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WORM

I t has been over three weeks since Allison walked out of Worm’s apartment without a backward glance. She’d refused to listen to him when he’d tried to apologize for what she’d overheard him say. He hadn’t meant what he’d said or the way it had come out of his mouth. He wouldn’t give up their time together for anything. He doesn’t regret meeting her, fucking her, looking for her when she’d been missing, and not even going to Denver to meet her and bring her home.

Sure, he’d felt guilty for his neglect of his sisters and his mom, but that wasn’t Allison’s fault. He’d been the one who’d let his duty slip. He’d been so consumed with finding Allison; he’d dropped the ball. That wasn’t on Allison. That was on him. He understood that now. He has spent many hours in contemplation over the events of the last month and came to an understanding. He was capable of managing his family, his obligations to his team, and caring for Allison. He knows that now, but how is he going to fix this when she won’t even speak to him?

Worm slams his fist into the heavy bag over and over. He’s been at the gym for several hours. He’s ran through every bit of his workout routine, sparred with several others working out today, and now he’s doing his best to beat the stuffing out of the banana heavy bag in front of him.

“What the hell did that bag do to you?” Mercury asks, strolling past him to drop his duffle bag next to Worm’s on the bench sitting along the far wall. Worm ignores him and continues to attack the bag as if it had indeed done something heinous to him. He isn’t in the mood to talk about it.

“I don’t think the bag is the culprit,” Wallace chimes in, joining them with his bag in hand. Worm looks around to see more than half his team has shown up at the gym. He rolls his eyes upward toward the ceiling, closing them, while dropping his head. Fuck! It’s an intervention. Worm had helped arrange one for Hack when he’d been pining over Lisa before she’d finally gotten past her hang-ups about Hack being fourteen years younger than her.

Worm throws a few more punches in rapid fire. “This isn’t necessary,” Worm declares, stepping back from the bag, bouncing on the balls of his feet, taking a much-needed breather. “You can all go home now. There’s nothing to see here.” Worm walks over to his bag, pulling his water bottle out and tipping it back to down several large swallows.

“Are you attempting to use your Jedi mind tricks on us?” Wallace asks with a smirk. “Because it’s not working, Obi Wan. We can all see right through your bullshit. You’re torn up over Allison, but you’re too much of a pussy to do anything about it.”

Worm sees red. He throws his water bottle to the side, not caring that water splatters across the gym floor and wall. He moves on Wallace, arm drawn back, ready to tear his head off. Strong hands grab each of his arms.

“You don’t want to do that,” Mercury growls in Worm’s right ear. “I know you’re pissed. Wallace could have said that better” —Mercury scowls at Wallace— “but he isn’t wrong.” Worm struggles harder for a moment, noting Virus is holding his other arm. “We can all see how much you’re struggling with this. Let us help.”

Worm stops fighting against his friends’ hold. Mercury and Virus let up their grip and Worm shrugs them off, rolling his shoulders and neck in an effort to calm the urge inside him that wants to tear Wallace’s head off his body and then take on the rest of them. Despite having spent the last four hours working himself to a frazzle, Wallace’s words have given him a second wind.

Worm knows his friends are correct. Absolutely, he is torn up over the situation with Allison. She refuses to talk to him, to give him a chance to explain himself, apologize for his harsh words and tone. The last thing he’d ever wanted to do was to hurt her, but he has. “You’re right,” Worm drops his head, all his anger leaving him at once.

He collapses onto a bench, getting his ass wet from the water he’d thrown. Serves him right for throwing a tantrum like a toddler. He is better than this. Isn’t he? “I hurt her, Wallace.” Worm lifts his head to meet his friend’s gaze. “I hurt her so badly she won’t give me a chance to apologize, to try and explain that I didn’t mean it.”

“I know,” Wallace walks over to take a seat. He pauses mid-squat, noticing the water. He stands back up grabbing a towel to wipe off the water before taking his seat. “Emma has been trying to convince Allison to hear you out, but she’s stubborn.”

Worm chuckles. “She sure as hell is, but I wouldn’t have her any other way.” He lets out a sigh. Wallace grips Worm’s shoulder closest to him.

“You two will get past this. I just know it,” Wallace assures him. “She’s worth it, right?” Worm meets Wallace’s stare.

“Yes, all day, every day.”

Wallace grins and squeezes his shoulder again. “Good, then we need to get busy figuring out how to get your girl to give you the time of day.”

Another chuckle leaves Worm. “That’s going to be easier said than done, I’m thinking.”

