Gold was tired, it was late as he drove home. He had stopped off at Granny's for a little coffee on his way back from the shop. He needed to get a little work done at home tonight, instead of at his place of business like he usually did. He tried a sip of the hot drink, it was practically boiling as it scorched his tongue, damn that was hot. He swore Ruby did that shit on purpose, just to piss him off. He couldn't even hold it as he quickly set it down in the cup holder before his fingers suffered the same fate as his mouth had. He rubbed his eyes trying to clear his vision, his neck ached. This stretch of the road didn't have any lights and it was hard to see at night, perhaps he would bring that up at the next town meeting, or maybe he should have moved closer to town. It didn't help that he refused to wear his glasses.
His leg throbbed. He absently rubbed at it, trying to still the pain. The cold weather wasn't helping at all, no matter what he tried, it always seemed to dance just out of reach of relief. He sighed as another jolt of pain ran down his calf, settling into his ankle. He reached down for another try of his coffee, "Oh Shit" the cup toppled over onto his pants and into the floorboard. The hot liquid burned all the way through his tailor-made suit making him jump from the pain as it soaked through to his skin. He swerved and just as he looked up he saw a person standing on the side of the road, but it was too late. He slammed on his brakes, luckily he hadn't been going very fast but it was too late, he clipped the pedestrian. Who ever it was, dropped like a stone.
His tires screeched to a halt as he slammed the car into park and jumped out, straining his leg in the process."DAMN, DAMN, DAMN IT. Some stupid son of a bitch standing out in the road, what were they doing out here at night, and he probably just killed them. they better hope he killed them because if he didn't they were going to wish they were when he got through with them.
Why in the hell would someone be out here, much less in the middle of the fucking street at this hour? His heart was hammering in his chest as he rounded his car to see a woman comatose on the side of the road. She moaned. Thank God! She wasn't dead but now what? He hobbled over to bend down as she tried to sit up but failed.
Gold got down on his knees in his five hundred-dollar ruined suit to help her get up. She didn't look as bad as he expected, she had a contusion on her temple where she had hit the pavement, she was lucky, but he wasn't going to be. She was going to sue the hell out of him for this, that was for sure, and it was definitely his fault. "Are you alright Miss?" She moaned before opening her eyes, looking up at him.
"What happened?" She sounded confused.
"You were in the road." Gold left out the part where he spilt his coffee and was swerving all over the road trying not to get burnt.
"Can you stand up?" She reached for his hand trying to pull herself up but winced in pain when she tried putting pressure on her leg. Wonderful, it was probably broke he thought, he was in deep shit, she was going to get him for everything he had.
"Here, Let me help you, we need to get you out of the road dearie, before someone else comes along and runs both of us over." The woman nodded her head in understanding but still looked a little disoriented. Gold had left his cane back in the car, so of course it was the lame assisting the lame as he helped her stand up. She leaned on him heavily as she rose to her feet. "Should I call an ambulance for you?" She immediately started shaking her head no.
"Please, I'm alright, really." She didn't look it to Gold and he wasn't about to just leave her to her own devices, look where that had gotten her.
"I think you need a doctor, at least let me take you to the hospital and get that leg x-rayed, it could be broken." The girl looked panicked.
"NO, please, no doctors." The words came out more harsh than she had intended but she had no intention of going to the hospital even if her neck was broken. It was too far away from her heart to kill her, she would be alright.
Gold looked confused,but accepted her decision without any further argument about the subject. If she refused medical treatment then that was her decision. Probably going to go through her lawyers for that sort of thing, take him for all she could get out of him, he was sure. "Well, you can't stay out here and you certainly can't walk, judging from the way you are tottering on one foot,... Miss?" he looked at her expectantly. Gold at least wanted to know the name of the person that was going to sue the shit out of him.
The girl swallowed hard as she looked at him, she seemed like she really didn't want to divulge any information too him. He couldn't see her too clearly with only his head lights, but even with no streetlights, he could tellt she looked a little afraid as she stood there, unsteady as she held on to his jacket for support. He had his arm around her, his hand at her back, she was a tiny little thing he noticed, scrawny even, as she stood there looking uncertain in the dark. Well, he couldn't just leave her. "Look, Let me help you into the car at least and then we will decide what to do, we need to get you somewhere comfortable, alright? Then you can tell me your name if you want. my name is Gold." The girl nodded as she allowed him to assist her to the passenger side of his car.
It had rained earlier that morning and her jacket was covered in mud he noticed, as she slid into the seat. He frowned, she was going to ruin his upholstery in his car, great.
He closed the door after he got her in and hobbled around onto the other side. The car had died in the process and he really hoped it started or they both would be stuck out here. Thankfully it roared to life, so he put it in drive and they took off. He took an unsteady breath trying to settle his nerves, he turned to her, she was staring out the window, which gave him time to take her in. She was covered in mud which he was sure was his fault but her obvious beauty showed through the dirt and grim. She had dark brown hair that hung below her shoulders that had bits of dirt hanging in it. He could see the abrasion at her temple, he hoped she hadn't bumped her head too hard in her fall. She licked her lips nervously, maybe she was just in pain and trying hard not to show it. "Where were you headed in the dark down the road, if you don't mind me asking, Miss..?" There, he gave her another opportunity to give him her name.
