Shadows

by Amber Lacie

  "What are you playing at, son? Do not think you have one over on me or the strength to out maneuver me. I will leave when I am damn well ready. Why is it I had to hear from the doctor your grandmother fell? Why wasn’t I called immediately? The reason you are here is to look after her wellbeing. I come here to question you and I find this slut in your kitchen."

  I have never seen a person move so fast in my life. Moving out from my hold, Theron lunges at his dad, knocking him square in the jaw with a fierce punch. Thomas didn't even have a chance to block it. He falls straight to the floor. Theron is leaning over his dad. His is voice drips with venom, "You are not in any position to question me. You are not allowed on this property. You will respect what is mine. You will not degrade my girlfriend in front of me and expect to walk away. She has more class and respect than you will ever have. You will not speak to her. Ever. I did not call you, because I answer to Gram. I haven't answered to you in years, and I will not start now. Get your fucking ass out of my house, now!" Theron stands and kicks him in the side. He may hate his father, but I can't watch Theron loose it like this.

  "Theron, please, stop. Just let him leave." Grabbing his arm, I look him in the eyes pleading with him. I know his dad has hurt him in the past, and I want to prevent him from hurting him again. If that means making Theron let him go, then that's what I will do. "Please, babe. I just want it to be us here. Let me feel you."

  The fog of hatred clears from his eyes and he looks back down at his dad clenching his jaw. He takes my hand in his, softly kissing my knuckles. "I don’t deserve you."

  "Yes, you do. I need you." I place a soft kiss on his cheek. The last trace of anger vanishes from his face, leaving the gorgeous man I have fallen in love with.

  Thomas stands gripping his face. He sends me a look of disgust and spits onto the floor. “That's the last mistake you will ever make Theron. I am done with you. I should have washed my hands of you long ago. I'll make sure when your grandmother goes, that you will get none of this. You will get nothing! You'll be out on your ass living in the dirt with her!" He points at me and Theron takes a step towards him, but I grab Theron's arm. Turning back, he stops and gives me a reassuring look.

  "Thomas, you need to leave. The only reason you are walking out of here is because, this beautiful woman is pleading for me to let you go. I suggest you leave now and don't come back. As for your threats, I suggest you speak with Gram's attorneys. The last time we met, I believe you were written out."

  The look of shock on Thomas' face turns quickly to anger. "I will ruin each and every one of you. Including my whore of a mother." This time it's me who reacts. Ripping my arm from Theron's grasp, I pull it back with everything I have and my fist rockets towards his face connecting with his cheek bone. He doesn't fall like he did after Theron's attack, but he stumbles back. My hand is screaming in pain. He raises his hand as if he's going to strike me, but Theron is quick. He's at my back and wraps his arm around my waist, lifting me and moving me to his side.

  "I said, fucking leave!" Theron's voice booms and the sound hurts my ears. I bury my face into him as tears stream down my cheeks. My hand is throbbing, I have never broken a bone before, but I don't doubt one is broken now. I don't watch Thomas leave. I don't need to. The door slamming shut is confirmation enough.

  I feel myself being lifted and carried. He sets me down softly on the counter by the sink. Lifting my chin up with his fingers he looks me over. Gently placing a kiss on my forehead, he wipes my tears away with his thumbs. He lifts my right hand to inspect it and I gasp in pain. The side of my hand is swollen and is already turning blue. Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes. His father being here was bad, and now I've only made it worse.

  "Beautiful, what have you done?"

  "He called your gram a whore." Not thinking clearly, I try to bury my face in my hands. I scream out in pain and start sobbing.

  "Oh, baby, we need to get you to the hospital. I'm going to give Gram a call and then get you dressed, okay? I'll ask if her driver can take us, I'm not in the right mindset to drive." I nod my head and try to calm my breathing. Lifting me off the counter he gently places me on the couch. "Stay right here, beautiful. I'll grab you some clothes." I nod my head, tears still falling down my cheeks as he walks away. I hear a knock at the door, but I ignore it. I'm not sure who would knock and I don't want anyone to see me like this.

