Masterson In Love

by Lisa Lang Blakeney

  *Cue my evil laughter!*

  "What's up with the parents?"

  "They're leaving in two days, but they're coming back for her."

  "What do you mean for her?"

  "Obviously they want her to finish her recovery at home with them. It's normal for a girl's parents to want her close after something traumatic happens like this."

  I love seeing him sweat.

  "I've been trying to be respectful, Sloan, but I'm running out of patience," he blusters. "They're trying to take her from me. Everyone is trying to take her from me."

  He sounds like he's going a bit batshit if you ask me.

  "And that is never going to happen. She's mine, and she belongs with me."

  "And how exactly have you been respectful? You've only stayed away from the hospital, because legally you aren't permitted within twenty feet of the building. Don't act like you're staying away out of respect for Bitsy or her parent's wishes. The reality is that you don't have a choice."

  "I would think that you of all people would know better than that. I could throw some money at that place, and in ten minutes they'd throw a red carpet down for me that leads straight to Elizabeth's room. Trust me, I'm giving her parents what they want ... for now."

  "You mean what Elizabeth wants."

  "She doesn't want this."

  "You sure about that?"

  "Let me get you up to speed. Elizabeth is having my baby."

  I almost choke on my own salvia. What the hell did he just say?

  "Your baby?"

  "That's right." He grins triumphantly. Like he's won some sort of prize.

  "She never told me anything about being pregnant. We were just out drinking–"

  "She didn't know she was pregnant then. She just found out. So like I said, I'm pretty sure that distance isn't what she wants. We just need to talk. I have to clear some things up."

  "Oh you mean clear up the fact that you went to Miami to see about a kitty Kat?"

  For a moment there, it looked like I caught him by surprise. I wonder if Bitsy is seriously considering having this guy's baby.

  "There's nothing going on there."

  "Really? So you go to Miami and barely say good-bye to Elizabeth, because there's nothing going on? That's real confusing."

  "I didn't ask you here to talk about Miami."

  "Listen, I don't know what I can do for you or if I even want to do anything for you. You don't seem remorseful one iota about Blake, you have some mystery bitch in your life, and you always complain about Bitsy spending any time with me. Her cutting you off actually works out for everyone's benefit if you ask me. There's no real motivation for me to help you."

  If looks could kill, I'd be at the bottom of the Delaware River right now. The Dark Knight wants to throttle me. Good. He needs to feel a little pain right now. Baby on the way or not, he fucked up. We were all frightened about what happened to Bitsy, and maybe Blake did say something out of pocket to him back in that exam room. I don't know. None of us will really ever know all the words that passed between the two of them, but what I do know is that taking it out on his face like that was not the answer. It only made things a hundred times worse. Maybe in his world that's what you do, but not in ours, and I come from a crazy family of professional athletes. They fight all the damn time, but they definitely don't put people in intensive care.

  Roman doesn't just punish, he obliterates.

  Bitsy is smart, driven, and non-confrontational. She's supposed to be with men like Blake, or Jagger, or some other good looking square who just wants to marry her, put nerdy babies in her tummy, and move her back to the 'burbs.

  "When's the last time you've been out on a date?"

  What a strange question. Probably trying to mess with my head.

  "What does that have to do with anything that we're talking about right now?"

  Weirdo.

  "Answer the question."

  "I don't know," I lie. "It's been a minute."

  "Don't you think that's odd?"

  "I just haven't met the right guy. Again, what does this have to do with you?"

  "I know exactly why you haven't been on a real date in almost two months."

  This is getting borderline creepy. How does he know how long it's been? Maybe Bitsy's been telling him my business. I'm going to kill her once she gets better!

  "Who's counting." I say nonchalantly.

  "I bet your hard up ass is." He smirks.

  "I've never been hard up a day in my life."

  "I'm sure you can get dick quite easily, Sloan. Plenty of men like skin and bones and a disrespectful mouth. But this need of yours to go out every weekend, and get wasted, get laid, and take my woman with you while you do it? That's what women who are fucked up in the head do. Women searching for something. Desperately seeking daddy. I'm not falling one second for this I've got my shit together act you put on for the world, and so I'll ask you again. Do you want to know why you no one bothers to call you after you meet?"

  I squint my eyes and glare at the asshole for a few moments. It reminds me of the times when I was in third grade, and I would stare really hard at Cynthia Martin's head during recess. Hoping I had telekinetic powers that would blow her two long ponytails, clear off of her head and over to the nearby baseball field.

  "What have you done now, you psychopath?"

  This isn't the Dark Knight trying to give me a few words of wisdom. It's almost as if he's done something or knows something very specific. I can feel it.

  "I haven't done anything," he smiles. "You really have me pegged as some sort of criminal mastermind don't you? I'm glad you think so highly of me."

  "Mastermind, no. Criminal? Most definitely."

  "Your boy Blake had that shit coming."

  "If that smart, hot guy had something coming to him, then you definitely have some shit coming to you, too."

  "You know what, Sloan. I've never hit a woman, but you make a strong case for why a man would want to."

