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Leighanne remembered not being able to sleep that night. Like she could sense that something horrendous was about to happen. She was alone in her bed... no... their bed, and the baby was kicking with abandon. It was like the infant was trying to keep her awake, trying to warn her, she would later say.

She could hear him downstairs. Heard doors slam, heard him mumble and stumble around the house. She’d wondered if wodka was involved tonight, if she’d find him crying on the kitchen floor again. Tomorrow, she’d vowed, she’d call the hospital. He’d hate her for it, she knew, but he needed help. More help than she could give him. More help than doctor Phillips could give him even. For almost a week, she’d been careful not to get in his way, very aware that he hadn’t taken his medication for a while now. He was agitated and jumpy and mumbled in himself a lot. None of his words made much sense and Leighanne felt her heart ache for him. He’d shut himself off and didn’t talk to her or to anyone at all.

And Leighanne was afraid of him.

She didn’t exactly know why, but something told her that it was better to stay away from him. Yes. She’d call the hospital tomorrow, she promised herself. It was best for everybody.

She lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling when she heard someone coming in. Bonnie jumped on the bed, frantically turning in circles a few times before jumping off, running around the bed and jumping back on, repeating the process.

“Bon, wha-?” Leighanne frowned, but the dog didn’t pay her any mind. Bonnie panted heavily, her tongue hanging out of her mouth and saliva dripping on the sheets as she went on with her routine.

“Bonnie, hey, hey,” Leighanne said, trying to grab the dog.

Bonnie swirled around, baring her teeth as she growled at her and Leighanne shrunk back. “It’s okay, Bon,” Leighanne said softly, trying not to let the fear shine through in her demeanor, “We’re gonna fix him, you and I.”

Bonnie didn’t listen, just kept turning in circles in that frantic, and insanely measured way. “I’ll call the hospital tomorrow, Bonnie,” Leighanne continued nevertheless, “He’ll be away for a bit, but it’ll make him better.”

Bonnie grumbled in frustration and Leighanne felt helpless as she watched a drop of blood fall from the dog’s mouth, where Bonnie had definitely bitten her own tongue in distress. Whatever was going on with the Border collie, it had something to do with the stumbling Leighanne could hear downstairs. A loud crash that came from the hallway startled them both and Bonnie cried in fear as Leighanne covered her mouth. “Oh God, Brian,” Leighanne whispered, “How did we come to this?”

Bonnie started barking in short, howling sounds, and Leighanne recognized it as a seizure alert, but still, she didn’t move. It didn’t make sense, none of it did. Bonnie jumped off the bed and disappeared through the door. After a few minutes, Leighanne dared to move again when all the noise downstairs had died down. Carefully, with her heart pounding in her throat, she grasped the phone on the nightstand in her fingers and hit the speeddial.

“What?” Nick’s angry tone came over the line and Leighanne’s heart clenched when she realized it was 3.30 am.

“I need some help,” she rushed into the phone, clinging it to her ear and silently trying to detect any sounds coming from downstairs.

“Leighanne?” Nick sounded tired.

“He’s... he’s bad, Nick. It’s really bad. I don’t know what’s going on, but something is really wrong.”

“You’re sounding a bit vague,” Nick answered with a sigh.

“I know, I know!” Leighanne cried out, hearing another crash come from the kitchen now, “He’s rampaging downstairs, that’s all I know,” she rushed.

“Jesus,” was all Nick said.

Leighanne’s breath hitched in her throat when she heard Brian scream, and she dropped the phone. Bonnie was barking again and Leighanne decided it was finally time to not stand by passively. Brian was unpredictable, and completely out of his mind and she feared for Bonnie’s safety if the dog was determined to stay close to her owner.

She slipped downstairs carefully, trying to ignore the deja vu of doing the exact same thing just a few weeks prior. She opened the door to the kitchen, half expecting to find him huddled against the cupboards on the floor again.

But he wasn’t.

He had a knife though.

“No, Brian!” Leighanne rushed and he turned on his heels. His eyes were wild and bloodshot. His mouth twitched and his blue eyes bore into hers.

“I have to,” He managed to bring out, the knife tightly in his grasp, but his hand shaking.

“No, no, you don’t,” Leighanne said, staying a careful distance away from her husband and the knife. “Please put it away, Brian.”

“It never stops,” he cried in hacking, gasping breaths, “I need it to stop!”

“I know, I know, baby,” Leighanne said, taking a step closer to him. “It’s going to be okay, we’ll figure it out, alright? We always have.”

“No!” Brian screamed, and Leighanne gasped as she saw the bleeding, open wounds from where Brian had doubtlessly traced the old scars with the knife and she wondered if that was what would have happened those weeks ago if she hadn’t come into the kitchen when she had. This time though, she seemed far too late.

“Please Brian, just give me the knife,” Leighanne pleaded, reaching out a shaking hand to him. “You’re sick baby. It’s not your fault. We’ll get you help.”

“He’s going to kill me,” Brian whispered brokenly as he slowly lowered the knife.

“Nobody’s gonna kill you, Brian,” Leighanne replied with a sob, “I promise, okay?”

His whole body was shaking as his eyes settled on hers, “It will never stop,” he said solemnly and Leighanne frowned. “It hurts so much.” He sounded exhausted and his tone was final. Leighanne felt every little bit of her being crumble and without another thought, she rushed towards him and enveloped him in a tight embrace.

“Please,” she whispered, “Please don’t.”

“I don’t deserve this,” Brian said brokenly, looking at her, then at her belly. “He doesn’t deserve this.”

“Brian, no,” Leighanne said slowly, apprehension slowly growing in her mind.

Later, Leighanne couldn’t exactly tell how long it took. She remembered the knife entering her stomach, and then, before she knew it, she was on the ground, bleeding and gasping. She’d heard Bonnie’s continuous barks getting dimmer and dimmer and Brian’s footsteps leaving the kitchen. He looked back only once. And Leighanne recognized nothing of her Brian.

Because this wasn’t her Brian.

This was a monster.