Healer

by Kate Stone

  “Wipe that smile off your face, it’s pissing me off,” Lance huffed as he loaded a hefty bag of soil into the back of a truck. “How in the hell are you able to stay so chipper when it’s over one hundred degrees out?”

  “What can I say, I’m in a good mood,” I chuckled, helping load supplies.

  “Yet last week you looked ready to murder everyone. You sick or something?”

  “Nope, just had a change of heart.”

  “Over what?”

  I paused, smiling to myself. I wished so badly that I could explain all the emotions I had for Eve to him, to finally tell a person in my life what had been growing inside of me for years and years. It wasn’t the time, though, and I needed to wipe such a pleased look off my face before he nailed me in the back of the head with a shovel. “The new workload. I was pissed off to have to do it every single day but at this point, I don’t mind it. Helps the days go by faster.”

  “Faster my ass,” he grumbled and walked away.

  As I turned to call after him, some snarky remark forming on my lips, the door of the clubhouse swung open. Wade emerged and found me in his line of sight, “I need a couple of you to make a run into the city and pick up the cash from Derek.” Derek was the recruit who worked in the diner and made rounds in the nearby city.

  “I’ll go,” I nodded. Turning around, I knew better than to ask Lance to go with me. With all the other guys out on a landscaping job, I shrugged and looked back to Wade. “I’ll go by myself.”

  “Just be safe,” he sighed and disappeared back into the clubhouse.

  “Have fun loading trucks,” I hollered to Lance.

  “Blow it out your ass.”

  Laughing, I got on my bike, strapped on my helmet, and headed into the city. The breeze peeled off the heat the sun had baked me in all day long; I couldn’t help but laugh at Lance for not jumping on the opportunity to go for a ride. His loss. I sped down the country roads, not worried about running into any cops. If they were to stop me at any point, they would only find me sweaty with an amount of money which may seem questionable but hardly worth inquiring too much about.

  I was instructed via text message to meet Derek at a park on the outskirts of town. When I pulled up, it was easy to spot the guy since he was the only one sitting alone in the picnic area. As I approached him, we nodded in acknowledgement to each other. It would be a simple handshake where he would pass me off the money made from his deliveries and I would be on my way. When our hands connected, I felt plastic against my skin; I didn’t dare look until I put my hand in my pocket. With the fat wad of twenties and fifties was a single lump of marijuana tightly packed together. “What the hell, man?”

  Derek shrugged and scanned around the park not to be conspicuous, “I have to go pick up my daughters from school, so I didn’t have time to make the last run. I figured you guys would want that back instead of me holding onto it.”

  He wasn’t wrong, but this wasn’t ideal. If I got stopped, I would go to jail. “All right, well take it easy,” I grumbled and headed back to my bike. As I searched my phone for Wade’s contact to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do, the screen flashed to an incoming call from Eve. It was Thursday, the day of her dad’s chemotherapy. With a bit of panic, I raised the phone to my ear and answered, “Hey, everything okay?”

  “Yeah, well, sort of,” Eve replied, her voice strained and further muffled by the bustling sound of a medical office. “The girl who was supposed to cover for me at work hasn’t shown up and it doesn’t look like she’s going to. It’s been nearly three hours. Dad got himself to chemo, but he won’t have anyone with him or to drive him home…” her voice trailed off before she peeled back from the phone to tell a patient she would be right with them.

  “Okay, okay… Do you want me to give him a lift home? I have my bike right now, but I can haul ass to get there before his appointment is done.”

  “Could you please go sit with him? I know he tries to act all manly but thinking about him sitting there all alone while they pump poison into him is about to drive me up the wall.”

  “He doesn’t really like me, babe.”

  “He doesn’t hate you and that’s the only qualification I care about. Come on, please? I’ll drive you back to the hospital to pick up your bike once I’m off work.”

