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"Ron, let go of me!" Julianna yells. His hands are gripping her upper arms.
"No. I told you, to go get me a beer." Ron says.
"You've had enough Ron. You're drunk for God's sake!" Julianna says. He reaches up and slaps her across the face. She whimpers.
"You do what I tell you to do, do you understand?" He asks. She holds her face in her hand and nods.
"Yes." She whispers.
"Good. Now go get me a beer." He says. She nods and goes and gets him a beer. "Good. Was that so hard?" He asks. She shakes her head. She begins to walk away, waiting for him to call her back. He doesn't. She grabs her keys off the counter and eases herself through the door, shutting it quietly behind her. She knows he will eventually pass out on the couch and she'll be home by the time he wakes up in the morning, not able to remember anything. She gets into her car and pulls out of the driveway, tears running down her face. She didn't know why she stayed with him. She was scared of him and hated him. In her heart, she knew why. She was afraid to leave him, for fear of what he would do to her then.
She looked at the clock. 12:34 midnight. She could barely see to drive because of her tears, the darkness, and the rain, but she knew how to get to the place she needed to be. She pulls up to the house and jumps out of the car, into the pouring rain and runs to the door. She bangs on the door, yelling loudly and ringing the doorbell.
"George! Wake up! It's Julianna. Open up!" Julianna says, still ringing the doorbell repeatedly. She sees the light flip on.
"I'm coming!" George yells sleepily. She can hear him unlocking the door and then it opens. She stumbles through the door, soaked to the bone, her face red. She is still crying.
"George." She chokes out.
"Whoa....whoa. Julianna, what's the matter?" He asks, touching her arms and pulling her closer as she sobs.
"Ron...he..he was drinking..he was drunk and he...hit me. My face...he slapped me." Julianna manages to get out. George's eyes widen in surprise.
"He hit you?" He asks angrily. She nods.
"Yes." She whispers.
"Has he hit you before?" George asks. Julianna hangs her head and nods.
"Yes." She murmurs again. George shakes his head and wraps her in his arms. He rocks her in his arms for a few minutes until she stops crying.
"Come on. We're going to get you some dry clothes and you can spend the night." George says.
"I don't know..George. Ron doesn't know I left the house." Julianna says.
"You can stay with me and then we will get you some help..You can't let him keep doing this." George says. She nods.
"I hate him." She whispers. George nods.
"How long has this been going on?" He asks.
"I don't know. Awhile. At first it was just mental and emotional abuse, but now he hits me too." Julianna says. George nods and helps her up the stairs and into his room.
"Hold on a second." George says, letting go of her. She wraps her arms around herself and shivers. He goes into his dresser and pulls out an old t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants for her. He hands them to her and leads her to the bathroom. She goes in and he comes out, closing the door. He sits on the edge of the bed, waiting. A few minutes later she comes out in his clothes, with her wet ones in hand.
"What do you want me to do with them?" Julianna asks.
"I'll take them and throw them in the dryer." George says. She nods and hands him the clothes. He walks down the hall and opens the doors to the laundry room. She sits on his bed, listening to him. He comes back a minute or so later. "Where do you wanna sleep?" George asks.
"Can I please sleep with you?" Julianna asks, having become quiet.
"Sure, you can." He says. She won't look at him. He sits beside her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"What's the matter Jules?" He asks. She shakes her head, her eyes filling up with tears. She doesn't speak. He cannot see her face, so he reaches around and lifts her face up to his. The tears start to fall. She sobs and he wraps his arms around her as she cries into his shoulder, shaking. He rocks her gently on the bed. "Shhh..shh..It's going to be okay, Julianna....Come on, let's get some sleep." George says. He pulls her up to the top of the bed and slides the covers up over her. Then he slides himself under the covers beside her. She sighs and smiles weakly at him.
"Thank you for all of this George." She whispers.
"No problem Jules." George says. She pretends to go to sleep and eventually hears him go to sleep. When she knows he is asleep, she opens her eyes and stares at his face. He looks so peaceful and innocent, except that small trace of a frown in his brow. She sighs softly and reaches up, touching his cheek gently with her fingers. He doesn't move so she knows she hasn't woken him. She brings her hand down to her face, kissing her fingers, then pressing her fingers against his cheek again. He stirs slightly, bringing his hand up to hers and taking her hand into his. She gasps, but he doesn't wake up, just holds her hand in his own. She smiles slightly and moves around so her face is resting against his hand and she closes her eyes, falling asleep quickly, breathing in his scent. George opens his eyes and looks at her, having been awake the whole time. He smiles and holds in a chuckle. He leans over, kissing her fingers that are in his and he lays his head back onto his own pillow and falls asleep.
