The Edge of Hope

Chapter 12

Hope’s eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the soft light coming from the bathroom door, slightly ajar.

She turned over and grabbed her phone, checking the time. Her eyes widened as she realised she’d been asleep for nearly twelve hours straight.

Her head didn’t feel as heavy, at least, but she was nowhere ready to leave the bed.

Gabe stepped out of the bathroom, a halo of steam around him and just a pair of jeans with his worn leather belt.

She propped herself on her elbows and cleared her throat. Gabe jumped slightly and looked at her for a second before he walked toward the bed.

She furrowed her eyebrows as he sat down, noticing that his shoulders were tense.

“Are you ok?”

Gabe nodded his head in jerky motions. “Yeah, sure.”

The smile he gave Hope didn’t convince her in the slightest that he was alright. She noticed his hands shaking and his ragged breathing, too.

She scooted over to him, ignoring the pain still throbbing on the side of her head. “I can see you’re not.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and massaged it slightly, but it did nothing to calm him. “Is this about Alice being here?”

She felt his shoulders tense even more and he moved slightly away from her, far enough that she had to remove her hand. She sighed and leaned back on her pillow, her vision dimming from the sudden movement. She held her breath when her stomach churned. It passed in a few seconds and she refocused on Gabe, who hadn’t moved.

“Gabe?” Hope prompted.

“I said I’m fine, Hope,” he grumbled, annoyance laced through his voice.

If Hope hadn’t felt so shitty, she would’ve called him out on it. But right now, it was too much effort. So she just sighed in response and closed her eyes before speaking. “Alright.”

Another minute passed and Gabe got up, put on his shirt, jacket and shoes and stood by the side of the bed awkwardly. Hope could see he was trying to find the right words.

“I, um…Dan and I are going out to Hogan’s. Just a few drinks, I won’t be out late.”

“No pressure, you can stay out as long as want. Just,” – she took in a deep breath – “just be safe, please?”

He nodded his head and turned to leave. He stopped and turned around, coming to kiss Hope goodbye. It wasn’t like him to forget something like that. Again, Hope left it. She was being selfish. His ex-wife just showed up out of the blue. Of course, he was going to be on edge.

“Say hi to Dan, will you?”

“Sure.” And in a second he left and the silence that was left behind seemed to make Hope’s migraine worse. She had woken up feeling better but that was all gone now.

She groaned and rubbed her face with her hands. Her stomach grumbled slightly and although the thought of food was off-putting, she had to eat something to take her pain medication.

She wandered into the kitchen and was about to reach for the bread to make toast when a piece of paper on the counter caught her eye. A flash of excitement shot through her. Maybe it was a note from Gabe?

‘Don’t wait up. Going out with Dan.’

She picked it up and glared at it. He’d probably thought she wouldn’t be awake when he left but forgot to remove it on his way out.

It was so impersonal. So cold. Hope tried not to dwell on it too much. She couldn’t begin to imagine what Gabe must be feeling. A guy’s night out will do him good.

Once her toast was done, she went back to lie in bed, and ate carefully so as to not mess any crumbs. Something just didn’t make sense to her. What the hell after twenty years was Alice doing here? How did she find him? And why does she look like she’s been on drugs?

Ok, that last part may have been unnecessary but Hope was dealing with a tsunami of her own feelings right now.

Pixie jumped up and Hope scratched her, venting her thoughts out loud. “Pixie, why was she here? It’s kind of creepy she knew where he lives, right?”

Hope placed the plate on her nightstand and lay down again. She cursed when she realised she had forgotten to take more painkillers.

“Goddammit, I’m losing my mind, Pixie!” She got up and as she walked to the kitchen, there was a knock on the door. She immediately had her defences up. She waited a few seconds to see if they would leave but she was only met with more knocking, sounding impatient.

Hope looked quickly to where she had the painkillers waiting for her and back at the door. “I’m coming now!” She winced and quickly swallowed the pills as she walked to the door.

She opened the door and the glass of water in her hand dropped to the ground, shattering around her feet and splashing water up her legs, and up the legs of the guest.

