“What happened to Robert?” Brian’s question silenced the collective group.
“No one’s told us a damn thing,” Kelli answered.
“I guess we sit and wait?” Pandora glanced at Brian, glad when he looped his uninjured arm around her.
* * * * *
Brian shifted the bag of fast food against his hip, wishing he could use his left arm, but the wound was beginning to really hurt. He needed to fill his prescription for pain pills, but that was playing second fiddle to everything else going on.
The elevator opened onto the ICU waiting room. Most of the people who had attended Carly’s party the night before now waited anxiously to hear how her surgery had gone.
Pandora saw him and started to get up from the couch.
“Sit,” he said, drawing attention to himself.
He was swarmed by the assembled group, each digging out food from the bags he carried. He salvaged his and Pandora’s and joined her on the couch.
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the food. The circles under her eyes had gotten darker. They were all exhausted, but Pandora had been through the most. He could see the weight of Carly’s situation on her shoulders.
“Eat up.” He patted her knee, snatching his hand back when she hissed. “Sorry, I forgot about the stitches.”
“It’s okay,” she said.
They ate in silence, listening to the speaker for announcements and updates. The TV was on, but no one was paying attention to it. At least not until Robert’s face flashed across the midday news.
“Hey,” Brian said. “Turn it up.”
“Thirty-seven-year-old Robert Howe, a suspect in several domestic assaults, drove his pickup truck into a crowded tattoo parlor last night. There has been one confirmed death, that of Plano native Daniel Wade. Two are in intensive care, four others were injured.”
“How’s Gibson?” Pandora whispered. They had left the hospital only briefly after being released to clean up and get their vehicles. She hadn’t spared a thought for the dog, who had appeared uninjured when Brian dropped her off to go get food for the hungry crowd.
“He’s fine. I took him to Ike’s sister’s.”
“Howe is currently in the hospital seeking medical attention. One of his listed injuries includes a tattoo needle in his eye.”
Everyone turned to look at Pandora, who clenched his hand with both of hers.
“I’m not sorry I did it,” she said and grabbed her burger.
“
According to friends and family, Howe suffers from a mental disorder. It is believed that the lack of proper medication and his recent filing for bankruptcy were the causes for the assaults.”
Brian looked at her, his eyes wide.
“I told you he was crazy.”
“Did you know about his?” He swirled a finger at his temple.
She shrugged. “Not a clue. He was obsessive about taking vitamins. Maybe he was really taking pills? You don’t understand, our relationship was not healthy. I might have lived with him for a little while, but it was like a prison.”
He gently wrapped an arm around her waist, offering his support.
They still had to wait another hour for Carly’s parents to show up, and yet another two hours before they learned the outcome of her surgery. A doctor came out to the waiting room and pulled the group in tight.
“The family has asked me to explain Carly’s injuries.” He glanced around at the group, looking as tired as the rest of them. “She has partial paralysis in one leg. We believe the other will regain some motion. Now, she does have injuries to her spine, but those should heal in time. Right now we’re monitoring her. Besides immediate family, she’s not going to be seeing anyone for another day, maybe more.”
The doctor fielded a few questions from the stunned group before leaving. They sat in silence. One and then two people got to their feet and mumbled goodbyes. Slowly the group dispersed until it was Pandora and him. He hadn’t known the girl for more than a few moments, but he knew enough that she was special to Pandora. He knew how that guilt could eat away at a person’s soul.
“Let’s go home.” He squeezed her hand.
She turned to look at him. Her cheeks were wet again. “But will she be here alone if we go? I feel responsible.”
“I must be rubbing off on you.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. “I’m going to tell you what you told me. It’s not your responsibility. You didn’t do anything, and it means the world that you do care. She has doctors taking care of her, and her family is here. You can’t do anything for her right now. Take care of yourself.”
Pandora sniffled and nodded. “Let’s go home.”
* * * * *
Pandora sat in the grass with Gibson cradled in her lap and watched Brian hobbling around in the kitchen. She’d spent more time at his condo over the last few weeks than she had at her apartment. She idly wondered if there was any food left, or if it had all rotted away. Maybe her apartment manager thought she’d died.
Brian carried two plates of takeout to the garden table she’d forced him to bring over. It had been something she was going to sell, but he needed it more. As much as she liked picnics in bed, she hated finding the crumbs when she went to sleep. The outdoor table was one step closer to having some space to sit and draw or paint. Not that she would be able to for much longer, thanks to the heat. Moving indoors was out of the question, there just wasn’t room for her, no matter what Brian said.
“Need a hand?” he asked.
“No, just motivation.” She pushed Gibson off her lap and gathered her feet under her.
“I have sweet and sour chicken and sesame chicken calling your name.” He lowered himself into one of the flimsy plastic chairs and sighed.
It was warm outside. The Texas summer was bearing down on them, and even at night it was almost too hot. The humidity made her skin slick and sticky. Rising on unsteady legs, she bent and straightened her knee. The stitches were beginning to be uncomfortable, like all her other bumps and bruises.
She shuffled over to the table. Placing a hand on the wood, she leaned down and brushed a kiss across Brian’s lips. Her skin was too tight and her pulse kicked up. “I love you,” she said, not as fast as before. This time the words were at least identifiable.
He smiled, willing to take the admission any way it came. “Love you too.”
