Chapter Twenty-Six
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FIVE DAYS. MY mom has been in the hospital for five days now.
It’s mainly to get rest and recover from her injuries.
The bump on her head wasn’t bad enough to cause a concussion, but she’s had horrible headaches since she collapsed at work.
Her wrist wasn’t broken or sprained. It’s severely bruised and will bother her for a while until it fully heals.
She’s out of work for the next few weeks until she recovers and was upset when the doctor told her that piece of information.
While her bloodwork came back fine, the doctor did start her on a few vitamins to help her feel better and have more energy.
Essentially she overworked herself and was told emphatically she has to slow down before it happens again.
Again, my mom wasn’t happy with this piece of information when it was given to her, but Sam assured me she’ll make her listen when I go back home.
I still have yet to contact Annistyn about what’s going on.
I’ve been so busy with my mom and doing work around her house when I’m not at the hospital that by the time I check my phone, it’s way too late to contact her.
She’s only sent me one message and it’s from the day I left work to come here.
I’ve truly wanted to call her and talk about everything, but time seems to slip away from me.
I refuse to be on my phone when I’m at the hospital because I give my mom my full attention and walk with her around the hospital because she hates staying in bed constantly.
It’s the most the doctor will allow her to do at this point and I know we’re going to have a fight when she goes home because my mom will find things to do around the house since she can’t work.
That’s one of the main reasons I’m trying to get as much of it done as I can before she’s discharged.
My mom has been on my ass about calling Annistyn and is pissed as hell I haven’t done it yet.
She’s tried to call her and the phone goes to voicemail the second the call connects.
I know Annistyn wouldn’t block anyone so she has it off.
That tells me all I need to know about how upset she is that I haven’t contacted her.
Sam and Cali have also tried calling her with the same results.
At night when I’m not at the hospital, Caleb and Cali are on my ass because I don’t take the time to call Annistyn.
At this point, I’m honestly afraid to call her because I know I should have done it the second Sam called me to let me know about my mom collapsing.
Instead, I put all of my focus on a situation I couldn’t control and was hours away from.
Last night was the worst because Tank got on my ass and he wasn’t even there with us.
Caleb and I are working in my mom’s kitchen.
She wanted the cupboards lined with new paper and I know she’ll do it on her own the second no one’s around to watch her.
So, this is the task we’re working on today.
We’ve removed everything from all the cupboards and it’s now stacked on every available surface of the kitchen and table.
I’m removing the old paper in one of the bottom cupboards when my phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I find Tank’s name on the screen and wince because I know this won’t be a good call.
“Hey, Tank,” I answer the phone as Caleb starts laughing at the opposite end of the counter. “What’s goin’ on?”
“You fuckin’ tell me, Kreed. First of all how’s your mom doin’?” he questions, anger lacing his voice as I sit on the counter.
“She’s okay. Overworked herself and collapsed. She’ll be discharged in a few days but she can’t work until her head and wrist heal completely. She’s not happy, but she needs the break,” I answer him, waiting for him to get to the angry part of the conversation.
“That’s good to hear. Now, why the fuck are you leavin’ Annistyn in the dark about this shit.
I know she’d be at your side in a heartbeat if you picked up the fuckin’ phone and told her about your mom.
Instead, you haven’t called or messaged her at all.
Yet, you can pick up the fuckin’ phone when I call you,” he growls, his voice laced with anger and annoyance more than I’ve ever heard from him before.
“I know. I should have called her the day I found out. Instead, I’ve just been focusin’ on mom and doin’ stuff around the house so she has nothin’ to do when she comes home.
By the time I head back to Sam and Playboy’s house, it’s too late to call her.
Plus, I’m pretty sure her phone is off because no one can get through,” I answer him honestly while looking at the floor.
“I know it is. Maddie and I tried callin’ her and got voicemail.
I left a message tellin’ her to come here for a visit.
I told you, Kreed, if you hurt her, I’d take her from you and bring her to Clifton Falls.
