Cleats in Clay (23 page)

“Yer gonna insist, ain’t ya,” Odis said with resignation.

“We’ll meet ya there,” Gertie told them as she and John went to the elevator.
“It wouldn’t do any good for Tuck to see you all run-down, now would it?”
“Oh. Okay.” Odis stood up. “Can we make a quick detour first?”
“I guess. Where to?” Bobby asked as they headed for the elevator, but Odis pulled on his arm and led him to the stairwell.
“It’s only one floor. Who knows how long we’ll hafta wait,” he explained as they started down the concrete steps of the emergency stairwell. “I gotta see. Gotta see how bad the house is. It’s all I’ve been thinkin’ about.”
“Yeah, okay,” Bobby agreed as they exited the stairwell and headed to the front doors.

They didn’t talk much on the drive out to Odis’s property, a quiet exhaustion draining away their words. The fire damage became obvious as they reached the country roads on the west side of town. Black-and-gray swirly smears marred the barren rocky moon surface of a landscape.

When Odis pulled up to the gate, Bobby could see—or rather not see—the garage ahead. The building’s stump of charred remains etched across the ground with dark blueprint marker lines, as if declaring “build here.”

Bobby opened the gate, and Odis waited for him to get back in the El Camino before he pulled ahead. He looked over to the left as they rolled slowly down the driveway. With the camouflage of grass and bushes burned away, the outlines of the concrete roof stood out in a discolored gray.

Odis parked and they quietly walked down the steps. Odis brushed aside the scattered glass shards from the sconce lights with his sole of his shoe as they descended deeper. At the bottom step, Odis paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “It’s only stuff,” he whispered before opening his eyes, reaching beside him and grabbing Bobby’s hand, then moving forward again.

The singed patio area looked like a dusty black chalkboard. They glanced over it. The large pane of picture-window glass nearest the stairs had a huge spiderweb crack close to the top, the safety glass drooping into a strange and beautifully warped and fused blob, like a tired eye trying to blink. The second windowpane had one long gash of a crack diagonally near the middle, but it held together. The rest of the windows just looked dirty. The inside appeared untouched.

Odis smiled. “I’ll be damned.”

 

“Yeah,” Bobby agreed. They quickly stepped up, opened the sliding door, then walked inside.

Bobby coughed at the stale lingering smoke in the air. A startled bird flew up from its new roost on one of the wrought iron chairs and banged into the glass. They managed to herd it out through the open sliding door.

“Well, it needs a good cleaning,” Odis said, glancing toward the black face of the microwave. “And the power’s out.”

Bobby nodded in agreement. The only real damage he spotted was the red rubbery blob that once had been a toy ball puddled near the glass wall. The heat didn’t seem to have penetrated very far past the glass.

Odis pulled him toward the sleeping area. “Grab yer shit while I get some clothes.” As Odis dragged out a large duffel and stuffed it with the contents of his dresser, Bobby zipped up his suitcase, then sealed up the garment bag hanging on the bathroom door.

Odis picked up his duffel and dragged it to the kitchen area. He disappeared into the laundry room and returned a moment later with a sheet of poster board and some duct tape. Bobby watched him drag a wrought iron chair from the table set to the window and tape the poster board over the opening in the first pane of glass. “Not watertight, but it’ll keep the damn birds out,” Odis commented as he worked.

After covering the window, Odis grabbed Bobby by the arm and led him out. “I got yer box,” Odis said as Bobby followed him up the stairs and back to the car.

Odis turned the car around and pulled out of the driveway, not bothering to close the gate as they left. He smiled at Bobby as they cruised down the road, the dimming light of dusk lending even more of a feeling of moonscape to the blackened earth around them. Odis glanced over. “I’m so relieved. We can get it all fixed up and be back in before middle of next week, I bet.”

