A busted lip, a black eye and a concussion sitting at the kitchen table is not how Waverly saw her Friday night going. She was working at Shorty’s before a long awaited weekend of no work, no problems and all the time with her girlfriend. Of course her ex had a different idea.
Flashback
Waverly gave her classic smile as she deposited another set of drinks in front of the York brothers. She was actually in a good mood because in a few hours she would be cuddled up on her girlfriend's couch with all of the blankets and her favorite bonus blanket. Aka her girlfriend aka Purgatorys best sheriff's deputy aka Nicole Haught.
It had been a long day only made worse by her ex-boyfriend banging open the front doors and strolling in with his posse at his back and Stephanie Jones hanging off his arm. They were loud, obnoxious and they made a huge mess. Speaking of mess, she let out a long breath when she heard yet another glass shatter by their hands.
"Champ, could you please stop dropping our glasses? If you drop anymore im putting them on your tab and you will be paying that off"
Champ’s grin twisted when Waverly turned her back.
It was the kind of grin that said I’m not done yet.
The York brothers had gone quiet. Even Stephanie looked uneasy now, swaying slightly, caught between performance and secondhand embarrassment. But Champ—Champ wasn’t interested in peace.
“You always were a stuck-up little brat,” he said loudly, voice carrying. “Actin’ like you’re better than the rest of us ‘cause you got yourself a fancy redhead and a couple of college credits.”
Waverly didn’t even flinch. She didn’t have to. Shorty’s had a crowd tonight—locals who’d known her since she was in pigtails, and tourists who didn’t care much for the drunk guy throwing a tantrum.
“Champ,” she said firmly. “Go sit down before you say something you regret.”
But he already had.
With a frustrated bark of laughter, Champ knocked over a chair and turned on the nearest table. “You know what? Screw this place!” he shouted, grabbing a bottle off someone’s tray and hurling it behind the bar. Glass shattered, right next to Waverly's head.
The room fell deathly still.
Time seemed to pause, suspended between the sharp sting of broken glass and the sudden pounding in Waverly’s ears. Her hands trembled at her sides, but she didn’t duck, didn’t step back. She refused to give Champ that satisfaction.
“Alright,” she said, voice tight with a calm that felt like ice cracking beneath the surface. “That’s enough.”
She stepped out from behind the bar. The York brothers started to rise—protective, muscles taut—but Waverly shot them a look that stopped them cold. This was her fight.
“Get out,” she said, each word clipped like a bullet. “You’re banned, Champ. Indefinitely.”
Champ’s jaw twitched, eyes glassy and dangerous. Stephanie reached for his arm, trying to steer him back, whispering something urgent. But it was already too late.
Champ surged forward.
it happened so fast Waverly didn't even have time to think before her world was spinning.
Champ had hit her.
The floor hit Waverly before her mind caught up. Her cheekbone exploded in pain as she crashed to the ground, the back of her head clipping the corner of the bar on the way down. Someone screamed. Maybe Stephanie. Maybe Waverly herself.
The noise in Shorty’s turned from bar chatter to chaos in seconds.
Champ was shouting again, hands flailing like he was trying to prove a point with each swing of his arms, but no one was listening anymore. The York brothers were already on him, shoving him back with a force that rattled tables and chairs.
Waverly blinked up at the ceiling, vision blurring at the edges. Her face felt like it was swelling by the second. The coppery tang of blood filled her mouth. her face hurt and it was so loud in the bar.
suddenly a voice cut through the noise like a knife. "Everyone freeze!"
Nicole
Waverly let out a breath of relief. Nicole would fix this. Nicole could fix anything.
Nicole’s boots thundered across the floor of Shorty’s as the chaos froze at the sound of her voice. One hand was on her holstered weapon, the other already reaching for her radio. She didn’t need backup—yet—but that wasn’t the point. Her eyes locked on Champ, who was pinned to the floor by both York brothers, still squirming, still screaming like the world owed him something.
“Let him go,” Nicole barked at the Yorks, her tone brooking no argument. “I’ve got him from here.”
The brothers exchanged a quick glance, then backed off—reluctantly, like wolves giving up a kill. Champ tried to scramble to his feet, but Nicole was faster. She had him cuffed and face-down in seconds, her knee pressing into his back with practiced control.
