Page 5 of Acid

“Fuck, Rhea,” I hiss. Getting up, I move to her and crouch in front of her. I delicately trace my fingers over her stomach, causing her to let out a little whimper. I stand up. “You need to see a doctor,” I tell her.

She shakes her head. “No, no doctor. I don’t want Oliver knowing anything is wrong. He’s had enough to live with already. We were just getting to the good times. We were happy. I won’t destroy that for him.”

I nod. “You at least need to see Dixie. She’s a nurse,” I state. I reach out and stroke the hair back from her face to take a closer look at the mark on her face. “I will kill him,” I warn her.

“I don’t think I would be upset if you did,” she answers honestly.

I bend down and scoop her up in my arms. She wails a little from the pain in her ribs. “Sorry Mama, but I ain’t making you walk that far to see Dixie,” I state.

“I walked most of the way here. I can walk the few paces to the club,” she argues.

“Dump your car?” I ask as I walk across the parking lot.

“I torched it,” she answers, surprising the shit out of me. “Sorry, I know you helped me get it,” she apologises.

“You’ve got nothing to apologise for. The only thing I would have done differently is to make sure he was fucking inside when you set it on fire,” I smirk.

“Should I be worried?” she asks, looking up at me.

“Nah, you’re safe, Mama. I don’t kill friends. I kill for them.” I wink. I walk through the club and straight to the back room. I don’t need to call Dixie. She spots me and follows, as does Star and Queenie. I place Rhea down on the hospital trolly we acquired, with the help of Scar taking one for the team and fucking an EMT. Dixie smiles in greeting and places a blanket over her.

“Can you lift your shit?” Dixie asks softly.

“Huh?” Rhea frowns, confused.

“Shirt. She means shirt. It’s her thing. You’ll get used to it,” Queenie states.

“Oh, sorry,” Rhea apologises. She sits up slowly and lifts the hem of her top. She struggles to lift it over her head, and Star is there in an instant to help her remove it.

“There you go.” She smiles softly.

I stand the side, leaning against the wall. Rhea’s gaze keeps landing on mine for comfort. She’s anxious at not knowing a single person in this room apart from me. “Dixie, Star and Queenie,” I introduce, nodding my head at each of them.

“Hi,” Rhea greets them.

“Who is watching the kids?” I ask. “I thought you had them Queenie.”

She turns and smiles. “Yeah, I did. They are soundly sleeping back at mine. Star gave me a call.” She winks, giving my arm a gentle squeeze. “It’s all good. The prospects are with them,” she assures me.

I mouth the words thank you, and she gives me a nod. “Er, your bruising runs pretty low. Is it okay if I check, Er, lower? You would need to remove your jeans,” Dixie says softly.

Rhea’s worried eyes land on mine. I nod, trying to assure her that she’s safe. She lifts her hips, wincing in pain as she does. I watch as she begins to try to slide her jeans down her legs.

“I will wait outside,” I state as I turn the handle on the door to leave.

Rhea freezes. “No!” she says, panicked. I pause. Star and Queenie look between us. “Please don’t go,” she pleads, her voice breaking. “Just stay this end,” she adds, trying to smile. I release my hold on the handle and go to her. Leaning down, I place a kiss on her head and take her hand in mine.

“You need me, I’m here,” I assure her. I look at Star who has a soft look in her eyes.

“You’re a good guy, Acid. If I wasn’t already madly in love and constantly wet for your Pres, then I would definitely be making a play for you.” She winks.

Rhea lets out a laugh, quickly followed by a hiss in pain. “Thanks for easing the situation,” she says, smiling at Star.

Star shrugs. “I have a gift.”

“Okay sweetie, now sorry for killing the mood, but I’m about to take a look, erm, you know, down there,” Dixie says as she puts on a pair of latex gloves. Rhea nods while gripping my hand tight in hers. “Okay, I promise I will be gentle,” Dixie states before lifting the blanket and taking a look. “Oh fuck,” Dixie gasps.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Dixie swear like that. Rhea sobs and turns her face to the side, burying her face in my torso. I hold her close, stroking her hair as she sobs. Dixie looks up at me with apologetic eyes before she returns back to what she was doing.

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