Slide Job (Cameron Motorsports)

by Fox, Sutton

Her crew chief was the first to comment. “Damn girl, we might be able to save the seat.”

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence, Jack.”

  “Wow, Morgan, I’ve never seen you flip that many times! This was nothing like when you flipped in California,” chirped Phil with excitement. Eyes wide and a big grin splitting his face, he couldn’t help but shake his head. “Look at your car!”

  Phil handed her a bottle of water, fulfilling one of his responsibilities as pit crewmember. He roamed around the broken wreck as she sipped at her water. Around and around he went, touching here and testing there. Whistling at the pieces of broken drive shaft left in the pit stall next to the crinkled top and front wings by the track workers, Phil grinned over at her.

  “You’ve got company, don’t look now.”

  Morgan closed her eyes and sighed. For a brief moment she had forgotten about the camera crew, a gangrenous extension of her life these days. They were always there, draining joy from every personal and private minute, forcing her to be on guard constantly. It didn’t take long for the spark of injured pride to light the fire of humiliation. Whipping the cloak of anger around her like a shield, Morgan turned to face the camera.

  Cheeks blazing, Morgan glared for a moment at the man who stood just behind the cameraman. Tyler. Quickly masking her feelings, she spoke. “Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you.”

  With a half smile she shrugged her shoulders and made a rapid turn on her heel. Movement took her swiftly to the hauler to see what could be done about loading the wrinkled remains of the sprint car.

  While she looked in the toolbox for a wrench, Morgan glanced up to see Jim O’Bannon striding angrily toward her pit stall. Knowing the cameras were rolling didn’t stop her as she hurried out of the hauler to come toe to toe with him.

  “Why don’t you learn how to drive your damn car!” Jim snapped at her, fists held at his sides and clenched tight.

  “If you hadn’t been in my way, we’d both be racing right now, moron!” Morgan countered as she stabbed her water bottle in his chest, splashing cold water on both of them. Intimidation didn’t work on her. He was nothing but a little bully with a big attitude.

  Omniscient in his scent for trouble, the track owner quickly appeared to grab Jim by the arm, and attempted to lead him away before he could create more difficulties.

  Never one to miss a cue, Phil stepped in, forced himself between Morgan and Jim. “Back off, O’Bannon.”

  “You better call off your puppy before I hurt him,” Jim growled.

  “That’s enough, boys and girls. Jim, you better get back to your own pit stall,” said the track owner. “You know the rules here. Just in case you forgot, let me refresh your memory. No one and I mean no one from a competing team is allowed in another pit stall directly after a race. You’ve got to wait at least an hour. Give everybody time to cool down. You got that?”

  With one last rude look and gesture, Jim stalked away through the gathered crowd. Morgan watched him go through narrowed eyes.

  Pit stall was a true exaggeration for dirt racing. Some racetracks she’d raced at were lucky enough to have a few concrete pads to unload the car on. In this case all the haulers and trailers were lined up side-by-side and row-by-row, like soldiers, camped out in a field of dirt.

  Her pit was simply the invisible space around the area where the hauler and car were unloaded. It was clearly recognizable to those in the racing community, just like one’s own personal space. Truly a matter of territory. She was damn tired of Jim invading hers.

  “That is going to make great television,” Tyler said to the cameraman, Blake Hardy, with a grin. “What a piece.”

  Still furious about wrecking her car, Morgan overheard the last comment Tyler made. Like lightning looking for a place to strike she jumped all over him with both feet.

  Striding forward, she put her hand over the camera lens and barked, “Shut that thing off!” Blake backed quickly out of range and raised the camera out of reach, which wasn’t hard considering he was a foot taller than she was. She rounded on Tyler.

  “What was that chauvinistic remark you made? Next, I suppose you’re going to make some archaic remark about women drivers.”

  Tyler simply stared at her, his gaze serene. He looked at her like one might a kindergartener. Full of patience, hoping the kid will grow out of it.

  “No comment from the peanut gallery?” Morgan sneered. Pacing around the other side of the car, she stared at him. How could he look so cool and unaffected? Not a single blonde hair out of place. Those cool, sky blue eyes looked at her like she had just sprouted two heads.

