Chapter 12
BAILEY
I stood on the front stoop of my building, tapping my foot in irritation. How long did it take to put some gas in the car?
I dialed his number, but like the last five times I called, he didn’t answer. “Fuck it.”
I would just have to walk to work. I couldn’t afford to be any later than I already was.
“Hey!” Cheyenne called out as I marched to the sidewalk. “Wait up!”
“Can’t. I have to get to work.”
“Yeah, but just hold on a minute!”
She hustled over in her short dress, trying not to let the wind blow up her skirt. I really didn’t have time to stop and talk, but what was another minute at this point?
“What do you need?”
“Wow. Nice to see you too.”
“Sorry, I’m just really late, and Liam was supposed to put gas in my car, but that was like twenty minutes ago. I have no idea where he is, and Wyatt is gonna kill me when I finally show up.”
“Right, but not really kill you. I’m sure he’ll forgive you.”
I snorted in amusement. “You don’t know him as well as I do.”
“Since you’re already late, why don’t you just take the day off?”
“Why would I do that? Do you want me to get fired?”
“No, I just…”
Her eyes flicked to the side. She was hiding something from me.
“Cheyenne, really, I can’t afford to just take the day off. Wyatt would actually fire me for doing that. And then I’ll be poor and have to live off Ramen Noodles and tap water.”
“You already drink tap water.”
“I know, but then I’d have no choice in the matter.”
I spun on my heel to leave, but the moment I did, she grabbed me by the arm. “Wait, I just…I could really use a friend today.”
Cheyenne never asked for anything. “Why? What happened?”
“It’s just…” Again, her eyes flicked around nervously.
“Cheyenne—” The ringing of my phone interrupted me. Glancing at the screen, my stomach plummeted. “Shit, it’s Wyatt.”
“Just tell him you’re sick.”
“I can’t.” Sliding my finger across the screen, I prepared for the anger I was sure to get. “Wyatt, I’m on my way in now.”
“Don’t come in.”
“I’m on my way right now. I’m so sorry I’m late. It won’t happen again,” I pleaded.
“Just stay home. I already called in Austin. He can help out for the day. Just come in tomorrow. Or maybe Monday.”
Monday? Was he replacing me? “Wyatt, I know I screwed up. I swear, it won’t happen again—”
“You’re not in trouble. Just take the rest of the week. I’ll see you Monday.”
Shocked and a little disturbed, I hung up.
“What? What did he say?”
“He told me to take the week off.” Frowning, I glanced up at her. “Why would he do that? We’re slammed at work, and he hates getting Austin to help.”
“Um…well…”
The sounds of sirens in the distance drew my attention. They were coming from the other side of town. Ignoring them, I turned back to Cheyenne, but she was gnawing on her lip as she looked into the distance.
“What is it? Why do you want me to stay with you?”
“I…It’s just…”
Police sirens interrupted her explanation as Maverick Wynne pulled into the lot, parking right in front of me.
My heart kicked up a notch as he got out and shot me a look I could only describe as sympathetic. Swallowing hard, my heart started thundering in my ears as the pieces fell into place.
Cheyenne running over to stop me from going to work at the beginning of the day. Wyatt calling to give me the week off. The sirens in the distance.
My hand shot out to grip Cheyenne’s arm, steadying me as I prepared for the news.
“Sheriff,” I said softly, though I could barely hear my own voice over the blood rushing in my head.
“Bailey. How are you today?”
“Just…just tell me.”
“Liam was in an accident turning into the gas station. We’re not sure what happened yet, but it was pretty bad.”
“Is he alive?” I blurted out, desperate for at least that information.
“They took him to the hospital. I can give you a lift there.”
I wasn’t even aware that I was squeezing Cheyenne’s hand until she gently pried my fingers from where I was cutting off the circulation.
“But he’s alive.”
“He’s alive,” Sheriff Wynne confirmed.
Nodding, I let Cheyenne guide me to the car. Everything was a blur as I got in, buckled up, and waited the excruciating fifteen-minute drive to the hospital. It only occurred to me after the fact that I should probably phone his parents.
“His family—”
“I already contacted them,” Sheriff Wynne confirmed. “They should be arriving any minute.”
Everything was numb as I got out of the car and headed for the ER doors. But then I saw his parents and sounds, smells, and even my own heartbeat came roaring back with a vengeance.
“Mrs. Parker—”
“Clara,” she corrected. “Please.”
Giving a faint smile, I opened my mouth to ask how he was, but nothing came out. I was terrified to know.
