by Hart, Rebel
I felt tears crest my eyes before another thought hit me.
“I should call Clint’s parents.”
“Do you have their number?”
“I’ve got Clint’s home number, yes.”
Michael nodded. “Then I’d give them a call. They need to know what’s going on.”
I reached down for my purse, shocked that I still had it. I smiled a thankful smile over at Michael and he nodded his head. And for the first time, I felt like things were finally resolved between us. I dug out my phone and scrolled through my contacts, coming upon Clint’s home number. He’d given it to me in case of an emergency. But for the most part, he’d told me not to call it unless I absolutely had to.
And this was pretty much the biggest emergency on the planet.
I sighed. “Here goes nothing.”
I dialed the number and the phone rang in my ear. It rang and it rang, and I almost hung up. Maybe his father and stepmother were out on another trip. Not even in town. Which wouldn't have shocked me a bit. Then, on the last ring, the phone picked up.
“Who’s this?”
His father’s gruff voice filled the phone and my mind pulled me back. Back to that morning where he found us leaving the house to go to school. That wild, empty smile. Those mean, villainous eyes. My stomach turned over as his voice filled my ear, and I almost couldn't speak.
Until Michael cleared his throat at me.
“Hi. Yes. Mr. Clarke?”
He paused. “This is he. Who is this? Why are you calling my phone so late at night?”
“This is Raelynn Cleaver. I don’t know if you remember me, but—”
“Can you cut to the chase? I’m a bit busy with work over here.”
“Clint’s been in an accident. He’s headed for the hospital.”
The phone call fell silent before a sigh emanated over the phone.
“A crash on his bike?”
I paused. “More like someone ran him off the road and he fell over a bridge.”
Michael quirked an eyebrow at me as my voice started to flatten. It sounded like his father was more annoyed than anything. There wasn’t the slightest hint of worry in his tone.
“Well, that’s what my son gets for pissing off half the city. What hospital are they headed to?”
My jaw dropped open. How the hell could he be so calloused?
“Um, they’re headed to—”
I looked over at Michael as he mouthed the name of the hospital.
“—Dignity Health,” I finished.
“How far out was he? That’s clear across town.”
“It was a bad wreck, Mr. Clarke. His heart stopped there for a while on the bank of the river. You really should get to the hospital.”
And with a groan, his father hung up the phone.
“Son of a fucking bitch,” I hissed.
I tossed my phone to the floorboard as my body vibrated with fury. I felt Michael staring at me as we came to a stop at a stoplight. I mean, the ambulance blew through it. But we weren’t sure we could. Even if we were following it.
Then, he cleared his throat. “I take it the call didn’t go well.”
I snickered. “When I told him his son’s heart stopped, he groaned and hung up on me.”
“He what now?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I get that you don’t like Clint because he’s a dick. But his father makes him look like a saint.”
“Sounds like it.”
I leaned back against the leather seats of Michael’s SUV and gazed out the window. Maybe I shouldn’t have called his father at all. I didn't know. I wasn’t sure if I’d made the right decision. So much had already happened tonight, and my head felt like it was still spinning. Michael took my hand again, holding it until we pulled into the hospital parking lot. I saw the ambulance crew hauling Clint out as we pulled into the parking garage, and I told Michael I’d pay for the ticket.
Then I shoved myself out of his car and took off.
“Rae! Wait up!”
I heard Michael racing after me as I kept my eyes trained on that ambulance. I hopped over railings and darted through medians. Car horns honked at me as I cut them off. I’d be damned if I let them stop me, though. I saw the ambulance pulling away from the hospital E.R. doors. Michael caught up with me, heaving for air as we charged through the automatic doors.
Just as they rolled Clint down the hallway, a nurse stopped us.
“You here with the crash victim?”
I nodded breathlessly. “Clint Clarke. Yes. I need to see him. I told him I wouldn't leave his—”
“He’s being rushed into surgery. They prepped him in the ambulance. If you wait here—”
“Look, Nurse. I know. I get it. But I have to see him before that surgery. I told him he wouldn’t do this alone, and I couldn’t ride with him in the back.”
