Before The Storm ( wlw / lesbian )

Chapter 8

"Where is she?!"

The anger lancing Toni's words were clear as she marched into the emergency room, nearly knocking Coen and Wonderboy to the ground as she tried to push her way through to the glass doors separating the patients from the general population.

"Toni, Toni, you need to cool it." Calian came up behind the young Raven and pulled her back by the shoulder. She seethed at the touch.

"Don't lay a single hand on me."

The boys looked at each other, and Coen decided to take the lead, at the visual fear lacing the other's features, "Alright, Toni,  sit down." She did so, annoyance clear in the way she folded her arms around herself with her leg bouncing, eyes still firmly on the door.

"Look.. Grace's got some internal bleeding. The doc said it was from some uh, blunt force trauma. They also found..." Coen averted his gaze, sucking in a breath "One of the Lawrence's, probably Fergus... he... branded her..."

The blood drained from the brunette's face, whipping around to face him. "What the hell do you mean."

"God damn Crawley stop beating around the bush!" Wonderboy pushed him to the ground and kneeled in front of Toni. Coen kicked him in the thigh and clambered back up.

"Fergus has been beating on Grace for a while. Bruises all over her neck; she has trauma in her chest from some unknown object and that sick bastard pressed a cross shaped burning iron into her skin."

A lurching feeling bubbled to her stomach, "I feel sick."

"Way to go, boy..." The sheriff growled lowly, grabbing a neighbouring trash can and putting it cautiously beside the girl.

"Look, Toni." It was Calian who spoke now, voice soft, "I'm Sheriff, alright? Nothing is gonna happen to he-"

"Yeah?" She growled out "I already made that promise. We all fucking did. And look where she is, Crawley! Fucking look. Shits already been happening. Right under our fucking noses."

Toni didn't wait for a response, darting to the front desk to regard the nurse. "What room is Grace Lawrence in?"

The nurse narrowed her eyes, bored, smacking her gum in a way so irritating Toni had to physically stop herself from lunging over the counter.  "You family?"

"Yeah..."

The nurse didn't question it, just shrugged upon seeing the pleading look on the teens face. "Room 304."

Toni ran down the halls, ears buzzing, adrenaline taking over.

She pushed her way into the hospital room and grimaced. It smelt strong of aseptic, a slight tinge of flowers waving through from the bouquet sitting on the bedside table. Carnations. 

Susie was still, sitting in the empty chair beside the eerily-limp redhead, her usually bubbly demeanour simmering to nothing. "I've never seen her so quiet." she murmurs.

"Yellow is not her colour." Toni replied, motioning lamely to the pastel walls and sickening colour of the blanket

Susie smiled in recognition. "Don't ever let her know she wasn't fully done up in red."

Toni smiled weakly, sitting beside the blonde. She places her face in her hands, dragging them until her skin is taught and her lip is folded out on her fingertips. She blinks a few times, trying to quell the sharp sting every time she glances at the numbers on the machine beside the redhead. The last time she'd seen numbers on a machine was her parents' death bed. "I need to protect her.. I promised." Susie placed her hand on Toni's shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly,