bring me to my senses.

Liam rubbed my arm, "How are you feeling, Kara?" His soft caress sent shivers up my arm. It was pleasure, not pain. He wasn't looking at me, but he was smiling. He couldn't meet my eyes. I desperately wanted him too. He'd have to see me as this, he's have to know and live with it. I had to as well. It would be hard, but we had to get through this one together. 

I smiled and gently lifted his gaze to meet mine. His eyes were soft and full of concern. I nodded to the crutches that were leaning against the wall. "I should be asking you the same thing." I coughed. My throat dry and scratchy. I didn't recognize my own voice. It didn't come out more than a whisper, but for him I'd be strong, "You didn't tell me the doctor had you on crutches?" I held back the urge to cough again, doing my best to pretend that I was doing better than I was.

He laughed, a wonderful sound, "Honestly, the doctor was surprised I was up and moving already, but I'm more concerned for you. My leg will heal soon enough and crutches aren't that bad." He stared at me intensely, tucking a piece of loose hair behind my ear. I leaned into his touch.

I sighed. "I'm going to have nightmares, Liam." I paused, his name now unusual on my lips. It tasted sweet, I'd missed it, "But I'm safe now, I know that. I'm happy with you next to me. I, too, will be fine soon enough." He nodded once, content with my answer.

He hopped back into the bed with me, swinging his good leg over the side and pulling the rest of himself behind him. I saw him wince, the pain still apparent, but he was trying to hide it well. His football career was definitely over. I could see him better today, my swollen eye opening fuller. I could take in more of his features. He pressed himself in close to me, rubbing the top of my head. My hair now clean, thanks to one of the nurses. I'd still feel his blood on my scalp for weeks, but at least now it was clean. I closed my eyes, practically purring like a cat. Liam chuckled, his chest heaving with his breath. His wounds were still fresh, I guess mine were too, but I hadn't been shot.

Thinking about bullet wounds, a terrible thought came into my head, "Hey, Liam?"

"Mhmm."

"Have you heard anything about the police officer who saved me? She was shot, hurt pretty bad, and I want to make sure she's okay." I took a pause for the scratching to subside, "I want to thank her in person. She was the one who really saved me."

Liam went quiet for a second. Searching for answers of his own. Finally he said, "I'm not sure. She was rushed into an emergency procedure yesterday, I think? They said she wasn't doing so well, but I haven't heard anything since. One of the officers was certain she'd make it through, but I'm just not sure. It sounded pretty bad," he seemed sad. He must have gotten to know her. I recognized the slight downturn of his voice, indicating he was talking about someone he knew at least fairly well.

"Did you know her?" I asked, looking up at him to see his face.

He looked straight ahead, staring out through the door. "You could say that." He looked down at me to meet my gaze and smiled. "You should get some rest. The doctors want to do final testing tomorrow to clear the both of us to go back home. Get some rest, Kara." He paused on my name as if holding onto the feel. I knew how that felt. I know he must have thought he was never going to see me again. I certainly thought he'd never hold me again. My name sounded perfect from his mouth. It sounded like it belonged. It wasn't bitter or hissed or spat, it was cherished.

"Okay, Liam." I replied, cherishing his name as much as he had mine. Slowly, I managed to drift off to sleep.

...

Sometime, during the next day, doctors came in and swarmed us again. Half of them were tormenting me, asking me to stand and sit down, to open one eye at a time and list off the letters I saw, hearing tests, and finally, some questions that were surely to see if my mental health was shot. I mean, it wasn't great but it was fine enough to the point where my life wasn't going to be in danger and neither would the lives of anyone close to me.

Liam's doctors were testing similar things, although they did some nerve tests on top of it. They wanted to make sure he could feel and move his toes to ensure that he would actually be able to walk without crutches again. They seemed to like what they saw, but I wasn't able to pay attention to everything they did to him as my own doctors fussed over me.

Eventually, they were content. Maybe not happy, but they felt okay enough. They reminded the both of us to come in or call if we had any problems, but they said we could both go home within the hour. Liam and I exchanged excited glances, ready to resume a normal life yet again.

