Elysian

Regrets

Juliet," I cry out, my voice cracking as I fly into the flooded room.

"No no no," I repeat over and over again, hoping that if I say it enough times it will reverse what's taking place in front of my eyes.

She lays motionless in the overflowing bath, her body floating in the crimson tinted water.

"You're okay," I chant repetitively as I kneel down and grip onto her body for dear life. I pull her out the bath, trying to be as gentle as possible as I lay her out on the ground.

Panic arises in my chest as I look over her. There's so much blood that it takes me a few moments to spot the source, her wrists.

"Fuck!" I exclaim, rushing over to the sink cabinet where I saw a first aid kit the last time she did this. When I open the cabinet it's completely barren, all of the items that were there last time no longer being in it.

My nails dig so hard into my palms that it draws blood as the stress becomes overbearing. I'm on the verge of a panic attack but I take a sharp inhale, trying to pull myself together.

"Okay it's fine, you'll be fine" I say to no one, knowing Juliet is completely unconscious. At this point I'm just trying to reassure myself.

I grab two towels before rushing back to her side, my jeans now soaked as I kneel down in the water.

"Come on Juliet," I plead, tying the towels around her wrists as tight as possible. I repeatedly tap her face, trying to get her to wake up but she doesn't move.

The room is utterly silent as I stare at her, trying to gage wether or not her chest is moving up and down. I grow frustrated with myself, my eyes being too clouded with unshed tears to accurately decide wether she's breathing or not.

I loom over her, hovering my ear over her mouth in hopes that the feeling of her breath will come in contact with my skin but it never comes, her body remaining lifeless on the tiled floor.

"Shit," I scramble over her, racking my brain for any memories of seeing cpr being preformed in movies or shows. 

My heart constricts as I start delivering heart compressions as best as I possibly can, the unshed tears now slowly dripping out of my eyes as I plead with her to wake up. 

"I said put your hands up!" A voice booms. I look up through my blurry eyes, seeing a police officer standing in the doorway with his gun raised.

"We have two assaults, one male and one female send an ambulance," He orders into his intercom.

He thinks I did this to her?

I don't bother to correct him, my mind still focused on Juliet. "Put them up and step away from the girl!" He commands, inching closer to me.

I ignore him, my brain hazy as I move like a machine. Compressions, breaths, compressions, breaths, repeat.

My hands are suddenly pulled way from Juliet's chest as I feel myself being pulled off the ground.

"Get the fuck off me," I yell, thrashing in his grip before delivering an elbow directly to his stomach. 

He stumbles back as I scramble to Juliet but I don't get far, my arms being roughly pulled behind my back before being cuffed.

The situation feels surreal as I helplessly stare at Juliet's still body, her arms resting limp at her sides as her wet hair lays spread across the white tile.

"Fucking help her," I order, the rage seeping off my words as I watch the police officer uselessly loom over her. "Please," I beg desperately, my voice cracking.

He sighs, clearly believing that Juliet is a lost cause before kneeling over her and continuing the cpr.

I watch him relentlessly deliver compressions, the sounds of Juliet's ribs cracking under the force causing me to tense and grit my teeth.

After looking at the source of Juliet's bleeding I think he realised that I wasn't the one to do this to her because his hostile tone immediately shifted.

"Son there's nothing I can-" He says regretfully while delivering his last chest compressions but he's interrupted by the sound of coughing and gasping.

I let out a deep exhale that I hadn't realised I was holding in as Juliet stirs and pants for air. "Juliet," I whisper, the relief evident in my voice. 

"Don't worry the paramedics are here, we're going to get you help," The officer comforts, the sound of thick boots stomping up the stairs echoing through the halls.

She cries out in pain before weakly turning her head, her cheek resting on the tile as her eyes dart around in confusion.

"I'm right here," I tell her, trying to hide the gutting feeling of not being able to hold her right now.

The paramedics storm in, equipment in hand as they assess the situation. My mind is overwhelmed with thoughts as the panic decreases ever so slightly.

Now that Juliet's life is in the hands of someone else it actually gives my brain time to think about anything other than keeping her alive. Now I have time to process what just happened and the fact that Juliet tried to kill herself and almost succeeded.

My eyes remain trained on the pool of blood Juliet left on the floor as the paramedics lift her up, the guilt being unbearable.

I should have done something, I should have noticed.

Her isolating herself, turning to drugs, self harming. They were all cries for help and I ignored her, believing that someone so flawless, with the perfect life, the perfect home, the perfect looks could never even think about taking their own life.

I snap out of my haze when I see Juliet being carried out of the room. "Please let me be with her," I plead with the officer, attempting to stand up.

"You almost killed a man downstairs, you're going to the station," He scolds, shaking his head as he grasps my forearm and pulls me up.

We follow the paramedics and Juliet downstairs, swiftly making our way through the tension riddled mansion.

As I'm being escorted out of the foyer my eyes are drawn to Marco who's being tended to by another paramedic, his face unrecognisable from the swelling and bleeding.

At the time it seemed like the only appropriate course of action but now as I'm being led to a police car I have nothing but regrets. 

Of course I would still cave in Marco's skull if I had the chance but I wish I would have waited so I would be able to be with Juliet right now instead of having to watch her being loaded into the ambulance all alone.

The officer shoves me in the back before climbing in and taking off down the gravel drive. 

My heart aches as I watch helplessly as the ambulance turns left towards the hospital while we turn right towards the police station.