[CW: violence, assault, description of injuries, trauma/PTSD]

3 DAYS AGO - 07:03

NORAH GOT OUT OF HER car and locked it, stifling a yawn as she blinked away the tears.

The sun slowly started rising, but the sky had not yet brightened. Layers of white clouds scattered around the orange sky.

It was quite a view, she must admit.

Her pager beeped again, and she silently cursed at it for ruining the morning mood. She stuffed her hand into the pocket of one of Mark's leather jackets and made her way towards the hospital's entrance, just like every other day.

Except that this day, she got greeted with a rough arm around her waist and what felt like a blade pressed onto her back.

"Hello, Honorah, it's been a while," the man whispered next to her ear, and she felt her body stiffening at once. "Now, this knife of mine is pressing on your L3, and I would not like you to be paraplegic, do you?" he threatened, "So, doll, we have a lot to catch up on. Call your boss and tell him you're sick. Now."

She did as told while she plucked out the batteries of her pager secretly inside her pocket. Her back was starting to get damp, with her sweat rolling down from her neck. She did not dare speak another word as she followed Jeffrey reluctantly back to his car.

The memories of what happened in New York were quick to flush back into her head.

It was as though the vault that she had kept sealed for three years now was trying to bash open, the memories threatening to pour out like a waterfall, except this one had hot sparks of flames instead of cold droplets of water.

Two words echoed in her head: Help me.

❦ ❦ ❦

3 DAYS AGO - 08:24

NORAH SAT BESIDE JEFFREY on a long bench in the park where they watched children hurrying to school and many people exercising.

She knew for a fact that he would not hurt her in front of this many people. But she did not feel relieved at all-because that meant he would be messing with her mentally.

"Ah, I missed us, doll," Jeffrey voiced as he leaned against the bench, his arm spread behind her.

"I don't," she replied curtly. "And stop calling me... that."

"Doll? Oh, come on, you used to love it," he smirked.

Used to. And, correction: I had never loved it.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned demandingly, "Why are you here? How did you know I'm here?"

"Geez, don't you have lots of questions? Well, I have some, too, in fact," he brought one leg up on the other's knee, turning her face to him. She flinched under his touch, not that he cared. "Why did you run away? Why did you leave me alone? What made you think you could escape me?"

What made me think I could escape you? Good question, indeed.

Norah remained silent as she stared at the couple across the park with their little girl on the swings. They looked happy, a warm family spending a morning together.

She never had that.

Jeffrey's hand snaked to the collar of her leather jacket, and she immediately smacked his hand away, but he was quick to grab hold of her forearm.

"Now, now, doll," he whispered, his grip tightening around her hand, and she clenched her teeth at the pain. "You know, there are so many things we missed out on, and I say that we should catch up on time," he spoke, a sly smirk pulling his mouth as he yanked her up from the bench. "Let's go."

Norah felt like screaming, crying, yelling at the top of her lungs, but she remained silent.

She wondered if anyone noticed her absence unusual-she wondered if Mark noticed her missing.

If only she knew that he was only a few streets away from her, questioning her whereabouts while sending her texts.

Maybe then she would not feel like the world was collapsing around her.

❦ ❦ ❦

- PRESENT DAY -

S6 EP16

NORAH HAD WATCHED Jeffrey as he slept through all three nights, but she could not rest at all. She sat on the armchair right at the corner of his room, as far away from him as she possibly could.

The only relief she had was that he was in a hospital bed, healing up after his brain surgery, which meant he would not be able to get up for a while longer. She got up from her chair and headed towards the door.

"Doll, leaving me again?" Jeffrey's voice made her hair stand.

Calmly, she turned around, facing him. He stared at her, his eyes skimming her like he was a wolf, and she was a piece of fresh meat. "I have rounds," she answered tonelessly.

"And I'll be here waiting for you. I mean, it's not like I can go anywhere, can I?" he shrugged. "Well, if this is your way of keeping me close to you, then I'm all for it."