  “Don’t you want to get your shots in as well?” She tried again to bait him. It was hard to fight when the other person wouldn’t cooperate.

  The smell of grilling hamburgers and popping corn from the concession stand, combined with the sudden drop of adrenaline, made her stomach pitch and heave. Her arms were starting to throb like a toothache, and her knee felt like someone had taken a bat to it. She must have banged it on something in the car. Her back felt sticky and gross from the fuel spill and the sweat. It was easier to hide in her anger than to admit she was in pain, so she tried once more.

  “Or is this too much for you? Are you afraid you might get dirty? Why don’t you take those fancy shoes of yours and your cameraman and go film someone else?” She knew she was being infantile, but couldn’t stop. As she stormed into the hauler, she made sure to deliberately pass by him, shuffle her feet and kick dirt on his shoes.

  *

  Tyler knew she needed to blow off steam, so he let her roll. She appeared to be okay. His momma had taught him never to poke at angry animals, so he didn’t voice his concern.

  Watching the car flip over and over, knowing she was inside, he’d felt his heart stop in his chest. Never in his thirty-five years had he witnessed a crash like that. And she walked away! It amazed him that she was so nonchalant about it. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but his knees were still shaking from the scare.

  Remembering their last night together, he knew she acted nonchalant about a lot of things. Well, he couldn’t. Being that afraid of intimacy, as he well knew, told him she hurt soul deep. Curiosity and desire drove him to find out why. Once she’d cooled off, they’d talk. Until then, he’d ride out her tirade.

  She was magnificent! No wonder she was the fan favorite, with hair the color of fine mink, sweaty and plastered to her head in the places it wasn’t curling and sticking up. Her brown eyes blazed amber fire.

  He’d looked at the final edits for the last five weeks and was captivated by the prickly brunette as she appeared week after week on film. This was the first time she had really lost her poise in public. Tyler was itching to find out what kept her so tightly wound she wouldn’t drop her guard.

  Looking down at his dust-covered shoes, he realized maybe they were a little impractical for a dirt track. He simply hadn’t given it a thought. He always wore Gucci loafers. In his estimation they were the next best thing to being barefoot. Tyler looked around at the pit crew wearing worn sneakers and work boots. Funny, everyone seemed intent on getting the car fixed up. No one looked in his direction. He was sure, if he were to replay the film, every pair of eyes would have been glued to him until the moment he raised his head.

  Since patience was his strong suit, he just shrugged his shoulders, nodded his head in the crew’s general direction and walked away. He knew from having three sisters, it was best to let an angry female cool off in her own space.

  *

  Cooling off wasn’t exactly what Morgan was doing. She sat on a folding chair and contemplated her own stupidity. She knew she had to win this competition. Her family desperately needed the prize money.

  Not to mention endorsement money she might be able to make from winning a FASPRO truck ride. Running a racing team full time was an expensive proposition at the best of times. Things were getting tighter and tighter. Messages from bill collectors were saved on her phon
e. Return calls would have to be placed soon, or there would be lawyers instead.

  She would be lucky if she didn’t get kicked off the show this time. Morgan leaned her head back, closed her eyes and groaned. Not about the pain it caused her to tilt her head, or about the fact she and her crew would have to work most of the night to get the back-up car ready.

  It was all about the fact she had just completely insulted the show’s producer. Not only insulted, but kicked dirt on the man’s shoes, for goodness sake. Let’s not forget the fact she’d seduced him in his own hotel room. Damn and double damn.

  She knew Jack would drain the battery in the cell phone giving her mother every detail. At least he didn’t know about her sexcapade with Tyler.

  Jack walked through the door just as the cabinets in the hauler started to spin.

  “Morgan, are you feeling well enough to give us a hand with the car?”

  Her stomach lurched as everything spun faster. One hand pressed to her abdomen, one pressed to her mouth, she didn’t have any more hands to stop the pounding in her head. She was going to be sick.

  “Call...the ambulance back. I’m...”

