by Tia Lewis
“Stupid name,” Benji said with a grin, throwing out a punch.
I blocked it easily, giving him a grin of my own. “It’s a hell of a lot better than sleeper.”
“You’re just mad because mine is original.”
“I’m not mad; I’m fucking ecstatic that I wasn’t stuck with a dumbass name.”
The kick came out of nowhere, colliding with my bare calf and nearly sending me to the mat. I recovered and was able to land some blows to the midsection, careful not to hit Benji in the face. Though we were sparring, I wasn’t out to hurt him. He was still fighting for money, and I could respect the fact he had still had to make a living.
Benji pushed me back and came at me fast, pinning me up against the cage while he set to work on my side with his fist. I laughed and caught him at the ankle, taking him down with one swift sweep of my own leg. He went down on his back, and I covered him, taking some blows to my rib cage as I attempted to do so. His legs locked on my torso and I knew then I was done, feeling the pain of his blows even though he had taken it easy on me. He grabbed my arm and stretched it upward, his signature move, and I tapped out, feeling spent but at least most of my anger was gone. Benji released me, and I fell to the mat, looking up at the exposed ceiling. “Damn, man.”
“You should have gotten my fucking coffee,” Benji teased, his heavy breathing letting me know that I had given him a workout as well.
I rolled over and pushed up on the mat, coming to a standing position before helping him up. “Thanks. I really needed that.”
“Anytime you want to get your ass kicked, come see me,” he laughed, giving me a wink before walking out of the cage. I followed suit, knowing we needed to vacate before the rest of the crowd showed up. There were things to do.
I reached for my bag and saw the indicator light on my phone, lighting up the screen to see that my mom had called and left a voicemail. I dialed my mailbox quickly, hearing her frantic voice on the other line. “Paulie we had to go to the hospital. Matthew, he was struggling to breathe. Come as soon as you can.” Shit. I threw my things into my bag as quickly as I could, my heart pounding in my chest. The doc had warned us of setbacks with the medications that Matt was on, and I just hoped that she had panicked, not that this was a real emergency.
“Dude, you okay?”
I looked up to see Benji standing near me, concern on his face. “I gotta go. It’s my brother.”
“Of course,” he said, waving his arm toward the door. “Go. Lemme know if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” I answered, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. If anything happened to Matt, I didn’t know what I would do.
I reached the door just as Sarah’s face appeared in the window, nearly scaring the shit out of me. I pushed it open, moving out before she could come in. “Hey,” she said. “I was just coming by to see you.”
“I can’t,” I said immediately, walking to my car. I heard her hurry behind me, reaching the door before she stepped in front, concern on her face as well. “Paul? What is it? What’s wrong?”
I didn’t have time for this, but I couldn’t very well leave her standing on the sidewalk either. “Get in,” I said abruptly, not waiting for an answer as I rounded the driver side and climbed in. She scrambled in next to me, and I fired the engine, pulling out onto the street with a squeal of the tires, my hands gripping the steering wheel. Sarah was silent next to me, which I was glad for. I couldn’t form the words right now. I couldn’t talk about it until I saw Matt with my own two eyes.
20
Sarah
I had no idea what was going on. Paul was as white as a sheet and bare-chested, driving erratically as we hurdled through traffic, concerned about what was going on. Something was wrong, something bad had happened, but I was too afraid to ask. After my morning coffee with Jack, I wanted to see Paul. He was the one who was holding my attention. He was the one who had my body craving his touch, not Jack. While we had a great conversation, I knew that was all Jack, and I would ever have and fully intended on setting the record straight, as soon as I could figure out what was going on with Paul and me.
Right now, though, I was just hoping we wouldn’t die before we reached our destination. Finally, Paul whipped into the hospital parking lot, locating a space and killing the engine. “I, can you just wait here?” he asked, looking over at me.
I saw the pain in his eyes, and my heart went out to him. “I think you need someone right now, Paul. Let me help, please.”
