I'm getting so good with quick updates! I wanted to get this out since I'll be bogged down with two papers for a week or so that will delay any new update for a bit.
I enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you enjoy reading it. Bits of the movie are thrown in but there's also a mix of my own stuff with the dialogue.
As always thank you thank you thank you to my reviewers, I just can't ever explain how much I appreciate it. Keep it up & enjoy :)
Paddy wheeled the TV into Pete's classroom as his boys attempted to find a seat. Pete waited with a grin on his face as everyone got settled in. Glancing at his watch he saw the draw was set to start in a few minutes, "Oi mate, what's with the silly grin on yer face?" Paddy asked curiously. He'd noticed Pete's attitude was a complete 180 from the day before when he'd been sullen and miserable due to some row he'd been having with Josie.
"You'll find out in a minute," Pete replied mysteriously, "Alright lads!" he shouted, the classroom immediately falling silent as he clapped his hands for attention, "Settle in – draw starts in five minutes but first I've got some news."
Pete took a deep breath as he looked out at the expectant faces, "You lot remember Ms Murphy, do ya?"
"Sure we do," Paddy cried out, "She's fit as fu – , erm a lovely lady," he backtracked when he caught the glare Pete was throwing at him as well as realized they were the company of 40 ten year olds.
"Well unfortunately Ms Murphy won't be around much longer," the collected group groaned in distress, Paddy's face flashing with concern that Pete was so blasé about losing Josie, "Because she'll soon be Mrs. Dunham instead."
Paddy's jaw dropped in shock and the rest of the boys stared up at Pete in confusion until he clarified, "Cause Ms Murphy agreed to marry me." The loud whoop of joy that followed was deafening and Paddy leapt to his feet to hug him tightly.
"You cheeky slag, how you managed to pull a girl like Josie is beyond me but congratulations you lucky lucky bloke," Paddy mumbled to him and Pete smacked him away, still unable to fight the grin he'd worn since that morning.
"Right then – football time!" he shouted as he flipped on the TV as the boys gave another shout of excitement. He fielded congratulations from his boys, laughing as some of them wore faces of disbelief. He rolled his eyes when he realized even ten year olds thought she was too good for him.
Pete settled in between two of the boys and shushed them slightly once the draw started. He was anxious on the one hand to hear who West Ham would play and on the other he was desperate for the day to be over so he could get back to Josie.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Quarterfinal Draw for the Football Association Cup," the host began and any remaining chatter died out, "The oldest and most prestigious tournament in World Cup Football. Fortunately, today we have with us the West Ham legend, Mr. Frank McAvennie and chairman for our sponsors, Mr. Phil Peters."
Pete rocked back and forth on his feet, nervously awaiting the start and the boys shifted about in anticipation, "As usual, the home team will be drawn first. Frank," the host gestured and so it began. "Number two. Number two. Cardiff City, will play number three, Liverpool."
One of the boys next to him shouted, "Yes!" with a fist pump and Pete shushed him into silence as they listened to them continue pulling numbers.
"Number eight. Number eight, West Ham United," Pete rubbed his hands together eagerly whispering come on, come on hoping for a good match, "…will play number five, Millwall."
"Fucking yes," he shouted, leaping onto his feet in excitement as the boys jumped up and down with joy around him.
A Millwall matchup and Josie agreeing to be my wife all in one day? He thought gleefully, could this day get any better?
Josie sat cuddled up on Pete's couch, trying to type out a paper but barely able to concentrate whenever she caught sight of the ring on her left hand. She'd slept for a few hours before calling her dad and brothers who were overwhelmingly happy that Pete had finally asked her and that she'd agreed. She'd been shocked they were so pleased, not realizing just how much they had liked and accepted her relationship with Pete especially since marriage meant a permanent residence in England.
She'd spent nearly an hour on the phone with Emma who had immediately shot-gunned maid of honor and began planning the wedding immediately which caused Josie's head to spin at the realization of just what it took to plan one of these things. With a pang in her heart she thought about how nice it would be to have a mother in her life at a time like this. She sat lost in thought over the past as well as daydreaming about her future, envisioning years and years of happiness.
