by D. L. Roan
Her eyes drifted closed as the morning sun rose. Several hours passed before the nurse came back to tell them that Jonah was being moved from the surgery floor to a regular room. Gabby returned with Dani and the family moved to the new waiting area. It was lunchtime before the nurse came by and advised that he was awake and the family was free to visit.
She followed Carson and Connor through the maze of hallways until they reached Jonah’s room. Not wanting to add to the overwhelming number of people, Breezy hung back by the open door and let Connor and Carson go inside. Gabby and Dani rushed to his side, their dads filling in the gaps between them.
“Hey, son.” Mason lowered his hip onto the side of the bed. Jonah opened his swollen eyes and glanced around the room.
“Hey,” Jonah choked out, his face contorting with pain as his reply turned into an agonizing cough. “Hurts,” he said, gripping his side.
“I’ll get the nurse,” Grey said.
“I’ll go,” Breezy volunteered. “Be right back.”
Relieved to have something useful to do, she walked to the nurses’ station and asked for the nurse listed on the whiteboard in Jonah’s room. A few minutes later she followed the nurse to the room and watched with the family as she explained the patient-controlled pain pump and showed Jonah what button to push when he needed more. She explained to the family the importance of managing his pain so that he could cough often enough to keep fluid from settling in his lungs.
A few minutes later Jonah drifted off to sleep. She and Carson stayed with Gabby and Dani while Connor took another call and their dads went down to the cafeteria to grab more coffee and a quick bite to eat, sending in Daniel and Nate.
The corners of Daniel’s mouth turned down when he saw Jonah. He propped his hip against the edge of his bed and reached out to caress his grandson’s hand. “What the hell happened to you, kiddo?” he whispered, gently brushing a wisp of his hair from Jonah’s forehead.
At the sound of Daniel’s voice, Jonah opened his eyes, his brows pinching into a confused V. “Hey, Papa.” He glanced around the room, blinking against his grogginess. “How long was I asleep?” He struggled to sit up, groaning against the pain.
“Hold on a second,” Carson said, reaching for the remote to raise the bed.
“That’s good,” Jonah grunted as the head of the bed rose. “I’m hungry.”
“Oh, thank God,” Gabby sighed.
“I’ll call your dads and tell them to get you something from the cafeteria,” Nate suggested.
“Shouldn’t we ask the nurse first?” Gabby asked.
“Good idea,” Nate nodded. “I’ll go ask.”
“Can I at least have some water?” Jonah asked, running his tongue over his teeth. “I feel like I swallowed a cactus.”
Carson reached over and snagged a bottle of water from the window sill where he’d been sitting. “Docs say you’re going to feel like shit for a while, bro,” he said as he twisted off the cap and handed Jonah the bottle.
“Eh-hem,” Gabby cleared her throat in warning.
“Sorry,” Carson said with an apologetic glance. He took the bottle from Jonah when he was done and set it on the bedside table. “What the hell happened, man?” he asked after an awkward pause.
Jonah looked up at Daniel and then looked away, his hands fiddling nervously with the pain controller in his hand. “It doesn’t matter,” he finally said.
“Of course it matters,” Gabby insisted, taking Jonah’s hand in hers.
“Stop,” Jonah barked and snatched his hand away. “I’m not a baby anymore, Mom. Stop treating me like one.”
“Jonah, honey, I’m not babying you, but you’re still my child. I need to know who did this to you.”
“No one,” he insisted, his face twisting with pain as he shifted uncomfortably.
“What the fuck?” Dani fumed.
“Language,” Gabby hissed from her chair beside the bed.
“Oh for Pete’s sake, Mom,” Dani grumbled and walked over to Jonah’s bed. “If there was any time to curse, it’s now. Look at him!” she said, pointing out his swollen eyes and bandaged nose. “Who the hell did this to you, J? What happened?”
“Dani, stop,” her mother warned. “He just woke up.”
