I tell Coll he should sleep on the couch but he refuses. He wants to sleep in his own bed and I can’t say I blame him.
I help him slowly traverse up the stairs and into his bed. I’ve never been in his room and have to admit that it is exactly what I thought it would be. Minimalistic, just like him. I help him into bed and pull the covers up to his chest. I should just leave. I know I should but I can’t. Coll saved two lives tonight, mine and Steve’s. I sit on the edge of the bed and brush some hair out of his face. I feel the tears welling up in my eyes again as I lean down, kiss him on the forehead and whisper, “Thank you.” I head for the door and turn off the light, smiling at my guardian angel and heading to my own room.
I can’t sleep. I’m too scared knowing that Steve is only five miles to get any rest. Instead I sit at the table with Blaze at my side and meticulously clean my gun waiting for the sun to come up. The sun is just starting to peak over the trees when I hear Coll’s grunts and groans heading down the stairs. Instead of going straight for the stove he walks over to me and sits down.
“You’re aim was a little off last night.” He says jokingly.
“I hit my mark. I missed on purpose. I can’t stoop to his level.” I lay my head on my arm and my eyes finally flutter closed.
CHAPTER 16
Coll
My morphine drip returns when her fingers interlace with mine and her hand wraps around my arm. I know he landed a few good punches but I don’t know how much damage he has actually done. I know moving hurts and I slowly head into the house with Mack guiding me. We head straight into the kitchen where she sits me down on the chair and heads out of the room. This is the first chance I’ve had to breath and take an assessment. Breathing hurts, so I’m pretty sure I broke a rib or two. Mack storms back in the room with puffy eyes and a flushed face.
“Take your clothes off.” She says deliberately. I can’t help but stare dumbfounded. I’m in pain, and still reeling from what happened and she finally wants to get frisky? This woman is kinky.
“Did you not hear me? Take your clothes off, you’re bleeding.” She says with a little more annoyance in her voice. I look down and see she is right. There is blood all over my shirt and my pants are ripped. Thank god I wore underwear today. I start with my shirt and don’t fully understand my injuries until I try to pull the shirt over my head. Yep. I definitely broke a rib or two. The blood has already started to dry gluing my pants to the cut on my thigh. After some serious mediation and meticulous movement I have my clothes off and am chilling in full view for Mack to see. She’s never even see me without a shirt on and now suddenly I am chillin in my underwear in the kitchen. I have to focus on the pain to keep my mind from wandering while she inspects my body and starts to patch me up. Her fingers are like butterfly wings lightly grazing my skin and leaving lightness that was not there before. She works with a top down approach and starts with the cuts on my face. I can already feel the black eyes forming as she grabs ice packs for my broken ribs and uses one of our ace bandages to compress the damage. Finally, she moves down to the bleeder. The cut on my thigh matches the bullet hole in the other one. No one has ever seen it. The injury that sent me home, that put me in her path. There was a reason I lived through that ambush and it was to save her life. This new scar will serve as a reminder for that. She finishes patching me up and suggests I sleep on the couch. I know that won’t happen and try to go upstairs on my own. That doesn’t work and Mack ends up helping me up the stairs and into my room. She’s never been in here before and I can’t help but think that I should have decorated better. It looks like the barracks and I don’t want her to think I’m as military as my room. I try to get into bed and am relieved when she doesn’t even give me the opportunity to fail.
