by Harley Stone
“So, the appendix and the abscess are gone?”
“The appendix has been removed. We’ve started him on an antibiotic for the infection and we’ve put a tube in place to drain the abscess. That usually takes about two weeks.”
“But will he be okay?” I asked, trying to imagine what Uncle Jaime would look like with a tube sticking out of his belly.
“We got his fever down and he did great during the surgery. He’s in recovery, but he’s going to have to stay here for at least twenty-four hours so we can monitor him. Depending on how he does, he could possibly go home tomorrow evening or the day after. Does he live alone?”
I nodded.
The doctor jotted something down on the chart in his hand. “Once he’s released, someone will need to stay with him for at least the first two weeks. Considering his age and the amount of drainage, his full recovery time will be about four to six weeks, and he won’t be able to do much at all for the first two to three.”
“We’ll make sure he gets the care he needs,” I replied, wondering how long I was going to be stuck in Portland.
“Good. I’ll have one of the nurses take you back to see him. If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
I thanked the doctor and waited as he walked to the admittance desk, summoned a nurse, and pointed her in my direction. She took me through the secure doors, down a couple of halls, and to a bank of elevators. When we finally made it to Uncle Jaime’s room, she stepped inside with me.
It was disconcerting to see the man who’d always been so much larger than life confined to a hospital bed and hooked up to machines. Feeling like I’d been punched in the gut, I doubled over and pretended to tie my shoe to buy myself a little time to process and get my emotions under control as the weight of what could have happened pressed against me.
What if I hadn’t answered my phone?
What if I’d arrived later?
His life had been in danger, and I’d let him talk me out of calling an ambulance.
“He’ll be asleep for a while,” the nurse said, checking the readout of a machine.
Forcing myself to take a deep breath and drop my shoulders, I stood. “But he’s okay?”
“His vitals are stable. We’ll keep an eye on him and do everything in our power to make sure it stays that way.” She finished checking him over before heading out and leaving me alone with Uncle Jaime.
Exhausted, I collapsed in the chair beside him and watched his chest rise and fall, reassuring myself that he was strong and resilient, and wouldn’t go down without a fight. Once I was mostly convinced he’d make it, I called my parents and tried my best to reassure them.
Mom was still asking questions when my phone started dying. Since I didn’t have my charger, I said goodbye, pocketed it, and watched my uncle sleep some more. He looked older than I remembered. The lines around his eyes were darker and deeper. His skin looked thin and worrisomely pale, and he looked puffy. Since his house was a disaster, I wondered if he was getting any exercise or taking care of himself at all.
How long has his appendix been bothering him?
I should have checked on him more.
It was too late for that shit now.
Machines beeped. A couple walked by the room, arguing over something. My mind drifted back to Jessica. I wondered if she was pissed, hurt, or relieved when I didn’t return. If my phone wasn’t dead, I’d be tempted to call someone at the station and get a message to her.
Then again, what would I say?
Would you let Jessica know I’m sorry I didn’t come back? I still want to fuck her, but my uncle almost died, so I had to rush down to Portland. Ask her for a rain check, or even a mulligan, on the one-night stand.
No. I wanted more than one night with her. I needed to think this shit over and come up with a game plan to make her see how much fun we could have together. That was something we’d have to discuss in person, not through a message from one of my brothers. She might be upset about me standing her up, but after I explained, she’d understand. If not, she wasn’t right for me and I’d let her go.
Of course, all of my plans to win her over would have to be put on hold until my uncle got better.
God, I don’t want to be stuck in Portland for a fuckin’ month.
My brain kept searching for another answer but coming up with jack shit. At some point, I must have drifted off, because throaty coughing woke me up. Jumping to my feet, I stood beside Uncle Jaime’s bed and looked him over. His eyes were open and a little glassy, but clear. He was still pale, but he didn’t look nearly as bad as he had before.
With another cough, he handed me an empty cup with a lid.
I hurried to the sink and refilled it for him. When I returned, he sucked down several swallows before setting the cup aside and clearing his throat one final time.
“Thanks. ’Bout time you did something useful. Thought you were gonna sleep all day.”
Realizing how light the room was, I sought out the clock on the wall. It was about ten after seven. “How long have you been up? Why didn’t you wake me?”
He stared at me like I was an idiot. “What the hell for?”
“I don’t know. Maybe to tell me you’re alive? You scared the shit out of me, old man.”
The side of his lip curled up. “I doubt that. You seem as full of shit as ever.”
Now this was the Uncle Jaime I knew and loved. Glad to see that his near-death experience hadn’t stolen away his sense of humor, I chuckled, shaking my head. “Should have let me call the ambulance.”
“I’m fine. Don’t be such a dramatic little pussy.”
I looked pointedly at the tubes and machines connected to his body. “You don’t look fine. You look like you’ve been doing a piss-poor job of taking care of yourself.”
He shrugged. “If I wanted someone to nag me, I would have found a wife by now.”
“No woman would put up with you, Tio.”
He glared at me for a solid minute before barking out a laugh. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Is that what happened to your apartment? You finally piss off your housekeeper enough to make her resign?”