“I know you and Pryce were in a fight,” Dani insisted, her eyes pleading. “I saw the cut over your eye and the bruises on Pryce’s face. They found his truck with yours at the arena. Did he do this to you?”
“Shut up, Dani!” Jonah’s lips twisted in a sneer, his eyes swirling with warning. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Tears welled in Dani’s eyes and Daniel pulled her into his arms. “I don’t understand who would do this to you. Why won’t you tell us?”
“I told you. It doesn’t matter,” Jonah mumbled, his eyes closing on another grimace. “I don’t remember anyway.”
“Let’s give him some time,” Daniel insisted when Jonah didn’t offer more. He gave Jonah and Gabby’s hands a fatherly squeeze before he huddled Dani against his side and ushered her from the room, motioning for her and Carson to follow.
Carson handed Jonah the unfinished bottle of water and offered him a brotherly fist bump that Jonah didn’t return. “We’ll be back in a bit, bro. Want anything from the house while we’re there?”
“No.” Jonah snapped. “Can you lower the bed back, though? I just want to go back to sleep.”
Carson reached for the remote, but his mom beat him to it. Once the bed was lowered, Carson gave his mom a hug. “Do you need anything?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she sighed. “If you see your fathers, can you tell them he’s awake?”
“Not for long,” Jonah grumbled.
“I’ll find them,” Carson promised, giving his mom a quick kiss on the cheek.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Son of a bitch!” Carson said the second they were out of earshot from Jonah’s room. He pulled out his cellphone and punched in a number.
“Who are you calling?” Breezy’s legs worked double-time to keep up with him as he stormed toward the elevator and jabbed his thumb into the already illuminated button.
“Con,” he barked into the phone. “Tell the dads to get back up to Jonah’s room as soon as they can and then meet us in the parking lot.” He pushed the elevator call button a few more times as he spoke. “Yeah, he’s awake. She’s with me. I’m getting into the elevator now. Just get to the truck.”
The elevator doors opened and she followed him inside. “What are you going to do?” Breezy asked as he punched the button for the ground floor.
“We’re going to go have a little chat with Pryce Grunion.”
“The police were there this morning, Car. You don’t know that he had anything to do with this.”
“We don’t know that he didn’t!”
“Carson, don’t jump to conclusions,” she warned. “He’s Jonah’s friend. You heard what he said. Pryce didn’t do this.”
“I heard what he didn’t say,” Carson argued. “He knows who did and if he won’t tell us, then I’ll find someone who will.”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. “Hey,” Connor called from the stairwell door as they approached the sliding front doors in the lobby. “What the hell is going on?”
“I’ll explain in the truck,” Carson said.
Cameras clicked and flashed as they rushed out the door. “Carson, can you confirm the rumors that your label dropped your contract?” one reporter shouted. “What’s your name?” another asked, shoving a cellphone in Breezy’s face. “Are you going to stay with the label without your brother?” a guy in a bright blue suit asked Connor. Connor stopped in mid stride, shoving a cameraman away from Breezy.
A loud police siren whooped several times in the distance. The crowd parted and Breezy saw Sherriff Gunnar’s car rolling toward them. When the car came to a stop in front of the lobby, a deputy stepped out from the passenger side and approached the crowd of reporters, instructing the
m to disperse and set up across the street. “You’re blocking the emergency entrance,” he said when one of them argued. “Either move it across the street or spend the night in jail.”
“Thanks,” Connor said once the crowd began to move away. “Are you okay?” he asked her and Breezy gave him a quick nod.
“Did you find anything?” Carson asked.
The Sherriff shook his head. “We’re still processing for fingerprints but as far as I can tell, nothing happened at the arena. No signs of a struggle.”
“What about the Grunion kid?” Breezy cringed at Carson’s accusing tone.
“One of my deputies just finished questioning him. He’s got more than a few bruises, all a day or two old,” the Sherriff confirmed. “Says he was grounded but snuck out to meet Jonah at the arena anyway. Dirk Grunion caught him sneaking out to his truck and followed him there. He says he took Pryce’s keys and drove the boy home before Jonah even got there.”
