Learning to Breathe | R

[Miss Knightley]

Genre: hmm....that's a good question
Raiting: R for graphic volence and sexual situations

Orlando grasped the doorframe so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "What is it? Bella, what's wrong?"

"It's you," she breathed in his ear. "You're the one who attacked me."

[Miss Knightley]

*looks at the cover and tilts her head* well that's not how it's supposed to llok at all. Why's it all wonky like that? *growls and stalks off to try to fix it for the HUNDREDTH time!!!*

[Loreley]

sounds interesting.
honey, do you need any help?

[Miss Knightley]

*cries* I always need help! Lemme put up the newer one and we'll see how it looks.

edit: that looks okay enough....right? *sighs* the girl in the picture isn't right for it....*grumbles and walks away*

[Loreley]

looks good.

Miss said:

the girl in the picture isn't right for it....*grumbles and walks away*

sorry to say that but you're talking nonsense.

[Rainbow]

Wow, wow, wow, okay there have got to be rules about teasers. They're just cruel!!!

Post post...

He attacked her, he attacked who?

[Miss Knightley]

*gives amy a smooch on the cheek, then laughes at Hari.* lol, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Here's the first bit.


The sterile white halls were barren, and the fluorescent lights overhead reflected on the freshly waxed floor. With another sigh, he looked left and right for anyone to answer the thousands of questions that played tag in his mind. But the only company he found was an empty red chair beside him. A magazine rested on his legs and he opened it for the fifth time, hoping to find some sort of distraction.

Faces he had seem thousands of times before smiled up at him. They were busy doing things that had used to seem so important to him. Things that were trivialities now. Which party to go to. Which girl would look best on his arm. To get trashed or not to get trashed. It wasn’t until he went to turn the page that he noticed the blood still on his hands.

Casting the magazine onto the lap of the empty chair, he got up to find a place to wash up. He started to walk down the hallway, but steps behind him made him turn right around. Hoping to see the surgeon with some news, he was disappointed to find only a nurse. She offered him a smile. “May I help you, sir?” Her voice was kind and held a thick Australian accent.

He looked at his hands. “Actually…” His soft British accent reflected the helplessness in his brown eyes.

She understood and nodded. “There is a restroom right here.” She opened a door to her right and flipped the light switch up, waking up the dark room. “Dr. Fletcher should be out within the hour.”<br>
“Really?” Hope made his breathing quicken. “How is she? She’s going to be fine, right?”<br>
The nurse smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry. I don’t really know any more than that.”<br>
He nodded. “Of course not.” Walking past her, he smiled his thanks and closed the bathroom door behind him. Warm water and almond smelling soap washed the dried blood from his hands and revealed swollen knuckles. He flexed the fingers of his right hand, frowning. It had been a long time since he had ever really hit anyone He had forgotten that the person doing the hitting, not just the person getting hit, walked away with battle scars. He filled his hands with water and bend to splash it on his face. When he straightened, he ran his hands through his unruly brown curls, and dried his face with a stiff brown paper towel.

Someone walked by the door. Quickly, he finished drying his face and hands, then yanked the door open to see who was out in the hall. His brow furrowed as he flicked the bathroom light off. “Rose?” A young woman with long dark hair and deep brown eyes turned around. Her worried expression melted into relief.

“There you are,” she breathed. Swiftly, she walked down the hall and wrapped her arms around him. “I got here as soon as I could.” Like the nurse and all the hospital employees he had met that night, she too had an Australian accent.

