by Barb Shuler
“I’m Dr. Cross, a few of you already know me. This is Dr. Martin and the man in the hall, who will be here in a few moments, is the other Doctor Cross - we’ve finished operating on your fathers. They’re both stable at this time. But they’ve sustained-”
“Wait, I need to call my brother, and Shelby. There’s no way I’d be able to say this from memory.” Anna fished out her phone and hit a number on it. A ringing sound came from just outside the room. Charlie walked around the door and looked at Anna.
“I’m here. Doctor Cross, wish I was seeing you and the other Doctor Cross for a different reason this time.”
“Hello, Charlie, I wish it was for a different reason, as well. I don’t normally inform multiple families of their loved ones at once, this is a first, but I know you are all one big family. As I was saying, they both sustained multiple injuries.”
“Mr. Cartwright, as you know, gave us a scare on the table. His heart is functioning properly at this time. Dr. Calloway will be around to check on him again in a few hours, and his team will monitor him for a few more days just to rule out any possible complications. We had to remove his spleen, repair a tear in his liver and there was a small tear in the small intestine that also had to be repaired.”
Dr. Martin started telling us about daddy and I swear, it’s a damn good thing Drew was holding me, cause I could feel my knees going weak. How had he survived this amount of trauma? A shudder runs through me.
“He had to have his femur set. There’s a plate, and four screws to keep it in place as it begins to heal. His left arm was broken in two places and also has a plate and screws in it. His right hip is bruised severely, but we don’t see any breaks. We’ll get a full body CT scan in a few days just to make sure there are no hidden issues and make sure he’s healing as he should be.”
“Son of a bitch…” Uncle Walker cursed. My body was full on shaking now. My poor daddy. Drew’s arms tightened around me as Doctor Cross met Anna’s gaze.
“Mr. McKenna had to have a bullet removed from his left shoulder. There was no major damage from that shot. Whoever made the shot, hit him at just the right angle to miss anything vital. He has a broken scapula, and his left arm was broken in a similar fashion to Mr. Cartwright’s. It was snapped in such a way that it also required a plate and screws to keep it together. There was a knife wound to his abdomen, luckily it missed any vital organs as well, but we did have to remove both his gallbladder and his spleen as they were both damaged beyond repair. It seemed as if he’d been struck with a blunt object, which is what caused the majority of the damage.”
“Both men are extremely lucky. The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are critical. They’ll be closely monitored for fevers, which would mean they possibly have an infection. We’ll watch for swelling, and bleeding as well. They've made it through the surgeries, and are stable for now, but they are not out of the woods yet,” Doctor Martin said. I swallowed hard, letting the tears in my eyes falls down my cheeks.
“Can we see them?” My voice broke. The doctors exchanged a look. “Please, I need to see my daddy.”
“You can see them for just a few minutes. Immediate family only, I’m sorry. We have to limit the number in the ICU and their exposure to any germs.”
“Thank you,” Anna said.
“Come this way, I’ll take you upstairs and make sure the nurses have your names on the sheets. You’ll have to sign in at the desk and they’ll call you back once they have verified you’re on the patient’s visitor log.”
About fifteen minutes later, Drew, Derek and I were shown to the room that Daddy was in. I was not prepared, though, there wasn’t anything that could have prepared me for what I saw before me. My entire world flipped over and I was left upside-down with no idea of which way was up. My sobs had both Drew and Derek wrapping their arms around me. I heard similar sobs from the room beside us where Anna was with Lana and Charlie.
“Daddy,” I rasped. There were wires and tubes everywhere. Machines beeped, monitors flashed data and the unmistakable sound of his heartbeat via the monitor just above him. I moved closer, my legs feeling like jello by the time I got to the bedside. Drew didn’t take his arms from around me, but Derek moved to stand on the other side of the bed. He laid his hand on Dad’s arm and the boy crumpled.
Through all of this he had been holding himself together, not letting his emotions show. Now, there was no hiding it. I pushed back from Drew and moved to pull him to me. I hugged him tight as we both cried.
