Chapter 9: Snuggles

_Cookie? You got something to help Priss sleep? – Athos_

Once it was confirmed that Evie was going to be fine, Toad ordered everyone back to the Shack. Except for Ink and Tank, who would not leave her side even if the apocalypse happened. Other than her family, Priscilla was the only other person to go up and see Evie.

Tank came down to the waiting room while the large group was getting ready to leave. When Priscilla had opened her eyes, she found Tank squatted down in front of Leo. The large hand was extremely gentle as it caressed her cheek.

“You want to go up and see her?” Tank asked with a small smile.

Not trusting her voice, she merely nodded against Leo’s chest.

The man in front of her gave a small smile as he brushed away a tear on her cheek, “None of that, little one.” He stood up and offered her a hand to help her stand up.

She slipped her much smaller hand into his, and he gently pulled her to her feet. With a protective arm around her shoulders, Tank guided her up to the room where Ink and Athos sat with Evie. The woman in the bed held her good arm out for her student. Carefully, Priscilla sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her teacher.

By the time she had cried herself out and sat up, she discovered that they were alone. “I’m so sorry, Evie.”

Evie cupped the teen’s cheek, “There is nothing for you to be sorry about. You did everything that you were supposed to do. You helped save my life.”

“I should have done more…”

“No, honey,” Evie assured her. “There was nothing more that you could have done.”

“I should have called 911, but I called Athos.”

“Priss,” Evie smiled and pulled the girl towards her and pressed a kiss on her temple. “You called for help when you were panicking. That’s what you do.”

As Priscilla sat up and looked at the woman in the hospital bed, a new wave of tears threatened to fall. “But-“

“But nothing,” she assured the younger woman. “No matter how mature you are, or how grown up you feel, you are still a child. There were lots of adults around to take charge and call 911. You called for help. You did what you were supposed to do.”

Priscilla sniffled and swiped a hand under her nose.

“Why don’t you have Athos take you home and let Nessie feed you?”

They both shared a little laugh. Nessie tried to solve all the problems of the world by feeding people. Heartache? Food. Sad? Food. Happy? Food. Bored? Food.

Walking out of the hospital room, she found her friend waiting, and he wrapped her up in a tight hug. Vaguely, Priscilla was aware of the tension between the two brothers but paid little attention to it. Tank gave her shoulder a brief light squeeze as he went back into the room.

Ink stopped and waited for the other man to enter and close the door behind him. “Give him a little more time, he faced his worst fear today.”

Athos nodded solemnly, “I know. I just… yeah.”

“I understand,” Ink replied. “Take her home, she’s had a rough day.”

The high school wrestler turned walk on football player, kept his strong arm around her shoulders and walked her to the elevator and then one of the few bikes still in the parking lot.

“You good to ride behind me?” Athos asked as he settled the spare helmet on her head.

She nodded and then remembered that she shouldn’t while he was adjusting the strap. “Yeah.”

“Good,” he whispered as he grabbed his own helmet and pulled it on.

Once they were settled on the bike with the engine rumbling underneath them, he pushed off and headed for the Shack. Normally, they would meander here and there, stop for a drink or a bite of food. But tonight, they went straight to the Shack where Spider checked them in.

“I don’t want to go to the kitchen,” Priscilla said softly as Athos stowed the two helmets.

“Go up to my room, and I’ll go get us something to eat,” he told her with a sad smile.

They entered the large building to find it full, and they easily disappeared in the crowd. A few people waved but no one stopped them, leading both to believe that everyone was told to give them space.

Priscilla used her key to unlock the room that Athos stayed in and let herself in. Once inside, she headed straight for the bathroom and a shower. She always kept soap and shampoo in Camille’s room and was happy to find her stuff sitting on the counter.

There really was nothing to wash off her. She did not get any blood on her. Nothing at the hospital was spilled on her. But she felt like she just needed to wash everything off her. It wasn’t until she had washed her hair and scrubbed down her body twice over before she felt like herself again.

She finally stepped out of the bathroom and found Athos sitting at the small fold-up table that had been in Evie’s apartment before she and her men moved into their house with the small grove of trees.

He looked up from the plate that he was pushing mashed potatoes around on. “There’s a t-shirt and some boxers on the bed for you. If you want socks, there’s some in the top drawer.”

“Thanks,” she tossed her towel over the back of the second chair and walked over to the bed to get dressed.

“Doc gave me something to help you relax,” Athos told her, seemingly oblivious of her being naked.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she pulled his shirt on.

“Yeah…”

“Mark.”

“No.” he finally admitted, his voice cracking on the single syllable.

She quickly pulled on the boxers and then went and sat in his lap. She grabbed the small gummy bear next to her plate and chewed it.

“Cherry, my fave.”

Dropping his fork on the plate, he wrapped his arms around her and cried. Eventually, he stood up and carried her to the bed, pausing only briefly to turn off the overhead light.

They snuggled down under the covers with Athos wrapped around Priscilla’s much smaller form. In the dark, the two friends shed silent tears until exhaustion and the gummy that she took pulled them under.

It didn’t take long before the scene in the bubble started playing over and over again in her head. Different scenarios and possibilities played through her dreams.

If she had left when she got the text and not waited, would Evie still have gotten shot?

Evie opened the door and smiled at Priscilla. Then blood was covering her shirt.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

It would start over with Priscilla walking up to the school building. Happy. Blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

But the real Priscilla knew.

The scent of blood and soda would fill the bubble as screams echoed around her.

“Priss!” Athos hissed as he shook her shoulder.

Her eyes flew open as a new sob was wretched from her throat.

“You’re okay, sweetheart,” Aramis murmured from the other side of her. “You want the other gummy?”

She nodded and Aramis moved out of the bed. A moment later, he was back with another cherry-flavored gummy. Letting it do its magic, the two friends comforted and cuddled her until she fell back asleep.

By the time she opened her eyes again, the sun was starting to break the horizon. She stirred and the two men in the bed with her also began to wake up.

“How are you feeling?” Athos asked.

“Better,” she smiled at him from where Aramis was now wrapped around her.

“Good,” Aramis kissed the back of her head. “I’m going to go check on my woman. I’ll let Athos tell you about Bonnie and Clyde.”

Aramis moved out of the bed and Priscilla snuggled into Athos’ chest.

“The cops caught the woman that shot Evie, and to use her sister’s description, the cops Bonnie and Clyde her and her car.”

“Bonnie and Clyde?”

“Something like two-hundred rounds in total. Dawg said that he’s going to try to get the dash cam video. But from what he’s heard, she was threatening them with a sawed-off shotgun.”

“Damn, bitch be crazy.”

“Bitch be dead,” Athos chuckled. “And I’m going to be an uncle.”

“Yay!” she hugged him and kissed his cheek. “Does Camille know?”

“I told her this morning before she left.”

Priscilla’s stomach growled loudly.

“We should probably go feed that angry monster. I think Leo is still here.”