Stoned

"If you'd died, I would have never forgiven you," I whispered, my voice filled with emotion.

She smiled, barely...and then I watched as the meds took her back under.

*

Because I was worried, I went to work the next day...only to have Dave assure me that all was well, insisting that I take the week off with pay. I looked at him like he was crazy. I mean...I really thought he'd lost it for a moment. But then I remembered that smile on Vinny's face the day before...Jesus, had he threatened Dave? If he had, I wouldn't be happy. I shook my head, not able to worry about it at the moment.

I was glad for the time off. Trying to be there for Vince, and spend time with my baby girl (who kept asking about Vince), was exhausting. They moved Vince out of the ICU two days later, but they didn't schedule the next surgery until a week later. After they successfully removed the remaining bullets, they kept her for another eight days and then finally, finally, they said she could go home. I decided she would be going to my home. No one disagreed.

*

"Georgia, baby, harder."

There was little she could say to me in the deep growl that I wouldn't do...except this. I was on top, a new position for me. Her toy was buried deep inside me and I was riding it...riding her...semi-gently...semi-hard. She'd only been home from the hospital for a week. The doctor told us no sex for at least a month. But here I was, bouncing on top of her after she'd assured me we would go slow, we would be careful...this was neither of those. When she had me help her strap up, I should have known better...

I felt her fingers digging into my hips, those blue eyes frustrated.

"Georgia."

That sexy, arousing, frustrated growl again. I started raising my hips a little higher, closing my eyes as I enjoyed the sensations created by the push...the pull...empty...full...mmm. I knew she wanted higher, harder, but I was resisting. I didn't want to hurt her.

But I was also frustrated. I was terribly aroused, and wet, and ready to come. She'd used her mouth and hands on me until we were both teetering on the edge. But she hadn't let me go over, teasing me, torturing me...I think because she knew I would be sitting on top, riding her, needy, wanton, and desperate to come.

She let me mess around for a few more minutes and then her fingers dug deeper into my hips as she raised me up, pulling out, laying me on my side, my back to her, using her knee to part my thighs...and sliding into me from behind.

I moaned...deep...loud...my senses going haywire. Oh my God that felt good. She started moving her hips, pumping into me with deep, hard, strokes, her hand reaching around to stimulate my clit...I couldn't tell if her grunts were all pleasure or some serious pain as she ignored her injuries to really fuck me. I should care, I knew I should, but God it felt so good...and I was going to come...I was so close...there was no way I could last...

I bit my lip to stop the scream as it crashed into me. Flashes of white light behind my tightly closed lids...waves upon waves of sensations rolling over me, through me...she kept moving, triggering more and more sensations as she went for her own...it only took another minute or two before she was groaning in my ear, her arm around my middle squeezing tight, her teeth sinking into the flesh of my shoulder, her breathing ragged...

After a few minutes, long enough for us to catch our breath, I started to tune into her again. Her breathing was still harsh and erratic, and I was reminded that this type of exertion could not be good. I pulled away from her, biting my lip as that wonderful instrument slid from my body, and turned to face her. She was sweating, much more than usual, and her skin was a little grey.

"I'm calling an ambulance," I said, about to get up and search for my phone.

"I'm fine...gimme a minute," she muttered.

I lay beside her, watching her carefully, my heart beating with fear now.

"I told you we shouldn't," I whispered angrily.

She smirked, "worth it."

I rolled my eyes as I kept watching her...her pulse began to slow a little...and eventually she looked a little less grey. I felt myself relaxing a bit.

"Pain pill?" I asked, glancing at the clock by my bed.

She shook her head. She'd been less and less willing to take them, which only added to the problem. I should not have let her talk me into sex...not that she'd had to work all that hard.

"You're a terrible influence," I scolded gently.

She smiled a little, closing her eyes and forcing herself to breathe deeply...regularly.

"Get dressed babe."

I glanced at the clock, realizing Anna would be here soon with Keni and Panda. Panda was staying over and Anna planned to crash in the living room on an air mattress, as either she or Johnny had done every night since Vince had been released from the hospital.

I helped her into a clean tee shirt (she still wore her boxers, I had insisted she leave them on), pulling the blankets up around her before hurrying into the bathroom to take a very quick shower. By the time the girls arrived, I had dinner started.

