Chapter 10
A sharp inhale marked the beginning of his awakening, and he shifted, pressing deeper into the lumpy padding on the cot. He felt her stiffen against him, and opened his eyes slowly as he gave her a gentle squeeze.
"You awake?" he asked quietly. She groaned, sliding further under the covers uneasily.
"Riddick?" He acknowledged her guess, and she sighed. "It hurts."
"It's going to." She nodded. "You want something for it?" Her head turned toward him slightly, and Riddick chuckled. "Monkey scrounged up some Tylenol for Doc." She nodded, wincing as the bed moved as he reached over her for it. He helped her sit up, retreating for the bottle of water under her bed. "Open," he said quietly, cupping the bottom of her chin as he poked a pill in her mouth, taking her hand in his to close it around the canteen, watching her drink slowly.
"How'd it go?" she asked finally, letting him cradle her head as she lay back down.
"It went," he said, watching her cringe. "You'll be fine." She heard him shift behind her, assuming he was also crawling back under the covers, and felt his arm slide around her again, dragging her backwards until she was firmly against his chest.
"Warn me next time you do that, please," she moaned. "Either that or tell me the room really is spinning like a fucking top." He laughed.
"A little dizzy, are we?" he snickered.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "Disoriented. I don't know where the fuck I am." He smiled.
"You're in my bed, facing the room." She sighed. "I wanted to keep you out of direct light, just in case."
"Can I take this thing off my head yet?"
"Nope." Another weighty sigh. "Not until it stops bleeding for a day or so."
"It's still bleeding?" One would have expected her voice to have at least a touch of panic, but it didn't.
"Yeah," he said with a slight shrug. "A little." She mumbled nothing in particular, just some nonsense utterances. "It will for a few days."
"A few days?" She felt him nod. "Christ. He didn't tell me I'd be a fucking invalid," she grumbled.
"Think of it this way," he advised. "You'll be blind for about a week, then everything will be blurry for a couple days, and after that, you'll have the greatest asset in the world."
"Seeing in the dark," she quipped, happy but still sleepy.
"Exactly." He grinned. "Now you'll be the one whispering 'I see you' to some poor fuck in the hallway." She snickered.
"Pity." A small moan escaped her, and she shifted beside him. "Riddick?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are you staying with me?" He inhaled harshly. He'd asked Jack the same thing.
"What do you mean?"
"I figured you'd just plop me in my bed and go about your business," she stated with a weak shrug. He smiled, indulging the urge to clear her hair away from her neck again.
"I'd like to stay on your good side." He saw her cheeks move into a smile, her quiet laugh lilting in his ears. They both jumped at the loud buzz, and she sighed.
"Showers," she explained. "You going?"
"Do I smell that bad?" She snickered. "Well, is anyone willing to skip theirs to stay with you?"
"Probably not," she said, her voice somewhat sour.
"Then you can deal with my smell."
He really hated feeling rushed. Especially when he had other errands to run after making a quick stop at the canteen. Twosy was looking after her, so she should be safe. He finished his slop hastily and stood, heading out. He needed to find Red.
"Tell me something." Red's head snapped over his shoulder. Riddick slowly revealed himself, leaving the safety of the shadows. "Why would Doc tell me not to trust you?" Red's eyebrow rose. "Something about hearing rumors." Red shook his head.
"I have no idea," he said with a shrug.
"Aw, don't be like that Red," Riddick drawled, satisfied that Red's eyes narrowed. A brief glint of light flickered as Riddick adjusted the shiv hidden in his palm. Red sighed.
"Doc and I had a falling out a while back," he said with a cringe, eyes trained on the hand hiding a weapon. "Deal gone bad."
"Your fault?"
"Unfortunately," Red admitted.
"Deal of my own went bad that affected his. I learned not to make deals until I
had the shit in my hands."
"Smart," Riddick commented. "But how would that affect his recommendations on getting someone to look after Sarge when I have to leave?"
"What happened to her?" Red's voice had a touch of alarm, and Riddick only smirked, not offering any excessive information. "Riddick, what the fuck happened to her?"
"She's fine. Don't worry about her." Another glint of light. "Worry about someone else right now," he warned. Red visibly gulped, but didn't speak. "A word of advice," Riddick ground out. "Don't fucking test my patience." Silver eyes narrowed. "I don't have much of it."
"I don't know," Red spit, suddenly finding himself off the ground, pressed into the wall with a very sharp weapon pressing against his throat. "Okay, okay," he stammered quickly. "Everyone here knows I've got a thing for her."
"A thing," Riddick pressed. Red sighed.
"Yeah. I care about her."
"You care about her or you think you love her?" Riddick's voice was rough and menacing, pushed through clenched teeth.
"I love her," Red stammered, voice turning up at the end of the sentence as though he were unsure.
"You don't deserve to love her," Riddick growled, suddenly dropping the reddened convict. He'd hoisted Red far enough off the ground the impact from the fall sent jolts of pain through his knees, a strangled cry breaking as he crumpled to the ground. Riddick walked away, his profile highlighted by a dim light.
"And you would know about love, huh Riddick?" The sarcastic tone in Red's voice made Riddick stop, the light emphasizing the ripple of tightening muscle. His head cocked to the side as he pondered Red's fate, which now lay in Riddick's hands.
"Yeah," he growled, turning to give Red a hard stare. "More than you ever will." Red let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding as the massive man disappeared down the hallway. He waited until all was silent before scampering off.
