head. “I don’t know. Comas are tricky. Sometimes patients come to in hours, others take days, weeks even.”
Weeks? Piper could be unconscious for weeks? I can’t go weeks without hearing her voice. It’s nowhere, not even on her voice mail. And what about graduation? Surely Principal White won’t make her repeat the whole year. What if she wakes up and forgets who I am. I saw that in a movie once. The girl had major trauma and forgot years of her life. How in the hell would I make her fall for me again? That can’t happen. Won’t happen. Piper will be fine. Everything will be fine!
The nurse reaches out, resting her hand on my arm. “Sir, are you okay?”
32
Rex
Two days. Two days of rotating shifts with Mamma T, Cooper, and Logan and Piper finally wakes up. It was the longest two days of my life. At first, I was pissed, her eyes fluttered open when Logan was in the room, not me. But I quickly got over it. As much as I would have loved to have been the first person Piper saw, I’m just glad she’s awake.
A few hours after waking up and running a million tests that required no visitors, the doctor transferred Piper to a regular room, which is great because we can all be in there with her. That one person at a time business was bullshit. I stop in the gift shop after lunch now that we’re cleared to go in and buy the biggest bouquet of flowers they have and a blue get well bear—I know how she feels about pink.
The sweet sound of Piper’s laugh carries into the hallway. I lean against the wall outside her door and listen. She and Cooper are reminiscing, with Mamma T adding her own memories. I can practically hear a smile in Piper’s voice. It’s melodical, beautiful and should be soothing my nerves, but it only makes them worse. The last time Piper and I saw each other she was trying to leave. What if that mess with Gerald was only an excuse? What if she doesn’t want to see me?
My mom can’t stand to be around me, probably because I’m a daily reminder of the mistake she made. My dad’s actions, or lack of, are somewhat justified now that I know the truth. I wouldn’t want a kid that’s not mine. I mean if I dated someone with a kid, I’m sure I'd love it. But raising a baby you thought was yours that turned out wasn’t, that would kill me. And even though I understand why my parents are the way they are, it doesn't do anything to fill the void.
I linger outside the door a little longer, listening to her voice, trying to find the courage to face Piper knowing I may be rejected. Two uniformed officers walk past me and knock on the open door. I sigh, realizing I waited too long and follow behind them.
“Piper Lovelace?” one asks.
“That’s me, Officer,” Piper says with a mocking grin. It’s her hospital room, were they expecting anyone else? Her gaze bounces from one uniformed man to the other before noticing me. Her smile falters but only for a split second.
“We have some questions,” the other officer says. “If you’re up for it.”
I set the bouquet on the bedside table along with the bear and stand in the corner while the officers introduce themselves as Officer Shen and Officer McLean. It may have been my imagination, but Piper doesn’t seem happy to see me. Or maybe she isn’t happy to see them. Lord I hope it’s them and not me.
“How do you know Gerald McCarron?” Officer Shen asks.
They’re not starting with the easy ones, are they? Piper takes a breath and lets it out slowly. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for her, talking about the man who haunts her dreams. The man who tried, and thankfully failed, to kill her. “Gerald McCarron is a lot of things. He’s my friend Bane’s dad.”
“The same Bane who is in Martin Memorial Hospital?” Officer McLean interrupts.
Piper looks to Cooper, concern written all over her face. I guess they didn’t tell her what had happened to him. She’s going to freak, which is probably why they hadn’t said anything yet. “Yes, same one.” Cooper answers for her.
Officer Shen nods and scribbles in his notebook. “You said he’s many things. What else is Gerald McCarron to you?”
“Gerald is my birth mom’s drug dealer. For lack of better words, he’s her pimp and…” Piper’s voice cracks. She swallows hard and looks down at her hands. “He also attacked me last year.”
Officer McLean doesn’t bat an eye. Apparently hearing that this scumbag attacked a teenager isn’t surprising. “Did you file a police report?”
Piper shakes her head. “No, but I’m sure you can subpoena the hospital records.”
Officer Shen writes that down while Officer McLean paces the room. He narrows his eyes, sizing us up one by one. “Why do you think Gerald McCarron sought you out on Saturday?”
“Because I got the best of him. My birth mom, Monica, sold him my virginity to pay a debt. I never agreed to it, so I fought back and was able to get away before he could finish what he started. But Gerald made it clear he had some not nice plans for me.”
“How did your relationship with Bane McCarron affect those plans?” Officer Shen asks.
Piper bites her cheek. I remember when Cooper made a comment about Bane, it pissed her off. But Piper’s not stupid, she won’t fire off at the cops. They’re just doing their jobs, asking stupid questions in the process. “Bane was my friend. He kept me safe, let me know what was going on over there.”
“So, he was involved in his father's business?” Officer McLean asks. He raises his eyebrows at Officer Shen, who scribbles in his notebook then underlines the writing.
Piper pushes on the mattress, scooting herself up. She balls her fists, nails digging into her palms. She’s losing control and not in an emotional breakdown kind of way. “No. Bane and his dad were estranged, but Bane had friends who worked for Gerald. They kept him in the loop.”
Officer Shen nods, still scribbling in his notebook. “Why do you think you were shot? Was it always Gerald’s plan to kill you?”
“I don’t know explicitly what his plans were,” She snaps. “But when I saw he pointed the gun at Rex, I couldn’t let Gerald hurt him.” Piper looks at me, a sadness in her eyes. Her lips curl in the corners, mirroring the emotion already on her face. All this lasts less than a second. She turns her attention back to the officers. “I’m tired. Can we finish this later?”