After bombarding me with loud, excited updates about their day, they went in to spend a little time with Vince, Anna following behind them. Neither of the girls seemed to be freaked out that she was recuperating in my bed. I guess seven-year-olds were more savvy than I'd thought. Anna rejoined me after a few minutes, leaving the girls in with our patient.

"She's sweating and looks like shit," she mentioned as she grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge for Vince. "Has she said anything? Is she still refusing to take the pain pills?"

It didn't matter what color my cheeks were, I knew she could see the red as I blushed furiously and carefully avoided her eyes. Anna shook her head, but I could hear the smile on her lips.

"Jesus Christ, Gia. She's only been out a week."

"It was her idea! She talked me into it!" I defended myself pathetically.

She continued to shake her head, "I guess me and Johnny will have to be the adults around here. Jeez."

"Oh shut up," I muttered as she left the kitchen and headed back toward my bedroom.

I shook my head, muttering to myself. She was right, it had been stupid. It was going to take her weeks to get her full strength back. I wasn't helping by giving in to such a request. I promised myself it would not happen again.

*

Oh my God...she was sooooo good at this. The way she moved her hips...the way she held me close...inhaling my scent...breathing me in...her fingers at my center, driving me nuts...God...

I'd held out for four days. Four days before she talked me into helping her strap up again. God, I was pathetic. But right now...right now...

I didn't give a shit.

"Vince," I begged...desperate...hungry...would I ever get enough of this woman?

She pulled me closer, biting my ear lobe as she slowed down, lengthening her strokes, bringing me down...I moaned, deep in my throat, complaining...I didn't want slower, I wanted faster...deeper...harder.

"Baby, please," I begged again, not caring how pitiful I sounded.

She chuckled before increasing the pace, her movements perfection, bringing me closer, closer...

My fingernails dug into her flesh and I bit my lip hard trying to stop the squeal from escaping as it rushed through me. It was late, Keni was probably dead to the world, but Johnny was sleeping on the sofa and I didn't want him to hear...

"Jesus Georgia," she growled as she got closer, fucking me with deep, long strokes again, angling her hips so the strap caressed her, hitting her spot...hitting my spot...God, I couldn't...not again...

"Fuck!"

We both said as it hit us simultaneously. I was dizzy for a moment as my body exploded, tremors ripping through me, not able to pay attention to her, hoping she was okay. A few moments later I was tuned into her again, listening to her as she settled down...she sounded okay.

"I cannot believe I let you talk me into this again," I complained softly.

She smirked, but I could see she was exhausted. Not surprising. I helped her get settled, pulled the blankets up around her, and then left her to rest. I made my way to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"Anna was right, you are pathetic."

Startled, I turned to see Johnny sitting up, the television volume down low.

"What are you doing up?" I asked casually.

"Who could sleep with all that grunting in there?" He teased.

I ignored that I used the water to help me cool off a bit.

"You hungry? I'm going to make Vince something to eat."

Johnny chuckled, standing and making his way to the kitchen.

"I'll make it. You can't cook for shit."

I gasped, laughing as I hit him.

"Fuck you too, Johnny."

He kissed my forehead, pushing me aside as he grabbed eggs and cheese from the fridge.

*

"Ah...baby...fuck...you promised..."

I buried my hands in her short, silky curls, wanting to push her away as that magical tongue did things to me...but I didn't push her away...I shifted my hips, giving her better access as she slid two fingers into me...her tongue sliding across every slick, sensitive nerve between my thighs...her lips locking on to suck me into the heat of her mouth. My hips rose off the bed and I moaned, biting my bottom lip.

"Jesus, Vince," I moaned as the feelings swelled...as she moved faster...went deeper...I closed my eyes tight as the first wave slammed into me, stealing the breath from me, my chest rising and falling rapidly...she didn't stop, didn't give me a minute before she had me on the roller coaster ride again...climbing quickly as she annihilated my senses...devoured my body...

