I want to apologize for the long awaited publish. You guys are all awesome as hell and I couldn't ask for better readers. That being said, this chapter probably won't go how you all were hoping, but I don't want to rush things and this is a fill in chapter. I don't typically do "fill ins" because they're usually an excuse, but work with me guys. I gotta build you up. You guys rock. This chapter is only 683 words, but keep a look out on Saturday/Sunday for the fourth installment.


Well, I appreciate your feelings and I don't want to pass you by

But I don't ask you about your business, don't ask me about mine

Gemma had led her into a trap, that much was immediately clear as the elevator had begun to rise. It took a total of two floors of silence and boot tapping before the "basement" button was pushed and Hollis was immediately questioning if she could be trusted with making adult decisions in the future.

The older woman looked like a snake, all venom and ready to bite. Her long, jean clad legs uncrossed themselves gracefully as she rose to full height. The browns of her eyes were nearly indistinguishable in the elevator light and though Hollis would kick herself later for such a stupid thought, the woman looked purely demonic.

"So, Hollis." Gemma's words held as much venom as her eyes. "What curiosity are hoping to sate with this little visit?"

"I'm not hoping to sate anything, not really." The young woman decided to tread carefully. Weighing her options, Hollis began to process the information she had gained thus far. This woman could probably be considered slightly unhinged, they were alone in an elevator, and the man she was attempting to see was obviously very important to the older woman. Deciding quickly, Hollis determined that there was no need to become defensive yet.

"I have something I need to give Mister Lowman-"

"He's isn't interested in blondes." The lie was bad enough that even Gemma felt like flinching, but she knew well enough Happy wouldn't go for a prissy bitch like this. Sudden hard-on for a thug or not, Jailbait wouldn't last a minute. "He has plenty of what you're trying to give him."

A scoff escaped the young woman's pout, "I'm not here to find out what Mister Lowman is interested in and I'm definitely not offering him what you're assuming I am. I get it, okay? You don't trust me, I'm a stranger. I get it, Gemma. I… I saw what happened to him, okay? He was shot, there was a lot of blood, and even I know he's lucky to be alive. A lot of shit happens in this town, but I've never seen anything like that. Stranger be damned, I wanted to make sure he was okay."

Despite her inner-demon, Gemma felt a touch of softness at the girl's words that she worked quickly to shake away. Hollis appeared decently innocent and Gemma had given herself enough pats on the back to know she could generally trust her instincts. This girl didn't belong in their world, whether it was passing or permanently, and Gemma wasn't about ready to let a domino effect begin.

"I'm going to give you some advice," the older woman said while putting her hands on her hips. "Go home. Leave this hospital, go home, and get some rest. I don't know anything about you, Barbie, and I don't give a shit to. But I recognize vanilla when I see it. Take a nice nap, wake up in the morning wondering what errands you need to run, and don't worry about things that don't concern you. I'll save you the heartbreak, kid, because whatever you're expecting? You won't get it. I've met some mean sons' of bitches in my lifetime, Lowman's at the top of that list. Do yourself a favor and forget anything you've seen from the accident to your tiny ass walking out the hospital doors."

Gemma leaned around Hollis, swiftly pushing the '1' button. "Go home."