55 - January

*I gave Dr. Preston your new address. He wanted to send you a little present. – Sid*
**January 2020**
As they were leaving the restaurant on the North side of Shreveport, Jasper gave Darkness a strange message that neither brother seemed to understand.
“Momma Dee says to come see her, but not until after you get back from the desert.” Jasper said and Darkness shook his head.
“I’m not going to the desert.”
The older brother shrugged, “I don’t understand half of what that woman tells me. I’m just relaying the message and hoping that it makes sense.”
“Everything is in riddles lately.”
With that odd conversation replaying itself in her head, Camille put the harness on Tink and gave the command for him to get in his seat. Darkness straddled the bike and then helped Camille on the bike behind him.
About halfway through the four-hour ride, they stopped at the Kisatchie National Forest and took Tink on a hike. Staying later than they should have, Darkness took her to a gazebo where they watched the sunset. With no artificial light, they were able to see the stars clearly.
They arrived home at the Cajun’s clubhouse late that night and she was gone early the next morning for practice. Just as Darkness predicted, the coach had them in the gym and in pool working off all the holiday indulgences.
Camille did not make the Tennessee Diving Invitational in early January but was slated to compete in the remaining competitions during the month. Classes started one day before her first competition, and she was ready for the semester to be in full swing.
On the first day of the spring semester, Camille walked into the clubhouse after classes and practice were through for the day, exhausted and rubbing her temples. She had a mild headache, her muscles were sore, and her new tattoo was itching. Add to that, she had gotten an email from Dr. Preston’s office stating that the test machines should be arriving.
This was confirmed when she called her mom on her way home. It was a short call since she was headed over to the hotel that Becks had just moved into. The reminder that her friends’ mother, who helped raise Camille was dying, only emphasized how bad the day was.
Plus, the coach was in a crappy mood.
Did she mention that her tattoo was itching?
“Hey, bad day?” Peanut asked.
“Something like that. Is Darkness here?”
“No. Should be here soon.” Gator said coming into the day room from his office. “There’s a couple of boxes in your room.”
She nodded, rubbing her forehead as she went down the hall and unlocked her door. Just as expected, the box from the specialist in Boston and another from Austin sat on her bed. Quickly she changed into a black spaghetti strap shirt, gray cardigan and 1950’s TV themed pajama pants. Then she grabbed her lotion, a migraine pill from the bottle on her dresser and the box from Boston before going back to the living room.
Several more brothers were in the room now, as were more of the club bunnies. She dropped the heavy box on the coffee table and went to the kitchen for a bottle of water. Grabbing the water and purple sports drink, she gulped down the second before using the first to take her pill.
With the promise of relief in pill form now floating in her stomach, Camille returned to the day room. Grabbing the box, she sat cross legged on one of the chairs and opened the package. On top was the ever-friendly letter that always came with it. In the pocket folder with the practice’s name and logo on the front was a thick pamphlet of instructions, return label and orders for other tests that had been ordered.
Flipping through the booklet, she made sure that nothing had changed. It had not. The machine was newer, more sophisticated. But it would still connect the same way. The cap with the sensors was just as ugly as ever. The body sensors had the same annoying sticky pads.
“What is all that?” Zydeco asked.
“It’s a machine to track my brain activity, heart rhythm, breathing, blah, blah. Everything shy of my ovulation cycle, but there’s blood work for that.” She looked inside the pocket folder and then held up the paper with lab orders. “I get to do this every other January. Yay me.”
The door opened and she looked up to see Darkness enter. He smirked at her. “You didn’t put a patch on your shoulder.”
“No, and I’m paying for it now,” she replied holding out the tube of lotion.
He took the black tube of lotion from her. “Hop up.”
She sat the box on the floor next to the chair and stood up. Darkness sat in the chair and pulled her into his lap. He carefully helped her take the cardigan off her left shoulder and then moved her shirt out of the way.
“Cam, you need to put your patch on until it heals.” He told her as he gently rubbed lotion onto the tattoo. Camille hissed a little bit because the lotion was cold, and the skin was tender.
“That’s, ummm,” Zydeco gave a low whistle as he stood behind them as he admired the artwork, “that’s one hell of a property tat.”
“Thanks.” Camille murmured as some of the other guys came over to look at it.
“I guess you want that patch?” Zydeco asked Darkness.
“Nope,” Darkness smiled, and Camille snickered, “I need to get her in Cajuns colors.” He leaned in and kissed her back, just above his name.
“Good. You want to tell these boys why you always wear a cardigan?” Gator grinned at her when she looked up at him in surprise. “Ahh, Cher, you think I would tolerate some of your bullshit if you were just some girl?”
“You don’t patch women.” Camille said quietly.
“We haven’t.” he agreed. “But you earned your colors. Don’t hide it no more, you hear?”
She looked up at him and he motioned for her to show him the patch tattoo that he knew was on her skin. “I don’t have the traditional patch.” She said pulling the cardigan the rest of the way off. “I couldn’t have it with school and the team, gang affiliation and all that shit.”
Standing up she lifted her shirt and exposed her tattoo of the entwined DS that was high on her hip. Each red letter had a devil horn on the outside upper edge. The S ended with a devil tail wrapping around the straight edge of the D which had a halo hanging precariously on the left horn.
“I hear our Evie taught you how to shoot.” Gator grinned.
“Dad taught me how to use a long gun, Evie taught me to shoot a pistol, Taz taught me to fight, and Dom taught me knives.”
“So, why you got the dog from hell?” Swamp Thang asked, motioning to Tink who was sleeping next to her chair.
“Because it’s hard to do a damned thing when your body decides to shut down because of physical exhaustion.”
“Who the hell taught you to use a musket?” Darkness asked.
Camille laughed as Gator handed her a black cut with the Cajuns patch on the back and a nameplate with WORM on the front. She slid it on and then reached underneath the back, “Modifications need to be made.”
“Your dad said something about your other cut and the modifications,” Gator smirked. “So, you can shoot a musket?”
“She took down a damn deer with one,” Darkness bragged as he pulled her back into his lap.
“My mom’s Opa taught me,” she slid the cut back off and shifted her tender shoulder away from Darkness, carefully avoiding his new tattoo on his chest.
Obviously confused, Gator accepted the cut back from her. “Cher, are you saying no?”
“I’m saying that I did not earn those colors, nor was I voted in.” she pointed out. “I appreciate the offer, but I cannot accept what I have not earned.”
Gator nodded, “I expect to see you in church next week. You can plead your case to the brothers then.”
“Thank you,” she gave him a grateful smile as she laid her head against Darknesses’ chest.