When Laura awoke she found herself moved from the couch into her own bed. Ace was sleeping soundly beside her with his arm draped around her, locking her against him. A wave of relief rushed over her, he wasn't in the hospital or at the police station, he was here with her.
She wanted to stay there all day but nature was calling so she reluctantly wriggled her way out of his grip and into the bathroom. As she was washing her grazed hands she caught her reflection in the mirror as she winced in pain. Her left cheek was bruised a motley red and grey and her head still hurt from where she had bumped it. She picked up her brush to tame her bed hair but dropped it with a clatter, she bent down to pick it up and felt the same pain from the grazes on her knees.
"Here let me get that," came a voice from behind her.
Ace bent down to the floor to retrieve the hairbrush, hiding his own discomfort from her as he rose again. He took her damaged hand in his own and led her back to her bed where he began gently guiding the brush through her hair. She reluctantly let an cry of pain escape as he passed over the bump on her head. He lowered the brush immediately placing it on the set of drawers beside her bed. He raised one of his hands to her good cheek and ran his fingers down it as he examined her face wordlessly.
He ran his thumb softly over her cut lip. It had improved dramatically since yesterday.
"Does it still hurt?" he asked.
"No," she whispered before kissing his thumb.
"That's my girl," he said, lowering himself down to meet her lips with his own.
She crawled onto his lap, knocking his side. He pulled away from her as he flinched in pain.
"Are you ok?" Laura asked horrified.
He hadn't wanted to show her but as he saw her expression he decided it was best to remove his shirt and let her see.
"I've had worse," he assured her although his side was still smarting from where she had knocked against him.
A large, purple bruise the size of a frisbee dominated one side of his chest. Laura was looking even more mortified.
"What happened?" she asked sounding as though she was about to start crying any second.
"I was hit with a baseball bat," he said truthfully as he started to light a cigarette.
"Does it hurt very much?" she asked in the same small voice. This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for her.
"It's nothing compared to what Mongoose is feeling this morning," Ace replied with brief satisfaction, "I should have killed him for what he did to you."
She snuggled against him again, this time careful to avoid his bruise. He scared her when he said things like that. There was a rage in his voice that told her he meant what he said. But then there was this other part of her that felt reassured. She was comforted by the fierce way he wanted to protect her.
It wasn't too long before Laura had fallen asleep again. Ace took the opportunity to clean his switchblade, wondering if Caroline would still hold such a high opinion of him when she returned home from work.