I don't know how many times she forced me over before she shifted and her lips claimed mine, hungry, demanding...ravenous. I held her to me, my breaths slowly finding a normal rhythm, my arms caressing her back, her shoulders...she'd been needy lately...almost desperate. I wondered what was going on...if her brush with death was giving her problems. Not that I was complaining. If she needed to remember she was alive by ravaging me over and over again...well, it was a stiff price, but I was willing to pay it. I smiled to myself at the thought.

"What?" She asked, those beautiful eyes watching me.

"Nothing," I smiled at her, "you said you would be good. No more sex."

"Yea, I say a lot of things," she teased.

I shook my head, "but the doctor—"

"Georgia, don't."

Those fiercely whispered words silenced me. I snuggled closer to her.

"Okay," I sighed. I didn't know what was going on with her, but if she needed this...needed me...I would be there for her.

*

I moaned, feeling that delicious, hard shaft sliding, slowly, out of me. I'd fallen asleep, Vince curved at my back, having fucked me insane from behind, one of my new favorite positions. I waited for her hips to shift, waited for her to slide back inside, waking me up slowly, deliciously...but she didn't. She pulled away from me and I felt cool air at my back instead. I turned to look at her as she was slowly, painfully standing from the bed, removing the straps from around her hips quickly.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She raised those wonderful blue eyes to mine and they were...cold. Ice cold. I sat up. She was scaring me.

"Someone's in the apartment," she whispered.

I felt my heart kick and then start pounding in my chest.

"How do you—?"

"Shhh," she ordered.

I watched as she pulled on a tank and removed the gun she slept with under her pillow. It wasn't the only one in the house. There was one taped behind the toilet in my bathroom, another in Keni's bathroom. One under the refrigerator. And one taped to the underside of our bed. There'd been no discussion about the guns, she'd just told me about them one day and then we never talked about them again.

I gasped as she started toward the bedroom door.

"Are you insane?" I hissed. "You can barely stand!"

She threw a cold look at me over her shoulder.

"Stay here."

And then she was gone, quietly closing the door behind her. I would have been even more anxious if Keni was home, but she wasn't. Anna and Johnny had the girls. They'd taken them to Coney Island and planned to keep them overnight at Anna's place. Odd that someone would break in tonight considering either Anna or Johnny had been sleeping in the living room every night for the last three weeks. This was the first night Vince and I had been alone...

I heard a loud thud, sounds of things falling, breaking...a groan. I had no idea if those noises were coming from Vince or whoever else was in the apartment. I looked around, my heartbeat erratic, my hands shaking...what was I supposed to do? Vince wasn't 100% yet. She was better, much better, but she wasn't anywhere near where she'd been before she was shot. And she'd told me to stay put. I hesitated for another moment and then, going with my gut, grabbed the gun taped beneath the bed. She'd showed me how to remove the safety, which I did, and she'd told me to point and shoot. I rushed to the door, pausing, taking a deep breath, and then slowly opening it to peek out into the living room. It was dark, only the light over the kitchen stove was on, but I saw everything immediately. Vince was on the floor, face down, someone was standing over her, tall, dressed in dark clothes...a gun was pointed at the back of her head...

"No!"

I screamed it as I raised the gun in my hand...the person looked up...I stared, frozen, watching in a daze as the person raised their weapon in my direction, my eyes making contact with the small, black round hole pointing directly at me...suddenly the person grunted and I watched as Vince lurched upward, quickly turning over, striking out, knocking the gun out of the person's hand, wrestling with them...and then eventually shooting the person, twice, in the head.

I watched in a daze as the person paused, a long, odd pause, and then fell forward...directly on top of Vince. Vince grunted and I couldn't imagine the pain caused as the dead fell on top of her.

"Georgia, get him off me," she barked.

I blinked, my feet finally moving. I knelt beside Vince, using all my weight to roll the body. There was blood...Vince was covered in it...I could smell it...metallic...I swallowed, forcing myself not to throw up.

Vince tried to get up and I helped. When she was standing, I looked down at the body...there was a pool of darkness spreading beneath it, staining the hardwood floor. Vince grabbed my chin, roughly jerking my head back in her direction.

"Don't. Go back to the room."

She didn't leave room for an argument, so I didn't offer one. She closed the bedroom door behind us. Then she grabbed my phone from the nightstand and dialed a number.

"Gia? Thought you two would be—"

"Mobilize Johnny," Vince ordered.

