"I should have gotten the keys to the truck," Sweet Pea said, helping me off his motorcycle.
"Don't worry about it," I replied, trying not to let on how badly my side was hurting. "Come on, let's see if Hawkeye's here yet," I said, leading him into Leviathan's. From the outside, nothing had changed about the place. A quick scan of the inside showed that it was still the same as always, familiar faces and all.
We stopped suddenly as someone stepped in front of us. "You know there's a fee for entrance," the man said, glaring down at me.
"What the hell?" Sweet Pea snapped.
"Get over it, Roger," I said, rolling my eyes at the man in front of us. "You're never going to make that happen, and even if you did, I wouldn't be paying."
"No, you'd find some way to sneak into the joint and then convince everyone they'd seen you pay even if they weren't even here when you arrived," Roger replied. "Welcome home, Babygirl," he added, a smile spreading across his face as he stepped aside.
"Thanks, but if you don't mind, Sweet Pea and I need to get to the bar so I can get some ice," I said, walking further in.
"You need more than just ice," Sweet Pea said. "You said it yourself that the aspirin had worn off before we even left Riverdale."
I shook my head, letting myself behind the bar. I knew this place as well as I'd known the Whyte Wyrm so there was no point in waiting to ask for an ice pack. "Once we get into the hospital, I need to be able to tell them how it really feels, not how I think it felt."
"I still don't like it," he protested. "Why can't you take something now and head to the hospital when it starts to wear off?"
"Because we have to get in when Hawkeye can get us in," I explained, taking a seat in a nearby booth, Sweet Pea sliding in next to me. I laid my head on his shoulder, shutting my eyes as I waited for the ice to numb my aching ribs.
"Okay, so, who exactly is Hawkeye and why do we have to wait for his permission to see a doctor?" he asked.
Roger joined us in the booth, sliding a bottle of beer across the table to Sweet Pea. "Hawkeye's our main contact at the hospital. Officially he works as a janitor, but he's been there long enough he has pull with some of the staff. Gets us in when we need more done than we can handle ourselves," he explained.
"Without the possibly incriminating paperwork that always goes with a trip to the hospital," Devon added, pushing Roger further down the seat. "So, are you the reason our girl's hurt again?" she asked, studying Sweet Pea.
"I, uh, sort of, I suppose," Sweet Pea stammered. I couldn't help smiling at his nerves.
I reached over, lacing the fingers of my free hand with his. "You didn't know," I said, looking at him. "And honestly, we probably wouldn't have done anything different even if I had told you how bad it was."
From the corner of my eye, I saw Roger and Devon share a look as Sweet Pea squeezed my hand gently. "I know, but I still feel bad. You know I'd never do anything to hurt you."
"Aww, aren't you two just the cutest," someone cooed. Looking up I saw Lila, who still looked as young as she did the first time I met her years before. "You must be Sweet Pea, the boy who's been keeping Babygirl here out of trouble," she continued.
"I, uh, I try," Sweet Pea stammered, suddenly nervous as the three across from us focused their attention on him.
"Smart answer," Lila answered. "Now, you two, beat it. Devon and I need to have a talk," she ordered, pointing at Roger and Sweet Pea.
"No, not another one of your talks," I groaned.
Roger laughed as he waited for Devon to let him out of the booth. "Give it up, you know they'll follow you all the way back to Riverdale if you try to get out of it."
"Okay, let's get it over with then," I sighed. "Go, I'll be alright." Sweet Pea kissed the side of my head before standing.
"Go easy on the boy," Devon said to Roger before resuming her seat, Lila sliding in after her.
I watched Roger lead Sweet Pea to another table, out of earshot. He knew Centerville had become like a second home for me over the years, the Serpents here as protective of me as the Riverdale Serpents. Or at least, most of the Riverdale Serpents now, there were still a few who hadn't fully accepted my most recent return. I still wanted to know what Roger was going to say to Sweet Pea though.
"Don't worry about him," Devon said, following my gaze. "You heard me tell him to go easy."
