Bandages Read online

  Other Books by S. L. Kassidy

  Please Baby

  Scarred Series

  Scarred for Life - Book 1

  New Cuts, Old Wounds – Book 2

  Bandages

  By S. L. Kassidy

  ©2016 S. L. Kassidy

  ISBN: 9781942976097

  ISBN (epub): 9781942976103

  ISBN (pdf): 9781942976110

  This is a work of fiction - names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  For permission requests, write to the publisher at [email protected] or at

  Desert Palm Press

  1961 Main Street, Suite 220

  Watsonville, California 95076

  www.desertpalmpress.com

  Editor: CK King

  Cover Design: Jamani Hawkins-El

  Blurb

  Nicole and Dane return in the third installment of the Scarred series. Life is good. The musician gave the lawyer a ring, a not-engagement ring, a promise; this is forever. But, they both still had some growing and healing to work through.

  Healing is strange. There are those days when the bandage falls off on its own and you think you’re good to go. Days when laughter comes easy and you forget the past. And there are days when the past doesn’t want to be forgotten; you still need a stitch or a cast to hold yourself together. There are even relapses when the poisonous past needs release.

  Share their journey through eighteen short stories of play, passion, and a deepening partnership. You’ll enjoy the journey as much as where it leads.

  Dedication

  This book dedicated to my family, who support my writing long before I thought it was worth anything, and to my friends, who helped me believe in myself and allowed themselves to be conscripted into betareading stories, whether they wanted to or not. Thank you all.

  Table of Contents

  Stitches

  Heavy Metal Poisoning

  Band-Aid

  Antibodies

  Treatment

  ACE

  Cast

  Scab

  Aloe

  Sling

  Ice Pack

  Gauze

  Butterfly Closure

  Pressure

  Suture

  Wet Sage

  Honey

  Therapy

  About S. L. Kassidy

  Other Books by S. L. Kassidy

  Stitches

  “Okay, so I should be back for them by six,” Adam Wolfe said to Nicole. Even though he spoke to her, his dark brown eyes were focused on his children, Luke and Thomas. They were in Nicole’s living room with their aunt, Danny, who was hyping them up about the day they were going to have.

  “We could easily bring them to your house.” Nicole's gaze drifted toward her girlfriend and the little boys.

  The sight brought a bright smile to Nicole’s face. They look so small and adorable, standing next to Danny the giant. She liked to give her lover as much time as possible with the boys. Danny loved her nephews, but didn’t spend as much time with them as she liked because their mother didn’t trust or like Danny. There was a story there, but Nicole didn’t ask. Danny seemed to only know she was hated for being a lesbian. They both suspected there was more.

  “No, I’ll still be out, so I’ll just come get them.” Adam's anxiety cutting into his voice.

  Nicole decided not to argue with him. He wouldn’t yield and she didn’t want to make things uncomfortable. Adam didn’t want to risk Danny running into his wife, Sharon, especially with the boys around. Nicole wasn’t sure what Adam thought would happen between the two. Danny ignored most insults, and all Sharon did was snipe. She didn’t even do that to Danny’s face. It wasn’t like they’d have a fistfight if they occupied the same space at the same time.

  “Fine,” Nicole conceded with a small shrug. “Well, we should get going then.”

  “Let me say goodbye to my little guys,” Adam said. “Hey, guys!”

  Luke and Thomas didn’t bother to turn around. They were now enamored with Haydn, Nicole and Danny’s white shepherd puppy. Adam grabbed them up into a single hug. They squealed and Haydn let out a surprised bark, circling around Adam’s feet as if trying to figure out where to attack.

  “Haydn, come,” Danny ordered, standing a couple of feet away. Haydn made another noise and continued circling until Danny repeated the command.

  “Those obedience classes seem to be paying off,” Nicole said, as she stepped over to her girlfriend. While Adam bid his sons farewell, Nicole decided to check on her lover. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

  Danny ran her hand through her short, onyx locks. “I watch the boys enough to take them to your grandparents for a simple cookout, right?”

  “Yes, you do, but that’s not what I meant, baby. Technically, you’re still healing. Are you up to hanging out with my family?” Nicole asked for possibly the hundredth time. She had been asking since the beginning of the week when her grandparents invited them to an end of summer barbeque. The spontaneous cookout was thanks to the nice, warm weather lasting to the end of September.

  “Chem, I’m fine. Stop worrying,” Danny replied with a smile. A car had hit her some months earlier. Her ribs had healed over a month ago, but the cast on her right leg had only been off for a few weeks.

  Rolling her eyes, Nicole shook her head. “You know I can’t,” she replied with a bright smile.

  A warm smile spread across Danny’s face again. “I know. I appreciate the concern.”

  They turned their attention back to the males in their home as the goodbyes were finished between the anxious father and eager sons. Luke and Thomas quickly returned to cooing over the puppy. Adam gazed at his sons, almost as if he was scared they’d forget him. Danny didn’t bother with her older brother, but Nicole at least walked him to the door.

