I need to call Ashe. He knows this stuff better than I do.
I pull my phone out, dial his number, set it to speaker and get back to cleaning her injuries. She’s going to have wicked bruising, but none of it seems life threatening… The fact that she fell asleep again? That could mean that her brain is trying to recover. It could mean that she’s simply overwhelmed and her body is shutting down to protect herself and she knows she’s safe with me.
“Yeah, man, what’s up?” Asher’s voice comes through the phone speaker loudly and I almost worry that it’s going to wake Roxie up, but she doesn’t even tremor.
“Come home, now. Please.”
“I’m just closing up, what’s wrong?” Asher asks, “I was going to meet up with Blonde Britney.”
“Someone broke in. Trashed the place. Hurt Roxie.” I know I should give him more details, but I’m too focused on her. “I’m cleaning her up now, but I’m worried.”
“I’ll be there in five.” Asher hangs up the phone quickly, and his complete switch in tone makes me feel better. Like he knows exactly how dire this is.
Standing up, I move to cover her up with the sheet as gently as I can not to jostle her. Slipping the sheet around her chest, covering her breasts, but keeping the gash out for Asher to double-check that it doesn’t need stitches, I move to her hand and start splinting it.
We really should go to the hospital, but I remember how much she didn’t want me to take her there after the fight. I’ve broken my fingers before so I have my old splint in the kit for times like this. Her middle finger is dark purple, like the asshole twisted it to get her to move somewhere, and her ring finger isn’t quite as bad, but it’s definitely going to hurt. Grabbing the athletic tape, I start wrapping them together in the splint so she won’t bend them.
I hear boots thudding through the house and I turn around quickly, preparing for a fight, putting myself between whatever’s coming and Roxie.
“Ty?” Asher says and my spine relaxes.
“We’re in my room. Did you lock the door?” I call back, turning back towards Roxie just as he enters the room.
“Yeah, I…” But the rest of the sentence dies on his tongue as he sees Roxie. “Oh my god.”
“Yeah.”
Asher comes to the other side of the bed and stands over her, his eyes trailing over her covered body quickly before returning to her face.
“Was this Mickey?” he growls, his hands curling into fists in anger.
“She said it was Cory, one of Mickey’s goons. But the order came from Mickey, for sure.”
“Did he…” Asher gestures to Roxie’s state of undress, his expression turns to stone. My head shakes no.
“She fought him off.”
“Of course she did,” Asher says softly, nodding. “That’s Roxie.”
“I cleaned most of the cuts, splinted her fingers, one of her eyes has a burst capillary, and then there’s this cut across her chest. It doesn’t need stitches, right?” I walk him through her injuries, but I haven’t even started to see if she broke any bones, other than her fingers.
“No, it doesn’t look deep. Ribs?” he asks and I shake my head slightly. I know her ribs were still tender and I’m sure Cory cracked them more.
“Has she been out long?” Asher steps into healing mode, getting all the information as he gently prods the cut on her chest.
“Five minutes, maybe. She was passed out in the kitchen when I got here, but woke up when I started talking to her. I made sure there wasn’t anything broken in her neck or spine before I moved her.”
“Good thinking,” he says, picking up her hand to inspect the bracing job I did. “Nice.”
“I’ve broken a few fingers.”
“I’m well aware.”
It’s quiet for a moment while he gently looks over all the bruising and then starts to feel along her ribs over the sheet.
Over the sheet, Ty, rein it in,I try to tell myself to calm down, but I don’t like anyone touching her but me. I take a deep breath to try and calm down, but he’s touching her…
“She’s like a sister to me, calm your shit,” Asher says without looking up.
