Lights, Cameras, Outsiders!

Chapter 21

LCO 21

"God Matt what were y'all doing?" I asked the next morning. His eye had become swollen over night and you could see his lip was busted up.

"Is that a cut in your black eye?" I said, looking closer and spreading the skin apart.

"Shit! It hurts!" He snapped, pulling away.

"How the fuck did you get a cut in your black eye?" I said, going under my table in the tent to get my first aid kit.

"He had rings on."

"Emilio had rings on?"

"Yeah, Leif was teasing him so he tried them on and we were fooling around and it escalated," he said. Somehow it was fishy but I just wen with it. I pulled the alcohol pad out and whipped it out.

"Come here," I said, taking the wipe and softly swiping it across his eye.

"Ah! Son of a bitch that hurts!" He screamed.

"That's what she said!" I heard Emilio yell.

"haha, very funny, Mil. Now hold still," I said. He grabbed hold on the table.

"There we go. Let that sit for a little while and we'll go to Jack and he'll cover you up. Francis is not gonna be happy if he sees that," I said.

"Look up," I said. I could see the bottom of his lip was opened up.

"Shit what'd y'all do? Beat the crap out of each other with bats? You need stitches for that," I said.

"Fine, do what you gotta do," he said.

"Oh I'm not doing it. You'll freak and flip your shit and I'll end up pricking your eye. Susie's done it before. Susie!" I called over. She came over.

"What is-" she gasped, "Matt, what in God's name happened to you?!"

"Leif, Emilio and me got in a fight. It's no big deal," he said.

"You know if Francis sees that he's going to blow his shit."

"Yeah that's why Jack's covering it up."

"Oh my god."

"He needs stitches in his bottom lip," I said.

"Well you're the nurse you do it."

"He's gonna flip once he sees the hook."

"I'll do it. Here you go over there and hold his hand or rub his back or whatever you do to each other," she took my seat and I took a seat next to Matt.

"Did you clean it up with alcohol yet?"

"No."

"Okay, hold on, Matt, this is gonna really sting," she said, taking another alcohol pad out. Susie had been doin this stuff for years. Between all her guy friends in high school getting best up and fending for herself, she knew how to stitch up anyone.

"You might wanna hold her hand for this," she said after patting it down with alcohol.

"Nah, I don't need to." He stuck his hand under the table. He looked at me and then back down under the table. I grabbed his hand so she wouldn't see. She hooked the string and threaded it with the needle. Once she placed the hook in the edge of his lip, he squeezed my hand. And once she pulled up, he squeezed hard enough to where he touching bone. Once she was through, we thanked her, I gave her a kiss, Matt hugged her and said, "Thanks Mom," and she went back to her usual duties.

"Were you really in that much pain?" I asked.

"That hurt, Essie. I didn't know I had an open wound but once she wiped my lip it was burning. And the stitches hurt," he said. I held the other side of his face and brought him closer until my lips reached his cheek.

"Aww my baby."

"Don't baby me in front of everyone," he said, starting to tickle me until I was face down across his legs.

"Matt, stop!"

"We get it! You get best couple award! Now get a room!" Cruise screamed from the other side of the road.

"Hey, I'm get my wisdom teeth pulled out Saturday," he said.

"Why would you make that appointment here?"

"Cause they're covering my insurance here. And they've been killing me."

"I know, you've been complaining about them."

"Which means you have to drive me to and from," he said.

"And then I'll have to take care of you," I said.

"Are you okay with taking care of me?" He said.

"Yeah..." He brought me closer and kissed me with the left side of his lip and then kissed me again on the cheek.

"You're the best, you know that?"

"No."

"Okay, Matt, I'm ready for ya!" Jack called.

"Go, hurry up before Francis sees you."