  "That must be Evan. He'll be outside waiting for us." I look up to see Theron setting clothes down beside me.

  I wipe my nose with my good hand. "Evan?"

  "Gram's driver. Can you stand, babe?" I nod my head yes and stand on my feet. Theron helps me step out of his boxers and into a pair of my panties followed by my jeans. He even buttons and zips them for me. "This is going to suck. I'm so very sorry." I take a deep breath as helps me take off the t-shirt I'm wearing. I slide my good hand out first, then my head, and lastly we slowly slide my most likely broken hand out of it. The shirt barely skims my hand, but it feels like daggers. He helps me into my plaid blue shirt with buttons down the front. "I'm hoping this will help so you won't have to lift your arm." He smiles softly at me, and I can see pity written all over his face.

  I slip my feet into a pair of flats as Theron drapes a jacket over my shoulders. I follow him outside to his gram’s BMW. Evan is waiting next to the sleek black car. He's wearing a black suit without a tie. He's broad chested and very tall. His lips are in a hard line as he walks around the car to help me, but Theron stops him. "Its fine, Evan. I'll help her in. We really need to get to the hospital."

  "Sir." Evan slips into the driver seat and shuts his door. Theron sits in the back with me and we take off towards the hospital. Laying my head on his shoulder, I close my eyes. We make it to the hospital in record time. Evan pulls up in front of the emergency exit and Theron helps me out of the car.

  "Evan, this may be a while. Please, park and make yourself comfortable in the waiting room."

  "As you wish, Sir." Evan nods his head towards us and pulls away.

  I follow Theron to the registration desk. The lady behind the desk asks me for my identification and insurance card, but I have neither. I didn't think to grab my purse. "Um, I don't have any of that stuff with me. I forgot my purse." I look at the registrant and she just raises an eyebrow at me, so I look over to Theron.

  "Is there any way we can begin the registration process? Her hand is obviously broken. I can send my driver for her purse. It shouldn't take long."

  "Driver?" She looks at Theron like he has a third eye growing in the middle of his forehead.

  "Yes, I'll go ahead and take all the information I can. As soon as your driver returns with your identification I'll make a copy of it." She rolls her eyes and uses air quotes when she says driver. This does not look like a promising day. I'm only in the waiting area for about fifteen minutes before a nurse comes to get me. Theron has stepped outside to call my parents and let them know what happened.

  "Um, my boyfriend stepped outside."

  "That's alright. They will send him back when he comes inside." Leading me to a private room, she pulls the curtain around me as I sit down on the bed. "I need you to undress and put on a gown."

  "Um, I'm right handed." I nod to my hand.

  She stands holding a clipboard. "Of course, you are. Would you like me to help you, or would you like for your boyfriend to help you? Either way, the doctor won't be in here for about five to ten minutes."

  "My boyfriend."

  "That's fine. Let's go ahead and get your blood pressure out of the way while we wait for him." Wrapping my arm in a cuff, she presses start on a machine next to me. She pops a thermometer in my mouth and records both of the readings. As she's taking off the cuff, Theron walks into the room.

  "That was quick. I came back and you were already back here. Did you see the doctor yet?" I shake my head no.

  "Excuse me, but I will need you to help her in this gown. She wanted to wait for you." The nurse hands him a hospital gown and pull
s the curtain completely closed as she leaves the room.

  "Well, I guess there was no point to getting you dressed earlier than." I try my best to smile at him, but fail miserably. Taking a deep breath, I try to hold back my tears. I hate hospitals and I'm only reminded of the last time I was here, which was only ten days ago, when Matt died. Has is really only been ten days? It seems like so long ago. Just the thought of Matt pushes the tears I was holding back streaming down my face.

  "I'm sorry beautiful, I know this hurts. I'll help you as best as I can." He unbuttons my jeans and pulls them down my legs. I step out of them as he helps me with my shirt. He was right this shirt was a lot easier to take off. He just finishes tying the back of my gown, when there's a knock on the door.

  "Come in." My voice is a hoarse whisper, but they hear me.

