Enigma

by C. M. Lally

  “What kind of testing? Needles and stuff like that?”

  “No. Your body has had enough poking and prodding over the last 24-hours. I mean more of a mental acuity exam and some imaging testing. Is that alright with you?”

  “Yes, that sounds okay.” I chew what looks like eggs, but I spit them back out into my napkin. Disgusting.

  “Good. Well, I’ll let you get back to whomever it was you were talking too. Someone will be in shortly for the assessments and to take you down to imaging. It was a pleasure to meet you.” I reach out to shake his extended hand and miss it. Damn this tricky double vision. He grabs my hand instead, shaking it twice before scribbling a note into the chart and leaving.

  Fuck! That probably cost me an extra day in here.

  The bathroom door pushes open, and Shawn comes out drying his hands on a paper towel and then finger-combs his hair back off his forehead.

  “You’re an asshole, you know that? He caught me talking to you, well myself, since you weren’t in the room, and thinks I’ve lost my damn mind after last night’s fight. You planned that.” I shake my finger at him, trying to keep my voice to a low roar.

  He slides his shoes on. “I didn’t plan it, Kol. Stop being paranoid. Lay back and relax. You’re on concussion protocol which means, no noise, no light, no emotional stimulation.” His hand rests on the door handle before turning back to me, “Just relax. I’m going to get myself something to eat and bring something back for you. Give me thirty minutes.”

  He pulls on the door to reveal Jade standing in the hallway, her arm in the air and extended to knock on the door.

  “Oh, fucking great,” I groan. It’s not even 8:00 am and this morning has gone to shit. Her face is blurry at this distance, but I’d know that blond hair and body anywhere. They exchange whispers, and I hear “I’ll go with you” then a “No, you stay with him.”

  “I can hear you two. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  Jade enters the room reluctantly as Shawn closes the door behind him.

  She stands at the end of the bed; her eyes roam every inch of me. “So this is the aftermath of a fight with a Bulldawg? I thought it would be worse. You held your own.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence in my fighting skills. And by the way, did I win?”

  Her face pales, and her eyes round like they’re about to pop out of their sockets. I guess that’s my answer. Fuck.

  “Get out!” I roar and point to the door. “Ouuuut.” The hammer inside my head pounds again.

  “No. I will not. What did I do?”

  “I lost my first fight because of you. Yapping about every maneuver I needed to make. You passed out clues to my strategy like they were Halloween candy.” I press the call button for the nurse. She stammers with an argument on the tip of her tongue, but before she could form the words, I holler “Get out. I don’t want you here.”

  The nurse barges through the door, arms flailing like she’s ready for anything. “Ma’am, you need to leave. He can’t be upset like this. Please go before I call security.” Jade stops and scowls at me, while the nurse holds the door open for her. Her mouth opens to say something but closes again choosing to send over an icy stare instead while stomping out the door.

  The nurse comes over to check my blood pressure and make sure I’m still connected to all these damn machines. “That’s a feisty one you’ve got there.”

  “Humph. That’s an understatement.”

  “You need to calm down, Mr. Porter. Please don’t get all worked up again, or you’ll never get out of here.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” I lie through my teeth. My blood is boiling like a volcano just before the eruption. Damn her. And Shawn. He’s in on this too. “Hey, umm, Nurse...?”

  “Nurse Jackson.”

  “Nurse Jackson. My trainer is here in the ICU. I’ve been visiting him every day now for the past week. His name is Lou Kadra. Do you think you could find out when I could go up and sit with him for my regularly allotted fifteen minutes? Please? I need to tell him about the fight last night.”

  She raises her eyebrow in concern. “Is that going to get you worked up?”

  I hold up my index and middle finger and make a cross sign over my heart. “Scout’s honor, Ma’am. I promise to be on my best behavior.”

  She eyes the massive tattoo peaking out of my hospital gown sleeve with curiosity. Then her eyes take in the swelling of my lips and cuts and bruises on my face in disbelief. I know I’m a mess, but she’s not fooled by my injuries.

  “You were a boy scout?” she asks in disbelief.