“Do you believe them?” Connor asked.
The Sherriff shrugged, resting his hands on his hips. “I don’t like Dirk any more than you do, but I don’t think that kid of his has it in him to do something like this.”
“But his dad does,” Carson suggested.
“Maybe,” the Sherriff said but his tone carried a warning. “His wife is corroborating his story. Of course, even if she didn’t, that doesn’t mean either one of them had anything to do with this. Without Jonah’s side of the story, there’s not much more I can do.”
“Good luck with that,” Carson grumbled. “Jonah’s not talking.”
“What do you mean?” Connor asked.
“I asked him and he said he didn’t remember.”
“You don’t believe him?”
“Hell no!” Carson spat. “I don’t know if he’s scared or what, but he’s not talking. Practically tore Dani’s head off when she asked him about his fight with Pryce.”
“So they did get into a scuffle before this?” the Sherriff asked.
“Two weeks ago. Ten days maybe,” Connor said. “It was the Fourth of July Festival. Jonah was out with Pryce and came home that night with a cut above his eye. He was tight-lipped about what happened. I don’t know if Pryce was involved or not.”
“Okay.” The Sherriff nodded. “I’ll add that to my list of questions.”
“Thanks.” Connor shook Sherriff Gunnar’s hand. Carson did the same and took his card with his cell number in case they thought of anything else.
“Well,” Connor said after they were all seat-belted inside Matt’s truck. “Where were we going before all of that happened?”
Carson let out a frustrated sigh. “I was going to pay the Grunions a visit, but now I don’t know what to do.”
“Let’s go home and try to get a few hours of sleep,” Connor suggested, giving Breezy’s hand a questioning squeeze. With her nod, he started the truck and maneuvered his way through the hospital parking lot, flipping the press van the bird as they pulled out onto the road. “I really hate them,” he grumbled, checking his rear view mirror. “Of course they’re following us.”
“Did you say that Rodd is sending a security team out to keep them off our backs?” Carson asked.
“Yeah, and he’s coming with them. We need to put together a press release and figure out our next move after our contract is voided.”
“I’m really sorry, bro,” Carson said again.
“I’m not,” Connor insisted. “I think this is going to be a good thing.” He glanced down at Breezy and gave her a saucy smile. “I think it’s the new beginning we both needed.”
As soon as they reached the long stretch of road between town and the ranch, Breezy had trouble keeping her eyes open. Carson slid his arm around her shoulders and drew her against him. She rested her head on his chest and, before she knew it, she was out cold. What felt like only a few seconds later, she was awakened by the sound of crunching gravel beneath the tires as they pulled into the long driveway.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Carson tensed. Breezy rose up to see their parents’ house in the distance, Pryce Grunion sitting at the top of the front steps. Pryce rose to his feet as the truck got closer and she got her first glimpse of the fear in his eyes and bruises on his face. Oh my God.
“Don’t.” She stilled Carson’s hand as he reached for the door handle. “Look at him, Car. He’s scared to death.”
“He should be,” Carson said with a scowl.
“Stop,” she insisted when he tried to open the door. “Stay here and let me talk to him.”
“The hell I will.”
“Then you keep your over-reactive tendencies under control like an adult and let me ask the questions,” she warned.
Carson’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.
“Holy shit!” Connor laughed out loud beside her. “You should see your face, bro!”
She turned on Connor, silencing his laughter with another warning glare. “There’s nothing funny about this,” she said. “Now let me out.”
“Yes ma’am.” Connor sobered and cut the motor, helping Breezy down from the truck.
“Pryce, are you okay?” she asked as she approached. Pryce nodded, keeping a wary eye on Connor and Carson behind her. “It’s okay. They won’t hurt you.”
“That depends on whether or not he had anything to do with Jonah getting the shit kicked out of him.”
“Carson!” she warned, keeping her eyes on Pryce, taking in the numerous blue and purple blotches coloring his complexion.
