4. Parental Interruption
Chapter 4
Parental Interruption
Sadie
R ebel wasn’t kidding when he said that Gertie is a powerful force. She is that, and also sweet and kind and loving. She’s motherly too, and the second she lays eyes on me, Gertie sits next to me, her lips pressed together and worry lines on her forehead.
“Who would do this to an angel?” Gertie says in dismay.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” I tell her, suddenly very aware of the scrapes and bruises on my face.
Gertie veers her gaze sharply in Rebel’s direction. “You find out who did this and you make him pay. Do you hear me?” she says angrily, wagging a finger at him.
“Rebel has to take it easy. He’s still recovering. Remember?” I remind her.
Gertie will not be swayed. “Fine. I’ll sic Falcon on them.”
Kailyn steps in. “Gertie, you’re scaring Sadie. You’ve only just met the girl, and you’re ordering Falcon to find one mugger in a city full of thieves.” She pats Gertie’s hand.
Gertie drops the subject, and the room goes quiet.
“I want to thank you for the soup. It was the best I’ve had since home,” I say.
Gertie’s eyes light up and Kailyn gives me a smile. “What brought you to us, dear?” Gertie asks.
“Mom and Dad had me later in life. I was a wonderful surprise, that’s what Mom says. It’s just me, no brothers or sisters. Mom and Dad were great advocates of independence, and I took after them. When I finished school, my parents wanted to retire, and I’m just starting my career, so they bought a hobby farm in Arizona, and I made the decision to come here,” I explain.
“Why here, of all places?” Kailyn asks.
“You’re going to think I’m nutty. I grabbed a map of the country, closed my eyes, and decided that wherever my finger landed, that was where I was going. I applied to several places and got the job with Nurses on Call. Henrietta, the owner, knows I’m waiting to get into a local hospital as an ER nurse, but who knows, I may continue to do some part-time work for her as well.”
I glance over at Rebel, who is standing across from me with his arms crossed over his chest, a glint of humor in his eyes and a smile on his face.
“That’s bold, sweetie,” Gertie says. “Something I would have done when I was younger. Much younger.” She laughs.
“I think that’s pretty cool,” Kailyn adds. “I did the same, but for different reasons.” Rebel already mentioned that Kailyn’s husband died. “In my case, I was coming home, though. My family are great people, but what they wanted for me wasn’t what I wanted for myself.
“Parents can do that, but I’m sure it was all out of the love they have for you,” I say.
“Enough chatter. Sadie needs rest. We’ll come by again tomorrow. We’ll have tea,” Gertie announces as she gets to her feet. Kailyn gets up as well.
Rebel walks them to the door, then clicks it shut behind them. I’m feeling weary, and Rebel notices immediately.
“You need to sleep,” he says. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to the bedroom.”
“Can I stay on the couch with you?” My stomach clenches at the idea of being alone. He eyes me carefully, then walks away, disappearing into the bedroom and coming back with a pillow and blanket. He slides in next to me, drapes the blanket over us, and kisses the top of my head.
“Sleep, babe. I’ll be right here when you wake up,” Rebel says. He proceeds to turn the television on low, and his hand runs soothingly along my arm. My eyes droop shut, and I can hear the drone of the commentator on the sports channel, until finally I fall asleep.
Rebel
I flip through the channels and wait until Sadie’s breathing is even and deep before moving the pillow under her head and going to the kitchen to clean up. I can’t help moving my gaze back to Sadie to make sure she’s okay. Throughout the night, she would moan and move like she was fighting someone, and as soon as my arms came around her, she’d settle and go back into peaceful sleep.
I take this opportunity to check in with Wire and see if he’s come up with anything.
“Hey, brother, how’s Sadie doing?” Wire asks.
“Resting. She needs it.”
“How are you dealing?”
“Better than I thought. She has two cracked ribs and a gash on her head, and she’s black and blue all over. I’m focusing on her for now. I’m calling to see if you found out anything,” I tell him.
