Beautifully Wounded (The Beaumont Brothers) (4 page)

Lena

I
hadn’t been expecting the gallantry. I intended to come in, sit alone, and have a cup of coffee; no questions asked. That guy seemed nice and harmless though. Under different circumstances, I would have been attracted to him. He had a kind, handsome face. But then Troy had a kind face too, at one time. The man in this bar seemed to possess something Troy didn’t though. Compassion. It showed in his soft green eyes. And really, how could you not want to trust someone wearing a dark purple T-shirt that said “When words fail, music speaks.” The T-shirt was fitted to his torso, and revealed part of a tattoo on his well-sculpted upper arm, the only part of which I could make out was a series of music notes trailing down. 

I
t was probably not a good idea to trust anyone right now, but it had been such a long time since a man was nice to me. Troy hadn’t allowed me to socialize after we’d gotten married. He said if he caught me talking to any of my friends he’d punish me. I knew firsthand what those punishments were like. Two weeks after we eloped he showed me how things would be. How he could punish me. It didn’t take long for that nice, lovable, charm to turn nasty. I tried my best to please him, but I was never good enough. There was never any warning of what might set him off. By the end of our first month of marriage I realized I’d made the biggest mistake of my life, and I feared he might kill me the way that monster had killed my mother.

Standing before the
mirror I tried to smooth down my hair again, but it was no use. “God, I do look pathetic. That bartender must think I’m a case.”

I rinsed my hands under the warm water. Closing my eyes as the cold tingling in my fingers subsided. As I dried my hands, I caught sight of a little bit of blood under my short fingernails. I always kept them short because of the guitar, even though it had been a while since they even touched any strings. After seeing the
beautiful wooden instrument on the stage they suddenly itched to play again. I wished I still had mine. Another thing Troy had gotten rid of. He said I didn’t need any reminders of that wild life, said I was better off now—secure with him—he would give me all I would ever need. I sighed, leaving the bathroom with an overwhelming need to play that guitar.

Jackson

I watched as she walked out of the bathroom and stopped again at the front of the stage. This time, she stepped up and picked up my most prized possession—my custom Fender Dreadnaught guitar—and my heart leaped in my chest. I started to object, but paused. The way she picked it up, stroking her fingers gently over the golden base, told me it wasn’t the first time she’d held a guitar in her hands. What would it hurt? She sat down on the chair with her back facing me and began strumming a few chords. She played a soft ballad, and I was impressed.

Brodie
appeared by my side, a towel draped over his shoulder. He stood an inch taller than my six-feet-two-inches with the same green eyes, the same strong jaw line, and black hair. But Brodie’s hair had an auburn hue to it, which turned redder in the summer, and he wore it shorter.

“
Heard the tune,” Brodie said in a low whisper. “Thought you’d gone soft on us. Who’s the chick?”

“
Don’t know yet.”

“
Is that your Dreadnought she’s playing?”

“
Yeah.”

“
You’re letting
her
play it, and you don’t even know who she is? Sheeeeit ... if I even blink at that guitar of yours you have a hissy fit and threaten to kick my ass.”

“
You need to stick to your bass. Now, shut up or I will kick your ass.”

Brodie
chuckled. “You haven’t been able to kick my ass since fourth grade.”

I tilted my
head toward Brodie’s and whispered, “She has a shiner double the size of a silver-dollar, and she keeps clutching at her side. It looks like someone roughed her up pretty badly.”

“
Whoever did that to her might come looking for her, you know. They might want to finish what they started.”

I
frowned. “I’ll handle her. You should go back to whatever it was you were doing. She seems a bit skittish, if you know what I mean. Too many faces may spook her.”

“
My brother, the savior ... do I need to caution you?”

“
Too late, I already gave her ice for her eye. I’m involved now.” I hardly knew her, but somehow my need to help her overwhelmed me. I believed in fate. It had to be fate that brought her into my bar on a morning that I just happened to be there.

“
Is this going to be like the fawn or the bird?”