“I swear I didn’t,” Pryce said, his voice as shaky as his hands. “I’d never hurt him. I...”
“You what?” Connor pushed.
He glanced away, the tension in his body dissipating on a defeated sigh. “Nothing,” he said, glancing back at Breezy. Her heart stopped as she recognized the hopeless look in his blue eyes. It was like looking through time and seeing Ford standing there, broken and ashamed. Pryce would never have done those things to Jonah. He was in love with him.
Pryce flinched away from her when she reached for his hand. “I only came to see if he was okay. The Deputy said he was hurt bad.”
“He is,” Breezy said. “But so are you. Did your dad do this to you?”
Pryce looked away again, dodging her hand when she tried to inspect one of the bruises. “It doesn’t matter.”
“That’s what Jonah said when I asked him who beat the hell out of him,” Carson said.
“Did your dad have anything to do with this?” Connor asked.
Pryce swallowed, his gaze fixed on his boots. “No—I...I don’t know. He was angry when he caught me sneaking out. He doesn’t like me being friends with Jonah—but I don’t...I don’t think he...”
“He did hit you, though.” Breezy pushed when he didn’t say anything more. “It’s okay to tell someone, Pryce. If he’s hitting you, we can help.”
“I-I know about social services and all that crap.”
“They can help you,” she insisted. “I know because they helped me. I’ll even go with you if—“
“I’m almost eighteen, so it doesn’t matter,” Pryce scoffed. “Besides, there’s no way I’m leaving my mom there with him.”
“Your mom is an adult,” Connor said. “She can leave at any time.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Pryce shot back. “Your family is fucking perfect. And she wouldn’t leave anyway.”
“Pryce, honey, please listen to me.”
“I can’t, all right!” He shoved his hands into his pockets and backed away from them. “I just want to know if Jonah’s okay.”
“He will be,” Breezy said, trying her best to keep him calm. “Please wait a second before you go. Car, get me a pen and a piece of paper.”
To her relief, Carson didn’t argue or hesitate. A few seconds later, he ran back from the truck and handed her a business card from some supply store in town and a chewed up pen. “It’s all I could find.”
“Here.” She scribbled her name and phone num
ber on the back of the card and handed it to Pryce. “Please call me, day or night, if you need anything.” Pryce took the card and stuffed it into his front pocket without looking at it. “Jonah’s going to be okay,” she assured him again.
“Thank you,” Pryce mumbled, his eyes welling with tears before he turned and walked away.
Breezy blinked back her own tears, the heavy sadness churning into desperation as she watched him walk alone through the McLendon’s pasture towards the Grunion ranch. She couldn’t let this happen. Not again.
“Give me the truck keys,” she demanded, holding out her hand to Connor.
“Let him go,” Carson insisted. “We’ll call the Sherriff and let him know.”
“I can’t!” She snatched the keys from Connor’s hand.
“Look, I know it’s bad,” Connor said, “but if he won’t talk about it, there’s nothing we can do. Let the authorities—”
“He’s my brother!” She froze as the words left her mouth, glancing up to see their twin expressions twist with confusion.
“He’s your brother?” Carson asked.
She nodded. “At least, I think he is.”
“H-how?” Connor asked. “I don’t understand.”
Breezy shook her head, her last breath rushing out in a defeated sigh. She walked over and sank down onto the bottom porch step, her hands and knees trembling. “Dirk Grunion had an affair with my mother,” she said, finding welcome relief in finally being able to release the truth. “Ford was his son.”
She didn’t look up to see their reaction. A part of her no longer cared. The other part couldn’t stand to see their rejection.
“Dirk Grunion had an affair?” Connor’s disbelief was evident in his tone.
“It was in the letter Ford wrote to Charlotte,” she explained. “Pa told him, probably in one of his drunken rages. He was always spouting hateful things at Ford, things I never could understand. When I read the letter, it all made sense. It’s why he wouldn’t go see Ford in the hospital, why he never gave a damn about either of us.”