Suddenly she was swept up into a hug, her computer nearly crashing to the ground but thankfully landing on the soft couch as Swill hugged her tight, "Yer gunna be a Dunham and stay with us forever," he shouted happily, twirling her around in excitement.
"Swill you've gotta let me breath," she managed to squeak out through his vice-like hug.
"Whoops," he said sheepishly as he dropped her to the ground, "I just couldn't believe it till I saw the ring on yer finger."
"Yeah, congrats Joze," Ike, who she'd only just noticed, told her as he pulled her into a hug, "Welcome to the family."
Josie grinned back at him, "Thanks boys. What are you lot doin' here anyways? Starting the weekend a bit early?"
The two of them smiled back at her, "Eh sort of – Petey sent out a text to let us know he'd asked you and I snuck out early to see you, ran into Ike doin' the same thing." Swill told her, "Cheeky slag that Dunham is, now I haven't a shot in hell of stealin' you from 'im with that rock on yer finger."
Swill pulled her into his side, mussing her hair up playfully, "You workin' the draw night tonight?" Ike asked her.
"Nah, too much school work to finish, though if it gets bad Terry might call me in," Josie said, hoping that wouldn't end up being the case.
"Oi – unhand my fiancé," a familiar voice shouted from the doorway and Josie wiggled free from Swill's grip, a battalion of butterflies dancing in her stomach at what he'd called her. She danced over to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly.
As she broke the kiss, Pete kept his arms locked around her swinging her off her feet as he walked forward, carrying her carefully, "Bugger off – I'll see you lot at the pub." He said gruffly after he dropped Josie easily to the ground in order to shoo Swill and Ike out of his flat. They both shouted happy goodbyes and more congratulations at the couple while Pete slammed the door with a resounding click before turning to face her.
"Bit rude, dontcha think?" she asked with a smirk as he look her up and down with desire, crossing the small room in three steps, placing a hand behind her neck and kissing her deeply.
"Sorry," he said with no remorse whatsoever, "I needed to pick up where we left off this mornin' and what I plan on doing to you does not require an audience. I never should've left you alone all day." He whispered into her ear as he threw her over his shoulder easily, carrying her into the bedroom.
Josie squealed slightly, "Animal," she said with a laugh when he threw her onto the bed before crawling onto her body slowly. He gazed at her bare legs and ran a hand up the length of them, slipping his hand under her sweatshirt and running a calloused hand along the smooth skin of her flat stomach.
He swiftly removed the pair of his boxers she'd been wearing and pulled off her sweatshirt and t-shirt in one fluid motion, "God help me, I am so in love you." Pete said as she pulled on his tie to bring him closer.
"Mm and I love you," Josie mumbled into his lips as he kissed her again, groaning slightly as she removed his clothes quickly.
Pete covered her body with his, moaning at the feel of her naked skin under him as he entered her swiftly. She arched her back throwing her head back in pleasure while giving Pete access to her neck as he leaned down to nibble her soft skin lightly. He groaned into her skin, biting her shoulder roughly as she locked her legs around him, pulling him deeper into her. He moved furiously in and out of her, feeling himself approaching the edge as she whimpered under him. Finally she clenched around him, finishing with a scream and Pete followed shortly after, collapsing onto her in happy exhaustion.
"How's that for ravishing?" he smirked down at her, eyes still dark with lust as he stared at her. He kissed her nose lightly, moving his lips across her face while she tried to get her breathing under control.
"Perfect," she mumbled as she kissed his jaw softly, "I wish we could stay in our own little world like this forever."
Pete smoothed her hair away from her face, staring awestruck at her beauty, "Me too baby. I'll make you a deal – leave now, finish up yer paper and I'll just pop down to the Abbey for a few pints and by ten we meet back 'ere?" he asked hopefully, leaning down to place a few kisses on her bare shoulder, linking his fingers with hers as he played with her engagement ring, grinning into her skin.
Josie thought about it for half a second, "Deal," she stated happily sealing it with a searing kiss before extracting herself out from under him. She dressed hurriedly, periodically throwing glances at the bed where Pete lay – still naked – fighting the urge to jump back onto him while he stared at her with hooded eyes that made her legs feel like jelly.
