Page 8 of Playboy

“I’m just messing with you. But you were dead to the world, and we didn’t want to bother you. Anyway, what’s up? You need something?”

She decided not to tell him over the phone. She’d talk to them tonight.

“No, no. It’s nothing. I was just checking in. I’ll see you guys at Bayside later like we planned.”

James went silent for a beat, and Gabby could practically hear him raising an eyebrow through the phone. “Gabby, it doesn’t sound like nothing.”

She forced a laugh, trying to brush it off. “Everything is fine,” she lied, knowing she was going to regret it later once they found out.

Another pause. “You sure? You’ve got that ‘I’m hiding something tone.’”

“James, I’m fine,” she lied smoothly, though the sharp pain in her hip was anything but fine. “Seriously, I’ll see you guys tonight.”

James still didn’t sound convinced, but he let it go. “Alright. But you know if you need something, we are here for you, right?”

“I know,” she said, her voice softening for a moment. “I’ll catch you later, okay?”

“Later, Gabs.”

Sighing, Gabby slipped her phone into the pocket of her sweats and slowly stood up, wincing as her hip reminded her it was far from happy. If she didn’t handle this now, she’d be in worse shape later. She grabbed her keys and headed out of the room, making her way down the hall toward Capitan Graham’s office.

She chuckled. “I feel like I’m walking like a lopsided penguin with a serious limp,” she muttered.

When she got to her CO’s door, she knocked lightly and leaned against the frame.

“Come in!” Grahm’s voice called out.

Gabby stepped inside, trying to keep her limp as subtle as possible, which was laughable considering how much pain she was in.

“Hey, Captain,”

Captain Graham was in his late forties. He was tall, had light brown hair and matching brown eyes, and was physically fit. However, above all else, he was the best commanding officer Gabby had ever worked under.

Captain Graham looked up from his desk, one eyebrow shooting up in suspicion. “What now, Gabby? You look like you’re about to drop a bomb on me.”

She gave him a sheepish smile. “Well, I wouldn’t call it a bomb. But, uh, there’s something I probably should’ve mentioned earlier.”

His expression didn’t change, but his eyebrow quirked up. “Go on.”

“So, you know that little altercation I had with that guy earlier during op?”

“Little altercation?” Graham repeated, his tone full of sarcasm. “Gabby, from what I heard, the guy was like three times your size and put up a hell of a fight, though you did kick the guy’s ass.” A small smile tugged the corners of his lips.

“Well, I did. But, uh, it turns out he kind of kicked mine, too,” she admitted, shifting awkwardly. “I’ve got this, um…bruise on my hip. It’s a little worse than I thought.”

He leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply as he rubbed his temples as if she were giving him a headache. “Of course you do. Why didn’t you say anything about it earlier when you were with the medic?”

She sighed. “Because, at the time, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I’ve had bruises before. But now…well, I think it is sort of a big deal,” she smiled sheepishly.

“Are you able to show me?” he asked, looking a bit uncomfortable with asking her that.

It didn’t bother her. It was her upper hip, so it wasn’t like she would have to show him her ass. Now, that would’ve been a little weird, though she trusted Graham and knew he would never cross that line. But if someone else saw, then it would spark rumors, and that would lead to shit she didn’t have time for.

Gabby gingerly pulled the waistband of her sweatpants just enough to reveal the massive contusion. The dark coloring and swelling were hard to miss.

She heard him suck in a breath.

“Holy fuck!” he exclaimed. “That’s not a bruise, Gabby. That’s a damn road map of destruction!” He said, taking in the extent of the injury.

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