He realized looking at them that he hadn't thought through everything. There was eight of them and he knew them all. They were some of the best fighters the gang had, and he knew he could take them easily.
To start a war with his father tonight meant a blood bath tomorrow. He wasnt going to spark this fight with Nadine in the middle of this.
"Go on inside Nadine."
He didnt want her to see this. She hesitated and her grip on his arm tightened he looked down at her as her eyes glistened with fear.
"But..."
She was so stubborn.
"Go," He gently pushed her in the direction of the men. "Let her pass."
No matter what they were here for they wouldn't dare go against him. Touching her under his penetrating stare was asking to lose a hand and they knew that.
She didn't look back at him until she got behind the doorway. He saw her hesitate with the slightest uncertainty. He smiled at her cockily and she clicked the door shut.
He smirked at them.
"Well you gentleman sure have a lot of nerve to be here." His smile widened as some of the men fidgeted with fear. This wasn't going to be pretty, but he opened his arms up wide and sauntered towards them. It'd been a while since he'd gotten a good beating.
* They had went light on him. He didnt fight back. He could tell none of them had wanted to be there for this job. He had a few good hits to his face. His lip was busted and bleeding. His eye was going to be swollen shut tomorrow. Luckily his jaw wasnt broken. After a few good punches to the face one of the guys had pulled him up against the cottage and the guys had taken body shots, and not in a fun way. He smirked at the thought and it hurt. He ran his tongue across his teeth. They were all still there in one piece. Nothing was lose but his jaw was aching and swollen. He did not want a peak in the mirror for a while, not unless black and blue had become an appealing look. His body throbbed.
He winced as he pulled himself off his knees to a stand beside the cottage. A few of his ribs were definitely cracked. He was used to the pain so he didnt pass out, but he bite his lip as he fought a wave of nausea. At least nobody had stabbed any important bits or peices on his body. He held his hand against the spread of blood that was covering the boddom of his sweater. He tenderly grabbed the knife hilt with the string on it. There was a note on the paper that dangled at the end. Blood spattered and flying in the breeze.
The face of the man who'd put it there flashed in his head. The man had been regretful; unlike the man who had smiled while cracking his ribs. He ripped the note off and crumbled it within his fist as he fought to make it to the door.
The edges of his vision were bleary. He shook his head as he threw the door open.
Nadine came running when she saw him. She dropped a kitchen knife as she went.
Her hands shook as she hovered over the knife and she swallowed. He could tell she was fighting the urge to faint at the sight of his blood.
She got under his arm.
"Let's get to the bed." They walked; She seemed so small in the crook of his arm. His vision blurred and they stumbled. His vision cleared as he went to his knees but not before black dots danced across his vision.
"I'm not strong enough to help you Edward. Lay down here." She helped him down and he smirked at her use of his alias. He cursed as she grabbed the hilt of the knife.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry." He chuckled and her eyes widened.
"Why are you laughing right now."
He waved it off, "Your going to make me bleed to death woman. If you want to help go grab a linen from the basket behind my clothes. The one we get our bath towels from, and the sewing kit from above the fireplace."
He shouted after her as she ran out of the main room, "And dont grab the embroidered ones. Those are exspensive."
She came back with a stained old towel and rolled her eyes. He could see fear in her eyes and he was sure her heart was hammering in her chest but she had a slight smirk on her face now and it lightened his heart.
"Your bleeding out on the hardwood and your worried about staining a hideous embroidered towel." She dropped the towel beside him and practically leapt over to the fireplace.
"Hideous?!"
She knelt on the ground and grabbed the hilt, short of breath she whispered, "All of your embroidered towels are atrocious."
He gripped her hands that was trembling beside the knife hilt and pressed them to it confidentially. He met her gaze, "Its okay. Pull it out straight. If I'm concious I'll apply pressure and then you need to clean it and sew me up."
"I don't know if I can do this Edward. There's so much blood." Her voice was hoarse and shaky.
"You can. It's just like your little square clothes. Just a bit thicker, used the curved needle it'll be easier."
She nodded, "Remember; straight out." he said.
When she pull it out he bit his cheek and tasted fresh blood. His skin felt like it was on fire as the toothed edge of the blade flashed over his already tender skin.
"Fucking bastards." He bit out when he saw the toothed edge. No doubt his father's idea, but at least the blade had been clean.
He was proud of the force she had used to pull it out. He dropped the crumpled paper on the hardwood and covered her hands with his. She was applying pressure to the towel for him. It was slowly filling with his life blood. She pulled her hands out from under his to pull the sewing kit closer to her.
She looked incredibly pale. His breathing was coming in short gasps now. Even for somone like him the body had its limits. He could feel him losing control as his head spun and nausea rolled through him.
He blinked hard and let his head fall backward. Then everything went black.
*Nadine
Watching his eyes roll into the back of his head had been the scariest thing she had ever seen. She had burst into tears upon seeing it.