“He’s too stubborn to leave us.” I heard Drew say. I lifted my head to look at him and he had tears in his eyes. He was fighting to keep his shit together. I moved Derek and I closer to Dad’s bed and laid my hand on his. It took me a minute to get myself under control to speak.
“You listen to me, old man. We’re all here for you. We love you, and I swear if you don’t get better, I will put scorpions in your bed. You hear me? We fucking need you to come back to us. You fight this. You fight hard.”
We didn’t stay much longer after that. It was too hard to see him in that bed with all the wires and tubes. Plus, visiting time was limited. When we met Anna, Lana and Charlie in the hall we all walked out together.
Hopefully, tomorrow would bring better news and our dads would be one step closer to recovery. One step closer to come home to us. It was going to be a long road, but we would all be here for them. Every single day. Every step of their recovery.
15
A Beer A Day
Derek
The minute the beer flowed from the bottle and across the taste buds on my tongue, I groaned internally. It had been a bitch of a long freaking week. The week before had been a fucking disaster of epic proportions, as well. Having Gramps, Robert and Wayne in danger sucked. It sucked big, hairy donkey balls.
Thankfully, they all came through it.
Gramps was still stable, thank fuck. Both he and Robert were awake, alert and in some serious amounts of pain, but they were alive. Lana was a mess, and Ma had us all worried. So here I was, drinking my sorrows away.
Brayden, the bar owner and bartender kept giving me the side-eye, but I wasn’t moving from this spot until I had to. This stool was made for my ass. I watched as the other patrons came and went. Some stayed to play pool, some were just shooting the shit with their friends and some, like the asshole in the corner, was here to prove he was some big stud.
I was watching him because he had come in with Amber Jaymes, Trace’s sister. At first they were dancing and laughing with another group of guys. They moved over to the pool tables and something in that circle seemed to change. She didn’t seem all that happy with him at the moment. I motioned to Brayden for another beer. When he sat it down, I nodded to him and took a big swig.
“You alright, man?” I glanced towards him and nodded.
“Peachy,” I said, before tipping the bottle back again. I went back to people watching after he walked away, his head shaking side to side. Whatever. I didn’t need his approval.
By the time the fourth bottle was empty I was relaxed. Or as relaxed as I could be. My mind was on a constant loop of “what could I have done differently”, “they should have had trackers on them” or the best one yet, “you should have acted faster.”
It was all I could think about. I was pulled from my musings when I heard a woman’s voice raise above the noise. Considering the level of noise from people talking, the music and the atmosphere, that was saying something.
My eyes darted to the pool tables. Amanda Jaymes, AJ, was snarling at the man she had come in with. He, and a few of the men he was hanging with, were laughing, loudly. She looked livid. Her arm went out in a wild wave as she spoke. They only laughed harder. AJ leaned in and said something to him. His face morphed. She turned to leave, but he moved quicker than she did. He grabbed her arm and jerked her back. He snarled something at her. I could see the scowl on his face.
AJ jerked free of him, but he grabbed her arm again. She turned and slapped him. I slid o
ff my stool when another of the men in the group grabbed for her. I needed to punch someone in the face, so why not an asshole?
“Hey! Get your hands off of her!”
They turned to look at me. AJ’s gaze met mine and she shook her head. “Derek, it’s fine.”
“Yeah, sure it is. I said, let her go, asshole.”
“Or what, kid? What are you going to do?”
“Break your face.” My words rolled out of my mouth as I shoved up my shirt sleeves.
“You hear that, boys?” He sneered at me as I stood there, my fists balled at my side. “Tell me, kid, you ready to get your ass beat like those no good cops got?”
“ANDY!” AJ snarled his name, shoving him back then she walked past him and out of the pool area. My body was vibrating now. How dare he!
“Those men are better men than you will ever be.” she said and he laughed.
