CHAPTER 11 I THINK I FOUND THE CULPRIT
I THINK I FOUND THE CULPRIT
Phoenix
Sascha hid any shock over Phoenix’s bandaged injuries with a cherry red pout. “Hullo, luv,” she said, cupping his cheek and leaning over his hospital bed for a kiss.
She stood back studying him with a cock of her head, not breaking eye contact.
Smart move; don’t look at the missing parts.
Then she loosened the drawstring of her knapsack. “Caleb and I stopped by your place. He’s parking the truck.”
Out tumbled familiar white T-shirts and navy-blue gym shorts. Folded, the emblazoned logos weren’t visible. Even so, he knew which ones represented his undergrad and graduate schools. Not long ago, those institutions seemed to hold importance in his life. Now, nothing did.
“How are you?” she asked, piling up workout gear on top of his bedspread.
“What do you think?” he snarled.
“I think you’ve had a run of tough luck, and it’s a good thing you’re strong.” She stacked the neat pile on his side table, then shook out a shirt and shorts. “How about these?” she asked, holding up the items to model them for him.
He ignored the clothing. “I’ll tell you the God’s honest truth. I’m not strong enough for this.”
She put one hand over his, the flowing sweep of a tattooed pattern made visible as her sleeve hiked up.
“I think you’re strong enough, luv. So does Caleb. So does your mom. And you’re not alone. Look how many people care about you.” She waved a hand to indicate the flowers and cards that lined the dresser top and windowsill. “Now let’s get you out of that hospital gown.”
“Sascha, are you crazy?” He felt like exploding. “Who cares what I’m wearing?”
With a shake of her mass of auburn hair, she stepped closer. “You’re the handsomest guy I know. I bet you’ll feel better in regular clothes. How about we give it a try?”
He twisted in bed, trying to escape the burning feeling traveling up his missing leg. At least his IV was gone, no longer trapping his movements.
“Aw, crap.”
“What’s wrong?” Sascha asked, alarmed at his contorted expression.
He grasped the side rail and sucked in a breath. “It’s phantom pain. The cut nerves are looking for the missing limbs and sending back messed up signals. My foot feels like it’s on fire. Ironic when I have no leg, right?”
“I’m sorry. Can I get you something?”
“This isn’t something an aspirin is going to fix.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I am so inconsiderate. I should go. I’ll tell Caleb to let you rest.” She scooped up the folded laundry and walked across the room. With one hand, she yanked open an empty dresser drawer.
Oddly, he suddenly felt the absence of her concern. “It’s okay, don’t go.”
She paused putting the items away.
“Let’s try it,” he said, gesturing at the abandoned outfit on the bed.
“You don’t have to do it to make me feel better. I’m supposed to make you feel better,” she replied.
“Actually, you might be onto something,” he admitted, sitting up. “Do you know this gown opens in the back?”
She came over to peer behind him. “Wow, this hospital gown look is so not your thing. The boxers underneath show promise, though.”
“Untie this sack while you’re back there, would you?”
She yanked at the knots from top to bottom. “You want some privacy while you get dressed?”
He shook his head. “It’s no more than you’d see at the beach.” He shrugged out of the surgical green fabric and tossed it onto the ground.
Her gaze traveled from his chest to his abdomen. “Oh my, you’ll have to tell me which beach.”
“Bad girl.” He pulled the shirt over his left, then right arm and over his head.
She handed him the shorts. “Don’t tell Caleb. He gets jealous enough.”
The bottoms challenged him. He shimmied the shorts up over his uninjured leg, and over the swollen mass of a knee. Then, he balanced his left elbow on the bedrail to inch up one side at a time until he’d wormed the waistband over his hips.
Sascha stepped back to assess the effect. “There’s the Phoenix I know.”
He exhaled. “The better half, anyway.”
“You ad guys, nothing’s sacred.”
“We’re not above going low for a laugh.”
“Speaking of ad guys, you know that guy from your office was here right when you were first hurt?”
“You mean Dex?”
“Yeah, I think so. Big guy? Looks like a human teddy bear?”
“Ha, yeah, sounds like Dex.”
“And your aunt spent two days here with your mom.”
