by London Casey
“Lacey was in an accident.”
I ran.
Before that, I somehow got Axel into Pecker’s truck and got to the hospital. I somehow ignored Axel’s drunk guilt as he blamed himself for chasing Lacey out of the bar. I was in no position to argue—not that I would. In reality, I wanted to knock every last tooth out of Axel’s mouth.
Instead, I focused.
I got to the hospital.
Tate, Max, and Prick were waiting.
Then I ran.
White tile flashing with the lights overhead.
At the elevators, I punched the up button, pacing like a hungry lion in a cage.
The guys caught up to me.
Someone tried to reach for me, but Tate stopped them. That was a good thing, too. Anyone who got close enough would have gotten a punch to the jaw.
The elevator ride was the slowest of my life.
I looked at Tate. He nodded.
“Tell me,” I said.
“She had the right of way,” Tate said. “She was just driving and didn’t see a damn thing.”
“What was it? Car? Truck?”
“Another truck,” Tate said. “Fucking thing barely had a scratch on it. Hey, I know this is hard, but she was lucky to be in your truck, River. If she had been in a car, man, fuck…”
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. I pushed by two eager people trying to get on the elevators. I ran to a nurses’ station and asked where she was. I went to the end of a hall and was met with a doctor. He had a hand out and I couldn’t read his face.
“Whoa, whoa,” he said. “Family?”
“Family,” Tate said.
We stood there, arm to arm. Me, Tate, Prick, Max, and Axel.
Last time I looked at Axel, he was damn near in tears.
“Tell me something, Doc,” I said. “Please. She’s all I got.”
“Okay. You can come with me. The rest of you have to stay for right now.”
“Where’s the other guy?” Axel asked.
“What?” the doctor asked.
“The other guy. Is he okay?”
The doctor just stared.
“Friend,” Axel said. “I’m trying to piece this together myself.”
I raised an eyebrow at Axel.
“Okay,” the doctor said. “Your friend is okay. Just a few bumps and bruises. He’ll be released today, but he’ll be questioned for drinking and driving.”
I felt my heart sink.
Axel shook his head. “Damn. What a fool.”
The doctor then looked at me. “Come with me, Mr…”
“Just call me River,” I said.
The doctor led me through the set of doors.
“Lacey suffered injuries to her left shoulder, left arm, and her left leg. She was briefly pinned in the truck and that caused some damage to her leg.”
“Broken?”
“Yes,” the doctor said.
“What about her head?” I asked.
“Mild concussion. Mostly confused. Scared, and rightfully so. We have her medicated and resting.” The doctor stopped at the hospital door. “River, I believe that’s the least of her problems.”
“Meaning what?”
“She suffered nerve damage in her lower back on impact.”
“Doc, just lay it out for me.”
“She has no feeling or movement in her legs.”
River
YEARS AGO
I looked left and right. It was Charlie and Bill on each side. I had just won a fight, and the guy carrying the cash was being a prick about paying up. We were warned about this guy. I surveyed the scene and knew I needed to take a risk. I wasn’t going to walk away without getting what I was owed.
Nobody expected me to throw a punch, though.
That was the way to do it though.
I hit the guy—his nickname was Slip—and sent him flying back. Cash went flying into the air. Me, Charlie, and Bill all went on a cash-grab. We had only seconds before Slip’s crew realized what had happened and was coming after us.
“Run!” I yelled.
I turned and stuffed the cash into my pockets and took off.
Charlie and Bill did the same.
“You’re fucking crazy!” Bill yelled. “They’re going to kill us!”
“They can only kill us if they catch us!” I yelled, laughing.
“I’ve got the keys to the truck,” Charlie said.
“Bill,” I said. “You and me jump in the bed.”
The truck was in sight.
The ground behind us felt like it was shaking. I looked back for a quick second and saw there had to be ten guys coming after us. I was surprised someone hadn’t taken out a gun and shot at us. But if they did get us, they would beat us senseless and leave us for dead.
The truck came into view, and when I got close enough, I jumped. I went up and over, smashing into the hard bed of the truck. I rolled to my back and saw Bill trying to climb over. Charlie started the truck, and it was already moving.
I saw the look of terror on Bill’s face.
I scrambled forward and grabbed his arms and pulled. The second I did, a baseball bat came down and smashed against the truck, leaving a dent.
“That would have hurt,” I said to Bill as the truck picked up speed.
“Fuck you,” Bill said, his voice crackling.
I started to laugh. The guys kept chasing the truck, but there was no way they were going to get to us. I threw them the finger and put my head back and looked up to the clear night sky.
Charlie drove us to the abandoned house where we parked and sat on the porch for a victory beer.
I touched my left eye and winced. It hurt pretty bad. Something might have been broken. I’d get it checked out tomorrow, maybe. First, I had some beer to enjoy. And some cash to count.
