"Hey?" Colby asked, peeking his head around the corner. "You know where Mack left that piece she was working on?"
"It's in my office," Ryan said. "How's she doing?"
Colby chuckled. "Good. She's in a fucking mood, though. She's decided she's going to shave her head, and nothing's going to fucking stop her."
"It's all going to fall out anyway," Mack said, walking around the corner. She paused when she saw Tony laying face down on the table. "Sorry, didn't know we had clients."
"I don't fucking count anymore," Tony said with a laugh.
Mack stood there in a pair of men's sweat pants and a baggy T-shirt, with her hair tied in a knot at the back of her head. She'd left her shoes upstairs, and her little white feet poked out from the bottom of the too long legs. Ryan looked her over, but turned away before she could see the grin.
"Nice to see you've made yourself comfortable," he teased.
"Sorry, Ryan. I'll go put on some real clothes and see if I can catch up on work."
"Relax," he said. "It's just Tony. He's in here every other week."
"Hell, I even know what's upstairs," Tony added. "You got clippers here Ryan?"
"Yeah."
Tony looked over at Mack. "You sure it's gonna fall out?"
"Shit," she said. "You tell everyone?"
Ryan just nodded. "I did, and I will, so you don't have to. I'm sorry, babe. You won't be able to hide it soon."
With a sigh, she sank into the leather tattooing chair beside them. "Right," she said softly.
"You do tattoos too?" Tony asked, hoping to distract her.
Mack just shook her head. "No."
"Wanna?"
She just lifted her hands. The guys could all see that each blow to her pride was more damaging than the effects of the drugs. She'd been putting on a brave face, but it was only held there with the most delicate of strings. For two days now, she'd been pampered and spoiled in every way they could think of, but it hurt as much as it helped. She was losing her independence, and hated every second of it. That's when Tony spoke up.
"Let her try," he told Ryan. "There's that big spot in the middle. I don't think you got there yet?"
"You sure, man? She's never even held the irons before."
"She makes a mess of it, and I'm pretty sure you can fix it. If she can draw like that, there's no way she can be as bad as some of this shit I already put on me."
The lines sketched on his back made the design obvious. Tony looked over to Mack, and waved her to come closer.
"I can't," she said. "I'm not messing up your tattoo."
"Pretty sure you won't mess it up, and this way I can say that I was the first person you inked. C'mon babe, indulge me."
"I'll help," Ryan assured her. He patted the stool, smiling at her. "Come sit, and let's show you how this works."
"Really?" She sounded almost hopeful.
"In trade, I get to cut a strip off your hair," Tony said.
She finally began to brighten, a smile teasing her face. "Ok, but don't let me screw anything up?"
"Not gonna happen," Colby said. "You got this, Mack. Tony's cool, he won't even wiggle."
She moved to the stool, and Colby passed her a pair of purple gloves, gesturing for her to put them on. They were a bit too big, but she could still manage to work the equipment. With a shy smile, Ryan pointed out where she'd be working, and gave her a run down on the concept. He passed her the tattoo machine, then reached around her, helping to support it, one hand resting lightly over hers.
"I'm going to guide you," he said softly, his mouth next to her ear. "Ok, let's turn this on, and it's going to shiver a bit."
With Tony laying as still as a cadaver, Ryan showed her how to rest her hand against him, and the amount of pressure needed. She relaxed, letting the machine flow in her hand as easily as a pen, and with each line, he helped less.
"Fill that in just like you would with a pen," he said, giving her complete control. "You doing ok down there Tony?"
"Yep," he said. "Keep going, Mack."
She did, wiping away the excess ink, and dipping the gun. Ryan watched her start to smile and the look that came into her eyes as she saw the art, felt it, rather than simply traced it. He pointed to a line, and Mack expanded, moving away from the small area she'd started with, knowing the design she'd created. She didn't last long, in just ten minutes, she lifted the machine away from his skin.
"I'm going to start shaking soon," she said glancing up at Ryan.
