The girl forced a laugh.
"Seriously," Derek said. "But if it makes you feel any better, I think the gashes over my ribs are going to scar."
"Not really, but thank you anyway," she said. Her eyelids were starting to droop. "I was thinking about those guys from the hospital, and about Platform and Seer."
"What of them?"
"They're jackasses," she asserted.
Derek laughed genuinely, a rare thing. After a minute of laughter, followed by chuckling, he said, "I completely agree, Nell."
The sides of Nell's mouth quirked into a smile. She leaned over against Derek, who had to force himself not to flinch away. Damnit, Nell, he thought. She was asleep soon enough.
He could have moved her, but he didn't want to accidentally press on a bruise and hurt her, waking her up. Then he'd have to talk to her again to make her fall asleep. The Afterdark ended up not moving and closing his eyes. He was sleeping soon enough.
----------
Nell woke up in a bundle of blankets pressed up against the Afterdark's warm ribs. Her body ached, and it hurt to try to open her eyes very wide because they were swollen. She had been injured before, but it had always happened one thing at a time. She found that life was truly Hell when one had many injuries at once, as each additional bruise made the overall pain exponentially worse.
"Seriously," Derek said. "But if it makes you feel any better, I think the gashes over my ribs are going to scar."
"Not really, but thank you anyway," she said. Her eyelids were starting to droop. "I was thinking about those guys from the hospital, and about Platform and Seer."
"What of them?"
"They're jackasses," she asserted.
Derek laughed genuinely, a rare thing. After a minute of laughter, followed by chuckling, he said, "I completely agree, Nell."
The sides of Nell's mouth quirked into a smile. She leaned over against Derek, who had to force himself not to flinch away. Damnit, Nell, he thought. She was asleep soon enough.
He could have moved her, but he didn't want to accidentally press on a bruise and hurt her, waking her up. Then he'd have to talk to her again to make her fall asleep. The Afterdark ended up not moving and closing his eyes. He was sleeping soon enough.
----------
Nell woke up in a bundle of blankets pressed up against the Afterdark's warm ribs. Her body ached, and it hurt to try to open her eyes very wide because they were swollen. She had been injured before, but it had always happened one thing at a time. She found that life was truly Hell when one had many injuries at once, as each additional bruise made the overall pain exponentially worse.
