by Lexy Timms
He touched his face, his head, with his left hand. There was a lump at his temple, and if he had a mirror, he was certain he’d find a purpling bruise.
There were only vague flashes after that: the mat against his face, Frank’s voice in his ear. The scent of Rosa’s perfume... No, wait. That was now. But she wasn’t there.
Aedan shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. The pain behind his eyes was fading, still there but dimmed, hovering in the background.
He lay back, looking up at the ceiling tiles. She didn’t show up; she wasn’t there. She’d said she be there for him, that loving him meant loving all the things that went along with whatever the hell he was trying to do here. She said she didn’t understand but that it didn’t matter.
And she’d promised.
Well, fuck her. Apparently it did matter, in the end. He could do this without her, without anyone. He’d learned more than how to survive a match. He’d learned that he’d been right all along; never trust anyone. All it did was fuck everything up, every single time.
He rolled toward the window, jerking the plastic tubing that ran into his arm. Something beeped but he didn’t bother to find out what it was. He tugged the single thin pillow from under his head, trying to hug it to his chest. There was a noise behind him, someone coming in his room. If it’s a nurse, maybe I can get another pillow.
“Aedan?”
His body stiffened, every sense suddenly alive. Abruptly the pain was gone and all he could hear was her voice. The scent of her perfume filled his nostrils.
“Aedan?” Louder this time. He heard footsteps, closed his eyes tight.
It’s too late to make it up. Just go away.
“Aedan, wake up. Talk to me.” Her voice was right in front of him, her hand on his shoulder. The touch was warm even through the blanket. He opened his eyes.
She was sitting next to the bed, her face inches from his. For a brief moment his heart swelled; he wanted to reach out and touch her face. But he pushed that away. She’d given up on him. Why should he care about her?
“Hey. Welcome back.” There was relief in her voice, a smile on her lips as she brushed her hand across his forehead. But they didn’t matter.
“Go away.” His voice was louder than he anticipated. He closed his eyes.
“Does something hurt? I’ll go get a nurse.” She touched his hand. He jerked it away.
“Why’re you here?” He opened his eyes again. The shocked look on her face gave him a perverse thrill, like he’d won something.
“Where else would I be, Aedan? I’ve been worried. We all have.”
“If it means so much, where were you at the fight?” His head throbbed. “You never showed.”
She looked down at her hands. “I’ve been here since they brought you in. The day before yesterday.” Her eyes lifted. “But I was there at the fight too. Late. I tried to arrive sooner.”
“Late?”
“I got there just in time to see you go down.” The words trembled. “And it almost killed me, Aedan. It could have killed you.”
There was something that sounded like anger in her voice, which surprised him. What the hell does she have to be angry about?
“Aedan. I was so scared...” Rosa’s voice caught, tears running down her face.
“Hey! You’re awake.” Frank’s gruff voice broke into the space between them.
Rosa looked up as he entered the room. Aedan took the moment to try and roll away from her, grimacing with the effort.
“Easy, Aedan,” Frank chided. “You’ve got some cracked ribs there. Just relax. I’ll come around to the other side of the bed.” He pulled a chair up next to Rosa. “So, did Rosa tell you the news?”
Frank was beaming at Aedan, beaming at both of them.
“I haven’t had a chance yet, Frank. He’s only been awake for a few minutes.” Rosa wiped her cheeks with the cuffs of her sweater. Aedan noticed her face was pale, dark circles under her eyes. And no make-up.
“Oh. Well.” Frank was looking back and forth between Aedan and Rosa. He frowned.
“I guess a scout was here,” Rosa said. “From the pros.”
“He was impressed with what he saw,” Frank added.
Aedan made a snorting sound. “Impressed with me getting knocked out? Pretty lame scout.”
“Hey! Before you went down, you put up a pretty good fight, broken hand and all. He said you had heart. It was short, but there was enough there for him to see your potential. If you hadn’t had your head up your damn ass—sorry, Rosa—you would’ve done a hell of a lot better. You’d have beat Stone.”
Aedan stared at Frank. “So what did he say, exactly?”
