Drawing Dead: A Small Town Romance (A Good Run Of Bad Luck)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “Maybe a day or two. I guess it depends on what they find.”

  “And then I can go home? I mean, the baby’s fine.”

  He nodded and slid his fingers between mine. There was something he was holding back from me, and based on the look on his face, I wasn’t going to like it.

  “Carly, they’re going to take away your license.”

  I laughed slightly, sure he was joking with me. “What do you mean? Why would they take away my license?”

  “Because if you had another seizure when driving, you could kill someone.”

  I stared at him, unsure what to say. This was ridiculous. “But…I’ve never had a seizure before in my life. This just happened.”

  “Right, but they don’t know if it’ll happen again.”

  “So, they run the tests. If they don’t know what caused it, how can they take away my license? If I had a seizure condition like epilepsy or something, I could understand, but—”

  “Carly, it’s the law. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

  “You can fight them,” I snapped. “Make them prove that I actually have something wrong with me.”

  “It’s not that simple. They can’t always tell what causes a seizure. Sometimes it’s just a one time thing and there’s no explanation. It could be hormones or stress.”

  “So, I get treated like a misbehaving teenager because of one seizure?” I snapped. “They don’t even know if there’s anything wrong with me!”

  “They don’t know there’s not something wrong either,” he said tiredly.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, pissed that this was happening. “Fine, make them run the damn tests. If they don’t come up with anything, I’m fighting this.”

  He leaned back in his seat, running his hand across his face. I knew he would fight for me if it came down to it. I just didn’t know if he would win.

  I was pissed. The tests were inconclusive, which meant they couldn’t give me a reason the seizure happened, but they were still taking away my license.

  “How am I supposed to get around if I don’t have my license?” I asked the doctor.

  “You’ll have to have others help you.”

  “So, every time I need to go to the store, or just want to go somewhere, I have to call someone to pick me up, take them out of their lives, to come help me.”

  “I’m sorry, but it’s the law. I have to submit my report to the medical review board.”

  “And how long until I get my license back?”

  “In Indiana, there’s no set time for being seizure free. The board will review your case based on a neurologist’s report. Then the board will decide if you can go through the steps to get your license back.”

  “Thank you, doctor,” Josh said politely.

  I narrowed my eyes at him as he shook the doctor’s hand. That little bastard was turning on me. As soon as the doctor was out the door, I snapped at him.

  “You agree with him,” I said accusingly.

  “I think it’s wise to put you on seizure medication and see what happens.”

  “Such a diplomatic answer.”

  “Carly, what do you want me to say? Everyone in town already thinks we murdered Jack’s wife. Do you want us to be responsible for someone else’s death?”

  “That’s a low blow.”

  He sat down beside me and took my hand. “Carly, the reality is, you had a seizure and we don’t know why. What if it happens again? I can’t lose you.”

  “Why would you assume you’re going to lose me after one seizure? That’s all it was. You heard the doctor, my brain basically had a skip and that’s what caused the seizure.”

  “Oh, well I’m so happy to hear that your brain just had a skip,” Josh spat, shoving his chair back as he stood. “The fact is, we don’t know what the hell is wrong with you. And I happen to agree that this is the best thing to do. I hate that it takes away your independence, but you don’t know what it was like to watch you seize.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, right? I didn’t watch you almost bleed out for days. I didn’t have to get us someplace safe and wonder if you were even going to make it!”

  “Then you should understand the position I’m in.” He sighed, resting his hands on his hips. “I’m hiring a nurse.”

  My eyes practically bugged out. “Excuse me?”

  “I can’t stay home with you and make sure that you’re okay. And I can’t leave you at home alone. What if you have another seizure?”

  “What if I choke on my food or break my ankle walking down the street?” I said sarcastically.

  He got that look in his eyes, the same one the rest of his brothers did when their wives were pregnant.

  “No,” I said firmly. “Don’t even think about it.”

  “What? I didn’t say anything.”

  “You were thinking it! I saw it. I’m not going to be followed around.”

  “It would just be until we can be sure that the medication will work.”

  I flung the covers off and got out of bed, moving over to my bag that he brought by this morning with clean clothes.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m leaving.”

  “You can’t. Not without me driving you.”

  I stopped and turned to him slowly. If he didn’t feel like he was about to be castrated, he would feel that way in just a second. His throat bobbed and he took a step back.

  “It’s for your own good.”

  “Don’t you dare tell me that you’re doing this for my own good. You’re treating me like a child. I’ve been an adult, taking care of myself for years. I’ve never been sick a day in my life, and one little seizure suddenly makes me an invalid?”

  “It wasn’t one little seizure,” he argued.

  I snatched up my phone as I glared at him, calling the one person that I knew would help. “I need a ride home from the hospital…Yes, he’s here, but I’m not going anywhere with him…I don’t care what Joe says. He’s not in charge of me…I’ll see you soon.”

  I ended the call and pulled out my pants and underwear.

  “So, you’re just going to pretend I’m not here?”

