A/N: Many thanks and much love to my dedicated reviewers. I really couldn't do it without you lovely folks!
Anne: Don't fret! I'll try to update as much as possible, I promise! And to answer your question, well, it looks like you're just gonna have to read this chapter. Such a shame, I know! :P
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).
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The slight buzz of his phone startled him. Without a second glance Jem answered the call, pressing the phone to his ear. "Okay Jem, where'd ya go?" It was Doug and although he didn't sound very angry, Jem could hear a touch of frustration in his brother's voice. "Meet me at the hospital." "The hospital? What in God's name ah ya doin' theah Jem?" "It's Chrissy." Jem could hear the slam of the front door before Doug disconnected.
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Jem hated hospitals. They made him uneasy, nervous and in general they were far too clean for his taste. He didn't know how Doug was able to handle being in them but he respected him for that ability.
"The doctor and nurse are with her right now, they don't want her to have visitors just yet. But you can wait over there!" The receptionist was incredibly cheery with a smile that never faltered.
So they sat, Jem anxiously tapping his feet and twiddling his thumbs. If it weren't for that, the dull atmosphere would have put him to sleep. Doug was hardly faring better at this point; Jem's constant fidgeting was driving him up the wall. "Would it kill ya to sit still?"
It felt like ages before a friendly nurse made her way over to the pair and raised a brow at Jem who was now slouched in the chair. Doug shrugged and gave her an apologetic half smile. He knew better than anyone that Jem could be a total pain in the ass. "She can see you two now. I'll lead you back there."
Doug gave the back of Jem's head a friendly cuff, startling him awake. The taller man barely had time to slap his hand over Jem's mouth to muffle the obscenities that spewed forth like a river. "Get yoah ass up, you can see her now."
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"Mom, dad, I'm fine. Honest!" "Honey, I think your current situation is saying otherwise. Your father and I have made up our minds. We're selling and we're going to go live with friends of the family. It's much safer out in Billings." "Mom, it's Montana. I don't think I can handle that. Besides, I've got friends here and I've got a job. I can just live with them and pay rent or something, I'm sure they won't mind?" Okay, she had to admit, the last part wasn't exactly true but Chrissy was dreading the thought of moving to Montana.
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Her parents shuffled their way out of the confined space and left but not before her father gave Jem, as well as Doug, a very stern look. "You best behave yourselves young men."
Jem shrugged and pushed the curtains aside even more before he and Doug stepped into Chrissy's area.
She was looking much better than before. Her face was cleaned with a small row of stitches running beneath her eye and another set running up into her scalp through her eyebrow. Her facial expressions were limited seeing as how movement would painfully tug on the careful needlework of the nurses. An IV was hooked up to one of her bruised arms, the clear fluids dripping slowly. Bruises could be seen on the part of her collarbone that wasn't covered by the blue and white hospital gown. The flimsy gown did little to provide warmth, its sole purpose simply being to cover her. Various colored cords ran up through the collar hooking up to a monitor. A small conglomeration of blankets was neatly pulled up to her waist, covering her bare legs and feet from the cold air of the hospital.
Her face brightened considerably when she saw Jem and Doug. "My two favorite men! Have you come to try the fine hospital food?" Her lips turned up into an easy smile as her unburdened hand motioned for them to sit. "I can't say I was expecting any visitors, aside from the parents…" She let out a weak laugh, wincing with the pain as her injured ribs protested the sudden inhalation. Chrissy's head slumped back against the pillow, a sigh managing to work its way out.