He grunted. “Lola’s gettin’ up in age. She had to have back surgery, so she sent her daughter to do the job for her. Damn girl can’t stay off her phone long enough to do shit. She still tried to charge me by the hour, so I fired her ass.”
“When? A year ago? Your place is disgusting. I’m tempted to call Madre and my sisters down to clean it up for you.” I racked my brain for the last time I’d made the trip to Portland. Two months ago? Two and a half months? Had nobody checked on him in all that time? The family was busy and could probably come up with at least a dozen excuses for neglecting him, but it was clear he needed us. Mom would throw one hell of a fit if she saw his place looking like it did.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t you go bringing Maritza into this.”
Uncle Jaime would never admit it, but he was terrified of my mother. Hell, we all were. The woman knew how to keep the whole family in line, and she wouldn’t hesitate to go after any of us with a wooden spoon. I had permanent welts on my ass to prove it.
“You plannin’ on hiring another housekeeper?” I asked.
“You grow some cojones and enroll in college yet?” he fired back.
Uncle Jaime was the only person I’d ever told about my dream of becoming an architect. I tried to talk to my dad about it once. Right after I came home from the service, I started to talk to him about going back to school, but he interrupted me before I could get the words out. He was so damn excited to have me home and working the family business I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint him. So… I went back to work for my old man, and that’s where I’ve been ever since. I was trying to be a good son and didn’t need my uncle throwing that shit in my face.
“Time’s not right to go back to school,” I replied.
“Never is. Never will be at this rate. You’ll be an o
ld man with a wife and children of your own, still working for Javier.”
I wanted to argue, but couldn’t. I’d been home for a couple of years now and still hadn’t tried to broach the topic again. Truthfully, I was terrified Uncle Jaime was right, so I changed the subject. “You know you’re not gonna be able to stay down here, right?”
“I’m a grown ass man, Tonio. I’ll live wherever the hell I want.”
“All right. I’ll call Madre down to clean up your place for you then.”
His eyes narrowed. “Like hell you will.”
I glared right back. “Then I’m packin’ it up and takin’ you north.”
Neither of us backed down. Uncle Jaime had taught me Spades. He’d encouraged me to play my hand and to bluff my ass off when the need arose, but I sure wasn’t bluffing now. I didn’t care how hellbent he was on maintaining his privacy and independence. It was clear he needed to be closer to people who could help him. I’d be damned if I left him three hours away from family to fend for himself. Especially since his stubborn ass wouldn’t take an ambulance.
He finally looked away. “You at least plannin’ to let me get out of the hospital before you pack up my shit and kidnap me?”
Glad he was conceding, I let out a relieved breath. “Kidnap you? Now who’s being a dramatic little pussy?”
He snorted.
“It’d probably be easier with you in here and out of my way, but we gotta wait and see what the doctor says.”
“I don’t remember you being this bitchy. What crawled up your ass this morning?”
I had to hand it to him, I was in a foul mood. Sleeping in an uncomfortable hospital chair will do that to a man. “Your phone call interrupted one hell of a good night.”
It took him a beat to catch my drift, but then his eyebrows shot up and a grin split his face. “Oh yeah? How good?”
Dirty old man. Chuckling, I shook my head and thought about the supplies still in my saddle bag. The plans I had for Jessica could make a priest blush. “Potential to be the best.”
His eyes widened. He barked out a laugh and said, “Then you’re a damn fool, Tonio.”
I let him have his fun for a minute before asking, “How so?”
“Because if I had that kind of potential waiting for me at home, I sure as hell wouldn’t have torn off to drive three hours so I could take care of you. You should have called me an ambulance.”
Muttering, “Asshole,” I laughed alongside him. It felt good, even though we both knew he was full of shit. Family always came first. He’d distanced himself from us because he didn’t want to be a burden, but if we ever needed him, he’d find a way to come through. That’s what we did. Always.
“Your insistence in staying down here is cramping my style. If your stubborn ass was up in Seattle, I could have checked you into the hospital, went home, got laid and a decent night’s sleep.”
“So that’s what this is about.” He nodded. “Fine. Get me out of here and I’ll move up to Seattle.”
It wasn’t even a question, but I was glad to have his consent. “Good.”
“Just as long as you enroll your ass in college.”
I groaned. This was going to be one hell of a long month. “How about we play cards for it?”
Jessica
WHEN I ARRIVED at work, Don’s haughty assistant, Marjorie, was waiting in my cubicle. Wearing a tailored pinstripe skirt and blazer, she sat perched on the edge of my guest chair as if something in my space might rub off on her. Probably my mediocrity or lack of cut-throat ambition. As the boss’ right-hand, Marjorie’s ego was through the roof, and she didn’t fraternize with low-level marketers like me. When she needed one of us, she paged us and made us stand court in front of her desk like a lowly commoner groveling before the queen.
Surprised to see her, I stopped short. “Good morning, Marjorie.”
She flashed me an impatient smile, finished typing a sentence on her iPad, and then gave me her undivided attention for approximately three-point-four seconds, which had to be a new record. “Good morning, Jessica. Don would like to see you in his office.” She stood and her fingers flew over her screen again.
