“Half sister and she’s an adult. I’m sure she’s well past needing you to hold her hand.”
“Well, I’m here now!” Irena fumed.
“So you are, aren’t I lucky.”
She took some papers from her handbag and put them on the table.
“Apparently, these need my signature as your next of kin.”
Seth looked at the papers, then to me before finally turning his eyes back to his mother. “Leave them. Sophia signed everything as my next of kin.”
“Your what?” Seth’s mum turned and spluttered at me.
“She’s my next of kin now.”
“This floozy?”
“Is everything okay in here?” It was nurse Nancy with a face that looked anything but approving. “Because I’m going to have to ask you to keep it down in here. Everyone on this floor can hear you. It is a hospital, you know.”
“Nancy, meet the woman who gave birth to me, Irena. She’s finally decided to grace us with her presence. Tell me Nancy, in your experience, is it normal for a patient’s mother to wait this long before visiting her critically injured son that was in ICU for over a week?” Nancy said nothing. She didn’t need to, the look on her face said it all as she directed her eyes to Irena.
“The papers, what do I need to sign and submit?” I watched his mother’s jaw set to steel as she attempted to bring things back to the damned paperwork. I’d seen that look before on her son.
Nancy took the papers from the table and leafed through them before returning them.
“These are redundant. Sophia already signed them when Seth was unable to as his next of kin. I’m not sure why the hospital forwarded them to you, must have been an administrative error.”
“Why do you keep rabbiting on about her being his next of kin?” Irena glared between Seth and Nancy.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Things were getting totally out of hand. This was about to go tits up right here and now. What would Seth say?
What should I say?
Far out, I had no point of reference for this sort of family craziness.
“That would be because she was here right from the start and was his closest relative. Sophia and their friends have been his only visitors,” Nancy clarified and I could tell she enjoyed doing it.
The two women were glaring at each other now.
“Closest relative.” Irena looked like she was about to explode.
“She’s his fiancée and, as Seth pointed out just before, he’s not had a blood relative here before you.” I had to give it to Irena, she didn’t even flinch at the sting Nancy delivered. Instead, she spun around to Seth.
“Fiancée. I’m not buying it. You don’t do relationships. I don’t know how many times you’ve told me that.”
“And whose fault is that? I don’t like your taste in the women you want me to date. Besides, I told you I’d changed.”
Irena glanced at me assessing. I felt like I was in some crazy other dimension. There was so many questions and so much emotion and anger floating around.
“Where’s her ring?” Irena demanded and my stomach dropped.
Quick as you like, Seth came right back without a second of hesitation. “She’s not wearing it. Sophia came straight from training. Unlike some people, she’s hardly left my side.”
“She’s here more than I am, and that’s saying something,” Nancy mumbled clear enough for everyone to hear.
Irena chose to ignore the jab. “Training?”
“Sophia is a fighter like I am, you can’t wear rings.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re telling me you’re going to marry a woman that fights?”
“Seems that way and, once again, why do you care?” he said with a level of nonchalance that was targeted to piss her off more.
“Oh, I care, more than you think.”
“Not feelin’ it, Mum, haven’t felt it in about twenty odd years. You can go now. I don’t have anything more to say to you.”
“Well, I have plenty to say to you.”
“Not like I’ve been busy. You wouldn’t have even had to make a time, in fact you could have had my undivided attention.”
“Right. I’m going to ask you to leave now.” Nancy glared at Irena. “I have obs and other things that I need to do for your son.”
“She staying?” Irena glared at me and nodded.
“If Seth wants her here—yes,” Nancy confirmed for her.
“Sophia stays, I want her here.” His eyes didn’t leave his mother’s. He was delivering a message to her, but the conviction in his words at wanting me made my heart flip flop.
“Fine. I’ll go, but this is not the end of it, Seth. We’ve got things to discuss. I’m not going to let you ruin your life like your father did his.”
“Whatever. I’m not going to hold my breath. I’m still waiting on that birthday dinner you promised me about ten years ago, so excuse me for not getting too hung up on it.”
His mother spun on her heel and her angry footsteps echoed all the way down the hall. Seth seemed to deflate back against the bed, all the fight gone out of him. He massaged the bridge of his nose with the thumb and index finger of his left hand.
None of us said anything. What did you say to that? Nancy looked at me and I looked back at her and shrugged a little, indicating I had no idea.
“She always like that?” Nancy asked, sliding the blood pressure cuff onto his arm.
“Pretty much. You might want to wait a few minutes, I’m sure my BP is through the roof right now.”
Nancy sniggered and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re not on your own hon.”
I was still gobsmacked at what I’d just witnessed. I’d never seen anything like it. How could a mother speak to her son like that? If what she said wasn’t bad enough, it was the venom in the way she said it that was blowing my mind. There was some seriously intense bad blood between Seth and his mother and I wondered how much that shaped his thinking on many things.
He looked a lot embarrassed. “I’m sorry you both had to see that. Um, we don’t get on. Haven’t for a very long time. I never expected her to show up here.”
