Eternally Yours--Chapter 13
"Doc, what's going on?" he asked after she had cried for about twenty minutes.
"Oh John, it's so complicated." she said snuggling into his chest and holding him tighter.
"Doc, what's wrong?" he asked holding her.
"I...I," she began choking on her tears.
"Are you okay?" he asked pulling her to face him.
"I'm fine." she said turning away from him. "I'm sorry to be crying like this."
"Doc, why won't you look at me?" he asked as she walked over to her window. "What is going on here?"
"The stress is just getting to me." she lied thinking about how Roman had responded to her earlier. "That's it."
"No, there's something more." he said looking her over. "You won't even look at me."
"I'm fine." she said closing her eyes and feeling pain on her left cheek. "I'm just tired."
"Don't lie to me Doc." he said turning her to face him. He looked her over and noticed that the left side of her face was a light shade of red. "What happened here tonight?"
"Roman what are you doing here?" Caroline asked surprised opening the front door to the pub.
"Mom, Doc and I had a fight tonight and things got out of hand between us." he explained with tears in his eyes.
"I knew this was going to happen." she said letting him into the pub. "I was only hoping that it wouldn't have happened so soon during the holidays."
"Mom, I messed things up so bad tonight." Roman explained slumping into one of the booths. "I was so angry with her."
"Roman, I understand why you're angry." she said reaching for her son's hand. "Anyone in your position has a right to be upset."
"Mom, I hit her." he explained looking into her eyes. "I don't know what happened to me mom, but I struck her in the face."
"You what?" she asked stunned.
"I don't know what came over me mom. One minute I was fine, then the next I was overwhelmed with fury." he said starting to cry. "I don't know why I started to feel like that."
"What exactly happened tonight Roman?" she asked worried about Marlena.
"We went to dinner with John and Kristen earlier, then we were spending some quiet time alone together and I snapped for no reason." He explained to her.
"Did Marlena say something to upset you?" she asked wondering if he had discovered the truth about John and Marlena.
"No mom." he said crying. "I just started acting irrational and I accused her of having an affair again with someone."
"Did you find any proof of this?" she asked worried.
"No, it was just something stupid that I said." he said looking out into the night. "I'm afraid that I've lost Marlena for good now mom."
"Nothing John." she lied jumping as he tried to touch her face.
"Doc, don't tell me that. I come into the penthouse and find you half dressed on your bed with a red mark on your face. Something happened here and I want to know what it was." he demanded looking into her eyes.
"I just fell down while I was changing." she lied trying not to reveal the truth.
"Roman did this to you, didn't he?" he asked realizing the mark on her face looked like a hand print. "He hit you, didn't he?"
"John..." she began crying again.
"That bastard. Where is he?" he said feeling anger run throughout his body. "I'll kill him if he comes near you again."
"No John!!! Don't say that." she pleaded with him as he walked towards the door. "He didn't mean to hit me."
"So he did hit you." John repeated looking at her. "Why Doc? Did you tell him about us?"
"No." she began crying thinking about the way Roman behaved. "He just had too much to drink and it interacted with the medication that he's on."
"Doc, a drug interaction wouldn't cause a man to hit you." John informed her as she started shaking. "Something else happened."
"He tried to..." she trailed off in tears as she fell to the floor. "I'm so sorry John. I was thinking about you and I kissed him. I didn't mean to, but I was tired and the next thing I knew he was..."
"Did he hurt you Doc?" he asked rushing next to her on the floor.
"No, he was just angry." she explained to him. "That was it."
"I feel like this is my fault." John said as tears filled in his eyes. "I should've warned you sooner that he was having those feeling about you."
"No John." she said looking at him. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have tried to keep the truth from him like this."
"Doc, from now on, let's be honest with everyone." he insisted touching her face softly. "I love you and I don't want you to be hurt like this ever again."
"I know John." she answered looking up at him. "We'll tell Roman the truth about us after he cools off."
"Where is he?" he asked taking in a deep breath and trying to calm down.
"He's gone for the night." she answered hoping that he wouldn't go after Roman.
"I'm not leaving you alone." he informed her as he picked her up and placed her on her bed and looked at her face. "I'm going to get you some ice for that."
"Don't leave me." she urged tugging on his arm. "Please just stay with me."
"Alright." he said climbing into bed with her. "I love you."
"I love you too." she said snuggling into his chest and closing her eyes trying to forget the pain.
"I won't ever leave you alone again Doc." he whispered as she dozed off to sleep.
To Chapter 14
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