ANGEL OF THE BRONX
"You...are the biggest... idiot this side of the Hudson. You realize this, yes?" The question registered to Connor the same time he began to feel a pair of thin arms wrap around him from behind. A hiss escaped him as the arms came in contact with his side, causing him to jerk away. Unfortunately, the motion did little to help the pain as his knuckles slammed against something woody and hard. "Christ! Motherfucking!" he exclaimed, pulling his hand back, "What the hell do ya think yer doin', woman?" His eyes were open, glaring up at the outline of the offending party above him. Her face was blurred, though, but if he squinted he could just make out the usual frown on Anna's face. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, only to find it did no good. A general fog had seem to fallen over everything, rendering Connor able to see just the outline of his surroundings unless he squinted. Closing his eyes again, he let out an accompanying groan. Squinting only aggravated the headache quickly blossoming between his eyes. "Connor?" Something in the tone of her voice made him open his eyes again. He felt her left hand squeeze his shoulder as the sound of a relieved sigh escaped her. The warm breath passed over his face, smelling vaguely of mint. Squinting again, Connor saw that her frown had slipped behind a look of concern. "Connor, you have to keep you're eyes open," ordered Anna, looking him over worriedly, "The ambulance will be here soon." "What ambulance?" Connor demanded, closing his eyes despite her command. He turned his head, trying to get comfortable against the rounded edge of the stairs. He felt so tired. "Connor!" Anna's cry barely registered. The hardwood felt cool against his cheek. The darkness was so inviting. Connor could feel himself slip away, and didn't say hospital rooms were becoming far too familiar for Anna was a bit of understatement. Shifting in her chair, she looked up privately wondering what cosmic being she had pissed off who put her in this predicament. A blank, white ceiling and the gentle hum of the air conditioning provided no answer. Sighing, she glanced back over at the source of her troubles. Connor lay peacefully in the bed, his head and side professionally wrapped. Thankfully, his tumble down the stairs had resulted only in a few bruised ribs and a concussion. The doctor had told Anna point-blank it could have been much worse. Leaning forward, Anna rested her chin on her folded hands. She felt relief that Connor was once again safely stuck in a hospital bed, but not for the reasons she would have thought. While she was the first to admit she might have over-reacted to him turning off her stereo or seeing her in her pajamas, she would also be the first to justify her reaction. She still had no idea what force in the universe was convincing her to help him, and he certainly hadn't made life easy thus far. In fact, he'd seem to make it worse with his take off attempt. Anna frowned uncertainly, still wondering if his disappearance was an attempt to leave. In all honesty, she didn't know why Connor had left the apartment. She hoped against hope it was because he had enough humanity still left to try and clear out for the good of another human being, but even Anna wasn't cold-hearted enough to expect him to try and leave in his condition. The thin strings of general human compassion had masterfully dropped her heart into her stomach when she saw he had left the apartment. They had subsequently dropped her stomach when she saw him sprawled on the stairs. It was this excuse she could easily lie to herself with. A sudden movement ahead of her caused Anna to sit up. She watched as Connor stirred slightly. A moment later, his eyelids opened revealing clouded blue eyes. Anna waited as those blue eyes scanned the room, while the body they belonged to remained tense. It was only when they fell on her that the pair relaxed. "Welcome back," said Anna without tone, "As I'm sure you've guessed, you've landed yourself back in the hospital." Connor glanced around the room again before giving her a slight nod and whispering, "Aye." To Anna's suprise, Connor's eyes dropped as he turned away from her. Neither spoke for a moment. Anna let her hands drop, staring at him curiously. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw something akin to guilt in his expression. "So," she started, brushing her hands against her jeans, "Where exactly were you headed?" At first, Connor didn't respond. Anna waited, inwardly flinching that she let her curiosity get the better of her. But refused to voice the real reason for her question. Nevertheless, Connor seemed to know what she was thinking. "I wasn't goin' ta slit yer neighbor's throats, lass," he said dryly, still not looking at her, "If that's what ya were worried about." No, shooting's more your style, Anna thought, but held her tongue. She had seen the effects fighting with him had. For the first time in her life, she was glad her parents had set up a trust for her to pay medical bills. "I wasn't," she lied calmly. While it hadn't been the first thought on her mind when she found her apartment empty, it had crossed her mind he would try something drastic. Suddenly, Connor turned to her. Anna felt her heart jump in her throat. The blue eyes staring back at her were absent, and not in the confused way a pain killer would induce. No, the eyes staring at her held no confusion. They held absolutely nothing. Then, just as suddenly, the emptiness was gone, replaced by a sad smile. "Yes, ye were," he replied, looking away from her again, "You know, despite what ye may think o' me and me brother, we're...we are tryin' ta do God's work." Anna just manage to bite her tongue and swallow the retort coming to mind, but only just. Instead, she stood up and paced to the other end of the room. Pausing, she glanced out the window. "So where is he?" she finally asked. "Who?" She turned to see a genuinely confused expression on Connor's face. "Your brother," she replied, "He's your accomplice isn't he. I was suprised he didn't attack me when we found you the first time." Connor frowned at her statement, but shook his head and replied, "Murph's a little hot-headed, but he never hurt a woman. Ma trained us better than that. Besides..." Anna was stunned to see a pained expression cross Connor's face. His eyes clouded, as though seeing an old memory. Till we find me brother...The ghost of Connor's words echoed in the back of her head. Anna felt a chill run through her as something clicked. "Besides what?" she demanded, already having an idea what to expect. "Nothin'," responded Connor, turning away, "Nothin' that concerns you least ways." Anna opened her mouth to reply something to the effect that most anything that happened concerned her now but something stopped her. Letting out an annoyed huff, she stalked back to her chair. Taking a seat, she leveled a glare in Connor's direction. "Fine," she replied coldly, "It's none of my business anyway."
Back Home Miscellaneous Movies Fanfic Page Next