Rule #1: Never Date An A.C.E. [COMPLETED]

Chapter 10: Rule #23: Never Turn Your Back On An Opponent

"Good riddance," I mumble and sag against the wall once Dylan in out of sight. "Lockdown, they've got to be kidding me. I can't stay locked in here for years." I close my eyes and rest my head against the wall.

"If it isn't Agent Donahue," I hear Lacey voice sneer. "I knew you couldn't pull off pink hair." I sigh, opening my eyes to glare at her.

"Leave me alone, Lacey," I push myself off the wall and continue in the opposite direction of her and her posse.

"No," Lacey says and signals her friends to surround me. "I want to see what all the fuss is about." I raise an eyebrow as she gets in a fighting stance.

"Lacey, I'm not sure if you've heard, but I'm not in tip-top shape right now," I lift up my shirt to show her my bruise and she rolls her eyes.

"So, what? You should still be able to fight, you're a Donahue," she says tauntingly and I sigh, looking at the small group surrounding us. "Alright, let's get this over with."

She swings first and I easily sidestep her fist, and the next one. She throws a kick at me and I grab her foot and twist, causing her to crash to the ground.

"I think we're done here," I say and turn around to push my way through the crowd when she pushes my back in the same place where I was hurt.

"Rule number 23, never turn your back on an opponent," Lacey says behind me, kicking my stomach while I'm bent over and I fall backward, tears creeping into my eyes from the pain. She kicks me twice for good measure, before spitting on me and leaving me on the floor, walking away laughing. I gasp for air, clutching my stomach as tears flow from my eyes. I'm sobbing when I hear Boone yelling and running towards me, his hands hovering over my body, unsure. I sniff and allow Boone to gather me in his arms and rush me away. Every bounce in his step caused another whimper of pain as tears continued to flow from my eyes. We enter what looks like an infirmary, and Boone speaks to a nurse, but I can't hear what he says over the pain. He places me on a bed and the nurse pulls up my shirt, poking and prodding at the bruise as I moan, before leaning over and puking up blood. She announces I have a few broken ribs and some internal bleeding. They have to operate to see where the bleeding is and they need to do it now. I am transferred to another bed on wheels and they place an IV in my arm and sleeping gas up my nose. As I drift off into darkness, all I can hear is one voice.

"Is that Bella?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awake hours later, in a normal hospital bed. Gauze is wrapped around my midsection and I'm glad for the pain medication I know they are pumping into me. I see that Vanessa and Sheridan are whispering on a bench close to the door and Dylan stands brooding in the door frame. As soon as we meet eyes, he spins on his heels and walks away. Vanessa and Sheridan stand from the bench and make their way over to me, hand in hand.

"How are you feeling?" Vanessa asks when they get close and I shrug in answer, fiddling with the gauze.

Sheridan hands me a package and I look at it in surprise. I unwrap the brown paper and inside is a get-well card signed by almost all of the agents—except for Lacey and her crew. I smile and look beneath the card to gift card.

"We didn't exactly know what you would like, since you haven't been here long," Sheridan says and Vanessa nods, and I thank them profusely.

"It was very nice of you," I say as the nurse returns to check over me. She allows me to leave, and Sheridan puts my arm around his shoulders. He and Vanessa help me to my room and I settle on the couch in the living room, all of my friends around me, except Dylan. I thank all of them for the cards and they brush off my thanks.