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withdrawingramen · 29 minutes

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A Friendly Warning

CW: Whump, Beatings, Forced to Watch, Gags, Lots of Threats, a lil Claustrophobia.

1/2 James Whump, 1/2 Field Medicine/Comfort

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Ivy was the last in tow.

It was disorienting in the dark, but she could discern enough. She could hear them both up ahead, James shouting without panic in his voice, Mac’s heavy breathing and occasional shout of shock as they were pushed ahead by rough hands wrapped around their upper arms and shoving against their backs.

“Get the fuck off me!” Ivy hissed again, her voice catching in the fabric around her face, kicking out blindly and striking the edge of a doorframe instead of her captors shin.

“This’ll do,” a man said from up ahead.

Ivy’s heart was rattling in her chest. From the moment the barrel of a gun had pressed into her neck on their walk home from the market, she hadn’t caught her breath. It was all such a shock; they hadn’t even been on the job! But unarmed and outnumbered, the three of them had been roughly handled into the back of a van, bags over their heads, zipties holding their wrists behind their backs.

Then they’d been dragged outside, Ivy’s shoes skidding on gravel until the air went stale and the floor turned to tile.

This had to be the end of the road. Some kind of execution.

“Yeah, you got it, just there.”

Mac made a sound and–

Ivy’s ankle was kicked out under her and she fell to her knees with a yelp. A hard hand landed on her shoulder as the bag was torn from her head and the room burst into cold fluorescent light.

It was overwhelming, her eyes adjusting and sound resetting to the right volume as she tried to take inventory of her surroundings and her bare knees scorched against the floor, scraped in her fall.

When her vision went clear, she shook the hair out of her face and looked to her side. Mac was kneeling an arms length from her, looking right back at her, a storm of panic in his blue eyes, his skin pale and his mouth parted as he exhaled through his teeth. He was twice as shaken as she was, temporarily confined to the dark, breathing deeply in an effort to shove away the claustrophobic terror he’d endured during the drive.

“Oh, Mac,” Ivy breathed.

“S’okay,” he breathed back. “You okay?”

She gave him a stilted nod and he returned it.

“Cut him loose,” a man said, tearing their attention to the middle of the room.

Whoever he was, he was clearly the man in charge. He had a relaxed air about him, a small smile on his face as he surveyed James and one of his men moved to James and cut the ziptie around his wrists. They were eye to eye, roughly the same height, roughly the same age, and that gave Ivy some hope – James still on his feet, staring down the stranger who’d brought them here, a stranger who looked to be an even match.

“‘The fuck is this?” James asked, his hair scuffed up, his face flushed, rubbing his wrist.

“Heard a lot about you three,” he said, giving his short beard a scratch. “An awful lot. You’re a real ragtag crew.”

The hand on Ivy’s shoulder clamped down a bit tighter and she shuddered.

The man waved a lazy hand in her and Mac’s direction. “Daniel MacIntire, your medic and right-hand man. You boys go back to college, don’t you? That’s sweet.”

It was like the air was being sucked from the room. Like the floor was crumbling beneath her knees. Everything was going numb. There was no question of a threat hanging over Mac’s head. James’s muscles had gone tight.

“Started your little operation together,” he continued. “Mac must have got you boys up and running because from what I’ve seen, you didn’t come from much.”

“Shut up!” Ivy spat so suddenly she shocked herself.

The heads in the room whirled in her direction, Mac hissing at her, “Ivy, don’t,” and the grip on her shoulder digging in deep enough to bruise. Her skin blazed under so many eyes, rage still boiling in her throat. Fuck him.

Now, the man was studying her with a slanted smile, James giving her a harsh but pleading look. “And Ivy Rose Carter – cute little firecracker.”

She wasn’t used to hearing her middle name from anyone aside from her parents. She swallowed audibly, Mac casting her a glance in the corner of her eye.

“Shacked up with you boys when she was just twenty-one. Barely old enough to drink, but somehow made the cut. Must’ve been one hell of an interview.”

