Doin' a Dime

by Vale, Lani Lynn

  Chick-Fil-A.

  Son of a bitch.

  I looked over at the man in the truck beside me, caught the license plates on his truck and saw that they matched the state that the hit man was from. Cataloged the man’s reply of ‘just traveled six hours’ and knew that was synonymous with the length of time it would take to get from Oklahoma to here.

  And realized that the man beside me was hired to kill my wife.

  Or, at least, one of the three was.

  But if they were together, they were likely all guilty.

  Switching apps, I texted and alerted Lynn of what was going on, gave him every detail I could, then put my phone away.

  After starting my bike, I took my phone back out and texted Wyett that I’d be late, and then waited for the truck to leave.

  It was only after they ate in their car and waited another fifteen minutes past that that they finally made their way out of the parking lot.

  Having never followed anyone before, I wasn’t sure how far to keep back, which was my downfall.

  I got too far and wasn’t able to keep up when he made a turn that would lead him to the interstate.

  I lost him in the chaos merging onto the interstate.

  Cursing myself, I went to get right back off and head home when I realized how fucking stupid I’d been.

  They hadn’t gotten on the interstate. They’d gone to one of the hotels that were right off the interstate, that shared a feeder road with the on ramp.

  Pulling yet another bitch on the feeder road and heading back to where I started, I came to a halt at a gas station that was next to the two hotels, and parked.

  Putting my hands in my pockets, I made my way around the back of the gas station, trying to appear as if I belonged when we all knew that I didn’t.

  I was just at the brick wall that separated one parking lot from the other when I froze.

  “You!”

  I turned woodenly to see an older man that looked vaguely familiar, standing next to an ostentatious RV, pointing his meaty finger in my direction.

  When I went to turn back around, intent on ignoring him, he took exception to my immediate dismissal of him.

  “Hey!” he growled. “I’m talking to you.”

  I felt my eye twitch.

  “Yeah?” I asked. “I’m a little busy.”

  “Being a creeper?” he asked. “It’s not enough that you taint a perfectly good public bathroom, but now you’re going to peep in the back of people’s windows?”

  I frowned, finally realizing who this man was.

  The old fucker from the campground bathrooms that had been present at the time that I was fucking the hell out of Wyett in public.

  At the time, I hadn’t given a single shit that he could hear. I hadn’t given a shit about anything but what I was doing to Wyett.

  Now, though, the little asshole was pissing me off, and I almost regretted my decisions.

  And I say almost because I could never fully regret anything that Wyett and I did together.

  “It’s a parking lot, moron,” I said as I turned my back on him once again.

  What I said must’ve really pissed him off, because just as I got my eyes on the man that I was looking for—at least their truck anyway—that’s when I knew I should’ve never turned my back on him.

  Because turning my back and dismissing him as harmless was the thing that bit me in the ass.

  “Don’t turn your back on me, motherfucker!” the guy cried.

  That’s when I felt it.

  But just as soon as the pain arrived, it drifted away.

  Lucky for me, and unlucky for the little pecker head, I didn’t have to lay on the dirty asphalt too long before help arrived.

  Lynn appeared with Zach out of the shadows as if they were there from the beginning.

  That’s about the time that I passed out.

  CHAPTER 20

  After all the stupid things I’ve done in my life, if I die because I touched my face I’m gonna be pissed.

  - secret thoughts

  WYETT

  “Wyett?”

  Six’s worried voice had me frowning.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, putting my textbook down to focus more fully on the call.

  “I just got a call from Lynn,” she said. “Hunt was hit in the back of the head with a baseball bat, and they took him to the hospital. He’s in the ER…”

  I was already heading out of the door.

  But just as suddenly as I got to the door, there was a knock on it, and I froze, my hand reaching for the doorknob.

  There was another knock as I still sat there, waiting.

  “Wyett?” Six said into my ear, worry in her voice. “Why are you breathing like that?”

  I swallowed hard and whispered, “There’s someone at my door.”

  “It’s Sin,” she explained. “He came to pick you up.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief and opened up the door, looking at Sin apologetically. “Sorry, sorry. I just kind of freaked out a bit when I heard you knock. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here, and Hunt’s worry was coming to mind about that hit man.”

  Sin offered me a wink. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I understand completely.”

  Fingers shaking at the thought of Hunt being hurt, and me not being there to help him, I gestured toward the door. “Let’s go. I’m really ready to get there already.” I paused. “Do you know what happened?”

  I mean, other than being hit with a baseball bat, that was.

  “That jackoff who was at the campground, the asshole in the really ostentatious camper? He saw Hunt when he happened to literally run into your hit man at Chick-Fil-A,” Sin explained as he led me to a Harley. I started shaking my head immediately.

  “No offense,” I said softly, “but I’m not riding on that bike with you. I kind of want my first motorcycle ride to be on the back of Hunt’s bike. Not yours. Can we please take my car?”

  Sin immediately repocketed his keys and nodded his head. “Sure.”

  Together we rode to the hospital, Sin driving my car while I shook like a leaf next to him. He explained what all had happened to Hunt, and then explained that they didn’t know much more than that.