Bobby nodded. “I’m kinda surprised, but I guess I shouldn’t be, since it’s concrete and all.”
Odis nodded. “I designed it with tornadoes in mind. Wanted to make sure it would hold up if one blew through. Never even thought about a grass fire, though. I’ll hafta check the roof carefully, make sure the concrete didn’t crack anywhere from the heat. It’ll hafta be patched and sealed up right away if there are any cracks,” he thought aloud as they neared the main road.
A few minutes later, they stepped into the B and B, welcomed by the wonderful aromas of baking bread and spicy roasted meat. They found John already sitting at the dining table and Gertie setting out a full spread. A huge rack of lamb filled up the center of the table, surrounded by a loaf of fresh bread and numerous vegetables.
Odis dropped his duffel in the hallway. “Geez, Gertie, how many people we feedin’?” he asked with a chuckle.
Bobby set down his suitcase in the hall and draped the garment bag over one of the chairs before joining them in the dining room.
Gertie smiled at the joviality in Odis’s voice and pointed at the chairs. “Don’t know fer sure. Told Alice and Gina to drop by. Don’t know if they will or not. Wanda Travie, Carl’s widow, is supposed to be comin’ by later.” Gertie glanced at the suitcases in the hall. “I take it ya went by the house?”
The scent of the perfectly seared lamb made Bobby’s mouth water as he sat down.
Nodding, Odis approached the dining table. “Yep, and it’s still there. Just some broken windows is all. Easy to fix. Garage burnt up, though.” He chuckled as he looked over the spread of food. “Just like Mamma— always cook when ya get worried.”
“Shut up and eat,” Gertie said as she served out sliced rib sections onto the waiting men’s plates.

Bobby grabbed some of the mashed potatoes and green beans as the door buzzed. Gertie waved at Alice to come in.
She looked like an older and slightly mousier version of Gina. “Smells heavenly,” she complimented while taking a seat next to Gertie.

“Gina not comin’?” Gertie asked, picking up a clean plate from the stack and handing it to Alice.

“Nah, she wanted ta peek in on Tuck and hang around for Hawk ta wake up. Doc said Hawk’s fine, just ornery, as normal. So they’re sendin’ him home.”

Gertie looked over at Odis, glad to see how he dug into the meat and corn on the cob with gusto. “Then ya boys might wanna eat fast and run back. Odie can help handle Hawk, if he’s in a mood.”

Odis and Bobby nodded in agreement as they devoured their dinners.

 

Chapter 21

 

O
NCE
back at the hospital, they found Gina in the ER, still waiting for Hawk to wake up. He was expected to be out another thirty minutes, so Bobby and Odis ran back upstairs to squeeze in a visit with Tuck. Bobby motioned for Odis to take the lead. “You go in first. That way, you can be waiting here in the hall if Hawk shows up early.”

“Okay,” Odis agreed, and he went in. He didn’t see a nurse anywhere, so he rushed right into Tuck’s room. “You awake, bonehead?” he called out while pushing open the door.

Tuck grinned and blinked over at the doorway. “Am now, asshole.” “Good. I heard somewhere ya can’t heal when ya sleep ’cause yer not awake to think about it,” Odis teased as he approached the left side of the bed and kissed Tuck.
After a nice moment of sharing lips, Tuck pulled away. “And where’d ya hear nonsense like that?”
Odis shrugged. “One of those fundamentalist channels. Twenty Thousand Club, I think. The ones that don’t believe in hospitals or shit.”
Tuck chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure they have sound medical advice, then. Maybe you should ask Klyve about that next time he’s by.”
“Klyve? Oh, is that the snippy nurse?”
Tuck nodded. “He’s actually a good guy, just seems really tired.”
Odis took time to glance around the space. He looked curiously at Tuck. “I don’t see any kind of bathroom nearby,” he said with a questioning tone.
“Catheter,” Tuck replied. “They don’t want me movin’ around ’til they get a cast on my hand.”
Odis scowled and reflexively covered his groin with his hand. “Doesn’t that hurt?”
“I don’t know. Wasn’t awake when they put it in. Can’t be too bad, though, since sounding is such a hot activity.”
“
Sounding?
”
Tuck chuckled. “I ferget yer a slow straight man sometimes. It’s puttin’ things down the urethra for pleasure.”
“Hey,” Odis said as he punched at Tuck’s arm. “Who says I’m slow? I’m just not up on all this jargon.” Odis turned curious. “What kinds of things?”
“Thin metal or plastic rods. Look it up on the Internet if ya really wanna know more.”
“I will,” Odis said firmly. “Have
you
ever done that?”
“No sex talk right now, okay? Seein’ how’s I’m stuck here like this, with no privacy, even.”
“Sure, sorry,” Odis agreed. “But you brought it up. I should go,” he said with a hand squeeze. “Bobby’s waitin’ his turn, and just so ya know, Hawk’s due awake any time now.”
Tuck tried to smile peacefully. “Good to know.”
Odis gave him a quick kiss and left. “All yours, stud,” he said a minute later as he passed Bobby and sat down on the maroon couch.
Bobby handed him his cell phone and went into the ICU. He grinned back at Tuck as he slipped in the door. “Hey,” he said warmly.
“Hey, stud,” Tuck answered as Bobby sidled up to the bed. They kissed. “He looks better.”
“We had some dinner at Gertie’s.”
“Damn, makin’ me jealous. Don’t even tell me what she made.”
“Okay, I won’t, then.” Bobby glanced around at all the pinging and beeping machinery. “Why do they have you hooked up to all this junk?”
“Who knows?” Tuck said with a shrug. “I can’t even tell what half the shit’s for.”
“You doing okay?”
“Sure. Mostly just bored. They won’t let me even stand up out of bed.”
“Sorry,” Bobby said with a comforting hand pat. “Prob’ly won’t get better anytime soon.” Bobby heard a familiar grumbling voice out in the hallway and felt Tuck tense up under his caress.
“Loki’s nuts, here we go,” Tuck quietly mumbled.
“Should I—”
Tuck grabbed his hand. “You stay right here.”

