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“I need to go home.”
Nurse Gene shook his head and fiddled with the machine connected to me. “That isn’t going to happen yet. We need to run a few more tests to make sure you’re okay.”
“I just have a headache, and my leg is sore,” I insisted. “I’ll take a few Tylenol, and I’ll be fine.” I had a few scrapes and bruises, too, but I wasn’t at all concerned about those. I was just thankful I was still breathing.
When that bomb exploded, I was sure I was a goner. I had been knocked a good twenty feet back and had landed hard on my butt. I must have smacked my head at some point to explain my throbbing head. “I need to call my mom. She has my son,” I explained. “Someone needs to tell her what is going on.”
“We were able to pull up your emergency contact. We let who you have on file know.”
I tipped my head to the side. Who I had on file? It had been years since I had been in the hospital myself.
Not since Rocky was born.
Oh no.
“Uh, are you able to tell me who it is you called?” When I had given birth, my mom and I weren’t speaking.
“I’ll have to take a look when I get back to the nurse’s station.” Gene finished doing whatever the hell it was he was doing and logged out of the computer. “Next up is a CAT Scan to check out your head. They should be in here soon.”
The only thing I was worried about was who they had called to tell them I had been in an accident.
“Can you let me know right away who you called?”
Gene nodded. “I’ll check once I peek in on my two other patients.”
Not the answer I was wanting, but I wasn’t that heartless to demand he not care about his other patients and just tell me who the heck was listed as my emergency contact. I was ninety-nine percent sure of who that person was, but I was praying to god that I was wrong. “Uh, great.”
I laid my head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling.
How in the heck did this happen?
I was just trying to do my job, and suddenly I was thrown into the air while the gym exploded.
Fun times.
A knock sounded on the door, and I held my breath. I didn’t know who was knocking, but it could be the one person I never wanted to see again on the other side.
“Uh, come in?” I called.
I kept my eyes closed and said a quick prayer that it was anyone but Rocky’s dad.
“Olive?”
My prayers were answered when the low timber that sounded was not Rocky’s dad.
My eyes snapped open, and I was shocked to see a member of the Iron Fiends at the foot of my bed. I had only been working at the gym for a short time and had met two of the members when Faye and I had interviewed for the job.
This guy was not someone I had met before.
My eyes darted to the patch on his chest.
Cue Ball.
Interesting name.
“Uh, hi?” I croaked. I cleared my throat and smiled. “Hi.”
“I’m Cue,” he offered. “I’m here to keep an eye on you.”
“An eye on me?” I asked. “Uh, did I do something?” The Iron Fiends were known around town, but not because they were trouble. They did lots of things for the town, and they were the only car repair shop.
He shook his head. “No, doll.”
“I didn’t blow up the gym,” I blurted. “I told Yarder that when they were carting me off to the ambulance.”
Cue Ball chuckled. “Yeah, we know that. I’m just here to make sure nothing else happens to you.”
I tipped my head to the side. “Is that really a concern?” Sure, I had just been blown up, but I was hopeful I was going to be safe while in the hospital.
I took in the man standing in front of me. His chin and cheeks were covered with a dark beard and mustache. He looked a bit wild but also well-kempt at the same time. His dark chocolate brown eyes bore into me, and it felt like he could read my every thought.
He wore a black leather vest with his club patches and a dark gray t-shirt underneath. His legs were encased in light-wash jeans, and even though I couldn’t see his feet, I assumed he was sporting black motorcycle boots.
He was not at all hard to look at.
“Until we figure out what happened tonight, I need to keep an eye on you,” he explained.
“Am I in danger?” Holy crap. I hadn’t really had time to think about what happened to me or why it happened to me.
Cue Ball shrugged. “Again, doll, I don’t know, but I’m here to keep you safe in case you are in trouble.”
“Rocky,” I whispered.
He tipped his head to the side. “Who?”
“My son. Rocky is my son. If I’m in danger, then he might be in danger, too. I need to get to him.”
Cue Ball held up his hands. “Just slow down, doll. We don’t think you were the target of the bomb.”
“Then why are you here telling me that you are going to keep me safe?” I demanded. This was all crazy. I just cleaned the gym; that was it.
“Because we are trying to cover all of our bases. You work for the club, so that means we take care of you, too.”
My mind raced, trying to figure out what this all meant. “I have to talk to my mom. She’s watching Rocky for me.” I glanced at the clock. “And I bet she is wondering where the heck I am because I should have picked him up over half an hour ago.”
