Naughty Friend Buys My Silence Ch. 17

May 30, 2021

NOTE: I plan on having digital files (book 1 & book 2) for this story in the upcoming month or so, which I'll make freely available to anyone on Patreon who wants a copy.

Also, once we get to chapter 18 and 19, I'll want your opinions on where you want to see the story go after that. As usual, I have plans, but I can always modify or insert ideas if there are certain events you want to happen regarding the characters.

<< Chapter 16 | Chapter 1

- CHAPTER 17: Emergency -

- SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20: Late Afternoon -

The moment I realized my worst nightmare was really happening, I started running up the apartment stairs, my thoughts barely seconds ahead of my actions, before I abruptly came to a halt when I heard the deadbolt lock, realizing that I couldn’t just break down the door.

Literally, I could kick it as hard as I wanted, and it was doubtful it would just magically open up like in movies, even as strong as my legs were.

Not to mention, if I started pounding on the door, it would draw too much attention from the other neighbors who lived here.

And we couldn’t get the cops involved, because what Amber was doing was technically illegal.

Sure, she could lie, and sure these guys would get in trouble too, but involving the police might sincerely result in Amber getting put in jail. Not to mention, she might actually be pissed at me for getting directly involved, claiming that she could have handled the situation herself.

And honestly, for all I knew, maybe she could handle the situation herself.

Still, I wasn’t going to risk her getting gangbanged from a bunch of assholes, and I could even imagine her putting up with it simply to avoid something even worse from happening by losing complete control of the situation, where they forced themselves on her.

At least if she acted like she was willing, then she could still try to dictate what everyone did. She could still try to hold onto some semblance of control.

However, at this point, I didn’t give a damn what she wanted me to do, or not do. I didn’t give a damn if she was going to be pissed at me for getting involved. All I cared about was getting her out of this situation safely, while also avoiding her landing in jail.

Whether I broke into the house armed with only my fists, my mace, or with the gun I’d thankfully brought, I was still going to be climbing up to the balcony on the other side of the building and putting a stop to this shit.

Fuck, I couldn’t believe I’d really brought the gun when I actually needed it, though I was sure I still could have managed if I hadn’t brought it on impulse.

Without hesitation, I turned right back around and bolted down the stairs, flying out the glass door with such force that I slammed my knee into the glass, surprised it didn’t break, or even crack. I then dashed across the parking lot and yanked open the rear door, hastily yanking out the gun and magazine from my backpack, immediately wishing I hadn’t rolled them up so tightly in my shirts, only to load it and double-check the safety prior to shoving it into the lip of my jeans.

I then grabbed my mace too, shoving the tube into my pocket, even though I had no intention on using it.

Slamming the door shut, I bolted straight for the side of the building, having tunnel vision, only being vaguely aware of another car entering the parking lot, dashing around the side and to the back, finding myself thankful it was cold enough that no one else was on their balconies.

Given the door I’d seen the guys filing in, it wasn’t hard to guess which balcony belonged to the bastard who’d set Amber up, with me readjusting the gun more securely before I grabbed ahold of the rocky wall to get my feet on the black metal railing of the lower balcony, only to reach up and begin hoisting myself to the next level, using my feet against the wall to speed up the process.

The metal bars were freezing cold, but I didn’t give a damn, being unsurprised when I climbed over the railing to see that the white blinds to the sliding glass door were closed.

Pulling out the gun, I stepped right up to the glass, being able to hear loud arguing, mostly the volume coming from Amber.

Evaluating my options, I knew that the worst case was that I could either kick or shoot through the glass to get inside, with the second alternative being a bit less favorable, since I’d prefer not to leave evidence behind. But I might have to do that anyway if it reached a point where I’d have to shoot.

Technically, if no one died then the consequences would at least be less in the event the cops got involved.

However, this was the second floor, and I could imagine that some people might not worry about locking this door most of the time, which meant just trying the handle first would be the best idea.

But before that, I wanted to listen to the arguing to confirm that Amber wasn’t about to walk out the front door on her own accord. Because, as much as I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, I was also well aware I might be overreacting a little to the situation. Maybe they thought she’d be willing to do this if they paid her, and would let her leave when she refused…

Listening closely, I could hear a guy’s murmur, only for Amber to speak up more loudly, her tone firm.

