Don't Say Nothing Bad about my Baby

Pony's POV

The next couple of weeks were long, and hard as Love continued to drift in and out of the present and in the past. The days she woke up begging for mom and dad the hardest for us to bear. It broke a off a piece of my heart every time I had to explain to her that mom and dad were dead. She was coming home today, and Ang and me were going to take care of her during the day while Darry and Soda were at work. Tim was going to pick her up as promised.

Shaking my head I closed the cover on my current journal thinking of how much Tim had surprised me over the past few days. I had seen the princess cut diamond he had purchased from the pawnshop.It was beautiful, simple and elegant like my sister.It wasthe silver she preferred to gold, and for a minute I think it had made all of us nervous. Like it made the situation real in a way it hadn't been before.

Our gang, and the Shepard familywas the only ones who knew the whole thing was a farce. Tim planned on bringing Love around his gang when she was up to it, and I had the feeling no one would be letting her go anywhere by herself for a long time.

"When's she getting home all ready?" Soda whined making me smile as I entered the living room we had cleaned from top to bottom.

Darry had even made us clean our rooms, which had been disgustingly filthy. Soda, and I would be sharing a bed leaving her to rest undisturbed.

Tim's POV

Laughing at my unexpected bout of nervousness as I pulled in to the hospital parking lot I shook my head.

: Come on Shepard, its not like this is real or anything: I thought fingering the jewelry case that held the ring I was going to give to Love.

This was closer to domestication than I had ever wanted to be, and it made me mighty nervous. I wasn't sure how to act around her anymore, would she be hurt if I was myself, find me too cold and uncaring. Tapping the steering wheel I hoped I was doing the right thing. I had never seen myself as the caring type and this being a fiancée business was putting a lot of pressure on me. I liked it better when it was just she and I with no one in the middle to screw everything up.

Berating myself for being such a chicken shit I opened the car door. The sooner I got my ass moving the sooner I could get this over with.

"She ready to go yet Doc?" I asked spotting the man who had over seen her care.

"Yes she is son, and believe me when I say she's let us know how much she's enjoyed her stay here," he said sarcastically as I laughed.

She had given the nurses hell her entire stay, and barley tolerated the doctor. She really didn't like girls, and hospitals made her nervous, so there wasn't much any of us could do, but ask her to go easier on the staff.

"You ready to go princess?" I asked smiling as she looked up to me with a grin.

Her face was healing now, and despite the yellowish green of the healing bruises she was looking more like herself with the swelling almost gone.

" Get me the hell out of here Shepard," She said looking expectantly toward the brown paper bag I had clutched in my hand.

" Now look Lovey, I know you aint too fond of skirts, but the Doc said nothing too tight for a while, so jeans are out" I said closing the door with my foot before making my way towards the bed.

"Just get me out of here," She said sighing.

Handing her the bag I counted under my breath slowly as she began to pull out her things.

"What's this?" She asked holding the velvet box in her hand questioningly.

" Open it up," I said ignoring the way my heart began to pound.

"Tim…" She said slowly opening the case.

" Found it in the grass," I said shrugging nonchalantly as I leaned against the wall, looping my thumbs through my jeans.

" Its beautiful," She whispered.

"I'm sorry Tim, I- I didn't remember what it looked like," She said meeting my gaze with a pain filled expression.

"Hey, don't worry about it," I said shrugging .

It wasn't like she could remember something she never had any ways.

"You know what the doc said, no trying to force things," I said moving to help her dress.

She was badly bruised, and even walking was difficult. Shaking my head she held her arms up like a child I helped her slip out of the hospital gown, nervous when it came to the bra.

"Sorry if I hurt you doll, I'm much better at taking these off then I am putting them on," I said wincing as she bit her lip in pain as I struggled with the clasp. Her whole body was one big bruise, and even the simplest of tasks were painful.

Ten long minutes later I had her dressed, and ready to go.

" I'll get the nurse," I said knowing they were probably going to throw a party the minute she was wheeled out the door.

She had given a young mouthy nurse a fat lip when she had tried to give her a sponge bath, swearing a blue streak until they had let Angela come in and take care of her. She had been different since the accident, feisty and lippy, and determined to take no crap from anyone. I liked it.

"Well here we are," The nurse said practically throwing her from the wheel chair as she came to a halt in front of the black Chevy.

"Glad to be out of that jail cell," She said scoffing at the nurse's up turned nose.

"Can't say we're sad to see you go Ms. Curtis," She said smiling when Love's eyes darkened.

"Now you and your hood, can go live happily ever after in your white trash world," She said crying out when Love's fists met her mouth once more.

"Don't say nothing bad about my baby," She said making me laugh as I quickly loaded her in to the car, and got the hell out of Dodge before they called the fuzz.

Love's POV

Biting my tongue I held back the groans that I wanted to let loose. Everything hurt, and the bumpy ride was only making things worse. I didn't remember most of the first week, and this week had been a big blur of pain with memories of friends and family stopping by sporadically. They said I'd have to walk with a cane or a walker for a few weeks, but I never complained knowing I was lucky that I still could walk. They had worked me over bad, and now I had to regain that strength back.

"There's going to be a rumble," Tim said making me turn to take in his handsome profile. He always looked so cold, like an unforgiving angel, but I knew first hand the fire that he could kindle.

"When?"

"In a couple of weeks."

"When I'm better?" I asked wondering why they were waiting.

"Something like that," he mumbled making me roll my eyes. He could be so damn secretive sometimes.

"How you holding up?" He asked quickly changing the subject.

"Okay ," I said avoiding the dark eyes I knew would be filled with concern.

"Always knew you were a touch lil chic," He said making me smile.

This fiancée of mine was all right sometimes.

Seeing the house once more brought a dull ache to my heart. I had forgotten my parents were gone while I'd been really sick, and remembering had been like a fist to the gut. Hearing my hiss Tim turned to take in my expression wisely deciding against saying anything. I was grateful when he opened the car door to help me out, and followed behind me as I slowly made my way up the porch.

"Hey its Coca Cola!" Two- Bit cried making me grin when I stepped through the screen door.

"Hey guys," I said feeling awkward when all the attention was shifted to me.

"No rough stuff little buddy," Darry said grabbing Two-Bit before he could rush up to greet me.

"Well you look like shit," Steve said making me growl.

:He would always be an asshole: I thought throwing him a murderous glare.

"Just because she can't kick your ass right now, don't mean I can't," Tim said making me smile.

"You better make sure you watch how you talk to her til she's better," Tim said smirking when Steve paled slightly.

He was a pretty good fighter, but Tim wasn't someone you wanted to be on the bad side of.

" I dig it man," Steve mumbled making me smirk.

"Soda," I said instantly wrapped in the scent of my brother as he gently held me to his chest.

"Hey Lovey," He said brokenly.

"Its not as bad as it looks," I said smiling when he flashed me a look that said , I know its worse.

"You hungry? cause we made a cake," Pony said making me smile as him and Ang stepped forward to help me over to the couch.

"Guys if I sit down, I'm not getting up for a long time," I said remembering the pain bending seemed to cause.

"Its okay, we got you a tv tray," Two- Bit said making me break in to laughter when I saw the familiar black nose, and rounded ears of his idol on the metal tray.

"I bet I can guess who picked this out," I said shaking my head as Tim shifted his weight from side to side.

"Staying?" I asked instinctively knowing not to pressure.

"Yea, for a bit," He said coming to sit beside me slowly.

Pony POV

Watching the two interact as if they'd been together forever I smiled, wondering what would happen when Dally returned in a few more weeks. Tim was his friend, but I didn't picture him being too happy about her new "Engagement" to Tim Shepard.