Something in me snapped. I stepped forward and swung. My fist connected with his jaw, snapping his head back. He hit the ground in a crumpled mess. There was a shout from someone and the next thing I know, I was on the ground, With a man on top of me throwing punches. I punched back. I was kicked in the side and didn’t flinch.
These fuckers were not getting the best of me today. I flipped the asshole on top of me over and pounded my fist into his face. I felt a sharp pain in my side but ignored it.
“Derek, enough!” It took a little work, but I was pulled from the asshole under me. My rage was boiling over. I wanted to show them just what Gramps and Robert felt. Every pain they had, he needed to feel.
“Kid, come on!” I was jerked to the side and was slung into a chair.
“Derek! You’re bleeding.” I shook my head and looked down at my bloody knuckles.
“I’m fine.” I went to get up, and maybe I moved too fast, but the room spun. Strong hands grabbed me and once again I was pushed down into a chair. The throbbing pain in my side was now on fire. Fucking hell.
“Brayden, I need clean towels.”
“What is it?” I heard Drew’s voice come from behind me. I sat there, my gaze never left the spot on the wall across from me. Jacks’ face was all of a sudden in mine.
“Derek, hey!” He slapped a hand against my face. I blinked once. “Fuck. 37041 to dispatch.”
“Dispatch, go ahead.”
“I need an ambo at Brayden’s bar. We have one assailant unconscious and another with a stab wound.”
“10-4, dispatching now. Bar owner also called it in. Doc G is on his way over.”
“10-4 Dispatch, 37041, clear.”
“Derek. Holy fucking hell, kid. What in God’s name are you doing in here!?” Drew bellowed. His face was red.
That was not good.
“Getting drunk. Well, trying to,” I said. It was the truth. What else was there to do?
“Don’t you be a smartass. Not right now!”
“Andrew, take a walk,” Jacks snapped, glaring between me and his brother. I pushed his hand away from my side. A sudden pressure against the stinging made me jerk in the chair and hiss in pain. I looked to the side and saw AJ with a towel pressed into my side. I took in a deep breath and shook my head.
“Not happening,” Drew said. His glare had me looking the other direction.
“What happened here?” Jacks asked, his gaze moving between me and AJ. She said nothing.
“He was-” I winced again in pain when I tried to turn to point at the asshole on the ground. I took in a deep breath, ignoring the pain before speaking again, “being an asshole to AJ. I didn’t like it. His friend decided he didn’t like me knocking that fucker out, so we took a tumble.” “I had it under control, dammit! I swear you fucking men are all idiots.” AJ muttered.
“You did not!” I grunted. “Look at your arm!” Sure enough, a hand shaped bruise was rapidly darkening AJ’s fair skin.
“I did-”
“Enough, it doesn’t matter now.” Drew’s voice was full of anger. I was a dead man... I was sure of it.
“I’m here. Y’all know an old man needs his beauty sleep, yet you insist on bar fights after eleven,” Doc G said as he came to the table where I was sitting. He pulled a chair over, sat his bag on the floor and started rummaging through it.
“Sorry, Doc. This dumbass here is bleeding. I need to make sure he’s not filleted too bad before I take him to the station to get a statement.” Jacks said.
“Yeah, then he gets to tell Dani Lynn what he did.” Drew cursed and Jacks laughed.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “She has enough to deal with. No one tells her I’m fucking fine.”
“This might hurt a bit,” Doc said right before a sharp pain shot through my side. I jerked. “Hold still, Derek. Jacks, a little help here.” Jacks grabbed my chin and made me look at him.
“Chill, kid. It’s going to hurt. You deserve it for being a shithead. How much did you have to drink?”
“I’m- I’m not sure. Four, five beers.”
“He had six beers.” I looked sideways to see Brayden handing Doc a small bowl of water. I made a face as another shot went into the opened skin of my cut. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“So just enough to get stupid. Great,” Drew cursed as he gave me a hard look. “Why did you serve him, Brayden?”
“Look man. He’s over twenty-one. He’s legal. It’s his choice if he comes in or not.”
