37

She had not stopped staring at the clock.

37

not hours

not minutes.

In exactly 36, 35, 34 seconds she would watch the second hand reach the top of the clock, signalling her release.

She had played the game, swallowed their little pills. What a good little girl she had been.

Always had been.

Followed the rules. Obeyed all authority. Had been sweet and compliant.

No one had been able to read into her mind. She had keep her secret places hidden, deep. Down the hidden passageway. Under the trap door. Behind the curtain. Locked in the vault.

No one - except David.

She had known love in him.

But what kind of love would she show to him, shackling him to a horror of a life? She was unpredictable at best. The love she felt wasn't always able to be expressed safely. The intensity was like looking at an eclipse. Fooled into the staring at the rarity of the event, it would burn and destroy faster than anyone could recognize. Blinded for life, the fool would shuffle through life in regret.

24, 23, 22

But how she longed for a safe haven. Death seemed the only place where she could finally surrender.

And then he had come, and reminded her of the sweet taste of his devotion.

There was only one way. Leave before he had a chance to track her again.

In just 7, 6, 5

As her eyes were fixed on the final seconds ticking down, a presence knelt beside her.

"Can you come home now?"

The voice went deep, expertly winding around the hidden passageway, flipping open the trap door, ripping the curtain off the hinges and picking the vault lock of her heart.

He was here. On bended knee, his head was lower than hers, letting her know that she was the authority on this decision. He knew he could demand for her to obey - but enough people in her life had broken her. He would only build her.

"I know you think you're sparing me. But if you leave, you're leaving me with nothing. I promise that we can figure it out, step by step. If you trust me, I'll stand beside you and fight the demons with you. We can't avoid the night, but when the morning comes - I'll be there to start every new day with you. Will you let me?"

She threaded her fingers through the hair at his temple and his eyes fluttered close in hope. He reached up and covered her hand with his own.

A minute passed. Past the 72 hours.

She was now sitting in the hospital on extended observation time. She wanted to get out of this prison, and she wanted it to be with David. She pulled her hand free and stood from the chair. Making her way for the front desk, she paused, realizing that David was still kneeling in the same spot. He was waiting for her answer. He really was different than the rest.

She managed the first smile in a very long time. Her cheeks felt unaccustomed to their new position.

She held her hand out for him, waiting. He raised his eyebrows, the question left unspoken.

"Yes," she whispered, "we can try again."

This was part 3 of the Numbers series.