Roxanne was taking a quick cigarette break in the yard and Gemma joined her.
The garage was busy right now and a bunch of the guys were helping out for a bit.
"Well, how are you feeling about being Tig's lady these days?" Gemma asked with a grin.
Roxanne smiled and glanced at him for a moment.
"Well ... good. Very good. I'm quite alright with it."
"And you're okay with his ... kinky tendencies?"
"Right now, he says he's totally at his wit's end with me," Roxanne replied. "But I realize he wouldn't be able to stop them entirely. If it does come back on him at some point and he needs to live it out, so be it. But I don't wanna know about it then, either before or after. As long as I don't have to be involved ... I just want him to be careful not to come down with anything, and not get caught."
Gemma nodded appreciatively. "Good attitude."

Roxanne had just stubbed out her cigarette and was on her way back to the garage when her cell phone rang. She stopped in the middle of the yard, grabbed it from one of the pockets of her jumpsuit and checked the display. Unknown number.
Frowning, she accepted the call. Maybe it was a customer but that was just wishful thinking.
"Hello? - What?! Since when?" Her eyes widened in horror when she heard the answer. "And you're just telling me this now?! - Okay. - Yeah, thanks!" As in slow motion, she lowered the phone as she ended the call with a swipe before pocketing it again and as if in a trance, she entered the garage.
There, with her eyes closed, she leaned against a shelf cabinet, taking a deep breath, as Tig was looking for her.
"Oh, here you are, can you give me a ... What's wrong?" He eyed her anxiously. "Did something happen?"
"No," she answered hastily, but made no move to let go of the shelf. "I'll be with you in a minute."

Tig inspected the suspensions of an off-road vehicle on the lifting platform.
Roxanne walked over, hoping no one would notice her unsteady steps. It felt like her legs were going to buckle out from under her at any moment.
"I'm not getting anywhere here, maybe ...," Tig broke off as he looked at her more closely now. "Hey, you're as white as a sheet, you sure you're okay?"
She just shook her head and let him give her a hug. "I'm just ... I'll be fine."
"Yeah, but not today." Tig tenderly caressed her cheek. "I'm not gonna let you continue to work like this. - Juice!" he called to the outside, just as the very same was about to get into the tow truck. "Are you going to town?"
"Yeah, going through," Juice shouted back. "Somebody broke down a short distance out there."
Even as he spoke, Tig came toward him with Roxanne in his arms, and Juice also noticed she was as white as a ghost. She looked downright sick.
"Can you give her a ride home?"
"No problem," Juice assured him. "There's even barf bags in the car!"
Roxanne smiled weakly at this joke and without objection allowed herself to be helped into the passenger seat.
"You coming by later?" she asked before Tig closed the door. "I guess I'm not good company but I don't want to be alone. And please tell Gemma or Clay why I left just now."
"Will do!" He kissed her tenderly. "See you later."

Juice gave a few worried looks at her, but she didn't seem like she was going to throw up at any moment.
"Came all of a sudden, didn't it?" he asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
"Yeah," Roxanne just mumbled. She didn't have the energy or nerves to explain.
This call had really pulled the rug out from under her, even though she had been more or less unconsciously expecting it all along but not so soon at all.
She would have to tell Tig about it, there was no way around it, but not until it was absolutely unavoidable. On the one hand she wanted and had to forget the whole thing and on the other hand: What would he think of her if he knew the truth?
However, maybe he would understand, he also was kinda messed up, although in a different way than she was. On the other hand, she didn't want to make unnecessarily a big fuss about all this either.
"Here we are," Juice announced needlessly as he stopped at her trailerhome. "Do you want me to walk you to the door?"
"I can manage," Roxanne replied, getting out. "Thanks for bringing me."
"You're welcome. Get well soon!"
She was already on her way to the house and raised her hand to let him know she had heard.
Juice waited until she had disappeared inside before he left.

Roxanne needed a moment to open the door in answer to Tig's knock.
"Hey!" She fell around his neck and kissed him heartily. "Come in."
"Did I wake you?" he asked closing the door behind him and Roxanne nodded.
"Never mind, though. If you fancy some coffee, you know where to find all the stuff."
"Yeah, lie back down, I'll be fine."

Roxanne was browsing Netflix when Tig finally joined her.
"What are you seeking for?"
"Dunno. Any ideas?"
"Preferably something sinister. Horror, anything weird."
She shook her head grinning. "Why am I even asking? Here you go, see for yourself."
He took the remote and shortly after had found a horror movie of some kind, Roxanne didn't even bother to take a closer look.
"Feeling better?" Tig asked before he could push the play button, because she snuggled up to him and he pulled her close.
"Yeah, it is."
"But maybe you should get checked. This was just a little too sudden. Kind of."
Not really, Roxanne thought, but didn't say it. She wasn't sick, after all, but simply shocked and off the rails.