She felt like smothering him with a pillow, but she also knew he could tell what she was thinking.

"Don't even think of it. You don't wanna get charged for murder," he smirked knowingly, and she cringed. "I'll see you tonight, Honorah, or I'll get the cops here."

She twisted the doorknob and stepped out, not before him calling out behind her, "I vow to make your life a living hell until my very last breath!"

She slammed the door shut behind her, finally being able to catch her breath. His words echoed in her head like a mantra of a curse.

It felt as though the blood in her hands got replaced with ice; cold liquid ran in them with a desperate need of a warm touch.

And then she felt the slightest of it, at her fingertips, the warmth of the golden sand.

She swore she had finally gone insane.

❦ ❦ ❦

"I MISDIAGNOSED HARPER Avery. In front of Harper Avery," Cristina ranted as they walked down the hallway. "Do you know what that does to my chances of one day winning a Harper Avery?"

"Well, he could die before then," Meredith reasoned. "I mean, he could die today even."

Norah raised a brow at her statement as she pulled against the loose thread on her sleeve. "Don't say that in front of him," she suggested, "That will affect your chances of one day winning a Harper Avery."

Cristina nodded in agreement. "I just need to operate on my motorcycle daredevil guy, and I'll be fine," she sighed before turning to the brunette, "Where have you been the other day?"

"I um... just went to clear my head," Norah replied with a tight-lipped smile, "Turned off my phone and everything... Enjoy the air, you know?"

"You think we're gonna believe that?" Meredith raised a brow at the brunette, who shrugged and exhaled heavily. "Derek's been gone for days, too."

There was a long silence before Cristina popped up a question wildly, "Are you sleeping with Derek?" The two other residents stared at her wordlessly.

"Norah, I'm really sure you're not sleeping with him, but he looks stressed," Meredith stated, shaking her head, "You both are."

"Some things are better left untold... for now," Norah muttered, and Cristina narrowed her eyes at her as they headed down the hallway.

The former got pulled aside when Mark walked past them, and she hastily pulled the sleeves of her inner shirt to cover over her wrists.

"Hey," she breathed out.

"Hey? You haven't been back for three nights," he sighed. "What's going on?"

His voice filled with concern, but she could return was a shake of her head with a smile she had mastered. "N-Nothing's going on."

The look in his eyes made her scream internally. She did not want to lie to him, but she did not want him involved in this.

"I'm fine, Mark."

"Oh, who are you kidding? You're not," he deadpanned, but his pager went off. He sighed and moved the strand of hair covering her face to the back of her ear. He lowered his head to her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Talk to me soon, okay?"

She nodded. When he left, her pager started to beep.

2523 - HANSON, J.

❦ ❦ ❦

WHEN NORAH MADE IT TO Jeffrey's patient room, he was already getting wheeled out with an intern bagging him. Her face went pale.

Derek followed closely behind him and saw her standing there, looking back at him with a pleading look on her face. "He has a re-bleed," he notified hastily.

"Will he-"

"I can't make any promises, Norah."

And with that, they were gone from her sight.

If he dies, I will be free. If he dies, I might get charged for manslaughter.

Timothy arrived at the room to find her pacing nervously. "Where'd that bastard go?"

"Re-bleed," she informed with a small scoff, "I need him out of my life, Tim. I need my life back. And I can't do it with him here."

He stared back at her for a moment before he spoke, "You're gonna run away again?"

"I don't want to. I really don't." She dropped herself on the armchair, staring blankly at the floor in front of her.

He shook his head. "I don't know how, but your knuckles are not bruised," he pointed out, "He can't fucking charge you without evidence."

Norah lifted her eyes to him, letting out an involuntary bitter laugh. "Oh, no... There is evidence."

She slowly pulled down the long sleeves until her elbow and watched as her brother's eyes widened twice their size. The green and purple bruises that were starting to fade around her forearms, close to her wrists, were nowhere near unnoticeable.

