I stepped back from the door after unlocking it. The door opened slowly and Brady stood there. I took another step back and shook. "I'm here Buttercup. It's really ok to come on out now. Come here..." he said gently while holding his arms open. I ran into his arms and burst into tears.
"Shh... shh.. it's ok. I've got you. He won't ever hurt you again." he said soothingly and picked me up bridal style in his arms. I saw Don laying on the ground passed out. I buried my face into Brady's neck and sobbed. I heard the front door to the office slam open and someone running in.

"Is she ok?" I heard Jake's voice ask.

"I'm not sure yet, I just got her to open the bathroom she had locked herself in." Brady told him. I felt him walking and then setting me down on the couch in the back room. "Delphine, baby, let us look you over," Jake said to me. "Does it hurt anywhere? I lifted up my head and their eyes locked onto my mouth. I lifted my fingers to it and touched my lips gingerly. I winced and Brady pulled my hand away from my face. "Did he hit your face?" I was still crying and couldn't talk so I just nodded.

Wyatt appeared with a pissed off look on his face. "Where is that piece of shit!"

"Brady knocked him the fuck out. He's in the back." Jake told him.

"Good!" Wyatt said and came over to me. "I'd get her over to Chase to get looked at. I reviewed the footage and it looks like she hit her head pretty hard on the wall after the mother fucker backhanded her."

Jake ran his fingers gently over my head and found the tender spot that had hit the wall. I flinched and pulled away. "Ok baby, I'm gonna take you to see Chase so that he can make sure that you don't have a concussion." He picked me up and took me out to his car. Brady came with us to open the office and then car door for us.

"Wyatt and I will stay behind to deal with the jackass," Brady said to Jake. "I'll call you to see where you guys are at when we are finished here."

Jake nodded as he set me down carefully in the passenger seat and even buckled me in. Getting in behind the wheel he sped us off towards the hospital. At the stoplights he would push buttons on his phone and then set it down when it turned green. He got us there fast and parked in the back where Chase had parked last time. I was still shaking and my face was still wet with tears. Jake picked me up and walked in the back entrance and right into an open elevator. He punched in the 4th floor button and the doors shut and up we went. When the doors opened to the 4th floor, Chase was standing there frowning. He led us to his office and into the exam room and had Jake put me down on the exam table.

"Ok sweetie, let's see what's wrong." Chase said calmly and soothingly. Checking my face he looked at my swollen lip and carefully probed around my mouth. "Thankfully your lip isn't split, just a little puffy and that will go away soon." he said. Grabbing a pen light out of his coat he tilted my head up and checked my eyes. He had me follow is finger to the left and then to the right.

Feeling my cheekbones, nose and jaw, he moved to the sides of my head and I jumped and let out a whimper when he touched the sore spot. Pushing my hair out of the way he checked the spot on my scalp. "Well, we have a small bump here. I don't think that there is a concussion but just to be sure let's keep a close eye on you tonight." Chase told me. I nodded and he moved away from me to go to the mini fridge in his office and grabbed an ice pack out of it. Wrapping a thin cloth around it, he carefully pressed it to my hurt lip and had me hold it there. "I'm just going to give you some ibuprofen for the pain ok?" I nodded and he went into a cabinet and shook out a couple and put them in my hand. Jake tried to hand me a cup of water but there was something in my hand.

Looking down I saw that I still had my cell phone in a death grip. Chase and Jake looked down at it and exchanged glances. "Ok, you can let go of the phone now." Chase said to me gently and helped me open my fingers. My hand was sore and my fingers had red imprints from the phone in them. He took my phone and handed it to Jake and then massaged my fingers until feeling came back into them. My crying was slowing down now and I just sniffled and my breath hitched every few seconds. Chase placed the cup of water in my hands and I put the pills in my mouth and took a sip of water to wash them down. He took the cup back and set it on the counter.

Jake came closer with some tissues in his hand and mopped up my face for me. Throwing them away he came back to me and wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head very gently. Picking me up, he moved me out of the exam room into Chase's office and laid me down on the couch. "I'm going to talk to Chase in the hallway for a minute ok? You won't be alone, we are right outside the door." He kissed the top of my head again and went to the hallway with Chase and shut the door.

I could hear their voices but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I was starting to feel some pain in my lip and my head started to throb a little. I lifted my arms to push my hair out of the way but stopped because my left shoulder was a little sore. Using only my right hand I did my best to sweep it out of my eyes. I managed to sit up and curl my legs under me.

A minute later, they came back in and sat on either side of me. Chase ducked his head down to catch my eyes. "Are you feeling any more pain?"

"Just a little." I whispered hoarsely.

"That's normal. The adrenaline is wearing off and the pills should kick in soon. There is more of that at the house. Would you like to go home now?"

