Fight of Life (Perception Book 3)

by Shandi Boyes

  “Don’t even think about it” I advise as I lift my hand out in front of his face, causing him to slightly chuckle.

  “You have a lot of explaining to do before you ever get a chance of getting into my panties again” I advise firmly, making Jacob let out a small frustrated groan as he adjusts himself.

  “Please don’t say panties again. I am wound up that tight I might soon fucking explode” Jacob replies painfully.

  “I have been finding out the past few months that blue balls really do exist. It isn’t just some manufactured line that guys use to get into a girl’s cookie jar. It is a real medical issue” says Jacob seriously, causing me to start giggling.

  Then when he looks at me like he is seriously in pain and is not joking, I start laughing even louder. It isn’t a nice lady like laugh either, I full on laugh that I have tears streaming down my face and suddenly have an urgent need to pee.

  “I feel for the lucky lady that gets to handle that eruption” I giggle loudly.

  “It must be your lucky day” Jacob laughs as his hungry eyes roam over my body, forcing my laughter to quickly die down.

  There is nothing more I would like to do right now than climb onto Jacob’s lap and take out all of my sexual frustration on him. But, I am still hurt over the pictures I saw a few months ago. Jacob and I had an agreement that he broke the instant he questioned me about Flynn. Why does he feel that he can question me about who I might be sleeping with, if I am not allowed to question his companions? As much as I want to know who the girl in the photo is and what her and Jacob did together, I know that now isn’t the right time for Jacob to be dealing with this. He has enough on his plate without me adding anything extra.

  “What happened at court today?” I question trying to change the conversation to a mutual territory.

  “I got six months’ probation and community service. The community service is at Hopeton House. It is a home for street kids when they don’t have anywhere else to go” Jacob advises smiling while he takes a swig out of his beer.

  “The only bad part is they have scheduled me to be at the house twenty-four hours a day, Monday to Friday, starting this week. Which means I have to break the promise I made to Noah” He advises sullenly as he stares out into space.

  “I am sure he will understand Jacob” I respond. I want to tell Jacob that he has been there for Noah more than anyone would have ever expected, but I decide to keep that snippet of information to myself. I know that Jacob and Noah have a huge bond and it’s not my place to say how he should handle this type of situation.

  “How did you get the conviction overturned?” Jacob questions me as his gaze lowers back down to mine.

  “How do you know it was me?” I question. Jacob cocks one of his eyebrows into the air, as he continues staring at me.

  “I threatened to press charges against Callum if he didn’t change his statement” I reply while I start peeling the label off my beer bottle, trying to avoid looking at Jacob’s shocked and angry glare.

  Jacob lets out a long frustrated growl, before he gently places his hand under my chin to force me to look at his face.

  “Please tell me you didn’t go to his house alone?” he questions concerned as his eyes flick between mine.

  “I didn’t go alone” I reply, causing Jacob to release the breath he was holding in.

  “I took Hank” I advise, causing Jacob’s eyes to pop open in surprise.

  Chapter 47

  Jacob

  When Lola said she took Hank with her to Callum’s house my first reaction was surprise. But then I ended up being relieved that she was at least smart enough not to go to his house alone. Hank seems pretty harmless, until you piss him off. I had to find that out the hard way after I was arrested for battery. The days following my arrest, Hank didn’t hold back in the ring and I would often be sporting a few extra bruises after our training session. I knew that I hadn’t just thrown my own dreams down the toilet when I got arrested, I also flushed Hank’s. I am still trying to work out a way to make it up to him.

  “I am sorry Jacob, but I have to go. I have to get to work” states Lola, interrupting me from my thoughts. Just spending the last hour with her had made me forget everything that was happening with Noah. But I really should be getting back to the hospital as Emily is probably panicked that I have been gone so long.

  When I pulled my car in next to Lola’s jeep, she surprised me by leaning over and placing a gentle kiss against my lips before she whispered “I miss you Jacob”. She then darted out of my car and jumped into her jeep and I watched as she bolted out of the carpark like a woman on a mission.

  “I miss you too CT” I whispered to myself.

  The whole drive back to the hospital I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Today, I have so far managed to escape a jail conviction, found out Lola didn’t sleep with Flynn and she just admitted that she misses me. Some people might not see the last one as much of a victory, but they obviously don’t know Lola. Just getting her to admit that she misses me was a huge deal.

  When I happily stroll back into the hospital room, I notice that Emily is talking on her cell phone, so I lean against the door and wait for her to finish her call. When she questions if Lola has seen me I let out a little cough, causing Emily’s eyes to dart up from the ground. She quickly disconnects the call and comes running over towards me, before throwing herself into my arms.

  “Your back” she screams loudly in my ear, causing me to chuckle.

  When she tries to remove herself from my embrace, I hold onto her tight as I walk over to stand near Noah’s bed.