I turned back to the women across from me with a small smile. "I did, but Sweet Pea has a temper. And he's pure muscle, so I think I'll be more worried about Roger if things go south with those two."
"Fair enough," Devon laughed. "Even without Dakota's intel, I can tell he'd do anything for you. I can see now why you never got over him, you two are the real thing."
"I tried to get over him over the summer, but I couldn't do it," I said, looking down at the table in front of me. "I thought I was getting somewhere and then FP convinced me to go back to Riverdale and he was there at the party."
"Your eyes met across the room and you realized you were still madly in love with one another?" Lila guessed, looking at me over her glass.
I rolled my eyes. "You've been watching way too many romance movies. No, I saw him and avoided him. I'd already heard he'd moved on and I avoided him. I thought you already knew all this?" She shook her head, waiting for me to continue. "I left the party after a while, planning to wait in the truck but the boys had the keys and I ended up talking to a friend. Hunter and Dakota freaked when they realized I was gone and somehow Sweet Pea got involved in the search. The minute he said my name..."
"You fell madly in love with him once again," Lila said with a smile. "You fought the feeling, pretended there was nothing more than a friendship, and he eventually won you over more. See, those movies aren't completely made up."
"Okay, okay, you got me there," I sighed, glancing over at the pair across the room who were talking seriously about something. At least Sweet Pea seemed more relaxed now. "He knows almost everything, and he still wants to be with me."
"Because he loves you and you love him," Devon said gently. "You two are meant to be together. You're going to start a family and grow old together. Come, Babygirl, don't give us that look."
I looked down at the table between us. "You know I can't give him that kind of future. After the childhood I had, how can I even consider it?"
"Oh, honey," Lila said, moving around the table to pull me into one of her motherly hugs. "Don't think like that."
"She's right, Babygirl," Devon said. "It made sense when you said that before, caught in the middle of two gangs, not even sure you'd live to see your next birthday. But now look at you. You not only have your family here, but you have your Riverdale family, and a guy who's crazy about you."
"A cute boy," Lila said, glancing over at Sweet Pea. "If he has any brothers, send them my way."
Devon stood from the table. "That's gonna have to wait for now. Hawkeye's ready for you. And Babygirl, at least think about what we said."
I followed Lila out of the booth and toward the door while Devon went to interrupt Roger and Sweet Pea's discussion. "What are you planning?" I asked her, recognizing the look in her eye.
"Oh, nothing," she smiled as Sweet Pea joined us. "You two go to the hospital and get things sorted out there. Get yourselves something to eat, then come back here tonight."
"Lila," I said warningly. I had a feeling I knew what was coming.
"No, no, don't keep Hawkeye waiting," Lila said, ushering us out the door.
Before long we were walking into the hospital, heading past the nurse's station for the elevator. From there it was a short walk down the hall to Room 314, the room always set aside for Serpents. I motioned for Sweet Pea to close the door behind us in the empty room as I picked up my file off the end of the bed.
"Who's Rose O'Neal?" Sweet Pea asked, looking over my shoulder.
"No one really," I replied, flipping through the pages to see if there was anything new. "We needed a way to keep my records here without anyone knowing they're actually mine."
Sweet Pea nodded in understanding. "Isn't Rose your middle name?" he asked after a moment.
"It is," I replied. "And you still haven't told me your real name."
"I haven't, and I'm not going to tell you right now either," he said, leaning down to kiss me softly.
"Break it up, you two," Hawkeye said, letting himself in, followed by Dr Jackson. "It's good to see you again, girl. And you must be Sweet Pea."
"Yes, sir," Sweet Pea nodded, getting an amused smile from Hawkeye.
Dr Jasckson took the file from me, reviewing it as I pulled myself up on the bed, wincing at the pain. I knew the drill and let him do the usual checkup stuff, not letting go of Sweet Pea's hand. I may have been in this room a dozen times already, but I still got anxious around doctors.
"The good news so far is that your lungs sound normal, so I'm not worried about any lasting damage there," Dr Jackson said. "But you said the pain's worse?"
