Fight Me

by Lacey Black

  Avery’s eyebrow shoots to the sky. “Really? I was going to invite her, too.”

  “Well, don’t. Let me ask first.”

  Avery smiles over at me as she answers, “Okay.”

  As we’re wrapping up lunch, the radio on my shoulder comes to life. “Three-Ten-David, you copy?”

  “Dispatch, go ahead,” I say into my radio.

  “Reports of an attempted mugging at Twenty-four Main Street, in front of the library. Victim is a thirty-two year old female, condition unknown. Over.”

  Erin. I’m up and out of my seat and heading towards the door before I even process what is going on. I hear Maddox’s heavy footfalls right behind me.

  “Ten-four. Unit in route,” Maddox says into his radio after I don’t respond. I am usually cool and calm in most situations, but right now I realize I’m a hair away from totally losing my shit.

  My feet are barely on the sidewalk before Maddox is running around to the driver’s side and throwing on the light. “Go!” I tell him before the door is even closed.

  My heart is pounding, my palms are sweating, and I’m on the verge of panic as we speed towards the library. Fortunately, we don’t have too far to go and we’re pulling in a couple of minutes later. I’m out of the car before Maddox even has it in park, running towards the other squad car and ambulance on the edge of the parking lot.

  When I approach the ambulance, I see Will bent over Erin who is sitting on the sidewalk. She looks up at me as I approach, her green eyes filled with fear and relief. I feel like I can finally take my first deep breath since receiving the call to respond.

  Will is checking Erin’s neck and head for injuries as I crouch down next to her. I can’t control my shaky hands as they reach out and touch her face. “Are you alright?” I ask in a voice I barely recognize.

  “I’m okay. Just a bump on the back of my head.”

  “What the hell happened?” I ask as I watch Will feel around the back of her head. He must touch the part that she hit because I see her wince in pain.

  “I was coming out of the library to walk down to the bank and make the daily deposit. A kid came up behind me and tried to grab the money bag. When I wouldn’t give it to him, he pushed me into the brick building and I hit my head.”

  “You wouldn’t give him the money bag? What the hell, Erin? No amount of money is worth getting yourself killed over,” I thunder at her. I can’t control the rage I’m starting to feel at the thought of Erin being seriously hurt or killed by some stupid kid looking to score a few bucks.

  “Well, excuse me if I wasn’t just going to hand over the library’s money to some kid who is probably looking to score a hit or some alcohol,” she fires back at me, irritation and anger marring her beautiful features.

  “Kids, do you think we can hold off on the lover’s quarrel until after I finish my assessment? I’d like to move her off the cold concrete and into the back of the rig as soon as possible,” Will says with a stern look.

  “Yeah, sorry,” I mumble to my brother. Erin is still shooting daggers at me and I decide to take a moment to step back and find out what’s going on with the suspect.

  I stand and head towards Maddox who is already talking to the first responding unit. “What do you have?” I ask with authority and attitude. I can’t help it.

  “The suspect took off on foot down Main towards Walnut Street, heading East. The third unit is searching the area now for him.”

  “Why don’t you guys head out too and help search? We’ll stay here and follow the victim to the hospital and conduct the interview.” Officer Neil stares back at me and I can tell he wants to question my decision to stay, but he doesn’t press the issue.

  “Alright. We’ll head out and help search.” Neil and his partner head towards their squad car.

  “That was smooth. You should have just whipped out your dick and peed on the ground around her to mark your territory.”

  “Fuck off. I’m not dealing with this shit well right now.”

  “Clearly, Captain Obvious,” Maddox smarts off. “They’re loading her in the ambulance. Let’s head over there and see what’s going on.”

  When I approach the ambulance, I see Will already in the back, hooking Erin up to a monitor. “Are you taking her in?”

  “Yep. I think she needs to have the bump on her head checked out. We’ll meet you there.”

  “I’m riding with you.”

