This is a shift day [see above]. There was another upload this morning: Almost There.

"The Cautionary Tale of Lucy Collins"

6. It Could Hurt

Time felt as though it had slowed to a crawl, which was just as well. He was well aware of his limitations in a situation like this, but he'd started it now, and he knew Grant wouldn't let him get away unscathed, so he had to work with what he had while he could. Everything else had gone away now. All he wanted was to make this guy pay.

His swing had caught Grant in the nose, he guessed, judging by the crack and the blood that burst out. Grant staggered, stunned, his wrist slipping out of Artie's grasp.

"You broke my nose!" he whined, then looked back to Artie – he was aiming to strike back. Artie didn't have much time to think, but he grabbed on to his wheels, turning against him, half ramming into him.

"Walk away," Artie gave him the out, heart pounding with adrenaline. Grant wiped the blood from his nose on his sleeve, breathing heavily, but he wasn't going anywhere.

"You're dead, Abrams," he pointed a finger at him.

"I'm not scared of you," Artie didn't budge.

"You should be. Think I won't hit you just because you're in a wheelchair?"

"Well you apparently don't have a problem with hitting girls, so no, I'm pretty sure you're just an ass and you'll hit anyone. I'm still not going anywhere."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he went to take a swing, not factoring the height difference caused by the chair the way Artie did. So as he was swinging down, Artie swung up with a gut punch, making him bend over. He took that opportunity to give a shove at his head until he fell on the ground. Now Artie had the upper hand, looking down on the guy who threatened Lucy. If he could keep holding him off, then he might be okay.

"You leave Lucy alone. And Anna, too. Just walk away, and I'll forget this ever happened," he offered again, while Grant was still trying to get back on his feet.

Artie waited there, needing to know that he was being understood. Grant finally had one foot on the ground, pushing off from his knee to stand. Only rather than standing, he'd all but leapt and tackled Artie out of his chair. He didn't know when it had happened, but at some point his glasses had popped right off, sliding across the floor. Artie didn't care, more concerned with his crashing on the ground along with Grant.

His upper hand was gone. He couldn't get away from Grant so long as the other guy had power, since Grant's legs worked, unlike his own. He just kept swinging, hoping to land at least some hits, to get the guy away and try to regain his chair. He did get him at the side of the head, then the chin. And then Grant got his first hit in, guaranteeing him a black eye, and Artie couldn't get another swing in, while the other had his revenge on him.

As slow as time had gotten before, now it was impossible to tell how long the beat down lasted. All Artie knew was at some point Grant was pulled off of him. Everything was blurry, and he wasn't sure if it was because of his missing glasses or because of his right eye that was pained and begging to stay shut. He could still make out the fact that their tussle had gathered an audience, none of them having intervened, not until… His one good eye did manage to identify the fact that it had been Finn and Puck who'd pulled Grant off of him, as Mike came up to help him back in his chair.

Not long after, Will had arrived, along with Principal Figgins. Artie was sent toward the nurse's office while Grant was taken to the principal's, though he knew they'd both end up seeing the nurse and the principal at one time or another. Mr. Schuester had wheeled him there, and though he could vaguely hear him asking questions, Artie was wordless.

Now that it was done, he was starting to feel the after-effects. His eye was feeling like it'd be good and dark when he'd get a look at it. He reached up to his lip and winced, getting back with blood. He could feel soreness in a number of other places, barely remembering the blows that had come with them, although the fall had probably been responsible for a lot of that, if his shoulder was any indication. The one thing he'd need to see in order to assess would be his legs, but they didn't look wrong to him so far. He had yet to be returned his glasses, and maybe for now it was just as well.

He'd been left to wait, as the nurse wasn't in her office when he arrived. Will left him there, to go call his parents… and suddenly it was like his mind had returned to him. His parents were going to be called in, and they would see what had been done to him, but they'd also be told of what he had done. It wasn't as though Grant had been without fault, after what he'd done and almost done to both Lucy and Anna, and after he'd just stood there and kept pushing at Artie verbally… there was only so much he could take, especially where people he cared about were concerned. He couldn't just sit there and do nothing, but even then, things had gotten out of control and there was nothing he could do to stop them once they started. Whatever consequences came at him, if he was grounded and suspended, he could take it. He had been provoked, the only reason he had acted.

He needed to see her… Lucy… He needed to explain to her what had happened, what he'd done and why he'd done it. He knew he'd promised he wouldn't get involved, but Grant hadn't left him that choice. Now he'd have to see where this day took him.

TO BE CONCLUDED (TOMORROW)