Rev It Up (Black Knights Inc. #3)(84)
Then he stumbled once and, much to her horror, fell to the floor in strangely graceful heap.
***
“How’s little Franklin?” Nurse Susan asked from the doorway of Jake’s hospital room, dragging Michelle’s attention away from the news playing softly on the television.
The top story was what had happened at her house and Becky, looking very official on behalf of Black Knights Inc., was in the middle of spinning a tale for the eager reporters about Johnny Vitiglioni and his warped sense of revenge. According to her, Johnny had somehow come to blame the employees of BKI for the killing of his brother-in-law outside the gates of her custom motorcycle shop—even though everyone knew that Mr. Costa had been gunned down in a terrible drive-by shooting and the hardworking, honest mechanics at BKI had nothing to do with it. But Johnny was a sick individual, obviously mentally unstable, and decided to get even with the employees of BKI by murdering one of their very own, very innocent family members.
A whole strange, biblical, eye-for-an-eye thing.
Luckily, the innocent family member in question had had a houseguest who, in a heroic struggle, was able to kill Johnny before any real harm could be done. And no, neither the family member, nor the courageous houseguest would be available for interviews.
It was quite an amazing story, really. Close enough to the truth to be believable, but in reality a complete and utter load of hogwash. Of course, what it managed to do was keep the true nature of Black Knights Inc. a secret while disseminating the fact that Johnny Vitiglioni was dead, whereby eliminating the price on the Knights’ heads.
Genius. Pure and simple genius. But that was the Black Knights for you.
Michelle could only shake her head as she lifted the remote to mute the television, glancing briefly at Jake’s sleeping profile before turning to Nurse Susan, who was decked out in purple scrubs tonight. And, joy of joys, she was still wearing those bright pink Crocs.
Michelle was beginning to love those bright pink Crocs…
“Franklin is doing great, all things considered. My brother is keeping an eye on him, and at the last check-in, he’d fallen into a coma brought on by pain medication and chocolate ice cream.”
“That’s good,” Susan smiled, leaning against the jamb. “When it comes to little boys, there’s no better cure for physical and emotional trauma than ice cream and sleep. Poor guy’s been through the wringer the last few days, huh? First with the appendicitis and now with this,” she tilted her head toward the silent television.
Becky was still answering the reporters’ questions, and Michelle could only marvel at her future sister-in-law’s composure. Becky even managed to get in a plug for the custom motorcycle business. At least, that’s what Michelle figured she was doing by holding up a Black Knights Inc. T-shirt while flashing a winning smile into the cameras.
Wow.
Her brother had certainly made the right decision three and a half years ago when he hired her to be the cover for his clandestine defense firm. The woman was a gem, no two ways about it.
“He has been through the wringer,” she sighed, wishing she could throw her arms around her son right then, but he was safer and far more comfortable with Frank back at the compound than he’d be with her here. And she couldn’t abandon Jake after all he’d done for them. Saving their lives. “Of course you’d never know it by the way he was acting. From the story he gave the police, it was all one great big adventure. In fact, he handled everything far better than I did. I was a nervous wreck giving my statement.”
“Kids are resilient,” the nurse said.
“And thank God for that,” Michelle nodded in agreement.
“Speaking of,” Susan shook her head in wonder. “He works in mysterious ways, doesn’t He?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Mr. Sommers here donated blood for your son’s surgery, and lo and behold, barely a day later, he comes in needing that same blood. I’d say that’s a miracle.”
“Yeah, miraculous,” she murmured, though, for her part, she was just happy and thankful Jake was alive.
All that’d happened out in California, the rejection and abandonment, didn’t matter anymore. His ignoring her letter, refusing to come to her even when she begged him, didn’t matter anymore. Even his demanding joint custody of Franklin didn’t matter anymore.
All that mattered was that he was alive. Because despite everything, maybe because of everything, she loved him.
And even if there was no future for them, even if he was never able to forgive her for what she’d done, she’d go on loving him. Because she didn’t want to imagine, could not fathom, a world without him in it…
***
“How’s our resident man of the hour?” Rock asked, leaning against the door jamb Nurse Susan had vacated not more than ten minutes before.
Michelle glanced at Jake lying in the hospital bed, frowning at his pale cheeks, which came frighteningly close to matching the white gauze wrapped around his head. Without his deep, California tan he looked…not weak, he was still roped with muscle, all big and imposing in that hospital gown…maybe the word to use would be vulnerable. For the first time in their long history together, Jake appeared vulnerable.
“Forty stitches,” she murmured, marveling once more at the strength it must have taken for him to function with that type of head wound long enough to get Franklin to safety and to save her as well, “a pint of blood—maybe more to come, the doctor says we’ll wait and see—and a moderate concussion. I’d say our man of the hour is in rough shape, but I’ve been told he’ll pull through.”