Nervousness. A feeling unsettling to Riddick more so than the average person. The closer he got to his cell, the stronger the smell of blood. As he rounded the corner, he heard the awestruck voices, indecipherable muffles. He pushed through the crowd easily, stopping in his tracks as the sight hit him.
"Shit." Nostrils flared, hands clenched, and jaw tightened. "Leave," he growled. The mob scattered, and Riddick sighed, stooping to draw down the lids over Twosy's staring, lifeless grey eyes. He stayed crouched there for a while, assessing the situation. The bullet had been picked up, a scar in the stone telling him it was a through and through shot. At least he went fast, he thought, eyeing the seeping hole in Twosy's forehead. That didn't ease the situation though. With as fragile as Sarge was right now, she couldn't handle another episode. He cringed, hoping they knew to leave her eyes alone. She could take being hit elsewhere, but nowhere near the swollen, already bruised eyes so recently tampered with. "Fuck." He stood, pacing around the room for a while. No need to worry about taking the blame. Guns were hard to come by on the inside, and too loud to be convenient. Guards didn't have to carry silencers. Damn it, Twosy, he thought. Just had to fight for her, didn't you? Good heart, but stupid. He shook his head, pulling Twosy's lifeless body down the hallway and into a shadowy corner.
In the shadows he waited, until he heard the door open and slam. Two beats, and then up the stairs. He cringed, picking her up gingerly. The wraps around her eyes had been removed, blood seeping slowly. Just got that stopped, mother fuckers. The crowd gathered around him slowly, one convict added with every few steps he took. No one said a word, and he wasn't sure if it was the deep scowl he wore or the limp, battered, half-dressed woman in his arms. At least they were smart enough to keep their distance, and stay outside his cell as he carefully deposited her on the bed. He turned, chaining and locking the door, and gripped the bars tightly.
"Show's over," he said quietly. "Move the fuck on." Slowly, the gathering dispersed, and he rested his forehead against the bars. "Leave!" His voice echoed through the hallways, prompting feet to move faster. The bed creaked at his outburst, and he turned, brow furling as his eyes fell upon her. She was trembling, balled up, and bleeding. "Kody?" She whimpered. "Let's get you cleaned up," he whispered, reaching out for a wad of gauze. Her face jerked as he grasped her chin, and he shushed her, speaking to her softly as he dabbed away the blood. "Did they hit you in the face?" Another weak whimper, and he grimaced. "Can you sit up for me?" She shuddered. "I'm gonna give you some more Tylenol, okay? I need you to sit up." Whimper. "It'll make the pain go away," he urged. She moaned, trying to press herself up, and he reached out to help her. "Hang on a minute," he said gently, twisting the lid off her water canteen and retrieving one of the few pills left. "Here," he said, gently supporting the back of her neck. Bloody, cracked lips parted, and a pill was planted. He held up the canteen to her lips, holding it for her as she drank little by little. He used his shirt tail to wipe her lips, gently shushing the hiss she let out. She whimpered again as he helped her lie back down, shifting as the covers were drawn over her. "You're okay now," he whispered, brushing clumps of hair matted with blood from her face. "I got you."
"Riddick?" He hopped up, nearly falling off his bed. "They're bleeding again." He swore. They were running out of gauze and Tylenol. He'd barely slept through the night, every movement she made waking him. Crouching next to her, he used the last bit of gauze to wipe away the small trickle of blood from an eye. He remained next to her bed for a moment, watching her shift uncomfortably, brows knitting in frustration. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"For what?" he asked quietly.
"Everything." Her voice was breathy, too weak to be hers. "This. The shine. Just…" she sighed. "Everything."
"You've got nothing to be sorry for." She whimpered, a violent shudder raking over her. "Cold?"
"A little." He paused, not really sure what to do. "I'll be okay."
"Sure?" She nodded. "Okay." He returned to his bed, stifling a groan as he retreated under his blanket.
"Riddick?"
"Yeah." He heard her sigh.
"Twosy's dead, huh." She already knew. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah."
"He tried to stop them," she said quietly.
"That's what I figured." A thought struck him. "What'd you do with that sweatshirt?" She was quiet for a minute.
"I was wearing it."
"Shit."
"Yeah," she sighed. "That's what I said. Took my fuckin' pants and prison shirt too."
"I know." She was quiet again, but not asleep. "You want those pants you stole for me?" he finally asked. Her breathing stopped for a moment.
"You mind?" she asked timidly.
"I'm not wearing them," he stated, standing to find them. "Here," he said, returning to her bedside. With his help, she stood, stepping into them with shaky legs. She gripped his shoulders, fingers digging in as he pulled them up for her. With a gasp, her knees gave out and she collapsed against him, trembling forcefully. A strong arm wrapped over her shoulder and around her side, and she held onto him as he stooped to loop his other arm around her quivering knees, lifting her and placing her gently back under her blanket. He pulled it over her, and her fingers curled around his.
"Riddick?"
"Yeah?" She sighed heavily, removing her hand from his.
"Never mind," she said quietly. He stood over her for a minute.
"You okay?" She shrugged.
"I'll live." He nodded. Not okay, but better than dead. He took a breath, but she spoke first: "Will you…?" She stopped, swallowing.
"You want me to stay with you?" She nodded slowly. "Are you sure?" Another small nod.
"I feel safer with you," she whispered.