Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
“Jason? Honey? You want to watch Andy ride? It’s coming on the TV.”
Yeah. Yeah, he wanted to. It wasn’t fucking happening, though, was it? “No, Momma. You just pay attention, tell me how he did.”
The bedroom door was locked and it was going to stay that way. He had a bottle of Jack, and he had music on the CD player—he was settled.
Two weekends Bax’d come and gone, but then the travel got too expensive and too tiring and he’d told Bax to just go on and work.
“Son, you can’t just stay in there.”
He heard the doorknob rattle and he sighed. Yeah. Yeah, he could. He could sit in here and drink himself asleep. He could see in his dreams, just clear as day.
“Go root for Bax, Momma. He needs a good ride before the break.”
“He does. But he needs you rooting for him, too. You get your ass out here.” Now Momma was using the mother voice.
“I am rooting for him. Leave me be, Momma.” He wasn’t eight anymore.
“Damn it, Jason, I’m worried about you. Come have some coffee and cake with me and Jack.” From demanding to pleading, she had it all.
“I’ll have breakfast with you. Bax’ll be calling after a while. There’s a tape delay.” He couldn’t listen to all those guys living his life. He just couldn’t.
“Okay, honey. Call if you need me.” She finally left him, just the sound of George and the ticking of the clock sounding now.
He poured himself another round, jonesing on the burn. Every so often he thought he saw a color, a shape. No light, but there was something there.
His cell finally rang maybe an hour later, buzzing right next to his hand, making his butt vibrate.
“‘lo?” If it wasn’t Bax, he’d just hang up.
“Jason! Is that you man? It’s AJ. Bax said to call.”
Oh. Now Bax couldn’t even bother to call him personally.
“Did he ride?”
“Yeah eighty-three and a half. But… Well…” AJ trailed off, saying something to someone in the background.
“But what! Goddamn it! AJ! What the fuck happened to him?” He stood up in a rush, knocking all sorts of shit over as he headed for the door.
“He’s in sports medicine. We don’t know for sure how bad he’s broke up, Jase, but something in his leg snapped.” AJ sounded like he was just plumb worried.
“Jesus fucking Christ. Okay. Okay, you call me soon as you hear something. I’ll…”
He’d what?
Ride to the fucking rescue?
He shut the phone with a snap, growling as he stumbled, slammed into the door. “Momma! Momma! Bax is hurt!”
“Well, open the door, you fool man.” Momma was whacking on the other side of the door, calling him names.
“I’m fucking trying!” His Goddamn head was swimming, but he finally got it, yanking the door open. “His leg snapped. AJ called.”
“Oh. Oh, well, damn it all.” Momma grabbed his arm, pulling him along to the front room. “Jack! Jack, we need to find out where they’ll take Andy for x-rays.”
“Y’all’ll have to go get him and bring him home.” He stumbled along behind her.
“Jesus fuck, Jason. You look like shit.”
“Fuck you, Jack. That doesn’t matter.”
“We can’t leave you here.” Jack took hold of him, leaving Momma to run amok and get shit together.
“You sure as shit can. I’ll be fine.” He was a grown man, goddamn it.
“Jason, don’t be stupid. Andy will be asking for you.” Momma was all over, her voice bouncing crazily.
“I can’t go. Sports medicine’ll be all over. You just go get him.” He couldn’t let anybody know.
“I’ll stay here, then. Jack, you go get Andy and bring him home. Everyone knows I hate to travel.”
His phone rang again, cutting off Momma’s last word.
“‘lo? Bax?”
“Hey, Mini.” Oh. Hell, yes. It was Bax. “You okay? AJ didn’t rile you all up, did he?”
“I’m sending Momma and Jack to get you.”
“Oh, now. I’ll be…” He heard the sharp indrawn breath, the harder curse word Bax spat out. “Goddamn it, Shaun, would you quit poking!”
Shaun was one of the best sports medicine assistants around. Looked as if Bax wasn’t on his way to the ER yet.
“What happened?” He sort of spun a second, Jack leading him over to a chair.
“Oh, shit, Mini. I got hung up between the bull and the fence. You know how it is. He caught my leg.” Bax swallowed, the sound a dry click, then chuckled. “It’s all pointy.”
“They going to have to cast it up or surge on it?” Fuck, he should be there. He should be helping.
“I dunno. They’re wanting to give me the good drugs now, but I wanted to talk to you. Make sure you were good. If I have to get surgery, I’ll come home and have it done.” Yeah. Yeah, Bax hated the big city hospitals with a passion.
“I’ll send family to get you. I should be there.”
“It’s… It’s okay, Jase. We can be all roughed up together, huh?” Bax got to laughing, the sound adrenaline fueled, a little crazy. Just like always.
“Yeah, yeah. You let Shaun and them work on you. Momma’ll be there in a few hours.” Where the fuck was Bax, anyway?
He got grunt, low and guttural, the sound one he damned well knew.
Bax in pain. Then he heard a clacking and shuffling.
“Jason? It’s Coke, man. They’re moving him.
He sat back here through the rest of the short go, the damned fool.
You tell your folks to stay put. I’ll bring him on home. Been wanting to see you anyway.”
“Coke?” He swayed, queasy as hell. “You don’t let them cut him open there.”
“Don’t think he’ll need it. I’ve seen enough to know. You cowboy up, son. I’ll bring him home. He’ll be fine.” Yeah. Yeah, okay, he could count on Coke. He might could even stand Coke to see him. Maybe.
“Thanks, man. I’ll have Momma pick y’all up in Abilene. Tell him… Tell him we’re waiting.”
“No need. I got Bax’s truck, and I will. It helped him, Jason. Talking to you. He’s missing you bad. I’ll talk to you soon.” The phone went dead, leaving him sitting there, listening to nothing.
“Coke’s bringing him home.”
He heard Momma’s sigh. “He’s a good man. You just let me know when, son. Jack, we need to get Jason some water.”
“I’m fine, Momma.”
“Uh-huh. Water.” Nagging old woman. He did love her.
“Here you go, son.” Jack was solid, salt of the earth, and completely whipped.
“Thanks, Jack.” He hunted the glass a second, but got it, only spilling a little. “Coke says it doesn’t look like surgery.”
Coke said talking to him had helped.
“Well, that old fart has seen more riders come down the pike than most.” Jack clapped him on the back, and momma put something food-y into his other hand, and he just sat and tried not to think on Bax hurtin’.
Tried not to think on how a damned fine year was turning into something… Something else.