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The next morning, they are woken by the alarm clock. Julianna rolls over part way onto George. He starts to chuckle and reaches over, slapping the alarm off. She smiles sleepily, rolling off his chest and yawning.
"Morning." She says. He smiles.
"Good morning." He replies. She stretches.
"Can I take a shower?" Julianna asks.
"Sure. Hurry though because I need to get in and we both need to get ready for work." He says. She nods. "I'll go make breakfast. The towels are in the closest in the bathroom and everything else should be in there. I'll get your clothes out of the dryer and lay them outside the door." George says.
"Thanks George." Julianna says. She gets out of the bed and starts to go towards the bathroom but stops. She turns around and kisses his cheek softly and hugs him. He smiles at her and she returns it.
"You're welcome." George says. She smiles wider and turns going into the restroom.
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"George?" Julianna asks, coming down the stairs.
"Yeah?" He asks, turning around and handing her a cup of coffee.
"I need to go home..so I can change, but...I don't want to go alone. Will you come with me?" Julianna asks.
"Sure." He replies. She smiles gratefully.
"Thanks. I have my car, so we can go in separate cars and I'll go into the house alone, but if I don't come out within 15 minutes, come in. I'll leave the door unlocked so you can get in." Julianna says.
"Alright. Will do." He says.
"George..I know I've already said it, but thank you so much for doing all of this for me. If you weren't helping me I wouldn't have anyone else to turn to." Julianna says. He smiles.
"And it's no problem. You're my best friend Jules." George says simply. He smiles. "I'm going to go get my shower now." She nods.
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Julianna slips the key into the lock and turns it, pushing the door to the house open. She places her keys softly on the counter and walks softly into the living room. The TV is still on and Ron is snoring loudly on the couch. She tiptoes past him and up the stairs. She changes swiftly, applying some makeup quickly and returns down the steps. Ron hasn't moved. Julianna goes into the kitchen, getting a piece of paper and a pencil. She writes Ron a short note about where she is and sticks it in his lap. She goes back through the hall, grabbing her keys off the counter and exiting the house. When she pushes the door shut, she breaths a sigh of relief. She walks to her car, giving George, who is parked behind her, a thumbs up. She gets into the car and they leave.
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"So..what happened?" George asks, walking up to the side of her car, as she gets out.
"He was passed out on the couch where I left him. I got dressed and stuff then wrote him a quick note that I was going to work, put it in his lap and slipped right back out the door." Julianna says. He chuckles.
"Sneaky, today huh?" He asks. She nods.
"I guess so." She smiles at him.
"So...what are you going to do?" He asks. She looks down and sighs.
"Well..I'm going to break up with him....and if he hurts me, then...if I live I'll go to the police." She says.
"Hey, don't think that way." He says sternly, yet gently. She looks up at him and smiles sadly.
"Will you help me?" She asks very quietly. He smiles.
"Of course." He says.
"Thank you, George." She says. He smiles again.
"No problem Jules." He says.
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"Hey George, do you have a minute?" Julianna asks, coming up to him at work later that day. He nods.
"Sure." He says, taking her elbow into his hand and leading her away from the group. "What's up?" He asks.
"I decided I'll do it tonight. Break up with Ron, that is." She says. He nods.
"Everything's going to be alright." George says reassuringly, smiling at her. She nods.
"Are you going to be home? Because I might need you to come and get me if he beats me up or something." Julianna says, her eyes filling with tears.
"Hey, don't talk like that. I'll be home. Just call me if anything happens...and call me if nothing happens. So I know if you're alright. Will Ron be home when you get home?" George asks. She nods.
"He is supposed to be." She says.
"Okay..well if he's not, call me. But since we leave here at eight today...if you don't call me by midnight, I'm going to come over, okay?" He asks. She nods.
"Okay." She whispers.
"It will be okay." George says, crouching down and looking her in the eye. "Do you hear me?" He asks. She nods.
