Blind Promises

6. Bossy

She watched him a moment, even if he'd been a bit more relaxed since they'd arrived, she could tell the toll it took. She sighed and started stripping. She tossed the ruined dress in Liam's general direction, her under things she let fall to the floor. She kept her flips on because the shower, while clean, was still public. They were going to take them anyway. When she looked up, she laughed hard for the first time in a long time.

Her dress had landed right on top of his head. "I'm sorry, I was aiming for your feet." She started laughing again. "Jeez, I'm battin' a thousand today."

"As long as you're amused."

Gwen started the shower and let it run a minute to warm, she stepped over, grabbed the ruined garment and pulled it until it was at his feet. "There, better. I'll be out in a little bit, apparently this may take a few. Iris loves long hair. All I want is a pixie cut." Gwen confessed, then she asked brightly, "Hey, you think that's easier? We can cut it all off!"

"Get in the shower, Gwen."

Gwen huffed, "Bossy."

"That's why they call me Major Halstad," Liam smirked.

Gwen stuck her tongue out at him, no one here to see her childish behavior so might as well use it while she could. "Childish behavior and insubordination earn disciplinary action. Act accordingly, Miss Denton."

She didn't say anything for a long moment but she did cover herself up. "I thought you said you couldn't see anything."

"You don't become a major overnight, Gwen. Get in the shower," Liam chuckled. His head was still ducked down toward the concrete.

She groaned, she'd just given herself away. "Damn it, Liam."

She was rewarded with another healthy bit of laughter. Gwen stepped into the shower and let the hot water rinse away all of the glass, blood, and grit from the diner floor off her body and out of her hair. At least she hoped the glass was rinsing out, she heard a few pieces fall but mostly all she could see was how pink the water was from the blood in her hair. She'd never been in a situation where there was glass everywhere before, at least it was bigger pieces and not tiny shards for the most part. She had found one or two of those on Cooper, so it was reasonable that she could have some in her hair. She heard Rich talking to Liam at the door, something about Cooper but the water was too loud to really pick it all up.

After five minutes of only rinsing her hair Gwen ducked her head around the corner of the shower, "You think it's okay to wash now, I've rinsed it this whole time."

Liam didn't meet her eyes, of course, but he did look toward her voice a little, "Yeah, it'll be fine, if you feel glass pick it out, don't massage it in. Rich says that Coop is awake and ready to see us."

"Oh man, awesome, I'll hurry as fast as I can!" Gwen was excited to see Cooper.

Liam smiled, "Hold your horses, cowgirl, take your time. He'll be there after you've made sure you're glass free, they still have to bathe him, too."

"Buzz kill."

"That's generally my job, and I am very good at it. Oh, and to answer your question earlier, yes, I really can run ten miles every morning. And then more in the evening if Rich is up for it," Liam answered her.

"I can run no miles either time of day, I have no plans of changing this habit. Nerds don't run unless it's to Comicons and fandom bullshit. Neither of which I typically partake in outside of cyberspace where running is not required." She nodded and got back under the water where it was warm.

Gwen squeezed shampoo into her palm and gently worked it into her hair, she massaged her scalp first, gently around the front, and then worked her way around. Nothing poked her, that was good. She didn't pile her hair up on top of her head like normal, just scrubbed it on the side, she did have to pick a few pieces of glass out of it. When she conditioned it, she combed it through, and she heard more glass fall to the concrete of the shower floor. An even better reason to keep the flips on. She rinsed it out and conditioned it again, leaving just a bit in hoping for some control. The water felt amazing and once she was done washing her face and rinsing it all, she turned it up so that it was hot against her body. She scrubbed everything off of her skin, the grease, glass, dog slobbers, cute as they may be. She just stood there for a long while and let the hot water ease the muscles in her shoulders while her mind went wild.