Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2016 3:04:23 GMT
Bryan Williams isn’t a man of many dreams, but he is haunted by numerous nightmares.
Visions of his past, still running in his mind as he sleeps. Several months ago he had one recurring nightmare, playing out over and over in his mind. The scene he just stumbled onto was even worse than he had ever imagined. How could you blame the guy, walking in to find your Fiancée face down on the floor.
Unresponsive.
Beaten, and bloodied.
4 months since his own awful event, the moment that changed Bryan and Tate’s lives forever. Now here he was, his past coming back to haunt him yet again. Bryan could see himself laying there, face down in a pool of his own blood. It took everything in his being not to get stuck on that night, he had to focus. He had to carry Tate upstairs, and make a few phone calls.
The light from the desk lamp caught Tate’s eyes as they fluttered open. The brightness made her head ache. This seemed all too familiar, memories flooding back in a terrible fashion. She shot upright, a panicked sense as she tried to grasp her bearing. She tried to throw back the sheets, but felt like she was moving under water. Looking around the bedroom it quickly became very familiar for her, she was at home.
For a split second she thought it might have all been a terrible nightmare, something so vivid. The shooting pain in her ribs and shoulder quickly brought her back to reality. Thankfully Bryan was there, rushing to her aide as he sat down on the bed next to her. Tate was still groggy, mainly due to the painkillers, but when she saw him she felt some measure of relief.. Bryan’s tired eyes told her everything she needed to know, a weak smile on his face to try and help her feel better.
Bryan: “Hey...”
It wasn’t much in the way of anything, but could you blame the poor guy? Bryan had spent the last few hours worrying about Tate. The unfortunate situation had put him in a bit of a spot, bringing her to a hospital would definitely look sketchy. Thankfully an old contact was available to help, coming through to render aide to Tate Troy. The same doctor who had patched Bryan up four months ago, now had come to the aide for them both.
Tate slowly sank back into the bed, Bryan’s hand taking hers as she did. His head lowered, kissing the back of her hand over and over again. Soft sobs, mainly due to relief, came from Bryan as he did. Her other hand lifted, because she didn’t want to pull the one out of his, and found the back of his head, stroking his hair.
Tate: “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
Bryan: “What the hell happened?”
Bryan asked, lifting his face up. Looking at Tate was hard, her face was bruised all along the left side. Her lip was split, and there was the cut there by her eye. None of her sanctioned fights had ever left her that bad. And that was just what was above the sheets. It didn’t want to look at the rest.
Despite the difficulty, he kept looking at her, waiting on the answer. An answer she clearly didn’t want to give. She turned her hand over in his, squeezing his fingers gently while she looked away and thought.
Tate: “Can I get something to drink?”
More like, Can I change the subject and hope you don’t make me answer?
Bryan nodded, hurrying downstairs towards the kitchen. The small black pug found her way while he was gone, scurrying into the bedroom. The puppy had the sense not to jump all over Tate, instead finding her way next to her. Bryan soon returned, a glass of water handed to Tate.
Bryan: “Doc says you possibly have bruised ribs, no way to tell without an x-ray. You were in a lot of pain though, so we were a bit worried about that...”
Tate pushed the sheets down, forcing him to look at her black and blue ribs. Yet she hardly seemed to pay any attention to that. She was looking at her swollen, heavily bruised knee. She had to struggle to keep her emotions off of her face. Bryan’s were certainly on display, his tired face was ravaged with concern.
Tate: “What did he say about that?”
Bryan: “Again, no real way of knowing without taking you in. My guess wouldn’t be good though, just from experience.”
A heavy sigh from Bryan, as he carefully reached out to feel it. Tate almost immediately flinching, Bryan knew enough that it was probably serious damage.
Bryan: “...Fuck.”[i/]
A few measured breaths helped Tate stay remarkably calm. In spite of the pain she tested her knee again. The frustration was on her face for a moment, before she smoothed it away, letting her eyes close.
Tate: “Could just be a strain.”