The nurse sighed. “Girlfriend?”
I looked over at Michael before I nodded.
“Yes. Clint’s my boyfriend.”
She sighed. “I can only update you on so much since you aren’t family. But what I can tell you is this: in less than two minutes, he’s going to be on an operating table. And any time we waste, there’s a higher chance he won’t make it out of surgery. He’ll understand once the surgery is over. Now, I need you to sit here and try to remain calm for us. Can you do that for me?”
I drew in a quick breath. “What do you mean, you can’t update me on much? His family doesn’t give a shit about him!”
Michael sighed. “Rae, take a breath for me.”
“No! I’m done with the breathing. His father doesn’t give a damn about that boy. And his stepmother is just some trophy at his side. And you’re going to update them before you update me?”
“It’s protocol. I’m sorry. I’ll tell you what I can, but nothing more.”
And with that, the nurse turned on her heels and went back to the intake desk.
I hissed to myself. “Bitch.”
“All right. Let’s sit you down before you get us thrown out of this place.”
Michael guided me to a chair before he left. I watched him turn a corner, disappearing from sight, only to emerge with two bottles of water. He sat down beside me and handed me one, and I tossed him a thankful look. I didn’t feel like talking anymore. I didn’t feel like using my voice. It was going in and out already. Hoarse, before coming back mightier than ever. So the two of us sat in silence and sipped on our water.
Until Michael broke the silence.
“All we can do is wait. And in the meantime, maybe we can call Allison. Get her to bring us some food.”
I shook my head. “I don’t wanna bother her with this. Bothering you with it is enough.”
“You’re not bothering me. Okay?”
I nodded slowly, refusing to argue with him. “I still don’t want to call her, though. I mean, if she gets in touch with you, don’t lie to her. But I’m just…”
Michael rubbed my back. “I know. I know.”
I nodded as I took another sip of my water before Michael spoke again.
“What about your mother?”
I snickered. “You mean the woman who’s probably already made up with D.J. and is with him right now?”
He paused. “Wait, I thought they broke up for good.”
“All I know is that Mom’s still got money to pay bills even though she hadn’t secured a new job yet. And the only place I know of where that money can come from is him.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry, Rae.”
I shrugged. “It’s her life. Not mine. If that’s how she wants to live it, then so be it. If anything, the fact that she hasn’t called and asked me why I’m not home yet tells me all I need to know. She’s making up with D.J., making plans with him, and doesn’t have enough sense to realize I’m not home yet.”
“I guess you and Clint do have some lifestyle similarities, then.”
That statement said a lot, coming from Michael. Because I knew him well enough to know that was the first step in
Clint being accepted into the fold. I mindlessly sipped on the water, refusing to break for the restroom just in case something with Clint popped up. I kept shifting us down, seat by seat, until we were stationed right beside the nurse’s unit. This way, I could eavesdrop. Pick up bits and pieces of Clint’s condition, hopefully.
Because apparently, being the girlfriend and the one to help him out in his most dire time wasn’t enough merit to earn information on his condition.
Michael shifted. “When do you think his parents will show up?”
I shrugged. “Part of me isn’t expecting them to show up at all.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. His father’s a damn nutcase. And his stepmother doesn’t ever step in on anything until it’s getting too violent. It’s insane, what he puts up with.”
“No wonder he’s angry all the time.”
I nodded. “You’re telling me.”
“Where’s my son?”
The booming voice forced me to whip my head around. I looked at the emergency room doors, watching Clint’s father barge straight through them. Cecilia was behind him, her hair fluttering down her back and her pristine heels clicking across the floor. Clint’s father gripped her hand tightly, tugging her along as he bellowed for information.
“Clinton Clarke is here, and I want to know what the fuck is happening with my son!”