"Well you two sure are lively…" "What did they look like?" "What?" "The men." Her head rolled to face Jem, whose face was unreadable. "Jesus Jem. Why?" She paused for a moment, "oh, no. No. I know what happens if I tell you…" She watched as he surged to his feet to loom over her. How odd, she thought, catching a glimpse of the small gold cross and the chain from which it hung, how odd that I never noticed that before…
"Chrissy," he began, "those men have it coming. Do ya really just wanna sit heah and let them wandah around knowing that theyah gonna get away with this?" She bit her lip slightly and glanced to the side, "it's not that ad Jem. I just got a little bit banged up, that's all." "A little banged up? Chrissy, I think a trip to the hospital and stitches to the face are a bit moah than a little," it was Doug who spoke this time. She relented with another sigh, "fine. If I tell you, once you guys are done doing whatever it is, will you two come back and maybe actually talk this time?" Chrissy looked at the two men with a hopeful expression and Doug was the first to agree. It was only fair, he figured.
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Jem had already bailed out of the small quarters when Chrissy motioned for Doug to stop. "Hey, I need to tell you something." His brow rose in question as he made his way to her bedside. Her voice was barely above a whisper but he still managed to hear her with perfect clarity. "I know he was there Doug. I saw his neck stamp" The man looked down at her with an almost sad smile on his face. "I know."
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When they returned Chrissy was sound asleep. A small vase with flowers had been placed on the bedside table with a folded piece of paper tucked underneath. When Claire had delivered them, Chrissy had still been awake and they ended up talking for quite some time. Naturally the other woman was concerned for her friend's well-being but after much reassurance, she had relaxed. Claire had told Chrissy not to worry, that she would find someone to cover for her while she was out on her medical leave. Chrissy wasn't thrilled about having to miss work, thus losing a good amount of her paycheck, but she knew it was for the best.
Doug and Jem looked at each other almost uneasily. They were unsure if they should wake the sleeping girl or just to let her be. Doug didn't want to go back on his word so he slowly approached Chrissy and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, Chrissy. Weah back. Jus' lettin' ya know."
She let out a muffled groan and gingerly rubbed her eyes, blinking rapidly to clear the sleep. A faint smile danced across her face as her eyes focused on the two. Chrissy pulled herself to a sitting position, wincing slightly as her ribs protested angrily. The current situation was far more awkward than she had anticipated and the silence did little to help. Her eyes glanced at Jem who was now visibly more relaxed and if she had to guess, he might actually be somewhat happy. It was almost a disconcerting thought, a happy Jem. The woman swallowed thickly before speaking, "so uh, I'm guessing you guys took care of the problem?" "Yeah. They won't be harassin you no moah. Or anyone foh that mattah." Her eyes shot open at Jem's response. "Oh god, you didn't ki-" "No, no Chrissy. We don't do that. They just know to stay away now, that's all," Doug was quick to reassure the woman that no lives were claimed.
The silence took over once more. Jem was sitting, hunched over and twiddling his thumbs like an impatient child while Doug slipped the small note from under the vase. One of his brows rose slightly and a small smile appeared on his face. "Sounds like Claih is pretty worried about you." Chrissy rubbed the back of her neck a small smile on her face. "Yeah. She's a good lady y'know? I'm kinda glad she came to visit, it's a nice change from the parents." She groaned inwardly at the last part of her statement. "I have one last favor, if you guys wanna help." Jem glanced up, almost excited. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't excited at the thought of possibly being able to hurt more people.
Chrissy noticed the man's sudden movement and let out a soft laugh, "sorry Jem, but nobody else needs to get hurt. This is more of a uh…domestic problem." She hardly paused before continuing on. "They want to move again but this time to the middle of nowhere. Quite frankly, I'm pretty happy here despite the recent turn of events. I've got a job and shit, I've got a few close friends. Problem is, they want me to go with them and the only way they'd let me stay is if I found someone willing to rent out to me. I've talked to Claire but she says she'd have to think because apparently her place is pretty small… So I'm asking you." She motioned slightly to Jem and Doug, noting the very peculiar expressions on their face.
"So what yoah askin' is if you could live in ouah house?" Jem's voice was heavy with disbelief, as if she hadn't just asked that of them. She looked at them sheepishly before glancing at her blankets. "Y-yeah. I mean, I could pay rent and everything. I've got a job, I can watch Shyne if you want, cook, clean. You name it and I can probably take care of it." Doug pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, "Chrissy…" He glanced at the woman who had a look of desperation on her face. "I'm not shoah if we can-" "Look. What you guys do in your spare time and shit is your own business. Besides it's not like I don't already now." She gave a slight shrug.