And wasn’t that sad in itself? A son had no expectation or desire for his mother to turn up when he’d been critically injured. I realized how telling that was about Seth in so many ways. He didn’t expect people to be there for him—the people who were supposed to be closest hadn’t been, it seemed.
“Nothing to be sorry about, stuff happens. I don’t appreciate people coming in here and upsetting my patients.”
There was a definite possessiveness and defensiveness about Nancy. You immediately knew she was the type who would fight to the death for the people who were important to her.
In fact, her words only served to punctuate how fucked up Seth’s relationship obviously was with his mother, although, I’m sure that wasn’t her intention.
Nancy made some notes in his file. “I’ll be back in a little while to check that BP again—it’s up, but that’s hardly a surprise. I just want to make sure it goes down.” She stared directly at Seth, then me. “You buzz me if you don’t feel good, you hear. I can rely on you Sophia, can’t I.”
I nodded. “I’ll make sure, Nancy.”
She gave me a warm smile a “Good girl,” and was gone.
We sat there for a few moments. I realized I hadn’t spoken to him throughout that whole exchange or after.
“Ready to run screaming for the hills? I wouldn’t blame you. She’s a bit of business.” His voice was filled with anger and resignation. There was also a level of embarrassment, I figured.
I gave a nervous chuckle, not quite knowing what to do. “Yeah, she’s certainly, umm...unique. But no, I think I’ll stick around. Besides, things just seem to have got interesting.”
“I’m not sure I’d call that interesting. I was thinking more along the lines of train wreck or clusterfuck,” he groaned out.
I took his hand and squeezed. That shit with his mum was crazy and definite
ly embarrassing for him, but not what was on my mind. “That wasn’t actually what I was talking about. I was referring to the bit before we were interrupted. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy that kiss a whole lot.”
He turned in the bed and looked at me. He was so handsome. I loved the hard masculine lines of his face. Seth screamed dangerous male from every pore. “I enjoyed it a whole lot too, right up to the point when she walked in. But I can’t do this now, Soph.”
He gritted his teeth in anger and his eyes narrowed. She’d certainly done a number on his mood. He’d said he wanted to talk about us. That train wasn’t at the station right now. Irena had inadvertently won that round. Bitch!
There was no way he was going to talk to me right now. The tension shimmered off his body like heat waves. In fact, I didn’t want to talk to him like this either. No good would come of it.
If we were going to talk about us, then I deserved his full attention and his mood and thinking focused on me.
I needed to get out of here and leave him to cool off, I sensed me being here was only going to make things worse at the moment.
“Um, I’m going to head down to the cafeteria and grab a coffee, you said you wanted to talk about us. Now’s not the time.”
“I did and no, it’s not.” He looked away for a moment, then back to me and I knew he was fighting an internal battle.
“I think that whatever we just went through calls for a chocolate bar. Screw the diet.” He nodded his agreement tightly. I stood up and grabbed my purse. “You want anything in particular?”
“Surprise me.”
“I can do that.”
He did give me a hint of a smile as I turned at the door.
Maybe it would be okay.
Seth
Why today?
Why, when I was planning one of the most difficult conversations of my life, did she have to turn up? When would she get it? I was done with her. Had been for years.
Maybe I should just forget this talk with Sophia and tackle it another time? Xander’s words had been running around in my head half the night and since I woke up this morning.
I’d been ready—all psyched up to talk to Sophia, when she turned up. Now my guts were churning again, just like after every visit from my mother.
The only thing to do was what I always did when mother called.
Put that shit out of my mind.
Don’t think about it. Just carry on.
God, I missed being able to get up and do something about all the shit that I was feeling. Exhaustion was my friend when this happened.
Hell, my crazy arse mother was half the reason I started martial arts in the first place. She wanted me out of the house and Ron Stayplton’s place ran classes every night. Win—win.
And for the next ten minutes, I was that ten-year-old kid again, feeling lost, lonely and angry at the world. Why didn’t I have a dad? Why did he have to do what he did? And then, there was him.
I’ll never forgive her for him.
“How are you today, Seth, my man?” Gavin, my new physio, called as he wheeled the walking frame through the door.
The walking frame—I’d immediately developed a love/hate relationship with that thing. I loved that it allowed me to get out of bed and I hated that it was a constant reminder of how limited my movement currently was.
Fuck it all. I was getting out of bed and I was going to work out. Even if it wasn’t the sort of work out I wanted to do. A hard round of bags and then some grappling would have been my preference.
“Let’s go,” I snarled.
Gavin was taken back a bit. “Everything okay, mate?”
“It will be when I get out of this fucking bed.”
He moved the walker into place and I threw the blankets off my legs. Gavin helped me maneuver from the bed to a standing position behind the frame.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt.
It hurt like all fuck.
But the anger and frustration running around inside me was worse.
“Just take it easy.”
I glared at him and headed for the door. Every step was agony. Physical pain I could stand. It was unpleasant and I didn’t enjoy it, rather I understood it and could work with it. That pain of feelings, the type that rocked you deep in your gut, that was the kind of pain I hated. That was pain I’d never get or understand.
