Slightly Off Balance

by Kaylie Hunter

  “Tweedle, maybe you should step back,” Wayne said, struggling to control Reel as he pushed away again.

  I latched my arms around Reel’s neck and did what any sensible woman would do—I jumped up and threw my legs around his hips. Holding him close, I whispered calming words in his ear as I rubbed his back with one hand and held on with the other. I felt the rage slowly seep out of him before his arms moved around me to hold me against him. I kept talking to him as he leaned his head onto my shoulder.

  “Are you with me? Are you back with me again, Reel?”

  He nodded into my shoulder, and I kissed his cheek.

  Tilting my head back, I grinned at Reel. “Good, because if anyone gets to hurt this punk, it’s me.”

  Reel nodded, letting me slide down his body to stand on my own. He leaned his head down, briefly resting it on my shoulder and taking a deep breath. When he leaned back, he nodded again, “Yes, ma’am,”

  I kissed Reel briefly on the cheek before turning to the man on the ground. “Hey, asshole.” I placed my spiked heel on his chest, just under his chin. “I think you should explain to me why you drugged us before I jam my heel into your eye.”

  “You heard her,” Reel growled from behind me.

  Wayne and the other guy stood beside me, arms crossed.

  “Some guy paid me to drug you and lead you outside. I swear, it’s the truth. He said he was your boyfriend and was trying to teach you a lesson on being safe. He had a picture of you and him together. I swear on my life I’m telling the truth. I wouldn’t have hurt you or your friend.”

  “Something you want to tell me, babe?” Reel asked.

  “Do you have the picture?” I asked the guy on the ground, but he shook his head no. “Why drug my friend then?”

  “She was watching you like a Doberman. I couldn’t get to you without her seeing. She was only pretending to drink all those beers. The bartender was filling them with water for her. I had to drug her.”

  I leaned over and pulled his wallet. I took his driver’s license out and tossed the rest back to him.

  “You better hope my friend is okay. If she suffers because of your stupidity, you’ll be seeing me again.”

  I turned and walked down the alley toward the parking lot. I needed to see Tansey. I needed to know she was alright.

  “Damn,” Wayne chuckled as the boys followed.

  “That’s my girl,” Reel chuckled proudly behind me.

  “She has a nice ass too,” the tall guy chuckled.

  I heard the ooof as the air left his lungs.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When the glass doors slid opened to the ER, I could hear Tansey screaming from somewhere beyond the swinging doors. The security guard was busy arguing with Rod, trying to keep him in the waiting area, as I ran around them, following the terrified shrieks. Down the hall, around the corner, and into the first curtained room, I followed the screams, finding Tansey.

  “Get back!” I yelled, as I pushed past a nurse and climbed up onto the bed, pinning Tansey down. “Tansey! You’re safe! I’m here!”

  “Get me out of here!” she cried, straining to sit up and pull her arms free.

  They had strapped her to the bed. While holding one of her shoulders down, I pulled the buckle beside me to release one arm. Once freed, she gripped it around me. Rod raced in and hurried to the other side to unstrap the other arm.

  “What the hell are you doing to her!?” he yelled.

  “She needs the restraints,” the doctor said. “She was aggressive and trying to pull out her IV.”

  “She’s scared to death of hospitals!” I yelled as Tansey’s other arm was freed and she clung to me, sobbing. “Reel, get a wheelchair.”

  “On it,” Reel said, before disappearing down the hall.

  “Rod, unhook the IV bag from the stand. We need to move her outside.”

  “She can’t go anywhere,” the doctor argued. “We don’t even know what she was given yet.”

  “But obviously she’s responding. She’s awake.”

  “Her heart rate is escalated,” one of the nurses warned.

  “Her mother attempted suicide several times before finally succeeding. The last trip to the hospital, Tansey was covered in her mother’s blood. She’s terrified. We need to move her outside.”

  “Shit,” the nurse said, before moving a monitor to the end of the bed and releasing a latch so the bed would move. “Hold on.”

  She swung the bed out and toward the hall, with me still sitting partially on top of Tansey as her nails dug into my skin and her small frame trembled.