Jem glared at her and quite nearly growled, "what do y'mean 'its not like I don't already know'?" Chrissy gave him a 'you've got to be shitting me' look. "Really Jem? Do you really need to ask that?" Jem turned to Doug, fixing him with a furious expression. "I thought you said we weren't going to have any problems," his voice dropped by the end of his statement, matching his dark expression. The infuriated man moved to approach Doug, his hands curling and uncurling to form fists.
Chrissy wasn't going to stand for the possibility of a brawl between the two, especially not in a hospital. Even though she had to admit, it'd be pretty funny and even possibly ironic if they did start to fight. With a groan she managed to pull herself to the side of the bed and pushed the buttons to lower it. Every inch of her body was screaming at her as she swung her legs to the floor and shakily stood. One hand had a death grip on the side of the bed frame while the other struggled to twist and reach behind her, keeping the flimsy gown shut. The floor felt like ice to her bare feet as she trudged towards the men who were now barely feet apart. Somehow Jem was able to keep the volume of his voice down as he was speaking vehemently with his fingers jabbing at Doug's chest.
It felt like ages before Chrissy was standing by the two men. She managed to weasel her way between the two and with her back to Doug, she faced Jem. Her hands were trembling as she pressed one to Jem's chest to prevent him from stepping any closer. She was hurting and she was angry. It was not a good combination. "I swear to fucking god Jem, don't you fucking dare hit him." Jem's eyes narrowed at her remark, "oh yeah an' why should I listen to you? Whose side are you on?" "This isn't about sides you ass!" Chrissy tossed her hands up in exasperation, not really caring that it let the back of her hospital gown slide open to reveal the multicolored bruises that were trying to blend with her tattoo. "Y'know what? You wanna fuckin' hit something Jem? Fuckin' hit a wall, or better yet, hit me. Not Doug."
Jem recoiled slightly at the acidity of her tone. He had never seen her this mad before and it was mildly disconcerting. The only thing that both the men found to be more concerning was the battered woman's willingness to take a hit for Doug.
"You've got no reason to hit him, not when this 'problem' is me." She used finger quotes around the word 'problem' before awkwardly crossing her arms across her chest, trying to to cringe at her protesting ribs. "You ain't right in th'head if you think I'm gonna hit you, 'specially when yoah like…that." He watched as her lips tugged even further into a frown, "oh trust me, Jem. That hasn't stopped people before, people far less…extreme than you, so tell me, why is it stopping you?"
Doug's brows furrowed slightly, suddenly concerned about the woman and what exactly she meant by her previous statement. "What do you mean 'it hasn't stopped people befoah'?" It was Doug's turn to speak and he moved to circle around the girl and stand next to Jem. She glanced down, suddenly embarrassed though she couldn't figure out why.
"You know what? Forget I even said anything. It's not important anyway." She moved to shuffle back to the hospital bed; the warm blankets seemed to be more inviting by the second. Doug reached out and gingerly placed a large hand in her shoulder, trying to avoid hitting any bruised spots. "Chrissy," he prompted gently only to receive an exasperated sigh in return.
"Abusive relationship and it didn't end on good terms either. You folks pleased now?" She glanced at the two for a moment before turning her head away to try and hide her eyes that were brimming with tears- not just from the pain of her current injuries.
The men stared at her in shock and disbelief as small pieces of a puzzle began clicking together. Not only did it explain her scars but the most of her jumpiness and the fact that she would cower whenever one of them would get angry. It all stemmed from the fear of being hit- or worse.
"Jesus, Chrissy…"
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A/N: Another chapter, because I love you guys. Hopefully its not awkwardly cut off, or filled with typos or just crappy in general.
R&R
