“Do you like it?” I asked, pulling Kill from his stupor.
“It’s perfect, Slick,” he said, and there was no denying the emotion in his voice.
Taze wrapped my arm, giving me instructions on how to take care of it. I was in such a haze, I only heard about half of what he said.
“Wait... What was the part about the bandage?” I asked, starting to panic.
Taze laughed at me. “Here.” He handed me a paper on the care of my new tattoo, and reminded me that Van could help me too. I hugged both of them, thanking them for such an amazing Christmas present.
"Don't forget to call me if you get bored," Stace said as Taze went to clean up his station.
"I won't," I promised as we headed back out into the rain. On the drive back, Kill was stoic, and it became unnerving.
“What’s up?” I finally asked when we pulled into the driveway.
“Where did you get that scar?” His eyes stared through the windshield looking at nothing but the empty garage.
I sighed, figuring I needed to tell him the truth. “Jason,” I answered and told him the whole story.
By the time I reached the end, I was in his lap again. Tears ran down my face as I remembered the fear I’d felt when the blade had sunk into my skin.
“Shhh, Slick, I got you. Don’t cry anymore.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I'm so emotional today,” I said, kissing him on the lips to let him know I really was okay.
“It scared me when I saw that. I was afraid he’d broken you to the point you couldn’t handle life anymore."
I shuddered at the thought of taking my own life. “First of all, if I were going to do it, I’d have used my left wrist, being right handed and all,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. I also wanted to make sure there was no doubt it hadn’t been self-inflicted.
“Aww there's the smart ass I love,” he said, giving me his half smile.
“Come on; let’s eat before you have to get to work. I'll drive you if that's okay. That way, we can go home together after you close up.”
I nodded and got out of the car with Kill following close behind. We warmed up leftovers and Van, D, Amy, and Jet ate with us.
Kill made my plate for me, making sure he didn't add anything that would upset my healing stomach. I kept up with my special diet and took note of what aggravated my ulcers. I relished the fact that I no longer had to worry about how to get through the day as my stomach revolted. The boulder had been officially evicted, and I couldn’t have been happier.
“What the hell did you do to your wrist?” Van asked, grabbing my arm gently and staring at me in alarm.
I pulled back the bandage so he could see my new work, and he grinned widely.
"That's my girl, sis," Van said as everyone crowded around to see my new tattoo.
