“Alright buddy, I’m heading to the hospital. Got anything else for me, hotshot?” He shakes his head.
I need to speak with Rawlings soon about ending these details. I haven’t gotten any more threats. Sure, the footage of someone watching me at home and the gunshots were something, but I’m pretty sure they don’t need to watch over me like a hawk. Plus, I’ve been putting in some work in the gym lately, particularly with my knife skills.
I make my way to Memorial Hospital, the panic and anxiety from that day settling back into my bones. I walk slowly, silently hoping he’ll be asleep, allowing me more time to put together my words. Passing the nurses’ station, I nod to the nurse on duty.
A man I don’t recognize stands guard by Jeremiah’s door. He’s a little shorter than Jackson, but still towers over me. He has curly dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a short beard that shapes his jawline to perfection. Add the eyebrow piercing, and he looks like a predator ready to pounce at any moment. I step into his line of sight. He takes a look at me, surveying from the top of my head to the bottom of my shoes.
“Hi,” I say softly. “Is he awake?”
Without warning, I get pulled into a bear hug. Confusion. Awkwardness. Not the reaction I was looking for. This man is crushing me, and not in the most pleasurable way. “Um… Okay, could you let go? I’d like to leave with all the air in my lungs.”
He lets me go and I adjust myself. “Not what I was expecting.”
He just shrugs. “I sensed you needed a hug.” This man is a teddy bear, and I’m here for it.
“How would you know that?” I tilt my head at him.
“Body language. Intuition. Also, it’s good to see you alive. Don’t know what boss man would do if things went south that night.” Ah, so he was there when I was laying on Doc’s table.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Uh huh. I’m sure there is a story in there somewhere.”
He nods his head and extends his hand out to me. “Call me Memphis.” as he flashes a smile to me.
I take his hand and look closer at him. “You from Memphis?”
“Yes ma’am, I am. It’s also my name.” He flashes me a huge smile.
I get to the reason I’m here. “He awake?”
“Yep, waiting on you.” He gestures toward the room.
I take a deep breath to steel myself and make my way inside.Come on, you got this. Throw the anxiety out the window.There Jeremiah sits, working on his dinner, the television on some kind of sports broadcast. I knock on the door, and he turns his attention to me.
“You know, for a while, I thought you was avoiding me like the plague,” he starts to mouth off to me. I freeze where I stand and start to fidget with my keys, trying to focus on something else.
“Sugar get yourself in here,” he commands. I hesitate, trying to tamp down the well of emotions threatening to burst. “Ms. Tessa. Come here, sugar. I think you and I need to talk.” He pats the side of the bed for me to sit. My stomach is unsettled, and I don’t know what to expect.
He grasps one of my hands, and I’m taken aback. “Sugar. You hiding from me?”
His question hangs heavy in the air. How do I answer him? A simple answer comes out. “Yes.”
“Thank you for the honesty,” he begins, but I hold up my hand to stop him.
“I owe you an apology, Jeremiah.” He tilts his head in confusion. “If I’d listened and not shrugged off your concerns, you wouldn’t be here. It’s my fault. You constantly warned me, and I was too stubborn. Jeremiah, you are so very important to me. You’ve become a dear friend and every time I’m around you and your spirit, you make me believe in the good, in the work we do. I couldn’t live with myself if my stupidity was the reason you were no longer with us.” I blurt out what’s been bubbling up in me for a long while. Everything came out like rapid fire. This is all my fault. I hang my head, unable to look him in the eye.
“Ms. Tessa. Sugar. Come here, closer to me,” he requests and I comply. He reaches a hand to touch my cheek. His calloused hands brush against my wet cheek, rubbing where tears have run down my face. “You are a stubborn ass woman. We all know this. At that moment, it was my choice. I knew if I went there, I could suffer the consequences. This is not on you. Ya hear?” He lightly taps my cheek.
“You are the real hero here Jeremiah, you are going to save so many people now.” I look back him. It’s true, he called me a superhero when in reality it is him and his determination.
“You are just buttering me up.” I don’t deserve this forgiveness, his kindness. “Now, I need you to answer a question for me. Why do I see a wolf at my door?” He glares at Memphis.
I pale; I knew he wouldn’t like that. “Because the Wolves are helping us. It’s a lot to explain, and honestly, it’s not worth the hassle right now.” I try to divert the conversation, but I can tell Jeremiah knows I’m lying.
“I got time. Unless you got a date like your birthday and all.” He settles back into his bed, folding his hands to his chest.
I swear, I don’t deserve this man. “Aw, you remembered.”
“Of course, I did. Don’t deflect. Start talking, child,” he chastises sternly.