Faces of Beth, page 13
She found his hand and interlaced her fingers through his.
Andrew squeezed her hand tightly. “I’m right here. I’m always
right here. When you go, when you come back, I’m here.”
“I know, baby,” she said, and he could clearly see the pain in her
eyes. They glossed over and he knew she was going to cry soon if
he didn’t change the mood. It’s what he should have done but being
with her in this moment was a reminder of why he asked her to
marry him in the first place. He loved her immensely. When she was
present, when Beth was really present, their life couldn’t be any
better.
Andrew wished like hell there was a way to trap Beth and keep
her here.
“You’ve been gone a lot lately,” he told her.
She closed her eyes and tears finally dripped onto her cheeks. “I
don’t mean to be.”
He brought their hands up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I
know.” Then he touched his forehead to hers and said, “Can I ask
you something I don’t think we’ve ever talked about?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
“I know what the doctors told me years ago, but I’ve never asked
you myself. Are you aware of what happens when one of the others
is let out of their room? Do you remember those things?”
“No.”
“Where do you go?”
“I don’t know.”
“You must go somewhere.”
“I don’t know. I guess I just, I don’t know, I kind of—” She pursed
her lips and her eyes welled up with tears. She hid her face from him
and finished with, “Lose time?” She formed it as a question because
she really wasn’t sure. Blacking out was how the doctors put it. It
was like she lost consciousness when it happened. To her, it was
losing time. She would be in the process of doing something and
then suddenly she’d wink out and come back to herself hours later.
Why did you even ask her that? Were you hoping for a different
answer?
Andrew hated pushing her like this. He remembered watching her
in the hospital when the doctors would press her for information. She
would shut down and they would be relentless. He wanted so badly
to rescue her from Myles-Bend, to save her from all the doctors’
prying, poking, and pestering. Now, here he was doing it himself
when he’d once promised to protect her and never judge her.
Marriage to him was meant to be a release from all that tension.
He was supposed to be the freedom from all that fear. Their home
was the one place she could truly be herself no matter how many of
herselves there were.
He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles again. “It’s okay. You
don’t have to answer.”
If he pressed her too hard, it would trigger one of the others to
step out and help her. He’d seen it happen often. It could be a loud
noise that scared her or something unexpected happening. Any
shock to her system could cause one of the others to leap forward,
push her aside, and deal with the triggering event.
“Breathe,” he reminded her. “Breathe.”
She listened to him, closed her eyes, and she inhaled slowly and
exhaled.
“You look beautiful,” he told her.
She smiled and wiped at her tears. “Please. I look horrid.”
“You could never—”
“Andrew, I’m a mess.”
Sliding one arm out from under him and untangling his other
hand from hers, he took her cheeks in both hands and brought her
face closer. “You look unbelievably gorgeous at all times. And I mean
that.”
She forced a smile that melted into his as their lips met. Beth
moaned against his mouth as his tongue slid out, pressed between
her lips, and mingled with hers. She was soft and a blast of emotions
hit him, like a sandstorm stripping away all the recent drama, ripping
off his rough flesh, and exposing his tender heart. He was in his feels
as she kissed him back with all the passion he craved.
This was his Beth.
This was the woman he was in love with.
The kiss ended naturally with lazy tongue lashes and a final peck
on the lips. They remained close with their foreheads touching.
“You really love me, don’t you?” she asked.
“You know I do.”
“Nobody has ever loved me like you do.”
“Nobody has.”
“What did you say?” she asked.
“I said nobody has ever loved you like I do.”
“That’s not what you said.”
She seemed scared as she pulled away from him.
“Beth, what’s wrong?”
She sat up with her back against the headboard and tucked her
knees up under her chin. “You said nobody will ever believe me.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“I heard you.”
“Beth, please.”
They were both silent for a minute or two as Andrew thought
about the situation and what he might be able to say to calm her
down. He scooted closer to her and put a hand on her knee. She
was close to changing again. In fact, he wouldn’t know if she was still
Beth until she spoke.
Andrew hated seeing her hurt or confused.
“Beth,” he prodded. “Talk to me.”
She wouldn’t, and as much as he wanted to let it go, he couldn’t.
He had a feeling he knew what was going on here, and he needed to
get to the bottom of it. He didn’t want to take his wife back to the
hospital – to any hospital for that matter – but Gore had gone too far.
At Myles-Bend, the doctors had never gotten to the bottom of it.
Andrew sensed he was close.
