Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Logan
I lay in bed and watched my team on TV as they lost the game. Anger ripped through me as I threw the remote across the room.
“Emily!” I screamed.
“Yes, Mr. Jackson.” She walked in.
“I need my pain meds. Get me my fucking pain meds!”
“You just had a pill a couple of hours ago. It’s not time yet. I’m sorry.” The look on her face made me want to rip her fucking head off.
“I DON’T CARE IF IT’S NOT TIME YET! YOU BETTER GET ME MY FUCKING PILLS, OR ELSE, YOU STUPID BITCH!”
She stomped away, and a few moments later, she stood in the doorway and threw the bottle of pills at me.
“Do what you want. I’ve taken your abuse for the last time. I quit. Good luck to you, Mr. Jackson.” She walked away, and the front door slammed.
“Stupid bitch.” I grabbed my phone from my nightstand and called my brother, Owen.
“Hey, bro. How are you?”
“You know how I am, so stop asking me. Emily quit.”
I heard a long sigh. “She’s only been there two days, Logan.”
“And?”
“I’ll be over soon.”
“Where’s Brandon?” I asked because I hadn’t seen him in a few days.
“He had some business in California. He told you.”
“No, he didn’t,” I snapped.
“Yes, he did. I was standing right there. You don’t remember. I’ll be over soon.”
“Bring some food with you.”
I hung up on him and set my phone down. I couldn’t change the channel because the remote was across the room, and I wasn’t getting out of bed to get it. As I lay there shaking my head, my phone rang. It was my agent, Bruce.
“Yeah, Bruce,” I answered.
“How are you doing, Logan?”
“Like shit. The same I’ve been doing over the past couple of months.”
“Words out about what the doctors said about you never being able to play hockey again. Your endorsements are concerned, and Nike dropped you. I’m sorry, but I had to tell you. Believe me, I did everything I could.”
“I’m in a contract. I’ll sue those motherfuckers.”
“The contract is only valid as long as you’re playing on the team.”
“So, they’re just giving up on me?”
“It’s all about the mighty dollar, Logan. You know that. Get some rest, and I’ll talk to you later.”
The burning anger that was already inside me erupted like a volcano.
I tightly held the bottle of pills in my hand.
I’d hit rock bottom, and I couldn’t climb back up.
There was no use living anymore. I lived for hockey, and now that it was taken away from me, I felt an emptiness inside that was more than I could handle.
I’d fought my whole life to get to where I was, and now that it was gone, the fight in me was gone.
There was nothing left to fight for. I needed to end my pain and the pain of my family.
They’d get over it. They’d move on, and I would no longer be forced to live in the pain and misery that consumed my life.
Opening the bottle of pills, I heard the front door open and Owen calling out my name. I quickly put the cap back on and threw the bottle on my nightstand.
“Hey. I brought burgers.” He held up the brown bag.
“Thanks.”
“How about you come and sit at the table and eat?” he spoke.
“Nah, I don’t want to. I’m fine here.”
“You haven’t left this bed in two months, bro. You need to start moving around. You’ll feel better.”
“What the fuck do you know, Owen?” I snapped.
“You think I'd somehow feel better if I move to the kitchen? You’re mistaken. My days of feeling great are gone. The only thing I have to look forward to is sitting in that fucking wheelchair or walking with a cane for the rest of my life like some eighty-year-old man. No thanks.”
“Dude, do you hear yourself? So, what are you going to do, give up? Dad is worried about you. Aunt Vanessa is worried about you. If you don’t want to do it for yourself, do it for her. We owe her after everything she’s done for us. Do you think Mom would want you to give up?”
“Don’t you dare mention her!” I yelled as I pointed at him.
“Whatever, bro. I’m going out there to eat.”
Finishing the last bite of my burger, I heard the front door open and thought that Owen had left, but I heard my brother Brandon and a female voice coming from the other room. Did he actually bring one of his girls here? Because if he did, I was going to kill him.
“How are you, Logan?” he asked as he entered my room.
“Just peachy, bro. Living the life. Can’t complain,” I spoke sarcastically as I turned my head and looked the other way.
“There’s someone here I would like you to meet.”
“I’m not meeting anyone, so you and your girl can get the fuck out.”
“That wasn’t very nice,” I heard a female voice say as she entered my room.
Turning my head, I saw this beautiful woman who stood approximately five foot seven with long brown hair and bright blue eyes standing two feet from my bed, staring at me.
“I’m not a nice person. I’m sure my brother filled you in.”
“I’m Brooke Alexander. It’s nice to meet you, Logan.” She held out her slender hand.
I didn’t extend mine. I just wanted everyone to leave me the hell alone.
“Okay,” she spoke as she put her hand down. “Brandon and Owen, you may leave now. I can take it from here.”
“Are you sure?” Brandon asked.
“What the fuck are you talking about, lady?” I yelled. “You better get your ass out of my apartment with them.”
She left my room with my brothers, and I heard the front door open and close. Good. They all left. I reached over and grabbed my pills from the nightstand. Shaking them into my hand, I looked up and saw Brooke staring at me from the doorway.
“What are you going to do? Kill yourself?” she asked with her arms folded.
“I thought I told you to get the fuck out of my apartment. Who the hell are you anyway?”
“I’m the person who was hired to help you, and just to be clear, I don’t scare off that easy. So, you can throw things at me, belittle me, swear at me, and scream all you want, but I’m not going anywhere.”
Who the hell did this girl think she was? Even though she was incredibly sexy, I didn’t want her here.
“This is my apartment, and I want you out. I don’t want, and I certainly don’t need your help.”
“I don’t care what you want. I’m here, and I’m staying. Now which bedroom should I take?” She cocked her head and glared at me.
“What? There’s no way in hell you’re staying here! Now get the fuck out before I call the police!”
“Nope. Sorry. Call the police. I’ll take those pills right from your hand, flush them down the toilet, and then we’ll see how long you last without your pain medication.”
“You come near me, and I’ll hurt you.”
A small smile crossed her lips. “You can’t.
From what I understand, you haven’t left this bed in two months, only to go to the bathroom, correct?
Do you know why you can’t hurt me, Logan?
Because you’re scared. In order to hurt me, you’d have to leave that very spot you’re lying in.
You’re afraid if you leave this bed, this room, you’ll have to face the real world and the scariness of not being the man you were before the accident.
You’ll have to deal with things you never imagined you would have to, and that is what keeps you in that bed. ”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” I scowled.
“Give me the pills.” She walked over to the bed with her hand held out.
“I could hurt you right now with you standing so close to me.” I glared at her.
“But you won’t because you’re not that guy.”
I laughed. “You don’t know fuck about me, bitch.”
“I know enough to know that you wouldn’t hurt me. Now, hand me the pills, please.”