Chapter Six #2
“I’m not talkin’ about your patients,” I said. “I’m talking about their families. Does anyone act erratic and get in your face when they disagree with how you’re treatin’ them, or if they’re scared, maybe threaten to harm themselves or you, you know, shit like that.”
Echo sighed. “You mean, Floyd.”
“Well, yeah. I get that he’s on the spectrum and reacts to situations differently because he told me himself, and he’s a sweet old man, but I’m concerned if he’s pushed far enough…”
“Floyd would never ,” she breathed out.
I sighed. “He asked me if you’d be willing to euthanize him when Judy dies.”
“What?” She gasped. “He didn’t.”
“He did. He said he’d have no one when she was gone.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him that he’d have you, and me, so that wasn’t entirely true, but he said we had our own lives, so I offered to introduce him to my grandad. They’re about the same age and my pop’s awesome. He’s got a boat, so figured the three of us could go fishing. ”
Echo bit her lip. “You told him all that?”
“Not the part about the fishing because I need to talk to Pop first, but yeah, I told him he’d have us around. Is it okay if I talk to my grandfather?”
Echo nodded.
“But back to the issue at hand. Are you safe?”
“Yes, I’m safe.” She pressed her lips together then blew out a breath. “If I ever feel unsafe, I leave.”
“You don’t fuck around, right? You don’t put your patient’s safety above your own?”
“Not anymore.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I demanded as we pulled into her parents’ gated community in Felida not far from Hatch and Maisie’s.
“It’s a long story, and I really just want to spend the evening with my family and decompress, is that okay?”
It wasn’t fuckin’ okay, but I wasn’t her man, Jesus, I was barely her friend, so I let it go.
Guiding my truck to her parents’ driveway, I cut the engine and opened my door.
“What are you doing?” Echo demanded.
“Walking you to your door.”
“Um, no, that’s okay.”
“Non-negotiable, Echo. I’m walking you and your bags to your door. My mother would brain me if I didn’t. You know the drill.”
“But it’s my parents’ home, Archer. Mom’s physically there. I’m not walking into an empty dwelling, it’s all good.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I smiled gently. “Gonna meet your mom, Echo. Wrap your head around it.”
She wrinkled her nose and let out a quiet huff. “Has anyone told you you’re kind of pushy?”
“Not today,” I retorted, sliding out of the truck and walking to her side to open the door for her.
She exited the cab while I grabbed her bags and then I followed her up to the porch where Echo let us into the house. “Mom! It’s me, are you decent? I’m not alone.”
She turned to me and nodded to the floor. “You can set my bags there.”
I did as she asked and waited.
* * *
Echo
My mother walked out from the back of the house with a giant smile, albeit a guarded one, and studied me. “Hi, sweetie, this is a nice surprise.”
I nodded. “I thought I’d swing by after my last patient. Um, this is Archer. He’s been driving me while my car’s in the shop. He wanted to meet you.”
Archer reached his hand out to shake my mother’s. “Hi, Mrs. Weston, it’s nice to meet you. I thought you should put a face to the name of the person chauffeuring your daughter.”
Her guard dropped immediately as she shook his hand and she nodded. “Well, that was nice. It’s lovely to meet you, too.”
“I won’t keep you,” Archer said, then turned to me. “Same time tomorrow?”
I nodded. “Yes, thank you. ”
“See you then.”
I walked him to the door, then turned to my mother and burst into tears.
She wrapped her arms around me and rubbed my back. “Oh, my little chickie, what’s going on?”
“It’s just been a really rough day, and all I wanted to do was get home and melt down.
But, noooo , Archer had to be all sweet and concerned about my safety, and then he had the nerve to be concerned about my patient and my patient’s husband!
I had to hold everything together until he left. It’s so annoying.”
Mom chuckled giving me a squeeze. “That sounds awful.”
I nodded into her chest. “It was.”
“Archer seems like a very nice… ah, what is he exactly?”
“You mean, the motorcycle vest?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Don’t worry, he’s not driving me on his bike. He has a truck. He’s part of a motorcycle club.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t know how I feel about that. I’ve seen those television shows.”
“Oscar already ran a background check on him,” I breathed out.
“He did?” She raised an eyebrow and then dropped her head.
My mother had taught me a few things when I was twelve to help me navigate middle school, one of those things was that if someone couldn’t meet your eyes, they were probably hiding something.
I narrowed my eyes. “Oh my god, you told him to do it.”
“Well, I made a pot of tea.”
“Mommy, tell me the truth.”
“Okay, fine.” She threw her hands in the air. “I asked your brother to look into this man who was going to be driving my baby around.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because you’re my baby!”
“And?”
“And, what?”
“And I’m autistic.”
She gasped. “That had nothing to do with it.”
My mouth dropped open of its own accord. “Liar!”
She huffed. “It really didn’t, chickie. I would have done it with Delta as well.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at her.
“I would have.” She raised her hands. “Honestly.”
I relaxed a little and then said, “You know Archer’s uncle is the chief of police, right?”
She sighed. “I know that now.”
“You could have asked me first, you know?”
“You’re right, I could have. But I figured your brother would get more information.”
“Because you think Archer might lie to me?”
“Well, since you physically can’t lie, yeah, kind of.”
“Can you please stop loving me?” I begged. “Maybe just a little?”
“Never gonna happen,” she vowed. “Now, come on back and tell me about your day while I pour you some tea.”
“I’d rather have vodka,” I grumbled.
“How about rum?”
I shrugged. “That works.”
I sat at her giant kitchen island and waited for her to open the bottle.