Finally dressed, she twirled around and walked back to the bed, "Bye baby, love you and see you in exactly six hours," she said, kissing him as she tapped her watch.
"Love you too – forever," he promised as he reluctantly let her walk out of the room.
He laid back in the bed, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow, the scent of apples still lingering. Pete smiled at the familiar smell that was Josie and sighed as he caught sight of the clock. He dragged himself out of his bed, switching on the shower as he got ready slowly for the night ahead. As much as he was looking forward to the celebration of the pending match he struggled against the urge to just skip it and sit in the library with Josie until she was finished her work. This came as a shock to him as he never thought he'd see the day that anything or anyone would come before the GSE or football.
As the hot water streamed over his body, he envisioned his future with her, dreaming about the life they'd have together. Pete smiled in anticipation of what lay ahead of them. He was so relieved to know that he no longer had to worry about her moving home or fret incessantly about losing her. As he dreamed of a white dress and his favorite brown eyes he moved on autopilot climbing out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist.
The sudden pounding on the door of his flat broke him out of his happy haze, "Oi, 'ang on!" he shouted, striding out of his bedroom. He grabbed a stray sweater that lay on the back of a chair, pulling it on as he walked towards the door. Throwing it open he was surprised to see Bovver, Keith and Ned on his doorstep.
"All right boys? What you doing 'ere?" he asked suspiciously at the grim faces that stared back at him.
"The Yank 'ere?" Bovver spat in question.
"Which one in particular?" Pete asked, wondering if he was going to have to deal with shit from Bovver for proposing to Josie.
"Matt," Bovver replied shortly.
"No, he's – " he went to respond but was rudely cutoff as Bovver went to shove his way into his flat.
Bovver's face twisted in disgust when Pete blocked his way, "He's a fucking undercover journo."
The words hit Pete like a slap to the face, "What?" he questioned angrily, "Nah, bollocks."
"No, it's straight, mate." Ned answered, "I seen 'im down at the Times walking out; shaking hands, proper pally. What's that all about?" he asked and Keith nodded his head in agreement.
Bovver continued to glare at him icily, "Think about it. Drops in out of nowhere, never been in a scrap in his life. Snugs in nice and tight with a top boy at a firm," he said with a disdainful snort, "For fuck's sake, Pete – what else was he doing at the Times?"
Seeds of doubt sprung up in his mind but Pete shook his head, "No, that means fuck all." He said, convinced that there was no way Matt would fuck them over like that, he was practically family, "Could've been any one of a hundred reasons he was down there."
"This time I'd like to make sure of that myself," he said, moving to shove past him again.
Pete slammed his hand against the door frame, blocking his entrance as he glared down at his friend, "You sure of this, Bov? 'Cause if you're coming in 'ere like this, you fucking well better be."
"Yeah," Bovver said gruffly, shoving into his flat as Ned and Keith followed his lead. Pete glared at the three as they strode into his place.
"What? This his, is it?" Bovver asked, grabbing at Matt's backpack that sat on the couch he usually slept on.
"Yeah," Pete replied roughly, picking up a paper that Bovver threw at him. Glancing at the title "Death in a Paris Tunnel: the New Role of Journalism in the Paparazzi Era" he felt his blood begin to boil, what's a history major doin' writin' about modern day journalism?
"What the fuck is this?" Bovver asked as he extracted a laptop from the bag, "Ere, Keith, you know about all this computer stuff. Have a look."
Keith took the laptop, switching it on and Pete walked over to stare over his shoulder. His heart nearly stopped when he saw the folder marked 'journal' and Keith opened it quickly, "What's this?"
"Fucking cunt," Bovver grumbled at the sight as a document opened with the title First match: West Ham v. Birmingham. Home. "'Pete brought me to the Brigid Abbey Pub on Walsh Road, his main hangout and introduced me to his gang,' Oh, look," Bovver said bitterly, "we're a fucking gang now. Make it go up." He demanded at Keith, who scrolled further down the page and he continued reading, "'Bovver is Pete's thuggish right hand man. Keith is sort of Bovver's enforcer.' You happy now?" he spun around on Pete, "We're all in there."
