Nothing Super [COMPLETED]

Chapter 31 - "This will sound mean but you look awful."

The pungent odor of sour grapefruit hit Taylor as she landed in the alley. The reek of it spurred her out into the fresh air faster than she would have gone on her own free will.

She felt worn out. She had made it through her afternoon classes but remembered nothing of what had happened in them. If it hadn't been for the bell ringing, she imagined she would have remained in the same classroom for the whole day.

As she stepped into the gym, Tori glanced up from her computer and smiled. The look froze then dropped away as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I like your dedication to training but I'm not letting my brother work with you today. This will sound mean but you look awful."

Taylor blinked at the blunt declaration but wasn't all that surprised. The reflection of the gym doors had shown her that she looked only slightly better than the walking dead. When she opened her mouth to respond, someone else's voice filled the air.

"Don't worry, Tori," Clint said, walking up to the front desk. "Taylor isn't training today."

"Good," Tori said. "Otherwise," she gave her brother a stern look, "we would be having words."

Not at all phased by this, Clint nodded for Taylor to follow him. The pair headed in the opposite direction of the training room.

"Why'd you ask me to come today?" Taylor asked.

Clint pushed open a door leading to a short corridor and gestured her through. "Naomi wanted to check up on you."

On either side of the hallway were doorways and Clint guided Taylor into one of the left. Beyond was a wide room that contained an examine table, a sink off to one side, lavender painted cabinets, watercolor paintings and a bowl filled with potpourri. It was an odd mix of doctor's examining room and massage parlor. Naomi sat in a corner, working on her phone. She stood as Clint shut the door.

"Hi, Taylor," Naomi said, in a far calmer voice than she had held two nights ago. "How are you feeling?" Before Taylor could even answer, Naomi went on. "And I want an answer that isn't 'fine' since you were shot and that would not be an adequate description."

Taylor wished people would stop mentioning the fact that she was shot. She was well aware of this fact, she had an aching limb that was already acting as her constant reminder. But she knew in their defense being shot was not a common occurrence and they had a right to respond as they did.

"I'm tired and my arm hurts, but it's tolerable," she said.

"Understandable. How did you sleep?"

Taylor shrugged. "As well as can be expected."

Naomi nodded and motioned to the examine table. "If you'll sit down I can see how the wound is doing."

Dropping her backpack onto the floor, Taylor settled onto the table where she unzipped her jacket and tugged it off. She had opted for a short-sleeve shirt despite the cold, not wanting to deal with the pain of trying to put on a top that rubbed continuously against her injury.

Clint held his position beside the door while Naomi washed her hands and removed the bandage on Taylor's arm. For her part, Taylor stared straight again, she didn't feel like seeing the evidence of her stupidity as the two lectures she had received were already enough.

When Naomi gently rotated Taylor's arm one way and the other, closely inspecting the stitches, Clint put his fist to his mouth as if trying to keep his emotions inside. Taylor watched him and he met her gaze. Her heart sank, she had a bad feeling of what was going to follow this checkup.