Draw (Gentry Boys #1)(60)
“Well,” I joked, “it must not be too serious if you’re already fretting over your wardrobe.”
Chase flopped back into the pillows with a low moan. He tried to pull the gown off anyway and then noticed the IV attached to his arm. “How f*cked up am I?”
“You’ve looked prettier,” I admitted.
He looked down at his bandaged abdomen, the site of the surgery. “This sucks,” he said with a scowl.
Creed spoke up, his voice low and toxic. “What do you remember?”
Chase grimaced slightly and tried to get comfortable. “Cops already asked me that. I lifted, I swam laps, showered and exited out the back. Then something like a train hit me and next thing I know there’s lights everywhere and people taking f*cking pictures.”
Creed’s eyes had narrowed to icy blue slits. “Did you see them?”
Chase shook his head and then made a face as if the small movement hurt. “Naw, I didn’t see shit. Nobody gave me any crap at the gym. The hit just came out of nowhere.”
Creed bent his head and Chase tried to reach over and touch him. “Hey,” he said gently. “Creedence, it’s all right. Doc says I might even live a few more days.”
I felt helpless as my brothers grasped hands like two little kids. Chase was doing his best to be valiant but I could read his pain and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Once, when Benton was spinning out of control in a drunken fury, he’d turned squarely on Chase. Chase had faced him down, spitting, which brought a roar from the crazy bastard. Chase knew he’d gone too far and shrank back against the far wall as our mother watched, glassy eyed, from a chair in the kitchen. Knowing that Chase was about to face the brunt of that wrath, I stepped between him and our father, taking the blow myself. It was a kick to the stomach which knocked me flat. Benton might have killed us both if Creed hadn’t circled from behind and hit him across the back with a tequila bottle. It was just one battle of many although it was one of the last, as our father began to realize that the boys he’d created wouldn’t be boys for much longer.
Chase tried to keep up a stream of chatter but quickly became visibly pained and exhausted. Eventually a nurse dropped in to take his vitals and administer pain meds. I gently tucked my brother in as he rolled to his side and closed his eyes.
I saw Creed settling into a chair. He flipped on the television and turned the volume low. “Look, I’m gonna hang out and keep an eye on him. That cool with you?”
“Course it’s cool. Why don’t we take shifts? They’ve got visiting hours and shit which we can’t do anything about but at least we can be here as much as possible.”
Chase snorted from the bed. “I can hear you guys,” he complained. “And I’m not a f*cking infant. This is no big deal.”
But I looked at the bandages and noted his wince of pain. No, we weren’t going to leave him alone with it. Creed looked me in the eye and nodded, silently telling me he was putting vengeance under wraps for now. Only for now.
I found Saylor waiting patiently on a chair in the hall. She gave me a relieved smile and held up my keys. Last time I’d seen them was when I’d thrown them in the direction of some dipshit who ordered me to move my truck. While I was in with Chase, Say had gone downstairs and learned the hospital valet service had parked the truck in one of the outer lots. She lifted the keys when they weren’t looking.
“Thanks, babe,” I said, oddly touched that it had even occurred to her. I was going to toss the keys in to Creed but thought better of it. I wasn’t real sure where his head was at and didn’t want to risk him going off on some fool’s mission to avenge our brother.
“You hungry?” Say asked me, drawing an arm around my waist.
“Yeah, I could eat,” I admitted. “What time is it?”
“Noon. We’ve been here at the hospital about sixteen hours.”
“Jeez, Say. You know, you didn’t have to hang out here the whole time.”
She looked hurt. “Of course I did. Anyway, come on. I’ll buy you a plate of wretched cafeteria food.”
We grabbed a couple of quick sandwiches and brought some food up to Creed. As Chase slept softly, Saylor crept over and put a gentle hand on his head. Creed had his mind made up that he was going to hang around all afternoon. He didn’t see a reason why we both needed to be there. We compromised that he would stay on until five. Then I’d return and stick around until visiting hours were over. It went without saying that we weren’t calling anyone back in Emblem.
I hovered over Chase’s bed for a moment and felt something sharp twist in my guts. It was a bad feeling, similar to the way I’d felt a second before barreling through that apartment door in California.
“Send it to the dungeon,” I muttered aloud, partly to Creed and partly to myself. Creed only gave me a flat look while Saylor’s face was curious.
I drove back to the apartment in Say’s car with one hand tightly around the wheel and the other hand on my girl. She leaned her head into the seat and watched me with tired eyes.
The apartment was quiet in a terrible way. It was suddenly an awful thing to be there even for a few minutes without my brothers. Saylor closed the door behind her and wrapped me in a hug while I allowed myself the luxury of touching her everywhere. She ran her hands over my back and kissed me tenderly. I let out a shaky sigh and wandered into the kitchen to get a glass of water. As I stood there in front of the sink, rapidly swallowing warm water from the tap, I was all right. I was in control. I would damn well stay that way.