  “Come on Noah, don’t act like you don’t want to get out of that bed and kick my arse!” I taunt sternly. I knew if there was any chance of getting a rise out of Noah I needed to use Emily as bait.

  “I have your girl in my arms and you’re not going to do anything about it” I continue as Emily angrily glares at me.

  “Don’t be an ass Jacob” Emily states firmly as she tries to wiggle out of my embrace. I try not to laugh, but when I spot Emily’s attempt at an angry scowl, I can’t help but chuckle.

  “That’s the first time I have ever heard you swear Em” I laugh. Then when she does a pathetic little slap on my bicep, I can no longer hold in my laughter. Emily and Lola can’t be anymore opposite if they tried. Lola would have put me on my ass for laughing at her, where it felt like Emily was trying to squat a fly when she slapped me.

  My laughter immediately subsidies when I peer back over towards Noah and see that his fists are clenched tight.

  “I fucking knew you wouldn’t be able to help yourself” I declare excitedly as I quickly move towards him and wrap my hand around his tightened fist.

  “Come on Noah, wake up and kick my ass” I whisper roughly into his ear, then I won’t feel so bad about breaking my promise. My heart rate starts to soar when I observe that he lifts his hand off the bed. When my gaze flicks to Emily, she is smiling with excitement and has happy tears sliding down her face. Noah mumbles something, before his hand moves towards the ventilator tube.

  “Get a nurse” I instruct to Emily as I move Noah’s hand away from the tube. Emily quickly darts to the corridor and not long later a nurse comes into the room. She does some quick observations on Noah, as I continue holding down his hands.

  “Help him” I plead to the nurse.

  “We can’t just remove the ventilator tube or his lungs may collapse” she advises as another nurse enters the room. She urgently rushes towards Noah’s IV line and pushes a syringe into the tube. Not long later, Noah slowly stops fighting against my hold, but the guilt I already feel from holding him down is overwhelming. I hesitantly move away from his bed, unsure if he may attempt to remove the tube again.

  “Why can’t you just take it out, he obviously doesn’t want it in there?” I question angrily to the nurse. My earlier happy mood soon starts becoming a distant memory.

  “When patients have been on a ventilator machine as long as Noah h
as you need to slowly wean them off it. If we just removed it, there was a possibility that his lungs could have collapsed. We will start the process of weaning Noah off the ventilator and if he handles that we will be able to fully remove it within a few days” she informs kindly.

  *****

  They ended up removing Noah’s tube a few days later and he managed to maintain the required oxygen levels to keep the doctors happy. A couple of hours after they fully removed the tube, I had to leave Noah to attend my first anger management class. Then the very next morning, I was scheduled to arrive for my first full week of Community Service. The guilt I felt leaving both Noah and Emily was immense. I had promised Noah that I would be by his side every day and I can no longer keep my fucking promise. Emily tried to tell me that Noah would understand, but she doesn’t understand that when we promised each other something, we follow through with that promise.

  As I exit the hospital lift, I spot Noah’s mom standing at the reception desk. I had rung her the day after Noah’s accident to advise her that he was in the hospital, but she has never bothered to turn up to visit Noah in the past six weeks. The only time I have ever heard from her is when she wanted money.

  “What are you doing here?” I question roughly as I quickly close the distance between us.

  “I was planning on visiting my son, but supposably there is no one by the name of Noah Taylor admitted in this hospital” she replies sternly as her eyes narrow at the receptionist.

  I roughly grab a hold of Maree’s arm and drag her away from the reception desk. I am not normally an aggressive person, but after I had witnessed firsthand the way she treated Noah, it soon became apparent to me that Maree has no right to be treated like a lady. The person standing before me is nothing but a vindictive, conniving, two faced monster.

  “What do you want? Did you run out of money again?” I question angrily, as her eyes narrow into thin slits.

  “That is no concern of yours” she spits venomously, making me smirk. She certainly had no troubles taking my money before now. I had been placing money in her account every month for the past year to try and force her to stay away from Noah. I only cancelled the deposit arrangement after Noah had informed me that he had her sign a disclosure statement.

  “Your bottomless money pit has now dried up. You will not get one more cent from Noah or myself” I reply sternly. Her face morphs into shock, as her eyes flick between mine.

  “Is he dead?” she questions. I nearly shake my head no at her questions, but then I notice that her composure seems so calm. She doesn’t even seem slightly upset that her own son may be dead. She looks at me and smiles, before she starts trying to remove herself from my grip.

  “Let me go. I have to call a lawyer” she advises while smirking. She is even more psychotic than even I had originally comprehended. I release my grip on her arm and she briskly starts to walk towards the hospitals exit.

  “Even in his death, you still won’t get a cent” I yell, causing her to freeze just before she exits the double glass doors. She spins around on her heels and quickly closes the distance between us.

  “Like hell I won’t” she snarls angrily.

