by Elle Casey
“What in the sam hill are you doing now?” says a voice from somewhere outside.
I look up and see Ian staring at me through the front windshield. He’s standing on the sidewalk in front of a store that sells everything for ninety-nine cents.
“Shut up and help me!” My voice comes out sounding a little unbalanced. I feel a lot unbalanced right now, so I guess that’s appropriate.
“How about a please?” he says, smirking.
“How about your sister-in-law is in labor and her uterus is about to fall out? How about that?!”
His face goes blank. “You serious?”
“Get me in this damn truck, you dumbass! I need to get her to the hospital!”
He disappears for a couple seconds, and then I feel his arms on my waist. Instead of pushing me in, though, he’s pulling on me. I kick like mad to get him off me. If I could slap him, I would, but my arms are inside the cab. “Get off, you idiot! I need to get in, not out!”
“Fine!” he yells, jamming his hands into my butt and pushing with all his might.
My buckle snaps and my pelvis and upper thighs scrape hard against the window frame, but at least I’m inside. I fold in half so the rest of me can get in, ending up on the floor of the tiny back seat. My back cracks in protest. I am going to be so sore tomorrow. He’s going to pay for that.
Ian’s head is sticking in through the window and he’s looking down at me. “You know they have these things called doors on trucks. Way easier to use than the windows.”
I scramble over the back seat and take the driver’s spot. The keys fall to the floor as Ian chuckles at his own joke, the big dummy. I don’t bother answering, my brain focused on only one thing: get Andie to the hospital.
The engine turns over with a roar and I throw the truck into reverse. The gas pedal is much more powerful than I was expecting. One push and I’m halfway out of the space.
I hear a big boom and a yell. Ian’s legs fly up into view in the mirror.
“Hey! What the hell!” He shouts. A second later, his head is barely visible in the rearview mirror as he sits up from his fall.
Ignoring his issues, I reverse the rest of the way out and then slam that puppy into drive.
Bet you didn’t know a giant truck can peel out; I know I didn’t. But this one sure does. Must be those studded tires it has or something. One second I’m diagonal in front of a strip mall and the next I’m zooming down the street, headed away from the diner. Shit.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Ian yells. Glancing up in the mirror, I realize he’s still in the bed of the truck. He’s holding onto something above the cab and standing spread-legged like he’s surfing or something. Oh well, not my problem.
I wait for the traffic to clear and flip a big old U-ey right in the middle of the road. The back tires slide, but we end up in perfect position to pull up outside the diner. I see faces lined up at the glass as I slide to a stop.
“All aboard!” I yell, lowering the window on the passenger side.
Ian jumps to the ground and puts his face in the open window. “Are you completely insane?! You almost killed me … again!”
I wave him off, focused on the front door of the diner. “Quit crying and get Andie. I don’t have time for your damage right now.”
The door opens and the bells on the handle jangle, catching Ian’s attention. He turns around and freezes.
“Andie? You okay?” he asks.
“I need to get to the hospital.” An older man is holding her by the elbow, walking her out carefully. “Hannah called Mack for me. He’s going to get there as soon as he can. But I need to go now. I can’t wait.”
I cringe as more liquid runs down her leg. Her boots have got to be half-full of that stuff by now. Talk about squishy.
Ian jumps into action. “Easy, easy … easy now.” He practically carries her to the car and then picks her up.
“No! Wait! I don’t want to stain the seat!” she cries.
“Oh, for crying out loud …” Ian puts her down and we all look at each other.
“Fine.” I whip off my leather jacket and lay it on the seat. “You owe me a jacket.” I stare out the front window trying to get my heart rate under a thousand beats per minute. This is nuts. I just sacrificed my five hundred dollar leather bomber and my best friend is about to drop a baby on the floorboards. I’m pretty sure I didn’t sign up for this. Or maybe I did, but I didn’t mean to.
“Thanks,” she says, kind of breathlessly.
