Gabe （10 Days Later）
A massive smile stretches over Jason’s face as I hold up the drawing of us on his motorcycle. “Sick,” he whispers in awe.
“I had a lot of trouble with my arm,” I confess.
“Can’t tell,” he replies, never taking his eyes off the picture. “It’s perfect.”
I’ll never stop blushing when he praises my art. “Thanks, babe.”
Jason sets the drawing down on his lap, then quickly hands it to me. “Will you put this somewhere safe? I don’t want to forget when I leave today.”
“Of course.” I slide the drawing into my backpack, relishing the fact that Jason is leaving the hospital today.
“Mom and Doug will be here soon,” I say. “Probably in another twenty minutes.”
Doug came the moment he found out Jason recognized me. So did Mom, Torren, and Felix.
Not a soul from the HellCats.
Not even Tobias.
Figures.
He doesn’t remember the crash at all, and all anyone has told him is that he was in a severe vehicular accident.
“It’ll be good to sleep in our bed together again,” Jason says with a sigh.
You have no idea…
“It sure will,” I say.
I putter around the room, collecting things we’ll need to take with us, when my eyes land on Jason again.
He’s here.
He’s okay.
A warm buzz washes over me.
“I need to kiss you,” I tell him.
His eyes widen. “Really? I look like shit.”
“Not to me, you don’t.”
I kiss him. It’s not the first time I’ve kissed him since he recognized me, but Jason didn’t see how bad he looked until he asked for a mirror this morning.
He almost cried, but he bit his lower lip, handed the mirror back to Constance, and simply nodded.
“You’re still handsome to me,” she said in a saucy tone, raising his spirits immediately.
Mom’s bringing a bouquet for Constance because she deserves all of the flowers.
“I like your swollen lips. More to kiss.”
Jason shakes his head. “I’ll get into car accidents more often—”
“No. Too soon. None of that,” I scold.
Jason smiles in that old, devilish way he used to. “My bad.”
We kiss again when there’s a knock on the door.
“Tobias!” Jason almost leaps out of the bed, but stops, wincing from the pain.
Tobias holds up his hands. “Nah, you won’t be jumping up anytime soon. You gotta rest.”
They fist-bump, and Jason says, “Tobias, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened, but we must have wrecked or something. How are the guys?”
Tobias stands there.
Speechless.
He looks at me for an answer, but I don’t have one.
Tobias takes a breath, his shoulders slumping, and asks, “Gabe, could I have a moment with Jason, please?”
I look at Jason, and I can tell from his expression that he knows bad news is coming. “I don’t have to go,” I tell Jason. “I can stay here. Do you want me to?”
We lock eyes, and my heart breaks. I want to stay because I know how upset he’ll be, but he shakes his head. “It’s okay. I can do it.”
I can do it.
I squeeze his hand and assure him that I’ll be right outside.
And that’s exactly where I go…right outside so I can hear what Tobias says.
“You got pretty banged up,” Tobias says, attempting to lighten the mood.
“Tell me,” Jason replies.
I inch a little closer, hoping to hear better.
“They didn’t make it, Jason. You’re the only one who survived.”
Silence.
My hand clutches my chest, prepared to run back in there and hold Jason if he needs me.
“What happened?” he asks Tobias.
More silence. I move a little closer—I am basically in the room but hidden behind a curtain.
“The Black Scorpions ambushed you guys.”
It feels so… matter-of-fact.
“I’m the only one?” Jason asks.
“Yeah.”
More silence, and I’m about to run into that room and hug Jason when I hear Tobias say, “I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Jason says.
“It was. You’re my man. It’s my fault when you get hurt.”
My heart hurts when I hear that one. I creep a little closer, because Tobias’s voice is softer now.
“I’m so sorry, Jason. You’re so young—I shouldn’t have let you fight for a spot.”
“I’m not a kid,” Jason replies with sadness in his voice.
“I never said you were. You’re not a kid. You’re young. And you would have risen to the top; that’s how good you are.”
“W-what do you mean…are you kicking me out?” Jason asks in a panic.
“I’m not kicking you out. I’m asking you to retire.”
“What? But I don’t want to. I’m a HellCat. You’re right about me; I will rise to the top. I can do it!” “And then what?” Tobias asks.
There is a beat of silence before Jason asks, “What do you mean?”
“So, you get to the top. Then what? What happens next?”
“Power,” Jason argues. “Money.”
“I’ve got plenty of both, and neither makes me happy, Jason. The view from the top is dim when you have to live in the shadows.”
I’m speechless. I’m not sure what I was expecting from Tobias, but it wasn’t this.
“When I say you’re young, I mean you have time, and with time you get more chances. The guys in the HellCats have no other options.”
“Well, what options do I have?” Jason asks.
“For starters, you have a guy who is madly in love with you. That's a really nice option.”
“W-well, Gabe knows how important the HellCats are to me,” Jason states.
“Yeah? And are you going to make him watch you almost die again? Because that’s the future, Jason.
A life with the HellCats is a life of constant danger.
It lurks around every corner. If it’s not the Black Scorpions, then it’s another gang.
If it’s not a gang, then it’s a drug lord, or a politician, or a cop who can’t be bought.
It never ends. Is that what you want for Gabe?
To wonder if you’re coming back each time you leave the house for a job? Is that fair?”
Jason says nothing. I can’t imagine what’s going through his mind—this was his shot. Or at least that’s what he thought.
Tobias continues. “I came here every day, but I never walked into this room. I came at night and crept right to the door to see how you were, and you know who I saw every single time I came? Gabe. Sitting right next to you. That’s the best option, Jason.
It doesn’t get better than that. No amount of money or power can replace unconditional love. ”
I hear the chair screech, and I dart away from the door, but stay close enough to hear still.
“Jason, you’re excellent at what you do. You weren’t defeated. You conquered and then realized there’s a better option. Take the better option.”
I hear Tobias’s boots pad the floor, then Jason says, “Tobias. Thank you.”
“Sure thing, little pup.”
The footsteps grow louder, and I run out of the room to avoid being caught. I look at the floor when Tobias exits, trying to be inconspicuous, but Tobias walks right up to me.
Our eyes meet, and I can see on his face that he knows I heard everything.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He simply nods and walks off, and the air around me somehow gets warmer the further he walks away.
When I rush back into Jason’s room, his eyes are glassy.
“Hey,” I say sympathetically.
Jason holds out his hand, and I rush toward him. We embrace, and I squeeze his body as much as I can without hurting him.
“I love you so much,” he whispers.
“I love you, too.”