  “Wait a minute,” the doctor stammered.

  “I suggest you step out of the way,” Rod glared, getting between Tansey and the doctor.

  The doctor quickly stepped back, and Rod helped push the bed down the hall.

  “Guess you don’t need the chair,” Reel said, ditching the wheelchair in the walkway and grabbing the other side of the bed. “Clear a path, Wayne!”

  Wayne and the tall guy cleared people out of the way through the waiting room and to the sliding doors.

  “Almost there,” I whispered to Tansey, rocking her back and forth.

  “Her blood pressure is coming down,” the nurse nodded.

  They swung the bed out into the cool air and off to the side of the walkway.

  “BP 110 over 90,” the nurse told another doctor who had followed us out.

  “What’s the story here?” the other doctor asked, looking at the chart.

  “She was drugged at a nightclub earlier this evening. When she became alert, she started panicking,” the nurse answered “Appears she has some post-traumatic experiences from being in emergency rooms.”

  “Smart to move her outside,” the doctor nodded. “Do we have the toxicology report?”

  “No, but I think it was some type of sedative,” the nurse answered.

  I was listening to them but focused on Tansey. We were counting together. 52, 53, 54, 55, … Rod reached out and held one of her hands and counted with us. 60, 61, 62, 63, …

  “I’m okay,” Tansey nodded, taking a deep breath.

  “Yes, you are,” the nurse smiled. “BP 100 over 80. Pulse 110. I’m going to get you a blanket. I need you to promise not to disappear, okay?”

  “I’ll stay with her,” the doctor said.

  “Doctor, Deanna was drugged too, but doesn’t seem to have ingested as much,” Reel said, resting a hand on my shoulder.

  “Well, while you’re right here,” the doctor said, checking my eyes with a flashlight. He checked my pulse too, then unhooked the blood pressure monitor from Tansey and checked mine. I rolled my eyes, and Tansey giggled.

  “Blood pressure is a bit low, but nothing to be concerned about,” the doctor nodded, placing the cuff back on Tansey. “Do you feel dehydrated or tired?”

  “I’m good,” I shook my head. “What about Tansey? Can she go home tonight?”

  “Let’s run the IV for a while and keep an eye on her. But if she’s still doing good in an hour, we can let her go as long as she’s monitored the rest of the night.”

  “Oh, her ass will be monitored,” Rod smirked at Tansey.

  She tilted her head and smiled up at him.

  “You need me to look at those hands of yours?” the doctor asked Reel.

  Reel looked down at his hands before shoving them in his pockets.

  “No.”

  The doctor nodded. He left when the nurse returned with a blanket. “I brought a couple. Seems you ladies didn’t remember your coats tonight.”

  I passed one to Bridget as Reel wrapped one around my shoulders. I was still sitting, straddled over Tansey. I stumbled around some until I was turned to sit beside her with my legs hanging off the side of the bed. Reel took the corners of the blanket and draped them over my lap.

  “Wayne, I’m sorry I thought you were the bad guy,” I said, looking up at him.

  “Hell, little lady, I don’t blame you. You knew I had been standing nex
t to you and that I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t. I told Ryan it was a stupid plan,” he chuckled.

  “I was totally impressed with the cooler move!” Bridget giggled, bouncing up and down.

  “What cooler move?” Tansey asked.

  “I locked us in a cooler and dropped a rack over the handle so they couldn’t open the door,” I said.

  “How did you think of that so quickly?” the tall guy asked.

  “If you tell me your name, I’ll answer your question.”

  “Sorry, Deanna, this is Bones. Bones, this is Deanna,” Reel chuckled. “And, she knew that trick because when we were kids, Tansey and Deanna were playing in the bakery’s cooler and accidentally knocked the rack over, lodging the door shut.”

  “At least the fire department didn’t have to blowtorch the door open this time,” I said.

  “Eh-hmm.” Wayne cleared his throat. “This is probably bad timing and definitely none of my business, but I can’t shake the thought from my head.” He shifted his weight from one foot to another before looking back up at me. “At the B&B, we heard you yell at Ryan to get out of your room. Then at the bar, you said you were trying to get laid.”

