I’m still sort of raw from all the darkness I revealed to Trinity. She seems to sense it and keeps her distance.
Well, as much as she can when we’re sharing her room.
Rock had yet another blow up with Hope. Right after we voted her in. Poor bastard. This time I can’t say it’s entirely his fault.
He takes off first thing in the morning to work that out. Z and I sort of shake our heads.
“How did he think this was going to turn out different?” he jokes. “He’s in for a lifetime of ball-busting.” He chuckles in a gleeful way that makes me laugh too. Yesterday we gave Rock our thoughtful advice. Today we heckled him until he got fed up and left.
My fist lands on his bicep. “You’re such a dick.”
Trin rushes by with a basket of laundry. That situation needs to end real soon. Girl’s still behind on her book covers. That’s what she should be focusing on. Not laundry. Z stares after her and I swear to fuck if he makes one comment about her ass, he’s dead.
“You two okay?” he asks.
“Yeah. Like to take my own fuckin’ vote,” I grumble.
“That what’s been pissing you off? Why? You don’t need our votes. She’s practically a member already.”
That’s where he’s wrong. “Fuck that. She deserves the same fuckin’ vote as any other old lady.”
Z reels back and I swear his cheeks redden a little. Didn’t think the fuck had an ounce of shame in him. “You’re right. She does. I just meant, we all trust her. No one would say no.”
“I know what you meant.” It’s a nice sentiment. But I still want things done right.
Z’s phone buzzes and he yanks it out.
“Shit.”
“What?”
He shows me the text from Rock.
At Empire Med with Hope. Bad.
“Jesus Christ. Tell him we’ll be right there.” I struggle to pull myself up and decide it will save some time if I just yell for Trin.
She comes running. “What? You okay?”
“Yeah. Want you to hang close to the house today. Something’s gone down. Rock’s at the hospital with Hope.”
“Oh my God.” She trembles and chews on her thumb. “What happened?”
“Don’t know yet, babe. That’s why you gotta stay here,” Z explains as he heads for the door.
“I’ll call you in a bit, okay?”
“Yeah.”
Before I step outside, she grabs my arm and leans up to kiss my cheek. “Just be careful.”
Navigating the parking at the mammoth hospital is a pain in the ass. Z ends up throwing his truck in some reserved spot.
“Brother, what the fuck?” Z asks when we find Rock in the waiting room.
“I don’t know. They haven’t fucking told me anything yet.”
Rock’s covered in blood and I’m afraid to even ask what happened. If it’d been a drive-by you’d think there’d be cops crawling all over the place. My hand brushes over my side, the familiar weight of the Glock holstered there comforting. Any Vipers show up, I’ve got ten chances to make them think twice.
“What happened?” I finally ask.
“Went down to meet her, like you suggested. Had to wait downstairs for her. When she came out of the elevator, she looked like death. Next thing I knew she fucking fainted.”
I let out a breath and fall back against the unforgiving hospital chair. Not a Viper attack. With me out of fighting shape, trouble with them’s the last thing we need.
“Uh, we thought she like got shot or something,” Z points out.
Rock turns his hands over as if noticing the blood on them for the first time. “No.”
Z and I share a look.
“Aw fuck, man,” Z says.
Rock sort of stumbles over to the sink in the back corner and scrubs his hands raw. I take out my phone and text Trin.
Bring change of clothes to EM for prez.
Okay.
A nurse walks in and runs her grave gaze over each of us before landing on Rock.
“Mr. North?”
Rock turns so fast, he forgets to shut the water off. “Is she okay?” While he’s busy with the nurse, Z gets up and shuts the water off then drops into the chair next to me.
“She’s pregnant?” Rock chokes out. Shit.
Z glances at me and shakes his head. No words need to be said.
Whatever else the nurse tells him is bad because he stumbles over. As he falls into the chair next to me, I realize he’s crying.
I don’t think in the twenty or so years I’ve known Rock, I’ve ever seen him cry. Not when we lost brothers for no good reason. Not when we discovered we were betrayed by someone we trusted. Not when he was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t do. Not even when I went to visit him in prison to explain his ex-wife, Carla cleaned out his apartment out and skipped town.
If Hope doesn’t make it through this, it’ll destroy him.
He barely stirs when I put my hand on his shoulder. “She’s a little spitfire. She’ll be back to busting your balls in no time, brother.” I’m trying for upbeat, but I can barely choke out the words. Hope’s been a sweetheart from day one and I’ve been nothin’ but mean to her. She tolerated it because she loves him.
I’m relieved when Trinity arrives and presses some clean clothes into Rock’s hands. He leaves to change and Z moves down a chair so Trinity can sit next to me.
“What happened?” she whispers.
“Don’t really know.” I don’t need details. Whatever it is has reduced my immune-to-anything best friend into a zombie.
I ain’t gonna hold his hand or whisper feel-good shit in his ear. But I ain’t leavin’ his side either.
It’s a relief when one of the nurses finally tells us we can see Hope hours later. We were here so long, Trin ended up running home The hospital chairs have done a number on my back. I send my girl a text and happily haul myself out of the little plastic torture device.
Rock’s hovering over his girl and doesn’t bother to move, even though the space is tight and not easy for me to navigate. I suffer no guilt bumping him out of the way. I drop into the chair in the far corner, so I’ll be out of everyone’s way.
“Sugar, you gave us all some scare,” I tell Hope.
She bursts into tears. Shit. Rock glares at me, but I don’t even know what I did.
“What the hell did you say to her, jerk?” Z snaps at me when he walks in and sees her cryin’.
“Nothing.”
“It’s not you,” she says through a bunch of sniffling.
That’s a relief. Maybe Rock can stop making murder faces at me now.
“Thanks for staying with Rock, you guys,” Hope whispers.
Z glances at me and shrugs. Of course we’d stay.
I shrug and wink at Hope, making her chuckle. That’s better. I close my eyes while they talk and obviously they think I’ve fallen asleep.
“Has he been here all night?” Hope whispers.
“Yeah,” Rock answers.
“Why?”
Aw shit. She really has to ask? “You’re family now, babe,” I mumble at her.
Trin returns later with food and ends up driving me home. I’m still zapped. She must be too, because she’s silent most of the way.
“I hurt everywhere,” I grumble as I jump down from the Jeep.
“I don’t think tiny hospital chairs are meant for giant men to sleep in,” she says with a laugh. I love the way she pokes fun at me.
Not much rattles me these days. But Rock almost losing his girl? Only reinforces my need to make things work with Trinity.