Late into that night, the screaming started again. I could barely block it out as the sounds grew louder the more time passed. The sounds of a woman who had lost herself and all that she knew was something terrifying and unimaginable. 

Who am I? Who are you? What are all these people doing here? Questions like these spewed from her lips in haste. There was nothing to stop the tirade. No form of comforting could settle the mind that was trapped in. 

I hugged tight the pillow that I'd been sleeping on. I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't want to think about how horrifying it must be to not know anyone, notice any other face including your own. 

Through all the screaming, all I could think was, 'it'll be over soon.' Her suffering would be over soon. 

A sudden frantic knock on the door sent me shooting right out of bed. Was it Maria? Did she need help again? If she did, I couldn't do it. I couldn't face the blood or the pleas for death again. I couldn't take another minute of being in close proximity to Elana. 

I opened the door quickly, my eyes meeting Dylan's frustrated features as I looked out quickly. His gaze spoke volumes. The tear stains on his face gave away much of what he hid; his humanity. 

I spoke first, quickly realizing that Dylan was having a harder time than I. And why wouldn't he be? He was losing the only family he had left. "Do you need help with something?" His answer held no words. Instead, I watched almost from the sidelines as Dylan leaned over and wrapped his arms around me, pushing me back into the room and pulling the door closed. 

My throat went dry. Heart galloping like the legs of a racehorse. This wasn't what I expected. 

"Dylan?" I whispered his name, but the only response was a tighter embrace. His arms burying themselves in my flesh. I gasped, struggling to take deep breaths under Dylans hold.  

He didn't need to speak. His actions were saying it all. "Comfort me." "Hold me." "Tell me it's okay."

I gently brought my arms up, crossing them over Dylan's back as Elana's screams continued in the distance. I held him for as long as I could. Breathing with him, listening silently to the sobs that he was obviously trying to hide each time his chest pressed tighter against mine. 

"It's okay," I whispered. "It's gonna be okay."

The person I held had finally let go. All his walls, personas, lies. They came crashing down in the blink of an eye. Exposing him to be what he really was. Human. 

Minutes later, someone knocked on the door causing Dylan to pull away quickly from me. He opened the door, wiping the wetness from his eyes as the light outside the room entered the door. 

"Yeah, Henry," Dylan answered, unafraid to allow this man who'd been with him his whole life to see him in that state. 

"The hospital just called. They're only five minutes out," Henry informed him.

"Right. I'll get ready to go. . . " 

Dylan tried to leave the room, but Henry stopped him. "I'll do it. I'll go with her. I'll take this last trip, you can come to sign whatever papers you need to later on. You know they won't process anything until the morning, so try to get some sleep. Okay?"

Henry wasn't asking Dylan, he was telling me, and Dylan didn't have a choice but to give in. Whatever relationship he'd had with Elana before everything happened, it was clear that he still cherished and honored it. His and Dylan's disagreements where Elana was concerned. It was justified because clearly, he loved her.

Dylan didn't say much, only nodding and whispering thank you as Henry turned and left. Elana's screaming lessened shortly thereafter. Dylan closed the door, pressing his back against it and sliding down the wooden surface in the darkness. The moonlight shone gently through the drapes, allowing me to see Dylan where he sat. 

I knelt, leaning over to touch him. "Are you okay?" No response again. "You don't have to talk, we can just stay in the dark if that's what you want, but, at least lay on the bed." I stood, moonlight dancing across my figure as I walked back to my bed. "I'll be right here, Dylan, just come when you want to."

My heart ached for him. Just knowing that the last person you loved was gone. How hard must it be that even Dylan could hide his emotions no longer? I wanted to comfort him more, but, I was doing all I needed to. If he needed me anymore, he'd come to me. 

My back against the headboard with my legs pulled up to my chest, I watched Dylan in the semi-darkness. He continuously lowered his head, before lifting it back and gently banging it against the back of the door. 

It went on for some time. When the hospital came to pick Elana up. When she screamed and quieted as the sedative they gave her took effect. When they spoke to Henry about how things would go once they got to the hospital. And when they finally left. Dylan just kept banging his head. 

After some more time had passed, I drifted to sleep with the sound of the banging floating distantly to the back of my mind. Thinking of Dylan, and Elena, and Henry, and Mason, and me. 

"Ms. Grant?" the voice whispered. Hands shaking my shoulder as I slept. "Ms. Grant. Wake up. You should eat something." Maria said again. 

My eyes opened, quickly searching the room as I recalled the night's events. "Where's Dylan?" 