There was no hope in her voice for that. Bryan thought about saying something, but opted to stay quiet. Instead he walked over towards the dresser, grabbing an ice pack that he had gotten ready for her. It was quite easy for him to set up, a towel to keep the skin from getting burned. Pillows to elevate the knee, and the pack itself placed gently on it. Soon enough he was right back at her side, both of them still quiet.
Bryan: “What else is feeling bad?”
Tate: “My shoulder, but it’s fine. Not torn or dislocated, just acting up. ...I’m fine. I promise.”
Bryan tried to chuckle, but in his tired state he hardly moved at all.
Bryan: “You’re going to be fine, yeah. This shouldn’t have happened though.”
There was a struggle, for Bryan, to look at Tate. An immediate sense of guilt flooded his mind. She knew it, because she could always read him like a book.
Tate: “Can you just pretend you believe me if I tell you I tripped on the jogging path?”
Bryan: “If only.”
He knew, and she knew that he knew.
Bryan: “It’ll be handled. For right now though, I’m yours. Whatever you need, I got it.”
There was a cryptic look on her face, and then she looked away. A silence hung thick in the air. A second or two later the puppy whined and nudged at Tate’s hand, like the little dog somehow knew what she was holding back. The blonde ex-soldier had to clear her throat to keep her composure, because this was a more frightening battlefield than one with bullets.
Tate: “I want you to marry me, Bryan.”
Bryan: “Well yeah, we are going to. That’s why I did the whole proposal thing a few months ago…”
Chalk it up to being tired, Bryan hadn’t really caught what Tate had said until a few moments after he spoke. His face lit up with realization.
Bryan: “Whoa, you mean like -”
She looked him in the eyes, making sure he understood fully.
Tate: “Sarge is gonna be back for a quick furlough in two days.”
Bryan: “I mean, yeah! I’ve been ready to do this for a while now. Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Tate: “We can just go to the courthouse and do it real quick. If you want anyone to be there, that’s fine. I just want to get it done. We can do something nice later, but for now if something happens...”
If something happened then they would have legal authority to make decisions. The happy moment suddenly took a turn, Bryan understanding what all of this was coming down to. All because of one man, a person he felt very responsible for.
Bryan grew quiet, having to process everything so quickly. The night had been rough for him, watching Tate sleep as he worried. He already knew, when he found her. In the back of his mind he had hoped it wouldn’t go this far, but he still knew. His father had pushed the limits, taking this to a breaking point that could not be stopped now.
Bryan: “Tate, I need you to be sure that you want to do this. I really do think you deserve the absolute best, not just some courthouse thing.”
One hand ran gently through his close-cropped beard, the one she liked to tease him about having grays in even though he didn’t, and the other ran through his slightly messy hair despite the pain it caused her to lift her arm. She pulled him close so she didn’t have to move, and kissed him. With only the tired, weak grip of her arms and the draw of her lips she tried to silence all of his doubts.
Tate: “It’s what I want. We’ll do something nice later, when we’ve got time and money and no worries. Right now I want this. ...If I’m going to try to be patient enough to get through this, I need it.”
Bryan nodded, Tate’s grip becoming weak prompted him to hold her up. Being careful of her sides, he held her up as he looked into her eyes.
Bryan: “Alright then. I’m yours.”
Her arms rested across his back, but she was too tired to really hold on. For once she let him do that for her.
Tate: “I’m yours… … …And I have been since we sat on the couch and watched the same movie for ten hours. No matter how crazy you make me, no matter how much I yell at you because I don’t know what else to do… No matter if I have to have knee surgery or just sit in bed until it’s better… No matter how much of a bitch that makes me or if you choose to wrestle or fight or start coaching at King’s Road… I’m yours Bryan Williams.”
Bryan: “You’re all I’ve ever wanted, I’ll give your Sarge a call and we’ll do this.”
Despite how tired he was, and the anger that was building up inside of him, his reassuring smile helped put Tate at ease. They both knew that this wasn’t over in any sense, but they had been in this situation before. Like that, they had both gotten through it together.
Bryan: “Speaking of watching movies for ten hours, I suppose that’s all you’ll be doing for a while.”
Tate: “...I’m going to go fucking crazy in like two days.”
