I walked along the bar preparing for the Friday night rush. The few regulars we had were nursing their drinks and munching on peanuts.
"Hey, little bit, you get the stock rotated yet?" my co tender Louis asked lightly.
Louis was nearly thirty and had started tending bar as a side job in college until college didn't work out and the side job became full time. He still had a lot of college boy in him, even though he was now engaged with a kid on the way. Louis was fun to work with.
"Yea, Lou, it's done," I answered calling over my shoulder, "I'm just prepping fruit and what not."
"Ok, watch your back," he said as he moved behind me with a case of beer.
The bar we worked in was called the Lotus.. It had a modern chic decor that was in the center of a blue-collar community, but two blocks from the tech college. Friday nights were always busy and I would not have time to cut fruit for the cocktails come 8 o'clock.
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The night was dying down, my body ached from running around that bar. I loathed those silly silly college girls and their silly mixed drinks or at least I did when they had me mixing Long Islands all night without even tipping decently. I was just about to go back inside for the rest of my shift when two men rounded the corner and began whistling at me.
"Hey babydoll, why don't you come back with us and we'll pour you a drink," the man's accent and blood alcohol level slurred the word drink so it sounded like drank.
"No, not interested" I said simply, turning away.
A hand clamped down on my shoulder and spun me around.
"Now there's no need to be rude," the other one drawled. "Now why won't you come drinkin' with us?"
"Because you are repulsive," I gritted out before thinking. "And if you put your hands on me again. I'll leave both of you out here bleeding," I threatened, hoping I could bust through their drunken stupor so they would just leave.
As soon as the words reached behind that drunken haze they both puffed up and I knew I should've left it is a simple 'no I have to work but enjoy your night'.
I saw his fist coming at me just in time to jump out of the way but not in time to miss the other guys fist. Moments like these will eventually get me killed, because a smart person would run, but not me. No, red stars clouded my vision and my fist flew to the guy's groin. I grabbed a fistful of his greasy hair and brought my knee up to his nose for a satisfying crunch. The first guy then tackled me and my head hit the concrete sidewalk. White dots danced behind me eyes as I tried to process what was happening, but my body was already at reacting, shoving a thumb into his eye socket and bringing my other fist up for a right hook across his jaw. He still didn't go down so I hit him again and again until I felt his eyeball pop like a grape beneath my thumb. His body sagged and I knew he was out cold. I felt a fist knot in my hair sending excruciating pain through me and I think I screamed. I felt the impact of his punch rattle my teeth, then it was like I was floating in space, weightless, and blind.
The steady beeping of a heart monitor woke me. I blinked the haze from my eyes to find myself in a hospital bed. a needle in my arm, and a major headache. I groaned and covered my eyes to the harsh lights of the hospital and found that I wasn't alone.
"She's awake," a man said. His voice was deep and rough with distress which made me curious. He didn't know me, yet he was worrying over me.
"She really had us worried," I could recognize Lou anywhere. "So glad you were there to save her."
"I need to check her vitals," a nurse said firmly that spoke of years of dealing with family and friends of patients. I could feel her working around me. "Miss Ashcroft," she said softly to me. "If you're in pain, press this button," she placed a tiny remote in my palm. I quickly pressed it once, waited a couple seconds and pressed it again. After four doses I was able to relax and open my eyes.
Several people were staring at me and only one of them I knew. Two of them are wearing scrubs, but the man closest to my bedside with gauze on his knuckles was obviously not med staff with the sleeve tattoos on both arms and up one side of his neck. Lou looked frantic. He looked like he was two clicks short of a breakdown and I'd bet there was bourbon in the coffee he clutched like a lifeline.
"What's going on?" I asked. My voice was dry and scratchy.
"You've suffered a brutal attack Miss Ashcroft, you have a fractured arm, broken ribs, and a concussion," the doctor spoke up. "You have a few stitches on the back of your head, I'd like to keep you overnight for observation."
I just nodded and said "Ok, doc."
I looked at Lou and he understood I wanted to know why I wasn't more hurt.
Lou looked over at the tattooed gorilla of a man closest to me and then turned to walk the doctor and nurse out of the room.
"You've been out for several hours," his voice was rough and harsh, nearly cold. "Does it hurt to breath?"
"Who are you?" I croaked out, abandoning my manners, because the pain killers only do so much.
"I'm sorry, I'm Greyson, I brought you to the hospital." I turned to him and nearly chuckled, I have never seen an EMT that looked that buff.
"Since when do EMT's wait at patient bedsides?" I asked.
"Not an EMT, I heard you screaming outside the bar and fought those guys off of you," Greyson's lip twitched, at EMT. I wondered if that was his version of a smile.
"Oh, thank you," I muttered looking down at my arm bound in a cast, my torso was almost completely black and blue, and my face and lips felt swollen on the left side.
"How do you feel?"
"um, like i got the crap beat out of me," I grumbled as I attempted to sit up.
Greyson just looked at me steadily, "they looked worse than you when I got there" he said flatly, "So, I wouldn't say you got the crap beat out of you, when they're the ones handcuffed to their beds two floors down, one of them doesn't have an eye anymore," Greyson's lip twitched again.
I started to laugh and winced involuntarily. "He must have fell into my thumb," I squeezed out.
"I'm sure that's what happened," He retorted lightly. "Would you mind if I helped you sit up? You shouldn't over exert yourself," He asked politely.
"Okay," I whispered, suddenly breathless, not at the pain in my ribs but his hands under my thighs and back easily lifting me up and setting me back down in a more comfortable position. I didn't know if it was the morphine or pheremones, but my skin was on fire.
"Better?" Greyson asked, snapping me away from the dangerous path my thoughts were leading to. What the hell? He screams bad news and trouble, he's the last type that you should get involved with.
"um yes, thank you." I whispered and spotted a couple bottles of water on the table next to me. I instinctively reached for it with my casted arm and inadvertently knocked them both in the floor. "Damn it," I cursed.
"Here," Greyson easily held one out to me, already opened. I nodded my thanks as I happily drank deep.
About that time Lou came back into the room.
"Hey, Ann just called and she says she hopes you feel better soon, but I have to go, I'm so sorry hon," Lou apologized profusely. I just nodded and waved him off, we weren't that close. Just coworkers. With a wave and a smile he was out the door.
"You can go to, I'm fine." I said to Greyson, my voice finally sounding like my own instead of a dying toad.
"No one should be alone in a hospital, is there someone I can call for you?" He asked.
I looked down at my hands and felt empty. No, the only people in my contacts were work related, the phone was a pre-paid, and no one from my old life could know where I was or that I was being held in one place.
"Don't worry about that, I can call them." I evaded, attempting to sound casual and unworried.
"You don't have anyone to call." Greyson stated.