Maria stepped back as I pulled myself up. "Mr. Stone is on the second floor."I breathed an audible sigh of relief. "You'll be having breakfast with him. Do you need any help getting ready, he's already waiting."

I hopped off the bed. "No. I'll just go like this." I looked down at my fair gangly legs. Dylan had seen me in all kinds of ways, I wasn't about to get all dressed up when we just gonna sit down to eat. I quickly washed my face and hurried upstairs to see Dylan. Beating myself up internally for falling asleep while he was still agonizing over everything that was happening. 

He sat at the island, waiting for me with his eyes closed and his arms folded across his chest. I stared at him quietly for a few moments before actually going in. "Good morning, Dylan," I said as I walked in past the loveseat. 

He opened his eyes, giving me a half smile in response to my greeting. 

I continued on, pulling out my chair and sitting down. "When did you leave?"

Dylan picked up his fork, poking at the scrambled eggs in front of him. "Around 3 maybe. Why?"

I smiled, "Nothing. I just thought you wouldn't want to be alone."

"And that I'd lay in bed with you?" I nodded. "I did, briefly. But then I got up and got my shit together."

I took a bite of my toast. "You think being like that isn't having your shit together?"

"No. That's not what I meant. I just needed to make sure that Elana was okay so I went to the hospital."

"And is she?" I asked, genuinely concerned about her. 

"She's. . . alive," he said grimly. "There's a lot to talk about, right?"

I looked up Dylan, meeting his eyes as he stared back into mine. "Only if you want to," I replied. 

He took a deep breath and finally started eating. The two of us continued that way for a while, in silence, using each others company to fill a void that was eating away at our insides. When we finished, Maria came and promptly cleared away our dishes. Dylan stopped her on way her downstairs. Informing her that she didn't have to return to work. The young woman's face blanched.

"You're firing me?" she asked with a shaky breath.

Dylan shook his head. "Think of it as an extended vacation. I'll provide you with a 10% bonus on your current salary for the remaining 8 months of the year." The look in Maria's eyes was priceless. What kind of boss paid someone to not work for them with a bonus for more than half a year? 

"You've been an excellent help with Elana but, in her current state, I doubt she'll be returning home. And even if she does, I'd have to employ someone with medical expertise to take care of her. So," Dylan stood, reaching out his hand to Maria. The woman took it, returning the handshake as tears flowed from her eyes. "Thank you for your service to my family. I wish you the best that life has to offer and happiness. I wish you lots of happiness and health. Take care of yourself, Ms. Rose."

Rose. Maria Rose. It was the first time I'd heard her last name. We'd known and interacted with each other for almost a month but I knew nothing about her. Her age, her name, her family. I didn't know anything except that she worked there.

Maria cried, thanking Dylan repeatedly as she covered her mouth with one hand. It was a heartwarming sight. The relationship between an employer and his employees is usually much more detached. Sending them home and cutting off their income without so much as a notice was the norm. But now, watching this play out in front of me. I was gaining a new respect for Dylan. 

"Once I'm done putting these things away, I'll be going." She indicated the dishes in the sink. 

Dylan shook his head. "You really don't have to. I'm sure you're still tired from yesterday. Just go whenever you're ready. You can use the car service to take you all the way home. Please."

She couldn't say another word. Of course, Dylan's generosity was as flabberghasting to her as it was to me so she finally excused herself to get packed. 

"That was really nice," I managed to utter as Dylan sat back down. 

He pushed his dark hair back where it had fallen into his eyes. "She deserves it. That wasn't the first suicide attempt. No one should have to see that." I didn't respond. "How do you feel?"

"About?" I asked quizzically.

"Stopping a suicide attempt. I saw how bloody things got." Dylan's eyes held a great amount of concern. 

I lifted my hands in the air, flipping them back and forth. "There are no blood stains, and thankfully, your sister is alive. That means I was able to help save the life of someone." I paused, thinking carefully. "She's someone dear to you that you love. It's okay to be in pain. And it's to talk about it."

He sighed, standing. I got up quickly, scared that I chased him away with all the urges to be vulnerable. "I didn't mean to. . ."

He stopped me. "You're right. It's okay to be in pain and I am. I just don't want to talk about it yet." He gave me a small reassuring smile as he walked away. "I'll be in my studio. If I need you, or you need me, just shoot me a text. Is that good?"

I nodded. That was good. It was all good. Painful and hard and heartbreaking, but good. 

AN

OMG, I feel terrible for Elena. Remember to drop your comments below expressing your love or hate for the current chapter. This frequent update thing is going great lol. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out some of my other works