  *

  Tyler took turns with Jack, pacing the hospital emergency room hallway.

  “Would both of you sit down! You’re only making it worse.” Stephanie frowned at both of them, standing up. “I’m going to get some coffee. Do you guys want any?”

  Jack shook his head. “No thanks, I’ve had enough.”

  “Get me some from the doctor’s lounge, it tastes better.”

  “Tyler, you’re a pain. Okay. I’ll be right back.” Stephanie quickly made her way toward the elevators. “You better hope Mom doesn’t find out we’ve been snitching coffee again.”

  Tyler ignored Jack’s questioning glance and walked over to sit next to Annie. She sprawled across a bench, sound asleep, using Stephanie’s purse for a pillow.

  Some days you had luck and some days you didn’t. Tyler couldn’t believe how fast his had run out. Of all the hospitals Morgan could end up in, it had to be this one. Nashville Regional Medical Center. His mother, practicing cardiologist and Chief of Medical Staff, worked here. She practically lived here.

  The emergency room waiting area hadn’t changed much in twenty years. New paint and furniture continued to house tired, bored or worried faces. It still had the same antiseptic smell.

  The doctor came through the door just as Stephanie came around the corner with the coffee.

  “Jack Wilson?”

  Jack stepped forward and waved his hand. “That’s me. How is she?”

  The doctor chuckled. “She’ll be fine. She’s a little testy, keeps asking to see you and somebody named Tyler.”

  Tyler rose from where Annie slept, with a nod to Stephanie.

  “Go ahead. I’ll wait here with Annie.” She smiled a tender smile, her eyes filled with compassion.

  He didn’t know what he would do without her. “I’m Tyler, and you are?”

  “I’m Doctor Miller. Come this way please.” Dressed in pale blue scrubs, he led them into the patient care area of the emergency room.

  Dressed in a blue and white checked hospital gown, Morgan looked pale lying on the white sheets. She smiled when she recognized them. “Hey guys, come to break me out of here?”

  “I don’t know.” Jack shook his head at her and turned his gaze to the doctor. “It depends on what the man here says.”

  Doctor Miller spoke, looking at each of them directly, focusing last on Morgan. “She’ll be fine. She’s got a bit of a concussion, a few severe hematomas.” At Jack’s puzzled look, the doctor explained. “Severe bruising on her shoulders, legs and chest. I’ve scheduled her for an MRI to make sure everything looks okay. If that checks out, she can go.”

  Tyler watched relief and pain take turns sliding over Morgan’s face. Her voice, raspy and tired, came out slowly. “Great, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  “You aren’t going to be doing anything,” Doctor Miller insisted. “With a concussion, even a mild one, as yours appears to be, you need a few days of rest. No stress, no straining.”

  “I...I...can’t.” Morgan struggled to hold back tears that slipped out anyway. Her hands clenched the sheet and she sat back against the pillow. For the first time, she looked helpless.

  The need to hold her overwhelmed him. Tyler clasped his hands together to keep from reaching for her. The hurt in her eyes was palpable. She thought she’d lost. He could see it.

  Jack moved close to the bed, patted Morgan’s back. “Do you want me to call your mom and dad?”

  “No, not yet. Let’s wait for the test results before we worry them. This show won’t air yet, will it?” She directed this at Tyler.

  “No. Not until next week.” He rubbed his tired eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. The doctor excused himself to care for other patients, assuring them he’d be back.

  “There is something I didn’t have the chance to tell you. We have a four-day break before we start filming again.” Watching Morgan’s face was like watching the sun rise. He could see the comprehension dawn as her face lit up.

  “Really?”

  He couldn’t help it, he smiled along with her. “Yeah, really.”

  “What am I going to do for four days?” Morgan wondered out loud.

  A voice from outside Morgan’s room made Tyler flinch. Oh, boy. He’d been found out. That familiar sound could only be his mother’s strident voice as she talked to the doctor. The low heels she always wore clicked on the tile when she pulled back the curtain.

  She looked great. Tyler hadn’t seen her in four months. His shows and her job didn’t allow all the maternal visits he knew she would have liked.