“You just earned yourself a whole list of charges, buddy,” she muttered, breath heavy with fury. “Assault, destruction of property, public intoxication, resisting arrest…”
“Get off me! She started it—she’s a stuck-up little—”
Nicole pressed harder.
“Finish that sentence,” she hissed. “I dare you.”
Champ thought better of it.
Waverly hadn’t moved from the floor. The adrenaline that had kept her upright through the first half of the altercation had faded, leaving behind nothing but pain and the dizzy echo of impact. She was trying to sit up, but every shift of her body sent lightning bolts through her skull and cheek.
Nicole turned just in time to see her girlfriend’s trembling hand brace against the floor in a failed attempt to get up. That’s when the fury melted into fear.
“Waves?” Nicole breathed, voice breaking as she abandoned Champ and dropped to her knees beside Waverly. “Hey—hey, I got you. Don’t move, babe. I’m here, I got you.”
Waverly managed a weak smile, her lips split and bloodied. “Hey, Haught stuff…”
Nicole laughed, a short, choked sound that had no joy in it.
“Oh my god, you’re concussed,” she said, brushing Waverly’s hair back with hands that were shaking now. “You’re joking. You’re literally bleeding and you’re still making dumb flirty jokes.”
“Not dumb,” Waverly mumbled, her head tipping slightly toward Nicole’s hand like a sleepy cat. “You love them…”
“I do,” Nicole whispered, leaning in and pressing her forehead to Waverly’s temple for a second, anchoring herself. “But I’d love them a lot more if you weren’t on the floor of Shorty’s with a goddamn black eye and a possibly fractured cheekbone.”
“I think the bar won the fight,” Waverly muttered.
“You think?”
Nicole turned, barking orders. “Someone call an ambulance—now. And someone else get Nedley. Tell him I’m bringing in Champ for assault. Oh, and someone grab me a bag of ice and maybe a bottle of whiskey. For her, not me.”
She glanced back down at Waverly. “Okay, maybe for me too.”
Waverly giggled, immediately regretted it, and winced so hard her whole body tensed.
“I’ll never let him near you again,” Nicole whispered, her voice low, a vow more than a comfort. “I swear to you, Waves.”
Waverly’s eyes fluttered. “I know.”
Outside, sirens wailed in the distance. Inside, Nicole Haught held onto her world, cradling it gently in her arms as everything else burned in the background.
At the hospital the lights were two bright, the sounds too loud and the bed uncomfortable as heck.
Nicole's hold on her never loosed, a clam in the storm for Waverly. Waverly blinked against the harsh hospital lights, the sterile scent of antiseptic filling her nostrils. The faint beeping of monitors sounded like a constant reminder of how much things had changed in such a short time. Her head throbbed, and every shift in her body felt like the world was spinning with it. But despite the pain, despite the aching in her limbs and the unbearable heaviness in her skull, the one thing she knew for sure was that Nicole hadn’t left her side.
Nicole’s hand was warm around hers, her fingers brushing gently over Waverly’s knuckles, and every so often, she would lean in close to whisper something soft and comforting into Waverly’s ear. Words that didn’t necessarily make everything okay, but that were enough to remind Waverly she wasn’t alone.
“I’m here, babe. I’ve got you,” Nicole’s voice was steady, but there was an undeniable edge to it, one Waverly had never heard before. She squeezed Waverly’s hand just a little tighter. “The doctors say you’re gonna be fine, okay? Just need to rest, and maybe a few days of laying low. No more bar fights.”
Waverly managed a small smile, her swollen lips pulling slightly at the corners. She tried to speak, but her voice was a hoarse rasp, rough from the hit she had taken. “Not... a fight... just... bad aim.”
Nicole let out a soft chuckle, though it was laced with concern. “Yeah, well, if I ever see Champ again, I might not be so gentle with my aim.”
Waverly shifted slightly, her head aching in protest, but she wanted to see Nicole’s face. Wanted to reassure her that she was okay, even if everything in her body was screaming the opposite.
“Hey,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Did you... did you get him?”
Nicole’s eyes hardened, her jaw tightening. “He’s being booked for assault. Public disturbance, destruction of property... he’s got a laundry list of charges now.” Her expression softened when she looked back at Waverly, brushing her hair back out of her face. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore, babe. I made sure of that.”