"What for?" she asked instead. "I'll be fine tomorrow, I assure you it's not contagious or anything like that."
"That's not what I was getting at either but ... there's something wrong with you. You're ..." hiding something that must be starting to eat up at you, and maybe you should talk about it.
"Yeah, I'm messed up," she said, just before Tig could decide to say this sentence out loud. "Not noticed yet?"
"Of course!" He smiled and pulled her a little closer. "We both are, though, so it's all right that way."
The movie was basically not worth the time watching, literally nothing was happening and they just let it run alongside while they were cuddling with each other.
"That's all that's going on with me today, I'm sorry," Roxanne murmured as they eventually disengaged enough after a long kiss to look into each other's eyes.
"Never mind. You really think I have only one thing on my mind?" he added jokingly and she acted surprised.
"You don't?"
"Okay, pretty much, I admit it. It also seems to be ages since I've spent time with a woman just cuddling on the sofa, I can't remember it anyway. I'm just not used to it."
"Should that give me something to think about now?" she asked with a smile, and he shook his head.
"No, it shouldn't. It's kinda nice, actually."
Yeah, it felt really good.

"I guess that takes our relationship to the next level," Tig added thoughtfully after a while, and Roxanne sat up a little.
"Now gimme a break. I'm still dealing with this lady thing. Since when, actually? So since when do you think of me that way?" she specified and he shrugged.
"I don't know. These anniversaries are important to you gals, though, ain't they? I really gotta think about that ..."
"They're important to most of us, but not to me," Roxanne assured him with a smile. "You know. Any time frame whatsoever though?"
"A few months ago, I really don't remember. But what I do remember is when you fixed my Harley and the next morning you were standing next to it in the yard, completely exhausted ... I was kinda blown away."
"Incredible," she muttered, shaking her head. "So now I suppose you want to know what my first thought was when you rushed out of the supermarket and were standing in front of me shortly thereafter, in your sinister appearance and pissed off?"
Tig raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Sure I do! So?"
"'Wow'. Just wow. - Yeah, I guess I have a weakness for bad guys," she confessed, blushing. "And I actually wanted to stay away from them but ... you see how that worked out!"

Although Tig was with her and she was supposed to feel safe and secure again, in the middle of the night she woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare she hadn't had in years.
This phone call. This damned phone call!
Quietly, not wanting it to wake up Tig, she got out of bed, took a quick shower and slipped into some feel-good clothes before making herself a cup of tea and switching on the TV in the living room. Sleep was absolutely out of the question right now.

She drove to the garage two hours earlier, writing a note to Tig beforehand to make sure he wouldn't be upset when he realized his Harley was no longer standing where he had parked it the previous night.

Tig had been smoking another cigarette in front of the house while he waited for Roxanne and was now smiling as she rode up on his Harley.
"Mornin'!" Roxanne greeted after she had shut off the bike and dismounted. "Sorry for taking her like that but I couldn't sleep anymore and I thought ... you're not mad are you?"
"I would be with anyone else," he replied, eyeing her, "but you get away with it. Just next time you ride it, be dressed much more figure-hugging."
Roxanne grinned. "The leather pants?"
"Exactly. And I'm sure you'll find a crop top, too," he added with a wink, getting up behind her.
"But I might catch a cold," Roxanne objected, overly serious, and he laughed.
"Yeah, sure! You bet!"
He had considered at first asking her to pick him up by car. After all, it didn't matter if she sat in front of him or behind him but he would be able to make it the rather short distance and hold himself together. The unsexy jumpsuit was kinda helpful.
And the fact he wasn't riding his own bike, could just be a test drive. What did it seem to be otherwise? After all, he had a reputation to maintain.

It was a relayxing day in the garage and since Roxanne had started early, she could have left earlier, but she decided not to.
Tig on the other hand was busy, he was off with the club for the rest of the day and she had to distract herself otherwise. This phone call and the nightmare had triggered her so much though she had thought to have dealt with the whole thing by now. At least in a way it didn't affect her any more.
The boring routine work, however, made it even worse and she repeatedly had to lay down the tools because her hands were so trembling.
And if the panic attacks started all over again...

