Favorite Poison

Hate the Sin Love the Sinner

Adella manages to get the doctor inside and into an exam room. She turns on the light and sucks on her teeth seeing the full extent of his injuries. His glasses are missing and one eye is swollen shut. A busted and bloody lip and his jaw appeared to be dislocated.

He gained enough consciousness to lean up against the exam table. She frantically scanned the rest of him to see if he was bleeding from anywhere else but luckily there was just dirt and grass stains.

"Oh Yoba, what do I do first?" Adella's eyes dart around the room to find something to clean his face.

As she look through the cabinet she hears Harvey moan and mumble, "Ahelha." He tries calling out to her but can't talk properly, "Ahelha!"

She spins around facing him a bit startled, "What?"

"El ee wah hiss." He slurs his speech pointing to his jaw.

"Okay..." She steps forward a bit apprehensively, "What do you want me to do?"

Harvey patted the air a bit looking for hands then placed them on his head, "Pahss eah aah ond ool bach." He tried to tell her.

"What if I do it wrong and hurt you?" Adella asked thinking his out of his mind letting her do this.

"Oo woon, eh hurr eithhah wae." He slurs bracing himself.

"If you say so..." She grimaces putting all her force into pushing his jaw back into place.

Harvey groans then let's out a scream hearing a loud pop. He writhes in pain for a minute and feels around his ears, "I think it worked." He moves his jaw.

"You definitely sound better." Adella comments going back to grab a rag.

"I can clean myself up," he carefully shuffles over to the counter and cabinets and feels around for the supplies, "But can you upstairs and grab my spare glasses? They're in a case in the drawer of my night stand."

"Alright, gimme a sec." She agrees heads up to his apartment.

She never really saw the inside of the apartment, just a little bit from the window when she climbed the trellis outside. Adella walks in taking note of the all planes models he made. Taking a quick walk around, she admired the craftsmanship of each one knowing well enough she doesn't have the same amount of patience he has.

Adella makes her way to the night stand and fishes out the case. A facedown picture frame on the small table caught her eye, and puts it back up even though she didn't think she knock anything over.

Looking at the picture, it was clear to her that it was turned down on purpose. It was a picture of her with Demeter that she sent to him while he was away on his fellowship.

She was actually surprised that he still kept it but it stung like hand sanitizer in a paper cut knowing he couldn't even look at it. Adella wasted enough looking through his things so she heads back down the stairs to drop off the glasses and leave.

She gets back into the room and see he managed to put the swelling down on his eye but it started to develop a nasty bruise.

"Here." The farmer placed the case in his free hand that wasn't compressing a damp tissue in his lip, "Also I'm sorry... for hurting you like that." She apologies before heading out.

Harvey one handedly put on his glasses, "Adella wait," he calls out to her, "I have a few things to say."

He pauses for a moment, studying her in the doorway. She stood there playing with the knitted cuffs of her charcoal sweater, just wishing she could be anywhere but here.

"First of all, thank you for manipulating my jaw back into place," he confessed before pausing again, "Second, I want you to be honest with me. What was going on between you and Shane?"

Adella sighs knowing she can't lie anymore, "He told me he liked me and we kissed. Nothing further than that." She admitted.

"Did you say it back?"

"I couldn't," she shook her head and crossed her arms and bit the inside of her lip trying not to get emotional, "I did mean it when I told you 'I loved you'... and I still do."

Harvey sighed letting his shoulders drop. He sadly glances over at her feeling the same way, "I-I don't know if I can accept your apology, because if you truly loved me there wouldn't have been another choice." He confessed, "I appreciate you helping me but... I think you should head on home, it's late."

Adella nods and turns down the hallway, "Night, Harvey."

-<~***~>-

The next morning, Adella woke up to her phone vibrating on her night stand. She squints seeing the name and confused as to why Marnie is calling her.

"Hello?" She answers sleepily.

"Adella honey, I'm so sorry to call you this early but have you seen Shane?" Marnie pressed worried.

"Last night at the saloon, why?" Adella sat up stretching.

"He never came home last night," Marnie explained, "And I have a feeling he did something and I don't want to worry Jas."

She had that feeling too, even though he was a complete jackass last night and rightful deserved to get kicked out, he was still a friend that needs a swift kick to the pants.

"Okay, I'll go out this morning and look for him." Adella told her.

The farmer quickly got dressed and hopped on Diesel into the rainy autumn morning. She rode around the fog filled forest calling out to Shane in hopes he'll answer back. She ran along to the river's edge praying that he's not in the water. When Adella thought she cleared the area, she finally sees a blue haze by the cliffs.

"Shane!" She hops off her horse and runs toward him. He was lying down on his stomach surrounded by empty beer cans, "Oh my Yoba, Shane are you okay?"

She shakes his shoulder hoping he's asleep. He groans from the movement and Adella can relax a little bit.

He groans into the grass, "Adella...? What are you doing here?"

"Your aunt said you didn't come home last night," She explained to him, "She's worried about you, Jas is worried about you, hell even I'm worried about you."

"Pfft, right," Shane scoffed unbothered by the rain, "You're just saying that so I don't have a reason to roll off this cliff right now."

"Shane, you don't mean that—"

"Maybe I do!" He shifted in anger. Staggering himself on bust bloody knuckles, "Nothing matters anymore since I can't have you!"

"You had me as a friend! Not some prize to fight Harvey over," Adella argued, "But to you that wasn't good enough and had to ruin everything I had with him!"

"I'm sorry okay!" Shane pounds his fist on the ground and tears roll down his cheeks, "I just wanted to keep that little bit of happiness you brought me into my life..." He sobbed.

"Your happiness can't solely come from me," she mentions lowering her tone, "Maybe... maybe it's best if you start seeing someone about this."

He took a moment to wipe his face, "You're probably right..." He grimaces and sound a low groan, "I think I should go to the hospital now."

Adella nodded, helping him up and all the way to clinic. Harvey quickly took Shane into the back to probably pump his stomach again. He would let her know how he was doing after the procedure. She nods leaving the clinic and heads back to her farm to start her work day.

She felt a little bit at ease knowing Shane is getting help. Hopefully, things will be looking up for him.