James straightened up, standing taller, and Ivy saw he had just a bit of height on the stranger.

The man turned back to James, “And then, there’s you–”

The man threw a fist so suddenly, Ivy shrieked and Mac let out a shout as the punch connected with James’s jaw with a crack.

James staggered back a hand flying to his jaw, the other bunched up to his chest in a protective fist. He found his footing and stepped back to where he’d been, eyes blazing.

“Captain James Allister. I think between the three of you, you’ve put eight of my guys behind bars.”

“I don’t even know who the fuck you are,” James growled.

The stranger plunged a fist into James’s stomach, then smashed another into the other side of James’s face and knocked him off his feet.

“Stop it!” Ivy screamed, the sound of the impacts loud in her ears, James wheezing on his side. She hadn’t realized she’d been trying to scramble to her feet until a hand knotted into her hair and wrenched her head back in a silent warning.

“You don’t need to know who I am,” the man said, and gave James a kick in the ribs, expelling the last of his air. James clenched a fist and made an effort to push himself up, grunting and wheezing, when the man knelt down and grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hit him in the cheekbone, rocking his head to the side. “But I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

Ivy turned and cast Mac a frantic look, but Mac didn’t return it. He was staring hard at the ground, blinking furiously.

The man dropped him. James fought for breath, hissing through his teeth, red blotches blossoming at the site of each impact. He winced when he sat up, clutching his side. One of his eyes was starting to swell shut.

“Fucking asshole!” Ivy screamed hysterically, and Mac finally looked over. “Fucking–”

A hand clamped over her mouth and caught her voice. Her helpless frustration tripled and she shook her head in an effort to dislodge the man's palm, to find an edge to bite.

“Ivy, stop it,” Mac pleaded with her. “Please.”

Me?! she tried to scream at him but it only came out as a muffled squeak.

“If you can’t keep your girl quiet,” the man said mildly to James, “my guys’ll have to.”

James looked at her, dazed, his voice a rasp, “Ivy…”

And she went still. The hand slipped from her face and settled back on her shoulder.

“Good,” the man said and crouched down to James’s level. “Because I don’t want us to have to have this conversation again.”

“What do you want?” James asked, his breath returning to him.

“For you to take some time off. We’ve all got a job to do, I respect that. You three need to take your calls and put food on the table. But maybe next month, you don’t. Because me and mine have a job to do, we’ve got food to put on our tables. So maybe you stay out of the way when we’re busy. I’ve got a lot riding on this and I think it’s you three aren’t around when it kicks off.”

James’s chest was rising and falling heavily. His eyes lowered and darted between his own knees as he considered.

“You’ve really gotta think about it?” the man half-laughed straightening up.

He kicked James hard in the shoulder and James grunted, back crashing to the floor and the strangers slammed his foot down on the same spot, cracking something loudly enough for Ivy to hear as the man dug his weight into James harder and harder, pinning him in place until James keened and his press lightened some.

“Fuck,” James winced, his face screwed up in pain. His skin was pale enough now that Ivy could see the freckles on his cheeks. “Shit…”

“Is it really that complicated?” the man asked and ground his foot into him until James cried out again.

“Fuck you!” Ivy shouted, unable to stop herself. “You won’t even let him fight b–”

Ivy was yanked backwards by her hair. Her back hit the floor with a thud and Ivy thrashed against the sudden weight that pressed against her hips, shrieking and biting like a wild animal at the hands near her face, trying to twist her arms out from behind her to scratch and scrape at the man straddling her.

“You can fight back, James.” The man was saying over Ivy’s struggle. “Your teammate is.”

“Stop,” Mac begged, her or her assailant, Ivy wasn’t sure. “Please, stop, stop, please–”

“Don’t,” James’s voice came from far away, Ivy hardly heard it. “Don’t touch her. She’ll stop, I’ll get–”

“I’m not sure I like the look of this, James,” the man said as Ivy’s jaw was pried open and a wad of cloth was poked through her teeth. “Here I am, giving you a friendly warning so we don’t have to get your blood on our hands, and your girl can’t even keep quiet when she’s told. You need to know that I don’t do second warnings.”

