Sharp pains shot through Rose's lower abdomen. She pressed her lips firmly together and forced herself to breathe evenly. She couldn't concentrate on the conversation going on around her. The pain in the back of her head was making sure of that. It had begun almost the moment Dylan, Eva, and Lily entered the kitchen. It had started off slowly, as it always did, but it wasn't long before her entire head felt tender and sore. Her pre-cycle migraine was the only time she was ever grateful to be blind; it meant the light could no longer make the pain worse.
But sound still could. She had long since lost track of the conversation. The voices had slowly blended together until she couldn't tell which voice belonged to who or even which voice was male and which was female. Someone was angry, that she could tell. Another voice was low and soothing. But beyond that, she knew nothing.
"C'mon," Jack said softly, putting an arm around her waist. He stood up slowly, helping her up as he went. She didn't have the strength to protest as he steered her through the door and then across the house and into their room. She heard the faint click of a lock and then his arms were around her. He gave her a gentle hug and kiss on the shoulder. Rose smiled to herself. He knew exactly what was wrong.
Soon he was back, his hands on her dress this time. She offered no resistance as he undressed her. His movements were brisk yet gentle. It was completely unlike the way he undressed her at other times.
She felt the steam before she made it to the bathroom door. The water was going full blast. With a sigh, she lowered herself into the tub. Closing her eyes, she moved forward, creating a space between her body and the back of the tub. A space Jack filled a moment later. He wrapped his arms around her. She sank gratefully against him. Her body was almost too heavy to hold up. "How did you know?" she asked.
"It was obvious," he said, wrapping his legs around hers. His hands moved down her stomach, stopping at the source of her pain. Slowly, he began to press against her with his fingertips, gently kneading circles in her skin.
"I thought I was hiding it quite well," she said. "My face was perfectly blank."
"I could tell you were in pain," he said. "Your expression might've been blank, but there was misery written all over it." He kissed her neck. "It kept getting worse."
"You're right about that," she said. "But it's getting better now." And it was. The pain in her head had shrunk into a dull ache. The cramps weren't gone, but thanks to Jack's hands and the hot water, they would be soon. "What did you tell everyone?" She remembered him speaking, but she had no idea what he had said. His voice had been soft in her ears.
"I told them they could continue the discussion without us," he replied. "You needed rest."
"Are you sure they don't need us?"
"They're fine. Lily should've left, too. Cal and Eva are the ones who need to be talking, and Dylan, too."
"How were things going when we left?"
"Well, they weren't screaming and throwing things. Yet," he added, trying to make a joke and failing. "But they weren't really getting along, either."
"Someone was angry. I could hear that much."
"Eva was pissed." Jack paused and shifted his hands down. "Hurts there now, doesn't it?" he asked.
Rose just nodded. She didn't question how he knew. He just did; he always did. "I don't blame her," she said as his fingers began to move again. "If the way he spoke to her was anything like the way he used to speak to me..."
Jack's legs tightened around her. "He won't ever speak to you like that again," he said, an edge creeping into his voice.
"I'm not worried," Rose said. "He seems different now. I still don't like him, but..."
"Being around him feels different?"
"That's it."
"I felt it, too." But that doesn't mean I trust him.
Rose turned to face him over her shoulder. "There isn't any reason for him to try to hurt us." She laid her hand against his cheek. "That's over."
There was only a slight twinge in the back of her head when Jack lowered her onto the bed. The cramps were completely gone. Both would be back in the morning, and, as always, they would be worse.
"I'll take care of you," Jack said. He pressed her to him, loving the way her bare skin felt against his.
She smiled. "I love you."
He kissed her. "I love you, Petal."
While Jack and Rose drifted off, the fight in the kitchen raged on.
Lily had left and come back twice before finally taking herself out of the fight for good. As much as she wanted to stay and watch the scene—and throw in a few barbs of her own—she was just too tired.
Dylan, however, was wide awake. He stared straight into Cal's face, his green eyes almost burning through him. His hand lay on the table, intertwined with Eva's.
Her fingers were like ice. Her body was stiff. Her face was that of a marble statue. "I don't see any reason to keep talking about this," she said coldly.
Cal looked pained. "I'm not saying don't marry him," he said, avoiding Dylan's eyes. "I'm just saying you should know what you're going to do after that. Both of you."
"In case you hadn't noticed, there aren't exactly a lot of prospects."
"I am aware of the current economic crisis," Cal said, adding a new layer of ice to his aristocratic tones. "Only a complete moron wouldn't be. What I am not aware of, however, is why you don't seem at all bothered by the idea of living in one of those camps at the edge of the city."
"That won't happen," Dylan said calmly.
Cal looked at him with renewed interest. "I don't suppose you would care to explain how."
"I..." Would it be best to just be honest? "I don't know," Dylan admitted. "I really don't." Cal's interest became irritation. "But I do know I can take care of her," Dylan added. He laid his other hand on top of hers. Her mouth curled up in a small smile. "I know I can," he said firmly.
When the door finally closed on Cal's back, Eva let out a heavy sigh. She dropped her head into her hands. "What the hell just happened?"
Dylan pulled her into a loose hug. "That was your father lecturing and questioning us for a few hours," he said. She shot him a look. "Sorry. I knew it wasn't funny even before I said it."
"That was a Lily remark."
"Yeah, I guess it was." He gently lifted and slid her into his lap. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "I meant that, you know, about taking care of you," he said. "I will. I promise."
Eva leaned down and gave him a soft kiss. "I'm not worried about that. I know we'll take care of each other just fine."
*****
Cal walked slowly, Dylan's words humming in his ears. What did he know? How could he be so self-assured? "Just like his father," Cal muttered, scowling. "So damn sure everything will work out for him." But everything had worked out for Jack. Everything had worked out perfectly for Jack. "And what do I have?"
He had Eva, but she wasn't his, nor was Deidre, who under normal circumstances barely mattered to him at all, though after the events of that evening he felt a strange urge to talk to her. He would have to tell her about seeing Eva, of course. And then she would want to see her. The thought of going back, of seeing Jack and Rose again, filled him with a mix of unease and envy.
His scowl deepened as he remembered the look in Jack's eyes. I won, it said. And the way he had been with Rose. It was as though he could read her thoughts. Cal still didn't understand how he was able to sweep her out of the room so easily. Or why. He coddles her, Cal told himself. She's blind. There's still no need to treat her like a porcelain doll. If she were my wife—
But she isn't. She's his. And that's what you're really angry about, isn't it?
I stopped caring about that years ago. Cal unlocked the door and stepped into the small room he and Deidre had rented. A bare bulb was the only light source. It had no private bathroom. A brass bed was the only furnishing. Deidre was curled up on top of the blanket, fast asleep.
Rose's face appeared, unbidden, as he bent down to wake her up. And it was Rose he saw when his orgasm ripped through his body.