Ian picks her up and places her gently on the seat as I glance over at them again.
“Meet you there?” he says.
Andie nods.
As soon as her door shuts, I take off.
“Where are you going?!” I hear someone yelling.
Stupid Ian. He’s standing out in the middle of the road waving his arms behind us. I can see him in the rearview mirror acting like a fool.
“Do you know the right way?” Andie asks. She’s leaning her elbow heavily on the armrest, trying to get comfortable. I don’t think it’s working.
“Of course I know the right way. Map’s up here,” I say, tapping my temple.
Chapter Eight
FOR SOME REASON, WE’RE THE last ones to show up at the emergency room door. Ian, Mack, and Mack’s mother are all standing outside in the slowly falling snowflakes that started ten minutes into my drive. It must have been the traffic that made it take so long. I still don’t know the shortcuts around town. Thank goodness the baby didn’t decide to come out while we were driving around. My jacket has already seen enough punishment.
“Oh, thank God,” Andie says. And then she moans and bends over her stomach, holding it with both arms.
The first one to her door is Mack. He’s usually a pretty cool guy, but today I can tell he is stressed to the max. His face is all lines and hard angles. He pulls the door open and lifts his wife out like a baby. It makes my heart go all mushy just watching it. He’s super strong. She’s almost the size of a small elephant with her coat on.
“I can walk,” Andie says, holding an arm out to the side like a canoe out-rigger. She’s struggling to get down.
“The hell you can,” he responds.
A nurse arrives with a wheelchair and he puts her in it like she’s made of glass.
“You can’t park here,” says Ian, his face in my window. “You want me to bring it around?”
I chew my lip. Part of me hates letting him do anything nice for me, but the desire to see my friend into her room wins out. “Yes. Do that.” I make sure the truck is in Park before I get out.
After I’ve opened the door, Ian stands in the way, holding out his hand to help me down. We both look at it at the same time. He seems bewildered that he’s even offered, and I feel kind of shocked myself. Before I can take him up on his manners, though, he pulls his hand back and stuffs it in his back pocket.
“Wouldn’t want your women’s lib card to get pulled or anything,” he says.
I grab my purse and make sure to land on his toe when I slide down out of the high seat and onto the ground.
His eyes go wide and he grunts.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I landed on your ugly poo-covered cowboy boot. Did that hurt?”
“How much do you weigh, anyway?” He tries to back up far enough to escape my revenge, but the door stops him.
I have no idea what makes me do it, but I tweak his nipple right through his jacket, giving it a good twist. “Don’t call me fat, you uncivilized bumpkin.”
His jaw drops open and he barks out a single laugh, before rubbing his chest with the palm of his hand. “Owww… son of a … you just gave me a purple nurple.” It’s clear he can’t quite wrap his head around that one.
Good. I find I like keeping him on his toes.
“Where I come from they’re called titty twisters. Remember that next time you feel like commenting on my weight.”
I walk around the front of the truck with my head held high, making my way into the
hospital. I’m at the entrance to the emergency room when his voice comes sailing out of the passenger window. “Revenge is a real bitch, you know that?!”
I don’t even look back. “Bring it, Country!”
“Oh, you know I will, City!”
My whole body heats up just imagining what he could possibly mean by that.
Chapter Nine
I HAVE TO WAIT IN a little side room with Maeve for about thirty minutes before the nurses let us in to see Andie. She’s hooked up to an IV drip and some machine that’s making a lot of noise, a rhythmic whup, whup, whup.
I go over to her free side, and Maeve stands next to Mack who’s on the other side of her bed. He holds her hand and Maeve rests her fingers lightly on Andie’s leg.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Better, now that I’m here.” Andie’s hair is spread out over the pillow in a tangle and she already looks tired.
I fish around in my purse until I find my brush. Moving to the head of her bed, I drop my bag to the ground and start fixing the mess. There will be plenty of pictures taken soon and I don’t want her hating me for not taking care of this problem beforehand.
