Maverick (Voodoo Guardians #33)

CHAPTER ONE

Maverick Stanton watched his mother as she knelt beside an old man on the curb on Bienville. The old man had stumbled and fallen, his hands now scraped, his knees bleeding. He looked really white to Maverick, his skin sweating unnaturally as he fumbled for his words, looking around him as if he were hoping to find someone or something familiar.

“My name is Kennedy,” smiled his mother. “I’m a doctor, and I want to help you. Are you on any medications?”

“I take them pink pills for my heart,” he said, seemingly struggling to get the words out. She turned to Maverick, handing him her phone.

“Mav, I need you to open the app I use to identify medications. Type in pink and heart, and tell me what comes up,” she said softly to her son.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, typing quickly on the phone. A young man from inside one of the coffee shops ran out with a bottle of water, and Kennedy thanked him.

“I’ve called for an ambulance as well,” he said. He took off his ball cap and placed it on the man’s head. “It’s awful bright out here. I hope that helps.”

“You’re a good boy,” said the man. His eyes were dilated, glassy, and Kennedy was becoming more and more concerned.

“Mom, there are two drugs,” said Maverick, turning the phone toward his mother.

“That’s perfect, baby. I know which one he’s on now.” She turned her attention back to the man on the ground. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Russell, ma’am. Russell Wills.”

“Mr. Wills, are you able to tell me what happened?”

“I just got dizzy all of a sudden, and the world kept spinnin’. I needed to sit, and this was the place that I sat. I’ve never had this happen before, and I won’t lie, I’m kinda scared by it all. Am I okay?”

“I’m trying to figure that out, Mr. Wills. What have you had to eat today?” she asked him.

“Well, now, I didn’t get my usual breakfast. I just ate a banana.”

“And lunch?” frowned Kennedy.

“It ain’t lunchtime,” he said quietly.

“Sir, it’s almost three. It’s well past lunchtime. Mav? Take my wallet and go into that café and ask the young man for a sandwich and bring me a regular soda. I think he might need some sugar as well.”

Maverick ran into the café and told the young man what he needed. He was gracious, handing him a chicken salad sandwich and sugar soda at no charge. Maverick returned his mother’s wallet and handed the food to her. By the time Mr. Wills was halfway through the sandwich, the ambulance showed up.

Mav heard his mother rattling off the man’s information, what happened to him, and what medication he was on. The ambulance driver thanked her as they loaded him into the back and then took off.

“Is he gonna be okay?” asked Maverick.

“He’ll be fine,” smiled Kennedy. “I think he’d gone too long without eating properly, and he’s not in the best of health. They’ll make sure that he gets what he needs. Hey. You were very helpful back there.” She ruffled his thick head of hair, smiling down at him.

“Thanks,” he grinned. “It was cool watching you work.”

“What do you say to some ice cream? I think we deserve it, don’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am!” he said, pumping a fist in the air.

Kennedy laughed as he pulled her along to their favorite spot. She loved these mother-son afternoons. They only did them once a month, but it gave her alone time with her only child, and nothing made her happier.

At eleven, he was already bigger than many of the kids at Belle Fleur. Built like his father, he was tall, strong, and had superior strength. He was already a little man, and time was going way too fast for Kennedy.

He was a miracle baby for her and JT. She’d had cancer and thought she’d never be able to have children of her own. One of the many great miracles of Belle Fleur. But Maverick couldn’t crawl into her lap any longer and cuddle. He didn’t want bedtime stories any longer, and he didn’t want his mother with him as much. It was all part of her little boy becoming a young man.

“So, are you ready to start middle school?” she asked, smiling at him as he licked the cone.

“I guess,” he shrugged. “It’s all the same classmates, so that makes it good. I know it will be harder, but I’m okay with that.”

“You’ve always been a good student,” she smiled. “You won’t struggle academically.”

“I know,” he said with confidence. “And I’m good at sports. I guess I worry about girls.”

That raised Kennedy’s brow. She’d never heard her son speak about girls before, at least not to her.

“What are you worried about?”

“I don’t know. It feels like they’re a lot of trouble. I mean, not you. Dad says you’re the easiest girl in the world to live with.”

“Good for Dad,” she laughed.

“I mean, the older guys are all gaga over girls. They fight over them. They race to ask them to dances. It all seems too much to me. Too much trouble. Period.”

