Bad Company

No Pain, No Gain

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Dannie teased me, eyeing the Chick-fil-A bag hungrily. A relieved smile pulled on her lips as she hauled herself out of the waiting room seat and reached for the food Colt offered her.

"I faintly recall a conversation like that," I pretended to mull over my thoughts, scrunching up my nose. "Yeah, I think it was the last time I brought you food."

Colt chuckled at our back-and-forth and squeezed my hand gently in his. "Y'all act like an old married couple. Should I be jealous?"

"Very," Dannie interjected around her mouthful of fries, shooting me a knowing look as I couldn't stand when she did that. It only seemed to emphasize Colt's joke, and she grinned at that realization.

"I should probably warn Daniel then." Colt's face suddenly mimicked a worried expression.

I shifted under his arm and peered up at him. His sharp eyes met mine, and I smiled at the unadulterated humor shimmering back at me. "Actually, we're waiting to surprise him at the court house, when he goes to get the marriage license. Figured it'd be easier that way and all."

"Ah, a clean break," Colt nodded his approval, offering me a toothy grin at the appearance of my own smile.

Dannie suddenly shifted uncomfortably beside me and cleared her throat. She placed the fry she had been eating back in the bag with a frown and set it down on the chair behind her alongside the magazine she had been skimming.

I didn't like the look she was giving me, and I could feel my muscles automatically tensing, waiting for her next words.

"Speaking of clean breaks..." Hazel eyes flickered to mine, and a glimmer of fear made itself known. Dannie released a huge breath and lifted her hands to her cheeks, dragging her fingers to the corners of her downturned lips before dropping them back to her side. "I didn't want to tell you this over the phone, E, but the bullet that hit Greg shattered two of his ribs." My knees weakened suddenly, and I found myself leaning most of my weight against Colt for support. His strong arms snuck around my waist, and his breath stirred the hair brushing my ear. "The doctor said the bullet ricocheted between his ribs before causing the shot to change trajectories. It's actually the only thing that kept him alive, and I really wish you had seen the doctor's face because he seemed like he was--in the best terms--in utter disbelief at what he was saying."

Suddenly, all of my complaining about my sore ribs seemed trivial and selfish.

"Wow," I managed to finally respond. Shock rippled through my body, and I took in a deep breath. Colt stayed beside me, rubbing his hands up and down my arms. Tonight just seemed to offer one thing after another. "So what? Are they going to have to have more surgeries to repair the damage?"

A frustrated sigh escaped her control, and she fidgeted anxiously with the diamond ring on her left hand. Her eyebrows subconsciously drew together. "I haven't heard any updates from them since then."

"I'm sure everything will be alright," Colt whispered in my ear, tucking his nose beneath my jaw. I felt comforted in his arms, like nothing could hurt me while I was with him. "Relax your muscles, sweetheart, and take a deep breath. If Dannie sees that you're worried, she's gonna worry, too."

Taking his advice, I straightened my spine and forced a gentle smiled for my best friend, hoping to ease both her concern and mine. "Do you remember when we were little and I jumped out of your second story window because you convinced me I could fly?"