Pete snatched at the computer, scrolling further down the pages seeing red when he saw another paragraph 'I met Pete's girlfriend Josie today. A fellow American as well as the most gorgeous girl I've met in real life. All the boys adore her (with the exception of Bovver) and Pete goes from vicious fighter to love struck puppy dog at the very sight of her. Pete's a great guy but I do wonder what she sees in him as he's a bit rough around the edges and she seems to be many leagues above the GSE.'
His blood turned to ice as he continued to read more parts that mentioned Josie and her relationship with him and the boys, "Wait here. I'll put some clothes on."
Storming into his room, he pulled off his towel and threw on a pair of jeans quickly, his face hot with rage. The fuckin' nerve of that kid, open my home to him, let him into my life and he goes and jots it all down. And to involve Josie…His thoughts jumbled about angrily in his head while he stormed out of his room, zipping his sweatshirt up and beckoning the boys to follow him.
As Pete thundered down the street towards the Abbey angrily, he was thankful only for the fact that Josie wasn't working tonight as she wouldn't see the kind of man he was about to turn into. There was no way some outsider – part family or not – was going to endanger the GSE or even come close to involving Josie in any way that might harm her – he was going to make damn sure of that.
Josie tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the tube to arrive so she could get to the library, finish her paper and get back to Pete. Just as the tinny mechanical voice announced the arrival of the train she heard her phone ringing. Pulling it out of her bag she sighed deeply to see Terry's name flashing. Initially she debated ignoring the call but thought better of it, "Hi Terr – what's up?"
The background noise of the Abbey was deafening and Josie held the receiver a few inches from her ear when Terry started to shout, "Hi Joze – I am so sorry to do this to you but please please could you come in for a bit? This place is a mob scene and that new bloke I hired skived out on his first night."
Josie's first feeling was one of aggravation but the frantic tone of Terry's usually calm voice softened her attitude, "Never trust a football fan to work a big pub night. You're lucky I love you so I'll be there in about five minutes."
"You're a star Joze, thanks love – see you in a bit." He shouted in reply before disconnecting the call as she heard more drink orders shouted in the background. She turned on her heel and hurried up the steps and out into the street, so much for studying, she thought with the only silver lining being the fact that Pete would be there as well.
She made it to the Abbey in record time and as she shoved through the door she was amazed at the amount of people packed in. She'd seen match day madness but it seemed everyone in town was out tonight. She weaved her way through the crowd, pausing for a minute to chat with Swill and Ike who offered further congratulations, begging to buy her a drink that she had to regrettfully decline.
Dave stood next to them awkwardly, seeming to not be sure of how to act around her. His face turned bright red as he caught her eye, "Sorry Joze – 'ow are we?" he asked half-heartedly.
Josie grinned back at him, ignoring the minor feeling of discomfort as she reminded herself that despite the awkward encounter a few days ago Dave was still her friend, "Good. And don't be an idiot, you have nothin' to be sorry for. Pete and I are fine and you are still my favorite pilot friend."
Dave grinned back at her, "Only pilot friend. And congratulations," he said softly as his eyes flicked down at the ring on her finger, "Glad we'll be stuck with you forever."
She punched his shoulder lightly, "You mean you're lucky to be stuck with me. Eek, I should get behind the bar," she said as the noticed the line and that Terry wasn't even back there, just one of the other guys that worked part-time.
Confused at the sight of the Terry-less bar she quickly walked down the length of the bar and was surprised to see Terry seated at the GSE's usual table with Matt and shock of all shocks – Steve, who as far as she knew had never set foot in the Abbey since he'd married Shannon. Pete had given her the short version of Steve's involvement as the Major and she felt nervous to see him here, wondering what was going on.
"Hi Terr – back-ups here," she interrupted the serious looking chat. All three looked up at her startled but when they realized it was her identical grins broke out as they noticed the ring on her finger. Steve leapt out of his chair and hugged her tight, "Welcome to the family," he whispered in her ear and Josie smiled back at him.