Unfortunately, every message of good news is clouded with something bad. One of the police officers walked in once the doctors had all shuffled out. He was holding his hat over his heart, not looking at either of us directly in the eyes. He bowed his head and told us the detective had died. She didn't make it through the surgery, the bullet too close to her heart. She bled out, but she didn't feel a thing. Whatever toxins her body had released had made her numb, and whatever her body couldn't do the doctors gave her plenty of drugs so she couldn't feel a thing. He assured us that she fought hard, and was happy to sacrifice herself to catch that man. He told us how she was ready to join her sister, to see her again. He also told us that they had discovered the other bodies of the women buried close to the house. He told us that they had all been identified and their families had been notified. One of the girls being the sister to the late detective.

I nodded and thanked him for the update. I looked over at Liam, he looked completely distraught. He knew that detective better than he had let on. I rubbed my hand over his arm, trying to console him. He flashed me a smile, but something was wrong. He was off.

"What is it, Liam?"

He continued to stare at the blankets, "Detective O'era told me that she recognized Braden. She told me that her sister had introduced her to her boyfriend who looked exactly like the picture. Her sister disappeared. He killer her. And then he killed O'era too." He looked up at me, "That family lost two of their daughters to him. I'm the only one lucky enough to know someone who survived him. Not only survived, but defeated him so he couldn't hurt anyone else." He smiled, happy, but was obviously grieving for his lost friend and her sister and all the other girls he had killed. "He murdered at least five other girls, but mine, you, fought and lived. I'm so lucky." He grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. No matter how much it physically hurt either of us, I squeezed back, lucky to have him too. "I love you, Kara."

"I love you, Liam."

He pulled away first, wiping under his eyes, not letting me see the tears I'm sure he shed. "Let's go home."

The two of us got dressed in real clothes and walked out of the hospital room hand in hand, well, I walked, Liam crutched. We got down to the front door, the sensors opening up to our freedom without making us wait. Liam hobbled out no problem, letting my hand drop as he excitedly ran back into the open but my feet stopped at the door way. My body refused to move. Liam looked behind to see me still in the building.

"What's wrong, Kara?"

I closed my eyes, looking directly into the sun. The warmth filled me instantly, the breeze caressing my face. This is the first time I'd be outdoors since Braden, without shackles, without being numb. This time, I was actually free. I wouldn't be dragged around by anyone ever again. My lips curled into a smile. I opened my eyes to watch my feet change from the tile to the concrete. The concrete that didn't contain me, but paved my way to my life instead. Concrete that I would never feel against my back. Concrete that couldn't hurt me unless I fell, unless it was my own body that brought me down to it. My toes crossed the threshold to reality, time no longer stopped, but ran at a normal speed. I'd be able to live again. Not to the extent that I had before, but any life with Liam was a life I wanted to live. I craved.

I looked up at Liam, he was smiling too, relieved to see me in front of him at last. I was truly, completely happy. My scars couldn't confine me, my past didn't control me. "Nothing," I replied, "Absolutely nothing is wrong."

His smile widened as he reached out his hand behind me. I took it, my fingers effortlessly slipping into his. He kissed my hand, before letting it fall to my side again. I knew the crutches were going to be the biggest pain in his ass, but he was okay, and he was right, they weren't forever. He could live with a few days off his feet, and I could live with a few scars. I rubbed my wrists before taking off after him. They were still mangled, ruined, burned beyond recognition, but they would also be a reminder. A reminder about how fortunate I am and to never take my life for granted ever again. I laughed, practically running to keep up with Liam who had already turned crutches into an olympic sport. We were changed, but we were stronger too.

My mind was still having trouble comprehending how someone could be so beautiful and ugly at the same time. Braden had been abandoned as a child. He wanted revenge, but fell in love instead. He wanted people to feel his own pain. He wanted to be understood. Braden generally cared for his victims until they didn't care for him back. There was no excuse for his actions, don't get me wrong, but I understood. I understood not being heard or never being seen. I could never understand what prompted him to take it to the extremes that he had, but I understood what drove him there. It was his fault, but not entirely. Braden could have prevented it, but so could his father and those that he considered friends and neighbors. They all abandoned him in some way. They may not have known it, but they had. Braden was ugly. Not on the outside, but rotten on the inside. The part that I get stuck on the most is that he was beautiful too. He was capable of love and affection, he had real human emotions which became his downfall. His mind  is incomprehensible, but he was incredibly intelligent. I guess that's always the moral struggle of the human brain. Somehow, amidst all the bad in the world and that one might face, everyone has to find a way to cope and turn it into something beautiful.