"That son of a bitch-" he snapped, "You told me you weren't hurt!"

She pulled her sleeves back down hastily. "It's just a few bruises..."

"Just a few bruises?" he bellowed; she ran a hand through her face as she shut her eyes in hopes to shut away from the buzzing noise in her head. "That fucking bastard-I'll personally kill him when he comes out of surgery! Hell, I'll put a scalpel through his brain now-"

"For god's sake-just shut up!" she snapped out of the blue, shaking her head, "My head is already killing me! And you raising your voice is not helping at all!"

He stared back at her with furrowed brows. "Why the fuck are you yelling at me?"

"Just-leave me alone. I-I need some quiet to think," she groaned, standing up from the chair she was sitting on. "I don't need your help, Tim. I'll sort this out myself."

"Will you, though? Or are you gonna run away again?!" He watched her as she headed out of the room despite his shouts. "You know what happened the last time it was like this!"

She ignored his words and left him to stand in the middle of the empty room.

"What the fuck happened that morning?"

❦ ❦ ❦

3 DAYS AGO - 09:56

NORAH HAD DROVE FOR how long, she did not know, but it felt like at least an hour. Jeffrey hummed to a tune from the radio; his legs kicked up above the glove compartment and his hands behind his head.

"Mm, pull over up there, doll," he pointed towards a space up front, and she did as told.

The engine got turned off, and he got out of the car; she followed suit. She handed the car keys back to him, and he was back to having his arm draped around her waist. She knew better than to fight back; hence she followed his steps.

They were surrounded by abandoned warehouses and factories; the place was deserted with no sight of life other than a few stray dogs. The chain gates were rusted, overgrown with moss; fallen concrete scattered on the uneven tar road.

One word to describe the surroundings was dead.

"W-Where are we... What are we doing here?" she finally mustered up the courage to ask.

Jeffrey tightened the grip around her waist, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek, but she pushed his face away, and he chuckled in response. "You'll warm up to me soon," he grinned.

He led them through a narrow alley, where the world seemed to darken, then into one of the abandoned warehouses where the locks had fallen off.

It was dark and stuffy. She could almost see the thick layer of dust floating in the air. Letting out a sharp cough from the particles, she covered the bottom half of her face with the collar of the leather jacket.

And then with a hard push, she lost her balance and was shoved down to the floor.

❦ ❦ ❦

- PRESENT DAY -

MARK TURNED IN HIS SLEEP, his left arm spreading over to the side of the bed out of habit. His eyes flickered open, and he squinted in the dark, only to find nobody next to him. Again.

He shuffled up from the bed and put on a t-shirt before quietly opening the room's door.

She did not spend the night in the hospital tonight, but she did not spend the night in bed, either. Norah sat on the couch, hugging the red throw pillow in her arms while she stared emptily at the ceiling.

Mark leaned against the doorframe of their room, watching her for who knows how long before he finally walked over to her.

She was startled a little when he plopped down on the couch next to her, grabbing the blue pillow in his hand. "Come back to bed," his voice was groggy but soft.

She shook her head ever so faintly. "I can't sleep."

"Come back to bed, anyway."

"I... can't."

Something was going on, he could tell. The smiles on her face got wiped out ever since she came back from that morning, when she was supposed to be in surgery but called in sick instead.

"You look like you haven't slept in days, Norah," he pointed out. Her eyes felt strained, and it was closing slowly, but before it could shut completely, she would widen them again. It was a repeating cycle that he could not bear to see.

"I can't sleep," she repeated dully.

"Have you ever tried, like those... sleeping pills?"

There was a long silence while she processed his words before slowly turning her head to look at him. "It didn't work," she stated with a twitch of a smile.

He sighed and nodded. "Come here," he whispered, slowly moving her from her shoulders so that she would lay her head on his lap. There was the slightest bit of relief when she did not protest.

"Promise me you'll be here when I wake up?"