It was a well-known fact
—sometimes even a joke—around town, that I’d made a habit of saving injured animals. I had to admit, I’d always been a sucker for the wounded. Even as a kid I was always rescuing injured animals. When I was eleven, I rescued a fawn tangled in barbed wire. The fawn had an injured leg. I nursed it back to health and wanted to keep it—begged to keep it—but my dad said I had to let it go once it regained its strength. I cried over that fawn the day my dad took it back into the wild. I hadn’t cried since, not even when the old man walked out on us, and our mother, two years later.

The
hawk rescue, on the other hand, was a little bit different. It simply flew away once its wing had healed. I had been older by then, and knew it would happen, just as it had with some of the other animals I’d saved.

“
Probably more like the fawn,” I admitted. It was beautiful and wounded too.

“
Shit. Well, don’t come crying on my shoulder. I know, I know, there’s nothing I can say or do to change your mind.” Brodie shook his head. “At any rate, she sounds great. Looks great from this angle too. I wonder if she can sing.”

“
Hmmm.” I rubbed my chin. Brodie was right. From this view of the side of her face you couldn’t see the black eye, and she was beautiful. The idea that anyone could assault such a lovely creature sickened me. It appalled me to think about some scum of the earth beating her—major scum of the earth. My brother was also right about the possibility of someone looking for her, especially the way she kept looking at the door.

When s
he finished playing the tune she set the guitar down with care—gently resting it in the exact position I had placed it in earlier. She knew how to handle a guitar. That alone told me she was worth the risk. She turned and smiled when she saw me watching. I’m sure I had a silly grin on my face.

“
I’m sorry, I should have asked first. I hope that was okay. Playing always seems to relax me, and when I saw it there I just couldn’t help myself.”

And
I couldn’t help myself. “No, that was lovely,” I said.
She
was lovely.

She
returned to her seat and carefully sat down. I dumped out her cup and filled it back up with hot coffee. I noticed her coat opened a bit at the top, revealing a bruise at her collarbone. She saw where I was looking, and tugged the coat shut. Then she picked up the cup and sipped. The way she positioned herself on the stool made me think her side was aching more now.

“
I don’t usually let anyone touch my baby, especially when I don’t even know her name. I’m Jackson Beaumont, by the way.” I held out my hand to her, and she placed her small soft one in mine.

“
Le ... um, Lana. Nice to meet you.”

“
The pleasure’s mine, ah, Le … um, Lana.”

She giggled a little. “Just Lana.”

“Okay, just Lana, then.”

She nodded.

“You’ve got some talent, Lana.”

“
Thanks. I played all through high school, and actually played in a band later. We had a few gigs in some minor clubs back in Medford until ....” She trailed off, lowered her eyes, and became silent. I figured she wasn’t willing to reveal too much information, not even her real name.

“
You’re welcome to jam with us any night, or are you just passing through?” I poured myself a cup of coffee. I wasn’t accustomed to having a swig of whiskey in the morning, and I decided that I had a busy day ahead and needed a clear mind.

“
No, I haven’t really given it much thought, but yeah, I’m just passing through ... I think.” Then she grabbed at her side and cringed with discomfort.

“
Look, um ... Lana, I can tell you’re in pain, and I can also tell you’re scared. No one here will hurt you. You know … I have a friend, Doc. He could take a look at your injuries if you want.”

“
No. No doctors. I can’t.”

“
It’s okay. Doc’s not really a doctor. We just call him Doc. His real name is Jon Doctrill. We’ve called him Doc since we were kids. He’s a little older than me, and he had a short stint in the Army—medical unit—after he’d gone through pre med. After his term in Iraq he decided to shine on the medical career. Said he’d seen enough blood for one lifetime. Now he just sort of hangs out around here and plays in the band when he’s not risking his life for the fire department. I’m sure he’d be happy to take a look, make sure nothing’s broken.”

“
No. I can’t ask you to do that, really. I’ll be fine. Besides, I really should be going.”

“
Yeah ... I know,” I said softly and leaned closer to her, my forearm resting on the bar. I didn’t want her to leave. “But it’s no trouble. Really. He’s due in here any minute anyway, and he owes me,” I lied. Jon wasn’t expected to come in, but he did owe me.

