All day I tried to shut out the nightmare that so unforgivingly haunted me.

<^>

It was back when Jake had just kidnapped me. It was of the first time I tried to escape; when I still had my strength. I had crawled through the window and ran down the street, hoping to reach the police station, but Jake drove after me in his pickup. He got out of his truck and ran after me, gripping my hair. Then he whipped my head around so I was facing his dirt-smeared face. 

"Don't you ever try that again," He growled. His breath was rotten, due to the alcohol and the nearly constant smoking. I screamed at the top of my lungs but nobody ever came. "I should have had you in chains!"

<^>

"Linda!" Paul was clutching my arm. "Linda!!"

I was in tears, choking on my pathetic sobs. He leaned forward and folded his arms around me, silently comforting me, which was what I needed most. He rubbed my back up and down. I hated when people tried to talk me through my problems, overwhelming me with too much information. I just wanted someone to understand and help me through it, and Paul was fitting that exactly.

~~~

Around eight o' clock he helped me through walking exercises again. We walked across the room and back twice. I tried not to lean so heavily on him, but I ended up doing so anyway. We were on the third round when I had to stop.

"Okay," I whispered. "I can't go on,"

Once again, he made a sort of chair with his arms and had me sit back. I was hesitant, but I would have collapsed anyway, so I did as I was told. he caught me and carried me to my bed, speaking softly in my ear. "Sweet dreams, Love, sweet dreams,"

~~~

It took me a while to go to sleep, and in the meantime I lost myself in thought. I shouldn't hate him because of that. I told myself. I really shouldn't. Some people have it worse than I do. But it was so hard to think about him without being filled with hate.