Stolen Shadows

16 - Fired Up

The first thing Addison noticed was that she was cold. She tried to roll over, and the burst of pain in her side reminded her of what happened. She jolted awake, propping up on her elbows. The cold came from the stone counter top she was still lying on. The pain came from the hole in her side. She stared at the already blood-soaked bandage, picturing what lay beneath, and grimaced.

"You're awake," Sophie said. Addison turned to find Sophie at the sink, washing her hands. "I just finished with your burns."

Addy glanced down to find that her burns had in fact been treated. She looked back at Sophie. "Thank you," she tried to say, and ended up coughing.

Sophie hurried around the counter to her side. "You must've inhaled a lot of smoke from the fire. Your lungs will be sore for a couple of days."

Addison nodded slowly. "I was lucky to get out alive," she whispered.

Sophie stepped closer. "What happened there, Addy?"

Addison shook her head. "I... I don't know. Axel was there. I was going..." she trailed off, frowning. The memories were fuzzy. She remembered her gun, Axel at the end of the barrel. She remembered someone shouting, something shattering. And then, the explosion, the fire, the burning, the shrapnel hitting her—

She couldn't breathe. The smoke was closing in around her. She couldn't see, she couldn't breathe, and the fire was so loud—

"Addison!" Sophie grabbed her. Her hands were warm on Addy's face, but not burning like the flames. "Addison, look at me. Look at me. You're safe. Okay? You're safe here. I've got you."

Addison clutched her wrists, trying to take in deep breaths. "I got you," Sophie told her again.

When Addy's vision cleared, she was looking into Sophie's brown eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Sophie pulled her close. "I know you are."

Addison tucked her head against Sophie's shoulder and tried to ignore the pain as she held her tight. Finally, they separated.

"We should get you washed up," Sophie said. She let go of Addison and turned towards a door. "I'll draw a bath."

Addison shook her head. "I should leave."

Sophie froze. She whirled around. "You're not going anywhere."

"Soph—"

"Addison. We don't know how badly you're injured. One wrong move and you could be passed out, dead. You're not going home. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Addison sighed. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this."

"You didn't," Sophie came back to her side. "I chased you down, remember? I'm here because I want to be. Now, get your ass into the bathroom and take a damn shower."

Addison tried for a smile. "I smell like drugs, don't I?"

"You reek." Sophie hoisted Addy off the counter and helped her to the bathroom, which was connected to Sophie's bedroom. Addison leaned against her, both to stay upright and to be close to her. She took a seat in the bathroom and watched Sophie draw the bath.

"Okay," Sophie said, standing upright. "Use this towel." She pointed to one hanging on the wall. "Shout if you need me."

Addison smirked. "You're not joining me?"

Sophie froze with her hand on the doorknob. She opened her mouth to say something but found she was at a loss for words. Finally she just shook her head. "Just take a bath," she muttered, and left.

With lots of wincing and curse words, Addison lowered herself into the tub. She stayed there for almost forty minutes; mostly because she was scared she wouldn't be able to get out again. But finally she forced herself to her feet and wrapped the towel around her body. The water had washed away the dried blood, and after reapplying the bandages Sophie left for her, she looked much better.

She turned away from the mirror to dress and realized she had no clothes, other than her black sports bra (which was covered in blood) and her ruined leather pants. At least her underwear (black boxers) had been spared. She pulled them on and peeked her head out the door. The bedroom was empty and the door to the living room was only cracked open. She slipped into the room and found a t-shirt laying on the bed. She didn't want to ask Sophie, which would require Sophie seeing Addison with a tiny towel covering her, but she didn't want to dig through her closet, either. So, Addison pulled the t-shirt over her head. It was an XXL Beatles t-shirt, the iconic Abbey Road image faded on the front. Satisfied, she put away the towel and cleaned up the bathroom. She re-entered the bedroom and was about to head into the living room when the door opened. Sophie stood there, her hair wrapped up in a scarf and plastic gloves on her hands. She was in pajamas, a grey camisole and shorts.

"I was coming to check on you," she said, peeling off the gloves. Sophie's eyes traveled up and down her body. "That's my shirt."

Addison swallowed. "Yeah, I—I didn't have anything to wear."

Sophie gave a small smile. "It looks good on you."

Addison blushed. And then she blushed harder, angry that she was blushing. "What have you been doing?" she asked, nodding towards the gloves.

Sophie sighed, walking over to the bathroom to throw them out. "Just cleaning up all the blood you left on my counter."

Addison winced. "Sorry about that."

Sophie smiled again, a little brighter this time. "It's not your fault." She came to Addison's side. "Well, it's a little bit your fault." She patted the bed. "Hop up. I gotta check your wound."

Addison sat on the bed, thankful for the chance to get off her feet. "I rebandaged everything. Don't worry about it."

Sophie crossed her arms. "Who here has the medical degree?"

"Technically, neither of us," Addison pointed out. "You didn't finish med school."

"But I attended for three years. So take off your shirt."

Addison raised an eyebrow. "All you had to do was ask." She pulled the shirt over her head, pain stabbing her side, and tossed it to the side. She turned sideways and pulled her legs up, laying on her back. She smirked when Sophie didn't say anything.

"Go on, Doc," she teased. "Check your patient."

Sophie blinked a few times, pulling her eyes away from Addison's chest, exposed by the fact that Addison hadn't put her bra back on. She checked the burns first, deemed them alright, and then pulled back the bandage on the stab wound.

"So?" Addy asked.

Sophie frowned. "It's not bleeding anymore, which is a good sign. But it's deep. You won't be able to do much for the next week or so."

Addison arched her back, her stomach raising against Sophie's palms. "That's a shame."

Sophie pulled her hands away. "Stop. You need to get some sleep."

Addison wanted to protest, but she didn't have the energy for it. Sophie helped her pull on the shirt again and then climbed under the covers.

Addison felt like a little kid as Sophie all but tucked her in. "So..." Sophie said. "I can stay on the couch." She turned off the light, but as she stepped away, Addison took her hand.

"Can you stay?" she whispered.

Sophie scanned for her eyes in the dark. "Addison..."

"Please," she breathed. "I... I don't want to be alone."

Sophie knew there was no way she was leaving that room. She crossed to the other side of the bed and climbed under the covers. It had always seemed like a big bed when it was just Sophie, but now there seemed to be no space between her and Addison. She didn't complain.

Addison lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. She wanted to roll towards Sophie, but she couldn't sleep on that side because of the wound. So she inched closer until Sophie was pressed against her side. Sophie's hand found her waist. Addy took it, rolling away from Sophie and pulling her closer. Sophie complied, wrapping her up in her arms and pressing her chest to Addy's back. Their heads lay side by side on the pillow.

"Goodnight," Addy whispered.

Sophie kissed the back of her neck. It took effort for Addison to remain still. "Goodnight," she whispered back. They fell asleep in each other's arms.