  "I'm sure cowards across America salute you."

  "Bitch."

  "What did you say?"

  Them's fighting words!

  "I am going to see Elizabeth today come hell or high water."

  "Hope you can swim then."

  The Dark Knight growls in frustration, pops a couple of candies in his mouth, and takes a deep breath.

  "Look, I mishandled this today. I don't want to fight with you."

  "Then what do you want, because you have a funny way of showing it."

  "I want us to stop this bickering thing between us before it gets out of hand. Our mutual dislike for each other is growing into more, and we need to squash it now, because it will crush Elizabeth if she has to cut you out of her life and our baby's life."

  "Cut me off?! You self-centered prick. You can't be serious. She would never choose you over me. That's what's really bothering you isn't it? The fact that she'd choose her best friend over you. The fact that she already chooses me over you all the time. Your delicate ego can't take it can you?"

  "I can't even believe you two are even friends, because you don't know Elizabeth at all. First of all she hates that childhood nickname you still call her, but she's too polite to tell you to shut the fuck up. Secondly she has never chosen you over me, because I have never asked her to. Not yet anyway. I think you need to ask yourself why you're so angry with me. I've never done anything to you. In fact, I barely know you.

  "Maybe you're pissed that Elizabeth isn't as dependent on you or in need of your attention as she once was, because she's with me. Or is it that she isn't as available to you as she's normally been. Your go to, on call, built-in therapist. Your wingman. Your subordinate. Your lesser than."

  He pinches his pointer finger and thumb together. "Someone to make you feel just a wee bit better about yourself. Or maybe the real issue here is that you want to fuck me yourself, which is unfortunate for you if that's the case. There was a time I didn't mind a little ménage between friends, but I'm a
one woman man nowadays."

  He's disgusting.

  "I'd sooner jump off a bridge than ever spread my legs for you, and as for all the other shit you just said, go fuck yourself."

  The Dark Knight finishes off a shot of dark liquor he had sitting on the table, slams the shot glass back on the table, and starts laughing hysterically. It's the first genuine bit of glee I've seen from him since Bitsy's accident. I don't know how many days it's been since I've given myself permission to laugh either, and so his deep rolling laughter acts almost as a healing balm for the both of us. I let go of my disdain for him for just a moment and crack a genuine smile.

  "I've never asked you for shit, Glamazon, and I don't plan on ever doing it again, but I need your help. I love her, and I feel like I may be losing her. I can't let that happen. It will kill me. I need you to let go of the fact that you don't like me and take into account that Elizabeth loves me. I need for the two of us to try and be friends."

  He stares at me straight on waiting for an answer.

  I cross and uncross my legs. Take a sip of my cocktail and then another. Shit, I'm still sober.

  I'm not sure what just happened. I had the upper hand at the beginning of this conversation, and now he's telling me about my best friend's pregnancy, which I knew absolutely zilch about, and making friendship requests.

  "Under one condition."

  "What?"

  "I have two questions that I need answered. Truthfully."

  "What are they?" he asks impatiently.

  "First, I want to know if you've dealt with Ethan and the dealer."

  "I have."

  "For the record, I told Bitsy to tell you about the whole Shrek thing right away."

  "Noted."

  "Are they–?"

  "They won't be bothering Elizabeth anymore if that's what you're asking."

  "Did you do something illegal?"

  "Is this your second question, because that's all I'm giving you. Two questions."

  "Okay, forget the whole illegal thing. What I really want to know is why none of the guys I'm meeting are asking me out?"

  "Well shit that's easy, I can give you that reason in two words," he says with amusement.

  I'm waiting for one of the Dark Knight's usual smart-ass responses, but am totally shocked by his actual answer.

  "Cutter King."

  30

  Roman

  I'm standing on the opposite side of a closed door to Elizabeth's hospital room. My hands flat on the cool metal door and my eyes closed. She's just within reach, but I've convinced myself that she needs more time to heal, before I dredge up all the shit that's happened in the last few weeks.

  So I don't go in.

  Punk.

  The only nurse who has been helpful to me since the whole Blake incident stares at me sympathetically, like I'm a pitiful soul. She's right. I am a sorry excuse. She also taps her watch to let me know that I don't have much time. I make sure to respect the boundaries she's given me though, because she's given me a gift today.

  Information and access.

  I'm not permitted to see Elizabeth, in fact legally I'm not even supposed to be inside hospital walls, but I just wanted a moment. A moment to be near my girl and to talk to her. Even if it's just for a moment. Even if it's just through this door. Nurse Price told me that Elizabeth's been awake and alert for most of the day now, and so I figure that if I just say a few words through the door that there's a chance that she'll hear me.

  I knock lightly on the door.

  "Yes?" Her voice sounds weak and strained, like it hurts for her to speak.

  "Don't talk, Duchess. It's me."

  Heavy silence.

  "I'm just going to talk for a moment, and I want you to listen."

  I lean my head closer to the door, so she can hear me clearer.

