Tymber Dalton - Pinch Me

Sully had brought three guns, two semi-automatics and a revolver, in a metal carry-case. From a duffel bag he produced two sets of shooting muffs and protective glasses.

With the instructor looking on, Sully showed her how all three guns worked and walked her through loading and unloading them. The weight of the guns in her hands wasn’t familiar to her, but it wasn’t altogether unpleasant, either.

Her aim wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst. After shooting all three guns several times and growing more comfortable with them, Sully and the instructor both pronounced her capable enough to safely handle the guns.

Unfortunately, she also realized she should have taken a pain pill. She hoped the men couldn’t see how much pain she was in.

“I’ll make sure I get with you at least once a week to practice,” Sully told her.

“I don’t have a gun.”

He smiled. “That’s part two of my wedding present to you.”

Sully helped her pick out a 9mm that felt comfortable to her. The instructor, who was also the gun shop’s owner, let her shoot several magazines of rounds through it before Sully put down a credit card. She wouldn’t be able to take it home for three days due to waiting period laws, but they got her fitted with two different holsters and a purse she could conceal it in. Sully also got her set up with a cleaning kit, showed her how to use it, and bought her a set of shooting muffs and glasses, as well as a range bag.

By the time they went for lunch, her application had been completed, her picture taken at a drugstore, and Thomas had personally supervised her fingerprints being taken.

And she wanted to break down and cry from the pain.

As they sat in the booth after the waitress took their order, Laura stared out the window.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Bill asked.

She didn’t look at them. “I’m okay,” she softly said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, setting it in front of her.

The bottle of her painkillers.

When she just stared at it, Sully reached across the table, glanced at the label, and then shook one into his palm.

“Hand.”

Something about his tone of voice brooked no resistance. She held out her hand, palm up, in front of him. He dropped the tablet into her palm while Bill slid her glass of water over to her.

“She’s stubborn,” Bill said as they watched her take the pill.

Sully screwed the cap onto the bottle and returned it to Bill. “I know. She thinks she’s a tough solder.” He stared at her from across the table with a familiar intensity that didn’t make her feel uncomfortable.

That bothered her in a way she couldn’t understand. She looked down at her lap.

“I could tell how bad she was hurting,” Sully said as he watched her. “But having dealt with my fair share of pain and that age-old question of do I or don’t I take the meds now or later, I wasn’t going to call her out on it at the range.”

She looked up at him. “Why are you in pain?”

“Got shot in the line of duty. It’s why I retired. Gut and leg. Most of the time, I’m all right. But if I overdo things and don’t take my cane, I can end up needing some of those myself. I try to avoid getting to that point in the first place.”

“I guess it makes it difficult with two babies, huh?”

He looked like he was about to speak, then changed his mind. It took him a moment to reply. “We get by. It takes teamwork.”

It was definitely another of those missed context moments, like she’d sensed with Shayla in the hospital.

Lucky for him she was hurting too bad to pursue it. She just wanted the pain pill to kick in so she changed the subject rather than mulling it over.

“Is this what my life is going to be like now? Looking over my shoulder all the time?” She finally turned to them. “What kind of life is this?” she quietly asked. “Where I don’t know who’s who and might have to kill someone to protect myself?”

Sully reached across the table and laid his hands over hers. “If you need to, you’re welcomed to come stay with us. I already told Rob that, but I’m telling you, too.”

“But that’s not my life.” She looked out the window again. “I want my life back. At least the memories of it. If I had those, it wouldn’t be so bad, I guess. Then maybe I’d know who did this to me. Or at least I’d have a good idea of who didn’t do it to me so I wouldn’t have to rely on everyone else to tell me who to trust.”

“Do you trust me, Laura?” Sully quietly asked.

Something in her heart flipped over in a good way. Not romantically, but…familiar. The same way it’d felt when he’d ordered her to put her hand out.

She turned back to him and stared into his eyes. Grey, clear, understanding. He knew more about her than she did.

“Ask me again,” she said.

