51. Ransom
51
RANSOM
I can't keep my hands off Blair. Her lips are soft against mine, and I press her closer against the workbench. The familiar scent of motor oil and her vanilla-scented shampoo fills my senses. Twenty-five years of wanting this woman, and now she's finally mine.
The words matter. A fuck of a lot. Oh, I knew she loved me. I could see it in her face. But she guarded herself so well, I was afraid she wouldn’t let herself say it.
A throat clears behind us. Blair jumps, but I keep my arms around her waist. I’m not letting her go again.
Maggie stands in the doorway, her thin frame shaking with laughter. "I was going to see if you wanted coffee, but clearly you're occupied."
Blair's cheeks flush pink. "Mags?—"
"Don't stop on my account." Maggie's eyes shine with tears. "God, I can't tell you how happy this makes me."
My chest tightens at the sight of her gaunt face, the way her clothes hang loose on her frame. It's so fucking sad.
"You two were always meant to be together." Maggie steps closer, her voice soft. "But Ransom, are you ready for everything that comes with loving Blair?"
I meet her gaze. "Why don't you tell me exactly what you mean?"
"She means Max," Blair whispers against my chest.
Maggie nods. "Blair's his guardian when I'm gone. Are you prepared to be a parent? Because that's what this means."
"I love Blair." I tighten my arms around Blair. "And I haven't run from responsibility in a long time. If the worst comes, I'll stand and fight for him. I'll always be there for him. I'll never give up on him." And I mean it. I'll be exactly what that kid needs.
Starting now.
"Too bad his mom can't say the same." The words taste like acid in my mouth, but I force them out anyway.
Maggie's whole body goes rigid. Her face flushes crimson, hands balling into fists at her sides. "How dare you." Her voice shakes with fury. "You have no idea what I've been through."
Blair trembles against me but stays silent, just as we discussed. This has to come from me.
"Three rounds of cancer." Maggie's voice rises. "Do you know what that does to a person? The chemo, the radiation, feeling your body’s betraying you, over and over?" She takes a step forward, jabbing a finger at my chest. "I fought. For years, I fought. And now you waltz in here and judge me?"
"You're right. I don't know what you've been through." I keep my voice steady. "But I know what giving up looks like."
"Giving up?" She barks out a harsh laugh. "Is that what you think this is? I'm tired. I'm so damn tired of hospitals, of treatments that make me sicker than the cancer. Of watching my son's face fall every time I can't get out of bed."
Tears stream down her face now. "You think I want to leave him? That I want Blair raising my child? I want to see him graduate. I want to meet his children. I want—" Her voice breaks. "I want to live."
"Then fight." I step away from Blair, closing the distance to Maggie. "Let us help you fight. There are options we haven't explored yet."
"There's nothing else!" Maggie's voice echoes off the garage walls. "I live in the real world, Ransom. Not some fantasy where money fixes everything. There's nothing left for me."
I walk to the bag I stowed on the workbench and fish out the paper file I organized last night. "You're wrong. Dead wrong." I hold up the file. Her eyes lock on it, and her throat bobs.
"What's that supposed to be?"
"Options. Real ones. Treatments you haven't tried. Clinical trials that are showing promise. But you'll never know what might save you if you just quit."
"Don't you dare?—"
"No." I lower my voice, step closer. "Look, I see how exhausted you are. The toll it's taken. But let's be real here—you don't have that much time left. You can barely take care of Max now."
Her face crumples. Blair makes a small sound behind me, but I press on.
"It's going to get worse. Fast. Are you really going to make him watch you waste away? Are you going to force him to remember you like that?"
"You think I don't know what I'm doing to him?" Maggie's voice breaks. "Every time I can't get up to make his breakfast, every time Blair has to tuck him in because I'm too sick?—"
"Then fight. One more time. Not for you—for him."
"I can't." She slumps against the wall. "I just can't."
"You can. And you won't have to do it alone. I've got resources and connections you can't even imagine. I've got the best doctors in the country, hell, the world, standing by. Give me two weeks to show you what's possible."