Waverly nodded slowly, feeling a wave of relief wash over her, mixed with an odd sense of exhaustion that she couldn’t quite shake off. Her eyelids fluttered, and she felt herself start to drift. But then, Nicole’s voice pulled her back from the edges of unconsciousness.
“Stay with me, Waverly,” Nicole urged softly, her fingers lightly brushing over Waverly’s face, her thumb tracing the bruise on her cheek. “I need you awake for this part.”
Waverly struggled to focus, forcing herself to open her eyes again, even as her lids threatened to close. “What... what part?”
Nicole hesitated for a moment, then gave a soft sigh, looking down at Waverly with something unreadable in her gaze.
“Waves,” Nicole began, her voice thick with emotion. "When I walked into Shorty's and saw you on the ground, looking like that my world almost stopped. to see you in pain, pains me. Waverly.. I can't lose you" tears flowed freely down Nicole's face.
"I should be thanking you," Waverly said.
"for what?" confusion covered Nicole's wet face.
"for always being my knight in shining armor" Waverly smiles. winching from it.
A soft knock at the door interrupted the soft moment between the two, followed by the entrance of a nurse. She gave Nicole a soft smile before addressing Waverly’s condition. "A busted lip, a black eye and a mild concussion. she can be released as long as you can ensure she stays up for at least the next 12 hours" the nurse gently explained.
Nicole nodded quickly, her gaze never leaving Waverly. "Of course, I’ll make sure she’s okay," she said, her voice steady but still tinged with worry. She shifted in her seat, brushing Waverly’s hair from her forehead with a gentle touch. "Are you sure about the 12 hours? She can’t sleep for that long?"
The nurse smiled sympathetically. "Unfortunately, yes. The concussion is mild, but sleep could mask any further symptoms that might develop. She just needs to stay awake for a while. If anything seems off, call us immediately."
Waverly groaned softly, squeezing Nicole’s hand. "I swear, I didn’t ask for this. I just wanted to make it to the weekend."
Nicole’s lips quivered in a small smile, though her eyes were still clouded with concern. "I know, babe. But sometimes people have a way of ruining your plans, don’t they?" She bent down, pressing a soft kiss to Waverly’s temple. "I’m just glad you’re okay. You scared the hell out of me."
"I will just go get your discharge papers, I'll be right back"
The two barely paid the nice nurse any attention as they were consumed with each other.
"I can't believe I have to stay up for the next 12 hours" Waverly let out a long breath.
"you mean we have to stay up for the next 12 hours"
"no, baby you don't have to do that, you need sleep" Waverly tried to argue.
"no, what I need is to know you will be alright and what better way to do that than to stay up with you and keep a very close eye on you"
END Flashback
Waverly barely registered the passing streets, her head still spinning, though she leaned heavily against Nicole, trying her best to stay awake. The ride back to Nicole's place had been a blur, every bump in the road sending a jolt through her sore body, but she hadn’t complained. What was the point? Nicole was there, her steady presence a constant reassurance.
As they finally reached the door of Nicole’s apartment, Nicole carried her into the house, not something Waverly enjoys outside of sexy time but allowed Nicole to do it just this once because she didn't trust her legs to hold her up for very long, everything felt heavy. They made it inside where the dim lighting of the living room offered little comfort to Waverly’s throbbing head.
Nicole closed the door softly behind them, immediately dispoting Waverly onto the couch, where she gently eased her down. Nicole hovered for a moment, making sure she was comfortable, before disappearing into the kitchen to prepare something for Waverly to eat—something light, something easy on her stomach.
Waverly closed her eyes for a moment, fighting the urge to give in to the heavy pull of sleep. Nicole’s voice filtered through the air, a steady hum of comfort, as she moved around the kitchen.
"You should really eat something, Waves," Nicole called softly, her voice steady as she worked. "It’ll help you feel better, promise."
Waverly groaned quietly, her hand resting over her eyes. "I don’t know if I can... everything’s spinning," she murmured. The room felt too hot, the air too thick, and she just wanted to escape it all, but she fought to stay present. She couldn't let herself drift off, not when Nicole was so insistent on staying with her.
Nicole returned a moment later with a bowl of soup and some crackers. She placed it on the coffee table in front of Waverly, before kneeling down in front of her, concern still evident in her features.