“I said no, dumbass! I don’t care if all of you are paying me or not! I do things on my terms, not yours!”

“Ah come on, babe,” an unfamiliar voice said, followed immediately by a smack.

“Don’t touch me!” Amber snapped aggressively.

“Bitch!” was the immediate response, followed by another loud smack, as it sounded like he returned the hit.

And that was the tipping point for me.

I was already far past hearing enough.

About to kick the glass in, I had enough sense to try the sliding door first, a little surprised when it did actually begin to slide open with a little tug, causing me to finish yanking it out of my way. I was already holding up the loaded gun in my right hand, safety off, as I laid eyes on Amber clutching her temple on a dark brown couch, looking as if she’d just got punched in the face hard enough that it would have dropped her to the floor if not for the furniture catching her fall.

And she was disoriented enough that she was the only person who didn’t respond to me suddenly opening the sliding door. However, I spoke before any of them could fully register what was going on.

“On your knees, NOW!” I barked out, causing them all to jump, partly from surprise and partly from my volume.

“What the fuck?!” one guy said, another dude almost overlapping with him as he said, “The hell?!”

“I said on your knees!” I repeated aggressively, shoving the gun forward slightly to emphasize its existence. That certainly worked, four of the six guys, one of them being the nerd who set her up, now focusing on it with wide eyes, with the only two who seemed a bit more collected being the guy standing closest to Amber, an unfamiliar face, along with the one I’d seen at my house the other day.

The second guy, who was closest to Amber, his hand still clutched into a fist, ironically responded with a laugh.

“What the fuck is this?” he scoffed. “The boyfriend? I bet that isn’t even loaded!”

I knew leaving evidence behind would be bad, assuming I didn’t decide to just go ahead and start dropping bodies, but I also wasn’t about to let them not take me seriously. The guy nearest me was a good six or seven feet away, and looked like he was about to piss himself, indicating he didn’t have the nerve to try to grab my gun, so I jerked my arm behind me and upward, aiming for the sky, only to pull the trigger.

POP!

Instantly, all of them did a reflexive duck from the sheer volume of the gun firing this close, as if their hips and knees had buckled slightly from the unexpected sound, with two of the guys grabbing for their heads as if they were getting ready to take cover. However, the moment the barrel was aimed in their direction again, I didn’t even have to ask before four of the six guys dropped to their knees, three of them all speaking up at once, trying to give excuses about what they were really doing here.

“Shut the hell up!” I snapped, aiming the barrel at the guy who’d hit Amber. “On your knees!” I repeated aggressively, sounding just as pissed as I felt. “Before I fucking blow your head off!”

Surprisingly, he listened, his eyes widen now in sincere panic, the shot having changed everything about his attitude.

The first guy, who Amber had slept with the previous night, finally spoke up as he eased down onto his knees too, hands in the air.

“Hey man, this isn’t what you think,” he said, his voice breaking. “We’re…” His voice trailed off as his eyes widened. “Wait, you live with her, don’t you? Are you in on it?” he demanded, his tone suddenly growing more defensive. “Are you seriously fucking in on it?”

“In on what?” I snapped, speaking up even though I knew he was baiting me. “I just brought her over to drop a book off that she’d borrowed for class.”

He scoffed at that, visibly relaxing. “Dumbass! She’s a whore! We’re paying her to let us fuck her!”

I was shocked Amber didn’t chime in to try to deny it, glancing at her at that exact second, just in time to watch her vomit all over the couch, the guy who hit her looking at her in shock.

Holy shit, had he given her a concussion?!

Fuck!

I needed to get her to a hospital now!

“What did you fucking say about her?!” I snapped, taking a step closer, and being very intentional about putting my finger on the trigger. “I’ve got seven shots left,” I lied. “Just enough for all of you, with one extra, and I think I’m about to dump two of those shots into your skull!”

He immediately blanched, seeming at a loss for words, but my mind was already running a mile a minute, because I was sure the cops were already on their way after I’d fired my gun so close by.

Abruptly switching the weapon to my left hand, I jerked my hand into my pocket and yanked out my phone, turning on the camera and starting to record.