  Ryan stiffened, placing a hand on my thigh and glaring at Wayne.

  “I’m sorry, but I need to know if Ryan stepped out of line.”

  “None of your damn business, Wayne,” Reel growled.

  “You made it our business when you hired us to protect her,” Bones snapped, crossing his arms over his massive chest.

  “It’s fine,” I said, pushing Reel’s hand off my lap. “Reel and I have been friends since we were kids, but tonight he said—he was going to regret this—and then he kissed me,” I shrugged. “I was mad.”

  Tansey reached a hand up and rubbed my arm. Bridget stepped back and punched Reel in the lower side of his back.

  “Shit,” Reel cursed, stumbling forward and leaning over. “Damn it, Bridget. The kidney? Really?”

  “That was just cruel,” Bridget glared.

  Rod laughed so hard, he leaned forward onto Tansey’s shoulder. “Reel, you’re such a dumbass.”

  Bones and Wayne were laughing too, though not as hard.

  “Why the hell did that piss you off?” Reel asked me.

  Bridget pulled her arm back again, but Bones dragged her a few feet away.

  “You were going to regret kissing me? Like I was some kind of embarrassment?” I glared.

  Reel looked down at me in surprise, with one eyebrow raised, before reaching up and cradling my face in his hands. “No, Deanna. I was going to regret it because I wouldn’t want to stop. I wanted you. And I knew that if I gave into it, I’d regret it later while I sat in a car for hours knowing you were with other men in that club.”

  I looked at him, watching his face. I could tell by the smirk that he was telling the truth. Tansey giggled beside me.

  “Well, I didn’t know,” I shrugged.

  “Well, now you do,” he said, leaning in to kiss me gently on the lips.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Aunt Carol and Uncle Mike had called three times before I was able to convince them that we were fine and would drive back in the morning. It was late by the time I got Tansey changed and settled into bed. Rod strolled into the room and curled up beside her, propping himself up and promising to keep an eye on her. It was just as well. My eyelids were heavy, and the adrenaline had worn off hours ago.

  I stumbled out of her room and into the next one over to sleep in my own assigned bed. On top of the comforter, fully dressed, Reel slept peacefully. He must have fallen asleep while he was waiting for me. Part of me wanted to curl up beside him. I had been in love with Reel Thurman since we were children, and he always made me feel safe and loved. But it was for that exact same reason that I knew I needed to protect myself. I couldn’t trust him to stay. To be part of my life.

  I turned and walked out of the room and down the stairs.

  Bones and Wayne quietly played cards in the parlor. Wayne lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as I walked past them to one of the sofas and curled up. Bones left the room, returning a few minutes later with a pillow and blanket for me.

  “Thanks,” I said, tucking the pillow under my head as he draped the blanket over me.

  Keeping baker’s hours was just part of who I was. Before dawn could blink on the horizon, I was up, tiptoeing past Wayne who slept on the other couch, and startling Bones in the kitchen.

  “Everything okay?” he asked, looking around.

  “Just have a routine,” I shrugged. “That fresh coffee?” I asked, nodding toward the coffee pot as I opened up cupboards.

  I had never stayed in a hotel, motel, or inn that had complained when I borrowed their kitchen to make homemade biscuits or other baked goods. This was my first time in a B&B, but I figured they would be like-minded.

  I pulled out several mixing bowls and found the baking supplies.

  “Cream?” Bones asked, after pouring me a cup of coffee.

  “Yes, please. Any particular bakery favorites?”

  “What’s your specialty?”

  “Everything,” I shrugged.

  “Apple strudel?” Bones challenged, pulling out some apples along with the cream.

  I nodded and got to work. By the time the cook arrived at 8:00, she pulled out a stool and drank coffee while sampling the baked goods. She definitely didn’t mind having the morning off, and I’d kept Bones busy cleaning the dishes, so the kitchen was cleaner than she had left it the day before.

  “I thought I smelled something,” Bridget giggled, bouncing into the room.