“
How about I give him a call, get him here a bit sooner. Let him check out your eye and your side. You can barely move. Then, if you want, you can be on your way. No questions asked. If nothing else, at least he can give you some pain meds. He seems to have a never ending supply.”

“
No, really, I can’t. You’re kind, but no thanks.”

She started to get up to leave
, and I laid my hand on hers, and looked into her eyes. “Please, Lana. Let me help you.”

She
paused and sat back down. “I don’t know. I could use a few pain meds I guess. Are you sure he won’t mind?”

“
I promise, and you won’t even have to pay him.”

“
Are you always in the habit of rescuing young women?”

“
Yeah, I’m a real boy scout. Yesterday I helped poor old Mrs. Feeney across the street, and if you stick around, I’ll show you how to build a fire from a few twigs and a rock.”

She
chuckled and grabbed at her side.

“
I really did help Mrs. Feeney. Just not across the street. It was more like rescuing her cat from a tree branch that was just out of her reach. But as far as the fire goes, we’ll have to use matches.” That made her laugh out loud, which in turn caused her to clutch at her side and moan. Man, I was doing nothing but causing this poor girl more pain.

As
I dialed Doc’s number, I glanced over at Lana, glad for once that the portable phone had been left at the far end of the bar, which gave me an excuse to walk away to talk.

“
Hey, Doc. Glad you’re in.”

“
What’s up Jack? I was just on my way down there.”

“
Guess I didn’t lie after all.”

“
Huh?”

“
Never mind. Listen. Bring your medical bag with you. There’s a girl here I want you to check out.”

“
A girl? What, you want me to check to make sure she’s a safe lay? Come on Jack, I don’t give physicals. Tell her to go see a doctor.”

I glanced back at Lana and whispered,
“She’s in pretty bad shape, Doc. I think she may have a bruised rib, maybe cracked. She said she was in a car accident, but she’s scared, and doesn’t want any doctors. She won’t say why, but … I think she was beaten up, maybe even raped.”

Lena

I glanced up to see the frame of a towering man stroll into the bar, the top of his head just missing the door lintel. His stride matched his length, and he eyed me suspiciously as he passed by me. A red-checkered patch at the base of one of the pockets on his rear end caught my eye. A stray curl fell over his left eye, somehow escaping the light brown ponytail, the end licking across the center of his back. Black medical looking bag in tow, I assumed this was Doc. He walked—no, strutted—over to Jackson. Definitely not your average looking soldier boy. To me, he looked as though nature had placed him in the wrong era, thirty years out of his time.

“
Hey Doc, this is Lana. Lana, Jon Doctrill.” I wondered if it was safe to let him examine me. I wanted to run out of there. I started to stand, winced at the pain, and clutched my side. Jackson grabbed my arm to steady me, and helped me to sit back down. “Whoa. Take it easy.”

“
Seems to be getting worse,” I admitted. My voice sounded weak, even to me.

“
Maybe I can help,” Doc said.

I
gave him a wary look, still not quite sure how much I could trust him, even trust Jackson for that matter.

Doc took a step toward me
, and I cowered back a step. “What harm could it do?” Doc tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“
He’s right, what harm could it do?” Jackson said.

“
Lana.” Doc held out his hand and smiled a don’t-worry-I’ll-take-care-of-you smile. His kind eyes put me a little more at ease.

“
Let’s go back to the office for privacy, just in case someone else comes in.”

My
muscles must have started to tighten up because walking now was much more difficult than it had been just a short while ago. Leaning on Jackson for support, I hobbled along to a small room in the back of the bar.

“
Here, sit down Lana.” Jackson gestured toward a small brown leather sofa along the wall before turning to leave.

“
Wait, please stay,” I begged, still unsure of what I was getting myself into. I somehow felt a little safer with Jackson there.

“
I’ll need you to take off your coat so I can listen to your lungs and check your ribs.”

R
emembering I didn’t have anything on underneath my coat, I only unbuttoned the top three buttons. My hands trembled with each small movement.

“
Um … I’ll need more than that,” he said.

“
I uh … sort of left in a hurry, and didn’t really have time to put much on.”