  “No,” Erin and Will both say at the exact same time. Of course, I completely ignore both of them as I step up in the back of the ambulance. I turn towards Maddox who is already shutting the doors. He throws me a quick, “meet you there” as he shuts the last door.

  I sit down on the bench across from Will as he finishes hooking up the monitor to Erin’s chest. I try to contain my growl as I watch my brother paw all over Erin from under her shirt, but I’m not very successful.

  “If you can’t sit there and be quiet, I can have you removed,” he says with a look that tells me to settle down. Now.

  “Why don’t you ride with Maddox, Jake. I’m fine except for a horrible headache. I don’t want to fight with you or argue about why I did what I did. I just want to rest and try to relax and get rid of this headache,” Erin says as she closes her eyes and lies back against the gurney. When she does, her face winces in pain, again, at having bumped the tender spot on the back of her head.

  I lean forward and take her hand in mine. Her fingers are freezing cold from having been outside far too long so I take one in my hand and rub it back and forth between my large paws trying to warm it up. When that hand starts to feel warm again, I grab the other and repeat the process. Erin finally looks relaxed as she rests on the gurney with her eyes closed.

  It doesn’t take too long to get to the Emergency Department at Rivers Edge Health Center. I throw open the back doors and step aside as the staff come out of the hospital to help escort the patient inside.

  Maddox is next to me a moment later as Will starts reporting stats to the staff around him. They have Erin inside the hospital emergency room a few moments later.

  “Put her in room four,” one of the nurses says. “Sir, you’re going to have to wait out here until we get her all checked out. You can come in for your interview as soon as the doctor is done with his evaluation.”

  “I’m her friend,” I say quietly.

  “Well, stay here, and I’ll come out with an update as soon as I have one. Okay?”

  “Fine,” I mumble as the nurse heads into the room, shutting the heavy door behind her.

  And so the waiting begins. I pace back and forth, up and down the small hallway as Maddox gives a status update to dispatch. Will walks up and slaps my shoulder. “She’s going to be fine, man. Just a bump on the head and they’ll probably check her out and make sure she doesn’t have a concussion before they send her home.”

  “I know she’s gonna be fine. I just want to be in there with her.”

  Will’s lip curls up on one side in a slight smile. “You’ll see her shortly. Hang in there, man,” he says as he turns and heads back out towards the waiting ambulance.

  “So, dispatch says they caught the kid. They found him hiding in the tool shed on the back of Martha and Jep Cordell’s property. Apparently, their dog wouldn’t stop barking so they called the cops. Kid is nineteen and from St. Charles. They’re talking to him now at the precinct.”

  “Well, at least they caught the little bastard. Thank God he didn’t hurt her more than he did.”

  “Mr. Stevens, you can go back now. Miss Anderson is asking for you,” the polite nurse says. I follow her back down the short hallway but hesitate when I reach her doorway. “Go ahead,” she says politely with an encouraging nod.

  I knock as I step through the door. “Hey, how are you feeling?” I ask as I approach her bed. She looks so small in the big hospital bed, but at least some of the color has returned to her face. They also have her in one of those one-size-fits-all blue hospital gowns. Even with the overs
ized gown, she looks breathtakingly beautiful.

  “Okay. We’re waiting on the CT Scan to make sure everything is fine before they’ll let me go. Did they catch the kid who did this?”

  “Yeah,” I say as I grab a hold of her hand and sit down in the chair next to her bed. “They caught him hiding inside a shed a few blocks away.”

  “Good.” Erin closes her eyes for a few minutes, and I think maybe she’s dozed off, but then she starts talking again. “Thank you for coming with me to the hospital. It was nice to have someone with me.”

  “No problem. I’m sorry I jumped your shit earlier. It just made me crazy to think you could have been seriously hurt over a few bucks.” I stroke the soft skin on her palm with my much bigger, calloused fingers.

  “Yeah, well I have to account for every penny I spend at the library, and I didn’t want to lose any just so some kid could score a hit.”

  “I understand why you did it, but that doesn’t mean I like it or that it was a smart move.”