He nodded and took the contraption from her hands, laying it carefully on the table. With a smile, he wiped the excess ink from Tony's skin, and showed her. The lines were clean and clear, but the filled area was a bit splotchy.
"See this," he said, pointing to it. "Takes a bit of practice, but not bad for your first try, Mack. Lemme clean that up a bit, and we'll show Tony."
He didn't kick her out of the stool though. Leaning beside her, he smoothed out the shading, well aware that she was watching intently. With a pat on the shoulder, Ryan released his best client from the bed, pointing at the full length mirror.
"Damn," Tony said. "Can't even tell where she picked up and you stopped. Nice, Mack."
"Really?" she asked.
"He doesn't give empty compliments," Ryan assured her. "Go grab something to drink, and I'll finish the rest of this."
She couldn't help it; she sighed. "Seriously?"
"Yeah," he said. "Chemo's gonna kick your ass if you don't stay hydrated. And go take your meds, too."
"Damn," Tony laughed. "I think you've been told, Mack."
"Sounds like it," she agreed. But as she stood, she rubbed her hand across Ryan's shoulder, smiling at him appreciatively before walking out of the room.
"Nice kid," Tony said.
"Yeah," Ryan agreed. "If she decided to start tattooing, she's going to be good."
"Don't think she will?"
Ryan sighed. "Man, girls like that? They don't get into this line of work. They design ads or have big showings in museums. You should have seen the art in her place. Massive oil paintings! I mean, it was like stepping into Never Never land."
"You gonna get her to hang some of that shit in here? Maybe break up the monotony of your work?" Tony teased.
Ryan thought about it. "Not a bad idea, actually. Now I just gotta figure out how to get her moved."
"Moved?"
He knew Tony was watching, so nodded. "Yeah. Gonna move her upstairs. Her fucking apartment isn't renewing her lease, and no way we're letting her go through this without one of us around, ya know?"
"Right. You haven't leased out the third floor in ten years, man. You just have a thing for hard luck cases?"
Ryan chuckled. "Not most of them."
"Just this one?"
That was when Ryan decided it was a good time to focus on what he was doing. He flicked his eyes up, and saw Tony grinning back, so sighed. "She and I used to hit up the coffee shop next door for lunch. Same time every day for damned near a year."
"Yeah. So while she's new to the shop, you've been friends a while?"
"Not exactly," Ryan admitted. "I do have an entire sketch pad of her though. You tell her that shit, and I'll trash your next tattoo."
Tony chuckled. "Not coming from my lips, Ryan."
"Thing is, I never could come up with the nerve to talk to her. Just couldn't convince myself, so I'd watch her draw over the edge of my book, wondering what she was working on. Then, one day, she just looked like her world was falling apart, and I got the balls to ask if she was ok. When she got laid off that afternoon, it was like the universe was trying to slap me upside the head."
"And now she's moving into your place. Sounds like it was meant to be."
"That's different."
Tony shifted, and Ryan looked up, surprised to see the older man's face completely serious. "She's not going to get better for a while, Ryan. She's going to get worse. Sixty percent recovery, means there's a forty percent chance she won't make it. Stop fu
cking around, man."
"Already fucked that up, Tony," he said turning his attention back to the last of the tattoo. "Hired her. I'm a good fucking friend some days, and her boss on others, but she's gonna make it through this."
"Right. So, you boys have a truck?"
"What?" Ryan asked.
"To move her. I can run over there with Colby tomorrow afternoon, if you don't have him booked. I mean, I'll have to drop off a present for her, so I'll be here anyway, right?"
"Thanks, man," Ryan said. "Been trying to think of who I could convince to help out. She's got her first radiation in the morning, and only two weeks to get moved."
"She got a lot of shit?"
"Nah. It's a little place, and Colby has a truck."
"Gotcha," Tony said. "It'll be after three. I'll bring some boxes."
Ryan sighed, and leaned back, finished. He stretched, then patted Tony's shoulder. "This one's on the house."
"On one condition," Tony said as Ryan wiped off the last of the ink. "You don't give up on getting the girl."
"Deal. Now check that shit out."
