A/N: Apologies for such the long delay, been working multiple jobs at the same time for the last year and am finally about to leave my second job which means more time for writing. My goal is to finish As Time Goes By in the next few weeks as well as more of Desperado written.

Chapter 4

I didn't really pay that much attention to the clock once I got home except to make a mental note that it was 11:04 pm by the time I managed to get my pj's on and my hair down. Every now and then, when I'd try to flip onto my side, the searing pain that radiated throughout my arm would wake me from a dead sleep and I would have to force my face into the pillow to suppress the screams. Perhaps at one point, maybe a few hours ago, I could've sworn I heard my neighbor knocking on the wall between our rooms asking if it was alright. However I was too tired to make a reply and fell back asleep as soon as the pain was gone.

It was about 7:00 in the morning when I was rudely awakened by an un-Godly smell. I rolled over in my bed, turning away from the rising sun and faced the cat that was closest to my head, his eyes were shut and a smile was planted on his face. "You farted," I groaned out before throwing my face back into my pillow. Not even a minute or so later, his brother hit me with another wave of silent but deadly gas.

Now I was irritated.

Throwing the blankets back and crawling out of bed, the pain in my shoulder jolted me awake quicker than a steaming cup of coffee. I shuffled over to the dresser and shut the fan off, then took one of my white pills from its container. I have no intentions on having kids, but it sure as hell helps in making that time of the month more tolerable.

There was no way in hell any place would be open this early in the morning for me to fill my pain meds, so I opted for a couple of ibuprofen to tide me over until I could get down to the drug store. I glanced over at the alarm clock and figured there was no point in trying to get a few more hours of sleep; I could always take a cat nap later that afternoon anyway. Grabbing my cell phone off the dresser, I saw that my friend from back home had texted me back while I had been sitting in the hospital's waiting room the night before.

Again, I sent her another quick message and set about trying to maintain a normal day. Saturdays were usually pretty uneventful to begin with; the only thing I really did was homework from sun up to sun down. Occasionally my studies would be interrupted by a phone call but it was almost always my mom calling to check up on me, making sure I stayed out of trouble…checking to see if I met anyone or gotten laid…

Yes, I have that kind of mom…

Despite having only one working arm I managed to get the dishes from the last few nights cleaned, the bathroom scrubbed, and the living room (mostly) swept. Trying to get the dust and cat fur into the dustpan was proving trickier than I originally thought and I decided to chalk it up as a defeat for the time being. Once I finally had the broom and dustpan tucked away in the closet I flopped down on the couch to turn the news on to see if anything interesting may have happened overnight, maybe see if there was a solid answer to those gunshots I heard last night.

"Good Morning Boston!" Fuck me, not this chipper bitch again! I thought as the reporter did her best to be enthusiastic on a chilly morning. "I'm Molly James and today is Saturday, October 2. This morning we are learning more details about a triple homicide that occurred during the early evening hours yesterday in South Boston. Authorities are not releasing the names of the individuals involved at this time but have confirmed that despite the fact that these men have a criminal past, their deaths were not at the hands of the Saints, rather police believe these deaths may have been the result of a drug deal gone wrong. We will bring you more information as it becomes available.

"A 23 year old Harvard student was killed around 1:30 this morning by a wrong way driver. Authorities say the student was leaving a bar on Tremont Street and was about to merge on to highway 90 when a wrong way driver stuck and killed the student. The driver fled the scene but was located after a brief search. Authorities are awaiting the results of a blood alcohol test before filing charges.

"Let's turn it over to meteorologist…"

Poor kid, no one deserves to die like that, especially by a coward who runs with their tail firmly tucked between their legs. If these Saints are still in business that drunkard should be their next target. Sighing, I picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels, ignoring the vibrations coming from my phone as I tried to find something interesting to watch that wasn't so damn depressing. Settling on a cut up version of The Terminator I dropped the remote unceremoniously to the couch and picked up my phone to see why it was going off.

Glancing at the tiny screen I noticed it was a text from my boss reminding me that he'd be over at my place around 9:00 this morning for breakfast and that they wanted that casserole that I had brought in for lunch one day a few weeks prior. I searched my brain momentarily for who he meant by 'they' and came to the conclusion that he was either bringing his boyfriend over or someone from his extensive group of friends for me to meet.

