I woke fast-I always do. It's a survival skill in my world. Arms bound me to a chest as I jerked, trying to free myself-trapped against a man. A man who I didn't know, who would-
"Sang, Sang! It's me, easy-we're almost there-Sang!" A grunt, then the arms loosened. I'd gotten a groin shot-but relief was short lived as the floor came up to meet me. I flipped, smacking with my hands and stomach like I was taught to, then jumping to my feet and bolting a few feet away before spinning to face the threat. My chest heaved, and I scrambled to make sense of what I was seeing. Nathan stood doubled over, cupping himself where I'd hit him. Gabriel stood a little to the side, his mouth open and eyes wide. Mr. Blackbourne stood in the door of his office, clearly having opened it for them to carry me through. Dr. Green stood a bit behind him, his mouth smiling and eyes twinkling with laughter but still filled with concern-it was an odd combination.
"What the ever living fuck was that?!" Gabriel was the first to break the silence. Shit.
~Gabriel~
The whole day had thrown me for a loop. This haunted eyed skittish firecracker was not the same girl that we'd left here all those years ago. She still had shit taste in clothes, but something made me think it wasn't entirely her choice. When she went down in gym, sure she'd been hit hard, but it shouldn't have been enough to make her pass out like that. She should have gotten her breath back faster, she should have stood up and thrown it back, and she shouldn't have woken like that-as though trying to get away from whatever was pinning her. The look of terror on her face as she fought free of Nathan, and the fact that she'd gotten free of Nathan.... It spoke volume's of something, my brain was still trying to figure out what though. Her eyes were coming into focus, and she straightened from the slight crouch she'd been in, her hands loose and ready at her sides. She took in Nathan, still doubled over. She scanned over Mr. B and Sean. Then her eyes landed on me, and they hardened. But it was to late. I'd seen her in that moment, with her walls down and open for anyone to read. But I wasn't ready to process it.
"What the ever living fuck was that?" The words ripped from my lips as my hands found my hair tugging on the ends as I stomped toward her. A fall like that, and she'd done it like a pro. I was sad that she knew how to smack the ground and she woke up fighting. I was sad that she guarded herself so closely, and I hadn't even realized how much that damn fucking attitude was a front until now. And I'd taken the bate every time.
"What Meanie, worried?" She said it with a tilt of her chin, as though daring me to say no. Well she was in for a disappointment. I wasn't taking it this time. Deep breath in, deep breath out-my lungs loosened. Another and I could think a little clearer. Another and I was ready to talk to her. I stepped into her personal space briskly-her shoulders tensed and she flinched. It was a small flinch, but it was a flinch. If I hadn't been watching, I wouldn't have seen it. My heart hurt. Slowly, I reached out-she jerked away from me, batting at my hand but I caught her wrist, tugging her to stand in front of me. She was so small, she'd fit under my chin perfectly-and I wasn't a tall man which meant she was around five foot one or two.
"Trouble, easy. Yeah, I was fucking worried. Sue me."
"Fuck off Meanie." But there wasn't any heat behind her words. There was a tiredness, as though the weight of years sat behind them. She was tired. She was done. She hadn't realized how done yet though. My stomach twisted, my arms aching to pull her close-but I shook the feeling off. She'd changed so much. I tried not to think about it, just rolling with our interactions through the day, but she was right earlier. It was weird we'd picked up right where we'd left off, but I hadn't thought anything of it until then. It was just the way we were. She tugged her wrist out of my hold, stepping back.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Did you forget I'm a doctor, Miss Sang?" Sean winked, stepping forward and motioning her through the door. Nathan and I stood to the sides, letting her pass and keep us in her peripheral vision. Meeting his eyes, I asked him what he thought with a look.
"She didn't react normally."
"I know, but she's not normal." I didn't want to think where this was going-I wanted her to stay that carefree snarky little girl I had in my head-but already her image was being replaced by this curvy supple smart mouth I wanted to shove against a wall and do.... I stopped that train of thought.
"Yeah, but this is more than that."
To that I had no response. It was more than that, and I could only hope she'd share. Though it was doubtful, she was a stubborn little thing when she wanted to be.
~Sang~
They were flanking me, Nathan and Gabriel that is. I could see them both out of the corners of my eyes, just to either side-Gabriel on my left and Nathan on my right. Mr. Blackbourne sat at his desk, while Dr. Green got out a large black back and motioned for me to step closer-his face set in what I imagined his expression would be if I were an actual patient. Blank, concerned, polite.