“What are you…”

“Hope, was it?” Alice’s words were laced with poison. She shook her leg dramatically and scoffed. “Great, now I have water on my silk pants. Do you know how difficult these are to clean?”

The words were out of Hope’s mouth before she could process them. “You should have considered that when you bought them.”

If looks could kill, Hope would be splayed on the floor right now. She instinctively flinched and unfortunately, Alice noticed.

She smirked and flicked her red hair back. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Hope willed the painkillers to react faster but it was all in vain. Instead, she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Look, Alice, I don’t want trouble, ok? Besides, Gabe isn’t here, so…”

“You don’t want trouble? And what exactly are you going to do? You look like hell and that’s being nice.”

Hope took in the slightly lost look in Alice’s eyes. She was taught to recognize when somebody was high and Alice was higher than a commercial aeroplane.

Gabe had said she wasn’t the violent type, but here she was, threatening Hope and abusing drugs again, apparently.

“What do you want with Gabe?” Hope shifted her foot and quickly remembered the shards of glass everywhere. “s**t,” and she bent down to at least brush them aside for now. She didn’t have a second to react to the movement of Alice’s foot as it connected with her jaw.

Hope flew back and grabbed her face with her hands, blood pooling out of her nose and split lip. She looked up and started shuffling backwards as Alice stalked toward her, screaming bloody murder shining bright in her eyes.

The adrenaline overtook the pain and she managed to get up and started running for the bedroom to get her phone. Alice wasn’t far behind her. She caught up and grabbed Hope’s hair, pulling her painfully back and onto the floor again.

“Alice, stop!” Hope screamed, hoping the neighbours would hear the commotion. She managed to dodge another kick by rolling over and pulled herself up by the door handle.

She tried to close the door but Alice was holding it open with her foot, impossibly strong.

“Alice, please, I’m begging you!”

“I’m going to kill you!” Alice howled, and she threw herself against the door, pushing Hope back. She at least got her footing before falling over.

She started rushing again and turned to grab the light from the nightstand but Alice was quicker, yanking her by the arm and a sickening pop was heard.

Hope screamed at the fire burning through her arm and the rest of her body. In that moment of weakness, Alice had her on the ground again, her foot pressing down on her chest.

“You know, you’re pretty pathetic, Hope. I don’t know what Gabe sees in you.” She spat at Hope’s face and as she turned her head to dodge it, she saw a box under the bed. She quickly reached for it with her good arm and swung it against Alice’s knee.

She buckled as she screamed from the sharp contact and in the distance, Hope heard voices in the lounge. She took her opportunity and got up. She kicked Alice in the same knee, causing her to fall backwards and hit her head on the dresser.

She collapsed to the ground like a rag doll and didn’t move. Hope felt bile rise in her throat but her instincts took over and her legs carried her to the passage where the neighbours were running, too.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Call the police!” Hope shouted and she dashed to get her car keys. She wasn’t sure why, all she knew was that she needed to get out of there, away from Alice, away from everything.

Her shoulder was still on fire and she didn’t know how to get it back into place. She didn’t care, she just knew she had to get to Gabe or Carol or anyone.

She dashed down the stairs to the underground parking and ran straight to her car. She struggled several times to get the key in the hole.

“Oh for f**k sakes!” she cried.

After the fifth attempt, she got it right. She climbed in, roared the little car to life and reversed out of the parking, tyres squealing.

She was grateful at that moment that the arm she used to change gears was still ok, but she would have to use the same arm to steer, too. A brief moment of clarity came over her, and she realised just how dangerous the situation was. She was in no condition to drive.

Hope sat for a few seconds, ragged breaths filling the car. She looked down and saw all the blood that had covered her top and pants, and that clarity disappeared with her caution.

She stomped on the accelerator and fought to keep the car straight.

Tears were blinding her vision, but she didn’t slow down. She thought of which way Hogan’s was and swung left onto the road, narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic.

She ignored the blaring of the hooters and pressed on, the car swaying every time she changed gears.

She approached an intersection and saw the traffic light turning amber. She geared down and floored it, the car getting air as she hit a bump in the road. She was thrown around in her seat as she landed violently, and as she looked to the side, all she saw were bright lights and shattered glass.

Then nothing.