Beyond These Walls (The Walls Duet #2)(21)

Crack.

The balls flew perfectly across the table, and several immediately fell into pockets.

“Damn, man. Give us a chance.” Brian laughed.

Marcus smirked as he walked around to find another angle. “Did she ever tell you that she went through a rather impressive Twilight phase a few years back?”

I nodded. “Well, she didn’t exactly tell me. It was more like I found the mound of books, DVDs, and even an Edward doll in a box shoved in the back of the closet. Do they really sparkle?”

“I’m afraid so. She made me stay late one night after my shift, and we watched every single one—or at least the ones that were out. When I asked where their fangs were, she hushed me and said to keep watching.”

“She’s moved on, and now, she makes me watch The Vampire Diaries every week.”

“Oh, I remember. She pulled me into that a few times. Just be glad they don’t sparkle.”

“Are we playing pool or turning into teenage girls?” Brian asked, raising his pool stick in the air for effect.

I laughed and motioned for Marcus to continue his turn. He knocked around a few more balls, but none scored, so it was my turn.

“Here’s something you might not know. When she was younger, there was a time when she had to sleep with the aid of an oxygen tank. She’s always had to use one from time to time, but around when she was seven, it became a nightly ritual.”

I frowned, trying to imagine my angel, young and frail, chained to a bed each night, breathing through an oxygen mask.

“After about two weeks, she became so angry—with me, her mother, and even the noisy metal tank by her bedside. At seven, she’d endured more than most had in a lifetime, and I think she’d just decided it was enough. It was one of the few times Molly ever reached out for me for non-medical help when it came to Lailah.”

I took my turn, barely interested in the game anymore, and it was soon Brian’s turn. Taking a sip from my soda I sat down and listened to Marcus as he continued his story.

“I ended up calling one of my buddies up at the Children’s Hospital at Stanford. I knew Molly asking me for help was huge. It meant that she trusted me beyond the realm of a doctor-patient relationship. This was something she was asking of a family member, and I didn’t want to mess it up.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“With a bit of borrowed advice from my friend, I showed up at their apartment with balloons and dress-up clothes in hand. Molly opened the door and thought I’d gone insane. I was wondering the same as I entered Lailah’s bedroom and found her sitting there, curiously staring up at me. When I told her we were going to meet a new friend, her eyes perked up and darted to the door. They immediately fell when I explained that this friend was someone she already knew but just hadn’t been properly introduced to.”

“The oxygen tank?” I guessed.

He nodded, taking his second shot, having already sunk a few balls in his first turn. Then, he darted across the table to land a few more. “I explained to her that her oxygen tank was a superhero, and it had a big job to do—to keep her alive. I said that, sometimes, superheroes had to go into the real world in disguise, so I was there to help give her oxygen tank the superhero look he or she deserved. We spent the entire evening decorating that tank and giving it a name. She happily spent the rest of the summer with Oxy the Oxygen Tank. We’d secretly switch the outfit every time the tank needed to be replaced, and she never complained again.”

“Oxy, huh?” I grinned.

“Yep. She was seven,” he added.

“I like it.”

Within minutes, Marcus had crushed Brian and me, and just in time, the food arrived. Brian and I weren’t willing to risk a rematch, so we all squeezed back into our booth and began scarfing down what had to be the best burger I’d had in months.

“Damn, you know how to pick ’em,” I said to Marcus in between bites. I paused to breathe. Even the fries were perfection—crispy and dark brown with just the right amount of seasoning.

“It’s one of my many talents. Hearts and food—that’s about all I’m good for.” He laughed.

“I doubt that,” I said before taking a long drink of soda.

Marcus had been there for Lailah through her entire life, standing by her when her own father hadn’t. He’d been the father his brother never could be. Oxy the Oxygen Tank might have worn the tiny cape night after night in that little girl’s bedroom, but it surely wasn’t the only superhero in Lailah’s life over the years.

And now, she’d become the hero of her own story.

After another game of pool where Marcus managed to crush Brian and me once again, we headed a bit farther down the street for a last-minute shave. It had been creeping up to the three o’clock mark, and I had begun to get antsy, but the guys had insisted—saying that if we headed back now, I’d do nothing but dive into my suit and begin pacing back and forth across the floor until we had to leave for the church at five.

They were both right. It would take me less than twenty minutes to get ready. No primping was involved for the groom. I’d just have to throw on a nice tailored coat and tie along with a new pair of shoes, and I would be ready to go.

Another distraction was exactly what I needed.

The place Marcus had chosen was definitely his style more than mine. An old red-and-white striped pole stood proudly outside the ancient parlor that had probably been around since my grandfather roamed the city. As we walked in, I inhaled deeply and got a whiff of aftershave and cologne.