Bryan: “We’re gonna have to schedule a MRI for that knee, no avoiding that.”
Tate sighed. She knew he was right, naturally. Of course, there were other issues there.
Tate: “...We’re going to have to call Aidan.”
Bryan nodded.
Bryan: “Yeah, that’s fine with me. We’ll go down to the courthouse as soon as you’re feeling better. Gonna have to figure out that whole last name thing though. You going to hyphen, or is this going to be a weird marriage where I take your last name?”
Tate: “I know it’s dumb but… I feel like all I’ve really got left of Mom and Pops is the name. I know I’ve got their stuff and I know that I’ve got male cousins but they don’t deserve the name. I guess… I’m going to be Troy-Williams.”
Bryan nodded again.
Bryan: “Fair enough. Doesn’t matter to me, you’re going to be my wife. All I care about.”
Bryan quickly becoming sluggish, as he almost falls over onto the bed. Everything had finally caught up to him, Tate almost hurting herself trying to keep him upright. The puppy scrambled out of the way and Tate steeled herself, hissing and tensing in the fear that he might fall on her leg.
Tate: “Come on babe, lay down.”
Bryan struggled, for a moment, as he carefully tried to get himself back up.
Bryan: “No, I still have to take care of you. Can’t lay down yet.”
Tate: “I’m just going to sleep some more I think. It’ll be easier to sleep with you here. I’m used to your snoring now.”
Bryan hardly was able to answer back, carefully moving himself onto the bed as Tate answered him. He was almost out as soon as his head hit the pillow, of course he was still fighting it. Stubborn as hell.
Despite his fatigue’s best effort, Bryan was still able to keep awake. Tate doing her best to maneuver comfortably towards him. It was a challenge for them both, but soon enough she was in his arms.
Bryan: “I’m sorry, TJ … for all of this. You didn’t deserve it.”
Tate: “Ssh… just sleep.”
Bryan wiped his eyes again, as he nodded.
Bryan: “Alright, no point in fighting it anymore. Love you.”
Soon enough he was nuzzled in her neck, and just as quickly he was out.
Visions of his past, still running in his mind as he sleeps. Several months ago he had one recurring nightmare, playing out over and over in his mind. The scene he just stumbled onto was even worse than he had ever imagined. How could you blame the guy, walking in to find your Fiancée face down on the floor.
Unresponsive.
Beaten, and bloodied.
4 months since his own awful event, the moment that changed Bryan and Tate’s lives forever. Now here he was, his past coming back to haunt him yet again. Bryan could see himself laying there, face down in a pool of his own blood. It took everything in his being not to get stuck on that night, he had to focus. He had to carry Tate upstairs, and make a few phone calls.
September 7th, 2016
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts
The light from the desk lamp caught Tate’s eyes as they fluttered open. The brightness made her head ache. This seemed all too familiar, memories flooding back in a terrible fashion. She shot upright, a panicked sense as she tried to grasp her bearing. She tried to throw back the sheets, but felt like she was moving under water. Looking around the bedroom it quickly became very familiar for her, she was at home.
For a split second she thought it might have all been a terrible nightmare, something so vivid. The shooting pain in her ribs and shoulder quickly brought her back to reality. Thankfully Bryan was there, rushing to her aide as he sat down on the bed next to her. Tate was still groggy, mainly due to the painkillers, but when she saw him she felt some measure of relief.. Bryan’s tired eyes told her everything she needed to know, a weak smile on his face to try and help her feel better.
Bryan: “Hey...”
It wasn’t much in the way of anything, but could you blame the poor guy? Bryan had spent the last few hours worrying about Tate. The unfortunate situation had put him in a bit of a spot, bringing her to a hospital would definitely look sketchy. Thankfully an old contact was available to help, coming through to render aide to Tate Troy. The same doctor who had patched Bryan up four months ago, now had come to the aide for them both.
Tate slowly sank back into the bed, Bryan’s hand taking hers as she did. His head lowered, kissing the back of her hand over and over again. Soft sobs, mainly due to relief, came from Bryan as he did. Her other hand lifted, because she didn’t want to pull the one out of his, and found the back of his head, stroking his hair.
