Chapter 34 Consequences
Consequences
They’d tried to convince Tinker to go home, but what good would that have done? Let him stew by himself? He finally compromised on moving to one of the bunk rooms, getting out of the way, while they promised to let him know when they had news.
Abby stayed by his side the entire time. He owed her an apology. Fuck, he owed everyone an apology. His computer was probably busted. Throwing it against the wall would do that.
There was no telling how much more damage he would’ve done or who he would’ve hurt if Abby hadn’t shown up.
He’d needed an outlet for his rage, or it would have overwhelmed him.
And it had all transformed into crippling helplessness at the sight of Abby.
He’d needed her the way a drowning man needed a life raft.
She was his rescue. His lifeline. As soon as they’d gotten into the room, he’d all but collapsed onto the bed, pulling Abby with him. He’d wrapped himself around her, refusing to let her go. It was selfish, he knew. She was probably uncomfortable.
He loosened his hold and put a few inches of space between them.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was rough, thick with mucus and strained from yelling.
“Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I hurt you.”
Her palm rested on the side of his face. She pulled against the arm banded around her upper back, and he attempted to relax his hold.
“I’m not hurt,” she said softly. “I was a little uncomfortable when my hip cramped, but it’s fine. It’s cramped worse during sex.”
He appreciated she was trying to joke, but he still didn’t like causing her any discomfort.
“I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”
“Like what? A human with emotions? Christian, look at me.”
He slowly raised his gaze to hers.
“This is not your fault. You could not have prevented it. Say it.”
She didn’t get it. “If I had—”
“No. I understand you’re upset and you feel responsible, but you are not. You’re not Melanie’s dad and you’re not responsible for her mom’s decisions. You can’t keep taking the weight of the world on your shoulders—it will crush you.”
Intellectually, he knew she was right. Emotionally? Not so much.
“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted.
“Neither do I, but we’ll figure it out. Together.”
He swallowed hard and cupped her face. He didn’t deserve her. She’d seen him at his worst, and she was still there, still letting him hold her. And in that moment, he wouldn’t have let her go if the building was on fire.
“I love you.”
Her smile was soft and built slowly. “I love you too.”
Their kiss was gentle, sweet. There was no heat behind it, just a silent promise. The promise he was making to her.
They broke apart at the knock on the door.
“Come in,” Abby called.
Dani stuck her head around the door. “Hey. Katherine called. They’re heading to the hospital. They asked if you were up to going—I said I’d ask.”
“Can you?” Tinker asked. He didn’t know if he could handle it right then without Abby.
“Yes,” Abby said. “Let’s go see Melanie.”
The waiting room was full of his VACA brothers and sisters, most of them wearing their vests. Katherine was talking to a woman wearing scrubs when they arrived, and Pothole hovered close by.
The nurse walked down the hall and Katherine approached them. “Hey.”
Katherine pulled Tinker into a tight hug, and he tucked his head into her neck. She slowly eased back and assessed him closely. “Melanie is still out of it, but they’re going to let us go back a few at a time to sit with her.”
“How bad is it?” Tinker asked.
Abby slipped her hand back into his and squeezed. He squeezed back. He’d barely let go of her hand to get in and out of the car. She’d had to sit in the middle between him and Dani because he refused to let go of her. She grounded him and as long as she was close, he kept his shit in check.
“Her arm is broken.” Katherine drew his attention back. “Two of her ribs are cracked. Her face looks bad, but nothing is broken.”
Tinker clenched his free hand and gritted his teeth.
“Tinker.” Abby brushed her free hand over his, and he realized he was gripping her hand too tight.
“Sorry.” He relaxed her grip and tried to let go of her hand.
She clasped both her hands around his, brushing her thumb over his knuckles. “It’s okay.”
“You good?” Katherine asked. “You guys can go back first, or you can wait a bit.”
Tinker shook his head. “I’d rather go now.”
Katherine nodded. “She’s in room 412.”
Tinker nodded and took a deep breath. Abby remained close to his side as they made their way down the hall. It seemed to stretch on forever, expanding further with every step he took. They reached Melanie’s room, directly in front of the nurse’s station, sooner than he expected.
It was bad. Holy fuck, it was bad. The entire side of her face was one huge purple bruise. Her arm rested on the covers, wrapped in a beige cast.
He swallowed hard and stepped across the threshold. She was so small in the bed. A tube ran under her nose and around her ears. More tubes ran from her good arm and wires poked out of the top of her surgical gown.