He pulled away, slightly confused. “What are you doing here? I said you didn’t have to come.”<br>
“Did you think I would let you sit here all night alone?” She put a hand to his cheek. “You’re a strong man, Orlando. But you’re not strong enough to battle your doubts on your own.”<br>
With a reluctant smile, he embraced her again. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me.”<br>
“Of course,” she said tenderly. Smiling, she led him back to the two empty chairs. “I’m usually up at two in the morning anyway.” She winked to let him know she was joking. Looking down, she saw his hand. “And how does the other guy look?”<br>
Orlando shook his head, also looking at his bruises. “Not as bad as I would have liked.” There was anger in his quiet voice. “I didn’t even get to see his face, Rose.”<br>
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”<br>
“He had this sort of ski mask pulled down over his face.” She nodded, unsure of what to say. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so angry and out of control in my life. I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone as badly as I wanted to hurt him.”<br>
Putting a comforting hand on his back, Rose smiled softly. “I think that’s a natural reaction, love.”<br>
He wrung his hands. “I don’t know what to do with myself. There’s always something I can do, but this time…” #nosmileys

[Rainbow]

but this time...

Oh man this isn't going to be one of those torturous: leave your readers hanging in ancipation after every chapter, kind of stories is it.

Its a great opening, lots of tension and unresolved issues. But d**n it you need to update soon girlie...

Who is the girl in the picture? Is it you?

[Miss Knightley]

*smiles sheepishly* It is indeed. I'm hoping to get this first page over with soon cause I hate seeing myself everytime I come o this story.

Anyway, yep, tension, and lot's of it. And I had to put Rose in there for Amy.

[Rainbow]

Ah i see. Rose as in Rose Byrne.

Ahhh so does that mean its you who's in hospital? Thats not good, i'm asuming your not going to kill yourself out in the first chpater though! Cuz that would not make a good story! Is this one going to have a musical scene two

Awww pretty, your a blonde! wow aren't i observant ;D

[Miss Knightley]

*falls over laughing* Yeah, I was a blonde up until a few days ago. Now I'm a bit of a red head...or raspberry head. Not shore which.

Hmm, if I killed my self right off, that would prove for a very short story indeed. And as far a a musical number in this one....*ponders* we'll have to see where it goes.

[Loreley]

Miss said:

And I had to put Rose in there for Amy.

woo that's so infinitely great! I feel honoured thank you! I have the unmistaklable feeling that this story is going to be awesome...

[Loreley]

Miss said:

I'm hoping to get this first page over with soon cause I hate seeing myself everytime I come o this story.

*rolls her eyes with a sigh*

[Reens]

O' Nice!

I am liking the 'hint' of the plot given in chapter 1.

Keep writing, I can really use some inspiration right now... lately I just do not feel like writing at all.

[Rainbow]

^ haha, yeah i've come over with that. I can watch the whole story play but i'm to damn lazy to turn it into words...

*sigh*

[Miss Knightley]

Both Orlando and Rose looked up as a tall doctor came walking down the hall towards them. He was covered in a blue surgeons uniform, blemished here and there by stains of blood. As he approached, he pulled the paper mask down from around his mouth.

“Mr. Bloom?”<br>
“Yes?” He stood. “How is she?”<br>
The doctor smiled wearily. He reached into an empty room and grabbed a wheelchair to set himself down in. Orlando sat back down, waiting anxiously. “Well,” Doctor Fletcher began, leaning forward. “She came out of surgery just fine. I had to reconstruct the bridge of her nose and put four staples in the front of her skull where it was cracked open. She had multiple lacerations to her face, as you know, and also her neck, shoulders, and chest.” He sighed. “She’s got a lot of stitches. My guess is, from the x-ray that I got back, she’s recently had a broken collar bone that didn’t heal right, but broke again in another spot tonight.” Anger made Orlando purse his lips and clench his fists. The doctor tilted his head. “Did you call the police?”<br>
“No,” Orlando told him softly. “I can’t tell them anything but what he was wearing and maybe how tall he was. I didn’t get to see his face at all.”<br>
The doctor nodded. “That’s fine. Still call them. We’ll get a rape kit down here and do that as soon as she’s cleaned up. After that she’ll be in recovery.”<br>
Rose frowned, glancing at Orlando before asking the doctor, “A rape kit?”<br>
“If whoever attacked her was angry enough to beat her up the way he did, rape is most certainly a possibility.”<br>
“Did you see something to make you think he raped her?” Despite the casual way Orlando was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, anger burned in his eyes.