She turned to him. He noticed she had a small cut on her lip. Shit... Busted lip, screwed up leg and no telling what trauma to her head, he was screwed. He looked back at the road before glancing back at her, better keep an eye on the road, no telling who he might run over next.
The girl took a loud breath before speaking, "Isabelle, the name is Isabelle and I was headed for the shelter in town."
Gold looked confused. The shelter? For homeless people? This girl was going to the Homeless shelter? why? did she work there? He took another look at her appearance, and this time he saw that her jeans looked old and ratty with holes in the knees. Her jacket looked faded around the edges and her sweater was worn, it had seen better days. No, she didn't work there, she lived there. Great, well she had hit the jackpot hadn't she, he thought. When The wealthiest man in town runs over you, your worries are over. She was probably waiting for him on that road, waiting to jump out there and grab her meal ticket. Isabelle kept her eyes toward her lap as if she was embarrassed that she had said anything.
"I'm sorry, I know this must be a terrible inconvenience for you, to drive me. The man and woman who work at the shelter will fix up my leg I'm sure, if you could take me there I would be eternally grateful." Her voice sounded so small, as small as she looked, hunkered down in his seat. Gold sighed, He was going to regret this he was sure, but there was no way he was going to just slow down and kick her out at the homeless shelter after running her down in his car, no way, he might have been a bastard, but he wasn't a complete asshole.
"Look, I live just down the street. Allow me to take you back to my place, We can at least get you cleaned up and access your wound's, it's the least I can do." She looked almost embarrassed as she bit her bottom lip before nodding at him. Gold blew out the breath he had been holding, Maybe her leg wasn't as bad has it looked and he could fix her up and send her on her way in the morning. Lord knows what would happen if he took her to the shelter in her condition, well he knew exactly what would happen. The sheriff would be called and he would be spending the night in jail, they would probably throw the key away if the Mayor had anything to do with it. At least that much was settled he thought, as they pulled into his driveway.
"Will your wife care that your bringing me home? I don't want to get you into any trouble?" Gold opened the car door, grabbing his cane as he got out."No wife, I live alone so it's not a problem." He clambered around to the her side of the car. She looked a little nervous when he opened the door and offered her his hand. She stared at it for a minute before putting her much smaller one into his, accepting his help. He sensed her apprehension and guessed at the cause. "Don't worry dearie, I'm not an axe murderer, I'm the town pawn broker, Other than mowing you down in my car, I have no ill intentions. I assure you that you're quite safe." His managed a semblance of a smile for her which she accepted before smiling back. He couldn't believe she didn't know who he was, or at the very least heard of him. he suspected that she had and was just acting. They were quite the pair, trying to manage the steps up to his house. They looked more like bookends, but before long he managed to get her in the door and reclining on his couch.
She seemed as exhausted as he felt. He left her there to go get her a cold washcloth, and see about a first-aid kit he kept under the sink in his bathroom. When he returned her eyes were closed. He stood there for a moment, watching her steady breathing, hoping she didn't have a concussion or anything. Maybe sleeping wasnt the best thing for a person who had just took a nasty bump on the head, but she appeared to be alright. That was a long stretch of road she had been walking down, and in the dark too. What was she doing there? He heard her let out a small sigh, he cleared his throat to alert her to his presence.
She turned her face over to him and opened her eyes. They were the bluest eyes he had ever seen, framed with thick dark lashes. She looked scared, alone. The throbbing in her ankle marred her features in pain as she tried to sit up.
He held out the cloth. "I brought a few things to patch up that scrap on your forehead, if you want I can.." She snatched the rag from his fingers, "I've got it.. th,thankyou."
"It's no matter.. Can I get you something to drink? tea perhaps? I'm about to have some myself." Belle winced in pain as she dabbed the rag against her temple. She squeezed her eyes shut before nodding to Gold about the drink. He left her there and went into the kitchen to boil some water.
When he returned with the tea he carried some sugar and milk on a small tray and set it down beside her on the table. "I didn't know what you cared for so I brought a little of everything." Isabelle looked over at the tray with a frown.
"You don't happen to have anything a little stronger for that tea do You?" Gold's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?" Belle narrowed her eyes at him, he thought she was too young, that much was obvious.
"Old enough for a drink. I'm 23. How old are YOU, that is if you don't mind me asking?" She threw his own words back at him. So she was cocky enough for retorts was she? Good, good sign. Gold walked over and grabbed the old decanter of scotch from off the bar before coming back as he opened it, pouring a liberal sum into his own cup before handing the container to her. Belle took it , helping herself.
"I'm 45, more than old enough dearie, I assure you. Now after your drink what do you say we see about getting you fixed up?" Belle swirled the amber liquid around in her glass, staring into it a moment before downing the whole thing.
She looked up at him,"I don't want to be an inconvenience." Gold just couldn't figure this girl out. After all he had struck her and she thought she was imposing on him? Must be some ploy, she was trying to catch him off guard obviously. Her next words completely caught him off guard and blew him away.
"I feel like I owe you, for your kindness. Tell me, what can I do to re-pay you?" She looked so earnest,her eyes wide... then she put her hand on his knee suggestively. Gold's mouth fell open as he grasped the meaning of the words coming out of this girl's mouth.