I didn't hear Anna's response.

"How long?" Vince demanded.

I heard Ann's "20" this time.

Vince ended the call, looked at me.

"You okay?"

I heard her. I know I did. But I didn't respond. Couldn't respond. It was like my brain had shut down. I was aware of where I was, who I was, that Vince was there...but there was nothing else.

"Georgia."

That deep, husky voice was soft. She pulled me to her, holding me...I realized then I was trembling violently.

"It's okay," I heard her murmur, "it's over."

I nodded, but I couldn't relax, even as she pulled me closer.

*

She ignored Johnny when we first heard him calling our names some time later. But sooner than I was ready for her to leave, she pulled back, taking me in, watching me carefully.

"I'm gonna go talk to Johnny, okay? Stay here."

I didn't respond, but I assumed she knew I'd heard and understood. She released me slowly, standing from the bed where we sat, moving awkwardly. I could see she was trying to ignore the pain she was in as she made her way out of the bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.

I heard muffled voices and then Johnny's slightly amused question.

"Jesus V, what the fuck?"

I didn't hear Vince's response, but I heard Johnny's heated, "Jesus...fuck. You guys okay?"

I tuned them out after that. My entire body was trembling...violently.

I stood, wrapping my arms tightly around myself. I was cold. Freezing. Although my brain registered the temperature was probably pretty comfortable in the room like it always ways. In fact, it was probably a little warm since I kept it that way for Vince...Vince...Jesus...I could see that person, dressed in all black...that gun pointing at the back of Vince's head...What if Vince hadn't regained consciousness? Would I have fired? Or would I have remained frozen, like a dear in headlights? I mean...he would have killed her. There's no way she would have survived that shot...And I'd done nothing but watched as she killed him...

The tightness in my stomach increased, forcing me, again, to focus on not upchucking.

She'd shot a man...killed him...

Jesus.

I made my way over to my bed, slid in ignoring the blood all over my clothes, and pulled the covers up over my head, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to erase the images from my head.

*

"She okay?" Johnny asked.

Vince raised a brow, "fuck if I know. Wish that shit hadn't happened."

"What did happen?"

Vince shrugged, "he hit me from behind. Next thing I know, I hear her scream...then I'm putting two bullets in him and she's rolling him off me."

"Jesus," Johnny combed fingers through his thick hair. "She's probably gonna be pretty fucked up about this."

Vince sighed, "no shit."

"You want me to get Anna over here? Bring the kids home?"

Vince looked over her shoulder toward the bedroom and shook her head, "no, I've got this."

*

I must have fallen asleep...a deep, dark sleep...no dreams. Still, I could feel when she joined me, pulling me close to her, wrapping her arms around me...holding me tight...warming me. I could feel that knot in my stomach loosen just a bit...my trembling frame settling just a little. She murmured something, but I didn't hear her. I felt warm, soft lips against my forehead...and then I fell back into that deep, dark sleep.

*

I felt her hands on me...gentle...caressing...I kept my eyes closed, trying to block out the images...that gun pointed at her head...the smell...the blood...her hands moved, caressing my arms, my back, pulling me closer...it wasn't sexual, although I could feel myself warming to her touch...it was soothing...comforting...God, there'd been so much blood.

"You okay?" She asked me in her deep, raspy voice.

I didn't answer, turning to her instead and burrowing into her side. She slid her arms around me and pulled me against her, smelling my hair, encouraging me to take deep breaths...to remember where I was.

"You want Keni home or should Anna keep her until Monday?" She asked gently.

"Monday," I murmured, realizing I was in no condition to have my baby girl home with me.

She nodded, pulling me a little closer. We stayed that way, me nestled against her, her strong arms around me, making me feel safe, for quite some time.

"You want to talk about it?" She asked softly.

I shook my head. I could feel myself relaxing. Trying to keep the images at bay. I'd never seen a dead body...never seen anyone killed right in front of me. Kidnapping, prison, death...I wondered about my life...about the quality of it. What was next? What was in store for me? For us? I squeezed my eyes together tightly, trying not to think...trying not to worry.

I felt her lean down and kiss the top of my head.

"I'm here, baby," she offered softly, tenderly.