And as nurses rushed him, waiting on him hand and foot as they shoved information down his throat, I saw tears in Cecilia’s eyes.
Tears I hoped were for Clint.
4
Clinton
“Clint!”
“Rae?”
I turned around, taking in the bright blue color that surrounded us. I saw Rae in the most gorgeous dress. One that fell off her shoulders and fluttered just above her knees. She ran for me with the biggest smile on her face, and I held my arms out for her. She lunged at me, wrapping her entire body around me. And as her warmth encompassed me, I spun her around.
Around, and around, until we fell into the soft blue grass below us.
“Hi there, handsome.”
She kissed my cheek and it shivered me to my toes.
“Hey there, beautiful.”
“I’m glad you're okay.”
I nodded. “Me, too. And I like this dress on you. You should wear stuff like this more often.”
She giggled. “You mean you don’t like my brown pants and my baggy black shirts?”
“I mean, they do nothing for your form, no. But, if you're comfortable wearing them, then it’s fine.”
“You just want to stare at my tits all day.”
I grinned. “And you know you like it.”
She laughed and snuggled next to me, using my arm as a pillow. Her leg slid between mine, and together, we stared up at the sky. The sky that matched our clothes. Matched my light blue leather jacket. Matched the light blue grass we lay on and the light blue trees swaying in the cool summer breeze. White clouds moved above us, dancing for us and morphing into shapes right before our very eyes.
Rae pointed. “Look. That one’s dancing.”
I smiled as the elephant got up on its hind legs and started shimmying.
“Holy shit, it is.”
She giggled. “And that one looks like a heart. See it?”
I smiled. “I do see it, yes.”
“Oh! The butterfly! It’s flapping its wings!”
I scanned the clouds. “I don’t see it.”
“No, not the clouds. Over there, silly.”
I turned my head to where she was pointing and I saw it. The biggest butterfly I’d ever seen in my life. Easily as big as my stomach, and it had the most beautiful wings I’d ever seen in my life. Intricate light blue and white patterns as it lifted off toward the sky. It sprinkled us with something. A sparkling dust of some sort. And as it floated toward the sky, covering us in this dust, I felt peace come over me. I felt Rae relax into me.
I felt my lips loosening.
“I love you, Rae.”
Her hand cupped my cheek and she pulled my face toward hers, smiling brightly at me. As bright as the clouds hanging in the sky. Her thumb smoothed over my cheek and I leaned forward, capturing the sweetness of her lips. I rolled her over on the grass, kicking up more of that dust as we found ourselves smushed inside a patch of light blue and white wildflowers.
“I love you too, Clint.”
I grinned. “You do, huh?”
She nodded. “I do, yes.”
“Do you love me enough to stay by my side?”
“I do.”
“Do you love me enough to deal with my shit?”
“I do.”
“Do you love me enough to make love to me whenever I ask?”
She snickered, swatting at my chest. “You’re about to lose brownie points here, handsome.”
“Oooh, and what do these points get me?”
I slipped my hand underneath her dress as giggles fell from her lips. I captured them with mine, swallowing her sounds as her skin puckered underneath my fingertips. Her legs parted for me, allowing my body to sink between them. And as her womanly scent wafted up my nostrils, I felt my cock hardening. I felt my body tightening. I felt her rolling against me, ready for my fingers to fill her as I danced over her bare pussy.
My eyebrows rose. “No underwear?”
And when that salacious little smile crossed her cheeks, I filled her pussy with my fingers.
“Oh, Clint.”
“So wet for me.”
She gasped. “Shit. Just like that.”
“I’ve got you, Rae. I’ll always have you. I’ll never disappoint you like my father disappointed my mother.”
“I know. I know. And it’ll be all right, Clint.”
I gazed down into her eyes, watching as a flash of darkness took over her face, muting her presence before bringing her back. My fingers stilled. My brow furrowed deeper. And as her hand cupped my cheek, I watched the light blue quickly fade into the darkest shade of navy I’d ever seen.
“It’s going to be all right, Clint.”