Fighting to breathe, he concentrated on the low, steady beeping of the machine beside her bed and the strong squeeze of Abby’s hand in his.
Had it been this bad last time? He’d met Melanie after charges had already been brought against her mom’s boyfriend.
As if the thought conjured her, Becky stood from the chair on the far side of the room. “Tinker! You’re here.”
She rounded the bed and tried to throw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing the side of her face against his chest.
Tinker stood frozen, revulsion crawling through him. He wanted to push her away. Hard. But he’d never hurt a woman in his life and he wasn’t going to start now, no matter how much he didn’t want her touching him.
“You need to back up.”
The force of Abby’s voice surprised him. It apparently surprised Becky as well because she did exactly what she was told.
“What—?” Becky looked between him and Abby. “What is she doing here?”
“I’m his woman.”
Despite all the shit he’d been dealing with for the last couple hours, those three words brought a smile to his lips. His woman. Fuck yeah, she was.
“Tinker.” Becky lowered her voice. “Can I speak to you privately?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Tinker, please. You don’t understand, if you had just—”
“Don’t you fucking dare.” Abby dropped his hand and stepped in front of him. “This has nothing to do with Tinker. This happened because of you and your shitty decisions.”
Becky took a step back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t understand what it’s like. I needed someone to take care of us. To take care of Melanie.”
Abby took a step forward. “Are you fucking kidding me? I know exactly what it’s like. It is not anyone’s job to take care of you or Melanie. That is your job.”
Tears streamed down Becky’s face. Maybe he should step in.
“If Tinker had just given me a chance, I wouldn’t have had to go back to John. This wouldn’t have happened,” Becky said angrily.
The way Abby moved, he thought she was going to punch Becky. Instead, she jabbed her finger at Melanie, making her step back as she advanced.
“You are her mother. It is your job to protect your child. The only thing you ever have to do in life is love her and protect her. Do not blame this on anyone except yourself and your own selfish decisions.”
Becky hit the end of Melanie’s bed, and she sat on the edge of the mattress.
Abby’s shoulders rose and fell with her angry breaths.
“Is everything okay in here?” a voice asked from the doorway.
Tinker turned. The woman who’d been speaking to Katherine earlier stood in the doorway, looking between Becky and Abby.
“No, it’s not. I want her out of here.” Becky pointed angrily at Abby.
The woman turned and gestured to the door. “It might be best if you folks let Melanie rest. She’s going to be really groggy when she wakes up, and all this commotion might be too much for her.”
Becky glared at them as they left the room. The woman, Liza according to her name tag, slid the large glass door closed behind them.
“I’m sorry,” Abby told her. “I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have shouted.”
“To be honest, I’m glad someone did,” Liza said. “That poor girl.” She shook her head and walked over to the nurses’ station.
Katherine was still in the waiting room when they reached it, although the number of VACA members had decreased. “How is she?”
“She was still out,” Tinker said.
“Thank god,” Abby added.
Katherine looked between them. “Why thank god?”
“I yelled at Becky.” Abby covered her face with both hands before dropping them.
“Why?” Katherine asked. “What happened?”
“Abby defended my honor,” Tinker said.
“Don’t make fun.” Abby glared at him briefly before turning back to Katherine.
“I got angry because she was trying to blame Tinker for what happened. Trying to say if he’d gone out with her she wouldn’t have had to go back to her ex.
It was complete bullshit. I almost slapped her. I wanted to so badly.”
Abby took a deep breath and shook her head. “But I’m always telling Will and my students that violence isn’t the answer.”
“Sometimes it is,” Katherine said. “I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t want to slap her myself. Maybe it will knock some sense into her. Especially since she’s losing custody of Melanie as it is.”
“What?” Abby gasped.
Katherine nodded. “The social worker was here earlier before you arrived. Becky knew the danger her ex posed and knowingly put Melanie in harm’s way. CPS is taking it very seriously.”
“Does she have family, or will she go into foster care?” Abby asked.
Katherine grimaced. “Foster care is the most likely scenario.”
“Shit,” Abby said.
“I’ll work with her social worker to see if we can get her into one of the families we work with,” Katherine said.
“It’s not that. It’s just— I…” Abby stumbled over her words.
“What is it?” Tinker asked.
She looked up at him, her gaze uncertain. “I’m a certified foster parent. I had to go through the process so Olivia could stay with me. Could Melanie…?” Abby shook her head. “They probably won’t let me take her.”
“You know what, let me talk to some people,” Katherine said. “I’ll see what I can do.”