Another Update

As promised. I had to search a tiny bit for this one, since it wasn't saved in a different segment like I usually do. If there are typos, try to survive while reading I didn't get as much time to edit as I would have liked.





Ashes on the Water - Part Three

Michelle woke with a jerk, finding Joshua’s arms still wound around her tightly when she shifted. Joshua smiled, the corner of his lip showing a bloody cut that had not been tended to. Michelle kissed his jaw, sitting up and blinking in the warm afternoon heat, her hoodie still soaked and coated on one arm by thick black sludge mud. She looked to his wounded shoulder, noting his stiffness and the cringe as he reached to touch her cheek. One of her nails had been torn off in the scuffle, his forehead at a cut by his hairline.

“We need to see a doctor.” She whispered, her voice soft and dry from sleep. Joshua nodded, standing and pulling her up with him.

“Yeah, I was waitin’ for you to wake up doll.” He whispered, cupping her to his chest with his good arm and reaching to pinch her nose. “Broken?”

“No, I don’t think Raz broke it.” She answered before he could try to convince her to let him fix it. In truth, she knew by the odd angle that it was broken, but not badly. Joshua led her out of the alley, on their way back to where Razuko had been attacked. Joshua saw the cop lights from around the corner and quickly held Michelle back, her concerned look telling him her fears. He peeked around, noting the pool of blood across the cement. Joshua promised himself he wouldn’t tell Michelle what he’d done to Razuko with the four other bullets in that gun.

He turned, passing her and grabbing her elbow, leading her down towards the river and pulling out the gun. No, he reconsidered, this was too close to the murder scene. He continued leading her up the street, ten miles up the river almost. They needed the gun anyways, with one bullet, for they were in the worst part of the city and only on foot. Joshua let Michelle stop to rest, and on the final mile je picked her up, cradling her in his arms. He was a strong man, a whole foot taller than her at six-foot-seven and a pretty scary man when pissed. That’s what she loved about him, that he would often scare her but she found his anger curious and if anything it drew her closer.

He had been careful not to become angry at her, the discipline of a Marine who had been hardened by eight years across seas in a small war in Brazil. Michelle often worried that he wouldn’t come back, but the worry of loosing him wasn’t as great as the loneliness of not having him or the insecurity of being alone in this city. Joshua would face down any threat to her, often with her help. They had met as companions on a deal with Pero long ago. Razuko, Pero’s younger brother, had foiled the deal and tried to kill Pero, but the fight had been arranged by Michelle, knowing they’d needed the time to escape.

A honk brought Michelle and Joshua back to the mangy street corner they stood on, across from the hospital. Someone’s car alarm had been set off and was going haywire. Michelle, exhausted from the walk and feeling it strongly, buried her head into his good shoulder and slept some more as he walked to the canal behind the river. He looked at the gun before throwing it out into the fast moving canal waters, turning and walking into the ER. He walked to one of the nurses and sat Michelle against the counter as he talked to the nurse.

“She’s got a broken nail and a broken nose I think. She’s pregnant too. I’ve got a gunshot in my shoulder, not critical, and a broken finger. A scrape on my forehead and a busted lip too.”

The nurse nodded, her fingers clicking in the information as he told her, before she stood and walked into the small office behind the desk. Two male nurses in blue scrubs walked out, helping to get Michelle strapped onto the gurney they had wheeled out. She stirred as they finished, looking to Joshua before passing out again, her hand curling and uncurling at her side. They took them both to a small room and set Joshua down to begin washing his wounds. He was stoic as they put the alcohol onto his shoulder, looking from the wound to Michelle as they worked with her too. He could see her cry as they fixed her nose, the doctor leaning over her on the opposite side of the gurney whispering to the nurse. She nodded and walked out, as the doctor looked at Michelle’s badly bent arm. Broken, Joshua guessed.

It broke his heart to see his little ‘Kiss’ in pain. He snarled softly as the nurse stuck a swab into his wound, his eyes narrowing. Who knows what that bastard Pero had told her when he was gone? He thought. And what was she dealing with Razuko for? The nurse gave him a quiet apology as the doctor helped wheel Michelle’s gurney out. They were back in an hour, Joshua waiting quietly on the bed in the painfully plain white room, his forehead stitched and bandaged, his lip also stitched, and his entire shoulder in a sling. Michelle’s arm was in a dark blue cast when they returned, her engagement ring having been removed. Kindly the doctor handed Joshua the ring and smiled.

“Baby’s fine and she’ll wake up shortly. We gave her heavy painkillers for us to fix that arm. Joshua smiled appreciatively and hugged the man, speechless for a moment.

“My health care should pay the bills, right doc?” Joshua asked, reaching for his wallet, but the doctor stopped him.

“Look, Josh, I’ll make sure to put as much onto your healthcare as I can, the rest I’ll pay personally. Michelle told us what happened to her, and we know she prefers her business to be left to herself.” He told Josh, giving the younger man’s wrist a gentle squeeze. Josh nodded, clapping the man on the shoulder and passed him to pull up a chair beside Michelle. He lay on the edge of the bed, his jacket and shirt on the chair, his good arm supporting his head as he watched her sleeping peacefully. She looked so beautiful to him that the temptation of having her in that gown was pretty strong, but he would wait until a more appropriate time. He noticed her moving and shifted closer, listening to her whisper in a dry voice. He kissed her and shook his head, standing and walking to the small sink and filling a paper cup with water, returning and holding her head up to dribble it into her lips. She smiled after he set the cup down, turning to him and opening her eyes. Her left eye had a light black spot under it, almost too puffy to be opened Joshua noted.

“Mmm, how long have I been out?” She whispered, wiggling the fingers of her right arm in the cast. He just shrugged, he hadn’t been counting the hours but he knew it to be late.

“Hey, they said the baby’s fine. I’m okay.” He said, clipping off her next question as that troubled look passed her face. He kissed her, pulling a blanket up over her and pulling her close to his warm body. He could feel the normal heat of the wound in his left shoulder, he wasn’t new to being a gun target. He’d survived being shot in the same shoulder six years ago. He looked down on her as she smiled in silence, his hand running from the knee where her gown ended, up to her hip, his thumb rubbing soft circles there. He knew his calloused hand to be rough, but she had thick skin and had even told him that she liked the feeling.

“Josh?” She whispered into his ear as he leaned to kiss her neck, trailing his hand around to her inner thigh and grinning like a wicked dog. Michelle bite her lip, shifting as best she could with her back so achy and stiff. She gave him a concerned look but he shook his head and moved his hand back out. He would wait until later, he had promised. Right now he just wanted to kiss her and bring her some pleasure for all the pain.