  When we arrived at the hospital, it was to find the waiting room full of Souls Chapel Revenants.

  I smiled warmly at the lot of them, even Bruno.

  He had his arms crossed across his chest as he glared across the room at a nurse.

  Zach stood at the nurses’ station as he spoke quietly to a nurse.

  When I arrived, Zach turned and regarded me as I walked up to him.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “When Hunt was hit in the head with that bat, he suffered a severe concussion. When he arrived, he was vomiting, his pupils weren’t reacting equally to light, and he wasn’t able to see clearly. They have him getting a CAT scan now, and they have him taking some heavy pain meds as well as a few other meds.” He recited them off one by one, and my stomach clenched.

  “Does he need surgery?” I asked worriedly.

  “No, not right now,” Zach explained. “They’re going to watch him overnight. They’re also going to ascertain his mental state throughout the night and keep an eye on the swelling.”

  I clenched and unclenched my hands.

  “Can I see him?” I asked, voicing my question toward Zach and not the nurse at his back that likely was an employee unlike Zach.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “He’s in room nine. At the end of the hall. The doctor on his case should be in shortly with his labs as well as test results.”

  I licked my lips nervously. “Let’s go.”

  The moment I breached the entrance of his room, I felt my heart clench.

  I’d spent a whole lot of time in the hospital over the last couple of years getting my schooling done, followed by my job.

  But nothing had ever helped prepare me for seeing a person that I loved in one of the hospital beds that I spent a lot of my time arou
nd.

  “Hunt?” I called softly.

  His eyes blinked open as if he’d only been waiting for me to arrive.

  “My wife!” he called out loudly, surprising me. “Hi, how are you?”

  My lips twitched. “I’m okay. How are you?”

  He picked up the hand that had an IV attached to it and shook it in a so-so gesture.

  “I’ve been better.” He paused. “Hey, I just want you to know that I didn’t get dead by a baseball bat. I just got knocked out. Even though it may be kind of surprising when you look at me.”

  My lips twitched. “Oh yeah?”

  His eyes were quite serious when he stared at me.

  “Yeah.” He shook his head. “I’m okay.”

  I moved forward until I could get his face in between my hands. “You scared the shit out of me, Hunt.”

  He squeezed one eye shut and scrunched up his nose.

  “Is my face still there?”

  I looked at Hunt’s face and smiled. “Yes, it’s still there.”

  “Good, because I can’t feel it. I didn’t want it to go anywhere.” He paused. “I am so high right now.”

  I let his face go and smoothed back a section of hair that’d come out of place. But when I did, I felt the difference in his hair.

  I stood up and walked around the back of his bed to get a better look at his head.

  I winced as I replied, “You are.”

  He was.

  “After his injury, they’d brought him into the ER. After we got him some pain meds administered, we had to wrap him into a tight swaddle,” the nurse explained.

  It was only after what he said next that I realized why.

  “Do you think I can walk?” he asked as he once again strained to get up.

  But the swaddle they had him in, practically pinning him to the bed, meant that he couldn’t get up easily.

  “I can see why.” I paused. “Is him walking a bad thing at this point?”

  “Until we know just how bad his injury is, yes. He’s quite a fall risk,” the nurse explained as she checked something on his chart.

  I knew that, but I didn’t see anything too badly wrong with him walking as long as someone was here to make sure he didn’t fall.

  But I would address that with the doctor, or Zach if he came in again.

  In the meantime, I started to undo the blanket from around his body as I told him about his hair.

  “You’re going to need a haircut,” I declared. “Pronto.”

  “As long as you’re the one giving it to me, I’m fine with that,” he announced. “I don’t like people touching me, remember?”

  The nurse came over and started to mess with the IV line on his arm, and he flinched and started to move away from her, going as far as to get out of bed.

  And that, more than anything, explained to me why he kept trying to stand up and leave.

  I waved her off. “I think it’s you touching him that he doesn’t like. He’s very sensitive to touch and other people’s nearness. I think it would be best to allow me to take care of this for you. What do you need done?”

  The nurse looked taken aback. She started to open her mouth, and then snapped it closed with a clack of teeth. “I’m sorry, but he’s going to have to endure it. You’re probably an excellent caregiver, but you don’t have the skills it would take to hook up his pain meds, or anything else.”

  I nearly rolled my eyes.

  The only thing that stopped me was the fact that Hunt really didn’t need me and his nurse yelling at each other so close to suffering a head injury.

  I narrowed my eyes, though.

  Giving her my best mean glare.

  “How about you go get the doctor, and we’ll discuss this,” I suggested.

  “Listen, ma’am,” the nurse sneered. “I’m sure that I can give him some medication that’ll make him not care.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I’m sure you know that it’s not necessary to drug a person for compliance.”

  The nurse gave a long suffering sigh and left, leaving me with my man who was looking at me with a gleam in his eyes. “Damn.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “I’m married to a badass.” He nodded once as if in confirmation. “Do you want to have babies with me?”

  I giggled. “Sure. But in a couple of years. Not right now.”

  He sighed. “That’s boring.”