I then made sure I scanned the whole scene before me, keeping the gun out of the shot, only to focus back on the guy Amber had slept with previously.

“I fucking heard exactly what’s going on!” I barked out. “You lured her here, and were going to force yourselves on her, whether she wanted it or not! And then throw money at her afterward, so you could claim it wasn’t sexual assault!”

I held the gun up more, still out of sight of the camera, about to force him to admit it on video.

However, the guy closest to me, who was without a doubt the nerd who stayed here, considering all the other guys looked like they were on a sports team, spoke up without prompt.

“They made me do it!” he said pleadingly, even though my attention hadn’t been on him. “I didn’t want to, but they threatened to kill me!”

“Fucking bastard!” the guy who hit Amber barked out. “You wanted to fuck her for free and get paid doing it!”

Amber vomited again, groaning and clutching her side as if she wasn’t even aware of what was going on in the room.

Clutching her side, not her head.

What in the hell?

Was it the pain from earlier that was making her vomit?

We had to get the fuck out of here, and I needed to get her to a hospital.

“What in the hell did you do to her?” I demanded. “Other than punch her in the face?” I added. “Did you drug her?!”

“I didn’t punch–”

The nerd cut him off. “He hit her, but that’s it.”

“She hit me first!” the guy roared.

“I don’t give a fuck!” I snapped, aiming for him now. “All of you on your faces now! Flat on the floor!” I added, when I got some confused looks.

“Hey man,” the first bastard said uneasily. “You don’t want to do this.”

“Get your FUCKING FACE, on the FUCKING FLOOR!” I shouted. “With your hands behind your FUCKING HEAD!”

I waited until they complied, a few of the guys visibly shaking now, all of them looking like they were going to shit themselves.

I then continued speaking, shoving my phone in my pocket, with it still recording. “If even a single one of you moves a muscle, I’ll fucking blow your head off!” I added, moving closer and speaking to Amber. “Hey, get up. Let’s go.”

She looked up at me with a tormented expression, her light green eyes moving oddly as if she was extremely dizzy, her head even tilting slightly like she was losing her balance and about to fall over.

Knowing we didn’t have time to waste, I kept the more aggressive dude, who hit her, in my sights as I grabbed Amber roughly by the arm and yanked her to her feet, moving her closer to the wall so we could get over to the door. My biggest concern was one of them trying to grab at my feet, or otherwise attempting to retrieve my weapon, thereby forcing me to put a bullet in their head.

However, no one moved, as I’d asked.

I suspected that being physically below me might have affected their mindset, with them knowing that grabbing at my feet might mean they ended up staring upward at a barrel in their face, just before I pulled the trigger.

I then paused just as we got to the closed door, speaking loudly. “I’ve got every one of you assholes on video, and I can easily edit it to ensure it’s nothing but damning for all of you. If I fucking even see any one of you ever again, I’ll fucking submit it to the police and press charges. Or if you even fucking try to talk to her again, I’ll fucking post it online for everyone to see. No big deal to blur her face, but I’ll make sure all of your faces and names are plastered all over the internet.” I paused, silently clicking the safety on the gun in preparation to shove the weapon back in my pants the moment we were out the door. “So you better fucking hope I never see any of you again!” I added.

I then let go of Amber just long enough to unlock the deadbolt and get the door open, thankful that the hallway was completely empty. Then again, even if someone overheard us, it wasn’t like they would come to see what was going on. And after a thought, I realized having eavesdroppers might not be likely, simply because I couldn’t imagine them assaulting Amber when close neighbors could easily hear her telling them to stop or asking for help.

Never mind the mostly empty parking lot.

But even if people were here, most would try to avoid other people’s problems, being much more interested in calling the police and hiding out until they got there, as opposed to intervening themselves. Grabbing Amber’s arm again, I led her hastily down the stairs, holding her tighter when she continued to seem uneasy, audibly wincing and groaning.

We then rushed out of the glass door, my mind beginning to panic when I realized I could hear sirens in the distance. I tried to rush Amber faster, but it only caused her to stumble, forcing me to take the time to focus more on getting her safely to the car, knowing we probably had enough time to get out of here before being seen.