The night after, it wasn't any better. She was alone, and for a moment she was almost tempted to put on some clothes and head for Tig's place. But for one thing, she had no idea if he was even home yet, maybe this trip was overnight, and for another, how would that look? On the one hand he would be happy, but on the other hand it would make her look so weak and helpless.
So she struggled more or less until dawn, before she went to the garage completely worn out. Hopefully, there was more work to do today.

She got through the day somehow, but it didn't get any better, and after the third night in a row of nightmares and almost no sleep, it wasn't just Tig who noticed she was overtired, unfocused, and fidgety. He brought it up with her first, however, and she couldn't deny it, but insisted emphatically she was fine.
"Why are you fooling yourself and everyone else?" Tig demanded, shaking his head. "You're not fine, and I'm really starting to be worried!"
"Don't be, though," she assured him, kissing him. "It'll pass!"
Well, let's hope so, he thought. After all, he wasn't going to take much longer to watch this, and if he had to carry her off to a doctor himself.

He had to do so even sooner than expected.
Some hours later, in the afternoon, a loud scream emanated from the garage, followed by an even louder swearing.
"SHIT!"
Tig and Half-Sack, who had just gotten out of the tow truck, hurried over to find Roxanne bent over with her face contorted in pain next to the lifting platform, blood dripping onto the floor in front of her. It wasn't until they took a second glance to discover the bloody screwdriver lying nearby.
"Get a towel!" Tig instructed the prospect, who immediately spun around. "A clean one!"

"Be right there." Hank rushed up with one, almost bumping hinto Half-Sack and they wrapped it tightly around Roxanne's injured hand.
"Hold on and push on it," Tig instructed, leading her to the tow truck. The key was still in the ignition and there was a hurry.
"Where are you taking me?" Roxanne asked wanly, almost not giving a damn. She was in horrible pain, she felt sick, and there seemed to be blood everywhere.
"Where do you think?" Tig made a turn onto the road and accelerated. He didn't care about any speed limits at that moment. "To St. Thomas. How did that happen?"
He asked it primarily to distract Roxanne and prevent her from passing out but of course he still wanted to know.
"I had to use appropriate force with the screwdriver and I slipped. Stupid."
"Yeah, especially if you're working in that condition," he couldn't help himself and she sighed.
"Tig, please! This could have happened to me anyway."

Fortunately, Tara was on duty and she attended to her immediately.
"What happened?"
"Hurt the edge of her hand with a screwdriver," Tig said, and Roxanne wanted to remove the gradually soaked towel, it was one of those little so-called guest towels, but Tara stopped her. There was no need to stain the hospital hallway, after all.
"Let's go to the treatment room first. Wait out here," she added, addressing Tig and gently taking Roxanne by the arm. "Come on."

The wound appeared quite nasty and Tara couldn't help but comment accordingly. "You almost pierced it!"
"Yeah. Hey wait, no shot!" Roxanne objected a moment later, backing off. "Put it away!"
"It's a local anesthetic," Tara explained, taken aback by the refusal. Roxanne really must be in quite a bit of pain. "I'd advise you to take it."
Roxanne shook her head vehemently. "No way!"
"Fine." Tara sighed. "But don't move."
More than once, Roxanne cursed her phobia of injections. Cleaning the wound and then stitching it up, although Tara was extremely careful and gentle, was pretty awful.

She had tears streaming down her pain-distorted face, but she held still with all her willpower and managed to not utter a sound.
"There, that's it," Tara finally announced, and Roxanne breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll put another bandage on it."
She handed her some Kleenex tissues beforehand so she could wipe the tears from her face.
"You sure you're okay? You seem like you haven't slept in days."
"I haven't actually," Roxanne admitted. Tara was, after all, subject to doctor-patient confidentiality. "I've been having nightmares. For the first time in a long time. But it's gonna be fine."
"Is something bothering you?"
"Yes. But like I said, it'll be fine."
Tara wanted to prescribe her a sedative, but Roxanne refused that, as well. She was done with that stuff, she didn't want or need it again. Painkillers, that's all.
"Okay, whatever you say. But you're not working for the next ten days at least," Tara clarified. "I'll write you a note."
Even that, Roxanne thought but there was no changing it.

"She'll be fine," Tara said when they stepped back outside into the hallway and Tig got up from his chair. "Just make sure she doesn't overdo it."
Tig promised, while Roxanne rolled her eyes.
It was time now, though; she couldn't keep her silence any longer. Not to him, anyway.
"Do you still have time?" she asked as they walked back to the car. "I mean, after you give me a ride home."
"Yeah, sure," he replied. "I'll just take it."
"Good, I have something to tell you. Something that maybe I should've told you a long time ago!"