"Thanks bruv," she replied as they all laughed slightly, "I'll leave you lot alone for now since the bar seems a bit shorthanded," she said, giving a pointed look at Terry who averted his eyes.
"Just playin' catch up, I'll join you a bit," Terry said, slightly apologetically at calling her in then sitting and enjoying a pint.
Josie waved a dismissive hand, "Take your time." She turned and ducked under the bar, immediately being bombarded with drink orders.
Through the rush of customers she attempted to look around the room to see if Pete had arrived yet but had no luck spotting him. About a half hour later, the queue had shortened and she stood chatting with the other bartender that was working that night. Suddenly, the room went deadly silent as a scuffle broke out at the other end of the bar. Josie's eyes shot in the direction of the noise and she rushed to the end of the bar when she saw Pete standing over Matt's body after he'd just punched him to the ground.
Josie stood watching in horror as Steve stepped in, trying to reason with Pete since he seemed to be convinced that Matt was working as a journalist. She furrowed her brow in confusion, knowing how much Pete and the rest of the boys hated 'journos' and she knew that Matt knew that as well. She took a step backward when Bovver went to kick Matt while he was down, closing her eyes in anticipation of the blow.
"I don't care who he is," her eyes snapped open to be met with the sight of Pete holding Bovver against the wall by his neck, "You don't do someone on the deck."
Bovver's face twisted in rage as he shouted at Pete, "What's wrong with you? He's gonna bury us all and yer just gonna watch?" He shoved away from Pete and addressed Steve instead, "No. Now, Steve – yer the Major. You started this firm. We got the biggest ruck of our lives coming up, and your brother's too much of a bottle-job to lead us."
Pete bit his lip angrily, clenching his fists as he stared down Bovver when Steve responded calmly, "The GSE is Pete's firm, all right? He calls the shots."
The rest of the boys seemed to back off at that and Bovver looked about for support. Seeing that even Ned and Keith looked wary he spat at the floor bitterly, "Well, fuck the lot of you!" he shouted as he shoved his way through the crowd and out the bar, screaming at anyone that got in his way.
Josie kept her eyes on Pete, watching as he paced back and forth like a caged animal before pointing angrily at Matt, "Get yerself cleaned up!" Matt moved slowly into the bathroom as Pete continued to stalk up and down, pausing when Ike and Swill stepped forward to talk to him in hushed voices.
"Alright everyone!" Terry yelled as he ducked under the bar trying to draw the attention away from Pete and Steve, "Fuck off will ya."
At his words everyone turned back to what they'd been doing prior to the altercation and Terry approached Josie carefully, leading her further down the bar, away from Pete and the boys, "Maybe just wanna stay outta the way for a bit – you alright?" he asked in concern, rubbing her back lightly.
She could feel her pulse racing and her eyes were full of fear. It was one thing to accept that Pete was a fighter but to see it was a whole other story. Seeing him lose control like that scared her. Fear was not an emotion she was used to in relation to Pete. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, "I'm fine, I'll take care of this end," she gestured to the end of the bar farthest from the boys, "Sort out what you need to. I'm fine," she repeated, trying to convince not only Terry of that fact, but herself as well.
Terry nodded his head, walking back to talk with Swill, Ike, Dave and Steve – Pete had seemed to disappear while Terry had been talking to her. Josie struggled to control her emotions as she continued to serve the rest of the patrons, smiling stiffly and keeping an eye out for Pete.
The minutes inched by slowly when she finally saw him emerge from the bathroom and head straight towards his brother, his eyes never leaving the rest of the boys. Josie tried to get his attention but failed and was forced to turn back to the next customer waiting in line. She tapped her foot impatiently as she filled a pint glass, continuously throwing glances at the end of the bar but Pete was too involved with the fight with Matt and Bovver to notice his surroundings.
Wondering why he was ignoring her it finally dawned on her that he had no idea she'd been called in to work, for all Pete knew she was safe and sound in the library. As she served the last customer waiting she went to walk down the bar to see Pete, not able to wait any longer when all hell broke loose.