“C’mon, just a few bites. You’ve gotta stay awake.” She reached for Waverly’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Waverly slowly shifted her gaze to the bowl, but her appetite was nonexistent. Still, she knew Nicole wasn’t going to let it slide. With a deep sigh, she sat up a little straighter, reaching for the spoon. As she brought it to her lips, her eyes flicked to Nicole, who was watching her with such intensity that Waverly felt both comforted and overwhelmed at the same time.
"I’m sorry I worried you," Waverly whispered, her voice hoarse.
Nicole smiled, though it was small, almost sad. "Waves, you’ve been through hell. I’d worry about you if you weren’t hurt." She paused, swallowing hard, before she leaned forward, brushing a strand of hair from Waverly’s face. "I can’t lose you. I can’t."
Waverly felt the weight of Nicole’s words, her heart aching. She reached out, her fingers curling around Nicole’s wrist, pulling her closer. "You won’t lose me," she whispered back, though she wasn’t sure if she believed it herself.
Nicole nodded, her lips trembling as she brushed her thumb over Waverly’s knuckles. "I know," she said softly, but her voice was full of something unspoken, something deeper.
The silence between them stretched for a moment, the air thick with everything that wasn’t being said. Finally, Waverly broke it, her voice soft but determined. “You know I could really go for a bath, would you mind helping me?” Waverly asked. Nicole’s eyes lit up, something she could do for her girl.
“I’ll get right on that” Nicole said as she went to stand up but was stopped with a hand to her forearm. “Take me with you?”
Nicole couldn't help but smile. “Sure baby, and pulse this doubles as you staying in my line of sight so I can make up the bath and also make sure you stay awake”
Nicole gently picked her up, Waverly laid her head on Nicole’s shoulder. Nicole gently adjusted her hold as she stood, cradling Waverly against her chest. The warmth of her body pressed against her, a perfect, comforting weight. As she walked toward the bathroom, Nicole couldn’t help but feel a swell of tenderness. She loved the way Waverly fit so naturally against her, as if they had always been meant to be this close.
“Waverly, you know, I’m not complaining,” Nicole murmured softly, glancing down at her lover, “but I swear you’ve turned into a professional at making me worry about you.”
Waverly gave a sleepy, contented hum, her arms loosely wrapping around Nicole’s neck. "Well, you make it too easy to get pampered," she whispered, her words a little slurred as the warmth of Nicole's embrace started to lull her into relaxation.
Nicole smiled, a mix of pride and amusement, but the edge of concern never left her expression. She couldn’t help herself; when it came to Waverly, she was protective in a way that surprised even her. She wanted nothing more than to ensure her safety and comfort, especially after all the times Waverly had been there for her—always, without hesitation.
Once in the bathroom, Nicole set Waverly gently on the edge of the bathtub and began adjusting the water temperature. She knew this routine by heart now—Waverly liked it warm, but not too hot, just enough to feel like a gentle embrace. As the steam rose, Nicole ran her fingers through Waverly's hair, brushing it back with a care she didn’t even realize she had until now. It was a little thing, but it made Waverly smile.
"You're perfect, you know that?" Waverly’s voice was soft, almost shy in a way that made Nicole’s heart flutter.
Nicole stopped, her hands pausing in their movements. “Me? Perfect? You really know how to flatter a girl.”
“I’m serious,” Waverly murmured, her eyes soft as she met Nicole’s gaze. “I don’t think I tell you enough how much I appreciate you. I don't know what I’d do without you.”
Nicole leaned down, brushing her lips against Waverly's forehead before looking into her eyes. “I’d be lost without you, too,” she said, her voice steady but filled with so much emotion.
The moment was simple but profound—just the two of them, in the quiet comfort of their shared space, where nothing else mattered but the way their hearts beat in sync. Nicole stepped back, taking in the sight of Waverly relaxing in the tub, and for a fleeting moment, she felt like the world outside could wait.
“You rest here,” Nicole said gently, “I’ll be right here, keeping watch. You can trust me to make sure you don’t fall asleep on me.”
Waverly smiled lazily, her eyes already starting to flutter. "Promise?"
"Promise," Nicole replied, her smile filled with love and certainty.
And as Waverly sank deeper into the warm water, Nicole stayed close, keeping watch. Making sure Waverly was safe and happy. Which she knew she would happily do for the rest of their lives together.
“I love you” Nicole whispered as she brushed Waverly’s hair.
“I love you too,” Waverly whispered back. Her eyes still closed. They sat in silence, together, forever.