“How many centimeters are you dilated?” Maeve asks.
“Three? Four? We’re not sure yet.” Andie sighs and stares at the door.
“Was that your water or pee?” I ask, trying to distract her from whatever is bothering her. “In the diner, I mean.”
Mack smiles when Andie rolls her eyes and answers. “It was my water, Candice. Geez.”
“Hey, how would I know?” I shrug as I brush out a knot in her hair. It’s clear I’m going to have to give her a cut while I’m here. Whoever did her layers needs some serious re-training. “I’ve never seen someone’s uterus blow before.”
“Blow?” Andie closes her eyes. “God, that’s disgusting.”
“Tell me about it. I’ll never eat waffles again.” I finish with her hair and put my brush back in my bag. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Massage by a man wearing a thong, maybe?”
“Some tea would be nice.” Andie smiles up at me.
“No tea,” says a mean-looking nurse who busts into the room without so much as a knock. “No liquids, no food.”
“Why?” I ask, offended for my friend. It’s on the tip of my tongue to call this woman Nurse Ratched.
“Just in case she needs a c-section. She can have a few ice chips when we get closer to the actual birth, but for right now, the IV will take care of her liquids.”
I frown. Ice chips? This seems like a special kind of torture. We are on the border of the Arctic Circle, after all.
“Go ahead and get yourself a coffee,” Andie says.
When I see the nurse snapping on some gloves and lubing them up as she moves over to Andie’s crotch, I nod, quickly forgetting the whole drink issue. We’ll let the IV take care of her liquids or whatever. “Yeah. Good idea. I’ll go get a coffee.”
On my way out, I look at Mack and Maeve while carefully avoiding looking at Andie’s crotchal area. “Anyone else?”
They both shake their heads, all their attention focused on Andie. I’m so busy watching them, I don’t notice Ian standing in the doorway until I bump into him just outside the room.
“What are you doing?” I ask, annoyed, trying to right myself without looking like a complete fool. Tossing my hair over my shoulder, I pretend to be searching for something inside my purse. I hate that I can’t look him in the eye right now, but there’s no sense in denying it.
“You’re the one who attacked me.”
I raise an eyebrow and readjust the strap of my purse over my shoulder, abandoning my search and my reticence over looking him in the eye. “Attacked? Come on now, don’t you think that’s a bit of an exaggeration?”
“Lemme see …” He rolls his eyeballs to the ceiling as he thinks, counting off on his fingers as he goes. “First, you shoot me. With a bullet. Then you toss me around in the back of a truck while you drive like a maniac through town. After that you give me a purple nurple…”
“Titty twister,” I correct.
“Whatever, … and then you stomp on my toe.” He looks at me and stops with the annoying counting. “And now, here you are body-slamming me in the hospital.”
I shake my head in mock disappointment. “So sad.”
“What’s so sad?”
He’s standing way too close for comfort, but I’m not going to be the one to back away and give ground. Let him do it.
“So sad that you’re so precious. I thought country boys were tougher than that.”
“Precious? I’m not precious.”
I stick my bottom lip out really far. “Awww, poor baby … how’s your nipple? Do you need some ice for it? Maybe a bandage? Good thing you’re in the hospital. Maybe you should go to the ER.”
“My mom’s gonna kill me,” he says, out of the blue.
I frown, confused. “Why?”
“Because-a this.”
He reaches up and actually tweaks my nipple. Then he smiles. Big. Real big. I can see his wisdom teeth he’s so damn happy.
I can’t move. I’m frozen in shock. “You … you just …”
“That’s right, City. I just got you back. Tit for tat.” He starts laughing. “Literally.”
My eyes narrow as I consider my options. “You are so going down right now.”
He sees the look in my eye and stops laughing immediately. “Hey now … this is a hospital, young lady. You need to behave yourself in here.” He’s waffling between laughing and being scared.