The windows shattered and a bottle broke a foot above her head, exploding in flames. Josie ducked, trying to cover her head as she went down hard while smoke poured out around her and she heard various stages of fights erupt around her. She fell in a freefall, smashing her head against the hard oak of the bar while bottles of liquor shattered around her, one landing directly on top of her head.
Momentarily blinded she tried to wipe her hair out of her eyes but was met with sticky liquid. Through blurred eyes she looked down at her hands in horror to see them painted red from the blood pouring out of her head. Her vision went fuzzy and she struggled to stand in order to get away from the heat of the flames. Stumbling forward she tripped, falling into the wall and feeling a shard of glass break through her skin. More blood poured from her arm as she continued to struggle down the length of the bar, desperate to find Pete and ensure he was safe.
Jose saw him kneeling over his bleeding brother and the last thing she was conscious of seeing was the blue eyes that stared in horror back at her.
Then, her world went black.
Pete stared in terror at his brother's bleeding neck, trying to put pressure on it and screaming at someone – anyone – to help him. He glanced around him at the scene of destruction when his heart stopped, unable to believe what he was seeing, "Josie?" he managed to stutter out while struggling over who to choose, "Get a car – help 'im." He yelled to Matt who had appeared at his side and he ran towards Josie's prone figure.
He reached her and it was like all of his nightmares were coming true. She lay there, unconscious and bleeding from so many gashes he didn't know which one was the worst, "No no no," he uttered over and over as he leaned over her, picking her up carefully, feeling nauseous as her head lolled back like a rag doll. He shoved through the crowd while at the same time trying to avoid jostling Josie too much as he followed Terry and Matt out of the smoke filled room as they supported Steve.
Outside of the Abbey chaos reined, smoke billowed out into the streets as groups of men stood locked in fights. Pete glanced around, searching frantically for a car when he caught sight of Bovver, who was running his hands through his hair in disbelief, "I've messed – "
Terry glared up at him cutting him off, "Bovver – what the fuck did you do?"
Pete felt fire run through his veins as he put two and two together, realizing Bovver had something to do with this mess, "Get a fucking car," he hissed out. Bovver ran from him, smashing his elbow through a window and leaping in the driver's seat. Terry and Matt carried Steve carefully, placing him in the backseat where Matt joined him as Pete climbed into the passenger seat.
On the short drive to East London Hospital Pete tried desperately to get Josie to wake up. She was caked in her own blood and the warm liquid continued to pour from her head, "Baby, please wake up. Please be ok, I need you," he begged, whispering in her ear, kissing her desperately while trying to get her head to stop bleeding. His eyes blurred with tears as he stared at her lifeless body praying to every god he'd ever heard of that she would be alright.
The wheels squealed as they pulled into the A&E and Pete was out of the car before they'd stopped completely. He heard the scuffle of Matt and Bovver carrying Steve but he concentrated on getting Josie to a doctor then he'd focus on Steve. He ran into the brightly lit entrance room, still cradling Josie carefully, "I need a doctor – now," he yelled desperately and two nurses rushed towards him with a gurney. Pete placed her down carefully, trying to follow her as a doctor shoved him out of the way and he was nearly run over by the stretcher carrying his brother.
He was barely aware of Matt standing next to him as they watched the doors slam shut and the silence was deafening. Pete felt his knees go weak and he nearly dropped to the floor at the pain in his heart. He used the desk as support to hold him up while he filled out forms for Josie all the while glancing nervously towards the depths of the hospital, hoping that someone would come out with news on either Josie or Steve.
Time passed slowly as he stood waiting, unable to sit still. Finally he came out of the daze he'd been in since he saw Josie's body bloodied up and he glanced around the room to see Bovver sitting in the waiting room. His eyes narrowed at the sight and he advanced towards him, shaking off Matt's protesting arm in the process.
Reaching him, he stared down at Bovver stonily, "Trusting lads." Pete whispered, "You always said trusting lads was my problem, Bov. I trust lads too much. Trust the Yanks too much. And this is how you prove your point?" he asked angrily. "Backstabbing me? Teaming up with Tommy Hatcher to kill the Major? Kill my fucking brother? And it lands the love of my fucking life in the hospital, your bullshit almost kills my future wife," he spat at him, clenching his fists as he tried to restrain himself, knowing if he hit him he'd be thrown out of the hospital. And there was no way they'd be dragging him away from Josie when she was banged up in a hospital bed.
