Free London Harmony: Squid Hugs by Erik Schubach Page B

ashamed of myself if he hadn't denigrated my Jen.  I heard Josie behind us, snapping at the man as Jen led me through a staring and murmuring crowd, “That's it, we're through you tosser.  I'll find my own way home.”
    Jennifer now had an arm around my shoulders as I took shuddering breaths, the adrenaline pumping through my veins bleeding off.  She was softly saying, “That's right, slow, deep breaths Zil.”
    I was whispering over and over, “I'm sorry.”
    Then Josie was on my other side and I looked over at her sheepishly and repeated, “I'm sorry.”
    She rolled her eyes and said with a humor tinged voice, “What for?  The man was a wanker and deserved what he got.  I only wish it had been me to bloody his nose like that.”  Then she smirked. “Looks like I'm on the market again.”
    I shook my head at her and promised, “I didn't mean to make a scene.”
    She tilted her head and waved it off, saying, “Oh please Zil.  That was nothing compared to the scenes people make at the Christmas parties, and Jeff deserved it.”
    Then she reached past me and laid a hand on Jen's arm, and said in earnest, “I'm so sorry about Jeff.  That wasn't at all what I had said.”
    Jen just nodded and looked between us and said, “It was nothing compared to what I have endured my whole life.”  Then she smirked at me and said in a conspiratorial tone, “Though I didn't have Rocky here as a protector back then.”
    We chuckled and I looked down at my hand and flexed it, and hissing out, “Ow.  I think I broke my thumb.”
    Josie looked at my hand then hers and she made a fist.  Then she asked in confusion, “Your thumb?  Are you sure you're making a fist right?”
    Then she changed her fist to put her thumb inside her fist instead of outside and she blurted an explosive chirp of laughter, “Good Lord Zil, you hit like a girl.”
    I blushed and defended myself weakly, “Hey, it isn't like I go around punching people every day.”  Then I sobered and looked over into Jen's eyes and searched them as I asked, “Are you ok, Jen?”
    She smiled at me with something unreadable in her expression and said softly and teasingly, “Yes Rocky.  I'm fine.  I'm worried about you.”  She took my hand and I winced as she looked at the swollen knuckle on my thumb, then said, “Let's get you to the hospital.”
    I nodded as I took out my valet ticket then looked back to the banquet hall and said, “Wait, my parasol.”
    Josie turned around, started back in, and called back over her shoulder, “I'm on the mission, be back in a flash.”  She rejoined us a minute later spinning the parasol on her shoulder.  We all exchanged grins then she closed it and handed it to me and I winced in pain.  Now that all the adrenaline was gone, my thumb really hurt.  It almost brought me to tears, but I forced them back.  Just what I needed, looking like a baby after I just embarrassed both women.
    Josie offered to drive but I asked with the patient look of a mother at her, “Did you drink tonight?”
    She sighed and nodded. “Two glasses of wine.”
    Then I shrugged. “Then I'll be doing the driving, thank you very much.”
    Jen almost protested but I cocked an eyebrow at little miss three glasses of wine.  She grinned and wisely kept her distractively tempting trap shut.
    We continued the embarrassing night with the emergency room doctors telling me it was just a nasty sprain.  They put a little splint on it and wrapped it to reduce the swelling.  Then I got a prescription for some painkillers; which Josie proudly informed me she had sold the hospital pharmacy; and told to ice it when I got home.  Jennifer watched me intently the whole night and looked relieved when they said I'd live and would keep my thumb.
    Josie kept apologizing to me for wanker-boy even though I was the one who didn't keep my cool.  I had never had such a primal reaction to anything in my life.  She was also assuring Jennifer that Jeff had twisted her