Thick As Blood

Richard was more than uncertain on what to do now that he had cause such a ruckus. He realized though that it had been the right decision to make, as Cecelia was hurt, bleeding in fact, and in quite a bit of pain. For a moment he returned to his room, completely sober, alert and aware of any movement outside his door. While he hoped that no one would come looking for them he gathered his things and made a trip to Jimmy’s room.

Jimmy took a long time to come to the door, still drunk from a few hours ago.

“We. Mm. May have a problem.” Richard said.

“W-what?” Jimmy stammered.

Jimmy followed him to his room, slightly swaying, slightly sick. But he became slightly more sober the moment he saw Cecelia was lying on Richard’s bed, crying.

“Richard what’d you do? We have to get rid of her.”

“No.” Richard said very affirmatively. “She’s coming with us, to a hospital.”

“Just kill her, get her out of the way.” Jimmy said.

Richard’s fists wrapped around Jimmy’s collar and slammed him against the nearest wall.

“She. Is. Coming. With us.” Richard said slowly. Jimmy was taken aback by his close friend’s odd behavior. With a nod he went back to his room to gather his belongings and to finish sobering up.

Richard looked at Cecelia once more and shut the door Jimmy had exited from. She was shaking, Richard had so many questions to ask her, like what she had been thinking, why she left him, why she had lied to him, but he couldn’t say a single thing to her. She was so upset – he was sure she wouldn’t even respond.

*****

She was easy enough to carry to the car, where Richard realized her bleeding had not stopped. His green coat was easily stained with blood, while her face was a fatigued pale white.

Jimmy said nothing when he climbed in the drivers seat, Richard could only sense the irritation, but after Richard had been dragged here and forced to listen to Jimmy and Rothstein talk about her, forced himself to see her show, and found her treated like this – he felt more than betrayed.

Her body was shaking; the cool air flowing through the car didn’t help. Richard managed to take off his jacket and cover her body the best he could. The blood wasn’t bothering him, but Cecelia being hurt did cause him some grief. If this had been how she was treated, why did she come back? Why would she have ever left his side?

’Oh, Richard thought, because I’m a monster.’

If she had chosen this life over him, she must’ve never felt what he thought she did. He was foolish to think anyone could ever love him… but the way she took his arms the moment he ended up in her doorway seemed almost like need.

Richard began to argue that they should visit the nearest hospital. Jimmy shook his head no.

“If she’s coming back with us, we’re goin’ to Atlantic City. Im not stopping here, who knows what trouble you caused here Richard.”

“Mm. She needs. A doctor.” Richard said.

“Yeah, a doctor in Atlantic City.” Jimmy said.

“Jimmy’s right Richard,” he heard Cecelia say, “Rothstein will be looking for me.” Her eyes stayed shut, and her voice cracked. Richard held her close to him and felt her relax. Jimmy looked down, in his lap Cecelia’s feet lay, untouched by blood, and bare.

He noticed something.

On her feet were old cigarette burns. Scars that spoke of a life where maybe she wasn’t so happy, where maybe her and Jimmy shared a commonality.

*****

The drive to Atlantic City was long and quiet. Cecelia had fallen unconscious, and Richard began to worry. Until he talked to her, he was going to take care of her. For all he knew she did love him, he didn’t want to risk losing that.

So he held her close, and ignored any of Jimmy’s snide comments.

Richard carried her into the Atlantic City hospital just after dawn. Where she was taken from Richard’s arms and he was left standing in a white hallway covered in her blood. Jimmy was close behind him. Jimmy clapped his hand over Richards shoulder while he watched the worry flood his friend’s eye. The real part of his face had begun to match the tin strung around his ears.

Then they waited.

*****

Cecelia calmly awoke with a nurse at her side. Her calm demeanor fluttered away when she couldn’t remember how she had gotten here, or where she even was. The night before had felt so dream like, she was sure it had been a nightmare.

She felt a fuzzy feeling in her fingertips from a pain medication, she could wiggle her toes and feel and emptiness in her stomach.

If this was real, if she was really here, then Rothstein had betrayed their agreement. She had let Richard down. She began to quietly sob; the nurse was trying to get her to comply with pointless questions. Cecelia couldn’t even hear what she was asking; all she could do was bite her lip till it bled.

Cecelia was given more medication, and woke up later to a familiar face.

Now, Jimmy Darmody may not have been the face she wanted to see, but at least she knew who he was.

“You know, Richard’s sitting out there, hasn’t moved, won’t leave, and they won’t even let him back here.” Jimmy said.

Cecelia blinked twice, she didn’t have much strength to talk.

“I suppose… Well I want to apologize.”

“This is your fault Jimmy.” Cecelia said.

“I – I understand that you’d be mad, so I’m not going to apologize, I just said I want to. But I know it’s no good.”

Cecelia just looked at him.

“Richard… he’s never been this way before. And I think that you’ve brought him back from the front lines. God, that guy loves you – and with Richard… I can’t let him not have that chance to be happy. So just know I was wrong, alrigh?”

Cecelia didn’t give him any recognition. He was the sole reason she ended up in New York, he was the reason she was lying in a hospital bed.

Jimmy left her a few minutes later.
______________________________________________________________

Cecelia managed to convince the nurse that fresh air would help her feel better, so with doctors permission, she was allowed to be pushed around the small courtyard at the hospital.

But she didn’t sit long in the courtyard until she saw Richard had followed them. She inched herself away from the nurse, and clung to his arm for support. She was tired, she really had wanted to rest in bed, but she just had to see Richard.

His clothes were caked with dried blood, his face withered with pain. She began to cry when she saw him.

He was trying to make words, “Mm. Mmm.”

“Where have you been?” Cecelia asked cupping her hand to his face.

“Not close enough.” He said finally.

The nurse was being polite enough to let them converse, but kept a close eye on Cecelia and her dizzy state.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s… not Mm. your fault.” Richard said, “you were only –“

“No.” she shook her head. “I never wanted to leave, I never would have.”

“Then you shouldn’t Mm. Be. Sorry.”

“I’m sorry about the baby.” Cecelia said, crying even harder now. Richard acted mostly stunned, not sure what she was talking about. The nurse urged Cecelia to sit back down in the chair they had wheeled her out here on, as upset as she was, it wouldn’t be long before she needed to be back in bed under close doctor care.

Richard stayed there, stunned. Still not sure what to say or think, before he realized it Cecelia was gone.