  “Noah had his will done not long before his accident. He made Emily his power of attorney. He even had it doctored that you were not to get one single cent from his whole estate” I inform smirking. While having great pleasure in watching the smirk being wiped right off her face.

  “He would never do such a thing. Because at the end of the day, I am still his mother” she whispers harshly.

  “You don’t even deserve the title” I sneer back. Her eyes narrow as she lifts her hand and attempts to slap me across the face, but I grab a hold of her hand before it connects with my cheek.

  “Enjoy living in the gutter, where you belong” I snarl, as I release her hand and storm out of the hospital. I needed to get as much distance between Maree and myself before I end up doing something that I may later regret.

  Chapter 48

  Lola

  “Hey Lola” calls out a voice in the distance. I stop walking towards Hank’s gym and turn towards the voice. My heart plunges into my stomach when I spot Curtis briskly walking towards me.

  “So this is where you learnt your famous right hook hey” he questions as he looks through the glass door of Hank’s gym.

  “Did you want me to show it to you again?” I respond, as I cock out my hip and narrow my eyes at him.

  “Always so fucking sassy” he replies, while rolling his eyes.

  “Always such an asshole” I mumble under my breath. From the way his eyes narrow towards me, I am pretty sure he heard my statement.

  “What do you want Curtis?” I question, as I notice Hank moves near the glass door and cautiously watches the exchange between Curtis and I.

  “I don’t want anything. I just noticed you walking by and thought I should say hello, since I haven’t seen you around much lately” he advises in a condescending tone.

  He then smirks at me, before he slowly makes his way towards his truck parked in the empty car park. When I peer inside the truck, I spot Callum sitting in the passenger seat. My gaze stays firmly planted on Curtis’s truck, until he pulls out of the isolated carpark.

  “Is everything okay Lola?” Hank questions when he joins me out on the footpath.

  “Yeah, I think so” I reply apprehensively. But I just can’t shake the feeling that Curtis is up to something. Hank’s gym is tucked away behind the main shopping complex. There was no way he was just driving past and spotted me here.

  “Will you reconsider my offer to move in with me?” I question. Hank huffs loudly in annoyance, before he walks inside the gym with me following closely behind.

  “Just think about it Hank. You need a place to stay and I need a roommate. It’s a win win for both of us” I stumble out. Hank’s angry gaze turns to face me, making me halt in my step.

  “I said no Lola. How would it look if a fifty-seven-year old man was living on the couch in a twenty-three-year old girl’s apartment?” he responds sternly.

  “It will make you the envy of every old guy in town” I cheekily reply. Hank tries to keep his face tight and stern, but it soon falters and his face eventually morphs into a smirk.

  “I am fine how I am Lola, but I am gracious for the offer” he replies thankfully. “Now get your ass into the ring and give me thirty burpees” he continues, making me groan in frustration. I hate burpees and Hank knows it.

  After a gruelling and exhausting work out with Hank, I take one of the world’s longest showers. I needed the hot water to try and help ease my aching muscles. I don’t think I am even going to be able to sit on the toilet unaided for a week as my thighs are so sore. I have certainly learnt my lesson and I will never once be sassy to Hank again.

  As I make my way out of the shower, I hear my cell phone ringing on the kitchen bench. When I peer down at the screen, I notice Jacob’s smiling face illuminating back.

  “Hello Jacob” I greet apprehensively. This is the first time Jacob has called me in nearly two months. We have been texting back and forth the past few days, but they were just short quick messages mainly regarding Noah and Emily.

  “Hi Lola, how are you?” he greets quietly.

  “I’m good and you?” I ask concerned, since he seems a little upset.

  “Um, yeah I am good. Are you busy Saturday morning?” he enquires as he breathes harshly down the phone.

  “No…why?” I question slowly.

  “Can you meet me somewhere?” he responds quickly.

  Jacob ends up reciting to me an address for a property located at Ravenshoe and requests for me to meet him there at nine am Saturday morning before he disconnects the call.

  ****

  When I first arrived at the address Jacob had given, I hesitantly pulled into a spare carpark at the front. I double check that the address I had written down matches the one displayed at the front of the office complex and I am surprised to find that it is the sa
me address. I pull my cell phone out of my pocket to call Jacob, since he had obviously recited me the wrong details. Just as I was about to hit the call button, I notice Jacob standing in the foyer of the building. My eyebrows pull together tightly, as I make my way from my car to Jacob. When he notices me approaching, he offers me a small and hesitant smile.

  “Hi Jacob” I greet suspiciously. Why the hell did he want me to meet him at an office building?

  “Lola” he replies nervously. I try to seek Jacob’s gaze, but he keeps shooting his eyes around the small foyer. My eyes end up following his and I take in the small outdated office foyer. There is a wooden staircase to my right, a small hallway table to my left covered with various pamphlets and several doors are lining the corridor. I move towards the first closed door and when I read the plaque on the door, my furious gaze turns back to Jacob.