  "Hello, Evelyn. I'm Doctor Michaels. I'll be your doctor for today. It says on your chart that you injured your right hand. May I see it?" Looking up at the doctor, I instantly relax. He's older with gray hair and a mustache. He reminds me of my grandfather. I hold up my hand and he grimaces.

  "We will definitely need an x-ray, but I would bet my license it’s broken. How did you do this?"

  "I punched someone."

  He looks a little shocked, but nods his head. "Well, that would do it. Did they deserve it?"

  I nod my head. "They insulted my boyfriend's grandmother. They deserved it."

  He laughs. "I should hope so. It's such a shame your hand took most of the beating. Perhaps you should have your boyfriend over there teach you a better technique if you are going to go around defending people. The radiology tech should be here in a minute to collect you. We will get an x-ray and see how bad that break is." He shakes Theron's hand before he leaves the room. The tech comes to collect me and I leave with her to get my hand x-rayed. It only takes a few minutes. Theron is waiting for me when I get back to the room. I’m a wreck and the pain in my hand is so intense. He runs his hands up and down my back, trying to soothe me as we wait for the results.

  Tapping softly on the door, the doctor enters the room. “Well, Evelyn it seems you have a Boxer's fracture. Your fourth and fifth metacarpal bones have a break in them. These are very common breaks associated with fighters or, in your case, those defending grandmothers. Since, the breaks are clean I have decided to splint your ring and little finger together instead of casting it. I will be sending you home with a sling. Please try and avoid using your arm. You need to keep it elevated and ice will help with the swelling. I'm also going to send you home with a prescription for some anti-inflammatory and pain medicine. I'll have the nurse bring you some pain medicine before your discharged, this way it will take into effect before you are able to fill the script. Make a follow up appointment with your regular doctor in two to three days. I don't see there being any complications, but they should be able to help you with the rest of your care." He very carefully splints my two fingers and wraps a bandage around my hand. He helps me with the sling, making sure to adjust the shoulder strap to the correct height.

  "Thank you."

  "No, problem my dear. Please try not to punch anyone else." Smiling, he shakes my good hand. He turns to shake Theron's hand as well. "Please be sure to take good care of her."

  "I will. Thank you again." The doctor nods his head before leaving the room. Theron helps me out of my gown and back into my clothes. A nurse comes in with a plastic cup and a clipboard.

  "Oh, I see you've changed already, it should definitely help speed things along. Here are the pain pills he wanted you to take before you leave." Placing two white pills into my hand, she waits for me to put them in my mouth before handing me a small cup of water to help me swallow them.

  "Do you need a copy of my ID's?"

  "Nope, a gentleman dropped them off at the desk for us about an hour ago for us to copy. We have everything we need. I just need you to sign here saying we went over all of your medications, discharge instructions, and to schedule an appointment with your regular physician in two to three days." She holds out clipboard for me so I can sign it. She hands me a copy of my instructions and two prescriptions. Theron helps me down from the bed and kisses my forehead when the nurse leaves.

  "Let's get you home. I'll have Evan fill these after we get you comfortable. Okay?" Nodding my head in agreement, I lay it on his shoulder as we walk out of the hospital back to the car. On the car ride home, I fall asleep with my head resting against the window. I feel myself being lifted and I open my eyes to find Theron carrying me to our bedroom. He gently lays me on our bed.

  "I can walk, you know. I didn't break my legs."

  "I would be a horrible carriage if I didn't carry you."

  "You're not my carriage, you're my person." My voice is soft and my words slur as I fall back asleep. I swear I hear Theron gasp, but I'm not sure at what. I close my eyes and welcome the dark.

  Chapter 12

  I slowly start to wake up and I roll over. "Fuck!" It was not a good idea. I rolled onto my injured hand. Sitting up, I place my now throbbing hand in my lap. I swing my legs off the bed placing my feet on the floor. I make my way to the bathroom. I'm stepping through the doorway when Theron comes rushing in the room.

  "What's wrong?" His voice startles me and I jump bumping my injured hand on the door frame.

  "Shit!" Grabbing my hand, I hold it close to my chest giving Theron a murderous look.