“It’s the nun, isn’t it?” he asked.
Her head shot up from her knees, her eyes opened wide in terror,
and she put a finger to her lips. “Shh. Don’t. Please. Andrew, please
don’t. Don’t talk about that.”
“Beth, this is important. I know about her. I know she hurt you and
the others are protecting you.”
Her head shook violently from side to side as she begged him to
stop. “No, no, no, no, no, no.”
“It’s okay, baby,” he said as he cradled her in his arms and
stroked her hair. “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it.”
Beth fell asleep in his arms.
For a full three minutes.
Then she got up to use the bathroom and it was pretty clear by
the way she sashayed out of the room that they were going to have
sex tonight.
Beth looked over her shoulder once before entering the
bathroom, and the look she gave Andrew – that hungry-eyed glance
while biting at only one corner of her bottom lip – turned him on
instantly. His wife was a gorgeous woman and she never failed to
get him aroused. She might have the attitude of Ruby, but this was
Beth. It was her body, no matter who controlled her mind.
As she took her time in the bathroom, Andrew couldn’t help
thinking about the first time Ruby had shown her face to him. Of
course, he hadn’t noticed the difference at first. Beth had always had
a kind of quiet, subtle flirtatiousness about her. She’d lower her face
and lift her eyes at the same time, bat her lashes, and smile. She
might tell him that he looked handsome today. Things like that.
She was sitting outside in the yard, a right reserved only for
patients who’d either checked themselves into Myles-Bend or those
who’d shown no violent traits. Beth fit into both categories. She was
holding a daffodil she’d picked from the grounds and was sniffing it
when Andrew approached from behind.
He’d already decided he liked her. She was the one thing he
looked forward to each day. They hadn’t quite formed a relationship,
but there had been some mild flirtation.
“It’s nice out today,” he’d said, startling her.
She whipped her head around and put a hand to her chest. “You
scared me.”
“I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry. Mind if I sit with you?”
“Here?” She looked down at the bench where there was barely
room for another person.
Orderlies often visited with patients. They’d actually been
instructed to converse with them more since many of them suffered
from depression and struggled with having little contact with the
outside world.
“Can you make room for me?” he asked.
She smiled up at him and scooted over. He sat next to her, and
she held the flower up to his nose for him to smell. He inhaled.
“Doesn’t have much of a scent,” she said, “but it’s definitely an
enhancement over the stench in there.” She threw a thumb in the
direction of the hospital.
“I suppose you’re right. It does kind of stink in there, but we try
our best.”
“I know you do.”
“Why don’t you leave?” he asked, instantly regretting the question
since he hoped to God she wouldn’t disappear. He imagined
showing up for work someday and going to visit her only to find she’d
checked out.
“I don’t want to live with my dad,” she said.
“So don’t.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“I can’t be trusted. I… I change.”
“I know. I’ve seen it.”
She lowered her gaze to her lap and tossed the flower onto the
ground. “You have.”
Reaching over, Andrew touched her chin and lifted her head
gently. “Don’t be ashamed. I change too.”
She looked hopeful. “You do?”
“I do. I try to be a good person, but people sometimes say I’m an
asshole.” He smirked.
She laughed. “You could never be an asshole. You’re a
sweetheart.”
Andrew’s chest swelled and he found it hard to catch his breath.
He wanted so badly to lean over, kiss her, and tell her he was falling
for her, but he couldn’t. Not only was it unprofessional in every way
and would probably get him fired, but he was a chickenshit and was
terrified she’d laugh.
“I think you’re amazing,” he said.
Her eyes seemed to well up a bit. Then she turned away from
him and he noticed her breathing had picked up, too.
“You really think I’m amazing?” she asked, her face still pointed
away from him, looking out over the yard.
“I really do. You’re unbelievable. In a good way.”
She shrugged and then reached with her left hand over to her
right shoulder where she massaged it, like she’d suddenly gotten
stiff.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
When she looked back at him, her eyes were slightly squinted.
She bit at the corner of her bottom lip. Something had definitely
changed about her. She was no longer the sad, distraught girl she’d
been moments before. Her eyes shifted into his lap and ran over his
stomach, up his chest, and back to his face. She was checking him
out, and she wanted him to notice.
“She likes you, you know,” she said.
Up until this point, he’d only seen her Alex, Peter, and Gore
personalities. He’d been told she had more, but the doctors were still
trying to figure her out. She was a tough one to read.