  I smile and do my best to wink at her with this meaty slit of an eye. “No, Ma’am. I beat up the boy scouts in my neighborhood, but I know how to keep my word. When you come from the streets like I do, your honor and your word are all you have sometimes.”

  She cocks her head and narrows her eyes at me while she considers my statement. “Alright. I’ll check on it for you, but I make no promises. Eat your breakfast. Lunch is a long time away.”

  I pick up my fork and stab at the eggs again with gusto, showing her how compliant I can be with her wishes. She rolls her eyes at the big smile I give her as I happily chew the disgusting wet, congealed mess of slop on the plate. As soon as she leaves, I spit out what’s left in my mouth, and gag before using the napkin to wipe the remaining bits from my tongue. Those are the nastiest eggs I’ve ever eaten.

  This day is starting to rival yesterday in being epically fucked up.

  Chapter Twenty-Two - Jade

  I SWEAR IF I EVER GET the chance to get in the cage with him after the shit he just pulled, I’m gonna take him down. He’ll wish he was fighting the Bulldawg again. Grrrr! I slap the button for the down elevator and end up breaking a nail. The elevator doors open to a full carrier, but the front squeezes me in.

  Damn it!

  I still have his gym bag in my hand. I should have thrown it at him. Serves him right. He’ll have to go home in his grappling shorts and bare feet now because I’m not going back in there.

  The elevator arrives at the first floor, and we all herd like cattle to the cafeteria. Most everyone else heads straight for the coffee, but I make a beeline to the seating area and hone in on Shawn. He’s stretched out reading a newspaper with an empty coffee cup keeping him company.

  “Hey,” I say, flicking the back of the newspaper to get his attention. He lowers it and looks at me like I have snakes in my hair. “I know you’re my boss, but please don’t let anything I’m about to say jeopardize my job because I need it. Your brother is an A - 1 Asshole. Like seriously, he’s THE King of all Assholes. I’m actually surprised I’ve been allowed to get close to him. Maybe the masses of asshole worshipers haven’t realized their true and just-deserving King has claimed his throne. He yelled at me and kicked me out of his room.”

  He folds his paper and looks up at me, barely containing a smile before he breaks out in laughter. Loud laughter. So loud, the entire room starts to stare at us as his booming cackle roars throughout the booths and tables. Tears are streaming down his cheeks while he tries to catch his breath. He wipes at them before drinking the last drop from his mug. “And now you know why we really chant ‘snake.’ He can spit deadly venom when he’s mad. I’ve learned not to be on the receiving end of it. C’mon, take a seat and tell me all about it.”

  His foot pushes out the chair across from him, and I drop Kol’s gym bag on the floor before taking a seat. “All I did was enter and comment on how he looked. I said I thought he’d look worse after a fight with a Bulldawg. It was a compliment.”

  “Nah, he isn’t mad over that. I’ve said much worse over the years. What else did he say?”

  “He asked if he’d won the fight.”

  “Shit. Please tell me you didn’t tell him he lost?”

  “No, I didn’t...well, technically I didn’t say anything. My facial expression answered him.”

  “Shit, Jade. I’m guessing that facial expression wasn’t a fake smile and joyful ado
ration. I didn’t want him to know yet. I’ve been dodging it all morning. They said not to raise his blood pressure with a concussion.”

  I slap his arm hard. “Thanks for letting me know that. Next time, don’t leave me without filling me in.”

  “Sorry. I was tired and wasn’t thinking straight myself. I needed out of that room with the machines beeping and constant visits from the nurse. I swear I’ve been up all night.”

  “It’s alright. I can imagine. Worrying makes me tired, but then I can’t rest because of the worrying.”

  “I’m sorry he treated you like that, but I know Kol — he didn’t mean it. He’s going to be pissed that he lost, and he’s especially going to be mad that Lou wasn’t there for him. We were substitutes, but I know we did our best. They have a special thing that comes from years of trust and loyalty. With Kol, that takes time, but he shouldn’t hold that against you. We were trying to salvage a bad situation.”