  “You said I needed a ride, and since I don’t particularly like you right now, I’ll find someone else to help me.”

  “Sofia? She has no backbone! She’ll cave in two minutes.”

  “Except she’s more scared of me than she is of you. Besides, she’s not the timid woman that came here, afraid of bugs and dirt. She’s changed.”

  “So, I’m just supposed to watch as she walks out of here with you?”

  “Do whatever you want,” I said dismissively.

  He sat down in the chair and watched my every move. I got dressed and ignored him. It was the first time we weren’t really a team, and I hated it. But I hated even more that he wasn’t fighting for me when I needed him to.

  6

  Sofia

  “This is a bad idea,” Joe said as I gathered up my purse and slipped on my shoes.

  “What would you have me do, leave her at the hospital?”

  “Josh is there. He can take her home.”

  “She doesn’t want him to take her home.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out when I get there.”

  “Whoa,” he said, putting his hand on my arm to stop me, “you don’t even know why she wants you to pick her up? I think this is a mistake.”

  “I’m not getting involved in their problems. I’m just being a friend and picking her up, just like she did for me when everyone was against me.”

  He winced slightly, remembering when his family all thought I was some flake that wouldn’t stick around for Joe.

  I headed for the door, opening it just before he called out again. “Wait, what about Amelia?”

  “What about her?”

  “Well, who’s going to take care of her?”

  “Um…” I looked around the room and then back to him. “I assume since you’re h
er father, you’ll take that on. Unless you want me to call the hobo down the road to do it.”

  “But…I have work.”

  “You have paperwork. You can take her with you for that. Besides, Josh and Carly have been doing it for years. I’m assuming you can handle it for one day.”

  “Day?” he asked incredulously.

  “Yeah, I’m guessing we’ll go pick up Alessa, and then she’ll want to vent and go shoe shopping or something.”

  “You’re ditching me to go shoe shopping!” His eyebrows lifted comically and he looked at me like I had three heads.

  “Well, if you were just in the hospital, wouldn’t you want to go do something fun?”

  He shook his head slowly. “No, I’d want to go home and be left the fuck alone.”

  “Really.”

  His jaw dropped. “I mean…I would want to be left at home alone with you.”

  “Right, nice save, but I don’t buy it.”

  I walked out of the apartment and down the stairs, thankful that I wasn’t pregnant again and was allowed to walk around the town again without people watching my every move. When I arrived at the hospital, the environment when I walked into Carly’s room was less than welcoming.

  “Uh…should I come back later?”

  “No, we’re leaving.”

  She grabbed her bag, despite Josh trying to do it for her. She gritted her teeth and hissed. “Get your hand off my bag. I may be pregnant and I may have had a seizure, but I’m still capable of lifting a bag, walking, and even brushing my own teeth.”

  I stepped back, worried I was about to step on a landmine.

  “Why can’t you let me help you?”

  “I think you’ve helped me enough.”

  “I didn’t do anything!”

  “Exactly,” she spat just as she turned and walked out of the room.

  I stood there awkwardly, wondering if I should say something to Josh, but I didn’t even know what was happening.

  “Sofia!”

  I jumped and hurried out the door, terrified that if I didn’t follow, she’d take me to the grocery store. I couldn’t fight a pregnant woman that just had a seizure. There was no way to win.

  I caught up to her, rushing down the hall beside her. “Um…so, why am I picking you up?”

  “Because my dumbass husband is allowing them to take away my license.”

  “What?”

  She sighed and hit the button for the elevator. “Apparently, if you have a seizure, it has to be reported to the state medical board and they take away your license.”

  “Well, that doesn’t sound like something he can do anything about.”

  We stepped onto the elevator and she spun on me. “Look, I stood up for you once. Now you’re going to do the same for me. In approximately one hour, the guys are going to all get together and devise some crazy plan to keep me safe. At which point, your husband will send out a town message, informing everyone in town of my seizure and that I need to be carefully monitored. If you thought it was bad when the town watched you, think again.”

  “And you want me to do what, exactly?”

  “You’re going to be by my side. Josh wants me monitored. He actually suggested hiring a nurse for me,” she snorted.

  “Well, I’m assuming that’s to keep an eye on the seizures.”

  “Right, so we’ll give him what he wants, but from now on, you’re my nurse.”

  My jaw dropped open. “I’m not a nurse.”

  “No, but you can stay with me and pretend to be my nurse. And then when the vultures descend and try to take over, you’re going to fight them.”

  “Like physically?”

  “In any way necessary. You’re going to keep people off my ass, and anytime someone gives me a reason I can’t do something, you’re going to come up with a reason why I can.”

  “So, you basically want me to argue with people all day.”

  “On my behalf.”

  “And what about my job?”

  She scoffed. “What about my job? Believe me, Joe will allow this because it’ll fit into the brothers’ perfect little plan to keep me safe. Besides, I can’t work either. And I know Josh won’t allow me to watch Alessa on my own. What if I seize and kill my child?”