  It suddenly felt like the marijuana was burning a hole in my pocket. How in the hell was I supposed to get this back to the clubhouse? What if someone saw me driving Sheriff Griswold around? They would probably think I took him hostage! Taking a deep breath, I cleared my head and reminded myself that Eve needed me. There were only slim possibilities that we would get caught anyway. “Okay, yeah I’ll head over now.”

  “Thank you,” she breathed, sounding relieved already. “I owe you one.”

  “I could go for another homecooked meal.”

  “You got it.”

  I could hear the smile in her voice. Nothing felt better than to know we were back on the same page. “I’ll text you when we get to the house.” We said our goodbyes and I rubbed my mouth the moment we hung up. I texted Wade to let him know that I secured the money and would drop it off later tonight. It wasn’t like he would care, I knew I was a trustworthy member of the gang—but I didn’t want him sitting around waiting for the drop-off and get pissed when I didn’t show up for hours and hours. Taking only enough time to drop the marijuana down into my saddle bag and to change my shirt to rid of the sweat and grime from the day, I took off yet again.

  Once parked in the hospital garage, I followed the signs to the oncology department. The chemical smell of a hospital had always unsettled me, and I wonder if it was one of those things that got to everyone. I had only visited the hospital a handful of times in my life, but each of them were terrifying. Every time I got a whiff of disinfectant, I was transported back in time to each of those moments. Moments I would give anything to forget, like the time Felix was shot.

  Pushing those thoughts away, I focused on finding Eve’s dad. Heading over to the nurses’ station, I asked where to find Kevin Griswold. The kind older woman pointed down the hall and gave me specific instructions. Following the directions step by step, I found a small area sectioned off by partial walls that divided the patients who were getting treatment. Slowly pacing toward the back, I found him staring out a window with an IV already attached to the port on his chest. He looked up and rolled his eyes. “Lord have mercy, Eve needs to just calm down sometimes.”

  “Something I think we can agree on,” I spoke lightheartedly, wanting to ease the tension that was sure to start building. Plopping down in the single armchair in his little cubicle-like treatment room, I folded my arms and leaned back. “She cares about you and doesn’t want you to be alone. Apparently, the girl who was supposed to cover for her at work never showed.”

  “Typical,” he snorted. “That’s one of the reasons I told her she didn’t need to worry about my appointments. She needs to work and trying to get half her shift covered once a week will but stress her out and fill her with ill-placed guilt when she can’t make it.”

  “You’re certainly right about all that,” I nodded in agreement. “Well, looks like I’ll be her fill in any time I can, so let’s make the most of it.”

  “Let’s not,” he grumbled. “It’s bad enough that my daughter has to see me like this, let alone one of you punks.”

  “I’m not just busting your balls when I say I still think you could beat my ass,” I said with a half-smile. He dismissed my comment with a snort. “Listen, I’m not going to judge you for the state you’re in. I think you’re brave for what you’re doing. If it was me, I wouldn’t get treatment and just live the rest of my life to the fullest while I could.”

  “You wouldn’t feel that way if you had kids,” he breathed, his eyes growing distant as he stared out the window. “That crossed my mind for only half a second before Eve came to mind. I would never volunteer to leave this world behind with her still
in it. She may not need me like she used to, but I want every memory I can have with her before I cross over into whatever comes next.”

  He struck something deep within me, something I had never considered before. A serious walk with my own mortality. Mortality had always been an abstract idea for me, maybe less abstract than the average citizen who wasn’t in a gang, but nonetheless far away and hard to grasp. Kevin Griswold had shaken hands with the Grim Reaper himself and told him to stay at bay, because he wasn’t done loving his daughter. An actual decision, rather than contemplating what he would do if the time ever came.