"I don't need checked." And I wasn't budging on it either.
"You passed out from getting hit in the stomach-I need to check at least to see if there's internal bleeding." He said it softly, as though worried to spook me. To late.
"I don't have internal bleeding." And if I did, well, it would have to sort itself out because I wasn't going anywhere.
"Then you won't mind me looking."
"Yes, I do. You're not getting my shirt off, and this is a shitty way to see my bra." There was a choked noise from Nathan's direction, and a snort from Gabriel. I didn't glance at Blackbourne, but I'd imagine his eyebrows were raised-or at least one of them. I'd put on my nicer one today, though still ill fitted, so even if he did see it it wouldn't be the end of the world.
"Either let Dr. Green have a look or I'll have to call your parents and let them know you need to go to urgent care upon going home." I felt the blood drain from my face at Blackbourne's hard statement. I tried to paste a smirk on as I turned to him-I couldn't let him win this one. Even if we would only be tied.
"I'm 18, they hold no sway over me."
"Do you live alone?" I didn't answer, just raising a brow at him. He reached toward the phone on his desk, keeping eye contact with me. I swallowed hard, moving my hands behind my back to hide their shaking.
"Fine. Everyone leaves though-I claim doctor patient confidentiality." He did raise both eyebrows at that, taking his hand away from the phone. Sang: One. Blackbourne: One.
"What the fuck?!" Gabriel spun toward me, his face astonished.
"You don't get to fucking see my bra either Meanie." I smirked at him while Nathan chuckled, throwing an arm over his brothers shoulder and waving to me on his way out. Gabriel was still sputtering as the door shut. "You're leaving too, Blackbourne."
"Not until you tell me why you didn't want me to call your parents." He steepled his fingers, resting his lips against them. His full, pursed lips that waited with the rest of him for my answer.
"You don't have a confidentiality agreement, so I don't have to tell you."
"I give you my word that nothing you say leaves us."
I sighed. He wasn't going to budge on this, and really.... Well, he held all the cards. Anger rose fast and furious, and I let it flash in my eyes.
"My mother is on medication that makes her go crazy sometimes. I never know how she's going to react or who she's going to take it out on. So, I'd rather you didn't call her-it's not good for her mental health."
"And your father?"
"Not home right now." Or ever, but he didn't need to know that. Father had left us all last year, and none of us had heard from him since-though Mom still asked about him a lot. "You're not sitting here while he looks at me."
"Yes, I am. And no, I'm not doing it to see your undergarments." Damn he got me soooo well. And we'd barely touched bases.
"Come on Miss Sang-hop up here. Your back will be to Mr. Sourpuss this way." Green winked at me, and I smirked, walking to the desk. I turned my back to it, took a deep breath and held it while I braced my palms behind me, bracing myself mentally while I boosted myself up and eased myself back onto the desk. My back, ribs, and stomach screamed with the motion while my shoulders twinged and arms shook. I folded my hands in my lap to keep the shaking from being visible, but I think the good doctor caught it anyway.
"All right, in the interest of full disclosure would you like to tell me where exactly your hurt and how it happened?"
He'd see the bruises and if he was a real doctor he'd know what they were from, but.... "Nope." I popped the 'p', smirking at him a little. Silly man.
"All right, I'm going to raise your shirt."
"Why?" Yes, I was being a child.
"To check for obvious marks or bruising. Would you like to raise it instead to just below your breasts? That way you can't accuse me of trying to see your bra." He smiled at me, trying to mask his worry. Good man.
I raised the shirt. He inhaled sharply, but kept his face blank-which I appreciated. Blackbourne didn't say anything, maybe he really wasn't looking-
"Look at her back too, Dr. Green." You'd think he'd asked him to look out the window with all the inflection he gave, and I resisted the urge to say something about his face. Resisted being the key word-I can win the battle with my lack of filter sometimes....
"I'm going to press on some of the deeper ones, and on a scale of one to ten tell me how badly it hurts."
"Don't press on it if you know it'll hurt."
"I need to feel if they're broken or in need of getting set."
"The one at the base, right side, is broken but not displaced. Two up from that is cracked. Left second to bottom is cracked. I think one near the back middle close to the spine, left side, is cracked too. The rest are just badly bruised, possibly bone bruised, and will just take a while to heal." There was no use hiding that this happened now and again-I had at least one shoe print on my stomach, there was probably a couple toe prints on my back. I know there were hand marks around my upper arms if he looked that far.