Wallace nods. “It sure is,” Wallace grins. “Those girls are a force to be reckoned with. I do my best to keep on Emma’s good side. She’s sweet as apple pie most of the time, but when you hurt her feelings…she can be…how shall I say this nicely? Like a Wookie who’s losing a game of space chess.” Worm laughs, shaking his head. Wallace is a total Star Wars nerd.

“Any suggestions?” Worm cocks a brow as he glances toward Wallace at his side.

Wallace looks thoughtful for a minute. Then shakes his head. “Haven’t got a clue.” He looks at Worm with an apologetic expression. “I don’t know Allison very well. Even though she’s been in our home for weeks, I haven’t seen her or spent very much time with her.”

“What do you mean?” Worm turns toward Wallace to see him fully. Wallace looks down at the floor. Unease wriggles its way through Worm.

“She spent most of the first two weeks in her room,” Wallace says, glancing back at Worm with guilt on his face. “She was really upset when she got there. She didn’t want to be around anyone.” Worm could tell there was more. More that Wallace didn’t want to say.

“What?” Worm demands, “Just tell me.” Wallace’s face pinches into a grim expression, but he nods.

“She cried for hours, well days, actually.” Worm winced at the thought of her crying, being sad, and him not there to hold her. “Emma tried to stay with her, but Allison demanded she leave her alone.” Wallace looks out across the gym, a volley of emotions crossing his face. “She didn’t leave her room for nearly two weeks, except to use the bathroom.” Wallace looks back at Worm, who is reeling from this new information. “Emma took her meals to her. Eventually, she came out and ate supper with us a couple of times. She’d been moving around the house more, going out in the back yard. She’d seemed to be getting better.” He stopped abruptly.

Worm closed his eyes as he asked, “And then?” He knew there was more and he wasn’t going to like it, either. He waited for the shoe to drop.

“She holed up in her room again after she saw you in the kitchen last week,” Wallace concludes, cutting Worm deep. He’d done that to her. Worm had thought if he could just get her alone for a few minutes he could explain things to her. He knew she cared for him. She’d melted into him when he’d helped her get a glass from the cabinet. For a brief moment, she’d forgotten how angry she was with him. She’d let him hold her, take all her weight, like she had when they’d been in Denver.

Then it was like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on her. She’d stiffened and pulled away from him leaving the kitchen without even getting herself a drink. He’d wanted to chase after her, to force her to hear him out, but he’d feared he’d make things worse. From what Wallace has told him, he isn’t sure he could have made it any worse than it already is, but what is he supposed to do? Bust up in Wallace’s house, force his way into her room and demand she talk to him?

“I need to see her,” Worm declares, rising to his feet. “I have to talk to her.” He picks up his water bottle, securing the lid before stuffing it into his gym bag. Wallace stands, stepping in front of him before he can move to the door.

“I don’t think now is a good idea.” Worm frowns at his friend. Isn’t that what this intervention was for? To get him to get his shit together and go talk to her?

“Why the hell not? Isn’t that why you are all here?” Worm shifts his gaze from one of his teammates to another.

“Allison isn’t at home. Emma took her to the clinic.” There was something in Wallace’s tone that had the hair on the back of Worm’s neck rising. Something is wrong with Allison. Concern for her hits him hard. Is this something left over from her abduction?

“What’s wrong with her? Why does she need to go to the clinic?” Worm is rapid firing questions, not giving Wallace time to answer. “How long has she been sick? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Which—” Wallace holds up his hand to end his tirade.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” Wallace informs him. “She’s been vomiting, fatigued, light headed, and having nose bleeds. It all started last week. As for why I didn’t tell you…she asked me not to say anything.”

“Where is she? What clinic?” Worm is more on edge than he’d been all week. He needs to get to her, to see her, hold her, and to help her feel better. He needs to do something.

“Emma took her to see Charlotte.” Worm nods, pushing past his teammate. He knows exactly where to go. Charlotte is the wife of Worm’s C.O. Hawk. She’s a nurse practitioner who works a few days a week at an urgent clinic on the other side of town. He trusts Charlotte to take care of Allison, but he has a burning need to see Allison, right now! It can’t wait.

Worm throws his bag behind the seat of his pickup truck, sliding into the driver’s seat. Before he can put the truck in gear, Mercury is pecking on the passenger side window. “Let me in!” Worm huffs, glaring in Mercury’s direction, but he hits the door locks. Mercury slips into the passenger seat. “Let’s roll. I’ll keep you company.”

Shaking his head, Worm puts the truck in gear. He’d never tell Mercury, but he’s more than glad Mercury decided to join him as he hurries across town to check on his woman.