Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 118459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 474(@250wpm)___ 395(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 592(@200wpm)___ 474(@250wpm)___ 395(@300wpm)
I nod.
He heads for the door and a bubble of panic twists through me. His hand is on the knob when I say his name.
He turns to face me, the toothpick back in his mouth. He takes it out and says, “Yeah?”
My mouth goes dry. I don’t know what I want to say. I don’t even know why I called to him. My mind is churning like a storm and I can’t seem to find an anchor in the middle of it.
“Thanks for coming by,” I say finally, giving him a true smile for the first time in years.
He nods and gives me a crooked grin, the toothpick going back between his lips. “Let me know if you need anything.”
And he’s gone.
TWELVE
CREW
I hate fucking traffic. I honestly believe I was supposed to be born on a farm somewhere in the middle of Illinois or something. I hate the rush to get shit done, the battle to make a left-hand turn before getting smashed in the side by some cocksucker in a hybrid.
I pull into the hospital parking garage and make my way to an open spot. I find one and pull in as my phone starts to ring.
“Yeah?” I ask, cutting the engine.
“Where the fuck are you?”
I hear the guys shouting in the background, the sound of the cranes squealing in the distance. “At the hospital.”
“Ah, so you aren’t coming in today?” Will asks.
I grab the bag from the passenger’s seat and get out and lock up. “No, I called the boss. I just think . . . you know . . . I should . . .”
“Yeah, I feel ya. Probably a good call. But I wanted to tell ya something.”
I can hear a bite of excitement in his voice and that worries me. Will gets excited over stupid shit and I’m not in the mood to hear about how round the chick’s tits were the night before.
“I was online this morning and someone uploaded your fight from the bar onto The MMA Forum,” Will says. “Dude, you should see yourself. Fuckin’ beast!”
“What the hell you talking about?”
“The fight Friday night. Remember? Shenanigan’s? Yahtzee?”
“Someone recorded it and uploaded it?”
“Yeah. Had to be Adam or Dane, I guess. But that’s not the point. The point is you look awesome. It’s being shared everywhere. That video is going viral.”
“Why? It’s a bar fight,” I say blandly. “There are bar fights every day.”
He laughs wildly. “That was no bar fight, bro. That was a wicked pissah of a fight. And,” he says, pausing for effect, “it’s called ‘Crew Gentry— The Only Guy To Beat Hunter Davidson.’”
While I’m mildly amused by this, it’s not something I really need to happen right now. “Call Adam and tell him to take that shit down.”
“Why in the fuck would I do that? It’s you in all your glory.”
“Because,” I say, “I barely got out of that with self-defense with the police. I don’t need it to look like I was showing off or something.”
“But—”
“I gotta go, Will. Get it removed. I’ll call ya later.”
CREW
The door to the room number given to me by the nurse is cracked open. I knock once before pushing it slowly. The room is bathed in light from the wall of windows. The television is playing some kid’s cartoon and if you didn’t see the hospital bed in the middle, you’d think it was a playroom or something.
Julia is sitting in a chair by the bed, flipping through a magazine. Everleigh is lying against a pile of pillows bigger than her in the bed, her monkey tucked to her side. Julia sees me and sets the magazine down.
“Hey,” I say quietly, not wanting to wake Ever.
“Hey.” She has dark circles under her eyes. Her hair is pulled back and her face seems dull in the sunlight. By every indication, she’s a mess but I can’t help but think how beautiful she is. She always is. She always has been. There’s something beautiful and calming that just follows her, even if she doesn’t feel either way.
I place the bag on the floor and lean against the wall. “How long you been here?”
She glances at the clock. “Four hours.”
“Any news?”
“She had the last two tests. We’re just waiting on the doctor to come in now.”
Ever’s eyes begin to flutter. I hope I haven’t woken her, but I am glad she’s awake anyway. I want to see her. Hear her. Get some reassurance that she’s still here.
“Uncle Crew.” I can hear the exhaustion in her little voice.
I pick up the bag and walk over to her, kissing her on the head. “How are ya?”
“I don’t want to be here.”
“I know. But we have to make you better.”
“What they do to me doesn’t make me better. It hurts. A lot.”
I close my eyes for a second, trying to keep my cool. My first reaction is to kill anyone that hurts her, but I know in this case, they’re hurting her to keep something else from killing her. It’s a double-edged sword.