“I must’ve been a rude awakening for Aunt Betsy’s perfect life,” he said.
Sascha laughed, a tinkling sound. “Don’t worry. She was too busy being shocked over Caleb and me. I guess we’ve gotten more tatted up since she last saw us. She checked out my outfit like she was trying to decide whether to run, or hide.”
Phoenix pictured his aunt’s pinched expression. “You’re kidding.”
“I kid you not. And then she starts sniffing around Caleb like a police dog, all ‘are you doing drugs?’”
“He must’ve loved that,” Phoenix mused.
“Not as much as he loved the lecture about how your mom’s done enough for him through his teen years, and he better not worry her with his punk lifestyle, or some such b.s.”
“Punk lifestyle? She just can’t relate to anyone who doesn’t summer at the beach and winter at Vail.”
He looked down the bed at the white sheets. He wasn’t going to be skiing Vail anytime soon.
Sascha squeezed his hand. “I’ll tell you what. Let’s give your aunt something to talk about. When you’re feeling up to it, you come in and we’ll design you a tattoo.”
“You think some ink’s going to distract people from noticing what’s missing?”
“Nope. I think you should embrace that with pride, luv. You’re a hero. It’s survival scars. That’s you, nothing to be ashamed of.”
Sitting with a woman who got him, and wasn’t afraid to talk about his accident, he told the truth. “Sasch, that’s sweet but you know, I can’t even begin to tell you how badly this sucks.”
She nodded. “Must suck something awful. Worse than anything.”
He was silent for a moment. “Worse than . . . losing your high-school sweetheart to your brother?” he finally said.
She raised her eyebrows, then upped the ante. “Worse than . . . my first period?”
He looked at her and she started giggling. “Okay,” he conceded. “Maybe this little flesh wound is survivable.” He waved the end of his arm around for effect.
“Maybe you’re going to be all right after all.”
“Yup. Maybe.”
The door swung open. Caleb strode in.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing like your sardonic ex to cheer me up.”
Caleb planted his lips on top of Sascha’s head as he passed her.
“Take it outside, lovebirds,” Phoenix said irritably.
Sascha registered hurt in her eyes. Weren’t we just connecting? Aren’t I on your side?
You’re not going to make me better with a simple laugh, babe, his look retorted.
Caleb sank into the chair at his bedside.
“I know the cops grilled you, but I’ve got some questions.”
Phoenix closed his eyes. He was so tired. Not just physical fatigue or pain from the wounds. He was so damned tired of talking about himself.
“I still don’t get what happened,” Caleb said.
“What don’t you get? It was just a stupid, senseless accident.” Phoenix said.
“It wasn’t senseless. You saved someone’s life,” Sascha interjected.
“Who says that asshole didn’t plan it all along?” Caleb asked.
Phoenix sighed and opened his eyes. “He was probably out of his mind. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“You guys didn’t argue, right?”
“Nope, I gave the bum money.”
“A buck, right?”
“Yeah, a buck.” Phoenix looked thoughtfully at his brother, a new thought penetrating his foggy mind. “You don’t think he got mad because I gave him too little, do you?”
“Mad enough to try to kill himself?” Sascha coughed a little laugh. It did sound preposterous.
“Who knows what sends people over the edge,” Caleb said.
“So to speak,” Phoenix added dryly. No response to his gallows humor.
“What’d he do when you gave him the money?” Caleb continued.
“I wasn’t looking at him. I was reading a note from Orchid.” Could it have been as simple as money? What if I gave the guy a five? A hundred? Hell, I’d give the bastard all my millions to get my limbs back.
“Did he look suicidal to you?” Caleb continued.
Phoenix wasn’t listening. His mind raced with what he could’ve done differently. What altered route could’ve changed this nightmare.
Sascha gripped Caleb’s arm. “Stop already. Don’t you see this isn’t a good time?”
“Sorry,” Caleb muttered, not making it clear whether he was apologizing to his sibling or his ex-girlfriend.
“Come on, babe. Let’s go. Let the man rest.”
Phoenix heard the door shut and the rhythmic clicking sound of two pairs of feet walking away down the corridor.