However, just as we reached the vehicle, Amber bent over again and hurled bile all over the pavement, groaning loudly once she’d finished coughing.

Fuck, I didn’t know what in the hell was wrong with her, but we needed to get to a hospital, and now.

I was much less gentle about getting her in her seat, not even worrying about the seat belt, dropping the gun by my feet as I shoved the key in the ignition and peeled out of the parking spot.

I was fully aware that driving too fast might garner unwanted attention, and I was also aware it was possible someone was recording outside their window as they hid, but when Amber started whimpering in pain, still clutching her side, I realized I didn’t have the luxury of caring right now.

After pulling out onto the street, I began speeding down the road, eventually putting on my hazard lights and honking at people to get them to move over when there were multiple lanes. All the while, Amber’s whimpers progressively became actual cries of pain, beginning to writhe in her seat on the way to the hospital.

Which was saying a lot on its own, because Amber was tough, and often stoic when in normal pain, usually completely silent when others would be crying out like she was now. All of which only told me that it was even worse than I was imagining, for it to force her to be in this condition.

However, she didn’t actually say anything, nor did I say anything to her, the fact that we’d grown up together making conversation pointless, since I knew what all the answers would be to my questions, and likewise knew I’d only annoy her by asking pointless ones.

And I certainly wasn’t about to bring up what just happened -- not at a time like this.

Finally, pulling wildly in to the ER parking lot fifteen minutes later, I was actually surprised I’d made it without getting noticed or pulled over by a cop, but it wouldn’t have been the first time I’d seen someone speeding around without getting caught.

Not about to worry about the hospital’s rules, I drove right for the ER entrance reserved for actual ambulances, putting on the brakes the moment I’d pulled up partially on the sidewalk in front of the automatic doors.

I barely got my door open before a security guard was rushing out, looking like he was going to tell me to move my vehicle, before both hearing and seeing Amber crying out in pain.

Thus, instead, he ran right back inside, calling out for some nursing staff as he grabbed a wheelchair. I took the opportunity to grab one of those shirts from the backseat and cover up the gun by my feet, realizing that could be its own problem if someone saw it. Especially the security guard.

After that, everything was just a blur.

I had one male nurse asking me for the basics about her pain, even as a female nursed asked Amber the same types of questions, before they were rushing her into the building with the intention of doing an emergency CT scan. I told them she’d fallen and hit her head, in hopes that they might consider a concussion on top of the pain in her side, and I also mentioned that she’d vomited several times, but then after that she was gone from my sight.

I wasn’t allowed to go with them, the security officer directing me to move my car, and then to go in through another entrance and wait in the ER lobby.

Almost two hours later, and I was still waiting, feeling completely numb and drained after everything that happened. Of course, it was already dark outside, given that the sun set so early in the winter.

At one point, within the first thirty minutes of being there, one of the nurses came to inform me that they were doing surgery, but since then I hadn’t heard anything at all.

Amber was in surgery, and I didn’t even know why.

I wasn’t sure if the nurse neglecting to tell me the reason was because she didn’t know, or if it was because they weren’t entirely sure what the problem was, and the surgery was exploratory. Then again, I didn’t even know if they’d do that without having at least some clue as to the cause of her pain.

Granted, I supposed I didn’t even ask either.

The nurse had handed me a ton of paperwork to fill out, and asked my relation, as well as if I knew Amber’s insurance information, so after running back out to my car to grab her insurance card from her purse, I was left to try to focus on a million forms.

Thankfully, I at least knew the answers to most of the questions, even the more personal ones.

And then, I just sat there, the nurse being required to come get them from me as she returned the insurance card, since I hadn’t taken the initiative to bring them back up to her even though it was obvious I was done.

I asked her how Amber was doing at that point, but she just said she was still in surgery and didn’t have an update.

So I was left sitting there, feeling like the world was devoid of color, barely noticing the other people in the ER waiting room, ignoring everyone and everything.

And then, after it had almost been a full two hours, a tall man unexpectedly walked up to me, dressed in light blue scrubs and wearing a blue cap.

I looked up at him in confusion briefly, before he asked to verify that I was the person who brought Amber in, and then explained that he’d just performed Laparoscopic surgery on her to remove her appendix.

