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"Still think I'm cute?" Liv's whisper was nearly lost in the squeak of latex, the clang of metal chairs, and the roar of the audience behind them as they tumbled over into the timekeeper's area.
"I think you're a menace," Rhea growled back, trying to be mindful of the audience just out of reach. She fumbled around the floor, trying to find her title belt, but her hand brushed Liv's instead so she squeezed it. "You okay?"
Liv curled up a bit against the wall. "Not sure."
Rhea shuffled over, pretending to rain down blows on Liv's back. Most of the crowd was busy watching the tag team match, but she knew that the people in the front row would be able to see. "Medic?" she said softly, leaning in close and grabbing Liv's hair.
"Maybe?" A sharp spasm made Liv's arm jerk, almost knocking over a chair.
Rhea did her best to make enough ruckus for both of them, giving Liv some cover until the officials came out of the back to separate them. "She might be hurt," Rhea said quickly when the first official reached for her.
"Got it," he replied, tugging on her arm.
Rhea wished she had time to say something more to Liv, but the officials had wrenched her to her feet and started dragging her out of the timekeeper's area. She tried to peer over the edge to get a better look, but the angles were wrong and it would have looked far too obvious. I didn't see any blood? she thought as she was forced away.
Post-show interviews were never Rhea's favourite thing to do—she normally preferred to go shower and change—but Liv's condition was making her more antsy than usual. She bluffed her way through the interview segment and started to head to Medical, but Damian blocked her way. "She's in good hands." His tone was soft enough, but the bass was lurking just beneath the surface. "Go do your thing. Another five or ten minutes isn't going to change anything."
It could. Rhea knew all too well that it could, but she let Damian nudge her towards the women's locker room. "Fine." It was the quickest shower she had taken in recent memory and it wasn't the first time she was glad that most of her clothes were black, because it meant everything matched. After a quick glance in the mirror, she tossed everything in her bag and headed back out into the corridor. "Take it for me?" she asked, dropping the bag at Damian's feet. Her purse strap was slung across her chest, digging into her neck, but she barely noticed.
"Yeah. Of course." Damian reached out and pulled her to his chest, kissing the top of her head. "She's going to be fine."
"I know. I… I'm just used to being able to protect her." Rhea relaxed into the hug for a moment before pulling back. "Raquel's supposed to. She said she would—"
Damian stepped back. "Rhea. Liv's a big girl. She can take care of herself. She's the one who chose to jump you. You can't blame Raquel for that."
Yes I can. Rhea kept her petulance to herself, though. "See you at the hotel," she said brusquely. "I'll catch a ride with someone and get my bag from you later."
Damian shot her an expectant look. "And?"
Rhea was practically stomping with frustration, but she took a moment to look at him. "Thank you," she said, giving him a quick hug. "I'll see you later."
"You're welcome. Go check on your girl." Damian stepped back so Rhea could head towards Medical. Then he chuckled. "Must be love, Rips. She's still throwing herself at you."
The door was shut when she got there, of course, and she almost opened it without thinking, but Rhea finally remembered herself and knocked. "It's Rhea." It was only after she had announced herself that she had the presence of mind to make sure there wasn't a camera crew filming in the vicinity. They would have stopped me, she told herself, shaking out her arms.
"Come in." That was Liv's voice, not the doctor's, and though it was muffled by the door, Rhea thought she sounded mostly normal. Mostly.
Rhea opened the door and shut it behind her quickly; if a camera crew did show up, she'd have to hide out in the medical room until they weren't filming. Liv was sitting on the examination bed, feet kicking back and forth like a little kid's as the doctor tried moving her arm in various directions. "It looks like it could be my shoulder," Liv reported, wincing slightly.
"Silly little koala," Rhea muttered. Her first instinct was to go up and kiss her, to hold her good hand to help her through the pain, but she didn't want to get in the doctor's way.
"It's hard to tell with the swelling," the doctor finally said, "but I'd like you to get some scans. In the meantime, I want you to wear a sling. I'll be right back."
The door was barely closed before Rhea cupped Liv's cheeks and kissed her until they were both breathless. "You need to be careful. You just came back from an injury…."
Liv's cheeks were almost as red as her shoulder. "Does that mean you still think I'm cute?"
Rhea kissed her way down Liv's jaw. "You know I do," she growled softly. Then she ran a finger along the wide black choker Liv was wearing. "Very subtle."
"Well, you see, I have this girlfriend who likes to fuck me right before I get my gear on," Liv grinned, "and she likes to bite, and I knew I was going to be on camera, so I had limited options."
"You'll have to get your gear designed differently, then." Rhea gave the choker a gentle tug and kissed the newly exposed skin. "While you're at it, get your shorts made a bit longer too so I have more to work with," Rhea grinned.
Liv pointed to her shoulder and pointed. "Might not get to work at all tonight," she pointed out.
"We'll see. I'm creative," Rhea said with a wink that made Liv's blush darken. "Depending on the sling, I could probably even turn it into a set of cuffs—"
A sharp knock drew their attention. "It's Doctor Essex."
Liv cleared her throat and motioned for Rhea to step back. "Come in!"
"The sling will be a little big," he apologized, "but it does tighten up."
Rhea smiled sweetly. "I can definitely help with that."