Ivy was flipped onto her front, her hair falling in her eyes as she tried to spit the fabric from her mouth when a second thick piece of cloth wound over the first and secured it, her assailant knotting at the back of her head.

“This is supposed to be a win-win,” he said. “You three get to live and I don’t have your cop buddies on my ass. But if you really can’t leave this alone–”

The man knelt down, foot still on James’s shoulder, and cracked James across the face again. This time it connected with his lip, the back of his skull clunking against the tile floor.

Ivy was tugged upright, back to her knees, her hair curtaining her face, yelping through the fabric in her mouth, her words effectively muffled, her tongue already dry. Mac threw her a sympathetic look, and nothing more. Part of her envied his ability to hold his tongue, but a bigger part of her was boiling – how could he just allow this without an attempt to intervene?

“Then I’m not sure we can leave you alone either.”

James spat some blood onto the floor. His lip was split, a thin river running down his chin. “Are people gonna get hurt?”

“I know some people who are gonna get real hurt if you keep pressing your luck. You’ve got a sister, right? Jessica?”

Ivy’s eyes went wide, Mac straightening up in the corner of her eye. James’s muscles suddenly went rigid.

“She’s a real self-starter, just like you. Made something of herself. VP at her firm, a husband and two kids–”

James lashed out suddenly with his free fist, slugging the man directly in the face. “Fuck you.”

The man rubbed the point of impact, but didn’t retaliate. Instead, a moment later, there was a rush of movement and a crack came from beside Ivy, and Mac was crumpling forward.

Ivy was screaming then, a portion of the sound trapped in her mouth, the furious injustice boiling out of her as Mac was pulled upright, a red welt starting on his cheekbone.

“What the fuck?” James was looking between the man and Mac swaying in place.

“You can hit me all you want, just like I’m gonna hit you until I’m done. But it doesn’t come for free.”

“You’re a fucking cowar–”

The man had James by the shirt and fed him two steady hits to the skull. Tears started in Ivy’s eyes. James was looking more distant with each hit, blood running from his lip and now his eyebrow, his mouth open as he took shaky breaths. He couldn’t take much more.

“The coward's move would have been to leave you dead in the street. I’m giving you an opportunity. And I think I’m being more than fair. Take some time off, don’t get under our feet, and you three get back to work when the dust is all settled and we’ve picked this town clean. But if you come knocking, I’m not sure you’ll like how it turns out.”

James blinked at him, then swallowed. “Okay.”

“You tell any of your cop friends about this, we’ll have a problem.”

“We won’t.”

“No? Good. Because I want you to remember how easily we scooped you up. And you’d best know, we know where you live. Next time, maybe we knock on your door if we’re feeling polite, but maybe we let ourselves in. Maybe we make ourselves comfortable and spend a couple days, give you guys a good send off. My man seems to like your girl, and y’know, I’ve heard good things about your medic – heard he’s set you both right a handful of times. He ever been messed up himself? More than this, I mean.”

James’s jaw was set, his split lip dripping steadily against the floor.

“You get it?”

“I get it,” James ground out.

“Because if you don’t, we can hang onto your friends until we’re done.”

“I get it,” James repeated.

“Good. Then I think we’re done here.”

When the man stood, he kicked James in the stomach for a final time. James choked, his air gone, blood in his mouth, gripping his side with his good arm as the man dropped a pocket knife at James’s feet and strode from the room.

“Remember,” the man said as he reached the doorway. “I won’t warn you again. I can have my boys at your sister’s–”

“I get it!” James choked out.

The man smiled, took one final glance between the three of them, and then he left.

The hand on Ivy’s shoulder lifted and Ivy took a long, deep, steady breath through her nose. All at once, the room seemed to clear, men filing out until, finally, the three of them were alone.

James lay where he was, his breath coming in uneven bursts. Ivy watched him, tears of anger and sadness and terror and relief slipping down her face. Finally, there was the sound of a car leaving the gravel, then another.

