Chapter Twenty-Nine
Where Loyalties Lie
Roisin
Ziggy got back after dinner. I was medicated and drifting in and out. I woke up long enough to see half of a Hallmark movie, but eventually passed out again. Ziggy was so attentive and good to me. He fetched me ice water and checked often to see if I needed the lights, pillows, or temperature adjusted.
He held my hand and watched the morning news on a national channel rather than the local, nodding off and on as the reporter spoke about things I doubted he gave a damn about.
“Breakfast,” Cammie called.
She was my favorite nurse. The one whose voice I had recognized in my seizure.
“Pancakes and oatmeal?” I guessed.
She laughed and took the lid off, revealing exactly that, along with a helping of scrambled eggs.
“How did you know?”
“Guess I should play the lottery more often.” I smirked and picked up my fork. “Do you know when the doctor will do his rounds?”
I was in such a hurry to get back to my own home.
“Anytime between now and noon.” She made an apologetic face.
“I’m going to step outside for just a moment,” Zig whispered, before kissing my cheek.
I watched him disappear and tried to swallow my irritation. I wanted fresh air, too, damn it.
I shoved scrambled eggs into my mouth and a subtle sound from the bedside table left me confused as I chewed and slowly swallowed. I opened the drawer to discover my purse, deodorant, and hairbrush inside.
“Are you kidding me? I’ve been using this medical brand rollerblade bullshit that leaves my underarms sticky and that was in there all this time?” I let my husband have it, even if he wasn’t in the room. I snatched my brush and purse from the drawer, setting them both in my lap so I could fish around and find my phone. Of course, it was in the bottom of my bag.
I swiped it, convinced it was the last ring before it went to voicemail. I half suspected I’d not caught it in time for all the trouble I went through to find the silly thing.
“Ro,” The voice sounded so small and broken. “Ro, I’m sorry I was a bitch to you. Can you come over? Please, I need you.”
“Wh–?” I pulled the phone back, having been in such a scramble to catch the call, I hadn’t really paid attention to whose name was flashing.
“It’s me, Rumi. My mom died last night.” She sobbed.
My jaw dropped and my gaze cut murderously back toward the door. Last night! He knew all this time and he didn’t say shit to me?
“Wh-where are you at, honey?” I cleared my throat and had to make an effort to keep my hand away from my mouth.
I couldn’t help it, I knew her mother was bad off, but it seemed so sudden.
“I– I– I’m in the bathroom.” She sounded like she was hyperventilating on the other end of the line.
“Rumi, what bathroom?” I tried to stay calm, despite the way my heart was breaking for her. I’d managed to swing my legs over the side of the bed, even if I had no idea where I was going, or even if I could walk on my own for that matter. I’d done okay with the nurse, but she’d held my arm for the round trip between my bed and the bathroom. A distance that felt like an accomplishment at the time, but now that I was surveying the journey, it was probably more like ten steps each way.
I’d crawl if I had to! They would not stop me from getting to that baby.
The door swung open, and Ziggy sounded off, “Whoa!”
“The– Clubhouse,” Rumi managed, after several moments.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Everything is going to be alright. You’re going to be alright,” I reassured her, before hanging up.
I held the phone and resisted the urge to hurl it at Ziggy.
“Wh–? That was Rumi?” he dumbly guessed.
“Yeah. That was Rumi,” I mocked him.
He took a deep breath, “Listen, babe–”
“No, you listen. You have no right to keep shit from me. I’m your wife.” I lifted my chin, firm in my stance.
His eyes twitched with a hint of a smile that turned my grip to steel.
The phone greeted me in that funny robotic voice it did when you powered it off and back on and I growled, shoving it away from me on the bed as I shakily stood up.
“We’re fucking leaving,” I announced.
“No.” He shook his head stepping forward, “We’re not. Sit the fuck down.”
“Fuck you.” I glared at him, wanting to fight.
I knew it was wrong of me, but I’d been cooped up and poked and kept in the dark and I was tired of it.
The door opened, and my head whipped toward the sound. I felt like a dragon waiting to roast whatever sacrifice hadn’t knocked. I probably would have, too, if Rory hadn’t walked in behind Sean. My hand slid down the bed rail and I wobbled. I gripped at Ziggy for balance as a rush of memories came back to me.
Ziggy steered me back to the bed.
“Babe, you need rest. Let me get your nurse.”
“We stopped in to congratulate you, Roisin. Well done, both of you,” Sean loudly carried on.
Rory’s snake eyes were locked on me over his shoulder, daring me to say a word. When Ziggy shot out of the room to fetch the nurse, Rory’s eyes shifted, following him. His gaze snapped back toward me, and he smiled, before heading after my husband.
“Wait!” I shifted up and Sean caught me, preventing me from leaving the bed.
“What are you doing, Roisin? Your husband told you to do something.”
“You can’t do this. You can’t do this thing with the Deuces, you know good and well they didn’t do this. Call it off.”
“I can’t do that.” Sean smiled, his hand cupping my shoulder and giving a squeeze that was a little harder than necessary.
“You have to. If you don’t, I’ll tell everyone the truth. My loyalty is to my husband, remember?”
The smile fell from his face, only to snap back into place when Ziggy and the nurse hurried inside.
“She needs her rest, I’m sorry, gentlemen.” Cammie began to round up my visitors.
“You’ll do that for me won’t you, Sean?” I grabbed Ziggy’s arm and hauled myself up to the edge of the bed.
“Mrs. Nash!” Cammie exclaimed, rushing toward me.
“I’ll handle it.” He grunted, storming out of the room.
Rory turned on his heel and followed him.
“Roisin, please, lay back,” Cammie urged. “The doctor will be in to discharge you soon.”
“I’m leaving now,” I snapped, hating that I had to be that way with her.
I didn’t trust Sean, and nobody was safe with Rory running around frothing at the mouth.
“Let me see if I can get him to this room next.”
Cammie ran off, while Zig tried to scoop me into a hug. I resisted at first, half convinced it was more an effort to keep me put until someone could come medicate me.
Instead, Cammie returned with Dr. Franklin.
“Roisin,” he cheerfully greeted, a hint of laughter in his tone. “Your nurse tells me you’re quite energetic and raring to go this morning.”
“I am. I’m not staying, so write the order or do what you gotta do.”
“Ro,” Zig stressed my name in what I recognized as a plea for patience.
“Okay, well, I don’t see any reason why not. The neurologist agrees. That hematoma will heal in time, if given the chance. There are some things you’ll need to keep an eye out for just to be safe, and we have that appointment scheduled for you with the obstetrician. So, Cammie will bring the paperwork down and go over all the discharge instructions with you, and we’ll get you on your way.”
“Great,” I clipped.