Chapter Thirty-Three
AJ
At seven a.m, they operated, and realigned my fractured femur. According to the doc, I now have five metal pins inside my leg, and a twenty-centimeter incision in my thigh, closed with sutures and staples. And I’m pumped brim full of pain meds.
Once the anaesthesia wore off, they moved me to my own room on the first floor at Golden Oaks. Hollie was there waiting for me. The nurses told me she refused to leave. I slept a while, and when I woke again, she was lying on the bed, curled into me, my right leg in traction, my left leg in a cast.
Now, the bed is in an upright position and she’s lying with her cheek pressed against my chest through the cotton gown, nestled into the crook of my shoulder, my arm around her. Her hand rests against my stomach and my fingers are in her hair.
Sunlight filters through the closed blinds. I don’t even know what time it is. The days have bled into one another. All I know is that my girl is with me, and nothing else matters.
‘Kiss me,’ I whisper.
She tilts her chin, wordlessly pressing her lips to mine. It’s a sweet, innocent kiss, but it’s not enough. She pulls away.
I watch her. Stroke her face. ‘What did I say to you… in the closet that time? You remember?’
She bites back a smile. ‘I believe you said… come on over, don’t be shy.’
‘So… don’t kiss me like shy girl Hollie. Kiss me like we’re back in that closet. Kiss me like you mean it.’
Hollie raises her head, watches the door, checking there’re no doctors or nurses present.
‘Go on. Lay one on me,’ I say. ‘Give me something to fantasize about.’
She giggles as she leans forward. This time, she kisses me enthusiastically, and when her tongue meets mine, I don’t hold back, and neither does she. Until something wrenches in my leg and I have to pull back, wincing in pain.
‘Are you all right?’ Hollie asks.
I lay my head back against the pillows. Frustration whirls in my stomach. Man, I’m not gonna survive five minutes in this place, let alone a couple weeks.
‘Uhh, excuuuse me!’ a nurse raises her voice as she strides into the room, wheeling a monitor on a cart behind her. She gives us both a withering look. ‘Romeo and Juliet. Visitors do not lie on the bed with patients. I don’t care how cute they are.’
Hollie carefully extricates herself and slides off the bed, getting to her feet and straightening out her clothes, while the nurse opens the window blind.
‘How are we feeling, AJ?’
‘Feel good. I’ll feel better when I can stand on my own two feet and get back on my motorcycle.’
‘Motorcycle?’ she hoots. ‘Lord, only a motorhead could think about a set of wheels before he can even learn how to use his legs again. Now, hold still, honey, I gotta check your BP.’
When the nurse is through and walking out the door, I call Hollie over.
‘Kiss me again.’
She pokes me in my side, just under my rib cage. ‘Get your mind out of the gutter, Callahan. Think about something else.’
‘I can’t help it if I’m obsessed with your kisses, Palmer. Turns out I always have been. I just didn’t know it.’
She wrinkles her nose at my words, then leans forward and presses her lips to mine one more time for the sweetest lingering kiss.
‘You doin’ all right?’ I ask after. ‘You talk to your dad?’
‘Briefly,’ she tells me. ‘I think he was still in shock at Evelyn’s arrest.’
‘You think she actually did it?’
Hollie shakes her head, like she can’t quite believe it either.
‘According to the sheriff, he’s got credible evidence that she paid the Flood brothers to set Scotch & Smoke alight.
She’ll deny everything, of course. I mean, she had the motive to do it.
But paying somebody money to burn down a building so she could allow the development company to roll in the bulldozers? That’s extreme, even for her.’
She starts pacing, like she’s agitated.
‘When she came into the waiting area last night…’ she continues, ‘she asked about you. And it was like… I don’t know.
The look on her face. Regret, maybe. Sadness.
It was genuine. Like… if she did do it, she didn’t know there would be somebody asleep at the top of the building.
And then, poof, she switched back into Queen Bitch mode without a second thought. ’
‘When we went to their house yesterday, all she heard was that I lived in Rapture. Don’t think it occurred to her to ask whereabouts. We’re all the same lowlifes to her, remember?’
‘But if the sheriff says he has the evidence…’
Her voice tails off. I reach out and grab her hand. Hold it to my chest. ‘Whatever happens,’ I say, ‘None of this is your fault.’
She’s looking up at me helplessly with those pretty eyes and I’m considering asking her to kiss me again when Echo enters the room, his studded boots thudding heavy across the tiled floor.
He’s holding a cup of joe and looks like he hasn’t slept.
He sees me with Hollie’s hand pressed flat against me and gives me a knowing smile.
‘Good morning, you two,’ he says, his vocal cords no doubt ravaged by hollering too much last night. ‘Bought you this.’
He walks over and hands me the takeout coffee. He knows how I like it. ‘You’re the bomb,’ I tell him.
I don’t think Echo’s figured out yet that I view him as my surrogate father. Or maybe he has, and he just don’t wanna say anything about it.
He steps back. Looks all serious. ‘You gave us all a fright last night, son.’
‘Scared myself. I don’t recommend skydiving without a parachute.’
He smiles and shakes his head. ‘I’m glad you’re all right. Better than glad.’
There’s a short silence before I ask him, ‘You head back over there yet?’