He also explained that we’d gotten here just in time, and that it looked as if it had almost burst by the time he removed it, explaining that even half an hour later and she might be looking at staying in the hospital for a week, instead of just a day.

However, before I could really say anything myself, he quickly moved on to a different subject.

“And you were with her when she fell, right?” he wondered, seeming a bit reserved now as he repeated the story I’d given them, about her falling and hitting her head.

“Oh, umm, yeah,” I responded, still feeling a bit ‘out of it,’ from all the stress.

“And you said she hit her head?” he continued.

I nodded, clearing my throat. “Umm, yeah. Pretty hard too. Just before she threw up the first time.”

He frowned at that. “Well, it doesn’t look like she has any cerebral edema, but she does have a bruise forming on her temple. For safety reasons, we can’t allow any visitors to see her until we’ve had someone speak to her about it.”

I frowned as well, several questions popping into my head as I tried to follow along. “Cerebral what?” I commented in sincere confusion.

His eyes widened. “Oh. Sorry. There are no signs of her having any brain swelling, which means she doesn’t appear to have a concussion. The vomiting was likely a symptom of the appendicitis.”

“And you’re saying I can’t see her?” I finally realized after a second.

“It’s standard procedure, for anyone who comes in looking like they might have been a victim of domestic abuse.”

I finally sat up straight in disbelief. “You just said her appendix almost burst, and that I barely got her here in time! And now you’re worried that I hurt her?!” I said in shock, not even caring that the others in the waiting room were looking over at us now.

He immediately held up his hands defensively. “No, absolutely not. No one is suggesting anything of the sort. But the hospital administration has rules, and I’m only explaining why they won’t let you see her right away.” He shrugged. “Besides she’s still in post-op anyway. Once she wakes up, and the anesthesia has worn off some, we’ll have someone talk to her and then a nurse will come get you to see her after that.”

I frowned at that, wondering if Amber would say anything weird while she was still loopy, but deciding there was no point in worrying about it, since she’d easily be able to just deny it once she was thinking straight, and would likely even criticize them for questioning her when her thoughts were cloudy from the anesthesia.

Realizing that the doctor was probably about to leave, now that he’d delivered his message, I quickly spoke up again.

“Oh, and quick question. Was there something we could have done to prevent this? We both eat a lot of cheese, and eggs too. Was that what set this off? We had pizza for lunch.”

He immediately shook his head. “No, her bloodwork was perfect, and eggs are actually good for you. The cholesterol in eggs is good for you too, assuming a balanced diet, although I certainly wouldn’t recommend eating pizza all the time.” He shrugged again. “But overall, she’s in great health. Appendicitis is just one of those things that happens sometimes, and even now we really don’t know the root cause. It’s an infection, and diet doesn’t seem to correlate with who gets it and who doesn’t.” He sighed. “Very different than most other problems, like issues with the liver, gall bladder, and heart. Those conditions are more associated with an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle, but even someone fit like you could end up with appendicitis.”

“So, there’s really nothing we could have done to prevent it?” I asked seriously. “And could it be genetic?”

He shook his head again. “Not really. There’s no proven way to prevent it. And there’s not even clear triggers that cause it. It is true that eating a balanced diet is always recommended, and might help, but there are plenty of people eating horrible diets, who never exercise, who still never develop the condition.”

I nodded, leaning back more heavily into my seat.

“Anyway,” he continued. “I’ve got other patients to see, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask a nurse. And they know you’re waiting, so they’ll call you back once she’s awake and you can see her.”

I simply nodded, still feeling drained by the whole situation, even more so now that I’d been just sitting around, staring at the floor for the last nearly two hours.

Fuck.

But at least she was okay. At least she was safe.

Hopefully the scar from the surgery wouldn’t be too bad, because I knew she wasn’t going to be thrilled about that, but it was definitely better than dying.

Sighing heavily after he walked away, I finally pulled out my phone, something I hadn’t bothered to do the entire time, feeling overwhelmed with worry over this situation. Because Amber really meant that much to me. I couldn’t lose her, and the idea that she almost ended up in the hospital for a week was like a major eye-opener.

Really, this was something that could have even killed her, even though she was otherwise perfectly healthy.