"It's been a little worse the past week or so," I said. "Right now though, it feels like it did a few months back."
After a round of x-rays and CT scans, Sweet Pea and I were back in the room waiting on results. "Why didn't you tell me it's been worse?" he asked softly.
"Because it was bearable," I replied, not looking at him. "And because I didn't want you to worry."
"Abigail," he sighed. "What happened to us telling each other everything?"
"Like you telling me you're considering going back to work for Andrews Construction?"
"He told you this morning?" Sweet Pea asked, continuing when I nodded. "I was going to tell you, but I haven't made up my mind yet about staying on with Veronica's speakeasy job or go back to working for Mr Andrews."
"Why the sudden–" I was cut off by Dr Jackson coming in. "How's it all look?" I asked instead.
He sighed, fiddling with the folder he held. "It's not good." Sweet Pea's hand on mine tightened as we waited. "The damage was more extensive than we thought. At this point you have two choices. One, I can schedule you for surgery to repair the damage. Or two, I can keep you supplied with a stronger painkiller that you'll most likely end up needing to take every day as the pain gets worse, which I expect it will.
"Why does it sound like the options are surgery now or surgery later?" Sweet Pea questioned.
"That is what it really comes down to," Dr Jackson said. "Either way, the healing process would require you to remain still like you did when your ribs were initially broken. However, the longer you wait, the longer the healing process will take."
"Can I think about it?" I asked, staring at the ground.
"Don't take too long though," he urged before leaving.
Sweet Pea held me silently as I considered my options. I really didn't like the idea of being unable to move without help for weeks again, but was putting it off worth worsening pain? "Can we get out of here?" I asked suddenly. "We need to eat something ,and Lila wants us to stop by Leviathan's again tonight.
I led us out of the hospital and to The Metro, "the closest thing we have to Pop's around here," I told Sweet Pea once we were seated.
I could tell he wanted to ask about what Dr Jackson had said but I didn't want to talk about it right now. "So, why the sudden desire to work for Mr Andrews again?"
He knew what I was doing but didn't push it. "Working for Veronica was good at first, I got to knock some Gargoyle heads on the runs with Reggie, but that's been happening a lot less now. And you've seen me working in the Speakeasy itself, I'm just standing around waiting for something to happen."
"You miss the action, actually doing something," I said.
"I liked working with Mr Andrews and his crews over the summer. I liked working with my hands, and being able to see what we'd accomplished at the end of the day. I felt like I was actually doing something that was important."
"Makes sense," I said. "But Mr Andrews said he would be worried about your temper out there with the other guys, especially if you came back now with no Serpents to pull you back if needed."
Sweet Pea reached across the table ,taking hold of my hands. "If he hires me, I promise I'll be a model employee and not start any fights while on the clock."
I couldn't help laughing at his serious tone of voice. "You better, because if you start trouble, I'm the one who'll be stuck filling out a bunch of paperwork I don't want to have to handle."
After eating, Sweet Pea and I slowly walked back to his bike before heading back to Leviathan's. "She didn't tell you why she wanted us back here tonight?" Sweet Pea asked as we walked to the door.
"Nope, but I have an idea," I replied. The bar was packed, but we were eventually able to track down Lila after stopping for me to greet Serpents I hadn't seen in a while.
"You're back!" Lila exclaimed happily. "Now we can really celebrate."
"What are we celebrating?" Sweet Pea asked, looking between us.
"Nothing," I groaned. "We're not celebrating anything."
"Of course we're celebrating," Lila protested, turning to make her way through the crowd. "You don't turn 17 every day, and after the year you've had, that's an accomplishment."
"Wait, today's your birthday?" Sweet Pea asked in surprise.
I nodded, looking around the room. "I can't even remember the last time I acknowledged it."
"Then we'll have to party hard enough tonight to make up for all those lost years."
"And how do you propose we do that?" I asked, looking up at him. "Did you discover the secret to time travel?"
"No time travel," he said, pulling me to him. "But we can start with this." His kiss made the bar and everyone in it melt away and I couldn't have been happier.