  “So what happens next? Do you have questions to ask me?” Erin asks with her eyes still closed.

  “Yeah, Maddox and I have to conduct the interview. Are you up for a few questions?”

  “Sure.”

  After Maddox joins us in the room and the questions have all been asked and answered, the radiology staff come down to get Erin for her CT Scan. Maddox and I return to the waiting area, but this time, I’m much calmer as I wait since I got to talk to Erin.

  When she’s returned to the ER, the doctor comes in and tells us that the scan came back clear. She’s ordered to take it easy for a few days and take Motrin for the headache.

  Since I’m still on duty and in the squad car, I call my mom to come get Erin from the hospital and take her home with the promise to stop by as soon as I’m off work.

  “You don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine when I get home and can get some rest.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I’m off work,” I reiterate, leaving no room for any more arguments from her. That earns me an eye roll of those beautiful green eyes.

  When Mom pulls up to the ER entrance, I help Erin into the front seat of her car. I lean down and can’t help but inhale the wonderful scent of her hair. It smells like something tropical, and I’d love to dive my hands into it again. Since I don’t want to hurt her head further, I settle for a gentle kiss on the crown on her head.

  “Thank you,” she says with a shy smile.

  “I’ll see you later. Get some rest and I’ll bring over some take-out for dinner.”

  “Okay,” she says as Mom pulls out of the drive.

  “Let’s go, Romeo. We have paperwork to fill out at the station,” Maddox says as he heads towards the squad car. Only a few more hours left of this shift and I can head over to Erin’s and check on her which I’m actually looking forward to. I want to see her and take care of her. I want to be there for her.

  *****

  Wednesday brings my day to hang out with Bean. Maddox was called in to work to fill in for a sick officer, so I volunteered to watch my niece. It’s hard to believe she’s going to be four in just a couple of months.

  After Avery drops her off with tons of dolls and toys, we set out to play in my living room. Even though I’m wearing a little plastic tiara and holding a little baby doll wrapped in a pink blanket, I wouldn’t trade these moments with her for anything. Since Maddox and Avery got together, I actually watch her less than before since Maddox has her on our days off.

  For lunch, we decide to head out and grab some take-out. My mind wanders to Erin who is back to work today after having the last day and a half off following the mugging incident. I decide to send her a quick text to see if I can grab her lunch while I’m out.

  Hungry? Bean and I are grabbing food. We can bring you some.

  It takes her a few minutes to reply. No thanks. I brought a sandwich.

  Well, shit. I was hoping to grab a chance to swing by and see her. I guess I’ll have to be a little more creative.

  OK. Have a good one.

  Thanks. You too.

  She’s definitely not getting rid of me that easy. After Brooklyn and I hit the local fast food restaurant for lunch, I decide that maybe a trip to the library is in order. “Hey, Bean. Wanna go to the library?”

  “Yay! Da wibwawy!”

  I find the closest empty parking spot in the lot, grab my niece, and head into the library. The heavy door slams shut behind us as we walk towards the front counter. I can see an older lady over in a seating area reading. Otherwise, the place looks deserted. Where’s my favorite librarian?

  When I approach the counter, Bean walking next to me, I see Erin sitting at the desk in the office. I clear my throat as I rest my elbows on the counter and give her one of my signature killer smiles. The one that makes panties drop. I know this for a fact. This smile works wonders.

  “I thought I told you not to come back unless you were checking out books,” she says as she looks up over her cute dark rimmed glasses. Erin mentioned at dinner that she doesn’t normally wear glasses anymore since she had corrective vision surgery a few years back, so I’m assuming those are readers.

  Instead of responding to her comment, I reach down and pick up Bean, setting her down on the counter.

  “Oh,” she says as she quickly gets up and walks around the desk towards the counter. “I didn’t realize you had a guest with you. Hi, Brooklyn.”

  “Hi! I want to get books, pwease!”