Dammit.

Glancing down at my screen as I tried to unlock it, I was surprised when it remained black, no indication that it was coming to life.

What the hell?

Had I somehow turned it off?

But then, as I tried to turn it on, I realized the obvious.

I’d left my phone recording when I stuck it in my pocket, just wanting to make sure that something wasn’t said off-camera that might be important later, but obviously it had never stopped recording and must have drained the battery.

Sighing, I glanced around the room, noticing that one of the other people in the waiting area had their phone plugged into the wall behind their chair. Looking behind my seat, I didn’t see an outlet where I was, but suspected I wouldn’t have too much trouble finding one. Granted, I could have always used my car to charge my phone, since I had a cord in my backpack, but would rather be in the waiting room in the event they were ready to let me see Amber.

Finally standing up, feeling stiff after having barely moved in the last couple of hours, I made my way to the reception desk to let the two female nurses sitting there know that I was running out to my car really fast and would be right back.

They both gave me pleasant replies, with the slightly younger nurse, looking like she was maybe twenty-four or twenty-five, biting her bottom lip as she focused on my chest while I turned away to go do as I’d indicated.

Of course, it wasn’t the first time I’d notice someone looking at me like that, and I certainly had a good idea of what it meant, but I’d always been a bit less comfortable speaking with women who showed obvious signs of interest, even though I was otherwise very social when I needed to be.

Or rather, that’s specifically what it was -- the obvious interest.

The moment I had a girl trying to catch my eye, it made me feel anxious and maybe a little self-conscious, especially if she was really hot. Because I didn’t know what to do, or what to say, having a similar reaction to what happened when I first met Victoria at the strip bar, where I just wanted to look away and pretend like she didn’t exist, except just not as potent with other girls…

Oh shit. Victoria.

She was probably pissed that Amber and I both iced her. Dammit.

I definitely needed to call her up and apologize, but I also realized I didn’t even know how to interact with her at this point, feeling pretty certain I’d blown any chances I might have had with her, especially since this was exactly the kind of thing she had been concerned about when we talked about the subject of us dating. She said she barely knew me, and while she did like me, she also wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to give up what she had going on with her boyfriend for my sake.

Especially since she didn’t know if I could be reliable, and hadn’t known me long enough to verify if I was an unreliable asshole or not.

And the truth was, even if she forgave me due to this unique situation, she’d probably already spent the last couple of hours angry at me, thinking I’d flaked on her, which were emotions and a perception that she wouldn’t be able to easily let go even after learning the truth.

The idea that I wasn’t reliable would probably remain in her mind.

And that truth was only reinforced once I was sitting back down in a different chair -- this one really wide, almost like a bench for two people, or maybe just a seat for one very large person -- and plugging my phone in, discovering I only had two messages from Victoria, as well as one missed call between them.

The first one was shorter and sounded a bit more concerned.

‘Hey, everything okay?’

The second one sounded upset.

‘Look, I’m just going to go into work early. And if for some reason this is about you changing your mind about us, then at least have the decency of telling me, instead of having Amber make excuses for you.’

Glancing at the time in the corner of my screen, I saw it was already a little past 6:30pm. Victoria had originally planned on going in at seven, but based on the time of the last message, it looked as if she’d gone in at six instead. No doubt she thought I’d really stood her up after being well over an hour late.

Dammit.

Not really wanting to talk to her on the phone, especially since it would likely go to voicemail anyway, given that she was probably stripping right now, and might even be offering lap dances too, I opted for a message instead.

‘Really sorry. Amber just got out of surgery for appendicitis. Doc says we barely made it here in time before it ruptured. Sorry I didn’t call. Was just really worried about her.’

I then sat back with my phone held limply in my hand, unsurprised when I didn’t get a response right away.

My phone vibrated about five minutes later, and I almost didn’t want to check it.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at her simple message.

‘What hospital are you at?’

Of course, I suspected she might be a little skeptical, even with Amber having pain in her side earlier, so I just sent her the name of the hospital. I didn’t have the energy to try to convince her I was telling the truth right now, and knew Amber could easily confirm later, simply by showing Victoria the stitches, if nothing else.

I tried not to get anxious when she didn’t respond, instead focusing on waiting to see Amber.