I wasn’t fuckin’ around. That girl has been through more than enough in her life and deserves better than what you’re givin’ her right now.
I’m so fuckin’ disappointed in you, Kreed.
Never thought I’d say that when it comes to you,” Tank says, his voice going cold as my heart races in my chest with the thought of Annistyn leaving me.
“She won’t leave me,” I state as if it’s the truth when I honestly don’t know if she will or not over this.
“She will. Annistyn is strong and knows what she wants in her life. You doin’ this isn’t what she wants.
She wants a man who will at the very least tell her when he has to go out of town and give her the choice to go with him or stay behind.
She wants a partner and best friend. Not someone who can’t take two fuckin’ seconds to make a simple phone call.
I bet if you call the clubhouse right now you’ll discover she’s not there.
Haven’t you ever heard that sayin’ ‘if he wanted to, he would? Yeah, you’re provin’ you don’t want her in your life.
Maddie and I are prepared to leave right now and bring her home with us.
Not fuckin’ around here, Kreed,” Tank says and true fear begins to fill me because he’s probably right.
“I’ll call her in a little while to see if her phone is on yet,” I say and actually mean it this time because the last thing I want is to lose Annistyn, my Pixie, over my lack of staying in contact with her. I fucked up and I know it.
Tank doesn’t say another word and just hangs up on me.
Caleb doesn’t say anything but turns on music and plays it louder than normal because he knows I’m in the middle of processing this shit and figuring out how to fix the situation with my girl.
The one person I told I was falling in love with and have ignored instead.
Caleb and Playboy have been helping me at the house.
We’re working on the inside while the Prospects handle the lawn.
They come over and mow it once a week. One of the guys is really good with flowers and shrubs.
He deals with all of that instead of mowing.
My mom’s yard has a beautiful garden around the front of the house and it looks better than I’ve ever seen it before.
The three of us have gotten most everything done that I’ve discovered wrong when I walked through the house.
Cali has been over with us. She cleans as we work.
My mom will come home to a spotless house with nothing for her to do.
One more thing she’ll yell at me for, but I don’t care.
Walking in the hospital first thing this morning, I find my mom sitting up in bed with her legs over the side. She’s dressed and no longer has an IV attached to her. The bag I brought her that Cali helped me pack is zipped up and sitting on the bed next to her.
“What’s goin’ on, Mom?” I ask her, handing her a coffee and bag from Sam with breakfast. Today we had breakfast burritos that were amazing and I know my mom needs the protein she’ll get from this meal.
“I’m finally being discharged. The doctor is getting the paperwork ready and then I can leave.
I still have to take it easy and I’m not cleared to return to work yet.
Playboy won’t allow me to return until I’ve had my follow-up appointment in a few weeks and get a note from the doctor saying it’s okay to return,” she says with a large smile on her face as she looks at me.
“That’s really good to hear. Do we have to go to the pharmacy before we head home?” I ask her, knowing she doesn’t have vitamins at home.
“Yeah. I have a few prescriptions for the vitamins he’s calling in,” she informs me as a nurse walks in the room and goes over her discharge with us. I listen to every word and take the papers once my mom has signed the ones that will go in her chart.
My mom gets in the wheelchair and I push her down to the main floor of the hospital.
I leave her just inside the door so I can go get Sam’s SUV.
We knew it was a matter of time before my mom would be discharged so Sam gave me her SUV to use so I’m not putting my mom on the back of my bike the second she gets to go home.
I pull up close to the doors and park before going back in to get my mom.
Helping her in the front seat, I let her fasten her own seatbelt before I close her door and head for the driver’s seat.
A nurse saw us on her way in and waited to take the wheelchair back for us.
As soon as I pull away from the hospital, my phone rings. It’s already connected to the Bluetooth in the SUV and I use the controls on the steering wheel to answer Viper’s call.
“What’s goin’ on, Viper? I’ve got my mom with me,” I warn him because I have no clue what this call could be about.
“Hello, Mrs. Winston. I hope you’re feelin’ okay,” he says, showing off his manners like the good man he is.