I hated it. I’d do anything to make that fucker go away.
God, damn it!
Before I realized it, I was at the door and moving out. I had no idea where I was going, I was just getting the hell out of that damned room.
Gavin had a worried look on his face, when he rushed up beside me.
“Take it easy, Seth, we’ve only been doing this a couple of days. You don’t have anything to prove.”
The fuck I didn’t.
I was done with them all. I could do this on my own.
I had heaps to prove—to me and every other person that ever doubted me, ever ignored me, ever didn’t give a fuck about me—didn’t love me enough.
Didn’t love me enough?
That one set off a particularly painful rip to my gut.
“I love you, Seth.” Those words were rattling around in my head. I hadn’t heard them, since, well…a very long time ago.
How was it possible for me to simultaneously want to wrap myself up in that love, set fire to it, and run from it all at the same time?
Did I believe her? Yeah, I believed her. Sophia didn’t lie.
Xander had me convinced last night and before…then she turned up…
“Okay, Seth, that’s more than far enough. Let’s turn around and head back to the room.”
I looked up, the elevators where another fifteen metres. Fuck it, I was going to make it to them—I ignored him and kept walking.
Every step I took speared more agony through my hips and my arms began to tremble with the strain of taking most of my body weight.
I’d bitten off way more than I could chew. Way more than was smart.
This didn’t escape me, but there was no way I’d give up or fail. If it was going to be, it was up to me, and I was walking to the fucking elevators, then back. At least when the physical pain was really bad, it overwhelmed the emotional stuff. That demon was a badass motherfucker.
”Seth, you’re over-doing it,” Gavin pleaded.
“I’m fine.”
“You’ll be too sore tomorrow.”
“I’ll be fucking fine. I always am.”
And wasn’t that the truth of it!
I would be now as well, I couldn’t feel that claw to my gut so much anymore, just the burning agony in my hips. I embraced the pain, reveled in it!
That pain was my friend—my best friend—particularly when he chased away that evil feelings demon.
A few long minutes later, I made it back to bed and Gavin helped me get settled again.
“I think you should take some more pain meds. You’re going to need them. You pushed too hard, Seth,” Gavin chastised. He was about as scary as my grandma. He needed to take lessons from Nancy if he wanted to be a badass or intimidate.
“I’m fine.”
Nancy chose that moment to walk in. Her timing was uncanny. “Tough guy doesn’t want the pain medicine?” She just rose her eyebrows at me with a very unamused look. “How many times have I told you…”
“Yeah, I know. Bodies heal quicker if they’re not in pain,” I finished for her. I knew this speech by heart.
Pain medication was just another thing I hated. I had my reasons and I wasn’t about to discuss them with Nancy.
“Good then, I know it’s your pig headedness and stupidity stopping you from taking more—not some TBI related amnesia.”
“Ha ha…just leave me be.”
“Excellent idea. Take a nap.”
“Will you quit treating me like I’m about four. Next you’ll be bringing me a glass of milk,” I grumbled.
“I can certainly arrange that if you’d li
ke.” She even smiled sweetly.
“Actually, I would.” Bugger it! I was calling her bluff.
Nancy trotted off and returned a few moments later with a small plastic bottle of milk and a straw?
“What, no glass?”
“We’re not allowed to have glasses on the ward, they pose a risk to patients, particularly children.” Then, she placed a little cup with a couple of white pills in it on the table. “Try being a grown up and taking the pills as well. You never know, they might actually make you feel better.”
Chalk up another one to Nancy!
I was still man enough to admit when I’d been bested.
I twisted off the blue plastic lid and downed the pills and the milk in a few long swallows.
An approving smile crossed her face.
If only it was that easy to make all my problems go away.
12
Seth
I must have dozed off. When I woke, Sophia was sitting beside the bed, scrolling through her iPad. I wriggled up, trying to get a little more comfortable.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to doze off. Must be whatever Nancy gave me.”
“It’s fine, Seth. I heard you tried to set new distance records for the walker. Nurses are all checking to see if it’s been added as an event to the Olympics.”
“No point doing it unless you’re going to push it.”
“There’s push it and stupid. As long as you were doing the former and not the later,” she said with a concerned frown and one eyebrow raised.
“I know what I can do,” I defended.
“Great. Then, I’ll say no more on that.”
“Good! What did you get?” I’d actually expected her to give me more grief.
“A couple of Mars bars and a couple of Cherry Ripes”
“I’ll take a Cherry Ripe.”
She passed it to me and I tore the end off with my teeth and bit into it. Not bad.
Sophia turned the chocolate bar over and over in her hand.
“What’s up?”
Her eyes found mine and I read guilt.
“What’s up?”
“I’m not supposed to be eating junk. You know the fight and all.” She tried to shrug it off. I also know how much she loved chocolate.
Challenge: A Contemporary MMA Romance: Oni Fighters Book 3 Page 13