Tony hauled himself from the bed and looked in the mirror, grinning. He turned from side to side, looking at it from both angles, then came back for Ryan to put the thin protective bandage over it. He was pulling his shirt on, when Mack came back in, this time wearing something a bit less like pajamas.
"Aw, you changed," Tony teased.
She smiled and shrugged. "Yeah. There a pizza place around here?" she asked Ryan.
"You want pizza?" he asked.
Mack just bit her lip. "Yeah. With pineapple."
"Then fucking pizza it is," he said pulling his phone from his pocket. "What else besides pineapple?"
"I got it," Mack said. "Just didn't know if there was a place close."
Ryan just shook his head. "I know the best place. They deliver too, unless you're wanting to get out of the shop for a bit?"
"We're still open," she said, shaking her head. "Might be slow, but still."
"K. Tony, you want something?"
"Meat," he said. "Lots of it."
"Colby?" Ryan yelled. "Pizza?"
"Fuck yeah!" Colby yelled from the break room.
With a shy smile at Mack, Ryan placed the order. They assured him it would be no more than thirty minutes. When he hung up the phone, Mack was holding up a pair of clippers. She raised one eyebrow, and looked between him and Tony.
"You thought I'd forget, didn't you," she teased.
"Not in a million years," Ryan assured her. "You want to do this now?"
She nodded. "I'm not going to let this shit tell me what I can and can't do."
"Ok, then," Ryan agreed. "Let me get a pair of scissors - and Colby. He'd kill you if he missed this."
Chapter 10
The three men made an ordeal of shaving her head. Colby tied her hair into a pony tail, then Ryan cut it. Tony surprised her the most. Instead of simply shaving all the hair from her head, he had carefully shaped it into a punkish flat top. Declaring himself an artist, he gestured to the mirror. Mack loved it. What was left was no more than a few inches, but the tough style somehow made her feel more in control of what was happening.
Their bellies stuffed with pizza, washed back with soda and coffee, they sat around talking until midnight. Only two college kids showed up wanting piercings, so it hadn't taken long at all to clean up the shop. As the guys left, Ryan turned out the lights and followed behind her up the stairs.
"Radiation in the morning," Mack grumbled.
"With chemo?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Go wash all the loose hair off," Ryan said. "You want anything, or are you ready to pass out?"
"Nope, my boss says I need a glass of kool-aid before bed."
"That's my girl."
Those words from his mouth made Mack smile and her stomach flip. She hurried into the other room, grabbed her things, and jumped in the shower before Ryan could see how flustered he made her. His place was starting to look like she'd moved in. Her shampoo sat next to his. Her razor hung in the shower. Her dirty clothes were tossed in the hamper. The strangest thing was that Ryan didn't seem to mind.
She was rinsing the last of the soap from her body when the flipping of her stomach became something a bit more pressing. She was able to stop the first heave, and wrenched open the shower door, barely making it to the toilet before she realized what a mistake the pizza had been. She heard Ryan outside the door, but couldn't stop vomiting long enough to answer.
Huddled on the cold tile floor, thankful she no longer had hair to worry about, tears streamed down her eyes as she puked every thing in her intestines over and over. Clinging to the toilet, she felt a soft towel across her back, and she puked yet again, gasping for breath.
"I got ya," Ryan whispered. "You'll be ok, sweetie."
There she was, laying naked, praying to the porcelain god in front of the sexiest man she'd seen in years, and she didn't even have the strength to wrap the towel around her body. There was only one way left to deal with her shame. Puking again, she just let the tears flow. When the last heave passed, Mack rested her cheek against her arm, and cried.
"You done for a bit?" he asked, kneeling beside her.
Without opening her eyes, Mack just nodded.
"K," he said, standing. He stepped through the open bathroom door, and she heard him kick off his shoes. The sound of cloth was interrupted by a zipper, then she heard his jeans slide down his legs, but she couldn't convince her eyes to open. She'd just started shivering when Ryan's strong hands grabbed her ribs and helped guide her to her feet.
"You gonna be able to stand, Mack?" he asked when she swayed.
