AN: Thanks so much for the reviews so far, the prompted me to quickly finish this chapter and get it out to you. This will only be a few chapters, maybe 5 at most. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Not mine, all characters minus ones you don't recognize belong to JE.
Chapter 2.
It's been several hours since Lester and I had had our blowout. I didn't know how else to continue, I had apologised but even I didn't think that was enough. Being stuck here, I had to realise I wasn't alone. I had someone else to care for, I couldn't stay stuck in the situation. I had to regain my optimism.
"We aren't do the dirty as you so eloquently put it … because Ranger doesn't want me. Not for keeps, anyways." Hearing my voice travel across the room, even I could pick up on how deep and coarse it was becoming. I heard him shuffle and heard his wince. He was probably in excruciating pain at this point.
"Come on Beautiful, you can't really believe that, can you? Ranger is the epitome of pussy whipped. That guy practically drools when you enter a room, don't get me started on how protective of you he is."
I knew what Les said had some ring of truth to it, but my thoughts were bombarded with Ranger's words, "My love comes with a condom, not a ring. I love you, in my own way…" Part of me knew that at least half of the blame was on me, I constantly shuffled back and forth with Morelli. The safety of that relationship was something I was terrified of giving up. I knew in my heart, that I was never in love with him, but the fear of having nobody, of being alone for the foreseeable future … it was something I wasn't ready to face.
"I think the fact that you can't make up your mind on who's bed you'd rather be in is a pretty big factor there, Beautiful. When was the last time you went up to Ranger and told him you wanted to be with him?" Little breaks in his response, the wheezing and the strain was starting to scare me. More than what his words actually said, I was thinking our time here, together, was on a shortened span.
"What happened to you Lester? I still have no idea who grabbed us. Why the two of us? And why in God's name did they do to us what they have?" I shifted a little again, wincing at the sharp pain on the left side of my chest. The chains that I was attached to were quite short, but I was struck with an idea.
"I know your leg is pretty bad, but do you think you could shift a little closer to me? Maybe if we both move towards the middle, I might be able to reach you. I need to check your wounds, Lester." I heard him grunt in response, but then he started ever so slowly shuffling his body closer to where I was. I favored my left side as I began to inch towards the center of this dungeon. After what felt like hours, we finally reached each other. There was about two feet of space between us and the light that seemed focused on the floor in front of us afforded me a glimpse of his bad brutalized body. Moving towards his right side I lifted up his white tank top to inspect his worst wound: the stabbing of his lower back. It seemed crusted over and puffy. There was obvious infection, though mild. The blood didn't seem too badly pooled around his skin, so I hoped it had been shallow.
"When did you get this wound? What did they use? It seems almost circular." I whispered to him, his body flinching as I touched the area around it, looking to see how far the inflammation went. He muttered a response, coughed and then shifted slightly closer.
"The day before you showed up. It was a broken bottle, so I know it's not too deep. I think it was a vodka bottle? So, that's probably helping with the infection." He actually chuckled as he said that. I rolled my eyes and pulled his shirt back down. I looked next at his legs.
"How do you know what bones are broken?" I placed my hand on his leg, barely making contact. His camo cargo pants were obscuring most of his leg, but it was laying on a funny angle. I looked up to his face, making contact with his gorgeous green eyes. They seemed so empty of the lewd look they're usually filled with. I'd always had a good laugh with Lester, he never seemed to have a serious bone in his body. All laugh and play, never letting anything get to him. I was seeing a part of him I never thought existed, and that frightened me a little.
"I heard them snap with they stepped on them. The wrist was my own doing, when I punched the wall. Self-inflicted misery. I don't know for sure who these guys are, Beautiful, but I know they're not good guys. They're the worst kind. From their accents, I'm guessing either Columbian or Cuban. I can make out bits and pieces of their conversations, but there's not a lot I can make out through these walls." This was the most information he'd delivered the entire time we've been here. I hadn't even thought to pick up on their conversations. I attribute that to the fact that I still seemed drugged up until recently. I assumed that they had been putting some kind of drugs in our food until just a few days ago.
"Lester! You shouldn't have punched the concrete walls!" I admonished him as I grabbed his right hand softly, placing it in my hands. It was swollen and bruised. I clicked my tongue as I lifted it slightly to get a better look. I took off my thin shirt, receiving a grin from Lester, and used my teeth to shred first one piece and then another. Grabbing a few sticks that were around us, I started a make-shift brace for his wrist. After several winces and groans, from myself and Lester, I achieved a pathetic looking brace.
"Thanks Bomber, if the brace doesn't help, I know at least my new view will." He leered at me and winced as he shifted. I chuckled softly, at least I was wearing a very supportive bra underneath my shirt. I motioned to his shirt and he started to help me lift it over his head. We then set to making a brace for his leg. When we finally finished, this brace had taken much longer due to the breaks we had to take as the pain was getting to be too much for the both of us, I shifted to relieve the pressure that had been building on my chest.
"What about you Bomber? What injuries do you have?" He pointed to my left side, that I was favoring.
"I think just a broken rib or two, I'm assuming that they're fans of kicking." I slowly moved to lie on my back, Lester following suit. Once we lay beside each other, he shifted closer, placing my head upon his shoulder. We were both exhausted at this point, and as I felt my eyes slide shut I felt Lester grab my hand in his, clasping it tightly.