“Give me your mom’s number, and I’ll let her know what is going on.” He pulled out his phone and looked at me expectantly.
I rattled off the number, and he punched it into his phone. He hit another button, and it started ringing through the speaker. “You do the talking, doll. I doubt your mom wants to hear from some guy she doesn’t know that you are in the hospital.”
If only the hospital had thought the same thing. I still didn’t know who the heck they had called.
“Hello?” my mom called.
“Mom,” I shouted.
Cue Ball moved closer and held the phone out to me.
“Olive?” mom gasped. “Where are you? I’ve been calling and calling you.”
“I’m okay, Mom, but there was an accident. I’m in the hospital.”
“Oh my god!” she hollered. “What happened? Where are you?”
I glanced at Cue Ball. “Uh, well, I was sort of blown up.”
“Blown up?” Mom cried.
“But I’m okay!” I added quickly. “They’re just going to run a few tests to make sure I’m okay, and then I’ll be home.”
“I’m coming there. What hospital are you in?” she demanded.
“Mom, you can’t wake up Rocky in the middle of the night. I promise I am okay.”
“You’re all alone there, Olive. Someone needs to be there with you,” she pleaded.
“Uh, well, I’m not alone.”
“Is Faye with you?” she asked. “Oh my god, did she get blown up with you, too?”
“No, no. She wasn’t there.”
“Then who is there with you?” she demanded. “I don’t want you to be lying in the hospital by yourself.”
My eyes connected with Cue Ball’s. I had just met this man five minutes ago, but he was here for me. “Cue is here with me. He’s one of the guys who owns the gym.”
“I’ll be with Olive, Mrs. Benson,” Cue Ball called. “I can vouch for the fact that she will be okay. She’s just a little banged up.”
“How did this happen?” Mom demanded. “Was it a gas line or something? Why on earth did the gym blow up?”
“Uh, we don’t know yet, ma’am. Once we know why, we’ll let you know.” Cue Ball cleared his throat. “It might have been a freak accident.”
I knew that was a lie.
When I opened the back door, it triggered the bomb.
I just didn’t know why.
Cue Ball and the Iron Fiends might know, though.
“I’m calling in for work, and I’m coming there, Olive. This doesn’t feel right,” Mom insisted.
“You’re not going to wake up Rocky, Mom. I promise I am okay, and I will be home before you need to go to work.” I understood that Mom was worried, but waking up Rocky in the middle of the night to drag him to the hospital was not going to help.
A knock sounded on the door.
“That’s probably the doctor, Mom. I’ll call you back in a little bit to let you know what is going on.”
Cue Ball ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket. He stepped to the side of my bed, and the door pushed open.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
“Shit.” I tried not to cuss because Rocky was like a sponge, absorbing everything around him. His estranged father, who signed away his rights to him when he was only six days old, walking through the door, was a good reason to cuss.
“Olive,” he called softly.
I had not seen this man for close to ten years, and the sound of him saying my name threw me back to a naïve seventeen-year-old.
I hated this man. When I had been at my most weak and vulnerable, he had tossed me aside and wanted nothing to do with Rocky and me. When Rocky was six days old, his father, Tag Martin, died in my world.
Now a dead man was standing in my hospital room.
“I don’t need you here, Tag,” I whispered.
“Is that why the hospital called me and told me you had been in an accident?” he asked.
I gritted my teeth and scowled. “I didn’t ask them to call you. You were still listed as my emergency contact from when Rocky was born.”
“That was ten years ago,” he pointed out. “You telling me in ten years you never thought about changing that?”
I sighed and looked off to the side.
Cue Ball moved toward Tag and held his hand out to him. “I’m Cue.”
Tag shook his hand. “I’m...” his words faltered, and he dropped his hand to his side.
He was a sperm donor. That was it.
“He was leaving,” I interrupted. “I’m sorry that you came all this way, Tag. I’ll make sure to have your name taken off my emergency contact list.”
“Uh, I moved back to town a few months ago,” he explained. “It only took me a couple of minutes to get here. Are you okay?” he asked.
I had never heard those words from Tag before.
He was ten years too late.
“I’ll be fine. Cue will make sure of that,” I blurted. “He’s been here the whole time.”
Tag tipped his head to the side and looked Cue Ball up and down. “You’re together?” he asked. His eyes lingered on the patch on Cue Ball’s chest.
I didn’t even have time to think about what to say or do next.