“He gave me his card. I’ve got it here somewhere. It’s been a pretty fucked up couple days.” Frank grimaced, nodding in Rosa’s direction. “Sorry again.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, stop apologizing to her. I’m sure she’s heard swearing before.”
It wasn’t really anything Rosa hadn’t said herself, but Frank’s frown deepened. “Aedan, are you okay? Do you need something for the pain?”
“Why the hell does everyone keep asking me that? I’m fine. Just great.” He struggled to sit up, wincing as he levered himself into place. “Everyone needs to just back off. Frank, we can talk later. Rosa, nice of you to stop by but I don’t need your pity.”
Rosa kept her head down. She stood to leave, but Frank placed a hand on her arm, glaring at Aedan.
“Aedan! I don’t know if this is from pain or whatever the hell they’ve got you on. Or if it’s the knock on the head, or if you’re just in a pissy mood because you can be, but you’ve no right to talk to Rosa like that. She’s the one who’s been here since they brought you in. We had to force her to go home to sleep and eat. She’s been camping out down the hall in the lounge, or here, in your room.”
Aedan stared at Frank. “She’s been here.” It was almost a question.
“The whole time. She was at the fight, but you were too busy getting knocked out to notice.”
Aedan turned to Rosa in disbelief. “You were there? Where?”
“I was late, in the crowd. I tried to call. You had your cell turned off. By the time I got there, the match had started. And then you were down, and he was hitting you. And there was blood everywhere.” Rosa bit her lip. “I’m so sorry I was late.”
Frank awkwardly wrapped one massive arm around her shoulder, jostling her against him.
She smiled but stepped out of his hold. She moved closer to Aedan. “I came to see you, to stand by you. Because I love you. And when you love someone, your life changes. Your priorities change. It took me a long time, probably too long, to realize that. But I made you a promise and I kept it.” When she reached for his hand this time, he let her take it.
Frank cleared his throat suddenly. “I should tell the doc you’re awake.” He quickly left the room.
He blinked, he had one hell of a headache building. “You came?” he whispered.
“It wasn’t about me anymore, Aedan. It was about us. What you wanted. Needed. What you’ve been fighting for. But now...” Rosa took a deep breath, her voice gaining strength. “You've fought just to survive your entire life. I get that. I finally get it. But I'm not going anywhere, whether you like it or not. It's time that someone stands with you, through all of it. The good, the bad. Everything. It’s time someone fights for you.”
Aedan felt tears gathering in his eyes. As much as he wanted to hold them back, they fell unchecked down his cheeks. He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back, hard. “Don’t fuck with me Rosa. I got a freakin’ huge headache and this... this is gonna kill me if it’s only a dream.” He swallowed, his mouth dry. “You’re really here then? In my corner?”
“I always will be. From now on.” She kissed his fingers, then stood, leaning over, kissing his lips. She ran her fingers over his cheek, brushing away the tears. “I love you, Aedan.”
“I love you too, Rosa.” He watched her as she sat down again. As s
he brought his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. The sunlight spilling in through the window haloed her hair in gold. He thought she’d never looked so beautiful. “What do we do from here?”
“We get you better. And then we find that card for the agent scout and call him.” She laid his hand back down against the blanket, hers still curled around it. “Then, just like you do with training, we take it day by day, match by match.” She gave him a brilliant smile, her dimples flashing. “And if you think Frank is tough, just wait. Frank’s got nothing on me.”
Aedan scoffed, despite the ache in his ribs. “Come here, then.” He shifted on the bed, grimacing, making room for her. She gingerly climbed up on the mattress, to curl next to Aedan, her head resting lightly on his shoulder.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “I was so scared I lost you.”
He reached up with his good hand, searching for hers again. She wrapped her fingers through his, holding them tightly. The warmth of her body beside his was familiar and welcome. Exactly what he wanted. Aedan drifted, and thought of the future. Rosa at his side. The call to the scout. Maybe things would turn out all right after all.
When Frank returned, that’s how he found them, asleep, Aedan’s hand holding on to Rosa’s. He smiled when Aedan lifted his head. I’ll come back later, he mouthed as he pulled the door shut, leaving them to their rest.
THE END
FIGHT
Coming Soon!
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