He went to open the door, and I laid my hand on his arm. “You might want to put on a shirt.”
Looking down, he sighed and reached into the back of the car, grabbing a shirt from his bag. “Come on then.”
I climbed out of the car, and he shrugged on the shirt before hurrying to the entrance, forcing me to nearly run to keep up. “Matthew Watts,” he growled at the receptionist.
Watts? It had to be a family member. No wonder he was in such a hurry to get here. The receptionist gave him the room number, and we walked to the elevator, Paul pressing the button. I stood silently beside him, unsure of who this was and what to say. Instead, I reached out and grabbed his hand, startling him. “Do you want me to stay here?” I didn’t want to get involved in family matters unless he wanted me there.
He looked over at me, and I could see the bleakness in his eyes. It tore me apart. “No,” he finally said, blowing out a breath. “No.”
I gave his hand a squeeze, and we walked into the waiting elevator, Paul punching the button to the third floor. “Why were you at the gym?” he asked as the elevator started upward.
I blushed, glad that the doors weren’t mirrored. “I was coming to see you.”
“Why?”
Now, that I couldn’t answer. I didn’t know why. It was like a draw toward him I couldn’t shake. Luckily the doors opened, and he let go of my hand, walking quickly down the hall toward the room number we had been given. I followed close behind, seeing him enter one of the rooms on the left. I was about to find out who Matthew Watts was.
Paul was standing at the foot of the bed when I eased in, an older woman sobbing at his side. “It’s alright ma,” he said, rubbing her shoulder lightly. “He’s fine. He’s tough.”
“You weren’t there, Paulie,” she said, wiping her face with a tissue. “One minute, he’s fine, watching TV and the next, he nearly turned blue. The ambulance, they couldn’t get there quick enough.”
I looked at the bed, seeing a young kid laying against the white sheets, his skin the color of the sheets at the moment. The family resemblance was unmistakable, the boy having the same facial characteristics that I liked about Paul. No doubt he too would be a heart breaker when he got older. There were no outward signs of injuries and the boy looked like he was sleeping, with the exception of the oxygen tubing in his nose that is.
I watched as Paul walked over to the side of the bed and laid his hand on the boy’s arm, the boy’s eyes fluttering open just a mere second later. “P-Paulie?”
“Hey, sport,” Paul said gently, in a voice I had never heard him speak in. “Dude, if you just wanted to see me, all you had to do was call.”
The boy cracked a smile, though his eyes looked tired. “I told Ma not to worry. All I needed was to go outside for some air.”
“I think it was a little more serious than that Matt,” Paul replied gently. “But I’m gonna speak to the doc and see when you can be sprung out of here, okay? Don’t give me a heart attack like that next time, alright?”
Matt nodded before his eyes found me standing in the corner. “Who’s she?”
Paul followed his gaze, and for a moment his eyes narrowed, and I felt like running out of the room. He looked angry at first, but then beckoned for me to come toward the bed. “This is Sarah. Sarah, this is my brother Matt.”
I looked down at the kid, a thousand questions running through my brain. What was wrong with him? Was this a normal occurrence? How could a hardnosed fighter like Paul be such a
softie at heart when it came to family? “Hi, Matt. Nice to meet you.”
Matt looked at his brother, a grin appearing on his pale face. “Is this your girlfriend, Paulie? She’s hot.”
I blushed, and Paul’s mom cleared her throat. “Matthew that is not nice. Apologize.”
“Sorry,” he said immediately. I gave him a smile as Paul rose from the bed, ruffling his brother’s hair. “I’m gonna go find the doc, okay?”
He nodded, and Paul brushed past me before leaving the room, leaving me in here with his family.
“So,” his mother said, giving me a critical eye. “How do you know our Paulie?”
“We are working together on something,” I answered, hoping that she couldn’t read into anything else.