And Mac was the first to move.

“James, stay put, man,” he said, pushing himself up to stand. “Give me a minute and I’ll look you over.”

Ivy began to cry in earnest, biting the fabric in her mouth in an effort to stifle it. She couldn’t believe how angry she’d been with him when all she’d done was make things worse – it was an intense surge of love and appreciation for him, for his ability to keep his head and wait for the storm to blow through so he could clean things up. If Mac weren’t here, or if Mac had been injured, she wasn’t sure she or James would have known what to do.

Mac knelt down beside James, his wrists still held behind his back, and James made an effort to sit up, hissing through his teeth.

“Dude, what’d I just say?” Mac chastised. “Stay put.”

James sank back and shut his eye – the left one had swollen shut, blood mingling around the bruise.

“I’m going to cut me and Ivy loose and then I’ll figure out a sling for you.” Mac was fumbling with the pocket knife, looking over his shoulder, trying to dig the blade from the plastic.

“Get that thing outta her mouth,” James breathed.

“Uh huh,” Mac flipped the blade free and awkwardly worked it between his wrists, sawing until the plastic snapped and his hands were finally free. “Just stay awake, buddy. You definitely have a concussion.”

“You might too.”

“Maybe,” Mac said conversationally. “Ivy, you’re up.”

Ivy’s face flushed. Her vision was blurred, her nose sniffly. She wasn’t really sure why she was crying, just that she’d started and was struggling to stop.

Mac caught her eye and frowned, making his way over to her in a hurry. “Oh, Ivy…” he breathed, quickly cutting the plastic wound around her wrists. He planted a quick kiss against her temple and Ivy cried a bit harder, hurriedly pulling the band of cloth from around her head, ripping the bunched fabric from her mouth.

“I’m fine,” she said, voice high. “They didn’t even hurt me. I’m fine. Are you okay? I don’t know why I’m–”

“I’m fine, and you’ll be fine, I promise. Let's fix James up the best we can and get him to a hospital.”

Ivy gripped onto Mac’s arm and pulled herself up. She managed to lower her voice, “Do you think that’s okay? What if people ask questions about what happened? Jess…”

“They’ll ask questions, but we won’t answer them,” Mac replied and escorted her to James’s side.

Ivy nodded and rubbed her face on her sleeve in an attempt to compose herself.

They knelt at James’s side.

“Alright, James, I think your shoulder’s toast, but it could be your collarbone too. And I’m not sure about your ribs. I’m going to move you around a little. Ivy, can you get on his other side?”

Ivy nodded and stepped over James.

“I dunno how we’re gonna get home,” James said weakly, blood on his teeth. His eyes were still shut.

“I’m going to take you to the hospital, actually,” Mac said. “But first I need you on your feet. Can you hold Ivy’s hand?”

James fumbled blindly with his right hand until Ivy caught it and gave it a soft squeeze. She scrubbed a fresh set of tears from her face.

“Best I can do is a sling. I’d use my shirt, but I think we should use yours so I can see what’s going on and set everything the best I can. I’m going to cut it off of you, so you just stay still and keep breathing and stay awake.”

“Mmm,” James hummed.

Mac gave Ivy a look and she nodded.

“James,” Ivy said. “Hey, James?”

He lifted his eyelid and squinted at her, “Hey.”

Mac started on the bottom of his shirt with the pocket knife.

“I’m sorry I lost it like that.”

James shook his head, then winced and carefully rested it down. “I woulda done the same thing if it was one of you two.”

Ivy felt another sob bubbling up and did her best to swallow it. “He was torturing you.”

“He beat me up,” James said, closing his eye sleepily.

Ivy squeezed his hand with some fury and it opened again. “He dragged it out, James, it was torture.”

“I shouldn’t have hit him.”

Mac chimed in as James’s shirt fell open and he started on James’s left sleeve, “No, he earned that one.”

“You didn’t,” James said.

