Punch!

Chapter 24: A Gauze-y Romantic

Chapter 24

A Gauze-y Romantic

"What've I missed?" Suzette was curious. Four days didn't seem like that long, but she figured there was some new fiasco. 

"Believe it or not, I've actually been filling you in everyday." Reed was blushing a little bit. "I've been coming in here and talking to you while you were asleep." 

Suzette grinned. "Really? That's sweet." 

"You and I both had to have jaw surgery." Reed dived in. "The doctors kept going on about how weird it was. It was like Pauly had given us both the exact same punch. We had similar fractures and everything. You had your surgery yesterday and I had mine the day before. I have to wear a jaw brace on and off all day, but you've just been wearing a lot of gauze since you've been asleep. You're supposed to have your plastic surgery in a couple of days."

"Plastic surgery?" Now Suzette really wanted to know what she looked like.

"No big deal, I have to have it too. It's going to help so that we don't have big, ugly, sagging scars on our faces for the rest of our lives." Reed chuckled. 

"Okay." Suzette said. "How's everyone else? Harmony? Ivy? My family? Your's?"

Reed pressed his lips into a line. "The night they brought us in, I had to give them all of my information, and they also made me tell them exactly what happened, which meant telling them about the fight club. They shut Catty down and arrested him for forcing minors to fight."

Suzette couldn't believe it. "He forced you to fight?"

Reed nodded. "My family is not so good financially. Neither are Peter, Smithy and Louie's. The four of us stole from Catty one time and he said that he wouldn't rat us out to the police if we'd fight for him. It gave us a little extra money so I decided to do it, and I wasn't half bad. But he wouldn't let us leave. He said if we did, he'd tell the police about our theft."

"Oh my God, Reed." Suzette couldn't imagine how horrible that must've been for him.

"There's one more thing." Reed said quietly. "Catty also has domestic abuse charges against him."

"Is Harmony okay?" Suzette's heart was pumping with fear.

"She told police that same night I talked to them. Apparently he's been hitting her and threatening her since they met. She'd always cover up the bruises and scraps with makeup. She told the police she only stayed with him because she didn't have family anywhere else. She was afraid of being alone." Reed told her. "But they've enrolled her in some therapy classes and she's staying in a halfway house until she can get on her feet."

"That's good. She didn't deserve that." Suzette felt like strangling Catty Blue. "What a disgusting human being."

"And Ivy's fine." Reed carried on. "She's just a little shaken up." Reed placed his hand on top of Suzette's. "And Suzie? Your family has been here everyday and night. The doctors finally convinced them to go home and get some rest yesterday. That's why they're not here right now. They'll be so excited to know you're awake. So will Gavin."

"Gavin?" Suzette asked. "Who is Gavin?"

"My kid brother." Reed explained with a smile. "Whenever I'd come in here to talk to you, he'd come with. He always talks to you and tells you how pretty you are." 

"I can't wait to meet him." Suzette wouldn't have pegged Reed as the caring older brother type, but then again, he was turning out to be a pretty good guy. "But I doubt I'm very pretty right now after everything that's happened."

"Well, you know what I think, Suzette Kimberly?" Reed leaned in closer, his palm sliding on the hospital bed's rough fabric. "I think you look beautiful."

And then, slowly and gently, he kissed her. Gauze and all.