When I met my boss on the first day of my new job HR had introduced him as Charles; he was wearing a three-piece suit and his hair was slicked back like he was getting ready to kiss the Queen of England's hand. Turns out he was overly dressed that day for a press conference concerning a recent find and some pretty important city officials were going to be present for the event. Once that was done and over with he introduced himself on a bit more of a personal level by taking me and the rest of my department out for drinks and what he called a "getting to know you" dinner at some dive bar.

That night we all let our hair down and Charles became Charlie. Thankfully it has been that way ever since.

I threw my phone on the couch and made my way into the kitchen, pulling the roll of pork sausage out of the fridge that I had placed in there a few days before to let it thaw out. Once I had gotten the sausage in the pan, I grabbed everything else I needed for the casserole including the leftover bacon gravy out of the freezer. About 15 minutes later, the casserole was in the oven and I decided that since I had an hour to kill that now would be as good a time as any to get jumpstart on the laundry. Gathering up the laundry basket, detergent, and fabric softener I awkwardly made my way over to the front door with my keys secured to one of my bra straps. I know it was somewhat Hoosier but I came from a place where it was perfectly acceptable in lieu of a belt loop.

Once I was sure that my cats were safely away from the front door and I was able to close it without their heads poking out at the last minute I made my way to the elevator and pressed the 'down' button, cringing at every squeak the contraption made as it made its way to my floor. The sound of a familiar pair of accents hit my ears and I groaned inwardly knowing that if they saw me not only without my sling on but carrying a basket with at least 3 loads of laundry they may as well tear me a new asshole.

Quickly, I let the basket collapse to the floor with a thud then ripped the rubber band from my hair in a fruitless effort to conceal my face from the onslaught of disapproving looks I knew would be thrown my way should one or both brothers decide to tear into me for disregarding doctors' orders.

As I secured the rubber band around my wrist and knelt down to retrieve the basket I heard the elevator come to an abrupt halt as it reached my floor followed by the doors being thrown open. A distinct throat clearing paused all my actions as I waited for whatever happened next.

"I t'ought da doc told ya no heavy lifting last night?" Connor deadpanned, clearly annoyed.

"I know what the doctor said; he also said not be lifting anything more than 10 pounds. And before either of you start on 'where's your sling' let me just say that it was doing nothing but getting in the way while I was doing my morning cleaning. Look, I've got stuff I have to get done before I have company coming over and I just want to get downstairs and get the laundry going."

I picked up the laundry basket from the floor, grimacing a little bit when my shoulder started spasming and pressed the button for the basement level. It was times like this that I really missed having my own home with a washer and dryer in the basement. I also missed knowing who my neighbors were and sitting on my deck with the fire-pit going on a crisp fall night with the radio on and cold beers in the fridge. Maybe I will have that again one day, but nowhere in the foreseeable future.

While the metal death trap screeched along its tracks I immersed myself in thoughts of what my first winter in Boston would be like. I heard stories upon my arrival of how snow packed the streets were and how, in some neighborhoods, the plows either came late or not at all, leaving residents stranded in their homes.

"Got any plans fer tonight?"

"Huh?" I must've been so lost in my own thoughts that I failed to realize Murphy was asking me a question and waving a hand in front of my face.

"Said ya got any plans fer tonight? Doc's doing his first ever ladies night at da bar and wants it ta be a success."

"Sounds like fun but unfortunately I'm busy tonight, maybe next weekend. Why do ladies night on a Saturday? Most places do it on Friday."

"We told 'im as much but he t'ought Saturdays would be better, ya know try ta keep us boys in line a wee bit more if there were a few pretty lasses ta distract us." Connor chuckled, throwing a wink in my direction.

"What kinda plans ya got fer tonight? If ya don't mind me asking dat is."

"Mostly homework but my boss is setting me up on another blind date."

"Anot'er?"

"Yeah, another; he's determined to turn me into some kind of social butterfly but it's just not my thing. I'd much rather it be…I dunno…"

"More organic?"