I nodded yes and then Chase said, "Jake is going to take you home now. I'm going to finish up here and bring Lexine home. We will just tell her that you had an accident at work. There is no need to up her anxiety level when she had been doing so well lately." He kissed my cheek and carefully hugged me. After he let me go, Jake picked me up and I told him that I could walk but he insisted on it.

The drive home was very quiet except for the radio playing. Jake kept glancing over at me to make sure that I was doing alright. His phone buzzed and he answered it. "No, we are headed back to the house. ETA ten minutes. Ok, see you there."

Jake looked over at me again and said, "That was Brady and Wyatt. They are going to meet us at the house."
"OK" I said softly.

When we got home, Brady and Wyatt had beat us there. Opening the car door Brady reached in and lifted me out. Wyatt shut the door and jogged ahead to open the house door. I told Brady that I could walk but he shook his head no and said, "You don't need to walk right now." I was too tired to argue with him so I just rested my head on his shoulder. He carried me straight into the living room and sat on the couch with me nestled in his lap. Jake and Wyatt followed us in there. It felt good to be home and I felt my tension ease. Slowly I relaxed into Brady's warm body and I drifted off into sleep.

I awoke to my name being called gently and kisses on my face. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Wyatt's face. I realized that he was the one holding me now. I didn't even wake up when they switched places.

"Hey there darling, sorry to wake you up but it's Doctor's order to check on you every hour." he said to me gently.

"That's ok." I said.

"Chase is on his way home with Lexine, they should be here soon." he told me.

I nodded and yawned. "I need to use the bathroom."

"Ok darling. I'll get you there." he said and started to stand while still holding me.

"I can walk." I protested.

Wyatt gently set me down on my feet. I noticed that my shoes were off. I took a step and my legs felt stiff. Wyatt grabbed my arm and steadied me. "I'll walk with you." he said. He led me to the stairs and when I moved to go up them, he looked at me confused.

"Where are you going?" he asked me.

"To the bathroom." I told him equally confused.

"Can't you use the one down here?"

"There's a bathroom down here?"

He laughed and led me to a door under the stairs that I always assumed was a closet. Opening it and turning on the light, there was a spacious and extravagant full bathroom!

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this? I've been running upstairs to my room all the time!"

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew about it. Guess everyone just assumed that somebody else showed it to you." Wyatt said with a small grin.

I sighed and shooed him out and shut the door. After taking care of business, I was washing my hands and I caught sight of my reflection and gasped. All my eye makeup had run over and smudged everywhere and my face was pale. I looked like an extra in a horror movie! Finding a washcloth in the linen closet, I washed my face with soap and rinsed it off.  I dried off and saw that even though my face was still pale, the awful makeup was gone and I looked better. Since my bun was ruined too I pulled the pins out and finger combed my hair into less of a frizzy mess. Leaning closer, I looked at my lip. It was less puffy and didn't hurt so much.

Walking out of the bathroom I saw that Wyatt was leaning against the wall nearby and tapping away at his phone. Spotting me he put his phone back in his pocket and pushed himself off the wall. "Feel a little better?" he asked me.

"Yes, I do. My makeup was smeared anywhere so I washed my face. Why didn't you tell me that I looked so horrible?"

He looked amused. "I didn't even notice the makeup. I was too worried about you being hurt."

"Oh" I said lamely. What could I say to that? He walked with me back into the living room with his arm around me. Chase had come back with Lexine and she ran over to me. I knelt down and gave her a hug and a kiss. My left shoulder was still a little sore but I could move it without a problem. "Hi baby. How was your day?" I asked her. She showed me a paper with her name written on it. It was in her handwriting!
"Oh, you learned how to write your name! Aren't you a smart girl!" I praised her and she smiled. Taking the paper around to the guys, they each complimented her new skill. Brady invited her to play outside and she pulled him out there.

"I explained that you hit your head at work and that you are just fine, so she doesn't worry too much." Chase told me. "Come sit by me so that I can take a look at you." He quickly checked me over and checked my eyes again with a pen light. "All clear. You look good. How is the pain level?" he asked me.

"Low, it's bearable." I answered him. He gave me a smile and put his arm around me and I snuggled into him.

"What happened to Don?" I asked the guys. Their gazes turned hard and angry looks came over their faces. I felt nervous and it showed on my face because as soon as they saw it, they softened and gave me reassuring smiles.

"He's been handled and is in custody, baby." Jake told me.

"You broke his nose, darling! Way to go." Wyatt said.

"He won't be hurting anyone anymore." Chase assured me.

"Oh, I forgot my purse and coat at the office!" I said worried that I might have to go back there.

"No, we brought home your stuff. It's in your room." Wyatt said with a smile.

"Good. I never want to go back there again!"

Brady came back inside with Lexine. "We have decided to go to McDonalds to pick up some dinner for everyone. What does everyone want?"

