40. Caden
CHAPTER 40
Caden
Josie is sat upright in the hospital bed, her swollen ankle elevated on a stack of pillows. Her hand is deep in a packet of chips as she mumbles through her words, her attention fixed on some reality show on the box TV in the corner of the bay.
“What do you mean you fell off the kitchen counter?”
“Well…” She licks the crumbs off her fingers before wiping her hand over the bed linen. Clearly, I didn’t spend enough time teaching her not to be gross in childhood. “Garrett and I were experimenting. A little tipsy after an afternoon drink, you know? And I was crawling towards him and?—”
“Enough.” I hate that manchild with every fibre of my being. “And where is fuckhead Garrett now?”
“He had to open the bar.”
“Right, because opening up The Ridge to gormless drunks is more important than making sure your girlfriend isn’t suffering a head injury? ”
“I’d rather you didn’t make my boyfriend sound like such a piece of shit.”
“He is a piece of shit.” I seethe. “If he had even the tiniest bit of substance as a man, he’d be here right now.”
Dr Rogers clears her throat behind me. I’m sick of this place and I’ve only been here two hours. There’s far too many people, far too many buzzers and loud noises, and important conversations around me. I just want to get Josie out of here and as far away from Garrett Fernwood as possible.
“Josephine.” She smiles warmly as she pulls back the curtain shut and moves round the bed to Josie’s side. “I have your X-rays here. The good news is there’s no break. Judging by the swelling, there’s some soft tissue damage, but everything should heal in time. I’d suggest lots of rest over the next few weeks. We will give you some crutches to take home, and a prescription for painkillers, should you need them.”
“Great,” I puff, “so we’re good to leave?”
“Not quite, Mr Thompson.” She holds her clipboard taut against her chest, adjusting her glasses on her nose. “Josephine came down quite hard on her head, I’d like to keep her in overnight for observation. We want to rule out concussion. Just as a precaution.”
A night in Aspen Ridge, just what I need.
“Thanks, Doc. You’re the best.” Josie’s voice is a contented hum. “You can leave if you want, Cade. Seems like you’re itching to get out of here. Garrett can pick me up tomorrow.”
“Like hell he will. You’re coming back to the lodge with me until you’re healed. He couldn’t even stick around here for five minutes to make sure you were okay. You think I’m not going to trust him to look after you now? Not a chance.”
I was only planning on coming here to grab a couple of bags to get Josie through the next few weeks while she rests up, but that plan quickly evaporated. Seeing all of Garrett’s junk in this apartment – the empty bottles and cigarettes, porn mags strewn all over the coffee table – sent me into hot rage.
Josie deserves a better man than this, so I’m packing everything she owns into bin liners and leaving the rest of his crap here to rot.
Heavy weight falls against the front door, announcing Garrett’s arrival before he stumbles into the entryway.
“Oh if it isn’t his lord and saviour himself.” His drunken voice grates on me. “Caden Thompson, come to save the day once again.”
I take him in, disgust oozing out of me.
His greasy hair falls in a centre parting, sticking to the corners of his forehead. The buttons on his creased shirt are misaligned, his gut pulling at the fabric. I don’t think I could ever try to understand what Josie sees in this man, even if he were the last man on earth.
I keep packing up Josie’s belongings, trying to ignore him as his stench permeates the air, begging me to open the window or vomit on the spot.
I scan my eyes around the living space, hoping I’ve managed to grab everything that matters. Josie’s leaving this jerk for good this time.
“You know, you’re wasting your time packing up all of those things.” Garrett smirks as he twists the lid off a bottle of Bourbon, letting it fall to the floor. “She’ll be back.”
“Over my dead body.”
“You can’t protect your little Josie from everything, you know? There’s some decisions she has to make for herself.” He takes another swig, slouching over the counter towards me. “And she’ll decide on me. That little slut will come crawling back to me the minute she realizes she misses my cock, and I’ll be back to fucking her any time I w?—”
My hands are wrapped around his throat, pushing him up against the fridge and breaking his sentence in half, before I even have time to think about what I’m doing.
“You keep her name out of your mouth.” His cheeks are turning purple as he splutters in my grip. I loosen my hold, letting him gasp for a single breath before tightening my hands once more. “If you so much as breathe in Josie’s direction again, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you do, Fernwood. You got me?”
He falls to the floor as I release him, the bottle of bourbon still clasped in his fist.
Pathetic .
I toss Josie’s key to the ground and haul the last of her things to the truck, silently praying it’s the last time I ever lay eyes on this washed-up stretch of road.