St. James

CHAPTER 34

      Brian settled me on the vanity he started up the water in the sink while rummaging in my little linen closet for a washcloth and my first aid kit. Finally finding what he was after he came over and stuck my foot in the sink full of water and gripped my ankle tightly in his one hand. "Baby, I gotta pull that piece of glass out okay?" he stated softly as a look crossed his face; he knew this was going to hurt me and he didn't want to be the one to cause the pain but he was right, it had to come out. Silently I nodded my head, gritted my teeth and scrunched my eyes shut as Brian grasped the shard of glass and quickly yanked it out. I buried my face against my knees to try and hide the tears that came from him pulling the glass out but it was no use, he knew I was crying and wrapped his arm around my shoulders as he pulled me into his chest. "Oh baby I'm sorry I hurt you but it had to come out. Shh, it's okay baby...it's out now" he soothed while kissing my head softly. "Thank you for taking care of me" I mumbled softly once I lifted my head from my lap and gave him a small smile. Brian wiped the tears off my cheeks and kissed me softly but sweetly on the lips "That's what I'm here for...now, let me look at that okay?" he stated as he pulled my foot from the now pink water. Immediately he frowned as he set my foot back in the water "Baby girl I hate to tell you this but that needs stitches. I gotta go wake up your parents so they can take you to the hospital" he stated.

Immediately I began freaking out and managed to grab Brian before he got too far past me "No! I'll be fine Brian! It's just a scratch! It will heal!" I whined like a little kid against him. Brian just shook his head and squeezed me tighter "No baby, it needs stitches, it started gushing blood as soon as I lifted your foot out of the water. I'll be right back" he stated and started to walk away again but I yanked on him again "At lease help me change first, if daddy sees me in this he will freak out...and not about my cut either!" I exclaimed fearfully. "Okay, you're right...what do you want me to get you and where will they be?" he asked softly as he went over to my closet. "Just grab a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I don't care what one" I explained, and then smiled as he brought his own Pantera shirt in to me with a pair of jean shorts. "Seems to me you have one of my shirts still you little thief" he teased as he handed me the shirt, tossing my tank top in the hamper once I had them switched. "Actually I have a few of your shirts" I teased back as he set a clean rag on the floor for me to step on so I could change out of my skirt. "Why you little thief!" he teased further before kissing me smack on the lips "stealing my heart wasn't enough huh? You had to have my shirts too?" he murmured against my lips while stroking my cheek softly.

"I love you Brian" I stated as we kissed, our mission forgotten for the moment. "I love you too baby girl...now, let's get you standing up as quickly as possible and change you into these shorts before I go get your parents" he stated as he pulled me off the vanity and ever so gently and lovingly helped me out of my skirt and into my shorts. "There we go...now, get your foot back into the water while I go get your parents" he stated as he lifted me back up on the counter and walked off to get my parents. Sure enough a few minutes later dad and mom both came in with sleepy, confused looks on their faces "You know princess, I figured when you snuck a guy into the house you wouldn't have him come knocking on our door" he kind of laughed until he looked at the sink and saw the blood tinged water. "Let me see your foot princess" he stated but when I didn't pull my foot up Brian took the initiative and lifted my foot up easily enough for my parents to see. "Oh yes she definitely needs stitches. Brian will you mind coming along? I have a feeling she's going to need you as a distraction...plus I'll make you the bad guy and hold her down, she doesn't like stitches do you princess?" daddy teased. The next thing I knew, Brian was lifting me off the sink, and mom was wrapping the clean rag around my foot and tying it off before we all headed off down to the garage.

Once Brian and I were settled in the back seat of daddy's Mercedes I began begging again to NOT go to the hospital. "Daddy really it's fine! I can just wrap it up really good and make sure I keep it clean, it doesn't need stitches!" I exclaimed in a panicky voice as daddy easily navigated through the streets of Huntington Beach towards the hospital. "You see Brian, I told you she doesn't like this idea" daddy laughed as we waited at a red light "When she was about 5 or so she found one of my hunting knives and thought it would be a good idea to play with it. Well she ended up cutting herself and needing stitches. The doctor wasn't too nice or gentle about it and I think it's scarred her for life. Ahh here we are" he finished as he pulled into the hospital parking lot near the emergency room doors. Again Brian carried me right into the E.R. with mom and dad close behind and settled himself into a chair, me still in his arms. By now my foot was really starting to burn and ache so I held Brian tightly and tucked my face into his neck, trying to will myself into a calming state while mom filled out the paperwork and daddy gave them the insurance card.