Tate: “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
Bryan: “What the hell happened?”
Bryan asked, lifting his face up. Looking at Tate was hard, her face was bruised all along the left side. Her lip was split, and there was the cut there by her eye. None of her sanctioned fights had ever left her that bad. And that was just what was above the sheets. It didn’t want to look at the rest.
Despite the difficulty, he kept looking at her, waiting on the answer. An answer she clearly didn’t want to give. She turned her hand over in his, squeezing his fingers gently while she looked away and thought.
Tate: “Can I get something to drink?”
More like, Can I change the subject and hope you don’t make me answer?
Bryan nodded, hurrying downstairs towards the kitchen. The small black pug found her way while he was gone, scurrying into the bedroom. The puppy had the sense not to jump all over Tate, instead finding her way next to her. Bryan soon returned, a glass of water handed to Tate.
Bryan: “Doc says you possibly have bruised ribs, no way to tell without an x-ray. You were in a lot of pain though, so we were a bit worried about that...”
Tate pushed the sheets down, forcing him to look at her black and blue ribs. Yet she hardly seemed to pay any attention to that. She was looking at her swollen, heavily bruised knee. She had to struggle to keep her emotions off of her face. Bryan’s were certainly on display, his tired face was ravaged with concern.
Tate: “What did he say about that?”
Bryan: “Again, no real way of knowing without taking you in. My guess wouldn’t be good though, just from experience.”
A heavy sigh from Bryan, as he carefully reached out to feel it. Tate almost immediately flinching, Bryan knew enough that it was probably serious damage.
Bryan: “...Fuck.”[i/]
A few measured breaths helped Tate stay remarkably calm. In spite of the pain she tested her knee again. The frustration was on her face for a moment, before she smoothed it away, letting her eyes close.
Tate: “Could just be a strain.”
There was no hope in her voice for that. Bryan thought about saying something, but opted to stay quiet. Instead he walked over towards the dresser, grabbing an ice pack that he had gotten ready for her. It was quite easy for him to set up, a towel to keep the skin from getting burned. Pillows to elevate the knee, and the pack itself placed gently on it. Soon enough he was right back at her side, both of them still quiet.
Bryan: “What else is feeling bad?”
Tate: “My shoulder, but it’s fine. Not torn or dislocated, just acting up. ...I’m fine. I promise.”
Bryan tried to chuckle, but in his tired state he hardly moved at all.
Bryan: “You’re going to be fine, yeah. This shouldn’t have happened though.”
There was a struggle, for Bryan, to look at Tate. An immediate sense of guilt flooded his mind. She knew it, because she could always read him like a book.
Tate: “Can you just pretend you believe me if I tell you I tripped on the jogging path?”
Bryan: “If only.”
He knew, and she knew that he knew.
Bryan: “It’ll be handled. For right now though, I’m yours. Whatever you need, I got it.”
There was a cryptic look on her face, and then she looked away. A silence hung thick in the air. A second or two later the puppy whined and nudged at Tate’s hand, like the little dog somehow knew what she was holding back. The blonde ex-soldier had to clear her throat to keep her composure, because this was a more frightening battlefield than one with bullets.
Tate: “I want you to marry me, Bryan.”
Bryan: “Well yeah, we are going to. That’s why I did the whole proposal thing a few months ago…”
Chalk it up to being tired, Bryan hadn’t really caught what Tate had said until a few moments after he spoke. His face lit up with realization.
Bryan: “Whoa, you mean like -”
She looked him in the eyes, making sure he understood fully.
Tate: “Sarge is gonna be back for a quick furlough in two days.”
Bryan: “I mean, yeah! I’ve been ready to do this for a while now. Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Tate: “We can just go to the courthouse and do it real quick. If you want anyone to be there, that’s fine. I just want to get it done. We can do something nice later, but for now if something happens...”
If something happened then they would have legal authority to make decisions. The happy moment suddenly took a turn, Bryan understanding what all of this was coming down to. All because of one man, a person he felt very responsible for.
