I glared at him with disgust as he stopped at the bottom of the steps and started coughing. He was really hacking his lungs out. I slammed the door, causing more glass to fall from the broken window, and waited to make sure he left. I ran down to the basement and flipped the light on.

Linda was sitting on the floor with Martha, clutching her necklace. I knelt down in front of her and saw that she looked absolutely terrified. "It's alright, Love, he's gone," I whispered, brushing the hair from her face.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her eyes adjusting to the light. She gently touched the side of my face. It stung horribly. "You're hurt!" I could see blood on her finger as she drew it back, and she began to tear up. "I've really done it now! I'm so sorry, Paul, I'm sorry!"

"Hey, hey, it's alright, Linda, I'm fine!" I assured her. "I'm fine, I promise!"

She gazed at me sadly for a second before leaning forward with a big hug. She took me by surprise, but I was glad she did, because she was noticeably shaking, and I figured hearing all that without knowing what was going on was probably terrifying. I held her close and rested my head on her shoulder, thankful she was alright.

~~~

"Do you play?" I asked, motioning toward the piano. Martha had gone back upstairs but we had stayed down there for some time, mostly because Linda couldn't go back up the stairs so easily.

"No, not really," She shook her head.

"D'you want to?" I grinned. "Nothing to it"

"I could try," She smiled back as I helped her up. "I ran a little bit earlier," She told me.

"You ran?" I sparked up. "That's amazing!"

She chuckled lightly. "Only a little bit," she said. "From the bench to here"

"That's great news, Linda," I smiled wider as we neared the bench. She walked on her own beside me. "Never give up, Love. I remember just a month ago you were convinced you'd never walk again, but look at you now!"