"I'll kill Tommy. Just say the word and I'll do it," Bovver grumbled miserably, snot streaming down his face as he grabbed at his hands.
Pete set his jaw, "I don't need you for that. I don't need you for anything anymore," he paused before whispering his final words, "Go. Away." Then he turned his back on his former best mate striding towards the front desk without a backward glance.
"Erm Miss, excuse me," he said gruffly, "My fiancé was brought in about an hour ago – any updates?"
"Name?" she asked in a bored tone and Pete bit his lip in frustration, trying not to scream at this woman about how important the girl sitting in a hospital bed was to him and that he needed her to act like she was actually helpful.
"Josephine Murphy," he replied, drumming his fingers against the desk.
"Ah yes – she's just out of X-Ray and has been brought to a room, not sure if she's awake yet... " the receptionist trailed off, clicking through her computer lazily while Pete tapped his foot impatiently, "Room 133." At that Pete took off, sprinting through the door and down the hallway, glancing frantically at the numbers on the rooms. Rushing past it, he backtracked and ran in.
A nurse was leaning over Josie, jotting numbers off the IV that was connected to her and she held a hand up, "Hold on sir – one minute then you can come in."
Pete stood a foot away from the bed, feeling sick at the sight of her bruised, puffy face, the bandage wrapped around her head that had a spot of blood seeping through. Her arm was wrapped where she'd apparently had to be stitched up and he shifted back and forth impatiently as the nurse took her time, "Ok sir – all set.," she said finally as she turned to walk out of the room.
He approached her carefully, his breath coming in gasps as he looked down at her. He dropped to his knees, taking her limp hand in his, "Joze," he whispered softly, "Yer gonna have to wake up, kay love?" He felt a tear roll down his face as he stared at her silent body, "I can't live without you – please wake up." He begged quietly, absentmindedly twirling the ring on her finger around and around. What an absolute fuck up I am – propose to her then the fuckin' GSE nearly gets her killed all in one day, he thought remorsefully.
Pete kneeled there, staring at her as he tried to will her to open her eyes. He stared at her usually flawless skin that was currently discolored and swollen, her right eye puffy from when she'd hit the bar. He touched her face tenderly, begging silently she'd open her eyes, "Excuse me, Mr. Dunham?" He looked up to see a young doctor standing at the door, holding a clipboard in her hand, "I've got Ms. Murphy's test results. Says here you're her fiancé?"
"Yes," he replied shortly, getting up to follow her into the hall. He stared back at Josie, reluctant to leave her but anxious to know what they'd found.
"Well the good news is she's going to be ok," Pete sighed in relief but it was short lived when she continued, "The bad news is she has a very severe concussion that will have some rather harsh, lingering side effects, it took ten stitches to close the gash in her upper arm, another thirteen to stitch up the cut on her forehead that's just below the hairline and multiple contusions covering her body."
His head spun as the doctor rattled off her injuries, "When," he started, clearing his throat before continuing, "When will she wake up?"
"Hard to say – we had to sedate her so you'll have to be patient. She'll be pretty out of it when she does wake up," the doctor responded kindly, placing a hand on his arm before turning to leave him standing in his own thoughts.
Pete felt lower than shit at that point as he tried to get his emotions under control after hearing the state of Josie's injuries. The reassurance that she would be ok did little to sooth him, knowing he wouldn't be fine until she actually woke up. He knew he had to check on his brother and he hurried back to the waiting room only to be met with an angry Shannon and rightly so. He stood, taking her abuse, knowing he deserved it. Tears poured down her face and Matt pulled her away, supporting the weight of her body as tears streamed down her face.
"How is he?" Pete asked Matt softly when he returned to him from taking care of his sister.
"Out of the woods," he replied and Pete heaved a soft sigh of relief, "I'm gonna let Shan go in now then join her in a bit. How's Josie?"