His gaze never wavered from hers as he placed his other hand over hers on the table. “Do you trust me?” he softly asked, in a slightly different tone. Firmer, but…something specific she couldn’t put her finger on.

She felt like she should know this.

She stared at him for a moment. Pulling air into her lungs suddenly became a difficult task, even more so with the pain. “Yes,” she quietly said. “I trust you.”

She wanted to add a “sir” to the end of that phrase but cut it off, all without understanding why.

He smiled and gently squeezed her hands before he released them and sat back. “Good. I’m glad you feel that way about me. Because yes, you’re like family to us. I’ll do whatever I can to help keep you safe.”

Rob wasn’t at the condo when they returned. After Sully dropped them off, Bill told her what he’d been up to. While they were shooting, Bill had called Dr. Simpson and set up an appointment. “Nine o’clock Saturday morning,” he said. “She’s coming in special to talk with you.”

“I feel bad she’s making an exception for me.”

“Don’t you try to wiggle out of this. I’m driving you there. Got it?”

She sensed the firm set of his jaw meant he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Thank you,” she quietly said before retreating to her bedroom. She turned at the door. “I need to lie down for a little bit. Can we go to the shop after I wake up?”

“Of course, sweetie. Take as long as you need.”

“Thanks.”

Bill watched as she closed the door behind her. He suspected once the pain pill fully kicked in that they wouldn’t be leaving the apartment.

He was also telling Rob to put the kibosh on Laura going out with her friends in the morning. She was still in too much pain.

He slumped down on the sofa, idly stroking Doogie’s head when the dog shoved it in his lap.

This wasn’t their Laura. Nothing remotely like her. His sister would have taken to shooting that morning with a spirit of fun and adventure, pain or not.

Watching her with Sully had been painful. Like watching a dutiful child going through the motions, doing what they’re told.

That wasn’t his sister. Not his old sister. Not the Laura he grew up with.

His phone vibrated. He looked to see Rob calling.

“How’d she do?” he asked.

“Good, all things considered. Where are you?”

“The house. The alarm company is here now. I’ll be back this afternoon.”

“What about installing the alarm here?”

“Tomorrow morning. Don’t worry, Steve said he’d come over while they do it.”

“Won’t be necessary.” He told Rob about her pain. “I think we should either have them come here, or cancel it. She might get pissed off at me for that, but I don’t care. She needs to rest.”

Rob sounded exhausted. “I agree. I’ll call Shayla. No new memories?”

He hated to be the bearer of bad news. “Sorry.”

Bill checked on Laura several times. She never stirred when he opened her bedroom door.

It was after three o’clock when she finally made her way out to the living room, Doogie on her heels.

He looked up from the book he’d been reading as she carefully lowered herself next to him on the couch and put her head in his lap.

“Oh, little sis, you are sooo not going over to the shop today.” He put the book aside and stroked her hair. “Sorry, but I’m pulling rank. You look like you feel horrible.”

“I know,” she softly said.

“How’s the pain?”

“I don’t want another pill. I hate taking them. My brain feels so fuzzy when I take them. I’m having a hard enough time without those on top of it.”

“You need what you need to get through this.” Although it didn’t surprise him. Laura hated taking prescription pain meds even before all of this.

“I don’t want one,” she insisted.

He knew that stubborn tone. “I’ll give you something nonprescription. Okay?”

“Okay.” She laced her fingers through his. “Thank you for coming. For taking care of me.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

Laura felt like she owed him more than just thanks. He was putting his life on hold to babysit her.

“I’m sorry.”

He gently squeezed her hand. “No apologies. You’re my little sister and I love you. You’re family. The only family I’ve got.”

She closed her eyes and thought about their parents’ funeral. It wasn’t the most pleasant memory to have back, but it least it involved Bill and Rob.

“Do you like Rob?”

“Of course I like him. Why?”

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “Really? You really like him?”

He frowned. “Laur, listen to me. He’s crazy about you. He loves you. We talked after you ordered your wedding invitations, because you were busting my balls about making sure…”