Right Behind You

Chapter Eight: Get it Up

"Easin' the tension loosen up enough to clenchin'

Whatever's mentioned (mentioned)

Not to mention what I hand you wit' in question

And a question at hand (there it is)

Are you ready to make me feel the definition of a man (man)

Man is it hot or is it me

Me I guess cause when it comes to feelin' free

You free villains on civility my sexuality

A formality of reality

So don't touch me in the morning and walk away (walk away)"

Get it Up (TLC)

Kae: 

For the next week, I skipped dinner. Not because I wanted to, but because I always slept right through it. When I opened my eyes a bowl of hot soup would be in front of me, waiting to be devoured. It was always hot, always tasted perfect, always filled me.

But at night, I dreamt of blood.

Pouring out of me, covering me, sliding from walls, crawling through the cracks in the door. It was my blood, it was Tariq's blood, it was my aunt's blood. It was the blood of that man in the happy room.

I was covered in it.

I looked at the red frothy soup and pushed it away, suddenly losing my appetite.

Every night, I would pull out my bible and read a specific verse that my grandmother always reminded me of when I told her my dreams of blood.

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission." Hebrews 9:22 KJV.

I had no idea what it meant at the time, but I think I was starting to get it now.

Just as I began reaching for my bible on the shelf beside me, a knock on the door shook me out of my thoughts.

I looked over and saw that Andrei was standing by the door. There was something different about him, though. I squinted my eyes further and realized he was shirtless, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was his chest was covered in slashes and gashes, blood was seeping through the cuts not so vigorously but it was prominent.

I immediately stood up.

"Andrei! What happened to you?" I hurried over to him.

Andrei looked down at me and shrugged, "Kirill and I were sparring for fun." He explained.

I arched my eyebrow at him in confusion.

"For fun?" I questioned him.

He shrugged again and moved further into the room, seemingly to forget he was wounded and bleeding.

"You didn't finish your soup...were you not hungry?" He asked curiously.

"That doesn't matter," I said trying to get him to go into the examination room.

Andrei frowned, "Yes it does...you haven't been to dinner in a week. I figure you must not be eating well." He stated.

"I'm fine...I'm a doctor, I can handle myself." I walked over to my desk where he was standing so casually, looking down at the soup bowl with disappointment. I grabbed his arm, being careful where I touched him because of the gashes there as well. He let me lead him into the examination room, where I began caring for him.