  "Once you heal up, I'm going to spank that pretty little ass of yours for going rogue on me. Obviously I know you were meeting with the ex, and he brought some company along. I even think I understand why you didn't tell me, but that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that I've taken care of that problem. You'll never hear from either of them again."

  I think I hear her moving around in bed.

  "Keep still."

  The movement stops.

  "It was all a set up, Duchess. From the very beginning. Back then in your apartment, Ethan knew that asshole was going to break in. They planned it. He may not have known the amount you had stashed, but Ethan knew about the money in the house. He and Shrek were actually more like partners than dealer and seller. Fucked up, whacked out partners. And then this time, they were going to try to extort money from me by using you once again."

  Turns out Shrek and asshole hatched a very poorly thought out and ridiculous plan to get cash out of me by using Elizabeth as bait. Evidently Ethan convinced his dumb ass partner that I was sitting on a lot of money, but neither of them must have done their homework on how I make my money. If they had, they would have learned that I shoot dickweeds and lowlifes for fun, and I'm the wrong one to fuck with.

  I think they are very clear about that shit now.

  "But everything is fine now." I assure her.

  I hear her moving around again. So disobedient. It takes everything in me not to fling open the door and keep her still with my own hands. I don't want her to injure herself any further, but I also promised Nurse Price that I wouldn't do anything to get her fired. So, I have to stay outside of the room, and I've got to make this quick.

  "I haven't talked to you in so long. I miss that you know. Us just talking. I've been so inside of my own head, I haven't had the chance to tell you that I read the letter from my mother. I didn't exactly ask Joseph for it, but regardless of how it came to be in my possession, I read it.

  "It was basically a lame ass twelve-step inspired apology letter. She said sorry for being such a fucked up mother. At least I think it was an apology. Either that or an explanation for her bad mothering thinly veiled as an apology.

  "She also told me something very important and very fucked up. Interestingly enough Joseph isn't my biological father. Can you believe that shit? That probably explains why we don't get along. He isn't even my blood. Now we really have zero in common."

  I pop a couple of M&M's in my mouth and keep talking.

  "Listen, Duchess, I also wanted to say that I'm sorry about your coder. I mean I'm not sorry that I whipped his ass, but I'm sorry that I did it here in the hospital, in front of witnesses, and that your parents saw me lose control like that. That's why I arranged to have his medical bills paid, and I plan on sending him a check for whatever income he's missing out on while you're both in the hospital. I also went to explain things to your parents at their hotel room. To apologize."

  I hear a labored one-legged hop and wheels rolling. Probably the ones from her IV stand. She's out of bed, and I'm not sure how she did it with that shattered leg of hers.

  "Get back in the bed, Elizabeth," I order and then continue telling her my story, because I'm running low on time. "So needless to say, they weren't happy to see me, especially your father, but I still stood my ground and made my case. You may be mad as hell with me for it, but I told them everything. I told them about Ethan and what a little drug addict he was. I told them about the attack in your apartment, and the whole story of why you moved in with Joseph and Juliette. I told them how I was so angry that Blake took you to meet those vile bastards without checking in with me, that I couldn't see straight and regrettably lost control."

  I don't tell her everything that Blake said, because this isn't the time or the place. I'm not even sure that she would believe me if I did tell her.

  I lean my forehead on the door just so I can get a bit closer.

  God, I want to touch her.

  "I told them how we met. How we didn't know we were related to each other at first, and by the time we found out it was much too late. I admitted to them that I have a history of making bad decisions sometimes and worrying about t
he consequences later; I also told them that I'd never hurt you, and that I'd never let anyone else hurt you, and how that's a guarantee that not many men can make and truly deliver on. And lastly I told them how much I fucking love you, how that's never going to change, and how I'll never let it change."

  There must be a set of crutches beside her bed, because I can definitely now hear her clopping towards the door, the IV stand rolling, and her breathing heavy. I can tell that she's working hard to get to the door. To get to me. I wonder if she's anxious to see me or smack me. I most definitely deserve the latter.

  I look over at Nurse Price, because I can feel her eyes drilling a hole in the side of my head. She taps her watch a bit angrily to hurry me. I have to get moving. Fuck. I just want to hold Elizabeth. Just once.

  I lightly thump my forehead several times against the door in frustration.

  "I have to go now, Duchess, but you do what the doctors tell you all right? You need to heal and get better. You need to be strong for School Bucks and for the baby."

  I nod in deep gratitude to Nurse Price, who told me about the baby today and who bought me quite a bit of time with Elizabeth in this hallway, and then I turn to make my way down the hall. I'm about midway to the elevator when I hear the door to Elizabeth's room creak open. If I turn my head to look at her, I'll fucking lose it. So I pretend that I can't hear her. I pretend that I can't tell that she's peeping her head out of the door. I pretend that I don't hear her bang her fist against the doorframe several times to get my attention, because she can't yell down the hall after me.

  There was a reason why she didn't want to tell me she was pregnant before the accident, or maybe she didn't even know she was, and this is not the time to push for the reason why. I'm still processing the fact that I'm going to be someone's father. That's a mind fuck for your ass.