“I checked in with the police. The report was filed, and Sadie gave her statement at the hospital. They want to follow up with her and see if she can answer a few more questions. I told them she needed a couple of days and to contact you directly so that you can bring her down to the station,” he says.
“All right,” I huff, not wanting to do it because I hate for Sadie to have to retell the story over and over and dredge up the memory of that night again, but it needs to be done. “Any information on the perp?”
“Sadie didn’t get a good look at the guy’s face. It was dark, and he had a black hoodie on. She mentioned that he had tats on his hands. I looked up all the cameras in the area, and there’s only one across the way from the bus stop, but the footage is blurry. I’m working on it. I’ll do the best I can, but it’s a long shot. The best chance of catching this guy is Sadie. She probably remembers more than she thinks,” Wire comments.
“I was hoping to avoid having her relive the moment.”
“Assault victims relive it whether they want to or not. It’s still fresh, and she’s going to feel the aftereffects of the attack. Burying the memory is a bad idea, man. You know it and I know it. We all have shit from the past we wish we never experienced, but we did. We got through it because we had each other and we were able to talk it out.”
“Yeah.” I sigh. I’m grateful that I had my brothers who got me. Talking helps, and because they could relate, it made it easier for me to open up to them. “I’ll talk to her. Let Sadie have the day to rest. Tomorrow, we’ll talk.”
“Bring her to the office. That way, we’ll all be there for her,” he suggests.
“Better to do it here. She seems comfortable in my apartment. Maybe Kailyn and Maya being with us would be good for Sadie.”
“I’ll get the word out,” Wire responds.
“Gertie’s already invited herself for tea.” I chuckle.
“Love that old woman,” Wire says, laughing along with me.
Once I hang up the phone, I look through my first aid kit and get what I need. She needs to change the dressing on her forehead. Sadie will want to take a shower, then I’ll rewrap her ribs. I grab some fresh towels and hop in the shower before Sadie wakes up. I want to be next to her when Sadie opens her eyes, like I promised.
Sadie is fast asleep when I come back into the room. I settle back in beside her and allow my fingers to run through her hair. Slowly, her eyes open, and I’m rewarded with those beautiful green eyes peering up at me so trustingly.
“Welcome back, sweetheart. Did you sleep good?” I ask, continuing to run my fingers through her hair.
“Mmhmm,” she murmurs. She moves to sit up, wincing as she does.
“You need a hot bath. It’ll help ease the aches and pains. Your muscles will thank you for it,” I say softly.
“It sounds nice,” Sadie says with a grin.
I get up, then bend at the waist and kiss her gently. “I’ll run the bath for you.” I help her to her feet. She’s a little wobbly but catches her balance quickly. “Easy, baby. Slow and steady.”
“Sorry, my legs are still a little shaky.” She grabs my arm. “Nurses make the worst patients,” she jokes.
“I thought doctors are the worst.”
“True. I revise my statement. Nurses are the second-worst patients.” Sadie gives me a shy smile, and I swear the room lights up brighter than ever.
With my arm braced around her waist, I lead her to the bathroom and have her sit on the edge of the tub while I run the water. She glides her hand through the water, looking lost in her own thoughts.
“Do you need any help?” I ask.
“I think I can manage,” she replies.
“I’ll be right outside the door.” I leave her to it, but keep the door ajar in case she needs me. I can hear her struggling, so I open the door a little more.
Sadie is standing with her arms folded over her breasts. “Could you please help me get this off?” she asks, her gaze dropping to her wrapped ribs. As I do as she asked, her black-and-blue bruises are exposed to my sight. What’s worse, an imprint of a boot mark is pronounced on her white flesh.
Suddenly, the rage that I had finally tamped down returns with a vengeance. I touch her skin, tracing the red marks, then span my hand over the outline.
“Rebel,” she says.
I raise my gaze to meet hers.
