fierce ↠ sweet pea [1] [✔]

|| SIXTY-THREE ||

When the baby was clean, Lauryn laid her in her crib to nap. She had been ignoring the raging pain from the wound she sported, and almost threw up when she looked down at the grey shirt she had on which was now completely red.

She sat herself down in the shower, turning the water on cold until it made her shiver. Blood pooled into the water, gliding down her arms. Never had she seen darkness so early in the day, and she stared at the same spot on the tiled floor as the water escaped the cubicle, practically flooding the bathroom.

"What the fuck?!" she heard faintly, which would've startled her if she had the strength to move. "LAURYN?!"

Sweet Pea's voice cracked as he ran a hand through his hair, escalating into panic as the dead body came into view. The scene became worse the more he looked at it, and he covered his mouth.

Fangs followed him into the trailer, his heart sinking into the floor as every word he knew disappeared from his ability. He went first to the bedroom, spotting Courtney asleep in the crib. "Baby's okay. Where's Lauryn?"

Hearing the running water in the bathroom, Sweet Pea darted across the living room, having to step over the body.

"Oh, fuck," he cursed, plummeting into the water to lift Lauryn's chin. "Lauryn, speak to me, baby. What the fuck happened here?"

"I..." she trailed off weakly, and he felt her freezing cheeks. Switching off the water, he tried to lift her but she fought him off, wincing loudly. "Stop!"

"What's the matter? What..." he then realised. Her shirt wasn't red at the gathering. He lifted the soaking fabric, his face crumbling in appal. "Holy shit."

Fangs appeared in the doorway, his heart now all the way up in his throat. "Lauryn... where'd you get the gun?"

"Never mind that," Sweet Pea rasped. "Help me get her up."

"No," she begged, trying to slap his hands away. "It hurts."

"Call FP!" Sweet Pea suddenly barked as he realised how helpless he felt. Fangs pulled out his phone, disappearing from the scene for a moment. Sweet Pea caught Lauryn's chin as she started to shake uncontrollably. "Hey. Hey, Lauryn? You're in shock. We gotta keep you warm."

Lauryn felt herself want to cry but no tears would come out, and all she could do was let out a single burst of agony. Sweet Pea took the chance and lifted her, setting her up on the counter by the sink. He grabbed the nearest towel, encasing her in it.

He took a pair of scissors from the cabinet as his hands began to shake as well. "I'm gonna get this shirt off you, okay?"

"I--I'm sorry," she trembled, unable to look him in the eye. "She--She was going to kill Courtney."

"I trust you, all right?" he vowed, cupping her cheeks. "You can explain it all later."

Fangs returned momentarily with a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. "FP's on his way."

Lauryn tried to lift the shirt off of herself, and Sweet Pea pulled it over her head. "I could've cut it."

"It's fine," she disagreed, shaking her head as she tried her hardest to feel normal.

Sweet Pea drenched a facecloth in peroxide, giving her a second to breathe in preparation. "This is gonna hurt like a bitch."

Biting her lip, she nodded. Fangs took her hand, and her face scrunched up at the first touch of the chemical. She screamed out, which felt like a blow to Sweet Pea's chest. The last thing he ever wanted was to inflict pain on her.

"I'm sorry," he told her, having to hold her shaking legs still. "I'm going as fast as I can."

"We don't know what was on that knife," Fangs spoke, having to clear his throat. Every word made him feel like he was going to hurl. "Try to think about something else."