“Yeah, whatever. Dani Lynn is going to lose her shit.”
“Promise me. No one tells her,” I pleaded with Jacks before I looked up at Drew. “Dad, please.”
Jacks chuckled, then looked at Drew. They shared some unspoken thought. I could see their eyes shift between me and then back to each other.
“Yeah, been down that road, kid. I am not keeping this from her. I like my balls where they are. And calling me dad ain’t winning you brownie points today.” Drew shook his head as he ran a hand through his hair.
“It was a good try, though,” Jacks commented. I flipped him the bird.
“AJ? You alright? What happened?” A booming voice called out across the almost empty bar. I sighed and jerked again as Doc did something. It’s okay. Like Jacks said, I deserved the pain. I was such a fuck up.
First, I couldn’t find Gramps, and now this. I closed my eyes and let the pain dull the ache in my chest.
“I’m fine, Tracey.” Her voice was shaky, so yeah, she was fine. Fuck! I’d upset her too. I let my head fall back, which moved my entire body. Stupid thing to do when someone is sewing up your side. I let out a yelp of pain and if not for Jacks I would have jerked right out of the chair.
“Stay still, Derek. I’m almost done.” Doc’s words filtered in through the pain and I fought to keep myself still. For the love of God, that hurt.
“Holy shit! What happened to you?” I opened my eyes to see Stella looking wide eyed at me. I sighed and closed my eyes again.
“Nothing, I’m fine,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Doc, is it bad?” Drew asked, again.
“Andrew, it’s not bad. Eight stitches is all it needed. It’s going to be sore for a few days. The angle was off, which is lucky for you, young man. The knife cut him, but it didn’t go too deep.”
“Good, Derek is fine. Will someone tell me what in the hell happened here?” Trace snarled. I took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
“I was with Andy and his buds. They were being assholes. Ya know, as always. Derek came over when he thought I needed help leaving and there was a fight.” AJ gave me a look, but I shook my head.
“That’s not the half of it,” I said as I stood. My breath hitched slightly as I stretched up to my full height. “The asshole grabbed her. She tried to leave and he wouldn’t let her. She slapped him and the other prick they carted off in cuffs came up behind her. I told them to back off, they didn’t. They said some shit, I said some shit and I’m the last man standing.”
“They said some nasty shit about Robert and the Sheriff…” AJ trailed off whe
n I took in a deep breath. Everyone went silent and I shook my head. I needed a fucking drink. I moved around Jacks and headed for the bar.
“Brayden, I need one for the road.” I slapped a ten on the bar and a moment later he had a brew before me. I downed it in about three seconds. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and headed for the door.
It was a little crowded in here right now.
16
I’m Gonna Kill Him
Dani Lynn
You know, sometimes being a mom is hard. You have days where you either laugh, cry, or want to run away. Then, there are days when it makes you feel murderous. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Though at this moment I was beyond murderous, for three reasons. First, I get a call just before midnight from Stella saying my kid was in a bar fight and he’d been hurt. Second, my husband was there and had made no attempt to let me know. I’d kick his ass later. Right now, I needed to make sure my boy was alright. Then I’d beat his ass, as well. Last, but certainly not least, I’d had to call Kris at this time of night to ask if I could bring my kids over to her.
Let me just say, that was a load of fun. They’d all gone back to sleep quickly, but damn, this situation just sucks.
Jesus! The men in my life were trying their best to make me gray, or crazy. Maybe both. I looked at my watch and sighed. It was already one o’clock.
I pulled up outside the bar and found Stella pacing, her phone to her ear. AJ, Trace’s sister, was on her phone and pacing, too. I raised a brow as I climbed out of my Jeep and stalked over to where they were.
“Where is he? What happened?”
Stella turned to me and said something into her phone that I didn’t hear. She ended her call and slid her phone into her back pocket.
“Good news, Derek is okay. It wasn’t bad. Bad news-”
“Did they find him? Jesus, fuck! Stella Grace!” Drew growled as he came out and saw me standing there.