Warmth blossomed in her chest. She smiled and sank into her chair. She ached, even sitting. Gibson curled up and lay at her feet. It was all so normal and unlike her typical way of passing an evening. That normally included a frozen dinner eaten on her couch while watching TV. This was infinitely better than that.
“Heard how Carly’s doing today?” Brian stabbed a piece of chicken and dipped it in the sauce.
“Not since that call you answered this morning.” She sighed and dug into her rice. Carly was paralyzed from her waist down. She’d undergone four surgeries in a week, and still Pandora hadn’t been allowed to see her. At least her family had finally started taking care of her.
“Don’t look like that. She can come back from this. She’s not dead.” His hand closed over hers.
She swallowed and stared up at the spread of stars. “I know, but I’m worried.”
“I am too. I’ve been where she is now.” He squeezed her hand and let her go. “We’ll be there for her when she gets out.”
Pandora mustered a smile for him. He deserved it, after all. They ate in silence, listening to the sounds of the sleepy neighborhood and the soft Celtic music playing inside the condo.
As much as the incident at the shop had stopped her life, Pandora knew that she was the only one standing still. Kellie and Mary had kept her updated on the shop. She hadn’t realized how bad the fire had been at the time, but it had spread to the rest of the shopping center. There was talk of tearing it down completely. The girls were scrambling to file insurance claims and shore up what they could, but it wasn’t looking good for So Inked.
Without a place to work, and barely enough to cover her next rent payment, she needed to start thinking about what came next. Her bills needed to be paid, she had to eat occasionally, and unless they found a new location for the shop, she had some job hunting to do.
“What’s got you thinking so hard?”
Pandora blinked at her empty plate, wondering when that had happened. Putting her fork down, she leaned back in her chair and folded her hands over her stomach.
“I’m probably going to get evicted. Maybe even have to find a new place to work.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke, knowing what his next words would be. Another month and they’d be finishing each other’s sentences.
“Move in here,” he said without hesitating. “We’ll figure out the rest.”
She bit her lip, gently since it still bled easily, and shook her head.
“Why not?”
She darted a glance at him and shifted her weight in her chair. “There’s not room for me here.”
“What are you talking about? There’s plenty of space here. I don’t even use half the place.”
Bracing herself, she met his gaze. “Yes, you do. Brian, what’s in your living room?”
He shrugged. “Band stuff.”
“And what’s in your spare bedroom?”
“Merch.” He glanced away from her. “Stuff that should get listed online.” He rubbed the side of his face. “Are you trying, in a roundabout way, to tell me I need to get rid of some things?”
“No, I would never tell you to do that, but…” She bit her lip hard enough it hurt. “You want to know what I thought the first time I came in here?”
He nodded.
“It’s a mausoleum. I’m not saying you need to give it away, or get rid of stuff, but you talk about moving on and starting the rest of your life. How can you when the old one’s all around you?”
Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair. “I’ve been meaning to do something with all of it.”
She put her hand on the table palm up. “But every time you come up with something else you should be doing instead?”
His gaze fell on her hand. Leaning forward, he put his elbows on the table and took her hand in his. “Yeah. It’s just, having their stuff near me feels like they’re here, you know?”
“I get that, and you can still have them here without them filling up your house.” She rubbed circles on the back of his hand with her thumb.
“Okay, I get that my place isn’t as nice as it could be, but that’s not a real reason to keep from moving in with me.” His gaze held hers. “What’s the real reason?”
“I’m not ready.” She shrugged. “It’s been what? Three months since the convention. I actually want to make this work. But I know me, and if I move in now, in a few weeks I’ll freak out like I did the first night you brought me here. I need my own space. Just for a while.”
The side of Brian’s mouth hitched up in a smile. Pandora breathed a sigh of relief. She’d dreaded this conversation, and instead of getting pissed off, he seemed to be taking it pretty well.
“Can I make a request?” He lifted her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles. Turning her hand over, he held her gaze while he pressed his mouth to the pulse in her wrist.
As far as she was concerned, he could ask her for anything. Squeezing her legs together, she tried to focus on the serious conversation they were supposed to be having. “And what is that?”
“Ike’s sister has an apartment over her garage she rents out. It’s empty right now. It’s two blocks away. And when you do decide to move in here, you don’t have to break a lease.”
Laughing, she shook her head. “You realize I’m talking about being evicted?”
“There’s always a positive side, right?”
“You’re impossible.”
“They’ll fix up the shop and you’ll be back tattooing in no time.” He stood and gathered their dishes. “Come on, I have something I want to show you.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
Laughing, she followed him inside. “Hm, whatever could you want to show me?”
The dishes clattered into the sink. Brian turned and grasped her hips, careful of her ribs for the time being. “I think I found another boo-boo for you to kiss and make better.”
Tossing her head back, Pandora laughed. No, things weren’t perfect. She didn’t exactly have a job, her living situation was in flux, but Brian was right. There was always a positive side. She had love, and she had Brian, even if she didn’t feel as though she deserved him, and they had each other. And that was a good thing indeed.
About the Author
It can never be said that Sidney Bristol has had a “normal” life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor home on the U.S. highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas, where she divides her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and belly dancing.
Sidney welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her
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www.ellorascave.com
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Sidney Bristol
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Under His Skin
ISBN 9781419940941
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Under His Skin Copyright © 2012 Sidney Bristol