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Harry's POV:

"Hi Mum," Beth says as her mum answers the phone. "yes, I'm fine. No, it was just some stupid man not paying attention. The car is already being repaired. Yes, I called the insurance company," Beth's fake conversation goes on while I sit and listen.

"Yes, alright. I love you, too. See you soon," Beth says and ends the phone call.

"Everything alright?" I ask gently.

She smiles at me, "Yes," she looks away. "Harry, when can I go home? More importantly, when can I go back to school?" I smile.

"We can take you home in about an hour, I think and I'd have to talk to Stefan, but maybe you could go back to school tomorrow," I say. We've only been at Stefan's practice less than a day. All of the disastrous events happened just this morning and she wants to go back to school only 24 hours later.

"That's wonderful, then. What time is it now?" She asks me.

"Just about 6:30 in the evening," I tell her. "I'll go talk to Stefan," I leave the room.

I walk out into the small lobby of the office. A nurse sits behind a desk scribbling things down on some files for a patient. Niall, Addie, and Liam sit watching the silent television as I walk towards them.

"How's she doing?" Niall asks before anyone else has a chance.

"Quite well. Surprisingly, she's barely acting like anything happened to her at all," I tell them. "Seen Stefan?"

"He just went back there. Might want to ask the nurse," Liam says and I do as he says.

The nurse says he just went to check on another patient and should be out in a moment.

Beth's POV:

I get out of bed and go into the toilet. Something catches my eye as I walk past the mirror.

I gasp at the sight. I have a large, deep purple bruise covering the right side of my face ending just near my eye. I look at my arms and see the scattered, different sized marks all over.

My hair is messy and matted and my eyes are dark. I realize now that there may be bruises on my chest and breasts, too. I lift up my shirt and see nothing. I let out a slight sigh of relief.

I wish my bruises could be covered, well the ones on my face. I suppose I could ask Addie if she could try to cover them with makeup so I could at least go out into public.

I've already missed so much school. How could I attend looking like this? Harry said I could go back tomorrow if it was okay with the doctor, but how long will it take for these to go away? What if they aren't gone by the time mum comes home?

I lightly graze each hurtful mark as I watch myself in the mirror. Before I know it, tears are flowing from my eyes. What have I gotten myself into? Why would anyone hurt someone they don't even know like this?

I hear the door open and Harry walks in. "Stefan said we can leave as soon as you're hooked up to a portable IV so your blood can finish being cleansed. He did say you may want to take the day-- what happened? Are you alright? What's going on?" I hear the panic in his voice when he finally turns to me.

"I'm alright. I just didn't realize this is what I looked like," I say still facing myself in the mirror.

Harry turns me around away from the mirror so I am facing him. "You know what I see?" He asks and gently touches the bruise on my face. "I see strength. From this mark, I see resistance. I see beauty from the braveness you displayed from being put in a situation no one like you or anyone for that matter should ever be put in," he kisses my cheek as another tear slides down.

"Beth, I promised I would never let anyone hurt you. The day I made that promise you were kidnapped and beaten by a bunch of lowlife pricks with nothing better to do than obsess over the past," He let out a deep breath, "I broke my promise to you the second it was made, but Beth, please give me another chance to prove you're safer with me and that my promise is now renewed and will never break again as long as I can help it," He says as he leans into my shoulder.

"What happened to me, Harry, wasn't your fault. I mean sure it was related to you but I provoked him and I was the one stupid enough to open the door without checking who it was," I move his face from my shoulder so he's looking at me. "Harry, I have never felt safer with anyone. You make me feel safe," I say and kiss him lightly.

He smiles against my lips, "Can we get you the fuck out of here now?" I giggle and sit back down on the bed.

Notes