The doctor crinkled his brow. “We’re going to need some information from you, Mr. Bloom. I’ll have one of the nurses come and find you. We’ll need her full name, address, phone number…all that good stuff.” He smiled at Rose and stood to leave. But what Orlando said next stopped him in his tracks.

“I don’t even know who she is.”<br>
Dr. Fletcher turned around. “Excuse me?”<br>
“I don’t know who she is,” Orlando repeated. “I was coming out of the club across the street and I heard someone screaming. I followed the sound until I found her…” He lowered his face to his hands. “I don’t know her name, let alone her phone number and address.”<br>
“I see.” The doctor was clearly at a loss. “Why don’t you come with me then, Mr. Bloom. I’ll take you to the nurses station, you can get a cup of coffee or something. I’m going to have to inform the police, and they’ll want a statement from you.”<br>
“Fine.” He was too exhausted to argue. Standing, Rose put an arm around his waist for support. They trailed behind the doctor, winding down different hallways, up slight inclines, behind this door and that. Finally they were led into an empty room.

“Just have a seat in here, help yourself to the coffee, and I’ll let you know as soon as the police arrive.”<br>
He left, and Orlando sank into a chair only slightly more comfortable than cement. Rose sat beside him, folding her coat over her arm. “Do you want some coffee?” He shook his head. “I can go find a vending machine if you’re hungry.”

“It’s almost three in the morning. You don’t have to stay, Rose.”<br>
“I didn’t have to come in the first place, either.” She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not leaving.”<br>
The silence buzzed in Orlando’s ears as the time went slowly on. Every now and then he would look up to find Rose dozing beside him. He paced, flipped through magazines, read informational things on the walls without anything sinking in. It was four thirty-eight in the morning by the time a heavy set Australian police officer was led into the room by Dr. Fletcher.

[Rainbow]

*gasp*
Wow, i like the way your revealing it a little bit at a time. Its like we entered the story half way through, with a whole kind of unknown prequal aspect. Nice! i love that.

Awww, poor girl who's name we don't know yet and poor Orli. Arg the angst...

Its great!

[Reens]

> "Despite the casual way Orlando was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, anger burned in his eyes "

When you are a good writer, you do not need major events for brilliant emoting. This line just proves it. Brill!

[Miss Knightley]

“Mr. Bloom, this is Officer Nathan Kraft.”<br>
Orlando extended his hand and shook with the officer. “I have a few questions for you, Mr. Bloom. Please have a seat.” Everyone sat once again. Nathan pulled out a little notepad and flipped to a clean page. He wrote down a few things before looking up. “Mr. Bloom…”

“Orlando, if you please.”<br>
He nodded. “Right. Orlando, why don’t you tell me what happened tonight. Start from the moment you left the club you say you were at. Which club was this again?”<br>
Orlando rubbed his eyes. “The Ivy.” He watched Nathan write that down. “Ah, I left close to eleven since I was tired and wasn’t really having all that great a time. I stepped outside and heard a woman’s scream.”<br>
“Was there anyone else outside?”<br>
He shook his head, trying to think. “I don’t think so. I don’t really remember. I just know I heard screaming and felt I had to find out what was going on.” Nathan was still writing, so he paused so the officer could catch up. After a moment, Nathan nodded for him to continue. “She stopped screaming before I found her, so I think she must have lost consciousness or something.”<br>
“So what kept you searching?”<br>
The question seemed absurd to him. “A woman had been screaming. Just because she stops, it doesn’t mean whatever made her scream had stopped as well.” Nathan nodded. “I looked down ally ways and back streets. That was when I saw him stand up from being crouched over the girl.”<br>
“And you’ve never seen her before?”<br>
“No.” By this time, Orlando was getting frustrated. “I have never seen this girl before in my life. “<br>
“Right. Then what?”<br>
He sighed. “I saw her on the ground.” Ha faltered some, going back to the bloody vision he had stumbled across. Rose took his hand and squeezed it. “She wasn’t moving that I could tell, and her arm was bent in an odd way…she was bleeding from more places than I could count…”

“And this strange man?”<br>
“Yeah, he um…he was a big bloke. Taller than me, and more muscular. He was wearing all black with a mask type thing over his face.”<br>
“All black on a hot night in Brisbane?”<br>
Rose frowned. “Officer Kraft, people who plan to commit crimes don’t usually dress to stand out in a crowd.” He scowled at her.

