t**Spoilers from 'Choose your illusion'.**
Adam was sat on the worn leather sofa, iced beer in hand. It had been a stressful day at the ED. First one of the patients had disappeared, and then a secretly schizophrenic colleague had been forcefully dragged out of the ED by police officers. Not to mention that he had basically been rejected yet again by Kirsty. Which, to be fair, was only to be expected considering she was married to Warren. Although he wouldn't go as far as saying happily. Still, Kirsty seemed to have no intention of leaving Warren so there was nothing he could do.
He slouched back, changing the channel and gulping the bitter drink, hoping he could catch the end of CSI:Crime Scene Investigation. He kind of liked watching people with a more stressful job than him - it made him feel relaxed. His hopes were dashed as he heard a car door slam outside, followed by several sets of footsteps and a gentle tapping at the door.
Adam frowned as he got up, setting the beer on the table as he made his way into the hall. He couldn't imagine who would want to call on him this late. He slowly opened the door to see Kirsty and Nita stood on the other side.
Well, he thought it was Kirsty and Nita anyway. It was a little hard to tell with all the blood and bruising...
"He went too far..." Kirsty looked slightly embarrassed. Adam extended his hand out to her, and she took it. Adam felt something like a jolt of electric flow through him as he pulled her inside, shutting the door behind both of them and directing them to the kitchen where he kept his first aid box. He was vaguely aware that he actually hadn't said anything yet, and probably looked like a bit of an idiot. But he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. He really wanted to go round to Warren and punch him square in the face like he deserved, but he knew Kirsty and Nita needed him.
"Sit." He gestured at the chairs placed around the polished oak table before going over to a set of cupboards at the far side of the kitchen, pulling out a large red box and sending quite a few other things flying to the floor. He collected them up sheepishly, precariously balancing them in the cupboard before slamming the door and walking back over to Kirsty and Nita.
"So… Who's first?" Adam asked.
"Nita."
Adam advanced on Nita with the cotton wool and a bowl of icy water, sighing as she drew back slightly.
"Now this might sting a little…" He dabbed at the blood on Nita's face, wincing slightly as he revealed some of the injuries. Nita didn't respond, although Adam was sure she was in pain. He guessed she felt guilty that she didn't try and stop her Dad from hurting Kirsty, even though It wasn't her fault. He dropped the cotton wool into the bowl of water, which was now deep red from the blood, and reached for the needle and thread. Once again she didn't move even a millimeter as he sutured the cuts on her face. Her eyes stared blankly ahead, completely emotionless.
"Okay… There we go…" Adam finished of the final stitch and dropped the needle into a nearby bin. "Upstairs, first room on the left, you think you can find that?"
Nita nodded in the affirmative, before slowly standing up and making her way out of the kitchen. Kirsty and Adam exchanged worried glances. Nita hadn't actually spoken since she'd been at Adam's house.
"She's probably just a bit… shaken…" Even Adam knew Kirsty wasn't convinced. He rinsed the bowl out and filled it with fresh water before crouching before Kirsty. "This might…"
"…Sting. Yeah, I know." She smiled at him, wincing slightly at the pain even that small movement caused.
"Okay, hold still…" Adam gave Kirsty the same treatment as Nita, the concentration evident on his face. When he was finished, he leaned back slightly to observe the damage. Kirsty had four cuts sutured and a few small cuts that would heal themselves. Her left eye was bruised, and her right cheek was bruised and swollen. He felt a sudden protectiveness over the tiny woman sat in front of him, and a sudden urge to throw Warren off the roof of the hospital.
He wrapped his arms around Kirsty, but drew back as she winced again. He forgot about the bruises. They would probably hurt for a while…
"Right, well, I'll give you my room. I'll sleep on the sofa tonight." Adam told her.
"Adam…"
"No, it's fine!"
"I don't mind sharing y'know…" She flashed him a cheeky grin and he smiled back at her.
"Fine by me!" He lifted her up, ignoring her protests and carried her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He didn't actually put her down until they were in the bedroom, where he gently lowed her to the bed.
"Did you bring your stuff with you? Not that I expect you to have thought of that…" He trailed off, grinning again.
"I did actually, in the car." She smiled back.
"Oh come on… Wear this tonight…" He rummaged in his wardrobe until he found a wearable t-shirt and threw it to her. "I'm just going to turn the lights off…" He backed out of the room leaving Kirsty alone.
She looked at the t-shirt and sighed. She was extremely self-conscious about the bruises, even though she knew that Adam already knew about them. Still, they would fade in time…
She slipped out of her blood-stained clothes and into the t-shirt. It nearly came down to her knees, and the short sleeves reached her elbows. Suddenly, she heard a 'CRASH' from downstairs, and, ignoring everything else, ran down to see if Adam was okay.
Nita was already there, quietly watching from a corner. The things Adam had so precariously balanced in the cupboard before had fallen out at him, and he was trying, and failing, to pick them up without looking foolish.
With an amused smile, Kirsty walked up to him and took the things off him, putting them safely back in the cupboard herself. Adam smiled appreciatively as she shut the cupboard door and extended a hand to help him up.
Kirsty turned to talk to Nita, but she had already gone quietly back upstairs. The suppressed laughter died away.
"So.. er…bed?" Adam was clearly uncomfortable, not sure what to say.
"Yeah…" They switched the lights off and traipsed back upstairs.
It wasn't until they were in the bedroom that Adam realized how much Warren had actually hurt Kirsty. She was covered in bruises, some yellowing, some fresh. He pulled the duvet over them both, and drew Kirsty into another hug. This time she couldn't suppress the whimper. Adam loosened his grip. He couldn't stop the surge of anger. Warren had had it coming for a long time…
But it could wait until morning. Adam reached out and turned off the bedside lamp, leaving the room in complete darkness.
I know I edited the storyline slightly :P So…What should happen next? I've got a few ideas but I wanna see what readers want to happen, cause I do listen to suggestions :) review? :)