O
DIS
blocked the door to the ICU wing with one hand planted on each side of the doorframe, trying his best to look formidable as he stood up to the six-foot-three Viking warrior. “No. Bobby’s already back there. Only one at a time.”

Hawk scowled. “Don’t feed me bullshit, Odie. I’ll rip you in two if you don’t get outta my way.”
Klyve stepped up behind Odis holding a squared-off plastic gun. “You heard the little guy. Back up to the couch.”
“And who the fuck are you?” Hawk glowered down, keeping his eyes on the gun in the nurse’s hand as he shifted slowly to the right.
“I could ask you the same fuckin’ question,” Klyve replied. “But all
you
need to know is I’m the one in charge of keeping the peace here.”
Hawk took another slow step to the right, watching Klyve wielding what looked like a Taser as he stepped forward. Hawk studied his movements, learning his tells.
“Couch,” Klyve repeated as he motioned with the gun. “Not only am I the senior nurse on this floor, I’m also a Vartlett. Do I need to call my cousin Charlie?”

“No.” Hawk took another step back and relaxed his shoulders. “No need to bring Mayor Vartlett in on this.”
“Didn’t think so. Now, have a seat and wait your turn.” Klyve looked at Hawk’s bare feet and the haphazardly tucked hospital gown he wore as a shirt with his jeans. “Before I change my mind and start calling all the stations to find out where you escaped from.”
As Hawk took two steps back toward the couch, the elevator door opened with a ding and Gina rushed up. “Hawk!” she yelled. “They didn’t say you could leave yet.”
Hawk perched on the edge of the couch. “I’m not leavin’ ’til I see my brother.”
“And you’re not gettin’ anywhere near him until you calm down,” Klyve said firmly. “Tuck and the other patients need a quiet environment.”
Gina glared at her husband as she sat down beside him.
“Okay,” Hawk said.

Klyve glanced over at Odis. “If you can behave, I’ll let the little guy take you back, but only for five minutes. I have to check him for rounds soon.”

Hawk stood up and nodded.
“I didn’t hear you.”
“Okay,” Hawk agreed aloud. “Five minutes. Got it.”

Klyve stepped back into the ICU and let Odis and Hawk pass. “Behave,” he said, waving the gun at Hawk as he stepped by.
Odis led him into room two. “Ya got a visitor,” he announced as Hawk walked in.
Hawk froze in the doorway, taking in the sight of all the busy machinery. He saw the mummy-wrapped hand, then saw Tuck’s left hand in Bobby’s. His brow furrowed, etched with heavy concern. “You okay, midget?” he asked, trying to keep his voice normal.
Odis glared at the slur, but Hawk was looking right at Tuck and didn’t notice.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Tuck told him. “Was that
you
makin’ all that ruckus in the hallway?”

Hawk dropped his gaze. “Sorry. I was kinda pissed nobody told me ya was here.”
“You upset people when ya carry on like that,” Tuck chastised as he pulled his hand away from Bobby and held it out. “Ya gonna hug me? Or just stand there lookin’ stupid?”
Bobby stepped over to make room for the big man to get close. Hawk very gingerly put his arms around Tuck and lightly squeezed before pulling back. “What happened to your hand?”