A/N: I realized that it's been years since I've updated and I apologize. It seems the muse wants to finish this story and I agree. Hang in there with me people. I promise not to let you down!!
Chapter 11: Connections
Vince began to pace as he heard Dom's car pull up. He knew nothing good was going to come out of tonight. He knew that there was only one way to get through to Dom, by kicking his ass. He knew that no matter how hard they tried to have a civil conversation, it would end in them rolling around on the ground. It would end with both of them visiting the hospital, together.
The front door opened and Dom stepped into the house, his work boots scraping against the floor. Vince stared him down, his heart beating rapidly. Dom shut the door behind him and shook his head. "It's not enough with Letty waiting for me when I get home. Now I gotta deal with you?" Dom said, leaning against the closed door.
Vince shrugged and began to shed his shirt. He pulled off his rings and emptied his pockets, dropping the contents onto the coffee table. "Let's just get it out of the way, shall we? We'll fight and then I'll tell you how this family is falling apart. How Mia is depressed. How Jesse is cutting himself. How Leon is using drugs. How I can't sleep through the night. How Letty is planning on leaving us," V said, walking out to the backyard.
Dom followed him, a scowl on his face. Vince stood in the middle of the backyard, waiting for the bigger man to make a move. "Letty's leaving?" He whispered. Vince nodded, waving around. "Seems that you can't keep your dick in your pants. So she's decided that she's gone. She can't deal with our bullshit no more," he said.
Dom lunged for Vince, not really knowing why. He had no beef with his friend but he knew that he couldn't keep taking out his frustrations in bed. He had that instinct to fight it out and Vince didn't mind helping him out. Dom knew he was too stubborn for his own good, he knew that fighting Vince would take out all resistance in him and make him docile. He knew that once he was too tired to fight back, he would be able to listen and take his friend's advice.
Thirty minutes later, the boys stepped into the kitchen, both holding on to their wounds. Dom grabbed a sheet of paper towel and rolled it up, shoving it into his bloody nose. Vince reached into the fridge and grabbed an ice pack, placing it on his swollen cheek. "You driving?" He asked, walking into the living room and grabbing his shirt and wallet. "Yep," Dom responded, opening the front door and walking through it.
They hopped into Dom's car and took off towards the hospital. This was usual for them. They would fight. Drive each other to the hospital. Be back in time for breakfast.
"How do I fix it?" Dom asked, shifting lanes. Vince scoffed and shrugged. "Damned, if I know. I guess just start off by talking to them. You're the glue, Dom. With you half gone all the time, shit just fell apart. We're not the team we used to be," Vince said, pulling the ice pack away from his face. He looked into the passenger side mirror and cringed at his already swollen cheek.
"Stitches?" Dom asked, pulling into the emergency room entrance of the hospital. "Yeah," Vince answered, solemnly.
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"Do I even want to know?" Mia asked, as she walked into the kitchen. Dom and Vince glanced at each other and smirked. "A couple of stitches for me. Dom here, is sporting some broken ribs," V answered, slapping Dom on the back. The bigger man groaned and flipped his friend off before standing up from the kitchen table. "Good luck," Mia said, shoving a cup of coffee into Dom's hand and pointing up the stairs. Dom sighed and headed upstairs, knowing that he had to win Letty back before anything.
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Dayna opened her front door and groaned, placing a hand in front of her face to block out the sunlight. "What the hell happened to you?" Vince growled, walking into the house. She sighed and walked over to the couch, plopping down on it. "Trisha fucking Tran," she muttered, kicking her feet up on the coffee table. "No fucking way," Vince said, sitting down across from her. "I gave it to her good. She'll be pissing blood for the next week. The only good thing I got out of it was the lieu put me on medical leave for a few days," she replied, turning the television on. "What about you?"
Vince scoffed, running a hand over his stitches lightly. "Dom and I had a chat last night," he responded. She looked over at him and smirked. "Anything I should be worried about?" Dayna asked. He cocked his head to side and sighed. He felt like breaking down right then and there. Telling her about everything. Asking her to help, but it wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't be fair to drop everything on her and ask her to fix them.
"Do you know a good counseling center?" He asked, realizing that he would need some place to start. "Yeah. I know a place my friend runs. A couple of miles from here. Free of charge for people that live in the local area," she said, standing up the couch and retrieving her purse from behind it. She dug around in it and pulled out a business card. "Tell her I sent you," she said, handing V the card.
---
Dom watched as Letty pulled her hair into a loose ponytail. "Can we at least talk?" He asked, leaning against the window sill. She turned from her position in front of the mirror and faced him. Dom watched her and realized that she was absolutely tired. He saw the strain and the worry lines framing her face. He saw that she didn't carry herself with the intensity that she used to. She didn't jump at the idea of racing anymore. She rather spend her days in front of the television or with in bed with Mia. She wasn't the same anymore. None of them were.
"I need some time, Dom. I need to take care of myself first before I can worry about who you're doing or who you're running around getting into trouble with," she said, turning around and reaching for the door knob. "I know, Letty. Trust me, I know I've fucked up. Big time. But don't leave because of my mistakes. This is your family too. I'll change. I'll do whatever you need me to do, but don't leave us. Don't leave me," he said.
They looked at each other and held each other's stare, both realizing that they needed to do some healing. Letty nodded and continued her descent into the hallway and into the stairs. Dom stared after her, his body longing for her warmth. How did things get so fucked up? How did they lose themselves? How?
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"This is a really nice car," Dayna said, as she slipped into the passenger's side of Vince's Maxima. He scoffed as he saw her beat up Toyota Camry in his rearview mirror as he pulled away from her house. "How long you had that car?" He asked. Dayna sighed and smiled at him. "Who knows how long that car has been around. My brother had it before me. He finally saved up enough money and got himself a Civic. Then he kindly donated the Camry to me so that I wouldn't have to take the bus to work anymore," she said.
"You have brothers? It seems like you know everything about me and I know nothing about you," he said. Dayna chuckled, thinking that he was right. "Well maybe one day, far, far from now, I'll take you home to meet mom," she said. Vince cocked an eyebrow and scoffed. He didn't know what to think about the offer. It would be nice to get out of Echo Park and get to know Dayna a bit more.
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Vince stuck his head into the garage's office and spotted Letty tying on her work boots. She looked up at him and smiled, nodding back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the card Dayna had given him. "Can you take Jesse and Leon there? I figured you could go with and bond or some shit," he mumbled, handing her the card. She accepted it and glanced at it. "You not going?"
"I figured I can only deal with so much at a time. I'll take care of them first, then worry about myself later," he replied, exiting the office. Letty stared after him, understanding what he was saying. She knew that Vince was a mess underneath the tough exterior he put up for everyone, but was he sacrificing himself for them? Or was he running away?