“Right now?” I asked, setting my purse down and glancing at my laptop. My job often felt like a complicated juggling act. Yesterday’s hiccup in my normal schedule had thrown all my tasks in the air, and I needed to get busy and figure out which ones to catch first.
Her gaze popped up to meet mine, and the corner of her lip raised in a sneer that forced me to question my intelligence and right to consume oxygen. Of course, she meant now. If the matter wasn’t urgent, she wouldn’t have wasted her precious time waiting at my desk. I was clearly an insufferable fool for even considering that Don would be willing to wait for me to check my email and put out any marketing fires before I marched my unworthy behind into his office.
“Yes. Right now.” She rolled her eyes and marched out into the sea of cubicles.
Awesome. I cast one more longing glance at my laptop, grabbed a pen and notepad, and hurried into Don’s office. He was on the phone, but he glanced up, smiled, and gestured for me to close the door behind me. After it clicked shut, I sat and waited as he finished up his call.
“Jessica,” he said as he hung up. “I’m relieved to have you back at work today. You had me worried when you left and didn’t return.” He chuckled. “I know I told you to take an early lunch, but I didn’t mean all day.”
“I called in and told Marjorie I had to take the day off…” I glanced over my shoulder, ready to shuffle out to her desk and drag her into his office to confirm.
“Oh, yes. She passed along your message, but she didn’t give a reason why. I just… Is there anything you’d like to tell me?”
If I’d told Marjorie I was heading to the police station, the rumor mill would have mass produced assumptions as to why. They would have picked apart my social media posts, searching for clues about what I’d gotten myself into, and I wasn’t about that mess. I didn’t tell Marjorie anything, because it wasn’t any of her business. Don was fishing for information while trying not to cross the line of what he could legally ask an employee. He was always so proper and professional with me, yet I’d been passed over for a promotion because he was screwing my competition. The thought made my backbone stiffen and my fists clench.
“Nope. I’m good.”
His brow furrowed. “Look, I know you’re upset about me promoting Chad, and disappointed that you didn’t get the position, but let me assure you I value you. You’ve always been an exemplary employee, and I have plans to promote you in the future. Just give me a little time to work out the details and figure out where your talents would best be suited.”
Wait, what?
This sounded a lot like an attempt to pacify me. Did he think I bailed on work to go job hunting? The idea had never even crossed my mind, but now… finding another job suddenly didn’t seem so scary or overwhelming. Maybe it was time to start looking. His expression was worried, and a part of me felt like I should reassure him that I wasn’t going anywhere, but I bit my lip before the words could tumble free. Don didn’t deserve that kind of reassurance.
I was sick of being a doormat, and tired of people thinking they could use me and get away with it. In the past twenty-four hours, I’d been held at gunpoint, witnessed a shooting, had a one-night stand, and moved in with a biker club. I wasn’t his boring, safe employee anymore.
“I had a personal issue to take care of, but I’m fine now. Thank you,” I said.
His frown deepened at my expression, making me wonder what the heck my face was doing now. Forcing a smile, I added, “My unexpected absence did put me a little behind on a couple of projects.” I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. “I have a design due in a few hours…”
The lines across his forehead were so deep he could use them to store extra change. “Okay. But my door’s always open if you want to talk. I mean it, Jessica. You’re a valuable employee, and I don’t want to lose you
.”
No, he wanted to string me along with empty promises of a promotion while only advancing his little sex buddy. No matter how upset Don looked, I refused to feel sorry for him. Choosing to focus on the way he’d made me feel when he passed me over, I marched out of his office and returned to my cubicle. Don thought keeping his side piece happy was more important than doing his job.
Good sex causes people to make bad choices.
Don wasn’t the only one who’d gotten swept up in pleasure. Just thinking about the way I’d waited for Spade last night like some desperate cat lady with her first glimpse of man meat made my cheeks burn.
Stupid, Jess. It’s over. You’re probably never going to see him again. Let it go.
Still, I checked my cell phone for his reply one more time. Nothing. Disappointed and feeling like the world’s biggest sucker, I opened my laptop and got to work.
***
Spade
I bought a deck of cards from the hospital gift shop, and Uncle Jaime and I spent the morning playing Blackjack and flicking each other shit. His comebacks were a little slower than normal, and some of his blinks lasted a little too long. I chalked it up to recovery until he closed his eyes in the middle of a play with his hand outstretched and holding a card. I’d never seen anything like it, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was narcoleptic.
“You okay, Tio?” I asked.
“Just resting my eyes a minute.” He opened them and glared at me. “When did you get so damn impatient?”
My impatience had nothing on my concern. I watched him, but the stubborn old bastard didn’t give anything away. After lunch, his nurse gave me a pointed look and told Uncle Jaime he needed his rest. I took the hint and got the hell out of there to run some errands, promising him I’d be back.
“Take your time. I don’t need no goddamn wet nurse coddlin’ me,” he grumbled.
The nurse fought a smile while she replaced his IV bag.