  Even though I would never classify myself as an emotional guy, I found myself choking up. I was thankful for the silence which fell over us, keeping my eyes locked on the window just as he did while I did my best to find my composure. Quite a bit of time passed before anything else happened; there was only the quiet beeps of his heart monitor and the distant chattering of other patients with their loved ones. Eve’s dad eventually pulled out his phone and began to watch videos online. He held it at an angle which didn’t obstruct my view but also didn’t make it a point to share. Occasionally I would catch the premise of the video and make a comment. It was the only conversation we had for the remainder of his treatment.

  After a while, a nurse came around and unhooked Sheriff Griswold from the IV. Once she finished checking his vitals and providing him some paperwork, we were sent on our way. Going back through the hallways and across the lobby, we headed for the parking deck. “Mind if I have your keys?” I asked gently.

  He hedged, letting me know he wanted to put up a fight, but either he was tired of trying to resist the help Eve arranged for him, or he finally came to terms with the fact he needed it. He released his hand from his pocket, hurling his keys my way. “Don’t go even a mile over the speed limit. Pretty sure I’ll blow chunks if you do, and I’ll charge you for the cleanup.”

  We navigated the vast parking deck until we found his white suburban, which was an old cop car that had retired from the force. We got inside and I heard him moan in discomfort. “You all right?” I asked tenderly.

  “Just nauseous… Very nauseous. Those pills they give hardly do a thing,” he muttered, resting his forehead against the window. “The first couple days after treatment wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the damn nausea. I wouldn’t need help from anyone.”

  I paused, studying his profile. Without giving it too much thought, I said, “I’ll be right back.” Getting out of the car, I moved through the levels until I found my bike. As soon as I did, I reached into the saddlebag and pulled out the small package of marijuana. I must have been out of my mind—in fact, I was certain of it. However, I figured that maybe it would be worth it to offer if his symptoms got bad enough. Perhaps it would help him view the Watchdogs in a different light as well.

  Dropping it down into my boot for safe keeping, I made my way back to Griswold. I drove as smoothly as I could, going a couple miles under the speed limit and dodging all potholes I could without jerking the car around. He groaned at every little bump and made a queasy sound each time we rounded a curve. I was caught between wanting to rush him home and to take my time to ease his discomfort. It seemed like an impossible task to keep him out of pain.

  When we arrived at the house, I parked and rounded the car in record time to help him out. I could feel him actually lean his weight on me. My heart broke for him. There was no way for me to even begin to understand what he was going through, let alone how awkward it must be for a man so burly and independent to have to lean on another man, perhaps for the first time in his adult life.

  Perhaps longer than the drive itself was the journey upstairs. Griswold had attempted to protest, saying he would be just fine on the couch and didn’t have it in him to make it up the stairs, but I told him it was better to go ahead and get it over with. We took one stair at a time, having to stop and pause nearly every step to give him time to fight through the nausea before taking on the next one. I never once grew annoyed or tired but marveled at his strength. He wasn’t one to give up, Griswold just didn’t want to burden anyone else. I was sure that if I wasn’t there, he would have slowly limped up the stairs on his own, and probably would have preferred it that way so that no one had to bear witness to his fragile state.

  Eventually, we made it to his room. I helped prop him up on his pillows in case the need to vomit overwhelmed him so he wouldn’t choke on it. Making sure the waste basket was by his side, I looked down at him. “Do you want me to get you some of that ginger tea Eve makes you?”

  “The girl means well but that tea doesn’t do shit,” he huffed, squirming around a bit. “I’ll be fine… I’ll be fine… Maybe I can just sleep through it…”

  I turned to leave but hedged. Wringing my hands together nervously, I faced him again. “Griswold, I have something that may help your symptoms, if you can keep an open mind.”

  “And what’s that? Some sort of health drink concoction?” he snorted. “I’ll pass. I don’t need something that will induce vomiting.”

  “No, not a drink,” I assured him. I could feel my throat drying out, knowing I had to choose my next words carefully or else he was certain to make a call to lock me up. “Nature’s medicine.”

  He cocked a brow at me, “You are one brave idiot if you are trying to offer me marijuana, kid. I’ll give you a chance to walk back what you meant by that.”