Once they were done they came over and joined us in the little alcove of chairs and started our wait to be called back into a room. "Princess why don't you give Brian's arms a break and sit down here?" daddy stated, patting the chair next to him. "No!" I pouted like a child, tucking my face further into his neck and holding on even tighter "You made me come here! The least you can let me do is suffer in his lap so I'm not completely miserable" I whined out making both my parents and Brian laugh heartily. "See Brian...I told you she can be a handful!" daddy laughed as he draped his arm across the back of momma's chair. "That's okay, I don't mind" Brian said warmly with love in his voice as he tucked me in further to him and settled his chin against my hair. I smiled victoriously at Brian's statement and stuck my tongue out at my dad who just laughed even harder.

Finally, twenty minutes later a nurse came out and called my name. Brian stood easily enough with me still in his arms and headed back into the E.R. behind the nurse. Brian finally set me down once we were in a room, setting me gently on the gurney while he stood next to me as if to protect me from anything bad. Ten minutes later the doctor walked in and I had to tell him the whole story of what happened and why I ended up here. "Can't you just wrap it real good and let that be that?" I exclaimed as he started pulling supplies from the small closet in the corner of the room. I gripped Brian's hand in a deathly tight squeeze as the doctor pulled out what I knew was a suture kit and felt myself get woozy and sick. I immediately kicked my leg as I felt the doctor's cool hands close around my ankle and gripped a handful of Brian's shirt in my fist as he tucked my upper body into his chest, shielding me as best he could from what the doctor was getting ready to do. "Son, I'm gonna ask you to hold her knee down while I do this. Reflex kicks are a natural thing and I don't want her kicking me while I'm stitching this cut up" he explained as he unwrapped the rag from my foot and prepped the supplies to cleanse and sterilize my foot. A whimper escaped my lips the second his fingers touched the skin around the cut and I squeezed my eyes shut tight against the tears I could feel forming as he began cleaning the cut. Brian busied himself with smoothing my hair down my back, telling me to "shh, it will be okay. He needs to close it baby girl" as gently as he could but when I heard the doctor tell him it was time I immediately began freaking out.

Brian' grip to my knee became cast iron strong and although I tried to struggle against him it was no use, I might as well have been fighting against a steel beam two feet thick. For the next ten minutes while the doctor stitched my foot close I'm ashamed to say I acted like a baby by screeching a few times and crying out more than I should have. Brian gave up trying to soothe and calm me down the second the needle went into my foot and instead just concentrated on holding my leg still so the doctor could do what he needed to do. Only after the doctor was done and wrapped my foot in a nice, clean bandage did Brian let go of my knee and try to soothe me. "You held me down...against my will! How could you?!" I cried out like a spoiled brat as he hugged me into him and wrapped his arms tight around me while I still sat on the gurney. Brian ignored me for the time being as the doctor handed him a prescription for mild pain killers and instructions on keeping my foot clean, bandaging and a time frame of when to come back to have them removed. Only once the doctor was out of the room did Brian turn his attention back to me as he scooped me up in his arms once again and followed the nurse back out into the waiting room where my parents stood by waiting. Brian handed off the papers to my mom before hoisting me high against his chest once again and walked off towards the doors behind my parents.

"Stop sulking and being mad at me baby, I had to hold you down for a good reason and you know that. You know I would never hurt you on purpose" he crooned softly in my ear as we neared daddy's car once again. "Brian just shut up and hold me" I whined as the pain began to intensify now that my foot was done being messed with. By the time we got back to my parents' house I was just about asleep against Brian's shoulder, smiling to myself as I listened to my parents hushed whispers to each other and to Brian to go ahead and carry me upstairs to my room. Brian gently laid me down on my bed and kissed my forehead "Love you baby girl. I'll come check on you tomorrow" he whispered against my skin before pulling my covers up around me lovingly and slipping from my room. While I was sad he left and felt the absence of his presence from my side I was also thoroughly exhausted from the day's events and before I could even crack my eyes open to see what time it was, I felt myself drifting off to sleep almost immediately.