Chapter 23

Dawn

When I woke up in the hospital, my father was sitting by my bedside. Oh hell no. I closed my eyes and faked being asleep. But I was thirsty. In the end, I needed a cool glass of water more than I needed to avoid him. As I reached for it, he handed me a cup.

"Go easy," he said. "You're lucky to be alive. You could have burned to death."

"I think the smoke would have gotten me first," I croaked, and lay back in bed.

"What were you thinking?" he asked furiously.

"Can you be more specific?" I had a headache and I was groggy. I looked down at the IV in my arm.

"Why were you sleeping in your store?"

I couldn't do this now. "What happened?"

"There was a fire."

I resisted the urge to say no shit. "I'm so tired. Is the cat all right?"

"Cat? What cat?"

"The cat's fine. Jeannine has her," Rory said from the doorway. "Paul, can I have a moment?"

Paul? He was calling my dad Paul? I swiveled my head to my father to see if he would correct Rory and tell him to call him Judge Nolan. But he merely sighed and stood up. My father looked old. Like a good ten years older than the last time I saw him. He patted my hand and shambled out of the room.

"How long have I been out?" Had I hit my head? Had I been in a coma like Cammy? "What year is this?"

"You've been here for three days," Rory said, sitting in the chair my father vacated. "In and out of consciousness. Your family and I have been taking turns sitting with you. You inhaled a lot of soot. They had to suction it out of your lungs."

"I'm glad I wasn't awake for that." I leaned up to sip some more water. It eased the scratchy dryness of my throat. "How bad is the store?"

"You should concentrate on getting better. You were lucky to have only minor injuries."

"Rory," I croaked.

Our eyes met and his slid away. "It's gone. So are four others."

My eyes filled up with tears. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Just you. Why were you sleeping there? You could have stayed on the yacht."

I lay back down. "I don't have an apartment."

"I know. It was obvious you had been living there once we clambered through the wreckage."

"Does Larry know?" I clutched at the bedsheets.

"We don't have to do this now."

"Oh God, he does," I wailed.

The nurse came in. "You can't upset her like this. You're going to have to leave."

"He—he—he's not," I sobbed.

But they already hustled him out and the sedative she put in my IV knocked me out again.

My mother was sitting next to me when I opened my eyes again. She looked exhausted as well.

“You should go home,” I said, trying to elbow up into a sitting position.

Helping me adjust the bed, she tucked in the sheet around me. “Mr. Monkey Sex hasn’t left the hospital in three days. If he’s staying, I’m staying.”

“It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“You’re alive, that’s all that matters.”

“I don’t have any health insurance. My store has burned down, along with everything I own. I broke my lease because I lived there, so I am jobless as well as homeless. That’s a lot of those things that matter.”

“We’ll find a way to pay the medial bills. You can live with us while you look for another job. You should have come to us immediately.”

“I can’t do that. I couldn’t live under dad’s roof after college, I’m not going to start now.”

“Are you going to move in with Rory?”

“No,” Rory said, again from the doorway.

I closed my eyes so he didn’t see the pain in them.

“I’ll leave you two alone.” My mother got up from her chair, brushed the hair off my forehead, and kissed it. “This was too close. Too close. No more risks.”

Rory sat down in the chair. I was hoping he would hold my hand, but I guess that part was over once he realized I was lying to him.

“How did the fire start?” I asked.

“Arson. Hans decided if he couldn’t have his studio, no one would. But he forgot that there was paint remover in the storage room, and that’s highly flammable. It didn’t stop at one store.”

“Guess you’re really shit out of luck on that crab puff recipe.” I tried for a joke, but it fell flat. “Look.” I sighed. “I know you must be angry with me.”

“Angry doesn’t cover it.” A muscle in his jaw twitched and he looked away.

“I never meant for this to happen. I was looking for a new apartment and everything.” Oh no, what was I going to do?

“Concentrate on getting out of here,” Rory said in a calm but detached voice.

Where would I go?

“The stores won’t be ready for the Fourth of July will they?”

He shook his head no.

“Larry kicked me out on my ass, didn’t he?”

Rory nodded. “I think you should take your parents up on their offer. At least, until you’re back on your feet.”

“I lost everything,” I whispered.

“You can file a claim for your merchandise.”

“With what insurance?” I said bitterly.

“Larry had a policy on the place. Granted, it’s bare minimum, but it might be somewhere to start once you get out of here.”

“Thanks.” I reached out and grabbed his hand. “For everything. I’m sorry that I lied to you.”

“I’m sorry too.” He kissed my forehead and left.

I cried until the nurse upped my dosage and I drifted off to sleep again.