Jagged Embrace

Chapter 39 - Maeve

Will came back into the room and peered at his phone. He still seemed angry, which meant he was still upset about the mission, or maybe he and Mason had argued. Without looking up, he retrieved a beer from the mini fridge and plopped on his bed. He cracked his neck and shoulders, and his expression grew more intense as he read.

Seconds later, Ander stood in front of Will. Maeve couldn't see either of their faces and, as usual, no words were used, but they were having some type of exchange. She ignored them and opened her journal.

"Your neck and shoulder are irritated again. Are you doing the stretches I recommended?"

Maeve paused in her writing and slid her eyes over to Will and Ander. Ander was behind Will, massaging his shoulder and neck. Will still stared at his phone.

"This is one of the few injuries that did not heal properly. Can you please have the patience to do the recommended therapy?"

"I'm not gonna do the PT, you know that. Why do you even bother nagging me about it?" Will replied gruffly.

"Because I dislike that you are in constant pain due to me," Ander whispered.

Will grimaced. "It's not your fault, Andy. I told you that. It was never your fault." Bitterness laced in Will's words.

Will was in pain all the time? Maeve raised her head, unable to keep herself from staring at them.

"Will-" Ander began.

"Don't. I'm not gonna agree with you. I'll never agree it's your fault. It happened because of him, not you."

"Yes, but if you had not tried to keep him from me-"

"Stop!" Will pulled away from Ander and looked at him over his shoulder. "I did what I did because I was tired of that asshole beating the shit out of you. I don't care if it didn't heal right. I don't care if it hurts. It was worth it."

Ander nodded and put his hands on Will. Maeve sat still, moved by Will's devotion to his cousin. Will slowly brought his eyes to Maeve. She held her breath. For the first time in weeks, she felt like an intruder again. Will slid away from Ander and stood. Ander pinched his eyebrows as Will pulled out another beer from the mini fridge.

Maeve sensed Ander staring at her and turned her head back to him. Her hand strayed up and touched her necklace. She felt certain that Will only moved away from Ander because she was there, and she pulled her bottom lip in and nibbled on it, wondering what Will didn't want her to know. That he was in constant pain? Or that Ander tried to help by giving him a massage? She spun her gaze back to Will, figuring it was probably both.

"We leave tomorrow," Will said with his impassive mask back in place.

She nodded and turned back to her journal.

********

Maeve yawned and rubbed her eyes, peering out the window and wondered where they now were now. She knew they'd headed south, but Will hadn't told her the destination for the next mission. She wanted to ask, but he was moody again, so she treaded carefully. He and Ander had been bickering for the past two days of the trip. As always, Will was impatient to get the location, but Ander reminded him they hadn't received the order to engage and he wouldn't want to sit with nothing to do for days.

To that end, they took what Will called the "scenic route". He even let them stop overnight twice. The first stop in Knoxville was for Will. All he wanted to do was stay out all night drinking. It irritated both her and Ander, but they both agreed that he needed to unwind a bit, so they went to bar after bar with him until they had to practically carry him into the motel room. Maeve had no idea how Ander could support most of Will's weight. She felt like she was trying to lift a car because he was so dense with all that muscle.