  “I can handle him yelling at me. He does it all the time when we’re training. It was more the accusation in his voice. He thinks I sabotaged his fight. He said I was passing out clues to his next moves like Halloween candy.”

  “He said that? Shit.” Shawn folds the newspaper neatly and sets it across the walkway on an empty table, being generous for another. That’s Shawn. Why can’t I be attracted to him and save myself this frustration? “Don’t worry about him. He’ll come around, or I’ll beat some sense into him.” I cock my eyebrow in surprise at his bold statement. I stand, grabbing the shoulder strap of Kol’s gym bag and throw it over my body.

  “Do you want me to take that to him?” He reaches out for the strap, but I take a step back.

  “Nope. He’s going to learn that if he wants proper clothes to wear home from the hospital, then he should be nicer to his friends. I’m going to see Lou, then go home and cry before I work tonight.”

  “Yes, please. Wring all the sad, sappy water out of your body before you arrive. Crying at work doesn’t make the customers feel welcome like you’d think it would.” He winks but smiles at me with pity in his eyes. “Look, I can’t make you not cry over him, but I’m telling you, this is Kol. It doesn’t make it right, but I know he’ll apologize when he’s processed everything and realizes what a jerk he’s being.”

  I walk backward away from him, holding the gym bag to me like a lifeline. “You keep believing in him, and I’ll keep believing in myself. I know I did my best, even if I didn’t completely know what I was doing.” I shrug my shoulders at him, before turning and walking away.

  I ride the elevator up to the ICU, place my name and the patient I am here to see on the clipboard, and wait. How am I going to tell Lou about this loss? I want to tell him, but I don’t. It might halt his healing, or worse, and that’s the last thing I want. He needs to get better so that he can return to Kol. They need each other, almost more than they need air to breathe.

  The only thing going for me now is that Lou hasn’t woken from his coma. The nurses say to have regular conversations with him, that he can hear me, but I’m not sure I want him to listen to me. Last night was painful to watch, and even more difficult to admit that I was supposed to ensure a win. How can I put a positive spin on that news?

  My phone rings and I look to see my mom calling. “Hey,” I answer in a voice perkier than I feel.

  “Soooo, how’d it go last night? I just got off my shift, and I won’t be able to sleep until I know all about it.”

  “But you hate what I do.”

  “I hate that you hurt people, yes. I’m a nurse. It goes against everything I work for, but I support you, honey. And it wasn’t your fight last night. So, did he win?”

  The critical care nurse enters the waiting room and calls my name. “Shoot. Mom, I have to go. I’m at the hospital visiting Lou, and I only get fifteen minutes. I will call you later. Go rest.”

  “Okay, love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I gather my bags and follow her to his room, but everything looks different as soon as we enter. The curtains are pulled back to let the sunshine in. Lou is sitting up in bed with pillows stuffed all around his head. He looks weak and tired, but his eyes are open. They focus on me, and all I can do is let the bags fall from my shoulders and run over to kiss his cheek.

  “You’re back, thank God! Kol needs to be here.”

  “We’ve tried to contact him, but haven’t heard from him. We’ve left several messages,” the nurse informs me.

  “Okay. I know how to get a hold of him. I’ll let him know.” She smiles and finishes checking the many bags of fluids that are hanging before giving us privacy.

  “Can you talk? Yesterday, you had a breathing tube taped to your mouth.”

  “Yes,” he whispers. His voice is rough and ragged. He attempts to clear it, but his face winces in pain.

  “Don’t talk. I’m sure it hurts.” He smiles and nods, before resting his head back into the pillows. “Kol and I were so worried about you, and fair warning— Kol is not happy with you hiding your procedure from him, but that will all be forgotten when he sees you’re awake.”

  I pull a chair closer to the bed and reach out to hold his hand resting closest to me. “Is there anything I can get you? Water, maybe?” He shakes his head no.