She disappeared from underneath me and my world tilted. The warmth of her pussy around my fingers were gone, and pain unlike any other raced up my spine. I cried out, watching as the world tilted me onto my back. I heard the rushing sounds of water. I smelled the scent of burning rubber. I heard someone calling my name in the distance as I gazed up at the navy blue sky. Dotted with stars that twinkled for my delight.
Trying to ease me through the pain.
“You’re a fighter, Clint. Fight for this. Fight for your life.”
As I lay there, a reel played out in the sky. Like the projector screen back inside the hellhole that was my father’s mansion. I watched everything play out on screen. Like some kind of sick, twisted horror movie. As the water rushed over my legs, trying to carry me downstream, the movie played out. Those four drunk boys, rolling up on Rae and me in the parking lot. Them taunting her. Threatening her. Licking their lips at her and wanting to make her their meal for the night. I saw me harassing them, getting them to chase me while Rae hopped the fence to get away from them. I watched the car chase play out with horror filling my body. I felt my eyes widening as my nose ached. I felt my toes tingle as my shoulder slowly moved itself out of socket.
“Holy fuck!”
I roared out into the expanse of nothingness as the water lifted my body. I kept my eyes trained toward the sky as that damn phrase kept repeating itself. Over and over, from a disembodied voice that haunted me from the depths of the water.
“You’re a fighter, Clint. Fight for this. Fight for your life.”
I’m so fucking tired of fighting, though.
I saw the wreck. How the car slammed into my bike. I saw myself stumbling over toward the woods, trying to get away from the beer bottles those damn boys threw at me. I watched myself turn around. I watched that damn bottle clock me right between the eyes. I felt my head throbbing. Aching. Spilling with blood as the car rushed me
again in my stunned stupor.
Before he ran into me completely, pushing me over the edge of the bridge.
“No!”
I saw my own body coming at me. I tried reaching out to catch myself, but I couldn't move. Just as my own body reached me, it turned into nothing. It felt like my soul had slipped into my body before the water whisked me away. I sank underneath, wrapped up in its cold nature. Sinking to the bottom as screaming filled my ears.
I felt the water dragging me away as my lungs refused to breathe.
“You’re a fighter, Clint. Fight for this. Fight for your life.”
I felt my back fall against the rocks at the bottom of the river, my legs dangling helplessly in the water. My heart was giving out, my blood slowing. And as the world faded to black, I felt something snag against my coat.
My body stopped moving. But not soon enough.
“Holy shit.”
My eyes ripped open and I panted for air. I stared up at a popcorn ceiling, listening as the sounds of beeping machines dawned on my ears. The smell of disinfectant filled my lungs. With every breath I took, it rooted me to the most uncomfortable bed I’d ever slept on. And as I licked my chapped lips, it confirmed my theories.
I was in a hospital. In a bed. Staring up at my room’s ceiling.
It was silent. A silence I didn’t expect to get. Where was Rae? She promised me she wouldn’t leave me alone through all this. Wasn’t she supposed to be here? Was she all right? Had something happened on the journey to the hospital?
Wait, what day was it? What time was it? Maybe she was simply at home, sleeping. I mean, I didn't know how long I’d been out. How long I’d been dreaming.
I reached my hand out, hoping Rae was there to take it. Maybe she was preoccupied. Or she was speaking and I simply couldn't hear it. I tried moving my neck, but couldn't. I tried darting my eyes around, but they moved too slowly. My body felt lighter than air. I wiggled my toes, and even tried bending my knees. There wasn’t any pain. But there wasn’t any feeling either. And as my eyes fell onto the morphine drip, that answered my questions.
Shit. I was still drugged to the high heavens.
A hand slipped into mine, but I didn’t recognize it. It was soft, but not necessarily warm. Not like Rae’s. Or my mother’s. I felt ring bands against my skin, nails softly scratching up my arm. I grimaced at the feeling and it quickly stopped, and that movement told me who it was.