"I dunno," she said softly, refused to look at him.
"K. Then we're going to do this together. Come here, baby."
With one hand, he tucked the towel around her chest, then reached over long enough to flush the toilet before guiding her back to the shower. All she could do was cling to the towel, hiding her flabby body from the one man she'd hoped to impress, but with a hand on each shoulder, he guided her back under the flowing water. He didn't leave her. Instead, he wiped what she was sure was vomit from her chin.
When Mack opened her eyes, there was Ryan, wearing nothing but his black satin boxers, standing chest to chest with her, letting the warm water flow over her body as the urge to shiver passed.
"Not quite the sexiest shower you've ever had with a man, I'm sure," he teased. "Still feeling like a wet noodle?"
"Yeah," she said softly, shame warring with her weakness. They both won, and the tears came again.
Ryan pulled her closer, one arm around her back, the other guiding her head to his shoulder, and he held her. "I still have two shoulders, sweetie. We're gonna make it through all of this, ok?"
"I'm so embarrassed," she mumbled through the sobs, the words barely coherent. "I just want to go home!"
"I can't let you do that, sweetie." His hand caressed the new stubble on her head. "I think you're amazing, you know that?"
"My art," she said, dismissing that, but the hysterical sobbing was coming under control.
"Not just that. Baby, you're taking one hell of a serious course of chemo. Didn't they tell you that?"
She shook her head.
"Most people get it once a week, and it kicks their ass. You? Daily for the first week, and you still tattooed my best client. Trust me, Mack, you have nothing to be embarrassed about."
She nodded and tried to pull away, looking up at him with a weak smile. "Except that I'm wrapped in a soaking towel, standing in the shower, crying on my boss's shoulder?"
"Friend," he said trailing his fingers down the soft down at the back of her neck. "And tomorrow morning I get to be your boyfriend again."
"Lucky me," she said with a little laugh. "Ryan?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to get you involved in this."
"You gonna be able to stand there for a second?" he aske
d.
She nodded, and he turned off the water, then stepped outside the glass door. His wet boxers clung to his ass, and he wrapped a towel around his waist, then grabbed another from a nearby cabinet.
"Ok, leave the wet one in there, and wrap this around you."
He politely turned his back, and Mack dropped the wet towel, wrapping the dry one around her. "K. Can you help me out of here? My legs are like Jello."
"Yeah," he said softly.
Offering her a hand like an old style gentleman, he eased her over the lip of the shower, then scooped her into his arms. Mack felt weak and unstable enough that she didn't even protest. Instead, she relaxed, and let her head rest on his shoulder as he carried her into the other room, laying her gently on the bed.
"You're not a problem, Mack, and you didn't get me involved in this. I volunteered." He pulled the blankets across her. "Now just stay there and let me get some clothes on?"
She nodded and tugged the blankets up to her neck, thankful for the warmth. Her eyes followed him around the room as he pulled open a drawer, then headed back to the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.
He wasn't in there long, but Mack's eyes had started to feel heavy before she heard the door open again. Ryan stepped out wearing a dry pair of shorts and nothing else, but she saw the wet towels hanging over the glass wall of the shower behind him. He glanced over and smiled when their eyes met, then moved to her bag.
Chewing at his lip, he dug through her clothes, pausing a few times, before pulling out a pale green tank, and turned back to his dresser. He grabbed another pair of shorts, black with green edging, and came back to her side.
"Still feel like jello?" he asked.
"I'm better." Her eyes were locked on the tattoo across his right pectoral muscle. "Is that armor?"
"Yeah."
It looked like plate armor peeking through a rip in his skin, as if his body was hiding the knight underneath. Laying there, wrapped in nothing but a towel, in Ryan Sterling's bed, being pampered by the man she'd stared at for over a year, Mack couldn't think of anything more fitting.
"It's perfect," she whispered. "A knight in shining armor"
He chuckled and glanced away, rubbing at his face, but unable to hide the smile. "Yeah. So, I'm gonna go get your nausea meds and a drink. Put these on?"
One More Day Page 8
