Swinging Tire

7

Author's note: I'm feeling kinda romantic, yeah yeah, don't ask, shit happens, so there will be some sexy on this chapter.

I see the blood dripping in the white basin, it's rythmn  in cadence with my heartbeats.

Nearby, another faucet is leaking, contributing somehow to this symphony of chaos that's playing inside my head.

Drop, drop, drip, drip.

My nose hurts like a motherfucker,  and I touch it, wincing at the searing pain, it could be broken, and I already feel the tell tale swell around my eyes.

Pretty, Axl. You gonna look real pretty with a swollen, broken honker and two black eyes. But I can get myself around to give a fuck really.

Right now, the pain is a welcome reminder that I'm still struggling,  I'm still here, so I smear the blood on the mirror in front of me, ignoring the horrified glance of a boy barely old enough to be here, on the his way out .

“Fuck!”

I regonise the voice. Duff, get outta here. But he is already gone.

“Stay outside and don't let anybody in.”

In two strides Izzy is by my side, wiping the blood out of my face, out of my hands, peeling the crusts out of my mushed up knuckles.

“Axl.”

But I'm too out if it.

“Go away Izz.”

And I keep smearing the blood in the mirror,  my sister's terrified voice pleading in my head (Bill, please, don't let him.)

“It's ok, Amy darling. It's ok. It's gonna be me tonight. Not you baby. Not you.” I whisper to her.

****

When I wake up is early morning and I'm in a strange bed, it smells good, clean. I don't have a clue where I am, and when I try to get up the pain in my nose sends a horrible shock through my head, making me keen.

“Sush man, don't try to get up. I'll go and bring you some coffe.”

“Duff?”

“Yeah man?”

“What I'm doing here?”

“You don't remember? Izzy and I brough you here last night. You send some fucker to the hospital man, and then you blacked out on the Rainbow's toilet. “

“Oh fuck. I think my nose is broken.”

“No it ain't. It's pretty fucked tough.”

“How the fuck do you know it ain't broken?”

“Look at me Axl. I got my nose broken twice man. I know a broken nose when I see one and yours ain't broken. That doesn't mean you are not pretty banged up man, cause you are.”

I try to open my eyes but that proves difficult, they are so swollen I have to settle back on the bed and feel around for Duff's hand when he walks back with a cup of steaming coffee and three pills.

“Two Tylenol and one Xanax. Sorry,  I couldn't score anything else.”

I take the pills with the coffe, and swallow tears.This guy don't what I'm feeling, he doesn't know the hell I'm  into right now. Yet I'm on his place, apparently on his bed and he is being kind.

“Thanks . Where's Izzy? “

“Working. Hell arrive in a bit and then I'm off to work.”

“What time is it?”