She helps me into bed and instead of turning to leave, she sits on the edge of the bed and looks at me with a smile that could melt the ice caps. She reaches toward my face and I naturally lean in towards her touch. She brushes a hair away from my face and leans down closer to me than ever before. She kisses my forehead and whispers into my ear then she’s gone. I lay in bed all night waiting for the sounds of Steve’s return. I keep thinking about the fight and her eyes. I cant get her eyes out of my head. When she saw me on the ground covered in blood there was a fear in her eyes that trumped anything I have ever seen. That was when I knew she felt it too. Maybe not consciously yet, but she definitely felt it. We are connected. I don’t know why but I know I will be in her life forever in one way or another. I spend the rest of the evening in and out of daydreams about the rest of our lives and what they will bring. The sun is starting to peak over the horizon and it is finally time to deal with what happened last night. I slowly make my way downstairs for breakfast and find Mack already there. She looks like shit. I can tell she didn’t sleep. She looks like the same scared sheep who drove up my driveway six months ago. It’s going to take a lot of work to undo this damage but I will do it. I can’t let her live in fear forever. There is too much life in her for that.
“You’re aim was a little off last night.” I quip, trying to make her smile.
“I hit my mark. I missed on purpose. I can’t stoop to his level.” My heart screams when I see the look on her face. She is really beat up about firing the gun last night. Her eyes flutter shut and its my turn to take her to bed. I debate taking her up to her bed but I know that I am not quite strong enough at the moment. The couch however was her idea last night, so I figure she won’t mind. Plus, this gives me the opportunity to keep and eye on her today. I use the spare blankets and pillows from the laundry room to make her a bed on the living room couch and start to cook. I certainly am not working hard today but the animals need to be fed so I take Blaze with me and head out for chores. I come back and she is still sleeping. She looks peaceful when she’s asleep. You can see the weight lifted from her shoulders and she looks ten years younger. I want to get her back to that part of her life but its going to take time and unfortunately we now have to handle this fiasco before she can heal again. I spend the rest of the day relaxing on the chair beside her. The house is locked down hard and Blaze is more vigilant than ever. I have to remember to get that boy a T-Bone next time we head into town. With that another wave of anxiety hits. I’m sure everyone in town knows what happened here last night. The next time we go into town its going to be a shit show. I remind myself to only focus on one problem at a time and decide it is finally time for Mack to wake up.
“Mack,” I whisper softly so I don’t startle her, “wake up. Its time for dinner.”
She groans and slowly blinks her eyes open. When they fully open, we stare at each other for a minute until she makes the first move.
“So what’s it gonna be? Mac and Cheese or the diner?” she asks with pursed lips and one cocked eyebrow.
“Is the mac and cheese Scooby Doo shaped?” I respond mimicking her face.
“Yes.”
“Mac and cheese a la Mack it is then.”
She giggles, rolls off the couch, tousles my hair and heads into the kitchen. Yep. Things are changing around here and I can’t help but think it’s for the better.
CHAPTER 17
Mackinzie
I wake up to the soft sound of my name and the promise of dinner. When my eyes finally adjust I realize I am on the couch and Coll is battered and bruised sitting on the chair next to me. I have to remain strong for him, if no one else. I look him over and realize there is no way in hell he can maneuver through the kitchen and ask the question of the hour, “So what’s it gonna be? Mac and cheese or the diner?”
“Is the mac and cheese Scooby Doo shaped?” he responds in stride knowing its one of the only things I can cook without burning.
“Yes.”
“Mac and cheese a la Mack it is then.”
I send a silent prayer up to the powers that be, happy that I have this amazing man to help me through this. Its not going to be easy and life in this small town just got three times harder but I will make it through be
cause this time I have someone in my corner, and he has one hell of a right hook. I know it might be early but I can’t wait to talk about the logistics any longer. I shove a Daphne shaped macaroni in my mouth and sigh.
“You know we will have to go to the station tomorrow. I’m sorry I dragged you into this. You deserve better than this.”
“I got myself into this, Mack. And don’t worry you are totally worth it. But if I may say, you have horrible taste in men.”
“Hm, must be why I live with you.”
“Oh, burn. Ok. I guess had that coming. We can deal with tomorrow when it gets here. Lets talk about tonight. We never got to watch our movie but I don’t know how I feel about horror. Want a redo?”
How on earth did I ever find this guy! He really is amazing. He has this uncanny ability to calm me down no matter the situation. I smile and nod and help him walk from the kitchen to the movie room. Today is totally different than last night. Usually we all sit on the second row in our recliners. Blaze on the left, me in the middle, and Coll on the right but today I walk us down to the first row and we sit on the couch together. I search the cabinet for a movie to lighten the mood and smirk when I see The Land Before Time. I head over to the Blu-Ray player and put the movie in when I realize I am covered in blood and still wearing my clothes from last night. I get the movie all queued up and run up to my room real quick to change. Fifteen minutes later I have taken the worlds fastest shower and have donned my favorite Black and Pink PJ pants and for the first time ever, a tank top. Suddenly caring about what you look like is a real pain in the butt when you haven’t cared in months. I flop unceremoniously down on the couch and start playing with Coll’s hair. The movie started and we were eventually able to relax back into our normal dispositions. Things were different now, I knew I was developing feelings for Coll and I did not know what to do about that. Eventually, me playing with his hair turned into his head resting on my lap while he and Blaze cuddled and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happier than a pig in poo. I felt whole again, with Coll on my lap and Blaze at my side, nothing could go wrong.
By the end of the movie we were all asleep. The end credits woke us up and we headed up to bed. The tension in the air was thick. You could feel it, like walking through a spider web. I got him up to his room and was about to open his door when he placed his hand on top of mine.
“Thank you,” he said, “for taking care of me. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did. You saved my life. Besides, seeing you in pain is unbearable. Don’t do it again.” I said with a flick to his uninjured shoulder for emphasis. He smiles and pulls me in for our first, non adrenaline fueled, hug. All those months of imagining what his arms felt like, for Hazel’s sake of course, could not even begin to compare to his real hug. It was a gateway to his soul. It was strong, yet gentle, safe but not smothering. I feel completely safe in his arms and know, right then, that he would never hurt me and I could never hurt him. I nuzzle my face into his neck and we stand there, outside his door, in an embrace I wish would last forever. Finally, he pulls away and places his hands on my arms.
“Good Night Mack. Sleep well.” He whispers kissing me softly on the nose.
“Good night Coll.” I respond and walk away. I think I may actually sleep tonight which is good because tomorrow is going to be hell.
The morning comes way sooner than I wanted it to. I roll out of bed with a grumble that gives Oscar the Grouch a run for his money and hit the shower. A nice long hot shower helps to raise my spirits a little but the day is still daunting. It has been thirty six hours since Steve showed up at our doorstep and changed everything and now its time to face the music. I get dressed in my boots, jeans and a white tee and head downstairs. Breakfast burritos, yep, Coll knows we have a mission to accomplish as well. We eat and run, working on all the chores so we can head to town without worrying about the animals starving. When we are all finished up we hop in the Explorer and head into town.
Our first stop is the Sheriff’s office. I know there is paperwork to fill out and I want to make sure the bastard is still locked up. We walk in and Linda, the secretary, is immediately up to hug us both. She looks like she has been worried sick about us and when she whispers a snide remark about Steve into my ear, I make a note to talk to her more often. Linda fauns over Coll’s injuries while I head into Hugh’s office. Sheriff Perkins looks nearly as beat up as Coll and I feel so guilty for dragging him into this.
“Oh, get that look off your face Miss Mackinzie. You didn’t bring nothing on me.”
“How do you always know exactly what I need to hear?”
“It’s my job honey. I’m the sheriff.”
“Thanks Sheriff. So, what’s the deal?”
“Well, it looks like he screwed up royally this time. You musta had a grade A lawyer back in South Carolina because the second I booked him I got a phone call from the courts over there. If you still want to press charges, they will extradite him and let you attend the trial virtually. It looks like he will get a minimum of one year and that, my lovely young lady, means prison. Do you know what happens to men who beat women and get sent to prison?”
I shake my head no because I really want to hear the words come out of his mouth.