  “Do you think you’re taking this a little too lightly?”

  We stepped off the elevator and headed for the parking lot.

  “I had one seizure. Tell me, if you were healthy and had one minor blip in health, would you let everyone tell you what to do and run your life?”

  I sighed, knowing that’s exactly what I would do because I was a wuss. “You know I don’t have a backbone.”

  “You did when you were pregnant. You did the whole grocery store hostage thing. It was brilliant. Now, I need you fighting on my side on this one.”

  “Why me? Why not Kat? She’s more of a hardass than I am.”

  “One, because she’s working a job that she can’t just take time off. Two, she’s a nurse, so she’ll agree with the guys.”

  “Okay, then Anna.”

  She shook her head, reaching for the handle of the car door. I hurried around to the driver’s side and got in, turning the engine.

  “Nope, when Josh doesn’t have anyone to cover for him as his secretary, who do you think the guys are going to suggest fills in?”

  “Anna,” I nodded.

  “Exactly. And Charlie’s out for obvious reasons. Not only is she a doctor, but she’s also Will’s wife, and despite what she thinks, he has way too much control over her.”

  “Joe has a lot of control over me.”

  “But you’re more scared of me than you are of him,” she grinned. “And because you have that naive nature, it’ll be easy to fool him into thinking that you’re really just looking out for my best interests.”

  “And you don’t think Josh will catch onto this?”

  “Oh, I already told him. So, he’s going to have a meeting with his brothers, try and work up a defense strategy, and he’s going to assume that he can win you over.”

  “But he can’t,” I concluded.

  “No, because—”

  “I’m more scared of you than him.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Fine, Lorelei.”

  Carly snorted. “Lorelei isn’t going to help me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because Lorelei has already made too many waves in this town. She’s not looking to do anything that might make her look bad, and she’s not going to do anything to put herself in the line of fire in the future. Which leaves you.”

  “Which leaves me,” I grumbled, heading for Eric’s house. I really was a pushover.

  7

  Joe

  “Can we get started?” I asked, bouncing my daughter Amelia on my hip. “I have to get back to the shop.”

  “We all have to get back to work,” Josh sighed. “But we’re about to have a mutiny on our hands, and we have to figure out how to handle it.”

  “Why would we have a mutiny on our hands?” Eric asked. “Just have the doctor write a note that she needs bed rest.”

  “Right, and that would work when she has both Charlie and Kat to talk to about her condition.”

  “What exactly is her condition?” Robert asked.

  “We don’t know. The tests were inconclusive. Which means that she’s not allowed to drive until they either figure out what’s wrong with her and give her the right medication, or she’s free of seizures and the medical board approves her for driving.”

  We sat around the sheriff’s office of all places, planning out how to contain a woman that couldn’t be contained. It was a nightmare. Even stranger, Josh had involved Corduroy and Jack in the whole thing. I hadn’t realized that Jack and Josh had made up in any way, so I was confused as to how this was playing out.

  The door to the office opened and Nathan stepped in, staring at all of us. “Sorry I’m late. I didn’t realize this was a huge meeting.” Turning to Josh, he said, “I thou
ght you wanted to meet about Carly’s condition.”

  “This is about Carly’s condition. They took away her license. She’s not going to take that lying down.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to make her. Look, just explain to her that it’s safer for now if she’s not out on the road.”

  “It’s not just about that…” Josh sighed, running a hand over his face. “I told her I wanted to get her a nurse.”

  “You did what?” Will scoffed. “Are you trying to get killed?”

  “No kidding,” Andrew shook his head. “You survived years on the run with her only to get yourself killed by opening your big mouth.”

  “Tell me you wouldn’t do the same,” Josh argued. “Kat, Sofia, and Anna all got pregnant and you followed them wherever they went. This is much more serious because she’s pregnant and had a seizure. What if it happens again and no one’s around?”

  “He’s right,” Jack said, staring at the ground. “She’s not taking this seriously, and if she’s not, then she’s also not going to slow down if she’s not feeling well. She won’t tell anyone if she gets a headache. She’s going to assume she can handle it on her own.”

  “No, Carly wouldn’t lie to me.”

  “Everyone lies,” Jack retorted. “If you feel cornered, you do whatever you have to for self-preservation. That’s what she’s doing right now.”

  “So, what do we do?” Eric asked.

  Jack walked over to the map of the town on the wall, picking up a dry erase marker. “Eric, you take this section of town. Talk to everyone and make sure they understand to keep an eye on Carly. Joe, you take care of this section,” he said, outlining a section around my shop.

  “Wait,” Nathan stopped him. “I thought we were meeting to talk about her condition, not negotiate a hostage situation.”

  “It’s not a hostage situation,” Josh said, almost sounding offended by the implication. “We’re trying to keep my wife safe.”

  “Okay, and what does this have to do with me? I don’t even live in town.”

  “You’re the secret weapon,” Jack pointed out. “The women are all compromised.”