  Bones held out his half piece of apple strudel, and she latched onto it like a shark. I laughed and slid the platter to their end of the counter.

  “I should have known,” Reel grinned, sauntering in.

  “Oh, good, Goldilocks vacated my bedroom.” I took off the apron. “Pull the pie in about eight minutes, but keep an eye on it and make sure the top crust doesn’t burn,” I said, passing him the apron.

  “And if it’s burning?”

  “I got it,” the cook chuckled as I escaped from the kitchen and up the stairs.

  Trying not to look in the mirror, I stripped off my dress from the night before and dug through my ratted hair for the lost hair clips, before stepping into the steamy shower. The water melted the prior night off my skin and out of my mind. The scent of lavender soap filled the air as I lathered up.

  I stayed in the shower until I was feeling guilty for hogging the hot water and finally turned the valves off. Wrapped in fresh towels, I rummaged through my duffle bag, disappointed to find Tansey had packed my yellow skirt with a blue shirt. It wasn’t even the blue shirt with yellow flowers, so it wasn’t coordinated. Luckily, I had my white sweater and sandals, so it would do until I got home. I was ready to go downstairs when my phone rang.

  After looking at the display, I sighed and answered, “Hello, Mother.”

  “Deanna, dear, the gossip has died down. I think it would be socially acceptable for us to meet for breakfast this morning. Actually, brunch is more fashionable. Say, 11:00 at the country club?”

  Pine Valley didn’t have a country club, but townsfolk called the expensive restaurant up at the lake just that. I had no understanding of how my mother could afford to eat there. To my knowledge, she had never worked a day in her life, and it wasn’t like my father was sending her money. I probably didn’t want to know how she managed it.

  “I’m out of town. We’ll have to meet another day,” I said, looking around the room to make sure I had packed everything before zipping my bag closed.

  “Where are you? You couldn’t have gone too far.”

  “Goodbye, Mother,” I said, before hitting the end button.

  I grabbed my duffle and turned to leave, seeing Tansey just inside the doorway grinning at me.

  “You look back to your old self again.”

  “I feel like I slept a week. Maybe I should get drugged more often.�
�

  “Let’s not,” I said as I looped an arm through hers and turned her out the doorway. “Baked goods galore downstairs. You hungry?”

  “Starving. Is that baked apples I smell?”

  “Apple strudel. I let Bones pick the specialty this morning.”

  “Which one is Bones again?”

  “The tall, dark, and dangerous-looking one.”

  “As opposed to the bulky badass cowboy and the twins that look like street fighters?” Tansey grinned.

  “Lots of testosterone, that’s for sure.”

  “You sneaking out?” Tansey asked, nodding to my duffle bag.

  “Do you mind? I want to go see Grandpa and need some alone time.”

  “Go, but be safe. Watch to make sure no one follows you. I’ll tell the others you’re still upstairs.”

  I kissed Tansey’s cheek and slipped out the front door while everyone was in the kitchen. Sliding behind the wheel of my VW Bug, I threw it in neutral and let it coast down the drive. When I was far enough away from the house, I popped the clutch and started it up. I sped off down the road, a grin on my face and my eyes watching the mirrors for anyone following me. Freedom, I thought as I rolled down the windows.

  Chapter Fifteen

  My grandpa, once sharp as a tack and as confrontational as a grizzly, walked around the house in his bathrobe, looking lost and mumbling to himself. I tried to talk to him, but it only made him agitated. The live-in nurse, accustomed to my Tuesday visits, escaped for a reprieve as soon as I arrived. She wouldn’t return for a few hours, and I couldn’t say I blamed her, though I didn’t particularly like her either. Hell, I didn’t even know her name.

  Grandpa’s housekeeper had quit a few weeks before, and I sighed as I looked around at the disastrous state of the house. Knowing it wasn’t the nurse’s job to keep the house clean, I still cringed at how anyone could live somewhere with dust coating the furniture and dirty dishes stacked everywhere. My grandmother, bless her heart, would come back to haunt us all if she knew how disastrous her house looked.