  His black skin is turning white with dryness, and his lips are cracked. I reach out with my foot and drag my bag to me by the strap. I dig inside and pull out some hand lotion and a brand new tube of strawberry-flavored Chapstick. “Here. Give me both of your hands. I’m going to rub some lotion into your skin, so it doesn’t crack any further.” He rests them both on his lap while I squeeze a dollop of the thick lotion into my palm. I start to work it into his skin while he leans his head back and listens to the talk show on the TV.

  A commercial comes on, so I feel like it’s safe to talk again. “Guess who I met while we were at your cabin?” His eyes flutter open, and his left eyebrow quirks upward. “Your Miss Crawford. Lou, she’s still got the hots for you! You should stop by and visit her more often. She makes the best vegetable lasagne.”

  “Mmm hmmm,” is all he can mutter.

  I snap the cap off the Chapstick. “Here’s some Chapstick for your lips, Lou. It should help with the skin peeling and make them feel better. They look like they hurt.” He puckers for me, and I glide it across both lips. “There. Now rub them together to push it deeper.” He does as I say.

  “Thank you,” he whispers.

  “Shhh. There’s no need to thank me, Lou. You’ve helped me way more than I’ve helped you.”

  “Where’s Kol? Is he here?” he croaks out and starts coughing.

  I pour him some water from the little carafe sitting on his roll-away tray and tear open a straw, holding it to his lips. He takes a long sip and rests his head back again. “He’s here. They only allow us to visit for fifteen minutes at a time, and there is a long break between visitors to let you rest. He came in first yesterday, so I won the draw to come in first today.”

  He nods his head, believing me. Surely I’m going to hell for lying to a sick man.

  The nurse knocks on the door to inform me that my time is up.

  “I have to go now, Lou. My time is up. Kol will be here shortly. Just rest. He will be so excited that you’re awake, he’s going to talk your ear off, I bet.” I kiss his cheek and pull the blankets up a little higher onto this chest. “I’ll try to come back later this afternoon to visit before work, if I can.”

  I grab my bags and exit the room, debating whether I should go to Kol’s room and tell him the good news or not. I can’t face him. Not the way he treated me this morning. We both need space. I send a text to Shawn to let him know about Lou.

  Me: Just left Lou. Good news. HE’S AWAKE! Tell Kol to go see him. He was asking about him.

  I wait a few minutes without a reply, so I order a Lyft and head home.

  The driver drops me off in Rebel’s parking lot. I run into Liam as he’s coming out the door, swinging his keys around his thu
mb.

  “Hey, I was headed over to the hospital. Have you been there yet?”

  “Yes, and there's good news. Lou is awake!”

  “Awesome. I’ll be sure and stop by to see him. And how is Kol?”

  “He's an ass. He kicked me out of his room and blames me for the loss. Said I was telling his opponent what moves he was going to make.”

  “Loss? Wait. I’m confused. Kol didn’t lose last night.”

  “Yes, he did. I saw one of the referees lift up the Bulldawg’s arm in victory before they wheeled Kol to the ambulance.”

  “Yeah, and about a minute later the judges declared Kol, the winner. Apparently, the Bulldawg made some illegal moves and disqualified him. Kol won the match. He’s officially the winner in the books, and I’ve already paid the Bulldawg his loser’s fees. Although, I should take them back after the motherfucker vandalized my new locker room.”

  “OMG, Liam. That is great news. Whew, what a relief.”

  “Yeah. I’m glad we got that cleared up. Now I can deliver the news and get us back on track with training.”

  “I don’t know how long he’s going to be out. He’s on concussion protocol, but I’ll be there in the mornings to train. I’m going to need a grappling partner until he returns. Do you think anyone would train with me?”

  “My son’s on summer break. He’ll be here for you, and I’m working on your first fight. I should know in a week or two if it’s scheduled.”

  I squeal in excitement, standing on my tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek. “Yay. I can’t wait.”

  “Alright. I’ll let you know. Get into training mode and take care of yourself. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Looks like things are finally coming around. Now if I could only get Kol to do the same.

  Chapter Twenty-Three - Kol

  “IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOUR eyes open, old man. I would have been here yesterday, but they wouldn’t let me come to visit until I passed all my testing. It’s been a pain in the ass to get to see you.”