Page 12 of Reconciling the Consequences

“I can do it myself,” she snapped and stalked out of the kitchen.

Johnny let her go. She would realize really quickly that she had no way to cover that cast. He set his own dishes in the sink along with the pan he used to cook everything in, then he reached underneath to the bag of plastic bags they saved from grocery shopping. He grabbed several bags and a roll of duct tape from the junk drawer and headed for the stairs.

He found Kara sitting on the edge of his bed, staring into the bathroom. He frowned when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. “Kara,” he murmured softly.

She wiped away the tears slowly, not ashamed of them. “I’d rather Kevin or Derrick was here,” she muttered, looking away from him.

A dagger right to the heart. He deserved nothing less.

“I don’t know why, though. All they do is lie. At least you haven’t done that,” she continued forlornly.

“You think I didn’t lie? That fucking night you walked in and broke shit off? I had to lie through my fucking teeth to get you out of there. You just gave me the ammunition to do it.” Johnny shook his head, watching her eyes as she stared blankly at him. He hated this dejected and beaten down Kara.

Where the fuck is her fiery spirit that sends my blood racing as she busts my balls?

She snorted and shook her head.

He gritted his teeth and moved in front of her. “I lied that night. I said I should have given you to my brothers, that—”

“That I ‘was just another whore that walked through these halls’?” she questioned, her voice low as she looked up at him, throwing his words back in his face.

Johnny gritted his teeth. “I told you, I lied that night. You have never been just another whore to me.”

She stood up abruptly, and he was forced to step back. “Fuck you, Johnny. You are such an asshole. You don’t even know how fucking seriously you fucked up.”

He narrowed his gaze at her. “I think I have a pretty good idea,” he answered.

She snorted and shook her head. “Really? Because you fucking used my insecurities against me. You ASKED me what my limits were. I told you I couldn’t handle being called a whore outside the bedroom,and you fucking went there, Johnathan!” she shouted. “Not only did you break my confidence, you broke my fucking heart,” she continued, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I’ll never be able to trust you again,” she breathed out. She pushed past him into the bathroom and slammed the door in his face.

Johnny gave her twenty minutes in the bathroom before he let himself in with the plastic bags, duct tape, her pills, and a bottle of water. She hadn’t started the water yet, nor had she locked the door.

Kara was sitting on the toilet with the lid down in nothing but the top of her scrubs, just staring unblinkingly at the shower. Her pants and underwear were strewn across the bathroom floor, leaving her naked from the waist down, and her knee brace was next to her. She didn’t say anything as he reached in and turned on the multiple showerheads. When he was sure the temperature was right, he turned back to Kara to see that she was staring at him warily.

He didn’t say anything, just handed her the pills and water bottle. She downed them quickly as he grabbed the plastic bags off the counter. She let him wrap them around her pink cast and tape them closed. She was seven days post-op on her knee. The stitches in her arm, chest, and knee would be coming out tomorrow when she saw the doctor, but the bruising and scarring would remain. Thankfully they wouldn’t have to worry about covering the stitches with anything; it would be alright for them to get wet.

She stood up slowly, being stubborn and refusing to ask for help. “Come here.” Johnny’s voice was gruff as he motioned with his hand.

She hobbled toward him.

Rage washed over him as he took in her bruised ribs and chest—the ugly black stitches in her porcelain skin—as he slowly lifted her shirt over her head. A whimper escaped her lips, and he had to grit his teeth so as to not to growl in anger.

“You can leave,” she said, her voice a low monotone as she went to move past him.

He shook his head. “Not happening, Princess. I’m afraid you’ll slip on the tile. Despite what you think, I do care about you.”

Kara slowed to stop next to him and looked up. The pain in her baby-blue eyes was unreal. “Johnny, I never doubted that for a moment. That’s why this hurts so much.” She sighed. “Iknowyou care about me.”

He swallowed thickly.

“I’m sorry too,” she said softly and ran a hand across his cheek. “I’m sorry I chose to walk away from you that night. I’m sorry that I broke your heart that night, too.”

Johnny closed his eyes.

The rawness in her gaze had his chest constricting. He grabbed her hand before she could remove it from his face and kissed her palm. He opened his eyes slowly to watch her. She was looking up at him with a contemplative stare. “Baby, I will regret that night for the rest of my life,” he breathed out, his voice rough.

“Me too.” Her eyes closed. He leaned down and pressed a soft, tentative kiss to her lips. She allowed it for a moment before she pulled away slightly.

He watched her mask of indifference fall back into place and had to bite back his retort. He hated when she did that, closed herself off. He especially hated when she did it with him.

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