Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
There was something beeping, steady and irritating as all fuck.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Jesus fucking Christ.
“Bax, turn that fucking alarm off before I kill you.”
Shit, his throat hurt like a motherfucker and this was the darkest hotel room on earth. What had he fucking been drinking last night?
“Mini? Oh, Jesus, fuck. You in there finally?”
What the hell did that mean?
“I di’n stay out all night, did I?” He tried to sit up, stopping short when all sorts of things starting screaming, mainly his fucking head.
“You got stomped, Jase.” Bax’s hands were good and familiar on him, easing him back down to the bed, couch, whatever. “Took a bad one to the head.”
“Huh?” Oh, that was better. Easier. “I feel like shit.” Thank God the fucking lights were down—he might hurl.
“Yeah. I swear, Mini. You’ve been out solid.” Bax was just petting his chest, fingers moving slow and easy. Soothing.
“This…this ain’t sports medicine…” Sports medicine wasn’t dark like this, not ever, not in any arena, and he couldn’t hear the crowd.
“No.” That hard edged voice went all hushed. “You’re in the hospital, Jase.”
“Whut?” He shook his head, blinking fast, his belly churning. “No. No, man. Turn the fucking lights on. This ain’t right.”
It wasn’t right at all. They were fucking with him. Somebody was fucking with him. There wasn’t a fucking hospital on earth like this.
“The lights? Mini, they’re turned down in here, but they’re on. I swear, I was wondering how you could sleep.” That hand flattened on his chest, pressing a little, holding him in place.
“Goddamn it, Andy Baxter! You quit fucking with me! You stop it right fucking now!” This wasn’t funny. Not even a little. He shoved as hard as he could, hands connecting with Bax’s arm, the slap loud and sharp.
“Jase! Quit it! You’ll hurt yourself. They said you got to stay still.” Bax sounded panicked, but he sure couldn’t see it for shit. It was too damned dark. “Listen, I’ll turn the overhead on, okay? Okay? Just hold on.”
He heard the click. Heard it.
No.
No fucking way.
No. Fucking. Way.
He ground his teeth together, hands going up to rub his eyes, touch them. They were there, dry and a little scratchy. He rubbed harder.
Come on. Come on now.
“Jase?” Bax was back, fingers wrapping around his wrists. “What? What is it? Do you need the Doc?”
“I. I. I gotta get up. I gotta wash my face.” He could fucking feel Bax, right there, and he looked, looked as hard as he could and there wasn’t nothing.
Nothing.
Jesus fucking Christ.
“No. No, you need to stay down. Your brain got all shook around in your skull. I’ll get a cloth.” He could hear Bax get up, boots clicking on the linoleum floor, could hear the water run.
Oh, fuck. Fuck. Okay. Okay. Okay.
He squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to figure what day it was, what had happened. He remembered driving from the Marriott over to the arena. Remembered the fucking sun being so hot there in Phoenix that it burned his hands on the steering wheel. “We’re in Phoenix.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Good.” The cloth felt wet and cool on his forehead, his cheeks. “That’s good, Mini.”
“Bax.” He took the rag, started scrubbing his eyes good and hard, wanting to get something. Anything.
“What? What is it? What hurts?” Again, Bax grabbed his wrists, stopping him. “You got to quit that, honey.”
“I can’t.” He could hear his heart, hear it pounding in his head as if someone was beating him with a stick—bang bang bang. “I cain’t! Let me go! I got to get out of here. Bax, you get me out of here, right fucking now!”
Yanking him upright, Bax wrapped wiry arms around him, keeping him still. “I can’t, Mini. I… You got to have tests and shit. Please. Please, just calm the fuck down and tell me what’s wrong!”
“I cain’t see. I cain’t see nothing.” He grabbed a hold of Bax, fingers fisting in the man’s shirt. “I cain’t see, Andy.”
Bax went absolutely still, his breath even hitching to a halt. “What? They said you didn’t hurt your eyes at all.”
“It’s nothing but dark. Not nothing. You gotta get me out of here, Bax.” He couldn’t be here.
“Okay.” One hand slid up and down his back, stroking, warming him where the chills had come up. “Okay. I’ll get you out. But you have to agree to see a private doctor.”
“You take me home. You take me home, Goddamn it.”
The door opened, footsteps sounding. “Mr. Scott, you’re awake. How’re you feeling?”
“He’s just fine, Doc. But he has to pee. Can we give him a minute in the head?” Bax sounded so reasonable. So fucking calm. But the grip on his arm was anything but.
“Are you sure you’re up to walking around? You’ve got some serious swelling in the back of your brain, son. That can mess with your perception for a few days, give you blind spots. It shouldn’t last.”
Oh. Oh, thank God. Thank God. “I’ll be careful. I’m good. I know where I am and shit. I just gotta do my business.”
It shouldn’t last.
Okay.
Okay, cool.
“I’ll give him a hand, Doc. He’s the stubbornest cuss on earth.” Bax stood him up, all careful like, hand under his arm. Then Bax took him to the bathroom, helping him figure out where stuff was. “You gotta be cool, Mini,” Bax whispered. “Or they won’t let you go home.”
“Yeah. Yeah, okay. You heard him. It shouldn’t last.” He got his face wet, hands shaking—he could feel them.
“Exactly. I told you; you’re all swole. But if you let him know you’re all hinky, he’ll keep you here.”
Yeah. Yeah, okay—he’d faked it before.
“You…you do good in the round?” Hell, he didn’t remember if the event was over, nothing after driving to the arena.
“I did. I got eighty-nine and some. Went to the short go yesterday on it. Didn’t ride for shit.”
The soft, wry laughter had him grinning despite himself.
“Everybody else move on? You called Momma?”
“I did. She wanted to come, but I told her to make shit right at home for you. AJ went on, but he said we could go to his ranch if we needed.”
“I just want to go home. I— Wait. Where was Bax going next? How the hell was he supposed to…?
Fuck. Fuck. Shit.
“I got a bye for the next event. We’ll figure it from there.” Hell, the man always could read his mind.
“Yeah? I’m sorry, Bax. I just… I can’t figure this yet.” He wanted to just scream.
“No. No, it’s cool, Jase.” Those hands turned him, pushing him and pulling, helping him do his business. Which he still could do. Jesus.
“Okay.” He got himself together, grinding his teeth, staying right there with Bax. “What next? Did the doctor go?”
“No. He’s gonna wanna talk to you.” Those lips pressed almost to his ear. “I’ll walk you through it.”
Bax was solid as a rock. Always right there.
“Okay. Okay, Bax.” Jason set his jaw, nodded.
Okay, open the fucking gate.