"Not necessarily more organic but rather not so forced, ya know?"

"Aye, well if ya change yer mind ya know where ta find us later tonight. And ya better be wearing yer sling." Murphy said sternly, pointing a finger in my face as he tried to put on a serious face.

"Nice try tough guy but next time you try to be serious with me, make sure your eyes aren't twitching. And Connor? The next time you wanna try to hit on me, make sure there's enough whiskey in my veins so I don't have to cringe at those terrible pick-up lines or the equally terrible wink."

As we reached the ground level and the doors parted, I saw Charlie walk into the building with his boyfriend. 'Thank God it wasn't another one of his friends for a breakfast date,' I silently told myself releasing the breath I didn't realize I was holding until his voice greeted me.

"You're early this morning Charlie. Why don't you and Ryan head upstairs and I'll meet you there? I just need to throw this stuff in the washer and then I'll be back. Breakfast is in the oven but it won't be ready for another half hour or so."

He nodded and the pair headed for the stairwell. How they managed to go up six flights of stairs and not get light-headed was beyond me. I could barely make it up three flights at the last apartment I had back home without getting a little sick. I watched as Murphy stepped out, followed by his brother; before he had a chance to open his mouth to speak, I grabbed onto the strap and brought the door back down.

"I t'ink I'll call ya Red since it seems like I won't be getting yer real name anytime soon."

"Like I said last night, my name is whatever you want it to be. If you want to call me Red, be my guest." With that, the elevator started moving again down to the basement level. No one had called me Red since I moved to Boston and before that the only ones who would were my sister and a few of my closest friends. It wasn't just because my hair was red it also had everything to do with my temper. When I was angry enough, I saw the metaphorical blood running before my eyes and tore a path of destruction like a tornado hitting the trailer park.

With all three loads of laundry stuffed into the complex's small laundromat washers, I grabbed the basket and dropped the detergent and the fabric softener at the bottom with a muffled thump then made my back to the elevator. I had reached the third floor with no problems or run-ins with the others who call this place home. Charlie and Ryan were standing outside my door talking about the pair of brothers that were just walking out of the elevator when they got there.

"If I wasn't with you, I would take my chances on that one with the darker hair. He doesn't look like much physically, but I'm sure what he lacks in physicality he makes up for in stamina."

"Tell me how you really feel, Ryan. You were practically eye fucking him once his back was turned to us. Tell you what he would be your free pass if we manage to hit that milestone in our lives just as long as I get a free pass on the other one. He could do anything he wants to me and I'd never complain especially with arms and a chest like that."

"Ryan, the one you were staring at was Murphy; the other was his brother, Connor. Looks alone, I can't blame either of you for asking for a free pass on those two." I unlocked the door to my apartment and kicked my shoes off. "Take your shoes off this time before you step even a centimeter further inside. And before you start, I know that look on your face Charlie and the answer is no. Every guy you have hooked me up with in the past 8 weeks has ended in disaster. They either want what they can't have or they can't handle a brutally honest woman."

We stepped inside and smell of the breakfast casserole hit us all in the faces, leaving my mouth watering for the tasty meal that was about to hit my stomach in less than 30 minutes. While we waited for the casserole to finish up in the oven, we reverted back to childhood and started watching a few Saturday morning cartoons. Sadly, the ones they played on t.v. just weren't the same, but when you have season 1 of Tiny Toons on DVD it kind of makes things a little better. I originally bought it for my nephews to watch when I would babysit them and kept it with me when I moved.

It only took one episode for breakfast to be done and the bacon gravy to get nice and hot. I wasn't expecting anyone else over so when there was a fist banging away on my door, I nearly dropped my bowl on the ground, letting out a small screech. I had an idea of who it was, but I was hoping I was wrong. I hate people dropping by unexpectedly, but I also hate going into defense mode when instead of knocking, I get someone pounding away at my door like it was a brace used for rough sex. Since my gun was hidden in the bedroom, I grabbed a knife from the block in the kitchen and made a beeline towards the door with Charlie hot on heels trying to make a grab for the butt of the handle poking out of my fist.