  “Tyler. Imagine my surprise at Stephanie’s phone call. I was in the parking lot, so I just turned right around and came back in.” She hugged him tight. Funny, she still carried the subtle hint of gardenias.

  “Morgan, Jack, this is my mother. Doctor Patricia Ann Dalton.”

  She smiled her best down-home smile. Uh-oh. The family barbeque was this weekend. The whole family would be there. He made a mental note to strangle Stephanie as soon as he got the chance.

  “Patty Ann. Just call me Patty Ann.” She waved her competent hands in the air and shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t you worry for a minute about what you’re going to do. That’s no problem at all. You’re all going to come home and stay with us.”

  Chapter 15

  Complete silence greeted Patty Ann’s back-handed invitation. Morgan’s stomach lurched and rolled. Stay with Tyler’s mother? The noise made by the hospital staff outside the curtained area faded into the background. She felt like she’d stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone. How much weirder could things get? At least Jack and Phil would be there with her.

  Wait. What was she thinking? Stay with his parents? Oh, she must have hit her head harder than she thought to even be considering it.

  Good manners prompted Morgan to say something in the silence. “Thank you. We really can’t. But thanks.” She managed to will her lips into a weak smile. Her own mother would have been proud.

  Surprising her, Jack spoke. “I sure do thank you for the invitation, ma’am. But I’ve got the car to take care of. If you don’t mind takin’ care of this un’ for a few days,” he tilted his head in Morgan’s direction, “we can handle everything else.”

  Jack smiled at Dr. Dalton, acting like the man in charge and not sparing a glance for Morgan. “The back-up car needs to be ready. We’ve got to get the wrecked car to salvage and get the rig on up to Ohio.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

  Irritated at being talked around like a child, Morgan protested. “Jack, you can’t do that by yourself. You’ll need my help.” Her nervous hand smoothed the sheet in a repetitive motion. She clenched her jaw, even as drums began pounding in her head.

  “That’s what you pay us for. Phil and I’ll be fine. You don’t need to be sleepin’ in
no hauler right now. You need good rest if you’re goin’ to see this thing through.”

  She looked at Jack and he met her gaze directly. His red-rimmed, gray eyes spoke volumes. Fatigue etched deep grooves into his face. She could see his exhaustion. If he worried about her, he wouldn’t do what needed to be done. Dammit! Fine damn time for the man to act like a father figure.

  One thought led to another, her father. He didn’t need this right now. Her parents had enough to deal with. She couldn’t, no, wouldn’t, dump this on them. Finally, her own two feet and psyche would support her. No matter the outcome.

  A line from an old song drifted haphazardly through her mind. You can’t go home, but ya can’t stay here... Shit. She was trapped.

  “Well, it’s settled then.” Patty Ann smiled and looked at her watch. “It’s nigh on three-thirty in the morning. No wonder my caboose is dragging.” She stepped closer to the bed and smoothed her hand over Morgan’s hair, felt her brow in a motherly gesture.

  The gentle touch of her hand felt comforting to Morgan, at odds with the authoritative tone of her voice. “Let me see what I can do to expedite your test. Tyler will give this kind gentleman a ride to wherever it is he needs to go.”

  Patty Ann’s glance moved between Jack and Tyler, settling on Jack first. “Promise you’ll come by this afternoon, bring Phil or whoever and at least have a bite to eat. I can give you directions. You’ll be in town that long, won’t you?”

  Jack nodded as though his head were on a spring. “Yes, ma’am, we’ll do that.” Taking his hand out of his pocket, he reached over and squeezed Morgan’s hand where it rested on top of the sheet that covered her legs. “You get some rest now. We’ll see you tomorrow.” He huffed out a tired chuckle. “I guess I mean later today.”

  “Mom—Annie.” Tyler tried to speak.

  Although her voice softened, it still brooked no argument when she cut him off. “Tyler, give this gentleman a lift back to the track, and then meet us at the house later. Stephanie and Annie can ride with us. This young woman needs peace and quiet.” With a wink at Morgan, she herded the men out of the cubicle, pulling the curtain shut behind them.