  I snickered. “It may be boring, but I’d really love to get to know you more without having to have our kids running around everywhere. And, not to mention, we can go on vacation or our honeymoon, kid-free, while we’re still young and can enjoy it.”

  He was nodding as if I’d given him some really clever points to consider.

  “What about another dog?” he suggested. “I want another dog. Have we talked about how many dogs we’ll have?”

  My lips twitched. “Yes, we actually just discussed a dog not too long ago.”

  He nodded seriously.

  “How about over the next couple of weeks we look at a couple of shelters?”

  “I actually have a shelter that I bought my dogs from,” he explained. “We can check those out.”

  “Do you want another Doberman?” I asked curiously.

  He frowned. “There’s a reason, yes. But it’ll make you cry.”

  I knew it would based on the way his eyes went wide, and then sad.

  “Hit me,” I said, taking the space on the opposite side of the bed where he’d all but scooted out of the bed to get away from the nurse.

  He sighed and rubbed his forehead against my breasts, making me nearly roll my eyes.

  “When I was first starting out with hacking, there was a neighbor that I really hated. Like, seriously despised. He was really bad to his dog, and I called animal control on him. Like a superhero. A super dog hero. A bad ass, awesome super dog hero that saved the mighty dog. I love dogs. Did you know that?”

  My lips twitched. “Sure.”

  “Anyway, this dog was a Doberman. When I heard that he was getting euthanized, I contacted a Doberman rescue and talked to them about getting Dooby. Dooby found a really loving home with the shelter people, and from there, I managed to always make sure they had money to help other dogs. And when I finally moved out of my parents’ house and got my own place, I made sure to get a dog from their rescue. That’s where I got mine, and I’d really love to get another one from them if it’s okay.”

  Of course, it was okay.

  “Of course,” I replied, sniffling. “Are you doing okay? Is your head okay?”

  “I feel finnnnne.” He drawled the word out. “You look fine. I want you to have my babies.”

  I snickered and rested my head against his chest. “One day, Hunt, I’ll have all the babies you want.”

  “Ten?” he asked hopefully.

  “Umm,” I hesitated. “I’ll go for five. Is that okay?”

  He grumbled something under his breath that sounded like ‘bullshit’ but just as I was about to laugh, a doctor came in with the nurse from earlier.

  That had to be why I was smiling when I got my first good look at the doctor.

  A doctor that, might I add, I’d never gotten along with, but regardless of our past differences was always rather polite.

  He didn’t like being contradicted in front of his patients, and I had a feeling with Zach coming in just behind that we were about to have a lot of contradicting going on.

  “What’s with that face?” Hunt asked me, not realizing that I was looking at the newcomers and not him. “I don’t like seeing a frown on your face. It makes me feel weird right here.”

  He pointed to his heart, and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Hunt, this is Dr. Garrick. Dr. Garrick, this is my husband, Hunt McJimpsey,” I introduced the two of them.

  Dr. Garrick looked at me in confusion. “I thought your name was Wyett Villin. Not McJimpsey.”

  I opened my mouth to explain, but Hunt beat me to it.

  “She
started school as a Villin. All of the students knew her by that name, so we left it like that for the time being until she was done. It’s McJimpsey in some areas but not all. We’re working on getting it changed,” Hunt explained. “By the way, I don’t like that nurse right there. She was mean to my wife. I’d like her to go fuck off.”

  I closed my eyes as I tried not to burst into tears.

  God, I loved the man.

  “Noted,” Dr. Garrick said, giving the nurse at his side a look. “Why don’t you go ahead. I think that Wyett will be able to assist me if I need to do anything.”

  I would.

  That was what I wanted anyway, so I didn’t complain. Even if Dr. Garrick wasn’t my favorite.

  But oh, boy. I could seriously tell that the woman didn’t like being told what to do.

  Especially when it coincided with what I’d said originally.

  Yeah, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to win any brownie points. Hopefully I never got floated to the ER.

  The moment she left, Dr. Garrick turned to me.

  “He doesn’t like being touched?” he asked immediately.

  I shook my head.

  “I think that the blanket helped make him feel ‘secure.’ He was able to have you close and all that fun stuff, but he had a ‘barrier.’ Had he been fully cognitively ‘there’ he wouldn’t have even allowed that. He doesn’t like being close to anyone, being touched, or even thinking about getting touched. If you need help in the next day, please ask me or direct me, and I’ll help in any way that I can,” I offered immediately.

  The doctor nodded his head, then leaned his hips against the counter next to the sink.

  “I’m keeping an eye on his head. We’re hoping to control the swelling, but there is a possibility that it’ll get worse and require surgery. I’m not sure. Rest assured that if anything happens, we’re going to be here.”

  It was only as Garrick was finishing up with his speech that Zach slid further into the room.

  I wasn’t rest assured about anything. Just worried now all over again at the thought of my husband requiring brain surgery. I glanced at Zach’s face but it didn’t seem like he was as worried as I was.

  Hopefully the doctor was right, and his worst fear wouldn’t come to fruition.

  “Someone tried to touch me in the butthole in prison once,” Hunt said to nobody in particular. “I shoved the soap down his throat.”