I watch Maggie slide down the wall, her shoulders slumping. The fight drains from her face, replaced by a hollow exhaustion that breaks my heart.
"Two weeks?" Her voice cracks. "I can't... I can't think about tomorrow. Max needs his lunch packed for school and I?—"
"That's why you have us." I crouch beside her. "Let us help."
Her gaze shifts to Blair. "You're awfully quiet over there."
Blair crosses her arms, jaw tight. I can see how much it hurts her to push Maggie. But I also see the little spark of hope. That sparks is what’s pushing me to have this out.
"Tell him." Maggie's voice hardens. "Tell him about our plan. About how we discussed this, how we agreed?—"
"No." Blair bites out, her words sharp and pained. "I can't keep pretending I'm okay with this insanity."
"Blair—"
"Your plan fucking sucks! You want us to watch you die. You want to lay in that house and waste away…" Blair's voice breaks. "And just stop fighting."
"It's my choice," Maggie snaps. "My dignity?—"
"Fuck your dignity!" Blair's shout echoes off the garage walls. "What about Max? What about watching him grow up? What about fighting until there's nothing left to fight with?"
"You have no right?—"
"I have every right! You made me promise to raise him. To love him like my own. Well, guess what? I already do. And he deserves better than watching you give up."
Maggie struggles to her feet. I reach for her, and she slaps at me. "You're a fucking traitor. I need... I can't..." She turns to me, eyes blazing. "And you can go fuck yourself with your fancy doctors and false hope."
She storms toward the door, but I'm faster. I catch her arm, pressing the file into her hands.
"Take it. Read it. That's all I'm asking."
She tries to shove it back at me. "I don't want?—"
"Tough shit." I hold firm. "You owe Max that much. Two weeks, Maggie. Look at what's possible. If you still want to give up after that, fine. But don't you dare walk away without even trying."
She clutches the file to her chest, tears streaming down her face. "I hate you both." She turns blazing eyes on Blair. Her voice breaks. "You better find someplace else to sleep tonight. You're not welcome in my home. Tomorrow, you can come and pack your shit."
The door slams behind Maggie, and Blair makes a sound like she's been punched in the gut. My heart twists at her pain. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her against my chest.
"She'll read it." I press my lips to her temple. "She has to process, but she'll look at the options. Hope will win out."
Blair's fingers dig into my shirt. "What if she doesn't? What if she dies hating me?"
"Hey, she could never hate you." I stroke her hair, feeling her tremble. "You're her best friend."
"Was." Blair's voice cracks. "Did you hear her? Pack my shit? Just like that—thirty years of friendship gone because I wouldn't let her give up."
"You did the right thing." I cup her face, brushing away tears with my thumbs. "Sometimes loving someone means fighting for them, even when they're fighting you."
She pulls away, wrapping her arms around herself. Her eyes scan the garage like she's seeing it for the first time. Lost. Adrift.
"What do you need, sweetheart?"
Blair's shoulders slump. "I need..." She swallows hard. "I need to not think for a while. Take me somewhere? Anywhere but here."
"The old spot?"
A ghost of a smile touches her lips. "Yeah, that sounds perfect."
I take her hand, threading our fingers together. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
She grabs her keys, but I gently take them from her trembling hands. "Let me drive."
Blair nods. Together we close up the garage, locking the bays, then climb into Robert's old truck. I've never driven it. I didn't have my license back when we were kids. It feels good to be in the driver's seat, and even better having her right next to me.
I'm home.
As we pull out of the garage lot, she leans her head against the window, and I rest my hand on her thigh. The simple touch says what words can't—I'm here, I've got you, you're not alone.
"She's my family," Blair whispers. "Has been since high school. How could she just throw me away like that?"
"She's scared. And sometimes when people are scared, they lash out at the ones they love most."
Blair covers my hand with hers, squeezing tight. "Don't let go."
"Never." I lift her hand to my lips. "I promise."