No Quarter (NOLA's Own #2) (62 page)

“She’s under observation,” Brian told me after the hundredth time I had gone up to the desk, begging them to let me see her. “They’re making sure that there are no injuries that haven’t cropped up yet. Her body went through three explosions, Phil.”

“Do you have any idea how the gas lines blew?”

His jaw clenched. “Kenna’s clinic was built right next to the kitchen, and that’s where the main was. Yeah, someone went in to the boss’s office and detonated a homemade bomb. It’s another reason they’re keeping Kenna and Gavin sedated. They’ve been testing for radiation. There doesn’t seem to be any…”

The way he said my Baby Girl’s name irritated me. It hinted that he
knew
her, had loved her, loved saying her name. I could see it in him. He loved filling his mouth with it, and I wanted to put my fist in it.

I looked over at Jason and was reminded of what happened when I shoved my fist into people’s faces. That man would never look the same, his nose all kinked and shit. He was still our golden boy, still loved by the women—hell, probably even more so. He just wasn’t so
pretty
anymore.

I turned my attention back to Brian. “How do you know her?”

“You know how I know her,” he replied, looking at his hands.

“So, you
are
that guy,” I stated, tasting the bitterness.

“I don’t know what you mean by
that guy
, but she left me for you,” he said, his voice twisted up. “Although, if she had told me that her Phil was
Phil fuckin’ Deveraux
, I might not have tried so hard to make her fall in love with me.”

Why do people think my middle fuckin’ name is fuckin’?

“She did fall for you, man. For whatever it’s worth, she said you were a good man, and she hated herself for what she put you through, that you deserved a hell of a lot better than what she gave you. I think she was mad at me for my fucked-up timin’.”

That motherfucker looked me dead in the eyes and told me, “I’d go through it all again, too. It was worth it, having her in my life, even for that little while.”

I thought I fuckin’ hated this guy. I was pretty fuckin’ sure I did. And once I had Kenna safe in my arms, I thought I might tell him, too. Maybe I’d forget about how Jason’s nose was all kinked, and I’d rearrange Friends-with-Fuckin’-Benefits’s face. He was too fuckin’ pretty anyway. If Kenna saw him standing next to my ugly ass, she might think twice about why she’d left him.

Naw.
Kenna wasn’t like that. I was just stupid tired, thinking crazy. Kenna could never commit to Brian ’cause she’d been waiting for me. It didn’t matter that he was too fuckin’ good-looking. Her heart belonged to me. She was
mine.

This whole fuckin’ day was one long nightmare that just wouldn’t end.

Connor and Flipper had shown up not long after we’d arrived. Da and Gloria had come with them.

Da looked as though he had aged twenty years. He had taken one look at me and busted into tears. It broke my heart all over again, seeing that bear of a man lose his shit over his little girl. I wasn’t able to be strong, facing that, and I cried all over again. Da pulled me and his boy into his arms, and the three of us cried like little bitches.

Pygmy and Lew Dog showed up, and she ran straight into Alys’s arms, the two of them falling to the floor in a heap of sobs.

X had had enough. After that, he threw Alys over his shoulder, kicking and screaming.

“Babe, you’re a right fuckin’ mess. I’m takin’ you home. Phil will call us when there’s news.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” she screeched.

Yeah, she was. X hauled her out with everyone else gawking at them. I caught Lili glaring at Lewis, who kept his mouth shut and settled into his chair.

Sheri kept us all well fueled with decent coffee, not the garbage they had here for the unfortunate souls waiting for news or waiting to be seen for their own emergencies.

After a few hours, Flipper, Lewis, and Pygmy decided to head home for some sleep and come back later.

Sheri, Jason, Connor, Da, Brian and I sat and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Her tattoo started to itch, to grow hot. I rubbed at it from time to time. Soon, it was itching like it was fresh and trying to heal.
Fuck
, it was burning.

Jason watched me scratch at it for a second before elbowing Brian. “Go check on her, man.”

Like a fuckin’ robot, Brian got to his feet and shuffled his exhausted ass back through the double doors. Once again, no one tried to stop him.

Sheri handed me another coffee, and I sucked it down, needing the fuel. I needed to move. I fuckin’ needed to see Kenna. I needed to touch her, to hold her, to tell her I loved her.

Kenna…my perfect piece of paradise.

I’m dyin’ here, Baby Girl. I need to take you home and hold you till all the hurt is gone.

“Phil?”

Brian had come back out. I jumped to my feet.

“Yeah?”

His pretty face split into an exhausted grin. “She’s awake.”

Kenna

Damn, I hurt. All over.

My throat was parched. It felt like I had swallowed splinters. And the damn ringing in my ears…shit, it was all I could hear. I opened my eyes, and the light was too white, harsh. It took a few moments before my eyes would stop watering from it.

“What. The. Fuck…” I groaned. At least, I thought I did.

All I heard was
wah, wah, wah, wah.
I took some calming deep breaths and then tried to sit up. The world tilted, and I just let myself sink back into the mattress.

A wadded up ball of paper landed in my lap. Turning my head to the left, I saw Gavin, his bald head wrapped up in a turban of bandages. He looked as bad as I felt.

He pointed at the paper, so I opened it.

I CAN’T HEAR. ARE YOU DEAF, TOO?

I gave him a thumbs-up.

A pen landed in my lap, and I had to admit, I was impressed with his aim, considering I couldn’t even keep my vision straight.

WHAT HAPPENED?

NO IDEA. WHAT’S THE LAST THING YOU REMEMBER?

I tried to think, tried to reach as far back as possible.

PHIL DIDN’T WANT ME TO GO TO WORK. YOU?