We each told him what we wanted and typed it into his phone. Brady said that he would text Preston to find out what he wants. After Brady and Lexine left to get the food, I asked the guys, "Where is Preston? Is he still on an Academy job?"

Jake answered me, "Yeah, he's still on a job and he's probably on radio silence which means turning your phone off or he is in an area with no cell signal. He's supposed to be back tonight. I left him a voicemail and text message about what happened today so as soon as he is done, I know that he will be here."

"Ok. Can we watch TV?" I asked.

"Of course you can!" Chase said and handed me the remote. "Watch whatever you want!"

Scrolling through the channel listing, I found the movie channels and there was a rerun of "Blades of Glory" about to start. I chose that and the guys looked a little relieved that it wasn't a chick flick. We settled back and a few minutes into the movie, we heard the front door slam shut and running feet. Preston burst into the room looking frantic with his hair a complete mess. He skidded to a halt and his eyes locked on me. Seeing him brought it all back and my eyes teared up and my still slightly puffy lower lip trembled.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair and barked out, "Bloody Hell!" Turning away he headed towards the other side of the house. I heard a door slam in the distance.

"He's mad at me." I said quietly.

"Why would he be mad at you?" Chase asked me.

"Because he asked me if I wanted to quit during lunch and I said no. If I had quit, then that wouldn't have happened."

Jake stood up. "I don't think that's what it is. I'm going to go talk to him." He left the room.

Chase pulled me close again and rubbed my back. Wyatt came and sat on the other side of me and held my hand while we tried to concentrate on the movie again. Fifteen minutes later, Jake came back in and held his hand out to me. "The two of you need to talk."

I took his hand and stood up. We walked over to Preston's office and went inside. I felt nervous and unsure of how the conversation was going to go. I blamed myself for not quitting at lunch. Preston was sitting on his couch with his head in his hands. He looked up as we entered. Jake let go of my hand then said, "Talk it out."walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. I timidly met Preston's gaze. We both just stared at each other for a few seconds. His good manners came back to him and he patted the seat next to him. "Sit down." he said to me. I sat down and put my hands on my lap. My fingers twisted together and I had no idea what to say or how to start talking. His hand came out and covered mine.

I looked up at him and blurted out, "I'm sorry!" He said the same thing at the same time. His look of surprise must have matched mine. "Why are you sorry?" he asked me.

"Because, you pretty much asked me to quit at lunch and I didn't do it."

"No! It's my fault for leaving you there. I knew you were uncomfortable with him today and I had to go to a damn job for the Academy. Then when you needed me I wasn't there. I had texted Brady to come and stay with you but I didn't stay until he got there."

"You didn't know he was going to do that!" I said and grasped his hand. "You sent Brady to me?" He nodded and I continued, "Is that why Brady got there so fast?"

"Yes, he was already on his way to you when you hit your emergency button. I didn't get it because I had to turn off my phone for the job." Preston reached out and grabbing me by my waist he pulled me onto his lap so that I was straddling him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressed my cheek to his and he wrapped his arms around my waist. "When I was done with the job and turned my phone back on, there were missed messages and calls. Finding out that you were hurt and that bloody wanker did it..."

I smiled and tried to repress a giggle. "Why are you smiling?" he asked.
"How did you know I was smiling?"
"I felt it." he said
The giggle popped out and I explained to him "Because.... You are so.... British!"
He chuckled and asked, "Is that such a bad thing?"
"No! It's adorable."
"Adorable!? Men are not adorable!"
"Oh, but your Britishness is one of the things that I love about you!"

He went completely still. Our cheeks were still pressed together and I felt his breath catch. Slowly I pulled my face back so that I could look at him. His eyes were bright, almost like he had tears in them. "You love something about me even after I messed up with you?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, and to be clear, the only part that you messed up on was when you walked away after seeing me. When I'm upset or hurt, I need your affection."

"I thought that you hated me for leaving you there." he confessed.

"Not possible. I thought that you were mad at me for not quitting at lunch." I said.

"Never. Let's agree that Meyers is at fault and that neither of us are."

"Agreed."

"Delphine?"

"Yes?"

"There are so many things that I love about you."

He started to kiss me but then remembered my bruised lip and kissed my cheek instead.
The door opened and Jake poked his head in. "Have you guys kissed and made up yet? The food is here!"

"Jake, that makes two times you have interrupted us now!" Preston growled at him. Jake grinned and said, "Again! Learn to lock the door!" and he went away laughing. I laughed too and so did Preston after a few seconds. When we finished laughing he helped me stand back up.
Preston?"
"Yes?"
"I think that I broke his nose."
"Yes, you did. Brady only cracked his jaw but you definitely broke his nose."  
He smiled at me and we walked back to join everyone else for dinner.