“Well, sometimes it is too much,” said Kennedy. “Something your dad did right when we met was that he made sure I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me. Not just physically but in my heart as well. He was patient and kind, and it didn’t matter to him at all when he found out I was sick. In fact, he made sure he stuck to me like glue.”

“Yeah, but you’re not a girl that always wants stuff. You’re a different girl. You’re strong like a boy but pretty like a girl. Other girls aren’t like that.”

“Do you know a girl like that?” asked Kennedy.

“Lots!” he said with exasperation. “Not the girls at Belle Fleur but other girls. It’s like if a girl gets a new pair of shoes, all the other girls want the same shoes. If she gets new earrings, all the other girls want new earrings. I don’t have a job! I’m gonna go broke.”

Kennedy laughed at her son, touching his cheek.

“Oh, Mav, you’re the best. Honey, those girls are learning some very bad habits from their parents. At your age, it’s not boys that are buying those gifts, it’s their parents. Now, you’ve got a good point, eventually boys will be expected to do the same. You’re smart to realize it’s not a good thing. The girls at Belle Fleur don’t do it because their parents manage expectations with them. Everyone has chores. Everyone has responsibilities. You got a new bike because of what?”

“Because I helped dig the new garden with the other boys and Aunt Claudette.”

“That’s right. You did something to earn the money. How did that make you feel?” she asked.

“Pretty cool,” he smirked. “I like digging in the dirt, and it felt cool to have my own money. I got to choose the bike myself knowing just how much money I had to spend. Then I got to hand the guy my money. But I liked diggin in the garden.”

“Yeah? Do you think you’ll want to become a gardener or maybe a farmer?” she asked hopefully.

“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m gonna be a SEAL, just like Dad.”

“I thought you’d say that,” she smirked. “Well, whatever you become, I’m very, very proud of you, Maverick.”

“I’m proud of you too, Mom. What you did back there with that old man was pretty cool. I like telling people I have a cool doctor mom, and she’s really pretty. For a mom.”

Kennedy could only laugh as they walked back to the car to return home. JT was waiting for them as he always did. Standing right at the gate. She only grinned, knowing that he’d followed them the entire day. He always did, and she was okay with that.

“Hey, did you guys have a good day?” he asked with a knowing smile.

“You know that we did,” she smirked. He just smiled, nodding at her.

“How about you, Mav?”

“It was cool, Dad. Mom saved a guy!”

“She did,” he said, frowning.

“Yeah. He got sick from not eating and his medicine or something. Mom was so nice to him even though other people ignored him.”

“That’s why I love your mom,” he said, kissing his wife. Mav shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s not why. You love her because she gave you me.” JT laughed as Maverick ran off toward his friends.

“He’s not wrong,” said JT. “What he doesn’t know is all the fun we had making him.” He kissed down her neck as she giggled.

“How is Mr. Wills?” she asked her husband, knowing that he would have followed up to be sure he was taken care of.

“He’ll be fine. He lives by himself, and his granddaughter went to the hospital to get him. She said they’ve been fighting him on living with her. He’s getting forgetful but doesn’t want to give up his independence.”

“I can understand that,” said Kennedy. “He didn’t seem to be suffering from dementia. I think it’s just plain old age.”

“Which sucks,” growled JT. Kennedy wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist and kissed him.

“You’re not old. If last night is any indication.” JT just grinned at her. “By the way, your son confirmed for me that he’s going to be a SEAL.”

“Yeah?” grinned JT.

“Don’t look so damn happy, JT. It’s a dangerous job, and you know it better than anyone. I damn sure know it, and I know that he’ll accomplish whatever he sets his mind to. That only makes me more frightened for him.”

They watched him playing with the boys, then he stopped to give a hug to Claudette and Irene. Irene touched his cheek, Maverick already taller than she. A few minutes later, Mav ran toward his parents.

“What’s up?” asked JT.

“Oh, I was just gonna tell Mom not to worry. Mama Irene says I’m gonna marry a really smart, really sweet redhead with big green eyes. I think I like redheads. I’m not sure about green eyes. That’s just weird.” He turned and ran back the other way, waving over his shoulder. JT laughed, shaking his head.

“Well, what do you know? Our future daughter-in-law will be a redhead.”