“I’m okay,” she whispers.
I nod and slowly release her. “Bath, sweetheart. Then we can watch a movie and relax. Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Sadie
I slip into the hot bathwater and let my muscles soak in its goodness. Rebel added Epsom salts to help with the aches and pains. With a small towel rolled up at the back of my neck, I simply lie still and reflect. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I was looking after Rebel, and now he’s looking after me. He even smiled for me, and when I left Falcon’s apartment last night, I was happy. Rebel was doing well, and I was clutching some extra money.
If I’d done what Falcon told me to do, none of this would have happened. Unfortunately, I remember the way the mugger held me down while he punched my face, not once, but three or four times. I managed to keep hold of my purse, but not for long. When his boot connected with my side, I knew he was going to kill me if I didn’t let go. I think he would have killed me anyway if the bus hadn’t arrived at the right time.
I was foolish. How did I think I could fight him off? Tears start running down my face again. Just when I believed I didn’t have any left in me, I feel them on my cheeks. I wipe them away and sink farther into the water.
“Sadie, how’re you doing in there?” Rebel’s low, sexy voice penetrates my thoughts.
“I’m okay.”
“It’s been half an hour, babe. The water must be cold by now,” he says with concern.
“I’ll finish up.” I stand and turn on the shower to rinse off and shampoo my hair. It takes more energy than I have, but I manage. I step out and grab the large, fluffy, dark blue towel Rebel left for me. I wrap it around me and grab my brush to run it through my tangled mess of hair before putting on a fresh pair of panties and a soft pair of joggers. I don’t bother with a bra but put on a soft gray button-down shirt.
Rebel is right at the door when I open it. He offers me his hand, and I walk with him over to the edge of the bed, where I sit, and he puts a new bandage in place.
His hands are so gentle, and when he’s done, he lifts my chin to look at him. “It’s healing well. Do you still have a headache?”
I shake my head. “No. No headache.”
“Gotta do your ribs, babe,” he says and directs me to stand, switching our positions so that he’s sitting on the bed. He guides me to stand between his spread legs. He lifts the hem of my shirt, holding it just under my breasts. Then he directs my hand to keep the shirt in place where he wants it.
His jaw clenches, but he doesn’t say another word. His hands span the area that’s most affected, and I swear I hear him growl.
“It’s not so bad,” I say. “Better today than yesterday. And tomorrow will be better still.” I try to play it off, giving a shrug.
“Quiet, Sadie,” he commands and begins to wrap my ribs. He concentrates fully on what he’s doing. I’m completely self-conscious. My stomach muscles tighten as he does his work, and I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until he says, “Breathe, sweetheart.”
When Rebel’s done, he doesn’t let go and instead shifts me so that I’m sitting on his lap. I look into his eyes and see sadness. I can’t help but put my hand on his cheek.
“You need to rest too. You’ve been looking after me, and you’re still recovering. Maybe I should go home.”
“Don’t say that!” he replies gruffly. His arms hold me closer. “I want you with me.”
“You can’t overdo it.”
“Sadie, I should have been back to work last week. I’m not saying I don’t feel a twinge of pain or that it’s easy, but I’ve been wounded before, and the longer I wait, the worse it’ll be to get back in shape,” Rebel says.
Back in shape? Is he nuts? I’ve never seen a man with more pronounced abs in my life. He’s the book boyfriend described to a T in all the girly romance novels.
“You’re perfect,” I blurt out. “I mean, uh, well, you’re already….” I struggle to find the words that don’t have me sounding like a schoolgirl with a crush, or a dork.
He laughs, then his hand snakes into my wet hair, tugging gently and pulling me down until our lips nearly touch. “I’m far from perfect, but I have great taste in sexy nurses with a wicked sense of humor,” he says and does a light lip touch.
“You only like me for my mind.” I feign a huff, and Rebel laughs louder and harder. His laughter is a gift. His eyes sparkle. I could watch him all day.