  Erin smiles down at Brooklyn’s sweet face. “You want to get some books? You got it! Come on, let’s go.” I set Brooklyn down on the floor as Erin comes around the counter to join us. Erin holds out her hand for Brooklyn who takes it with no reservation. The sight of Erin and my niece walking towards the children’s section makes me chest tight. My heart feels like it’s slamming into my ribcage. It’s the damnedest sight, but it doesn’t scare me like it would have any other time. Any other woman. Erin walking with my niece, holding her hand, just seems right. It fits.

  When they reach the children’s section, Erin starts talking to Bean about what kind of books she likes. “Pwincess!”

  “Well, you are in luck, little lady. I have a huge selection of princess books right over here.” She guides Bean to a section on a short bookcase and starts to pull them off the shelf.

  “Dis one!” she exclaims as she waves a book in front of Erin’s face.

  “‘A Princess Like Me’. Oh this one’s a good one and it’s a pop-up book. Come here,” Erin says as she walks towards a large, worn overstuffed chair. Erin sits down and places Bean on her lap. She flips open the book and starts to read.

  My mouth goes dry and my lungs struggle to pull oxygen into them. I can’t help but stare at the sight of them reading a book together. Brooklyn is snuggled into Erin’s lap, listening intently as she reads the story. Erin uses different voices for each of the characters and has such a smooth, calming delivery. She’s a natural, and I can see how much she loves her job in the way she reads to my niece.

  One book turns into two which turns into six. Brooklyn’s eyes are closed and have been for the past several pages, but I don’t interrupt Erin because I love listening to the sound of her voice.

  When she gets to the end of the book, she looks down and realizes that Brooklyn is asleep. She looks up, her green eyes fixed on mine, and she smiles as she lays her head down on top of Brooklyn’s. It’s the most perfect moment. I want to stay right here, like this, forever.

  Wait a minute! Back it up. Forever? Where in the hell did that come from?

  I get up and take the book from her hand, returning it to its correct place on the shelf. As I bend down, intent on taking Brooklyn from her lap, my eyes seem to focus in on Erin’s lush lips all on their own. I want to kiss them so fucking bad. I know we’re in the middle of the library and she’ll probably throw a fit, but I just can’t seem to stop myself.

  I lean forward and gently place my lips onto hers. She sighs against my lips and the sou
nd sends all of my blood straight below my belt. I run my hand along her neck taking in the gentle curvy and soft skin. I know that deepening the kiss is a bad idea, but I can’t seem to remove my lips from her body. I place light kisses down her jaw to her neck. I lick her pulse point and can feel it beating rapidly underneath her tender skin.

  I want to continue kissing her more than anything in the world, but I can’t do it when she’s holding my sleeping niece on her lap. So, I regrettably pull back a little to look at her beautiful face. Her eyes are still closed and her mouth is opened slightly, forming the cutest little ‘o’.

  “I should get her back to my place so she can finish her nap.” I reach down and gently lift Brooklyn from Erin’s lap and can’t help but rub against her chest a little. Hey, I’m a guy. Her breasts are full and her nipples are hard little peaks. I’d give my right nut to be able to explore them right now.

  But Uncle Duty calls, so I head towards the door with my sleeping niece cradled in my arms. Erin helps me get her coat onto her limp body which is no easy task.

  “So, I have to work all weekend and the guys are all getting together at Maddox’s man cave to plan the Bachelor party Friday night, but I’d like to see if you I can. I know Saturday I get off a little late, but I want to stop by after I get off work at nine.”

  “Is that a question or a demand?” she asks with a little irritation in her voice.

  I love how quickly she goes from zero to sixty. It makes me wonder if she gets worked up in other ways just as fast. “Both. I won’t stop by if you don’t want me to.”

  “I should be back by then.”

  “Where are you going?” I ask as images of Erin out on a Saturday night with someone who isn’t me flash through my mind.

  “I’m going with your sister, Mom, Holly, and Maddox’s mom to the dress fittings,” she replies as she crosses her arms over her chest. The motion presses them together and up on display. I can’t help but stare at the succulent view.