019. Control -- Loving Eliot Groussé

[elydesia]

Fixing Loving Eliot Groussé
019. Control

It was late at night; in fact, it was already three in the morning. Eliot was sitting on the couch on the main floor; he was watching TV, though not actually paying attention. In his hands was a small, wallet-sized photo of his wife, Marina.

The whole flat was dark, the only light coming from the TV and the bedside lamp on the upper balcony. Eliot's eyes were wide open and glaring; he was glaring at the photo of Marina.

He was wondering where she could be at three in the morning, and he was angry. He was angry at himself for not knowing where she was, and he was frustrated with Marina's friends for letting her out of their sight.

He jolted to the phone as soon as it began to ring. "Hello?" he said, his voice already breathless, "who is this?"

"Good morning, Mr Groussé, it's Chief of Police, Ainsley." Eliot's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Ainsley? Do you know where Marina is? You do don't you? Tell me!" He nearly screamed at the end, his face becoming red and his eyes wide. Eliot was getting hysterical, near to tears. He had lost control, finally; Marina had been gone for nine hours.

"Calm down, Groussé. You're loosing it--"

"Ainsley! Don't start telling me I lost it! I... Marina-- If I don't know where... Ainsley, I can't." Eliot was choking on his words, tripping over his thoughts as his mind wandered into a dark place all on its own.

On the other end, Ainsley sighed. "I know, Groussé. But this has happened before; just calm down. All our best have been looking for her ever since you first put in that call."

"She was only going shopping. She was only getting dinner."

"Yes, I am aware. I only called to update you on--" Ainsley was suddenly interrupted by an officer in the background:

"Sir, we found her." At that exact moment, Eliot dropped the phone and grabbed his keys.

Minutes later, Eliot was trampling into the police station, breathless, and with an officer holding a speeding ticket following him.

From where he first came in, Eliot could see Marina sitting in Ainsley's office. It looked as if she were being scolded.

No one stopped him when he ran to the chief's office and slammed the door open, almost breaking the small glass window in the door. For a moment, Marina and Ainsley broke from their fight to stare at a run down Eliot, who's eyes were only on Marina.

"Eliot?" she stuttered. Ainsley's face grew worried, as Eliot took steps toward Marina.

"Hold on a second, Eliot, Marina didn't do anything. Don't lay a hand on--"

Eliot ignored Ainsley's words and continued toward Marina. He collapsed to his knees in front of her and grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly.

"Marina," he breathed and brushed his lips against her fingers with excessive tenderness, as if Marina were an antique porcelain doll. "I'm so happy... I'm so happy you're safe. I'm so happy you're here." His control over composure was lost long ago. Tears started to fall from his lashes and his head rested on her lap.

Marina pulled her hands away from Eliot's grasp and started combing through his hair. "I know. Eliot, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Without you... without you, I loose it. I can't control myself. Marina, I love you, I love you. Without you, I can't be myself--"

"I know, Eliot. Shh, just calm down. I love you, too." She stroked him as if he were a cat, wiping away his tears with the same fingers he kissed.

To Ainsley, it was as if the two had gone in their own world, as a married couple, and as two people who absolutely could not live without one another.

Ainsley smiled meekly and scratched the back of his head as he closed the blinds and exited the office, closing the door behind him.

A younger officer went to him with the speeding ticket. "What's going on, Ainsley? Would it be all right if I go in?"

"Not at all. If you go inside, I'll fire you. Drop the case, Morraine, Groussé wasn't in control of himself."

The officer, Morraine, looked confused. "Wouldn't that be the point? He can't control himself. Not while driving, and not while beating his wife." Morraine sounded absolutely certain of himself. After watching what he just did, Ainsley thought Morraine was right off his block, even if Ainsley had thought that same way just moments ago.