“Charlotte, dear, why don’t we get her settled on the couch, and I can take a look at her?” I had already forgotten about the woman with her, which was mildly alarming, but I was grateful for her suggestion.
“Shit. Sorry, Fee. Mom’s right. Let’s get you comfortable.” She steered me to the couch.
Once back on the couch, I closed my eyes as I sank into the cushions. My limbs felt heavy, and there was a steady beat of pain that I couldn’t pinpoint. It felt like my whole body was throbbing.
“Charlotte, can you make Fiona a cup of tea while I examine her?”
I opened my eyes to see the woman who had arrived with Charlie studying me, her eyes taking in the bloody towel and my makeshift ice pack.
“Yeah, sure. That’s a good idea. Fee, this is my mom. She’s a nurse. Let her check you out, please?” she asked, her eyes huge and her voice laced with concern.
I nodded numbly, and Charlie went into the kitchen while her mom made her way over to me. She sat on the coffee table across from me and gave me a soft smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Fiona. I’ve heard so much about you, and I hate that these are the circumstances of our first meeting. Can you tell me what hurts and where the bleeding is coming from?”
I tried to clear my throat, but it hurt far too much.
“I was knocked to the ground in the parking lot. When I hit the pavement, I smashed the back of my head. That’s where the blood is coming from. Then there’s my neck.” I pulled the robe down to show her the marks, hoping I didn’t have to explain further.
“Oh, dear. Okay, we’ll get you some hot tea and refresh this compress for your neck, but I’d like to take a look at your head to make sure you don’t need stitches. You might have a concussion too. We may need to go to the hospital.”
“No,” I snapped, the idea of dealing with a hospital bill, only to have them tell me I bumped my head, caused immediate anxiety.
“Sorry, Mrs. Williams. I just… I really don’t want to go to the hospital. If you’re worried about a concussion, can’t I just set an alarm every hour to wake up?”
“Please, call me Cece. And let’s just take this one step at a time. Let me grab my kit and check out the cut first, okay?” I nodded gingerly, studying her as she dug through the bag I hadn’t seen her bring in.
She looked to be in her mid fifties. It was clear that Charlie took after her. Their features were almost a carbon copy of each other. The only difference was their hair. Cece’s hair was mostly grey, with blonde peeking through. It was short in the back, leaving most of her neck bare, but angled lower in the front, hitting below her shoulders. I couldn’t help but marvel at how she managed to look both edgy and elegant.
She took my vitals before examining the back of my head. I winced as she cleaned the wounds, closing my eyes in a vain attempt to disassociate. I heard movement, and once again opened my eyes slightly to see Charlie placing a cup in front of me before sitting down next to me and taking my hand.
“I left Bash like fifty voicemails, but he must still be on the road. How does it look, Mom?” she asked.
“She’s lucky. It’s not deep, and she doesn’t need stitches, but I’m still not comfortable leaving her alone for the night.”
“Of course not. I’m going to stay with her,” Charlie replied from her spot next to me.
“What?” I asked, looking at her in surprise. Cece pulled her phone out of her pocket and excused herself, stepping out into the hallway to answer an incoming call as Charlie pulled my attention back to her.
“You’re family. Family takes care of each other. If you don’t want to go to a hospital, then you get to have a slumber party with me. Not to mention, you gotta tell Bash what happened so he can take care of that asshole.”
Before I could respond, Cece was back in the apartment, taking charge with a renewed vigor. She hustled me into the bedroom before relaying her orders.
“Charlotte and I will both stay here. We’ve got Brothers outside, so you don’t worry about a thing. I’ll keep an eye on you so you don’t have to go to the hospital, but right now, you need to get some rest.” Even if I wanted to argue, as soon as I was in mybed, my body slipped into a tenuous sleep, craving escape from the physical trauma.
The rest of the night passed in fitful bouts of unconsciousness, memories of Cece checking on me throughout the night blurring with memories of the attack. I finally fell into a deep sleep around dawn.
Waking up, my whole body hurt. My head ached, and my throat was raw. I sat up slowly and grabbed the water on my nightstand. Suddenly parched, I swallowed the liquid in a few gulps, wincing at the pain it caused.
I could hear voices outside, and turned to look at my alarm clock. It was nearing two in the afternoon, and I was horrified.I missed work! Cece and Charlie have been stuck in my apartment for hours now!I pulled on an old T-shirt and thick sweatpants before stumbling out of the bedroom.
I made my way into the kitchen, then came up short at the small army of people filling the space. Bash stood out among them, and it felt like my eyes were immediately drawn to him. Suddenly overwhelmed, I took a step back, craving the privacy of my room.
Cece was next to me in an instant, guiding me out of the room and over to the couch. I had gotten used to her comforting presence throughout the night and let her maneuver me without much thought. Charlie followed us into the other room, leaving three men there.
I could just barely make them out, the entrance to the kitchen visible from the living room. I caught the moment Bash shot a look at the youngest of the group, giving him a nod that had the kid heading for the exit.
I couldn’t help the sigh of relief at having one less strange man in my personal space. Bash stayed in the kitchen as the older gentleman came forward.