Bryan grew quiet, having to process everything so quickly. The night had been rough for him, watching Tate sleep as he worried. He already knew, when he found her. In the back of his mind he had hoped it wouldn’t go this far, but he still knew. His father had pushed the limits, taking this to a breaking point that could not be stopped now.
Bryan: “Tate, I need you to be sure that you want to do this. I really do think you deserve the absolute best, not just some courthouse thing.”
One hand ran gently through his close-cropped beard, the one she liked to tease him about having grays in even though he didn’t, and the other ran through his slightly messy hair despite the pain it caused her to lift her arm. She pulled him close so she didn’t have to move, and kissed him. With only the tired, weak grip of her arms and the draw of her lips she tried to silence all of his doubts.
Tate: “It’s what I want. We’ll do something nice later, when we’ve got time and money and no worries. Right now I want this. ...If I’m going to try to be patient enough to get through this, I need it.”
Bryan nodded, Tate’s grip becoming weak prompted him to hold her up. Being careful of her sides, he held her up as he looked into her eyes.
Bryan: “Alright then. I’m yours.”
Her arms rested across his back, but she was too tired to really hold on. For once she let him do that for her.
Tate: “I’m yours… … …And I have been since we sat on the couch and watched the same movie for ten hours. No matter how crazy you make me, no matter how much I yell at you because I don’t know what else to do… No matter if I have to have knee surgery or just sit in bed until it’s better… No matter how much of a bitch that makes me or if you choose to wrestle or fight or start coaching at King’s Road… I’m yours Bryan Williams.”
Bryan: “You’re all I’ve ever wanted, I’ll give your Sarge a call and we’ll do this.”
Despite how tired he was, and the anger that was building up inside of him, his reassuring smile helped put Tate at ease. They both knew that this wasn’t over in any sense, but they had been in this situation before. Like that, they had both gotten through it together.
Bryan: “Speaking of watching movies for ten hours, I suppose that’s all you’ll be doing for a while.”
Tate: “...I’m going to go fucking crazy in like two days.”
Bryan: “We’re gonna have to schedule a MRI for that knee, no avoiding that.”
Tate sighed. She knew he was right, naturally. Of course, there were other issues there.
Tate: “...We’re going to have to call Aidan.”
Bryan nodded.
Bryan: “Yeah, that’s fine with me. We’ll go down to the courthouse as soon as you’re feeling better. Gonna have to figure out that whole last name thing though. You going to hyphen, or is this going to be a weird marriage where I take your last name?”
Tate: “I know it’s dumb but… I feel like all I’ve really got left of Mom and Pops is the name. I know I’ve got their stuff and I know that I’ve got male cousins but they don’t deserve the name. I guess… I’m going to be Troy-Williams.”
Bryan nodded again.
Bryan: “Fair enough. Doesn’t matter to me, you’re going to be my wife. All I care about.”
Bryan quickly becoming sluggish, as he almost falls over onto the bed. Everything had finally caught up to him, Tate almost hurting herself trying to keep him upright. The puppy scrambled out of the way and Tate steeled herself, hissing and tensing in the fear that he might fall on her leg.
Tate: “Come on babe, lay down.”
Bryan struggled, for a moment, as he carefully tried to get himself back up.
Bryan: “No, I still have to take care of you. Can’t lay down yet.”
Tate: “I’m just going to sleep some more I think. It’ll be easier to sleep with you here. I’m used to your snoring now.”
Bryan hardly was able to answer back, carefully moving himself onto the bed as Tate answered him. He was almost out as soon as his head hit the pillow, of course he was still fighting it. Stubborn as hell.
Despite his fatigue’s best effort, Bryan was still able to keep awake. Tate doing her best to maneuver comfortably towards him. It was a challenge for them both, but soon enough she was in his arms.
Bryan: “I’m sorry, TJ … for all of this. You didn’t deserve it.”
Tate: “Ssh… just sleep.”
Bryan wiped his eyes again, as he nodded.
Bryan: “Alright, no point in fighting it anymore. Love you.”
Soon enough he was nuzzled in her neck, and just as quickly he was out.