“They just took him back. We’ll know more in a little bit.”
“He was driving my car,” I admitted. “I asked him to fill up my tank. I never should have—”
“This is not your fault, dear. He’ll be fine. I know my son, and a little car accident isn’t going to hold him down. Not when he finally asked you out.”
If she was trying to make me feel better, it was working, but that didn’t assuage the guilt I felt for sending him out to fill my tank when I could have done it myself.
And all because I was going to be late for work.
He wanted to spend the morning with me, and I had basically yelled at him for making me late. I was a horrible girlfriend, and I had only had the job for a day.
“You know, this is exactly something Liam would do,” Jeff grumbled. “Run off and get the girl of his dreams, and then get in an accident to get the sympathy vote.”
“You’re such an ass,” Krista hissed.
“What? It’s true. The asshole couldn’t save something for me? I don’t have a woman, and no one would run to my side if I was hit by a semi.”
I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to block out the arguing.
“No one would run to your side because you’re an asshole,” Krista retorted.
“He’s not an asshole,” Lizzy, ever the sweet sister, chimed in. “He’s just lonely. We need someone to set him up with. Maybe Emily.”
“Emily?” Jeff jerked back. “Are you kidding? That psychopath?”
“You said you wanted someone to fawn over you.”
“Yeah, but someone who won’t show up to my work and plant herself at my side for the whole day, and then follow me around town. I want a nice, normal kind of crazy.”
“I’m not crazy,” I countered.
“No, but that doesn’t count. You and Liam have been together since you were in diapers. Nothing can compete with that.”
“Third grade,” I muttered.
“Still, it’s like you’re practically married. He gets no sympathy from me. None whatsoever.”
“Ooh, what about Josie?” Krista said, her voice filled with excitement.
They were all standing there, bantering about Jeff’s love life while Liam was back there, possibly dying. I understood it in a way, but I just couldn’t join in, not when I was shaking so badly.
Liam was mine as of only two days ago, and now I was close to losing him.
“Nah. Josie’s too good for him.”
Jeff pounced on that. “What do you mean? Why is she too good for me?”
“Because she is,” Lizzy argued. “She’s all sweet and flowery and you’re…you.”
“And what’s wrong with me? I can handle sweet and flowery.”
Krista snorted. “No, she’s right. You definitely can’t handle sweet and flowery. She’d eat you alive.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know that I still have what it takes to woo a woman. I can…bring flowers and shit.”
“Yeah, I’m sure the shit is what will win her over,” Krista laughed.
“Bailey,” Jeff said, snagging my attention. “What do you think? I’m a lovable guy. Do you think I could get a woman like Josie?”
They all stared at me expectantly, each waiting on pins and needles to see what I would say. “Um…well, Jeff…uh…”
“Yeah, this is gonna go well for him,” Krista laughed.
“Son, I think what Bailey is trying to say is that you need a little more practice before you can get a woman like Josie,” his father said, slapping him on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Pop. Glad to know you have confidence in me.”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s confidence, but it’s something.”
The wait was excruciating, but even worse was the constant banter between the siblings. I had a feeling this was their way of dealing with the unknown, and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a distraction.
But it was starting to grate on my nerves.
All I wanted was the smallest inkling of how Liam was doing.
“Come on, Bailes. Let’s go get something to eat,” Jeff said, slinging an arm around my shoulder.
“Bailes?”
“What? No good?”
Shaking my head, I stood, arching my sore back. I didn’t particularly want to go anywhere with Jeff, let alone roam the desolate white halls of the hospital, but I couldn’t take another minute in the hard-as-a-rock chair.
“I’m not a felon.”
“No, see, I just shortened it. Bailey. Bailes. Get it?”
His charming grin eased the ache in my chest slightly, even earning him a smile in return when I really didn’t feel like making the effort. Jeff had always been that way, able to make all the girls smile with his wit and good looks. They just never appealed to me.
“It’s practically dead in here,” he noted as we strolled down yet another empty hallway. “Hope that isn’t a reflection on the outcome of the patients.”
Smacking him, I held back a grin. “Jeff, that’s terrible.”
“But true.”
“Your brother’s in the hospital.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that there are fewer people roaming these halls than in the mortuary.”
“The morgue,” I corrected.
“What’s the difference?”
“The mortuary is a funeral home. The morgue is where they put dead people in the hospital.”
He pretended to consider this for a moment, then shook his head. “Nope. They sound the same.”
Gesturing down another hallway, we found vending machines, but not a single thing looked appealing.