Pete swallowed difficultly, "Still out – doc says she'll be alright though." He glanced past Matt to see some of the boys standing there waiting. He felt no anger as he locked eyes with Dave, unable to drum up any of the bitter, jealous feelings he'd had before. None of it mattered, he'd already lost one mate tonight, he didn't want to lose another.
"How are they?" Dave asked and the boys crowded around him, eager for any news.
"Both hangin' in there. Joze still isn't awake but Steve is," he said painfully.
"So what now?" Swill asked, all of them wearing anxious faces.
Pete gave a grim smile, "You let Tommy know I want a straightener. Tomorrow."
"All right," Dave agreed and the rest of them nodded as well.
"We finish this once and for all, somewhere quiet. Your mate still runs security at Trinity Warf?" he asked Keith who shook his head yes, "Get hold of him. Set it up."
"Mr. Dunham?" Pete turned at the sound of name to see a nurse standing there, "Ms. Murphy's awake."
Without another word to the boys, Pete ran back towards her room, sighing in relief when he saw her eyes open and alert, "Josie," he breathed out in relief.
"Pete," she cried out, reaching a hand towards him, grimacing in pain from the slight movement.
"Don't move," he said, crossing the room quickly taking a seat carefully on the edge of the bed. He smoothed her hair back, kissing her forehead softly, "Joze I am so sorry." He whispered to her, leaving his lips against her warm skin.
She reached a hand up and stoked his face softly, "Why are you sorry? I'm fine – bit banged up but I'm alright." She tried to smile reassuringly but it came out as another grimace of pain.
"God I thought I lost you," he said, placing a soft kiss on her lips, "Don't scare me like that."
Josie kissed him back carefully, "I won't – promise. Uh-oh," she groaned, leaning over and vomiting violently over the side of the bed into a trash can. Pete held her hair back carefully, rubbing her back soothingly as she emptied her stomach, "Ugh, go 'way – I'm all yucky." She mumbled once she'd finished throwing up.
Pete let out a laugh of relief at the familiar stubbornness, "Joze, I plan on marrying you, if I'm scared off by a bit of puke I'll be a shit husband." He got up and grabbed a glass of water for her, helping her sip it and staring in concern at how pale she looked.
"Nurse said nausea is a side-effect of the concussion. Should stop in a few days at the latest," she said, trying to downplay just how miserable she really felt. Her head was throbbing and the slightest movement caused another wave of nausea. Her body felt numb from the drugs but the ache in her arm and from the cut of her forehead was still blisteringly painful.
Suddenly tears began to pour down her face and she threw her arms around his neck, biting her lip in pain from the sudden movement but clinging onto him anyways, "Babe, shh – it's ok, I'm right 'ere." He said soothingly, trying to console her as best he could.
"I was so scared," she managed to choke out, "It was all so chaotic and I thought they were there for you and it was all smoky and loud and I just couldn't find you." She said in a rush of words while she gasped for breath through her tears.
"Relax Joze – calm down babe, I'm safe, I promise," he said holding her face carefully, staring into her eyes while stroking her neck softly, "Member I pinky swore once I'd never leave you – I ain't about to break that now."
Pete leaned forward to kiss her sweetly and she smiled slightly, "Stay with me?" she mumbled, becoming groggy from the drugs that were running through her veins.
"Course," he said, climbing onto the small hospital bed being careful not to hurt her. She molded her body to his easily, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she snuggled into his side, "I love you," he whispered into her hair, kissing the curls softly.
"Love you too," were the last words she managed to get out before falling into a dreamless sleep.
Pete stayed up, watching her carefully and holding her tight to him. He felt like he'd let her down. The only thing he'd ever wanted was to keep her safe and now she was bruised and battered all because of the Firm. He rested his chin on her head thinking back over his life before Josie and his life now that she was in it. He never thought the day would come that he'd regret being the head of the GSE but it seemed that day was today.
Once the shit with Tommy was over they could put the whole disaster behind them and Pete could start to think about the unthinkable – leaving the GSE for good. He stroked her hair softly; drinking in the moment knowing what lay ahead wouldn't be easy – all he hoped was that he wouldn't break his promise to Josie.
What'd ya think? Shit is about to go down as we all know & reviews give me motivation!