I take a step towards him and he moves back two paces. His hands go up in a defensive gesture. “I’m serious.” He points at me. “Act like a lady.”
That was the wrong thing to say. “When you treat me like one, I’ll act like one.” I leap into action, my boots giving a special spring to my step.
He tries to run backwards but gives up and spins around, tripping on himself to get away. He pushes off the wall to keep from falling.
We wind through hallways with me in pursuit, only slowing when someone is nearby. I chase him all the way to the cafeteria, where he finally slows to a walk. I pull up next to him and pinch his butt hard. He pushes the door open and we both walk through at the same time.
“Youch!” He scoots his pelvis forward, trying to move his buns out of my reach. “Easy now, City,” he says in a low tone meant only for me. “I have witnesses.” He straightens up and tries to look cool.
“Better watch your back,” I say, just as quietly. I separate from him and go over to the coffee area. I’m totally out of breath, but I try to hide it by breathing out of my nose. My nostrils are flaring trying to get enough oxygen into my system. I can’t tell if my heart is racing from the running or the chemistry that’s flared up between us again. He actually touched my nipple! How dare he! I’m still tingling from it and not because it hurt. It definitely didn’t hurt.
I feel something warm on my back and leg. It’s Ian standing way too close. His breath washes over my neck. “Better watch your back,” he says.
I laugh, too cool for school. “Wow, that was original.” Taking a coffee cup, I reach up with my other hand to press down on the button that will fill me up with caffeine. I’m not sure I need it at this point, but at least it serves as a distraction.
“Not original enough for ya? Okay, how about this one … better watch your neck.”
I frown as I put some sugar into my cup and stir it. “What … are you a vampire now?”
I sense his intention before I feel it. “Maybe.” His mouth is suddenly on my skin, the spot between my shoulder and my neck. His lips have clamped on and he’s sucking.
I spin around, completely taken by surprise. We end up face to face when his mouth is forced to detach from me.
“What are you doing?” Trying to act cool is taking every bit of talent I have in that area. My hand holding the coffee cup is trembling
He smiles, all lazy-like and smooth. I hate th
at he’s way cooler than I am. “Just getting a little revenge.”
My neck keeps tingling. It’s like his lips are still there. “You better not have left a hickey.”
He glances at my skin and smiles. “Or else, what?”
I debate in my mind what I should say next. That I’ll give him a worse one? No. He’s a Bambi killer. I don’t want to trade hickeys with him. Even though it felt really nice and I love the way he smells.
“Or else, you’ll just have to wait and see.” I go back to administering to my coffee. “Keep your murderous lips off me in the meantime.”
“Murderous lips? Wow, you must have really liked that hickey I just gave you to say it about killed you.”
I roll my eyes. “You wish.” I feel like I’m back in high school. What is it about this man that makes me feel and act sixteen again? I haven’t run indoors like that since I was late for Mr. Wilkie’s chemistry final.
He follows me over to a table and takes the seat across from me.
I take a sip of my hot drink and try to ignore him, looking everywhere but in his direction, but he keeps staring at me. He’s leaning back in the chair like he doesn’t have a care in the world. My prayer that the thing will slide out from under him goes unanswered.
I sigh heavily and give up on avoiding him. “Why are you here?”
He looks around. “In the hospital? Same as you, I s’pose. Waiting for a baby to come out.”
“No, I mean why are you here with me in the cafeteria?”
He smiles again, his gaze dropping to my chest for a second before going back up to my face. “I’m not here with you. I’m just in the same place as you are. It’s a coincidence.”
“Whatever.” I focus on my drink and anything else in the room but him. The walls in here are the ugliest color of green I’ve ever seen. Psychologically, it has to be bad for people. You can make a person go insane just by painting his walls a certain color. Hospitals should be more aware of that stuff. They should hire me as a color consultant.
Without warning, he slides his chair around so he’s next to me, effectively interrupting my thoughts and my distress over the lack of interior design in this place. His arm goes up over the back of my seat and he leans in.