“
Sorry, here. You can cover up with this.” Doc picked up a small wool blanket from the back of the sofa and handed it to me. I didn’t like the idea of baring my flesh to this stranger, but I knew I was hurt, and I didn’t want to go to the emergency room for treatment. Hospitals and urgent care centers asked too many questions, and quite honestly, I wasn’t that great of a liar. At this point, I figured Doc was my only solution. I was grateful when Jackson turned his back. Doc frowned as he gazed at the myriad of bruises on my sides. “Okay, just breathe as deep as you can,” he said, holding his stethoscope against my back.

I winced as e
ach breath caused a stabbing pain through my midsection.

“
Now lie back, I’m going to check your ribs to make sure you’re not showing any signs of internal problems. It may hurt a bit.”

H
e was gentle with his touch as he examined my rib cage, but I cringed anyway when his fingers met my skin. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to allow another man to touch me in any way after Troy, and I had to remind myself that Doc was a doctor, almost. Deep down I knew most men were not like Troy.

“
Sorry, I know that must hurt like a mother fucker.”

“
Jeez Doc, watch your language will you?” Jackson grumbled from the door.

“
Sorry, I mean hurt like a son of a bitch. Ah shit, sorry.”

In spite of the pain and the embarrassment of the situation,
I smiled at Doc’s flustering.

“You can sit up now,” he said, holding out a hand for me. I grabbed it
, and as I sat up and pulled the blanket around me, Jackson turned back around.

Jackson waited patiently across the room as Doc
checked the bump on my head and examined my eye, asking me to follow his finger as he checked my peripheral vision, which I’m pretty sure was fine.

Doc straightened.
“I’m sorry … I have to ask this, but is there any semen residue we need to be concerned with? You know, in case you want to press charges?”

“
Really, Doc? She said she was in a car accident,” Jackson said.

Doc shot
Jackson an apologetic look. “Sorry, it’s just the way these bruises are shaped, I just assumed ... sorry, I had to ask.”

“
I’m sure Lana knows the law concerning rape, Doc. Of course they would need a sample of the semen to prosecute. Right Lana?”

I
understood what Jackson was getting at. He was stating the law for my benefit. He didn’t believe my accident story any more than Doc did. Could he really think I was that ignorant? Of course he could, he didn’t know me.

I
smiled at Jackson, and appreciated the way he had stayed with his back to us while Doc examined me. “It’s okay. No, there isn’t,” I said, remembering how Troy had lost his erection in the middle of what he deemed lovemaking. At least that was something I didn’t need to lie about.

“
How long ago did this happen?” Doc asked.

“
Um …” I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t planned on being questioned by anyone. I’d planned on hiding out somewhere quiet until my wounds healed, but now that I realized how badly I looked, I knew that the little bit of money I had would never make it until then. “Early this morning ... I was in a friend's car. We pulled out of the driveway and bam, a truck smacked right into my side of the back of our SUV. We were on our way to visit friends. My friend decided to stay home and get their car fixed so I left on my own. I've been driving for about six hours since, I think.” Disbelief settled over both of their faces, and they glanced at each other, but I continued with my ruse.

Doc
didn’t mention anything else about my condition or the fact that I was completely naked under my coat.

“
Well, an X-ray would be helpful, but rib fractures don’t always show up on X-ray. You don’t seem to be having too much difficulty breathing, which would indicate that there’s not too much damage. I’d say your ribs are most likely just badly bruised, but not too bad. You should avoid taking too many deep breaths, as those will only aggravate your injuries more. You'll want to keep ice on that eye, and some on your head. Jackson can help you to do that.” He glanced at Jackson and he nodded. “I have something for the pain, but you shouldn’t drive while taking it. Actually, you shouldn’t travel anywhere for a while. A little bed rest and you’ll be good as new.”

I
wasn’t sure what to do at that point. I didn’t have any place to go. “Thanks,” I said, and I dropped my head in my hands to think.

Jackson
cleared his throat and said, “We’ll be out here. Come out when you’re ready.” He nodded to Doc and tilted his head toward the door as they stepped out.