He gave her hair a few light rakes before holding her hand in his. "I promise." She nodded and snuggled onto his legs, hugging the red pillow close to her chest.

He wanted to know what was going on inside her head because there was no way she would become distant overnight without a reason.

He had tried asking, but she would not provide a truthful response. Yet no matter how badly he wanted to, he could not bring himself to pry it out from her when she was in that... state.

"You know I love you, right?"

Something definitely happened, but he just did not know what.

And the 'what' was eating him alive.

"I know."

❦ ❦ ❦

3 DAYS AGO - 10:07

NORAH LANDED ON HER bottom, the solid floor making her grunt out loudly. Jeffrey had a snarky smile on his face, his figure slowly approaching her in the dark.

She did not run-she did not bother to try to run-knowing that they were in the middle of no life, running was not quite an option.

Fight or flight was screaming at her face; she chose fight.

Before Jeffrey could do whatever he wanted to do with her, he had collapsed to the floor. He let out a loud yell, his hand covering the blood trickling down his forehead. "What the fuck-"

Norah dropped the metal pipe she had stumbled upon, the loud clank echoing in the stuffy space. Before she could process that he was storming up to her, he had grabbed both her hands, backing her up against the wall.

The blood running down his forehead and the pure fear within her was triggering her flashbacks-both from her own bloodied hand and the past events of New York.

"How dare you hit me, huh?" he demanded and spat at her, "Who gave you such courage?" He eyed her up and down when she did not speak a word, his hand leaving the grip on her forearm and reaching for her wrists.

With her arms pinned to the wall and his grip tightening until she could feel her vessels getting clogged off, she kicked him-hard.

He had never beaten her in a physical fight, and he was not about to now.

Jeffrey staggered backwards; she punched him square in the nose, causing him to fall back.

The rage and adrenaline building up within her were making her mind spiral-it felt as though she was a beacon of wrath that she could not control.

And then she lost it.

Marching up to him, there was no longer a pinch of compassion behind the pair of hazels. She lunged him up and connected her fist with his jaw. He spat out blood from her blow, yet she was nowhere close to stopping.

The next few blows had made him shift in and out of consciousness. His tiny begging voice got cut off by the last blow that caused the back of his head to hit the floor.

She had no idea how long it went on; it seemed like she only stopped when she could no longer recognise the face of the man that had traumatised and haunted him and made her flee the state to escape her past.

"Crap..." she panted, slowly pulling up the sleeve of the jacket that had been saving her hand from injuries.

The sleeves of the black leather jacket were now blood-stained.

She spent a long while carrying the man back to his car-she fucked up, big time-and she made sure the cuffs of her sleeves were clean before driving them away from the hellhole.

Yet before she could drive them to the hospital, she was pulled over by the cops, who immediately called for an ambulance and cuffed her away.

She had never felt so brave yet afraid.

❦ ❦ ❦

JEFFREY WOKE UP THE morning after.

Norah felt the strain rising her throat again as she approached Room 2523.

Timothy had skipped his morning rounds, and he was standing outside the room, leaning against the wall. He observed the man from outside because his sister had forbidden him from going anywhere near the patient-in fear that he would not hesitate to commit murder.

When she stepped into the room, where Derek was already in along with a nurse, she frowned at the sight of the man on the bed. There was some sort of infection that she might recall the name of if she thought hard enough, but right now.

She had barely been able to think for the past few days, let alone make a medical-based judgement; the rational part of her mind was blank.

The sly smile on the face she loathed had never faltered, even after he almost died for the second time in four days. It all appeared to be a game to him, one that she had no interest in participating, but here she was, standing in the corner of his room, as per request.

"It looks like there is some kind of... infection on his face," Derek informed, sending her a conflicted look before turning to the nurse next to him. "Page Dr Sl-"

"No," her words came out sharply before he could finish his sentence. She snapped her head to the chief; her eyes widened with an alarming amount of stress. "Do not page him," she sent a hard look to the nurse, who looked