Now she had to push all that aside. She wiped her tears and sweat away on the sleeve of her coverall, and dug deep. She took a deep breath and stripped it from her body. Wadding it up and placing it below his head she noticed that his skin was pale. His face seemed like he was asleep, or dead she thought.
Sweat beaded on her back as she opened the sewing kit, biting her lip to keep all her negativity at bay. Her hand shook as she spilled the boxes contents all over the floor. She pulled out the curved needle and shakily began threading it. She cursed as she missed the hole again and again.
A small cry of relief gurgled on her lips as she finally pushed the thread through and hastily tied a knot at the end.
Hurry her mind said sharply.
She pulled the heavy soaked towel aside and nearly fainted.
The wound was long and gruesome, faintly she noticed the smaller scars around it, Scars she had never really paid close attention to before.
Refocusing she found the scissors and flayed his sweater open.
Quickly she dropped them. The sound of them clattering on the hardwood rang in her ears as she scrambled to grab the little boddle of disinfectant fluid on the floor and poured it over the wound and the needle. What was left she used to wash the grime of the day quickly from her hands. Taking a quick unsteady breath she poked the needle into his skin shakily and winced as the needle threaded through it.
Fighting back nausea as blood ran down his side and onto the tips of her fingers she focused on one point of entry after another. Slowly his skin was pulled back together.
She screamed as he grabbed her wrist with a growl.
He glared at her; not really seeing her at all. She whispered his name.
"Edward, it's me. Nadine."
He dropped her hand and his head hit the floor as he again lost consciousness. She quickly threaded the rest of skin together and tied and cut the thread.
Floating to the bedroom she went to pick a soft blanket from one of the baskets behind his clothes rack. She turned her hands in the fading light coming from the high window. Her cuticles were crusted with blood. She went to the bathroom and ferociously scrubbed the blood away with a rough little cloth. Her hands shook as she went to the kitchen to put on a pot of tea.
She remembered seeing a small silver pail outside and she ran to get it. She tripped in the fading light and before she knew it she sat infront of him washing the blood first from his body and then from the pools on the hardwood. She lost count of how many small buckets she had emptied and refilled. The tea pot had almost boiled over as she lost herself in her ministrations.
She covered him with a blanket lightly sobbing when she was done. She sat there for a long minute before working up the courage to check his pulse. It was there strong enough that she sighed in relief, but it didnt stop her from checking it again and again throughout the night. She pulled herself away and quickly changed into a short nightgown and some tight undershorts. She rushed back and filled the pail once more to dab at his face. She wished it had snowed outside. She kept a number of cold clothes from the freezer placed over his injuries; frequently switching them out. Soon she had no choice but to take a break and slept fitfully on the floor next to him. She woke a few hours later.
Most of what was left of the night she sat awake in the corner of the room a cup of cold tea in her hands and a small bloodied paper.
The house grew cold through the night. He had been right the weather was turning nasty. She lit a fire and kept it going. Covering him with a few more light blankets. He didn't move to well past the morning and the sound of him groaning in pain made her leap to her feet.
*Scar
Her face was haggard with dark circles. Her hair was in disarray and forced into a messy bun. She was still the most beatiful woman he had ever seen.
He tried to sit up and groaned. Her voice cracked across the small room as she noticed him and came flying over. Her short gown displaying her ridiculously sexy legs. Her voice was high as she accosted him.
"What do you think your doing?!"
"I've had worst than this. Dont worry about me ." He flinched as pain shot through his ribcage.
"Dont worry? I wasnt sure you were going to make it through the night! Sit down!"
He had been working on standing but now he backed up and sat against the wall. He could tell she was at a breaking point and he didnt want to push her. She disappeared into the room and came back her arms loaded with pillows. He touched his lip.
"They really got me.I must look like a mess."
She glared at him unamused.
"Sit up. Be careful!" She snapped, pushing the pillows behind his back and under his arms trying to make him comfortable. She went to the corner of the room, and swiped the crumbled paper before dropping it in his lap.
'You have seven days to collect a payment from Daruin Gera. If he doesn't have the money that is a first. Waterboard him and give him two more days. And Scar next time you disobey me the knife will be in your heart.'
He looked up to see tears cascading down the smooth skin of her face.
"I'm sorry. I didnt know it would be this bad. This is all my fault."
He tore the paper up.
"No this is all my fault. I should have been ready for this. Next time I will be."
"Next time?" Her voice was wobbly and she hugged herself within her arms.
He didnt know how to comfort her. He sighed,
"Why dont you get some rest."
*Nadine
She dropped a plate with breakfast beside him and headed off to the bedroom. Too tired to argue or worry about his constant recklessness. She wanted to wipe away her tears of relief in private. A thought flashed through her mind that hadn't all night. She wasn't shackled and he couldn't catch her if she ran. She could leave today. She looked at his beaten body as she turned to close the curtain behind her. He winced as he struggled to pick up the plate and carefully placed a fork on the better side of his busted lip.He needed her for a bit longer.