something was different, very off.

this behavior was odd, something she hadn’t seen before.

he must have taken something different tonight.

he went from confusion and disorientation to barely breathing.

she was scared when he became unresponsive.

she shook him, attempting to wake him.

then in a faint voice, he asked her to call an ambulance.

she dialed the phone and waited.

the dispatcher answered.

she explained his condition.

as she talked, the unthinkable happened.

he sat up and became belligerent.

demons were manifesting.

he wanted to go out.

she stood in front of him as he sat on the side of the bed.

before she could stop him, he reached in the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out her glock.

the dispatcher was still on the phone, listening as she asked him to give her the gun.

“ma’am, did i hear you say he has a gun?”

she sighed internally, thinking, ‘oh, no, no, no.’

“yes, but…that’s not why I called.”

the situation immediately shifted from a medical call to a ‘situation.’ crap.

“ma’am, i need you to stay on the phone with me.”

she stayed on the phone with the dispatcher, describing her actions as she moved.

somehow, she wrestled the gun from him without getting shot.

the .22 gun was already in her bag. she’d had the foresight to secure it earlier.

outside, she heard sirens wailing and tires screeching as the police set up a perimeter.

he was coming after her as she walked to the door.

she slipped through his grasp, advising the police she was coming out.

there she was, her handbag hanging on her right shoulder with two handguns with in it.

as she walked out of the apartment, she saw guns pointed at her from every direction.

the swat team had her locked in their sights. she might be the problem. they didn’t know.

when they were sure she posed no threat, they stood down on her and secured her behind a building.

then they went in, searched him, searched the apartment.

after finding him to be no threat, the medics checked him out.

 

he refused treatment. of course he did.

when it was over, she was in shock. she nodded silently when one of the officers asked if he could keep the guns for a few days. it would be best for a bit.

the officer studied her as he wrote out receipts for the guns.

“why do you stay with a guy like this?” her answer surprised him.

“everyone needs someone to believe in them.”

(copyright 2016 jane doe)