  “Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, I was. Why would that be so bad? You know for a fact it’s not a hard drug. Why else would other states be legalizing it and using it for medicinal purposes? It’s proven to help nausea, and I’ve heard it helps reduce the rate of cancer growth.”

  He wouldn’t meet my eyes, his hands furling and unfurling around his blanket. “I’m the sheriff, Jericho. I can’t be seen doing drugs.”

  “Who is going to see you? We’re in your house.”

  “You’re just trying to blackmail me.”

  “If I was, it would be stupid of me. After all, you could bust me for having it to begin with.”

  Gradually, his eyes lifted to meet mine. I saw the look in his eye: acceptance.

  Chapter Nine – Eve

  As soon as the last patient left the office, I flew to my car, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. I was still sour over the weekend receptionist never showing up or calling. Try to ask me to cover one of your shifts ever again, Becky, I mused internally. She was notorious for being unreliable, and I could only hope that my tear-filled rant to the senior physician could help persuade him to replace her soon.

  Becky was the least of my worries then, though. For the first time ever, my dad and Jericho were spending alone time together. Jericho had texted me an hour prior to let me know they had made it home, which meant they hadn’t killed one another by that point. An hour was still long enough for anything to transpire. Besides that, we needed to go get Jericho’s bike before the parking deck closed at eight.

  Stepping through the front door, I bellowed inside, “I’m home!”

  In the distance, there was laughter and my brows knit together. Dropping my keys and bag on the credenza, I flew up the stairs and followed the sound of voices. Slowly pushing my father’s bedroom door open, two things hit me at the same time: the sight of Jericho perched on my father’s bedside as they spoke, and the pungent smell of weed. My brain didn’t seem able to handle all the information at once, an absurd scenario coming to life before my eyes.

  “You know, way back in the day, my eldest brother and Brian used to hang out. Yup, they sure did. They were on the basketball team together. Pretty sure they stayed friends even when the Watchdogs started. It was when Brian slept with Mike’s—that’s my brother—wife that they cut ties! You’d never believe it, but Brian and that woman got married after. Ha!”

  “Oh, I believe it,” Jericho chuckled. “Brian’s been married four times. I’m not sure what the ladies see in him.”

  “Lord only know
s,” my dad laughed. Finally, his eyes landed on me. They were squinted and red, paired perfectly with his stoner’s grin. “Hey there, sweetheart!”

  “Hey dad,” I greeted, stepping into the room with my arms folded. “Looks like you boys are having fun.”

  “Oh, yeah,” my dad beamed. “I mean, I never thought I’d like some punk being around the house but I gotta say, he’s really helped me out today. I haven’t even thrown up once thanks to him.”

  “You don’t say,” I replied, stifling my urge to laugh. “How did he manage that, dad?”

  “Oh, you know, he drove nice and slow. Helped me up the stairs, which was very kind of you, Rico—” Rico? They were familiar enough now to use nicknames? “Then he uh, gave me some medicine to help with the nausea and pain. I have to say, Evie, it’s the best I’ve felt in weeks. Maybe months!”

  “That’s fantastic, dad,” I nodded, giving him a sympathetic smile while still holding back any giggles that tried to pop up. “Do you think you’ll be okay for a little while, dad? I have to take Jericho to get his bike. When I get back, I’ll bring you some dinner.”

  “Oh, sure, sure. I think I’ll take a nap in the meantime. You crazy kids have fun.”

  Jericho and I locked eyes before exiting the room. As soon as I closed my dad’s door and playfully hit Jericho in the chest. “I leave you two alone for a few hours and you get him high?”

  “I know, I’m a bad influence,” he teased with a light chuckle. “I had some on me from a business thing earlier today and he was in a lot of pain, so I brought it up. Surprisingly, an easy sell.”

  “Maybe you could get a job in sales one day. Sounds like you could sell water to a drowning man.”