“It was one hit.” Mac moved to James’s bad shoulder. “I’m going to be careful here, but there might be some pull. Squeeze Ivy’s hand if you need to, but don’t go overboard. She’s got little fingers.”

Ivy and James both smiled for a moment before his face contorted with pain and he gripped Ivy’s hand tighter.

“Done.”

James kept squeezing for a few seconds more until the pain lessened. Mac was working the shirt under James, pulling it in a slant under his shoulder, doing his best not to jostle him.

“Yeah, I think he got your collarbone too. James, it’s going to hurt–”

“It’s fine.”

Ivy took a glance. He was riddled with welts, some starting to bruise, a couple of them over his ribs already starting to bruise. His collarbone was askew, almost poking through the skin. Ivy tore her eyes away, suddenly feeling faint.

“Sorry, but I need you to let go of Ivy’s hand. I think you’d break it.”

Ivy gave him an apologetic squeeze. James returned it and let go, bunching his fist at his side instead.

“Yell if you need to.”

James grit his teeth. “Just do it.”

In one movement, Mac brought James’s arm to his chest.

“Fuck!” James shouted, eye screwed shut. “Oh, shit.”

“That’s it!” Mac reassured him. “That’s the hard part.”

“Oh fuck,” James was gasping. “Fuck, yeah, shit, yeah, I would have broken her hand, fuck, god…”

Mac tied the makeshift sling behind James’s neck, knotting it once, then twice.

“Catch your breath, and then we’re going,” Mac said.

Ivy looked at him, “Where?”

“We’ll wave a car down.”

James groaned. “Oh, come on, man…”

“We can send Ivy out to wave one down alone and call an ambulance, but I think the three of us should probably stick together.”

“Shit,” James sighed.

“I can–” Ivy started and Mac shot her a look.

“No, just give me a second,” James said.

“Take a whole minute,” Mac said.

They sat for a while in a comfortable silence, stranded in the middle of nowhere, James battered, the bruise on Mac’s face starting to take hold, Ivy quietly wiping the remnants of her tears.

“James?” Ivy asked after the silence grew heavy.

“Mm,” James stirred. “Yeah, I think I’m ready now.”

“No…I was going to ask…James, what are we going to do?”

Mac stared down at James’s face.

“I dunno yet,” he said, his voice suddenly very thick. He sounded ten years older than he was. “I can’t…”

“We’ll figure it out later,” Mac said with a finality. “Let’s get you up.”

Ivy and James nodded at him.

Ivy took James’s hand, and Mac linked an arm under his good shoulder and they gave him a heave, all three of them cursing in the struggle to get James to his feet. Finally, he was upright, using Mac as support, Ivy leading the charge on their way to the exit, kicking away any loose debris in their path as the guys slowly hobbled behind her.

When they finally emerged outside, Ivy heard Mac talking to James in hushed tones. “I know, man, it’s okay. No one’s going to hurt her.”

“I’ll kill him,” James was mumbling back. “I don’t know how yet, but I’ll kill him.”

“You need to heal up first.”

“You guys should rest here,” Ivy called as if she couldn’t hear them, gesturing to a patch of grass beside the gravel road. “I’ll wave someone down.”

She turned on a heel and stepped onto the road, still within their eye-line, soaking in the fresh air and the sunshine. Her body was shaking, her knees were skinned, the air was a few degrees too cool now for her shorts, but she was thankful for the chill.

She’d finally stopped crying. It could have been that James was already working his mind over, seeking solutions to a seemingly impossible problem, or that Mac was currently at his best, keeping a level head and tending injuries that churned Ivy’s stomach and left her dizzy. It could have been that they’d somehow escaped with their lives, despite her certainty that the three of them would have been killed without warning. They were still stranded, James still injured, but an air of safety seemed to be settling over all of them.

Far, in the distance, there was a speck of movement. She squinted until she convinced herself it was a truck kicking up dust, and squinted longer until she was certain.

“I see a truck!” Ivy announced, giving them a wave. “About ten minutes away!”

The smile on Mac’s face, and the weak one on James’s cemented her sureness. They were going to be okay.

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