Luke laughed. “You usually handle those girls better. You stressed about your mom?”
Among other things, I thought. “Yeah.”
“She’ll be okay. I’m sure of it.”
“I hope so.”
“Come on, let’s find out what room she’ll be admitted to when she gets out of surgery.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
We were showed to the room Mom would be brought back to, and coffee was delivered to us. It was an hour later, with Luke sitting in the chair beside me humming a new song and playing with my fingers, when we got our first visitor.
I sat upright, pulling my hand from Luke’s. “What are you doing here?”
It was Elijah.
Luke sat up with me, but threw me a frown. I flushed. I don’t know why I had acted like I was doing something wrong. Then I asked again, “Eli, what are you doing here?”
“Uh.” His gaze was trained on Luke. “I’m here for Skeet.”
“Me?”
“Luke?” I asked.
“Yeah. Uh…” Elijah glanced around the empty hospital room. “I heard you were here. Can I talk to you outside?” He stepped out right away, and Luke followed, sending me another confused look.
It wasn’t long before he poked his head back in. “I have to go do something. Stay put. I’ll be back.”
“Wha…wait!”
But it was too late. Again. They both hurried down the hallway. I darted for the doorway and watched them disappear around a corner, turning down the hallway that led to the hospital’s main entrance.
My alarm went off. Wherever they were going, it wasn’t good.
“I forgot your coffee, so I went back.” Braden came inside the room with a proud smile on his face. “Here you go.”
He looked more sober. His hair wasn’t messed up anymore. It looked like he had wet it so it wasn’t sticking up, and his clothes had been righted. His shirt was even tucked inside his jeans. I looked past him, but didn’t see the girl that had been with him. As I took the coffee from his hand, I asked, “You ditched the girl?”
He grimaced. “All she wanted to talk about was Luke. The girls have it bad for him. Seriously.” Then he realized whom he was talking to. “Were you two holding hands earlier?”
Change of subject. Now. I coughed. “The doctor hasn’t come in yet, but a nurse just did. She said the surgery’s done. He should be here soon.”
“Oh, good.” He slid a distracted hand through his hair, upending it again as he glanced around the room. His hand dropped back to his side. “Where’s Luke?” He winked at me. “Or are you going to change the subject from that question, too?”
I clutched my coffee tighter. “Elijah came and got him.”
“Elijah?”
“Yeah.” I cringed. “I have no clue where they went. Neither shared. They took off right away.”
“Shit.” Braden grunted, hopping onto the bed and dangling his feet off the end. He pulled out his phone, texting as he said, “I’ll figure it out. They’ll tell me.” After a few minutes, he shrugged and placed his phone beside him. “Maybe not. Sorry.” His phone lit up. “Huh?”
“Who is it?”
“Kelly from the bar.” He answered the phone, “Hello?” After another moment of silence, he asked, “For real?” Then hung up the phone and shook his head.
“What is it?”
“Something’s going down with Emerson. Elijah was in there asking for him.”
“Isn’t the bar closed? It’s almost four.”
“Yeah. That’s the thing.” He shook his head. “She said he was in earlier, and just now, she was heading home when she saw Elijah’s truck run a red. She was at the stoplight, and she thought she saw Luke in there with him.”
My mind was made up. I stood and grabbed the keys. “Which way were they headed?”
“What are you doing? What about Mom?”
“You stay. You’re good at that. I’m not.” I started for the door. “Which way, Braden?”
He hesitated.
I barked out, “I’m going anyway. It would help if you gave me a general direction.”
He let out a sigh. “South on Broadway. She was at the 117th stoplight.”
That was all I needed. I hurried for the lobby, but braked as I saw the doctor heading past me. Grabbing his arm, I asked, “My mom?”
He stared at me for a moment before recognition sparked in his eyes. “Oh. Your mom is stable. She had a miscarriage, and some of the fetus was still attached to her uterus. She passed out because she’s anemic. She’s sleeping now, but they’re taking her to her room. We want to watch her for a day, at least, maybe two to make sure everything’s passed this time.”
She’d be fine. That was all I needed. “My brother’s in there. Can you tell him this same news?” I didn’t wait for a response; I was already jogging back to the lobby. It didn’t take me long to get to the parking lot and into my car. Then I headed for Broadway. Zooming past the 117th stoplight, I kept going straight. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but if Emerson was involved, a party or a fight was my best guess.
It was Kelly’s car that I saw first. Pulling up behind it, I got out, pocketed my phone and keys, and walked up to her driver’s seat. She was still inside; her hands clutched the wheel as she leaned forward. Her eyes were big, almost bulging out, and she was biting down hard on her lip.
I tapped her window.
She let out a scream, jumping back in the seat. When she saw me, she immediately swallowed her cries. Rolling down her window, she cursed at me. “You gave me the biggest heart attack, I swear.” Then she noticed the dried blood still on my clothes. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Hello. Eli and Luke together. That’s not normal. How could I not follow them?”
She had a point. “Where are they?”
She grew wary and pointed ahead. There was a long line of cars parked on the street before her, but all of them led to a run-down house that was brightly lit. Loud music poured from it, and there was a large group of people standing on its front lawn, all of them holding beverages. Some were drinking from big cups and beer cans, while others were drinking from bottles still encased in brown paper bags. I glanced around the neighborhood, taking note of the rest of the houses with doors and windows broken. Some windows even had iron bars on them. This wasn’t a good neighborhood, which made the knots in my stomach tighten even more.