But twenty minutes later, and I was still waiting, with no updates on Amber at all.

I took a deep breath when my phone vibrated again, really not wanting to check it at this point. I was afraid of what she’d say, having no idea if she believed me or not, and not wanting to deal with the extra stress it might cause if she responded more critically about the situation.

However, my own boredom got the best of me after about half a minute, so I checked it anyway.

‘I’m here at the ER. Where are you?’

My eyes immediately widened in shock, only for me to look up to notice a redhead bombshell standing by the entrance, focused on the nurse’s station as if she’d just walked in, with me seeing her just in time to watch her gaze shift to the rest of the room, clearly searching for someone.

For me.

She was wearing black leather pants, coupled with a leather jacket and a shiny gold sequin top that surprisingly made her tits look even bigger due to how it hung off them, her face laced with obvious concern, rather than skepticism.

No, unlike I’d imagined, it was obvious she believed me and was worried sick.

And the moment her gaze met mine, I suddenly felt like I was going to cry.

It was like seeing her triggered an emotional response, her very presence feeling like it represented that she was everything I needed right now, both in terms of emotional support as well as her very appearance. Which was strange, because I wouldn’t have considered ‘sexy’ to be a ‘need,’ and yet her erotic presence was a part of the overwhelming relief that washed over me, making me feel as if my chest had a hundred gaping holes in it, and she was perfectly filling each one, something only she could do.

Like two puzzle pieces, it felt like everything about her fit me perfectly.

Like everything about her fulfilled my every need, even in a situation like this.

Overall, her expression was somber, but when our gazes met and she saw my reaction, she smiled affectionately at me, a sort of somber warmth touching her deep blue eyes. Her expression was almost like a silent acknowledgement that she understood what seeing her meant to me. What her being here meant to me.

And that she also understood the effect she was having on me.

That she understood that I desperately needed her comfort and support, and she was readily offering it, dropping everything else to do so.

No doubt I also looked like I was about to cry, and she’d actively watched that shift in my own expression.

I hadn’t paid much attention to the other people in the ER waiting room, but I was suddenly super aware of all the guys staring at her, both young and old, as she began walking over to me. And no one could blame them, because she didn’t look like she belonged in such a mundane environment.

She was wearing a pair of black flats, but it fit her overall outfit and she still very much looked like a stripper who had just gotten off work, even though I suspected her clothing was only what she wore to and from, rather than being anything she danced in.

Still, the heavy red curls hanging on her leather-covered shoulders, along with the dark makeup around her blue eyes, and her obvious tanned skin, all would have screamed stripper even without the leather attire.

I really wanted to stand up and hug her, desperately craving the release I knew it would give me…

But I also knew doing so was going to sincerely make me cry.

After being stressed and anxious for so long, feeling a complete relief from it was truly going to send me over the edge, my eyes already stinging slightly.

So instead, I sat up a little straighter, and moved over in the wide bench-like chair I’d secured, hoping she wasn’t opposed to sharing it with me.

She hesitated when she reached me, standing in front of me as if she truly had expected me to stand up to hug her…or maybe as if she was debating sitting next to me…before twisting around and plopping her tight ass next to mine, grabbing my hand in the same motion to hold it in both of hers.

I had to look away for a second as I felt her warmth creep up my arm, trying to gather myself before I fucking sobbed like a baby.

Dammit, I didn’t want her to see me like this.

Taking a shaky breath, I then shifted myself a little to focus on her, surprised when I realized her blue eyes looked teary as well, as if she herself was about to cry.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered simply, not knowing what else to say.

She only shook her head, giving my hand a gentle squeeze in both of hers. “How is she?” she asked just as quietly, the movement of her lips causing me to notice how the light reflected off her lip gloss.

I took a deep breath, focusing down on the linoleum floor. “I guess she’s okay now. They won’t let me see her though.”

Victoria sat up a little straighter in surprise. “They won’t?”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Umm, yeah. She has a bruise on her head, and they said she can’t have any visitors until someone talks to her about it.” I grimaced. “They mentioned they always have to do that if they suspect abuse.”