"Yes. Okay." She says.
"Good." He says.
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Julianna walked into her house around 8:15 that night. It was dark and she was surprised that Ron wasn't home. She flipped on the kitchen light and made herself a cup of hot tea. She sat at the kitchen table and drank it, thinking about calling George, but realizing she should probably wait until later, to give Ron time to come home. Fifteen minutes after coming home, Julianna makes her way upstairs to change into something more comfortable. The whole house is dark, because Julianna had turned all the downstairs lights off. When she walks into her room, she is surprised to hear a light snore coming from the bed. She flips on the lamp beside the bed without thinking. Ron opens his eyes and sits up.
"Why the hell did you turn on the light?" Ron asks. Julianna winces.
"I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't mean to wake you." She lied. He pulled her closer to him and shook her slightly. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and immediately recoiled.
"What are you doing home so late?" He asks.
"Work was an extra hour today and I got home about 20 minutes ago but I was downstairs drinking tea. I didn't know you were home." Julianna says. He gives her a suspicious look but decides to buy her story.
"Well turn off the light and let me sleep." He says, laying down.
"Ron, we need to talk." Julianna says. He sits up and gives her a cold glare.
"What the hell about?" He asks. She takes a deep breath and looks him straight in the eyes.
"I don't think we should live together anymore. I don't think we should be together at all." Julianna says. Ron's anger flares.
"Are you dumping me?" He asks. She nods her head, determined not to let him change her mind. He reaches over and shakes her hard. "Are you crazy?" He asks.
"Ron. I'm sorry. I just don't think this is working." Julianna manages to choke out. He slaps her across the face, knocking her over. She whimpers and places a hand on her face. He grabs her wrist and twists it before punching her straight in the stomach. She falls back against the wall, hitting her head. He picks her up by her forearms and literally drags her down the stairs, knocking her into things. He opens the door, holding her tightly.
"If you want out, you can get out!" He says and throws her out the door. She falls to the ground, scraping her knees. He slams the door and she begins to cry. She drags herself out of the way of the door and pulls herself into the bushes beside the house. She leans her head against the house as she tastes blood. Her nose is bleeding. She touches it with her left hand because her right wrist was twisted and possibly broken. Julianna can't get to any phones because she cannot get in the house or her car and because the pain is too immense to move. She prays that George remembers her and comes to get her. After her nose stops bleeding, she wraps her arms around her legs and pulls them to her chest, waiting, hurting.
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At 11:45 George was getting worried. He decided to leave now, figuring if she hasn't called yet, she probably won't call. He hops into his jeep and drives as quickly as he can to Ron's house. He hops out, and walks to the front door, noticing the darkness in the house. His heart beats wildly as he digs the key that Julianna gave him out of his pocket. He goes to put his key into the door when he hears a whimper. He looks over and sees a figure hiding in the bushes.
"George." Julianna whimpers hoarsely. 'Oh God'. He thinks. He rushes to her side and sees the state she is in.
"Oh, Jules. What did he do to you?" George asks. She whimpers, not hardly able to move, her whole body aches.
"George." She whispers again, needing him.
"Shhh..shh..it's okay sweetheart. Just stay still." He says, moving closer to her. She grabs the front of his shirt with her good arm.
"Don't leave me. Don't leave me." She murmurs over and over, desperate and scared. His heart breaks.
"I'm not going anywhere. Come on, we need to get you some help." He says. She clings to him. He wraps an arm under her knees and another around her back as he picks her up. She holds tightly to him. He bumps her right wrist and she moans loudly. "I'm sorry Jules. I'm sorry." He says and carries her without difficulty to his jeep. He opens the back door and places her on the inside. She won't let him go. "Come on, Jules, you gotta let me go." He says. She shakes her head, scared. "I just have to get here in the front seat. It'll be alright. I won't leave you, I promise." George says. She reluctantly lets go and he immediately hops into the front seat. "Alright, let's get you to the hospital." George says.
"No!" Julianna says. He turns to face her slightly as he backs out of the driveway. "Not the hospital, please George. I don't want everyone to know." She says. He sighs and rubs his hand across his face.
"Okay. Alright, we'll go to my friend David's house. He's a doctor and he'll get you fixed up." George says. She nods, not objecting. George picks up his cell phone and dials David's number.