“Trust me, babe, that isn’t all I like about you.”
As promised, Rebel and I put on Netflix and binge-watch Only Murders in the Building for the rest of the day, stopping for a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. My belly is full and I’m feeling really good, but I swear I hear a faint ringing. Rebel hears it too. He scans the room and follows the sound to my backpack. Lucky for me, when I was mugged, I had the cell phone in my pocket, or that too would have been lost.
I guess I should be grateful that I still have my phone. He sees the light blinking and the name flashing on the screen and holds it out to me. “It’s your mom,” he says.
I let out a groan and take it from him. Mentally psyching myself up, I answer as cheerfully as I can. “Hey, Mom.”
“Don’t you ‘Hey, Mom’ me, Sadie Eloise McCowan. I have been calling for days without a call back from you. My next call would have been to the police. Then I would have booked a flight to see if you were okay. Your father has already packed a bag,” she exclaims, not letting me get a word in. “You carry a baby for nine months, through the nausea, the swollen feet, and let’s not forget the twelve hours of intense labor, followed by chicken pox, fevers, the first heartbreak, then my baby moves away, and she doesn’t call us back.”
Yep, she’s not happy.
“Things have been a little hectic. I—I…” I taper off. I want to tell her the truth but know as soon as I do, she’ll want to come and see me, but not when I look like this.
Rebel snatches the phone.
“Hi, I’m Rebel. Sadie’s boyfriend,” he says, followed by a shriek that I can hear from where I’m sitting. Then Mom’s talking a mile a minute, so fast that I can’t quite understand. “No, we’re new. She was going to call and tell you, but there was an unfortunate incident, and Sadie’s been hurt.” There’s a pause, and Rebel comes to sit beside me, putting his arm around my shoulders. “She’s safe now, and she’s going to stay that way.” Another pause, then Rebel says, “Sadie should be the one to tell you.” Pause. “I’ll give her back the phone, but know that I’m with her and looking after her.”
Rebel gives me the phone. “Rip the Band-Aid off and tell them. It’ll be worse the longer you wait.”
I sigh deeply, then put the phone to my ear. “It’s me again, Mom. Could you please put me on speaker so I can talk to both you and Dad?”
“We’re both here, my girl.” Dad’s voice sounds over the phone.
“Okay, I want to start by saying that I’m fine. Last night, I was attacked. The thief was after my purse, and I wouldn’t let him have it. He got, um, physical. I sort of got beat up.” I hear Mom’s sharp intake of breath, and although I can’t see Dad, I can imagine his tormented expression. Dad has always been protective of me.
On my first day of school, not only did he drop me off with Mom, but he stood across the street and watched me at recess to keep an eye on me. When I was older and was bullied, it was Dad who made sure the kid was no longer a nuisance. To this day, I have no idea what he said to that boy’s parents.
“We’ll catch the first flight out,” Dad says.
“Dad, wait. I want to see you and Mom. But let’s give it a few days before you come. I’m at Rebel’s, and he’s taking good care of me,” I tell them.
“Put your man on the line, baby girl,” he orders.
“Dad—”
“Now, Sadie.” His stern voice is loud and clear. There’s no way around it. I give the phone back to Rebel, biting my lower lip, forgetting the cut there and causing myself pain.
“Hello, sir,” Rebel answers. “She’s doing much better.” There’s a hesitation, and then he says, “I wasn’t there, but he will be found and punished. For his sake, he should pray the cops find him first.” I’m not sure what Dad is saying, but Rebel rises from the sofa and begins pacing the room. “I hear you, but with all due respect, she’s not leaving my place. You want to come and visit, then we’ll make room.” Then I hear him say, “Right. I’ll have her call you every day. Give us a week and we’ll make plans. Either way, we’ll work it out. Later, then.”