“And you are, Ma’am?”<br>
“Rose Byrne. I’m a friend of Orlando’s.”<br>
He looked her over, then looked back to Orlando. “Mr. Bloom, were you drinking tonight?”<br>
Orlando sighed and dropped his head into his hands. “Please tell me that you are not trying to pin this on me. I don’t even know this girl!” When he looked back up, his face was twisted with exhaustion and anger. “I didn’t lay a single hand on her!”<br>
“You seem a bit agitated.”<br>
“You think so?” He bound to his feet and paced the length of the room. Stopping before the open door, he crossed his arms and stared out into the hallway. After a moment of calming himself, he turned around. “Yes…I was drinking tonight.”<br>
Nathan nodded and wrote some more in his notepad. “How much?”<br>
“Not enough to make me attack a woman I’ve never even seen before.” He threw his hands up. “This is ridiculous! You are wasting time trying to accuse me when you should be out there looking for this dangerous man.”<br>
“Alright,” Nathan soothed. “Why don’t you have a seat? You’re getting a little too worked up.” Orlando cursed under his breath, but he sat anyway. “What are you doing in Brisbane, if you don’t mind my asking.”<br>
“As if my minding would stop you from asking…” Rose gave him a small warning look and he sighed. “I just bought a villa down on the coast.”<br>
“I see. And you drove all the way into town because…”

“You know, I almost feel like I’m being attacked here.”<br>
“No one is attacking or accusing here, Orlando. I’m not the one you need to be aggressive with. I’m one of the good guys.” Officer Kraft finished writing and stood, tearing a small piece of paper from his notebook. “I assume you’ll be in the country for a few days?”<br>
“I assume that if I’m not I’ll have a warrant out for my arrest?”<br>
Rose nodded and linked her arm with Orlando. “He’s staying for two weeks, Officer.”<br>
He nodded. “I’ll be in touch.” Looking at Dr. Fletcher, he motioned for him to join him in the hall. When Rose and Orlando were alone, she sighed.

“You have got to calm down.”<br>
“He was accusing me!” Orlando spat. Placing his hands on a table top, he bent his head. “I’m sorry, Rose. I just…I just don’t know what to do.”<br>
“I know.” Standing beside him, she rubbed his back and glanced at the doorway. “And you’re right. He was accusing you. “ She frowned. “You’ve really never seen this girl? Not even in the club?” He shook his head. “Alright, then. I believe you.” After thinking a moment, she handed him her phone. “You should call your PR guy. This is going to be all over the news before you know it.”<br>
Snatching the phone, he dialed the number and moved to stand at the back of the room. Rose, on the other hand, went to get a cup of coffee from the table by the open door. She took great care to be quiet and strain to hear the hushed words being spoken in the hall. “I’ll see what I can do,” Nathan was saying. “But the description could easily fit half the guys I’ve seen today alone.”<br>
“Do you think it was this one?” Dr. Fletcher asked.

“There’s no way of tell, really. But until we get some more concrete information, he’s a suspect. Tell him he’s going to have submit to a DNA test, that way we can see if it matches with the blood under the girls fingernails and all that.”<br>
“”What if he refuses?”<br>
“He seems pretty set on the fact that it wasn’t him. If it really wasn’t, he’ll have no problem doing it. After that, send him on his way.”<br>
“Thank you, Officer.” Rose turned around quickly, taking a sip of the lukewarm coffee.

[Reens]

Interesting.

So, I see you've been watching CSI lately. ;D

I like, more more...