“He’s the best fighter in the world,” Matt spoke up, his eyes shining with pride. “Have you seen his belt yet?”
“I have not,” I answered honestly, knowing that he wasn’t talking about the belt that he had stripped off last night. “And your brother is a very good fighter. I will have to agree with that one. It’s the reason we are working together.”
Matt grinned. “When I get through this, I’m going to be a fighter, too, just like Paulie. He told me he would train me.”
His mom patted his blanket covered feet softly, tears in her eyes. It was then I knew something more than just breathing was affecting this kid. “You’ll be a great fighter, Matt,” I said softly.
“I got good news and bad news,” Paul said as he walked back into the room, looking at his brother. “Good news is that you can get outta here. The bad news is that it’s not until tomorrow.”
“Bummer,” Matt said, his shoulders slumping. “I didn’t even bring my Beats.”
“And I need my phone charger,” his mom said, looking at her older son. “Can you go by the apartment and get it for me son?”
I saw Paul’s jaw work before he nodded tightly, looking over at me. “We’ll go get it real quick. Anything else?”
His mom rattled off a list, but I was paying more attention to Paul’s reaction. He was stone-faced, his fists clenched at his side. What was going on here?
Paul motioned for me to follow him and I gave them both a little wave, following behind him as we walked back down the hall and into the elevator, Paul jabbing at the button before letting out a sigh. I wanted to comfort him somehow, but I wasn’t sure of what was happening to be able to do so. So I didn’t, walking to the car without a word. He climbed in and started the engine, resting both hands on the wheel. “I’m sure you have questions.”
“Yes,” I said honestly. “But they can wait.”
He gave me a tight nod without looking at me and pulled out of the parking spot, heading toward the outskirts of the city. I watched as the buildings grew older, the appeal less, well appealing as we drove through a more crime-ridden part of the city. I knew the area well, my father owning several buildings in the vicinity as well as the charity foundation supporting many different places within this part of town. There was a soup kitchen I came over to work every holiday season and a homeless shelter I had done a thing or two for in the past. It was a sad state to see so many people on the streets here, unable to afford rent or even food.
Paul made a few turns and maneuvered the car in front of a building, one that had seen its better days. He cut the engine, and I swallowed hard. “I don’t care,” I said softly, looking over at him. Where he was from, where his family lived, that didn’t make him who he was.
He gave out a harsh laugh. “You are probably the only one who doesn’t.”
I reached out and touched his arm, surprised when he shrugged my touch off and climbed out of the car. “I will only be a minute. Lock the doors behind me.”
He shut the driver side door, and I did as he said, pulling out my phone and holding it in my hand to be ready at a moment’s notice. I didn’t care where he was from. I wasn’t some shallow woman who had it all. I was a hard worker, a person who knew first hand that this didn’t define a person or their values. My heart just broke at the thought of his brother in that hospital room, the obvious care he had for Paul. Was that why he had accepted the money? To take care of them? I would give him whatever amount he wanted if that were the case.
He was back before I knew it, rapping on the window so I would unlock the door. Paul threw a duffel bag in the back seat and climbed in, leaning back on the seat. “We are going to drop this stuff off, and then we can talk.”
“Sure whatever you want.” I just didn’t want him to let me go just yet.
21
Paul
I fucking hated this. As I drove back to the hospital, I could feel the embarrassment building up inside, wishing that Sarah hadn’t been with me when I went to the apartment. She wasn’t a dumb person by any means and would be able to put two and two together. Yeah, so I had a hard life, and my family lived in one of the bad parts of town. I was used to it. It didn’t mean, however, that I liked the idea of her seeing me through different eyes. I wanted to be that guy from last night, the one that had rocked her world without her knowing anything about mine. I wanted to be, hell, I wanted to be more in her eyes.