"This happens a lot?"
"Everyone's clumsy." I just happened to be clumsy with my mouth-it got me into trouble a lot.
"Not the kind of clumsy that results in running into other people's shod feet."
"You never know, there's a first for everything." I smiled at him cheerfully, hoping to break the tension.
"I'm still going to check the ribs."
"The one on the bottom might move-it's not completely displaced though so don't poke it to hard." I bit my lip and grunted as he proceeded to poke and prod up and down my back and sides. "Fuck!" I gasped as he hit a particularly sensitive spot on the back.
"I'm amazed that's the only time you've said that since Mr. Coleman left."
"I only cuss because he does."
"I figured that out." Blackbourne's voice was dry, and so not distracting me enough.
"You done yet?" I gritted out.
"Yes. You're excused from gym for the next three weeks-this needs to heal. And even then I'm checking you first." I opened my mouth to argue-I couldn't have my parents noticing-but he raised his hand, cutting me off. "As you pointed out, you're eighteen-I will talk to the teacher directly. If they ask, I'll say you fell out of a tree." I closed my mouth, nodding begrudgingly.
"All right." We sat in silence, for I don't even know how long, until someone pounded on the door.
"Oi! You fucking done in there yet? The rest of the assholes have arrived!" I couldn't help the small smile at Gabriel's colorful words.
"Everyone has a fucking asshole Gabriel, it doesn't mean you have to be one!" I called, giggling as he burst through the door, his face flushed and the others spilling in behind him. He stomped toward me, stepping around Dr. Green and stopping in front of me, shaking his finger in my face.
"Don't you fucking start with me, Trouble!"
"To fucking late Meanie."
"That's enough. Mr. Coleman, go have a seat next to Mr. Taylor Jr. Dr. Green, was there anything else or shall we proceed?" Someone reaaaally needed to tell him to act his age. Wait, why couldn't I? Oh yeah, we were in school.... Shoot damn. I kicked my feet back and forth, hitting my heels against the front of the desk and not caring that it clearly annoyed at least a few of them.
"Don't Gabriel and Sang have detention?" Kota asked, frowning at me. Luke stood and came toward me, plopping down in front of me and leaning back against my legs, pinning my feet to the desk. He tipped his head back, eyes twinkling, hair spilling around him. Silly smart boy.
"Yes, but they were sent to me so I decide what they do for that period. I would like you all to see to it that they don't sit together in classes, otherwise I'm quite sure this will happen again."
"That fucker Hendricks is interested in her-he'll find another way to get her alone. At least if you leave us to eachother she won't get sent to McCoy alone."
"As you said, Mr. Coleman, he's looking for an excuse. He'll still send her to Mr. McCoy alone even if you get pulled in with her."
"That's not how-"
"Yes, he will Meanie. Leave it."
"You don't fucking-"
"Yes I fucking do." We stared at eachother, his bright blue eyes boring into mine. He wasn't winning this though. He gave first, sighing and running his hand through his hair, giving a jerky nod.
"All right, you're all dismissed. We'll talk later. Miss Sorenson, where do you live? One of us will give you a ride home seeing as you've missed the buss."
"I can walk."
"Miss Sang, how many miles is that? It's not good to exert yourself right now." Everyone waited to see if the doctor would add more to that, but he didn't. He also knew they'd be quizzing me later, fucker.
"Sunnyvale court, it's only-"
"A few miles away. Nathan and I are going there anyway, we live on that street, so we'll give you a ride." Kota stood, and Luke let me up.
I sighed, glancing around and meeting each of their eyes, landing on Gabriel last. His sparked with a force that told me if I walked, he'd be walking with me. It had been so long, yet it was like no time had passed. My stomach flipped low and hard at the look that was there-and that was new.
"All right. I'll go with you. But drop me off at the diner up the road and around the corner-I need to be seen walking up. Mom doesn't like me getting rides." Kota looked at Dr. Green, opening his mouth with a confused look on his face as though he were going to ask, but Dr. Green gave him a look that was so full of words I could almost feel them passing through the air. Kota closed his mouth. Interesting.
"Luke, Silas and I are going to the diner anyway, we'll take her. That way you don't have to stop." North grumped, jerking his head in a 'come here' motion as though summoning us out the door with him. It slammed shut behind him without any of us moving.
Asshole.