“Who likes me?” Andrew asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Beth does, dummy.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Beth? The chick you’re sitting out here flirting with?”
It finally occurred to him that she’d changed personalities. One of
the doctors called it letting one of the others out of their room.
“And who are you?” he asked.
“I’m Ruby, stud.”
“Ruby.”
“I’m the fun one.”
He didn’t want to laugh in her face. It would be rude, but this was
wild. She’d changed right in front of him. He’d never seen it happen
before.
“You’re the fun one,” he repeated.
She reached over, cupped her hand over his pants, and grabbed
his cock. “The fun one.”
In his right mind, he would have yanked her hand away and
demanded she never pulled a stunt like that again. But he wasn’t in
his right mind. There was nothing right about his mind at all because
he was tempted to escort her back to her room and toss her onto her
bed. He had the feeling she, Ruby, would be completely fine with it.
As if reading his mind, Ruby leaned closer to him and said,
“Beth’s a bit of a prude, but I like to fuck.”
Of course, Andrew did not fuck her. He did escort her back to her
room where he bid her farewell for the day before heading home to
masturbate three times before the next morning. If he didn’t get rid of
all that pent up sexual frustration, he might have done something
that would have gotten him in trouble.
She’d tormented him so much when she was at the hospital. He’d
basically courted her when she was Beth, but then she’d switch to
Ruby and wreak havoc on his body. He spent a good portion of his
day in an erect state. Olivia noticed it and used to call him out,
teasing him, but she never knew the full truth. He and Ruby were
sneaking off sometimes to have sex in a storage closet where
Andrew knew there was no camera watching.
Finally, he was able to convince her to check herself out of
Myles-Bend and come live with him.
Only Olivia knew the truth and she would have never told
anyone.
The whole thing was unethical, sure, but he’d fallen in love with
her and now they were married, so how and where they met really
didn’t matter. She was his responsibility now, and he would take care
of her. She might have had a whole gang of internal protectors, but
truly taking care of her fell on him, and he would never let anything
bad happen to her.
Now, as he waited on Ruby to get out of the bathroom, he
thought about how she was as much responsible for him falling in
love with Beth as Beth was herself. All the sweetness and love had
come from Beth but most of the stuff that had turned him on had
come from Ruby. If sex was a healthy part of every relationship, then
his health was in Ruby’s hands.
The bathroom door popped open and there Ruby stood, still
wearing that long T-shirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail. She liked
having her ponytail pulled during sex.
Ruby leaned against the bathroom door frame and ran a finger
over her shirt, around the spot where her nipple lay beneath the
fabric, and it only took a second for the hardened nub to press
against her shirt.
“Took you a while in there,” Andrew said.
Ruby smirked and lifted the shirt to show she’d shaved her pussy
bare. “Beth was a mess. I needed to clean up so it would be easier
for you to eat.”
Damn, she wastes no words.
She stepped close to the bed and tapped a finger against her clit
before turning off the light. “Eat up, baby,” she purred. “Mama needs
to cum tonight.”
Andrew slid off the bed, lay her on her back, and dropped to his
knees so he could please his woman. Beth might not remember this,
but he definitely would.
13
Ruby didn’t take it easy on him tonight, and after they were done,
they both collapsed onto the bed where they curled up in each
other’s arms. Andrew spooned her as she giggled with the post-sex
lightheartedness he loved. She always did that when she wasn’t
rushing out of the room or the shower.
It wouldn’t last long. He wouldn’t allow himself to remain naked
behind her like this. Not because he didn’t like it but because she
could switch to someone else with no notice at all. He could find
himself naked behind little Alexandra or worse, spooning Peter.
Or Father Dennis.
Thinking of Father Dennis gave him chills. He would visit tonight.
Showing up after their sexual romps seemed to be the old pervert’s
thing. To pop up and tell Andrew how much of a shithead he’d been.
To pass judgment on him. Of all the personalities, it was Father
Dennis Andrew loathed most.
As soon as he had the thought, Andrew muttered a quiet apology.
If the old coot really was a man of God, it had to be wrong to think of
him like this. Andrew had never really been the religious type, but
wrong was wrong, and he couldn’t deny that talking shit about the
clergy felt sacrilegious.
Once Ruby was breathing deeply, the signal she was asleep,
Andrew eased away from her and rolled to the opposite side of the
bed where he found his pajamas and dressed before sitting in his
chair with a book. He’d wait for the old priest instead of being jolted
awake to find him hovering over him.
