Page 25 of Tav

“Hey, Pixie, it’s alright. My family are here. Chewy waved out to Elio on our way past. He’ll be fine with her. But if you want, I can get her to bring him to you?”

Her body deflates slightly as she shakes her head. “No, it’s good. I’m good. Just wanted to make sure they were all safe. Let’s get Niko settled.” And again I watch as she steels herself, her fear melting away once again.

This is part of the reason I fell for her all those months back. There’s something vulnerable about her, but it’s hidden so deep inside her that the small glimpses I get seem like it is all a part of my imagination. Then I got to know her more. I saw her ferocityin the love for her kids. I saw her single-mindedness in getting justice for the people she works for. I see it every day in her mission against the people who raised her. I may not have seen it when she killed her cousin, but I can damn well imagine how fucking fierce she would have looked. I see all of this and more. I see the softness of the woman underneath the hard exterior.

“On the bed, kid, let’s see what we’ve got, huh?”

My head snaps towards Switch in shock. I have never heard him speak in anything less than a yell. Not even when Gus was his patient. What in the actual hell is happening?

“Let’s look at you,” he mumbles as he feels around Niko’s head. “Good head of hair on you kid, good thing you got a bump to the front of your head, otherwise I’d be having to shave this all off for a better look,” he says with a wink.

“Wow, he’s really good at this,” Blanche breathes out as she watches Switch shine the penlight in Niko’s eyes before checking other parts of his body.

We watch him for a few moments while he hums and ahhs, then he takes some notes.

“Niko, I’m going to leave you here to rest for a moment. You can sleep if you need to. I know people say you shouldn’t sleep with a concussion, but that’s old news. Your brain needs to heal. I’ll be back in to check on you. I just need to talk to your mom first.”

Niko leans back on the bed, and his eyes close immediately. Switch tips his head toward the door and Blanche and I follow him out, Sage choosing to sit next to her brother, scrolling on her phone.

“He’s had one hell of a knock, but he’ll be fine. He will need to relax, and take it really easy over the next week I’d say, give his brain time to really heal.” Switch’s normal voice is back and Blanche looks like a deer caught in the headlights. “Questions?”

“Um, yeah, how do you switch your bedside manner off so quickly?” Blanche asks, wide eyed.

A smile grows over Switch’s face. “Why do you think they call me Switch?”

And with that, he steps back into his clinic room, shutting the door on us.

“That was.. rude,” Blanche says with a chuckle before sobering and running a hand down her face..

“How you doing, Pixie?”

She tips her head side to side, as if weighing things up. “Well, I feel fucking angry. Scared, tired, fucking livid, worried, shaky and fucking murderous. In that order.”

“I can help you with scared, tired, worried, and shaky, but I’m afraid we’ll have to wait to murder people. Marx wants a word after you check on Cove and Elio.”

She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, lets it out, and then looks at me. “Lets go, Ol Man,”

Blanche

Tav leads me through to the common room, I guess you’d call it. There are people scattered around, some are playing pool, others are leaning on the bar talking. Cove is still yammering away at Rider, who, bless him, is paying attention, nodding now and then. My eyes dart around the room, looking for my little boy. This whole thing will be overwhelming for him. He enjoys routine, and he’s not the biggest fan of people. My eyes land onhis dark head, his hair as per usual tidily combed, slicked to the side how he likes it. He’s sitting across from Chewy, a little frown on his face, his head bent over a collection of odds and ends that he’s assembled on the table, much like his setup at home. Chewy is across from him with the same look on her face, intently watching Elio’s next move. I edge closer to the pair, feeling Tav following behind. I watch Elio chew his lip before sliding the bottle top in Chewy’s direction, taking a dime from her side. She huffs before hunkering down and looking closer at the jumble of things in front of them.

Unable to stand it any longer I break their silence. “Chewy, how do you know how to play Elio’s game?”

She turns in my direction, eyes remaining on the table in front of her a moment longer before her gaze flits to mine, and then over my shoulder.

“Everyone know’s how to play chess,” she says, frowning, as if I’ve asked the dumbest question ever.

“Elio doesn’t.”

“Are you sure? Because that’s what we’ve been playing this whole time.”

What the hell? “Are you saying Elio is playing chess?” I wave my hand at the bottle tops and dimes and little packets of salt and pepper on the table.

“Of course he is. See? The bottle tops are the kings.” She points to the bottle top, but I’m still not seeing it.

“But Elio doesn’t know how to play chess.”

She looks at Elio, then back in my direction. “Have you told him that? Because I’m pretty sure he would tell you, you’re wrong. If you wait a moment, you’ll see.”

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