The ride to the hospital was quiet, a thousand thoughts and worries springing to mind. The doc had caught me in the hall, relieving some of the worry about Matt’s scare. He was fine, just a mild reaction to one of the new medications they had started him on for the upcoming treatments and they just wanted to watch him overnight. That was good news. He was fine. There was no need to panic. But seeing my brother in that bed had taken ten years or more off my life. I didn’t want to see him like that. I wanted him happy and healthy, and the only way that was going to happen was if I could get the rest of the money for his treatments.
Parking the car, I looked over at Sarah. “I’ll just be a minute.”
She nodded, and I walked the bag upstairs, finding my mom and Matt eating lunch. “Here,” I said, handing her the bag. “Everything’s in there.”
“Thank you, Paulie,” she replied, setting the bag on the floor. “Your friend, she’s nice.”
“She’s hot,” Matt added, giving me a knowing look. “Think she likes younger guys?”
I chuckled. “You need to concentrate on getting outta here tomorrow.”
Matt picked up a chicken tender, some of the color now returning to his face. “I’m fine, Paulie, I swear it.”
I gave him a thumbs up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”
He nodded, and I gave my mom a nod before walking out, knowing Sarah was waiting downstairs. As much as I wanted to drag my feet on this conversation, I knew it was going to happen eventually. I didn’t think that Sarah was the type to judge given her line of work, but I still didn’t want to lay out this vulnerable piece of my life for her to pick through it. Climbing into the car, I pulled out of the hospital parking lot, steeling myself from the onslaught of questions I knew she would have. “Go on,” I said softly. “Fire away.”
She made a noise as we pulled up to the stoplight, giving me a moment to look over at her. “Can we go somewhere to talk?” she asked, her eyes searching mine. I nodded and turned left at the light, deciding that if she was going to see it, she might as well see it all, including my place. On the way there, I swung into a fast food joint and got us something to eat before continuing on, pulling my car into my assigned parking spot. “Come on. Let’s go up.”
I didn’t look back at her expression as she entered the building, walking up the three flights of stairs before fumbling with my keys and opening the door. My apartment wasn’t anything to brag about. It was clean and cheap and not in the part of town that my mom lived in. While it was nothing compared to what Sarah was probably used to, I liked it, fitting me to a tee. I put the food on the cheap table in the dining room spot, walking to the fridge. “I got water and pop.”
“Water,” she answered as I opened the door. I grabbed two bottles of water and walked back over to the table, placing them on the scarred top. Sarah was
looking at me, and I leaned back in the chair, unscrewing the top. “Go on, what do you want to know?”
“What’s wrong with Matt?”
“Cancer, CNS Lymphoma.”
“Oh no, I’m so sorry, Paul.”
I shrugged, taking a sip of water. “He’s doing fine, the treatment’s working.”
Her eyes softened. “Still, it’s got to be hard. If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”
She looked so sincere that I could only nod, a lump in my throat. “What else?”
“So it’s just you, your mom, and your brother?”
“Yeah,” I answered, not wanting to elaborate any further. “I take care of them.”
She gave me a tender smile, melting some of the ice around my heart. “I know you do and you are doing a good job, Paul. They are lucky to have you.”
I cleared my throat and looked away, not liking the shiny aspect of her eyes. She was looking at me like I was a fucking saint. “I’m sure you have some questions about the place.”
Sarah laughed, causing me to look at her. “What? I like it.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Come on. It’s shit.”
She looked around the small apartment, giving me a little shrug. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As long as you are happy here, who cares what I think?”
Right now, she looked fucking beautiful. Not just physically, but also internally. Not many people would be able to overlook the apartment or the fact that I clearly did not have any money like she did. Call me petty, but it meant a great deal. Remembering the scene this morning, I felt my cloud return. “Why were you drinking coffee with Jack this morning?”
She looked startled. “What?”
“I saw you at the coffeehouse this morning.” Jealousy was rearing its ugly head once more, but I couldn’t help it.
The startled look changed to one of curiosity. “You saw me this morning?”