MY BAGEL DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH CREAM CHEESE.

I started to laugh, and I saw that he was, too.

WHAT TIME IS IT? HELL, WHAT FUCKING DAY IS IT?

I DON’T KNOW. I DON’T CARE. I’M CALLING IN SICK TO WORK TODAY.

I gave him another thumbs-up.

Seriously, what the hell had happened? Why were we in the hospital? Were we in a car accident?

Slowly, I attempted to sit up again. This time, I made it. I was groggy, which meant I had been sedated. I tugged down the thin blankets even though I was cold. My bladder was full, and I didn’t have a catheter. That was a good sign.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, only to find I was wearing a hospital gown. Reaching around to the back, I checked to see if I was wearing underwear. I was. Now, I just had to find the bathroom. There was a door on the other side of Gavin. I’d give that a go first.

In my left arm, I saw an IV hooked up, and I followed the tubing to a drip bag filled with simple saline solution meant to keep me hydrated. I glanced over at Gavin, noticing he was just staring off into space. He’d been sedated, too. His left arm was in a fresh cast and sling, and his face was covered in scrapes and bruises.

What in the name of all that is holy did we go through?

I was about to hop out of the bed when a nurse rushed in, trying to gently push me back down.

“I need to pee. I can’t hear you. I’m a doctor. I know what I’m doing.”

She got an irritated look on her face and tried harder to get me to lie back down, shaking her head.

Calmly, I swatted her hands off me and removed my IV. “I need to pee.
Now.
”

I was a lot bigger than she was, and using my size, I pushed her back and got to my feet. Just as I was getting ready to shove her out of my way, Brian showed up. The look of absolute relief on his face was almost comical. I imagined that was what I’d look like the second my ass hit a toilet seat. He looked beyond exhausted, but damn…he was still so fine.

The nurse was getting pretty feisty, trying to get me to sit back down on the bed again. I looked down at her like the annoying little gnat that she was and summoned my inner Phil.

“Woman!” I thought I roared. “Knock it off, and get me to a fucking toilet before I leave you a mighty mess to clean.”

She looked at me in shock. Brian came over, placing a hand on her shoulder and steering her clear of me. He was saying something to her, not that I’d ever know what, but she shot him a filthy look and marched her petite ass out of the room. Then, he came up to me and steered me toward the door.

Gavin was cracking up.

On the other side of the door was a toilet.

Gods be praised
.

I didn’t even care that Brian stood there in the doorway, his back turned. I didn’t care he could hear me release the powerful stream that shot out of me. I groaned with the relief of it, and I didn’t care that his shoulders started shaking when he heard it. I knew he was there in case I needed help.

My right ass cheek felt shattered. Bruises and bandages took up a lot of space on the right side of my body. Wiping and pulling up my drawers, I gave myself a quick once-over. My right ass cheek
was
shattered. My right arm was bandaged from bicep to wrist. My right hip throbbed with pain, and pulling aside the gown, I was shocked to see I was nothing but one massive bruise.

“Shit, what the fuck happened?”

Brian turned around, and I remembered to flush. He said something, and I shook my head.

“I can’t hear anything. Just ringing.”

He winced and nodded. Then, he mouthed something that looked like,
Explosion.

I blinked and stared at him.
An explosion?

Turning around for the sink to wash my hands, I glanced up in the mirror and received a hell of a surprise. The right side of my face was busted up, bandaged along my jaw and over my cheekbone, and my eye…three-quarters of my right eye was red, making the iris look electric green. The inner corner faded into a lighter shade of pink.

Brian’s reflection appeared right behind my own, and I felt his hands rest gently on my shoulders. His hazel eyes went soft, and he mouthed slowly,
Still beautiful.

I gave him a grimace of a smile and a thumbs-up, like he was the deaf one. He led me back to my bed, and I sat down gingerly, wincing for my shattered ass cheek. I looked at him, and I had to ask because it was killing me that he wasn’t here.

“Phil? Does he know where I am? Is he here?” I didn’t know the volume of my own voice, so I didn’t know if Brian winced because of that or the sound of Phil’s name.

Brian squatted down and said slowly, “I’ll be right back.”

I nodded, and he straightened and left the room.

Gavin was scribbling on a fresh piece of paper. I saw he had a whole pad. A nurse must have brought it to him when he had woken up. I got to my feet and sat on his bed.

WHO IS THAT GUY?

A FRIEND. I’M DATING PHIL, RIGHT?

Gavin laughed and scribbled.

YES. THE OTHER GUY LOOKED FAMILIAR. DID YOU USED TO DATE HIM?

YEAH. JUST MAKING SURE I’M NOT MAKING PHIL UP. THAT’D BE EMBARRASSING.

Gavin gave me a thumbs-up and settled back into his pillows. I didn’t feel like standing up again, and he didn’t seem to mind me there. His right hand reached out and enfolded mine. I looked into the face of my work partner in crime and saw sorrow and pain.

I had a feeling the worst was yet to come.

Phil

“She’s awake. She wants to see you.”

I thought I fuckin’ loved this guy. And when Kenna was safe in my arms, I thought I might tell him, too.

I wonder what his favorite car is. I think I’ll fuckin’ buy him one.

“Come on, I’m bringing you back,” said Friends-with-Benefits.

Da clapped me on the back, and I tripped forward, following Brian through the double doors as though I was allowed.

I fuckin’ hated hospitals. They were giant labyrinths, and they just smelled wrong.

Weaving our way around, I probably looked like a troll following the Prince of EMTs. I felt like one, in any fuckin’ case. I had no idea how long it took us, but it felt like fuckin’ forever before Brian stopped in front of a door.