Among other things, I thought. “Yeah.”
“She’ll be okay. I’m sure of it.”
“I hope so.”
“Come on, let’s find out what room she’ll be admitted to when she gets out of surgery.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
We were showed to the room Mom would be brought back to, and coffee was delivered to us. It was an hour later, with Luke sitting in the chair beside me humming a new song and playing with my fingers, when we got our first visitor.
I sat upright, pulling my hand from Luke’s. “What are you doing here?”
It was Elijah.
Luke sat up with me, but threw me a frown. I flushed. I don’t know why I had acted like I was doing something wrong. Then I asked again, “Eli, what are you doing here?”
“Uh.” His gaze was trained on Luke. “I’m here for Skeet.”
“Me?”
“Luke?” I asked.
“Yeah. Uh…” Elijah glanced around the empty hospital room. “I heard you were here. Can I talk to you outside?” He stepped out right away, and Luke followed, sending me another confused look.
It wasn’t long before he poked his head back in. “I have to go do something. Stay put. I’ll be back.”
“Wha…wait!”
But it was too late. Again. They both hurried down the hallway. I darted for the doorway and watched them disappear around a corner, turning down the hallway that led to the hospital’s main entrance.
My alarm went off. Wherever they were going, it wasn’t good.
“I forgot your coffee, so I went back.” Braden came inside the room with a proud smile on his face. “Here you go.”
He looked more sober. His hair wasn’t messed up anymore. It looked like he had wet it so it wasn’t sticking up, and his clothes had been righted. His shirt was even tucked inside his jeans. I looked past him, but didn’t see the girl that had been with him. As I took the coffee from his hand, I asked, “You ditched the girl?”
He grimaced. “All she wanted to talk about was Luke. The girls have it bad for him. Seriously.” Then he realized whom he was talking to. “Were you two holding hands earlier?”
Change of subject. Now. I coughed. “The doctor hasn’t come in yet, but a nurse just did. She said the surgery’s done. He should be here soon.”
“Oh, good.” He slid a distracted hand through his hair, upending it again as he glanced around the room. His hand dropped back to his side. “Where’s Luke?” He winked at me. “Or are you going to change the subject from that question, too?”
I clutched my coffee tighter. “Elijah came and got him.”
“Elijah?”
“Yeah.” I cringed. “I have no clue where they went. Neither shared. They took off right away.”
“Shit.” Braden grunted, hopping onto the bed and dangling his feet off the end. He pulled out his phone, texting as he said, “I’ll figure it out. They’ll tell me.” After a few minutes, he shrugged and placed his phone beside him. “Maybe not. Sorry.” His phone lit up. “Huh?”
“Who is it?”
“Kelly from the bar.” He answered the phone, “Hello?” After another moment of silence, he asked, “For real?” Then hung up the phone and shook his head.
“What is it?”
“Something’s going down with Emerson. Elijah was in there asking for him.”
“Isn’t the bar closed? It’s almost four.”
“Yeah. That’s the thing.” He shook his head. “She said he was in earlier, and just now, she was heading home when she saw Elijah’s truck run a red. She was at the stoplight, and she thought she saw Luke in there with him.”
My mind was made up. I stood and grabbed the keys. “Which way were they headed?”
“What are you doing? What about Mom?”
“You stay. You’re good at that. I’m not.” I started for the door. “Which way, Braden?”
He hesitated.
I barked out, “I’m going anyway. It would help if you gave me a general direction.”
He let out a sigh. “South on Broadway. She was at the 117th stoplight.”
That was all I needed. I hurried for the lobby, but braked as I saw the doctor heading past me. Grabbing his arm, I asked, “My mom?”
He stared at me for a moment before recognition sparked in his eyes. “Oh. Your mom is stable. She had a miscarriage, and some of the fetus was still attached to her uterus. She passed out because she’s anemic. She’s sleeping now, but they’re taking her to her room. We want to watch her for a day, at least, maybe two to make sure everything’s passed this time.”
She’d be fine. That was all I needed. “My brother’s in there. Can you tell him this same news?” I didn’t wait for a response; I was already jogging back to the lobby. It didn’t take me long to get to the parking lot and into my car. Then I headed for Broadway. Zooming past the 117th stoplight, I kept going straight. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but if Emerson was involved, a party or a fight was my best guess.
It was Kelly’s car that I saw first. Pulling up behind it, I got out, pocketed my phone and keys, and walked up to her driver’s seat. She was still inside; her hands clutched the wheel as she leaned forward. Her eyes were big, almost bulging out, and she was biting down hard on her lip.
I tapped her window.
She let out a scream, jumping back in the seat. When she saw me, she immediately swallowed her cries. Rolling down her window, she cursed at me. “You gave me the biggest heart attack, I swear.” Then she noticed the dried blood still on my clothes. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Hello. Eli and Luke together. That’s not normal. How could I not follow them?”
She had a point. “Where are they?”
She grew wary and pointed ahead. There was a long line of cars parked on the street before her, but all of them led to a run-down house that was brightly lit. Loud music poured from it, and there was a large group of people standing on its front lawn, all of them holding beverages. Some were drinking from big cups and beer cans, while others were drinking from bottles still encased in brown paper bags. I glanced around the neighborhood, taking note of the rest of the houses with doors and windows broken. Some windows even had iron bars on them. This wasn’t a good neighborhood, which made the knots in my stomach tighten even more.
