“Ass probably waited until you wandered out to follow you.” Jake’s knuckles were white where he gripped the edge of the bed. “If Bubba hadn’t heard something…”
“Where is he?”
“Getting questioned,” Archie said, and then he eased down on the side of the bed. “Is this okay?” He was careful not to touch me, but he looked like hell.
“Are you okay? You drank some…”
“I know, babe. Started feeling a little woozy about ten minutes after you went to the bathroom. When you didn’t come back, we got worried. I mostly have a headache, I didn’t pass out…” He sucked in a breath and blew it out. “One of us should have gone with you.”
“That’s on me,” Jake snarled. “She told me—you told me—and I just let you go.”
“It was the bathroom guys…you can’t exactly go in with me.”
Coop stroked his thumb against my palm. “It’s no one sitting here’s fault,” he said steadily. “It was Mitch. Let’s put the blame where it belongs. Right now, we’re going to keep this nice and calm. What do you need?”
“I want to go home,” I admitted. “The cats…”
“I fed them,” Jake said. “I left for a little while earlier, drove back, made sure they were all right, and then came back here.”
Relieved, I closed my eyes.
“I’m sorry, babe,” Archie said quietly. “You really shouldn’t have had to go through that.”
“For what it’s worth, I don’t remember it.” My eyes still stung, and it was almost easier to talk with them closed. The concern on their faces choked me. “But I’m really glad you’re here now.”
“Not going anywhere,” Coop said. “I called my mom—after we couldn’t get ahold of yours.” Reluctance crept into his voice. “Just in case, you know she used to be able to sign for you at school so maybe…”
“Did you tell her?”
“Just that you got hurt,” he said gently. “No other details.”
“Everyone knows though...don’t they?” Before they could answer, I said, “Never mind. I don’t care. I just…Denitra, she did an exam. He didn’t…he didn’t do much more than…” I didn’t even want to say the words, so I held up my wounded wrist and motioned to my face carefully.
“I still want to break his legs,” Jake said almost conversationally. “To start.”
Making myself open my eyes, I looked at them and blinked rapidly at the sheen of tears in their eyes. Like me, they seemed to be blinking them back. “I’m really tired.”
“Then get some sleep.” Coop let go of my hand long enough to drag a chair over. “We’re right here.”
“Not going anywhere,” Archie said. “Unless you’re hungry. I can go get you something.”
I really didn’t want food. “Not yet.” I licked my lips. “I just want to sleep.” And then to wake up and have this all be a bad dream.
“Then sleep,” Jake said softly, and he touched my foot through the blanket. “No one is going to bother you.”
I believed him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said
Archie
The doctor was in with her, and the cops wanted to talk to Jake. They’d already interviewed Bubba. He sat in a chair across from me in the waiting room. Coop wouldn’t move from her door. Even if he couldn’t be inside it, he planted like a damn oak. Where I would have argued or Jake would have bellowed, Coop just stood his ground.
As much as I envied his calm, I couldn’t embrace it. Every time I looked at Frankie’s bruised and pale face, rage flooded me. Not even the fact Bubba had broken Mitch’s jaw satisfied my need for violence.
That son of a bitch was on another floor in this hospital with his jaw wired shut and a handcuff on his wrist. Coop and I already had to keep Jake from going down there once. Personally, I’d been fine with letting Jake take another pound of flesh, but Coop held his head and reminded us that Frankie needed ushereand not in jail.