Tracy

030:

               

"No, she's not okay!" Bridget answered, looking at the assembled like they were crazy. "Come on, honey, can you get up?"

Raine leaned in to help her up, but Richard was closer and as she struggled to stand she automatically reached for him. Raine swallowed painfully, rubbing his aching wrist, and breathing heavily from the shock of the fight.

"Maybe she needs to go to the hospital." Sabrina was saying, as Richard literally and un-hesitantly scooped her up and carried her over the tops of the chairs that had toppled, and to the stairs. There was a quiet gathering area in the basement closer to her room.

"I can walk." She mumbled through her swelling nose, holding her own ice pack.

He let her down slowly, feeling incredibly protective, unable to even allow her boyfriend to console her till they had reached the bottom.

"I think somebody called the police." Marie called as sirens drew closer.

"Shit." Richard exclaimed as he lowered Tracy to the brown vinyl couch in the fire lit downstairs living space.

"No." Tracy moaned. He started to leave her to go back and intercept the unwanted intrusion, when she suddenly grabbed him. "Wait. Please----."

He turned blackened shadow eyes on her, firelight flickering over his face. Bridget had brought the ice, and was kneeling next to Tracy's sprawled figure, looking at her with a perplexed frown.

"Let Raine and Austin tell what happened." Bridget said carefully watching Richard's absurdly overly aggravated eyes darting toward the stairs and the noises of perpetual movement.

He glanced back at her, and then at Tracy who was holding his hand, not like holding it palm to palm, but like grabbing his wrist, and fingers.

"Please, just a second...." She pleaded with a slight quiet sob.

When he concentrated on her features a little longer he felt the sudden heat flare inside him--- the incredible isolated weirdness that was what he and she had in common. He could ease her headache--

He squatted.

His eyes traveled over her, and then to Bridget. Tracy's eyes closed and she swayed. "I'm okay."

"You're hurt, Trace. I think he may have broken your ribs, you're wheezing."

"Just bruised."

"So unprecedented, so uncalled for. You're going to press charges, right?" Bridget dried the barely squeezed out tears, her voice controlled, but shaky.

Tracy bit her lips and shuddered. Richard stroked her hair back out of her face, and examined the darkening bruises. He shook his head at Bridget who offered more ice. "He's an idiot. I won't blame you if you do press charges."

Tracy bowed her head as they all listened to the sounds of the police coming in the door, and Austin's voice explaining what had happened. It seemed Casey was now back in the house.

"Shit." Richard said again, feeling the brunt of Tracy's headache sizzling into his hands, as she finally turned her palm, he laced their fingers, shaking his head slowly, wishing there was something else he could offer, and amazed he was offering what he was. Because he didn't know how he was doing it. He squeezed her fingers carefully. "Do you want to lie down?"

"Just-- just please don't leave me yet. I know that s-sounds stupid, it's not- not that I'm scared, or even especially hurt, although my face feels cracked and broke, but you're fixing the m-migraine. I can't handle the stupid m-migraine right now on top of it all."

He nodded, his eyes resting on her face, feeling the worst kind of rage he'd ever felt at the darkening bruises across her eye and nose, and the lower half of her swollen lip. What kind of freak would hit a woman like this? If only he'd been a few seconds quicker, and anticipated what Casey was up to in his drunken idiocy.

"Tell them-- tell them I'm fine, okay? I don't need to go to the hospital, and I can't talk to anybody, and I'm-- I'm not pressing charges. I just want to-- get a restraining order. I'll do that tomorrow." Tracy winced as the words caused her face to sting painfully.

Richard got up to do her bidding, and she let him go. "I'll send Raine down, if he can get away."

Her eyes, bloodshot and running, nevertheless turned to his face. She swallowed painfully. "Thanks for helping me. I don't know what it is that's happening between us, but it really is real."

He nodded curtly, clearing his throat. He gave her one assessing look and then headed for the stairs.

******