Echo’s wide shoulders slump. He reaches into his pocket for his phone. He unlocks it and navigates to something on the screen before handing the phone to me.
‘First picture show’s what’s left of Scotch. Second, what’s left of the auto shop. Third shows… third shows what’s left of your motorcycles, AJ, I’m sorry.’
I glance down. The first photograph shows a large heap of blackened, charred remains.
There’s nothing at all left of Scotch & Smoke.
It’s gone, save for the broken outline of the bar.
I swallow a lump in my throat and scroll across.
Echo’s shop is mostly destroyed. I swipe my thumb across the screen again and my heart does a little flip in my chest.
My bikes are two burned out heaps of charcoal.
I sigh. So many memories were attached to those wheels.
Hollie moves closer and I show her, and hear her gasp.
‘Wow,’ I say. ‘So… I can’t walk. I’ve lost my home, my job and the only two possessions I ever cared about.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Hollie whispers beside me.
I grab her hand again. ‘I didn’t lose you. Imagine if you’d stayed with me last night. And you had to jump too. And maybe one of us didn’t survive the fall. I can live without my motorcycles, Hollie. What I can’t live without is you.’
She leans into me. I wrap her in an embrace. My heart is thudding in my chest.
I’m still holding onto her when Echo says, ‘We’re taking the deal, AJ.’
I let go of Hollie. I don’t flinch, because it’s hardly a surprise.
‘Land will be turned over to the developers twenty-one days from now.’
The room goes quiet. I nod my head. I’ve always known it was never a matter of if, but when.
‘They gonna find someplace for everybody to live?’ I ask.
‘Word has it, bunch of empty apartments over in Eastvale. I’m thinking of renaming it Little Rapture.’
I laugh at that, because he’ll never give up the Rapture name, even if they bulldoze what’s left of the place. ‘Any word on what the sheriff has on Evelyn Wallace?’
‘A voice recording. Casey Flood made it when he and his homeboy agreed to her terms and to torch the place. Collateral, for when they inevitably ended up behind bars. I’m guessing she had no idea they were recording her.
Word has it she’s denying everything. She’ll see the inside of a cell one day, that’s for sure. What about your father?’
He’s looking at Hollie. My girl looks sad, and I wish I could take away the pain and confusion that she’s feeling right now. ‘He claims he knew nothing about it,’ she says. ‘I believe him, but there’s every chance he could get caught up in all of it.’
‘For your sake, I hope that doesn’t happen,’ Echo says.
She looks to the floor. ‘Thank you, Echo.’
Echo then looks me over. ‘So. They say how long you gotta stick around in this joint?’
‘Up to two weeks,’ I grind out, because I wanted to be out of here yesterday. I’ve realized I am not good at being laid up.
‘Hollie and I will make sure you guys snag one of them apartments in Eastvale. Don’t you worry ’bout a thing.’
This is one of the times that I wish Echo was my real father. Because he really goes all out for me and my mom.
‘Thanks, Echo. I owe you. And I’m not just saying that because of the Venom. You always did look out for me. You’re the best.’
He dips his chin, like it’s no big deal. ‘You’re a good kid, AJ. You’re a fighter. And I’m happy you finally found yourself an ol’ lady to keep you on the straight and narrow.’
I raise my brow at Hollie. ‘He means that as a compliment. Really.’
She laughs and rolls her eyes, because she gets it. She gets me.
‘Guess I’d better be getting back,’ Echo says with another sigh. ‘Got some insurance paperwork to fill out. Some packing up to do. I’ll come back and visit, okay?’
We say our goodbyes. When we’re alone, Hollie comes back to my bedside, and I slide my fingers into hers.
‘Hey,’ I say.
‘Hey, back,’ she says, raising the back of my hand to her mouth, and pressing her lips to my skin.
‘While I was sleeping, something came back to me.’
‘What was it?’
‘I saw those flames. The speed they were coming at me, and I knew I would die if I didn’t jump.’
She moves closer to me, the worry on her face plain to see. Because she cares. I love that she has such a big heart, and that she’s given it to me, and only me.
‘When Mo died last year… I had moments where I wished I could have gone with him… You once told me that I was your reason for sticking around here. But… you were the reason I jumped, Hollie. I couldn’t not see you again.
And I couldn’t lose you either. I pictured the future that we’re gonna make together. I love you. I can’t live without you.’
She looks up at me, and her eyes are brimming again. She bites down on her bottom lip and big tears spill over.
‘I didn’t mean to make you cry,’ I say.
She nods her head at me. Like it’s all too much, and for a moment, she’s speechless.
‘I was always in love with this biker guy I never thought I’d have the smallest chance with,’ she says once she’s composed herself. ‘It’s still really surprising to me that words like that could come out of your mouth.’
‘Well, you’d better believe them. ’Cause there’s no other girl on this planet I’d say ’em to.’
She kisses me again. I hold her, and I’ve never fucking resented my legs so hard in my fucking life, because all I want is to swing her into my arms and march her home to bed.
‘I love you, AJ. I always will,’ she whispers, resting her forehead against mine. ‘You make me very happy.’
I pull away and stroke my fingers down her cheek. ‘I swear to you,’ I tell her, and it feels like another affirmation. ‘From here on out, it’s only gonna get better.’