  “It’ll be fine. We’re just going to my grandparents’ house. There’ll be other children for them to play with and everything,” she assured him for quite possibly the tenth time. He clearly didn’t spend a lot of time away from his children. She found his separation anxiety to be sweet, even though it obviously irked Danny.

  “Okay. Call me if anything happens,” Adam said, his eyes wide and slightly wet.

  “We will, but it’ll be fine. It’s just a small, family barbeque. Nothing more than that.”

  Adam nodded and she finally ushered him out of the door. Nicole breathed a sigh of relief as she shut the door. Okay, so his anxiety was sweet, but also exhausting. She turned her attention to Danny and her nephews.

  “Are you guys ready to go?” Nicole asked with cheer in her voice and a grin on her face.

  “Yeah!” the boys cheered and the happy noise made Haydn yelp.

  “All right, let’s get moving. Everybody have everything they need?” Nicole inquired.

  Danny grabbed her guitar, which was resting by the couch, and took Luke by the hand. Nicole attached Haydn’s leash to his collar and took Thomas’ hand. The group exited the house and the boys were buckled up in the backseat. Danny held onto the pup in the front seat, while Nicole got behind the wheel.

  “Okay, are we sure we have everything?” Nicole asked again just to be sure. She knew small children needed every chance possible to remember anything they might need.
<
br />   “Yeah!” Luke answered for the boys. He hugged his backpack. His little brother had one, too, but Thomas had just dumped his bag on the floor.

  “Then let’s go have fun and eat hotdogs,” Nicole cheered. The boys shouted their approval, which made Haydn yelp and Danny smile.

  ***

  Nicole’s family was in the backyard of her grandparents’ house. The barbeque was already in full swing with everyone there, including Nicole’s parents. Nicole looked around and Dane could’ve sworn her girlfriend looked embarrassed. For just a second, Nicole’s cheeks were almost as red as her hair.

  “Hey, everybody.” Nicole waved to her family.

  “Nikki, we were scared you weren’t going to show up,” Raymond said, as he moved away from the card game he was playing. The other players included Nicole’s aunts, Kimber and Katrina, and Kimber’s son, Philip. Raymond grabbed her into a hug.

  Nicole smiled and returned her father’s embrace. “We had to wait for Luke and Thomas. Danny thought they’d have fun here.”

  Dane noticed Thomas grip Nicole’s hand a little tighter as if to remind her he was there. For some reason, this made her chuckle a little. Luke and Thomas weren’t boys that would let anyone forget them. Nicole smiled down at Thomas, giving him the acknowledgement he wanted.

  Raymond turned his attention to the towheaded boys. He was familiar with them after meeting them at Dane’s birthday party a couple of months ago. He offered the boys his hand, which they both shook like little men.

  Nicole thought they were cute mimicking the adult behaviors they saw. Of course, the fact they were dressed in khaki shorts and white polo shirts tickled her as well. Dane didn’t get the appeal, but if it made her lover happy, it was good enough for her to just accept.

  “Good to see you two again. Have a good time, okay?” Raymond smiled down at the boys and they seemed to almost puff out their chests because of the attention.

  “We will!” Luke proclaimed, while Thomas grinned and nodded. Haydn yelped again. Dane was certain she and Nicole were raising a little glory hound.

  “You brought your dog, too? Is he ready to be out around people or another dog?” Raymond asked, nodding toward Katrina’s dog in the yard.

  “We’ll find out,” Nicole replied with a smile.

  Raymond nodded. “Be careful,” he cautioned them and patted Dane on the shoulder as a greeting. She smiled at him before turning her attention elsewhere.

  Dane thought Katrina’s dog was bigger than she remembered, but that was expected. She hadn’t seen the creature in months. She remembered the dog was friendly and Haydn was affable. In fact, Haydn had yet to meet a person or dog he didn’t like.

  Dane decided to see sooner rather than later by letting Haydn off of his leash. He charged off to investigate his new environment. The large backyard set off a rather average house. Luke and Thomas took off after him and Dane followed. Katrina’s kids, Eddie and Sabrina, came over almost immediately with their dog. Haydn eased back, settling next to Dane.

  “Hey, Danny! Who are they?” Eddie asked with a bluntness that Dane knew would get him in trouble in a few years. But, his cherubic dimples and slightly wavy, dark-chocolate locks would get him right back out of trouble…well, with most girls and adults anyway.

  “These are my nephews and my dog. Luke, Thomas, meet Nicole’s cousins, Eddie and Sabrina.” Dane introduced the duos. She hoped they’d get along, even though her nephews were younger than Nicole’s cousins.

  “You don’t look anything like Danny.” Sabrina seemed amazed.

  It was quite true, they didn’t appear related in the slightest. Luke and Thomas were blonds with creamy complexions, while Dane had a caramel skin tone and black hair with blond highlights. Luke had brown eyes like his father, and Thomas had blue like his mother; Dane had grey eyes. They shared almost nothing in common with Dane, except maybe chubby cheeks.

  “You don’t look like Nick,” Luke countered. He and his brother had taken to calling Nicole by the nickname Dane used. Nicole’s family did the same with Danny.

  “I’m not Nikki.” Sabrina shrugged.

