6. Vaughn
6
***Vaughn***
M y teeth were turning to dust from all the grinding I was doing as I listened to Ella crying through the bathroom door. We’d brought her stuff up in two loads and each time we entered her room, her sobs were painful and seemed to be never-ending. I paced in front of her new bed and ran through a list of Billys in my head. I couldn’t imagine her with any of them. She was…her, and they were…losers.
Booth leaned against her doorway and winced with each sob. “Should we…do something?”
I shrugged. “What the fuck are we supposed to do? What does she need? Ice cream or some shit like that? Chocolate?”
Fisher stuck his head in from the hallway. “Diamonds? I’m willing to throw a lot of cash at this problem.”
The sobs stopped for a second and I felt a ray of hope that maybe she was okay finally but they started back right after. I ran my hands through my hair and pulled at it. “Jesus. How much can she cry? She can’t have that much liquid in her. She’s only one woman.”
“Can she, like, pass out from dehydration? I mean, she’s been crying for a long time. Should we get her a sports drink?” Fisher pushed past Booth and moved towards the bathroom door. I grabbed his shoulder to stop him but he shrugged me off. “Hey, Ella? When’s the last time you had anything to drink?”
Booth rolled his eyes. “It’s like watching an ape try to learn empathy.”
I snorted. “That’s good.”
The bathroom door cracked open and Ella’s shaky voice filled the room. “I’m okay. Really. Just leave me here for now.”
I growled and pushed Fisher out of the way. Pushing the door open, I felt like I’d been punched when I saw Ella sitting behind the door, eyes swollen and red from crying. She tried wiping her eyes to hide her tears, like we hadn’t been listening to her sobbing. I held my arms out to her. “Up. If you dehydrate and die, you won’t be much use to me. What do you need? Water? Ice cream? Chocolate?”
“Diamonds?” Fisher stuck his head around the door and swallowed audibly when he saw her. “Big diamonds?”
Ella pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face against them. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
I rubbed at my chest and looked at Fisher. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t go around comforting women all over the place. I just wanted her to stop crying because it made me feel like shit. I’d never seen her cry before and I didn’t fucking like it. Ella pissed? Great. Ella vengeful? Even better. Ella full of anger and snark and raging against me as a kid? Loved it. Ella crying? I wanted to break shit.
“Will you guys leave me alone if I say yes to water?” She looked up at us and the expression on her face was so pitiful that I actually growled and leaned down to pick her up. She batted my hands away, though. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t know! Just stop crying, Ella Rae. What do you need to make it stop?” I tried to grab her again and frowned when she just batted me away again. “Ella!”
“Vaughn!” She pulled herself to her feet and walked to the other side of the bathroom, putting space between us. “I’m sad, okay! I loved Billy and I left my dream school like an idiot to come here with him and that’s all ruined now. I’m stuck here, in Florida, and I’m just…sad! I’m going to cry and that’s okay. The best thing you can do for me right now is-”
“Diamonds?”
“-leave me to it.” Ella looked at Fisher and smiled. Even though it was a sad, watery smile, I still didn’t like it. “And thank you for the offer of diamonds, Fisher, but the only thing I’d want with a diamond right now is to punch Billy with it so it left a big diamond shaped knot.”
I pushed Fisher out of the bathroom and turned to Ella. “Tell me his last name and I’ll leave enough knots on his face that you’ll never have to cry again.”
“Have you ever cried, Vaughn? Jeez. You really don’t understand how it works, do you?” She gave me one of those watery smiles then and gently pressed her hands to my chest. “Get out, please.”
I fought the urge to touch the spots on my chest where her hands had been. “Fine. If you die in here, though, I’m going to be pissed.”
Booth stepped into the bathroom as soon as I was out of the way. I instantly grabbed his shoulder but he shrugged me off and held a bottle of water out to Ella. “Drink this. I ordered some ice cream to be delivered if you want to venture out for some later.”
She took it and then moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you, Booth.”
I swore under my breath and dragged him out of the bathroom. Nodding to Ella like everything was fine, I pulled the bathroom door shut and pushed both of my best friends out of Ella’s bedroom. Once we were in the hallway, I glared at both of them. “Fuck off with all of your shit. I told you she’s off-limits. Out of bounds. Whatever else I need to call it to get it through your heads. She’s like a little sister. Remember that.”
Fisher just grinned back at me. “You sure about that?”
I shoved him. “Don’t be disgusting, Fish.”
Booth had a smile on his face that I didn’t like. “I’m just saying… I think I helped the most. I got a hug.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. We were the same height but he probably had fifty pounds on me. He would undoubtedly kick my ass if we fought, but I was sure I’d put up a damn good fight. “Booth. Leave her alone.”
He held up his hands and backed away. “Relax, V. You’re acting like a freak right now.”
I felt like a freak. Ella had walked back into my life less than three hours earlier and I already felt like I’d aged a decade. I wasn’t sure getting the house cleaned was going to be worth it.
“Maybe diamonds would make her feel better.” Fisher walked down the hallway with his head tilted as he thought. “A set of diamond encrusted brass knuckles would go real nice with her feelings towards that prick.”
I couldn’t even be mad at that thought. “That’s actually a pretty sick idea.”
Booth nodded. “That fucking trumps ice cream any day.”
We were all quiet as we made our way downstairs. Naturally we moved towards the kitchen and I grabbed a water from the fridge for myself. Glancing at Fisher, I frowned. “Don’t actually buy her diamonds, Fisher. That’s fucking weird.”
He shrugged. “I do what I want, V. You know that. Shit doesn’t change just because your little sister moved in.”
“She’s not my…” I threw up my hands. “Forget it.”