“Not in the mood for prepackaged snacks?” he asked, slipping a dollar bill out of his pocket, only to find there was no place to put it in the machine.
“How the hell do they expect you to pay for food if you can’t insert a dollar bill?”
I pointed to the bright yellow sign at the center of the plexiglass. “Credit cards only.”
Leaning in, he read it at least twice before straightening, scratching the back of his neck. “Well, they should have made it more obvious. Anyone could miss that.”
“It’s on a bright yellow paper.”
“Right, but it blends in with the colors of the machine.”
“It’s underlined three times,” I added.
“Do you want something to eat or not?”
“Not,” I grimaced. Nothing could tempt me to eat right now.
With my stomach churning like a washing machine, there was no way anything edible was going near my mouth.
“Something to drink, then. Here, this is what you need,” he said, moving over to the drink machine.
“What?”
“You’ll see. It’ll solve all your problems.”
As he tried and failed to get his card to work, I leaned back against the white wall and watched from a distance as a nurse went behind the desk and started charting about her patients.
Another nurse came over and they began laughing. It struck me as odd that I was waiting for any news on my newly minted boyfriend, yet they were going about their day as if nothing had happened.
Then again, they probably dealt with death and illness every day. Maybe they had to laugh so they didn’t go home at the end of every night ready to slit their wrists.
“I see slightly dramatic thoughts drifting through that brain of yours,” Jeff whispered, shoving a Mountain Dew in my face.
“What is this?”
“Well, you see, Bailey. That there is what we like to call a drink. Also known as pop, but commonly referred to as soda, soda pop, Coke—”
“I mean, why would you get me Mountain Dew? Are you trying to poison me?”
“Actually, the sugar should help you from slipping into depression. This place is already bad enough. No need to sink any lower. Trust me on this one.”
Opening the bottle, I took a drink, grimacing at the amount of sugar I was ingesting. I wasn’t a big pop drinker to begin with, but this was like spooning sugar right into my mouth.
“Better, right?” he grinned.
“It’s horrible.”
“But you’ll feel better later. That is, if you don’t get a massive stomachache. Better go easy on it,” he said thoughtfully, taking the bottle from me.
“We should get back.”
“Right. To the waiting room of doom and gloom.”
Sighing, I linked my arm through his just so I didn’t feel so alone. “Aren’t you worried?”
“About Liam? Are you kidding? He once put a nail through his leg and kept right on working.”
“After he cleaned it up?”
“Nope. Just yanked it out and got on with work. In fact, I think he might have even left it in until he finished the job,” he frowned.
“Couldn’t someone else finish the job?”
“You know him. Does that sound like something he would do?”
No, it didn’t. Liam was one of the hardest-working men I knew. If there was a job to be done, he would take care of it.
“Just like putting gas in my car.”
“Well, don’t be too hard on yourself. Anyone could have crashed in that tiny car of yours.”
“My car is not tiny. It’s a perfectly normal size for a woman like me.”
“Sure, if you like Matchbox cars.”
I jabbed my elbow in his ribs, trying not to smile.
“You know he’s never going to let you live this down. You’ll be in a steel cage for the rest of your life. Either that or he’ll insist on driving you everywhere. By the time you’re eighty, you’ll feel like Ms. Daisy.”
“He’s not that bad.”
Jeff snorted, leading me around the corner to the empty waiting room. “Sure, tell me that when—”
“Where is everyone? No one’s here.”
“Well placed. You should be a detective,” he teased.
Rushing over to the nurse’s station, I slapped my hand on the counter until the woman buried in paperwork looked up at me.
“Excuse me, has there been an update on Liam Parker?”
“The doctor came out a few minutes ago.” Lowering her head, she got back to work.
“And?” I snapped.
Sighing, she looked up at me tiredly. “And you’ll have to ask him. Judy just took the family back to see him.”
“So, he’s alive?” I asked hopefully.
“Well, they wouldn’t have taken them to the morgue,” she retorted.
“Thanks. That’s very helpful,” I snapped.
Jeff tugged me away from the desk before I could launch myself across it and beat the woman to a pulp. Not that I would. I didn’t actually have a single bone in my body that was capable of beating another person. Not once in my life had I been in a fight.
“Calm down, Rambo. You started it by being impolite.”
“She—”
“Ah!” He stopped the onslaught of rambling by covering my mouth with his hand. “Now, before you go on a tirade about how terrible she is, let’s go see your boyfriend.”
“But we don’t even know where he is!”
Jeff held out his hand to the door just as it opened and Lizzy walked through with a grin on her face. “He wants to see you.”