Rebel hangs up and looks at me. “Your parents aren’t going to be happy until they see you. I promised to make arrangements for them to visit or for us to go to them. You must have heard that they want a daily call. They’re worried about you. I think it’s best they come to you, but whatever you want, babe. I have a den. I can put a bed in it. It ain’t the Ritz, but they’ll be close, and we’ll make do,” he explains, like there’s nothing to it. He sits next to me.
A million things come to mind. Like, when did I move in? I have my own apartment, but Dad will hate it because one look at the neighborhood and he’ll have a fit. And I have to get back to work. I can’t let my boss down. She’s been wonderful to me. Most of all, my parents meeting my boyfriend? Holy shit!
Rebel called himself my boyfriend. We’ve haven’t even had a proper kiss. As much as I loved the light pecks and soft touches, I wouldn’t call any of them a proper first kiss. What if when we do finally kiss, he doesn’t like it? My mind is whirling, so I don’t notice that Rebel has sat his ass down on the coffee table and is watching me have a mini panic attack.
He clasps my icy hands in his. “Sadie, talk to me. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“I like you,” I blurt out.
He furrows his brows, “And that’s a problem, why?”
“Because I’m a dork. And you’re this really cool, macho commando dude who rushes off to save people. You’re handsome and smart, and even though you were trying to be a jerk, you never quite succeeded, so I know that you’re sweet. I haven’t had a boyfriend since high school. Fred Carter doesn’t count because he was more of a friend than a boyfriend. We both figured that out after our first date when he kissed me. We just liked each other, and then I left for college. And all you had to do was touch me, and I felt all tingly.” I exhale, tears threatening to fall. “I’m going to freak you out, and you won’t like me. I’m already freaking out!” I exclaim.
I try to pull my hands back, but he doesn’t let go. I turn my face away.
“Sadie Eloise.” He says my name, and it sounds like a melody when he does. “Look at me. My name is Jasper Rebel Hanes. It was my father’s idea to add the Rebel. I think he knew from the second he laid eyes on me that I’d have a rebellious streak. He also knew that one day, I would meet a woman who would knock me on my keester, and here you are. I can’t make any promises, babe. We’re new. We’re working our way through to getting to know one another. What I can say is that I want to smash Fred Carter’s face in for being able to say he was your first boyfriend.”
I giggle. “Poor Fred. I don’t think he even thinks about me anymore. He’s married to Diane Langdon and has a couple of kids of his own. She had a crush on him since kindergarten. They’re meant to be together,” I tell him. I reach out to touch his face. “Your dad actually named you Rebel?”
“Yup! According to my brothers, it’s what decided my fate. I was a hellion as a kid, but that’s what led me to be the guy I am today,” he says. “Think you can handle it?”
I blush profusely, then gather enough courage to respond. “Well, tall, blond, handsome, and dangerous.” I fan my face with my hand and bat my eyes. “Every girl’s dream.”
Rebel laughs louder than ever and gathers me in his arms. I can still feel his chest shaking with laughter. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard, babe. It’s you, you know. Even when I was trying to push you away, you stood up to me, teasing me. You have no idea how difficult it was to stop myself from pulling you onto the bed and kissing you.”
“Really?” I whisper.
“Oh yeah.”
“You can kiss me now,” I tell him breathlessly.
“I can’t kiss you the way I want without hurting you.”
“I’ll risk it.” I really want Rebel to kiss me.
Rebel shakes his head and chuckles. “Two days, sweetheart. Then I’m going to do more than kiss you. Until that time, this will have to do.” He kisses me soft and sweet.
“I’m sorry about my parents being, well, forceful.”
“They love you. That’s what parents do.”
“Count on parental interruptions often. I’m pretty sure my mother has some sort of sixth sense when it comes to me. She always seems to call at the most inopportune times,” I warn him.
“Remind me to turn off your phone before I have my way with you in two days’ time,” Rebel says. This time, it’s my turn to laugh.
Rebel throws the blanket back over us and flips the television back on. The best part is, he never let me go.