-------------------------------- George walks up to David's front door, carrying Julianna. It opens and a man and a woman are standing behind it.
"Hey David. Hey Michelle." George says. Julianna has her head buried in his neck, embarrassed.
"George, here, bring her in here." David says and leads George to a table which has blankets on it, making a make-shift bed for Julianna. George nods and lays her down on the table. She holds onto his hand tightly, not wanting to let go.
"Julianna, my name is David Kirkwood and this is my wife Michelle. We work together at the hospital." David says. Julianna watches him with frightened eyes but seems to trust him. "So what hurts?" David asks. She hesitates.
"My wrist, my stomach, my head and my knees." She whispers quietly.
"Okay, we're going to have to get you undressed to check you fully, is that okay?" Michelle asks, talking softly to Julianna and smiling. Her eyes widen and she looks at the three of them, nervous.
"It's okay, Jules. They need to do their job." George says. She finally nods her heads slightly, giving them permission. Michelle smiles and they takes her clothes off, leaving her covered where they don't need. Michelle checks her pupils.
"Equal, round, and reactive." Michelle murmurs to David. He nods and presses gently on Julianna's belly. She winces slightly but doesn't cry out.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" David asks softly. She closes her eyes and shakes her head. George squeezes her hand.
"Jules..." He says softly, encouraging. She sighs very softly and doesn't open her eyes.
"I was slapped across the face and then punched in the stomach. I hit my head on the wall as I stumbled backwards. My wrist was twisted and I scraped my knees when I fell on the pavement. My nose bled." Julianna says. George shakes his head and clenches his jaw. He is angry but knows that Julianna needs him right now. He bends over her and whispers softly into her ear, brushing her hair out of her face and soothing her. Michelle is applying medicine on Julianna's scraped knee as David wraps up Julianna's wrist. A few minutes later, Michelle asks Julianna if she thinks she can walk. Julianna nods and Michelle helps her to the restroom, with a blanket wrapped around her, so she can get dressed again.
"You need to give her Tylenol for the pain. And George, you really need to get her to the hospital. She needs to get her arm into a cast and get checked over with better equipment." David says. George sighs.
"She doesn't want to go. She doesn't want this to get out." George says. David nods.
"How about I make a deal with you? You convince her to go to the hospital and tomorrow morning at seven, Michelle and I will go in. We can take you with us and get you into the hospital without anyone seeing or recognizing you and get her all fixed up. I owe you a favor anyway." David says. George nods.
"Alright. I'll make sure she's here. I'll call us in sick to work." George says. David nods as Julianna and Michelle come out of the hospital. Julianna is holding lightly onto Michelle for support.
"Are you ready?" He asks her, smiling softly and touching her arm. She nods and moves her hand from Michelle's arm to George's arm. She looks extremely exhausted. He smiles and pulls her closer to him and she leans against him.
"Thanks David. We'll be here." George says. David nods.
"Seven." He replies.
"You got it." George says and he helps Julianna into the front seat of his jeep. He walks around to his side and smiles at David before getting into the jeep. She looks at him sleepily.
"We'll be here at seven for what?" Julianna asks tiredly. He smiles lightly.
"Tomorrow morning, we're coming here and the two of them are going to take us to the hospital but they're going to sneak us in and do everything themselves so we don't have to be noticed. Is that okay?" He asks. She nods and closes her eyes.
"Yeah." She whispers. He smiles slightly and reaches over, slipping her hand into his. She lets him hold it and he drives to his house.
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George climbs into his bed, beside Julianna. She moves closer to him.
"Thank you George." She says, her voice thick with sleep. He kisses her forehead and rubs her arm gently.
"No problem, Jules." He says. She moves even closer, laying her head onto his chest and sighing softly. He smiles and brushes his hands through her hair. He soon falls asleep with her.
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The next morning, George and Julianna are disguised as they follow David and Michelle into the back entrance of the ER at Los Angeles Memorial Hospital. They get Julianna to sit on a bed and David runs to get the supplies. They check her out, getting an abdominal ultrasound and x-ray of her arm. They then cast it and give her some more medicine for her knee. They check her pupils again and agree that she just has a bruise, no harm inside. During the whole thing, George is with her, holding her hand, whispering softly to her and reassuring her. Julianna realizes then that she has fallen in love with him.
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