“They become the women. I’m sure he’ll have an abusive boyfriend in no time. Especially with a baby face like his, even if Coll managed to break his nose.”
“Thank you Sheriff. Is there anything else you need from us?”
“Nope, I am taking care of everything. Head on over to the diner. I know Maggie is dying to see you two. The whole town is in arms, we are so proud of you Mackinzie.”
I thank the Sheriff and head back out to save Coll from Linda’s prodding fingers.
We get stopped five different times in the quarter mile walk to the diner. Each time is the same, but each time I feel better. Yea, everyone wants to know what happened, but more importantly everyone wants to tell me I did well and they are there if we need anything. I realize I have been truly accepted and when Coll’s hand bumps into mine I use my newfound confidence to lace my fingers through his and try to show him just how thankful I really am. The gesture doesn’t go unnoticed and as soon as Coll gets up to go talk to Burke, Maggie and Bonnie are in the booth asking questions about Steve. Bonnie asks if I really shot Steve’s ear off and I laugh, thinking about the game telephone we used to play in elementary school. I tell her what really happened and go to take a sip of my sweet tea when Maggie finally asks the question burning on both of their tongues.
“So, I see you and Coll were holding hands when you came in. Did this fiasco finally force you two to accept your feelings for each other, hm?”
“It’s nice to see you are still as observant as ever, Maggie. No, we did not spill our souls surrounded by dirt and destruction admitting that we were truly fated in the stars and meant to be together for all eternity.” I say with a hint of sarcasm, but not enough to be mean. “We admitted that we are kind of…attached… to each other and the thought of the other being hurt is horrifying. I think that officially makes me and Coll brother and sister, right?”
“We’ll see… Give it a couple months. I’m right. I’m always right about these things.” She said walking away from the table with Bonnie. Those two girls are hilarious. You can always count on them to brighten your day. I could see Coll and Burke and I knew they were talking about the fight. I just sat back and enjoyed the view, happy to know that Steve was rotting in a jail cell down the road. When Coll looked over his shoulder at me, something snapped. He wasn’t just a brother to me. He was more than that. He was a companion. A beautiful, rugged, chiseled, intelligent companion and by the look in his eyes he felt the same way about me.
CHAPTER 18
Coll
I wouldn’t change the view I have right now for anything. Mack is in the kitchen, concentrating intently on not burning the mac and cheese. She is still wearing her clothes from last night and while she is covered in dirt and bloo
d she is still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I always thought Steve was a horrible person, who treated her like crap and dug his own grave but I don’t think I could have ever understood the true monster without seeing it for myself. I can’t help but be proud to call her my friend for surviving the years she did with that monster. I’m glad he is finally behind bars, where he should be, but still fear that he will not leave us alone until one of them is dead. Unfortunately for him, he will be the one grave hunting. Mack may not have been able to shoot him but I surely can. That’s when it hits me; yesterday was the first time she ever shot at someone. The poor lass must be dying inside. I take for granted that shooting at people isn’t some new feeling that comes with pain and self-loathing. I was trained that the people being shot at deserve it. I learned to compartmentalize that aspect of my job. I vow to be there for her when the realization hits, until then its time for some mac and cheese.
She is right on point, picking up the pieces of her broken world again. It has only been twenty-four hours and she is already ready to head into town and make sure everything is taken care of. She would have made a great military officer. I convince her to have a redo of movie night and am shocked when she walks us down to the couch instead of our usual recliners. She runs upstairs and leaves me with Littlefoot and Sarah on the DVD menu for what feels like an eternity. When she walks back into the room, my breath catches in my throat. Not only did she change clothes but she has on a tank top. Six months and I have never seen this girls shoulders. I’m shocked at the effect they are having on me. Everyday, something else about this southern beauty amazes me and today is no different. She flops down on the couch like a dead fish and I nearly faint with the pain stifling the laugh is causing but she is just too cute right now to risk ruining the moment.
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