Cue Ball grabbed my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. He stood close to the side of the bed and nodded.
I know I had said that Cue Ball would make sure I was okay, but I was surprised Cue was going to take it this far.
I also didn’t owe Tag an explanation about anything, though.
Tag looked around. “Is...”
He was looking for Rocky. The rat bastard was looking for my son. My blood boiled at the thought of Tag even being able to get a glimpse of Rocky. He didn’t deserve to see Rocky, let alone be in the same room as him.
“He’s home with Grandma right now,” Cue Ball explained. “We just talked to her.”
“Oh, uh, well, that’s good.” Tag ran his fingers through his hair. “I guess I’ll just get going.”
Thank god. “Yup, bye.” I didn’t owe Tag the decency to be nice to him.
“Uh, thanks for taking the time to check on Olive. I’ll make sure everything gets changed with the hospital computers.”
Tag nodded. “Uh, that would be good.” He hesitantly turned and pulled open the door. “I’m glad you’ll be okay, Olive.” He disappeared out the door, and it closed softly behind him.
“You should give up the motorcycle gig and take up acting,” I whispered.
“No shit, doll,” Cue Ball chuckled. “I’m going to be a fucking natural on Tread.”
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head and dropped my hand. “Nothing, doll.”
“Uh, thank you for helping with Tag,” I muttered.
“Your kid’s dad?” he asked.
I scoffed. “Sperm donor is more like it. He saw Rocky two times and then signed his rights over.”
“Damn, doll. You sure you don’t want me to go track that guy down and punch his lights out?” he asked.
Ten years ago, I would have said yes, but these days Tag wasn’t worth my or Cue’s time. Not once did he try to contact me, and if it hadn’t been for the hospital calling him, I probably would have never seen him.
Though he did say he had moved back to town a few months ago.
How had I not known that? Mt. Pleasant wasn’t a super small town where we all knew each other, but it wasn’t a bustling metropolis either.
“No. If I never see him again, it will be too soon,” I sighed. I laid my head back on my pillow. “First, I get blown up, and then I have to see Tag? Lordy, give me some good pain meds and knock me out.”
“Knock, knock,” Nurse Gene called as he pushed open the door. “I know who we called.”
“I know, too,” I growled.
“Oh, hello,” Gene called. “Is this who we called? You don’t look so happy to see him.” He nodded to Cue Ball. “You much be Tag.”
I rolled my eyes. “Wrong, Gene.”
Cue Ball sat in the chair next to my bed. “You can call me Cue.”
“Like the ball or like a line?” Gene asked. He pushed a few buttons on the machine I was hooked up to, and the blood pressure cuff on my arm started to squeeze.
“Ball,” Cue Ball replied.
“Good at pool?” Gene asked.
“Decent,” Cue Ball shrugged.
I bet that was a lie.
“Mmhmm,” Gene hummed. “Sure.”
“Uh, do you know when I am going to be able to get out of here?” I asked. “I need to get home to my son before my mom has to go to work.”
“Shouldn’t be too long, sugar.” Gene sat at the computer and scanned his card.
The door swung open, and a woman walked in. “CAT scan?” she called.
“Speak of the devil,” Gene called.
“How many times have I told you not to call me by my real name in front of the patients?” the woman cackled. She smiled at me and winked. “You can just call me D, honey. I’m gonna take you for a spin.”
“And how many times have I told not to scare the patients?” Gene asked D. “She’s got a big ol’ biker keeping watch over her.”
“I can take him,” D laughed. She fiddled with the IV on my arm and raised the side rail on my bed. “He may look tough, but I’m sure he’s a teddy bear inside.” She winked at me and removed the brakes on my bed.
I glanced at Cue Ball, who had a smirk lingering on his lips.
“We’ll be right back, okay, biker boy?” she asked.
Cue Ball held up his hands. “I should probably insist on coming along to make sure Olive is safe, but I’m pretty sure you could take a wild cougar down with one hand.”
“Damn straight,” D muttered. “Sit tight.”
D wheeled me out of my room and down the hallway.
“You good?” she asked.
I closed my eyes. “Sure.”
She tsked. “Child, with that man at your side, I know for a fact you are good.”
I didn’t argue and tell her I had just met Cue Ball tonight. I didn’t have the energy to tell her the truth. “Can I take a nap?” My headache was coming on strong, and I just wanted to sleep.
“As long as you’re not moving, I don’t care what you are doing.”
My exhausted body relaxed into the bed, and I let the darkness take me over again.
*