  “We’re not Dane,” Thomas countered.

  Luke just moved on. “Dane’s puppy’s name is Haydn. It’s a weird name. What’s your dog’s name?”

  “Beanie.” Eddie grinned. “Beanie can do tricks.”

  As Beanie went through his tricks, Haydn checked him out. Beanie was older than the shepherd pup, but he wasn’t too much bigger. Beanie was a mixed breed Katrina had rescued as a puppy. Dane could understand why Eddie and Sabrina loved the sweet dog.

  “Beanie’s cool,” Thomas declared as Haydn nudged Beanie with his nose.

  Dane only laughed. She suspected they’d go home, demanding a dog of their own, again. They had done so when they first met Haydn. She also suspected they’d spend a lot of time trying to teach Haydn tricks. With luck, Haydn might actually learn something.

  Dane stuck close to her boys, but acknowledged everyone at the cookout with a wave. Nicole’s family waved back and let Dane go about her business. The only one who gave Dane more than a nod was Jarred, Kimber’s husband. He was working the large grill and pointed toward the food that he had already finished cooking. She shook her head to decline the offer, for now.

  “Does Haydn know any tricks?” Eddie asked, once Beanie had gone through all of his little doggie tricks.

  “Only if you count whining and jumping on things he shouldn’t.” Dane smiled, as she reached down and petted the rambunctious pup. Haydn yipped and licked her fingers.

  “Sabrina does those tricks, too.” Eddie laughed.

  Sabrina didn’t seem to get the joke, which was for the best. They moved on from dog tricks to chasing the dogs. Dane moved around with them, but couldn’t run with them. Even without just being healed from her car accident injuries, she wouldn’t have been able to keep up with them because of her lame leg. Still, they called for her participation, so she did what she could.

  ***

  Nicole settled down next to her grandmother, Alicia, who was at the small picnic table that was slowly being covered in food. Nicole’s mother, Kate, was there too. Nicole happily kissed both of their cheeks as greetings.

  “Hi, sweet pea. I was worried when your mom beat you here.” Alicia snickered.

  Nicole laughed. While she was hardly the first person to arrive at a family function, her mother was always the last one. But, her mother didn’t have two small kids and their worried father to get out the door.

  “Luke and Thomas came late and their dad wouldn’t leave once he showed up. So, that’s why we’re the last to show.”

  Alicia nodded. “The little angels are related to Danny?”

  “I know Mommy already told you those are Danny’s nephews. They’re her eldest brother’s sons. They love her,” Nicole replied in a delighted tone. She liked talking about Danny and her relationship with her nephews. She wanted everyone to know how good Danny was with children.

  Alicia glanced over at the group. “She looks really good with them. How often do they go places with you?”

  “Not often, because Danny doesn’t go places often. They come over to the house every weekend now. She always makes sure she has stuff to do with them. They play video games, or go to the park, or just walk the dog. They’re very nice boys.”

  Her grandmother made an odd noise, but it sounded pleasant, so Nicole didn’t take offense. “I’m sure they are. So, Danny’s good with kids and I see there’s a ring on your finger…” Her eyes drifted down to Nicole’s hand. The gold band with a small row of diamonds that probably bankrupted her lover sat pretty on her left hand, letting the world know she was taken.

  The words ring and finger seemed to be a gathering call for the other women, except for Danny. Nicole’s aunts and teenage cousin Jody practically flew over to the table to see the simple ring. Jody went as far as to grab Nicole’s hand for a closer inspection.

  “I expected better from Danny,” Jody declared, while Ka
te glared at the piece of jewelry.

  “It’s not an engagement ring, just so we’re clear. It’s a promise ring. So, you can all get pictures of my wedding out of your heads,” Nicole informed all of them. Her mother was the only one that did not look disappointed.

  “Sweet pea, your grandma is an old woman.” Alicia sighed dramatically and made sure to look extremely pitiful, putting a hand to her forehead. “You want to give me great grandchildren, don’t you?” She sniffled.

  Nicole gave her grandmother a playful swat. “Not just yet, no.”

  “She needs to find the right guy first,” Kate chimed in.

  Kimber rolled her eyes. “Kate, don’t start. Danny’s a wonderful person and so in love with Nikki that she probably can’t see straight, which I guess suits her since she’s gay. She’s put up with your attitude toward her and she’s still here, smiling all the way through. She only wants the best for Nikki, and she’s willing to go through hell for it, apparently. I’d think you of all people would recognize that.”

  Katrina chimed in. “Seriously, how often did Raymond’s family try to run you off?”

  Kate glared at her younger sisters, which was enough to silence them on the subject. Nicole was aware that her father’s family were not fans of her mother, but she didn’t know the real details. Her aunts sometimes let things slip, so she knew her mother was resented for what the Cardell family viewed as her transforming Raymond from a carefree, fun-loving guy into a serious lawyer. Nicole thought that was crazy and couldn’t help noting the irony in her mother’s feelings toward Danny.

  “Nikki, you hold onto Danny if she’s the person you love. You marry her when you feel the time is right. You have babies with her when you feel the time’s right,” Alicia said.