Her blue eyes widened in surprise slightly, before she nodded. “Yeah, that is pretty standard,” she agreed gently. “Still, I’m kind of surprised they haven’t let you see her yet. How long ago did she get out of surgery?”

I just shrugged, not being entirely sure how long it had been. “It’s been a while.”

She simply nodded again, only to seem hesitant as she continued. “Do…do you want me to try to see her? I should be able to convince them to let me, but I don’t want to leave you out here alone either.”

I looked at her in surprise, realizing that would actually help a lot, just knowing that someone who sincerely cared about Amber was there for her. “Yeah,” I agreed. “If you can get them to let you, that’d be great. Just please send me a message, and let me know how she’s doing.”

She gave me a smile that was somber, warm, and affectionate all at the same time, before leaning forward to give me a gentle kiss on the temple. She then gave my hand one last squeeze and stood back up.

“Okay. And just let me know if you need me to come back out again.”

I only nodded in response, watching as she headed for the nurse’s station.

She was far enough away that I couldn’t easily catch everything she was saying, but she spoke loudly and confidently enough that I heard her ask to speak to the charge nurse, followed by diving right into her case as if she expected a lot of opposition, explaining that she’d just found out her best friend had surgery for appendicitis, and how she learned that they wouldn’t let me see her even though she was in recovery, and commenting that waking up from surgery can be traumatizing for some people, and even mentioning that they’d leave the curtain open if they had to.

However, based on the charge nurse’s reaction, I doubted all that was necessary, probably because Victoria was female, and they were more worried about abuse coming from a guy, because the woman left to double-check on the situation, only to invite her through a set of large doors barely a minute later.

I took a deep breath as I found myself relaxing a little more, feeling reassured that Victoria would be there for Amber, instead of her just lying in bed by herself with no company.

However, I did begin growing a little more concerned when she hadn’t sent me a message, even after fifteen minutes. I decided to wait another five, but even after a full twenty minutes, she hadn’t sent me anything.

Thus, I decided to go ahead and ask if everything was okay, figuring she had just forgotten.

She sent a response pretty quickly.

‘Hey, yeah she’s fine. Sorry about that.’

She then sent another message a handful of seconds later.

‘A woman was just by to ask her about the bruise. She’s a little loopy from the drugs, but Amber told the lady that she fell, and was then asking to leave.’

She then continued with another message.

‘They want her to stay overnight, but technically there is no reason why she can’t leave. Laparoscopic surgery is minimally invasive, and most people can walk out within an hour of surgery. But usually they try to keep people when it’s specifically appendicitis, in case she starts showing signs of infection.’

I quickly decided to type my own response.

‘Insurance should help cover the stay. I’d like her to be able to come home too, but would rather she be safe than sorry. Don’t want to just end up making another trip to the ER in the middle of the night.’

It was obvious that Victoria had been almost done with her next message before reading mine, because she simply continued her next thought as if I hadn’t said anything.

‘I think they are going to discharge her soon. Amber is already making me help her get dressed. She’s a little emotional from the drugs, but thinking clearly, so there’s really no reason for them to make her stay.’

Immediately, I recalled that Amber had been wearing a shiny green thong, wondering if Victoria would think that was weird at all. But then again, I supposed maybe not. However, at the mention that Amber was a little emotional from the anesthesia, and possibly any pain medicine they’d given her, I was suddenly wondering if that would translate to Amber sharing things she might not normally share.

Surely not.

I focused on my screen again, as Victoria responded to the insurance thing, and my comment about Amber staying the night.

‘Yeah, she knows. But she just wants to go home. Also…she told me what really happened.’

Oh shit.

Shit.

I tried to play dumb, hoping that Amber had enough sense to make up a more elaborate story that still involved her falling and hitting her head, not even wanting to think about how Victoria would react to knowing the real truth.

‘What did she say happened?’

Her response was delayed a few minutes.

‘Just the truth. About everything. What she’s really been doing the last couple of years, and what almost happened today. Hold on, nurse is coming in to discharge her.’

I just stared at my phone, doubting what Victoria was implying was anything other than what I feared.

Amber had told her.

In her drugged state, she’d broken down and shared with her friend what she’d really been doing.

And I had zero idea what this would mean for any of our futures.

Fuck.

Chapter 18 >>