  "Oh, beautiful. I'm so sorry. I heard you yell. Why didn't you call for me?" His eyes look me over. "Where's your sling?"

  "I didn't know a broken hand would prevent me from using the bathroom. The sling is on the nightstand over there. It's uncomfortable and I'm only going pee, Theron. The world will not end if I don't put it on." I'm furious and my hand is throbbing. I also hate relying on people.

  "If you would have had your sling on, you wouldn't have bumped it on the door frame."

  "Would that have prevented me from rolling over on it? No, it wouldn't have. Now I am going to use the bathroom by myself. When I lay back down you can determine if I need anything else." I slam the bathroom door. I use the toilet and wash my hands. Needing to calm down, I splash some cold water on my face. It's not Theron's fault I hurt my hand, and the sling would have kept me from bumping it. Opening the door, I crawl back into bed where he is sitting waiting for me. "I'm sorry I got shitty with you. It's not your fault I rolled over on my damn hand. It fucking hurts. I promise next time I'm pissed off, I'll try my best not to assault you with my crappy mood."

  "That, beautiful, has to be the most unique apology I've ever received." I shrug my shoulders. It's the best I could offer. "You've been asleep for a while. Evan dropped off your pain pills about an hour ago along with your brother." What? He picks up the pill bottle and starts reading it. "It says you can take two every four to six hours. It's almost been four hours. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt anything if you took one now."

  “Wait, what? Back up a minute, please. You said he picked up my brother?" My head might be foggy from the pain medicine I took earlier, but I know I heard that right.

  "Yeah. Gram still isn't feeling well and I wasn't sure what kind of help you would need. I don't want you alone, even if it's just for minute. He can stay in the spare bedroom for tonight."

  “I don’t need a babysitter, Theron.”

  He takes my good hand in his, brushing my knuckles with his thumb. “Humor me, please.”

  I’m not going to win this. He knows what his touch does to me. “Fine, but it’s just a broken hand. I don’t understand why I need someone here with me.”

  “Well, you just agreed and he’s already here. Take these, please.”

  I take the pills he's handing me popping them into my mouth. He hands me a glass of ice water and I chug it down swallowing my pills. "My mouth is so dry."

  "It's a side effect from the pain pills. I have an anti-inflammatory for you to take as well, but it looks like you'll need more water. Is it okay if I have Robert, bring it to you with some water? I haven't
checked on Gram since last night. She was really quiet on the phone earlier, I could barely hear her. I'm worried." I smile and signal for him to come closer with my finger. "Yes?" Leaning up, I kiss him softly on his lips. He grasps my face in his hands brushes my jaw with thumb. "That was definitely worth coming in here for. I'll send Robert in. I love you." Furrowing my brow, I try to give him my best pouty face. "What is it?"

  "You always call me beautiful. You didn't that time."

  "Forgive me, princess, I was unaware of the formalities of it all. I love you, beautiful." He leans down and softly kisses my cheek.

  "I love you, too." I watch him as he stands and walks from our room. Who knew that I would fall head over heels in love with a man and move in with him in less than two weeks? I surely didn't. He has completely taken me by surprise. Fluffing my pillow, I sit back against the headboard. My hand may be sore, but I'm not tired. I need something to do. Hearing a knock on the door, I look up to find Robert.

  "Hey, butthead. I was told you were defending little old ladies from dastardly villains and you broke your hand."

  "Something like that."

  He sits beside me and holds out his hand. I take my pill from him and pop it into mouth. He hands me another glass of water and I have no problem finishing that one as well. Putting his arm around my shoulder, he pulls me to him. "I worry about you, kid."

  "I know."

  "You've known him a little over a week and you’re already living with him? That's crazy, Eve. You have to be the most rational person I know. I come back from California and I find out you have a new boyfriend and you move in with him only after a couple of days. Plus, I haven't heard from you for a couple of days, and we usually talk daily even if it's just a text. Now, I get a phone call saying you've punched someone and broke your hand. I don't know, kid. This all seems pretty crazy to me."

  "I know." I put my head down and look into my hands. It does all seem really crazy, but it all feels right except for my hand, that shit hurts.