“What do we have?” I asked as Charlie was still smoothing out wrinkled and crumbled money.
“A lot,” he said.
“Our earnings?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Good. So it’s fair.”
“What if they come after us?” Bill asked.
“We deal with that if it happens,” I said.
For the record, they never came after us. They knew they were in the wrong. We didn’t rob anyone. We didn’t kill anyone. We just took what was owed to us.
I finished my beer, and Charlie handed me my earnings. I counted it up and grinned wide.
“What’s with that face?” Bill asked. “You never seemed to care about money before.”
“I’m banking this shit now, man.”
“For what?” Charlie asked.
I looked over my shoulder and nodded. “I think I want to save up and buy this place.”
“This shit hole?” Charlie asked. “Are you kidding me?”
“No, man. Look at it. It’s a beautiful house. Just needs some work. Right?”
“You’re doing this for that girl,” Bill said. “The one you won’t let us meet.”
“She doesn’t need your asses corrupting her.”
Bill and Charlie laughed.
“Come on, man,” Charlie said. “She’s upper middle-class, dude. That shit don’t fly with guys like us.”
“You don’t know her,” I said. “Lacey doesn’t care about that stuff. When we’re together…”
“Face it,” Bill said. “You’re the wrong in her world of right.”
“What?”
“She probably gets anything she wants. She cries, and Mommy and Daddy give her anything. But you’re the wrong. You know? You’re the edge in her life, man. If she needs something wild. If she wants to hurt Mommy and Daddy. That’s where you come in.”
“No way,” I said. “It’s not like that.”
“It is. You’re going to be greatest story. When she gets older and has a husband and kids and is living in some suburb where the houses all look the same, she’ll stand outside on a summer’s night and realize she hates her life. Then she’ll smile, thinking a
bout you. But she’ll know that she has security. Money in the bank. Health insurance. Kids are going to a good school. So, she’ll swallow it down.”
I stood up and thought about punching Bill in the mouth.
“Take it easy,” Charlie said, sensing what I was thinking. “He is right, though, River. I mean, whatever you two have right now, that’s awesome. She’s pretty as hell. But where does it go? She’s smart, man. She’s in college. You’re fighting for cash and working a wrench, you know?”
“Man, you two are fucking assholes,” I said.
“Just the truth,” Bill said. “Same thing happened to me. A girl named Sarah. Damn, man, I went hard for her. When things got too serious or too real, she would come to me. When she got sick of sipping wine at a fancy dinner, she’d hang with me. We’d get pizza and cheap beer. Sit on the roof of my apartment building and look at the stars. But there’s no future in that shit.”
I put the cash in my pocket. “It’s different with Lacey. I know it. I can feel it. I don’t give a shit what anyone says. I’ll figure out what I’m doing next. I can’t fight forever. I know that.”
“Hey,” Charlie said. “More power to you. You want to save up and buy this house? Do it. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
I pointed to my busted-up face. “I’m already hurt.”
“Here,” Bill said, and he touched his chest. “Having your heart broken is worse than a few dings to the jaw.”
“Fuck you two,” I said. “I don’t want to hear that shit again. I’m out of here.”
Charlie stood up. “Come on, man. Stick around. Keep drinking with us. Tell us what you want to do to the house.”
“No,” I said.
“Ah, fuck,” Bill said. “Don’t be a dick.”
“It doesn’t matter what I want to do,” I said. “Call me when there’s another fight. I want the next one as soon as possible.”
“Shouldn’t you rest a little?”
“No,” I said. “And don't fuck up anything in my house or on my porch.”
I walked away with Charlie and Bill calling out to me to stay. I had somewhere else to be.
I climbed into my own damn truck, feeling my body aching. The fight had been brutal. I came close to losing it. If the other guy had gotten one or two more shots to my face or ribs, I would have gone down. And the second you ended up on your hands and knees, you were done for.
I started the truck and drove away.
Yeah, it was insane to think about buying that house. But I wanted to buy it for Lacey. I wanted to fix it up for her. I wanted to give her everything she wanted. I knew all the reasons we shouldn’t have been together. She was rich. I was poor. She was in college. I was working as a mechanic by day and illegal fighter by night. Maybe I couldn’t give her a life with a red door and picket fence, but I could give her a love that nobody else could come close to giving her.
I drove down into the rich neighborhood and parked my truck. I didn’t need to attract attention to myself. I walked along the perfectly designed sidewalk next to trees that were planted at the exact same distance apart from each other. I touched my pocket, feeling my earnings. What I had in my pocket was probably what some of these people made in an hour. For me, that was a lot of money. For them, it was probably a half-decent dinner. The line had been drawn from the day I was born, and I just walked it.
I stopped right outside Lacey’s house. I stood next to a thick tree and felt hidden enough. Trust me, there was no malicious intent in my heart or mind. I just wanted to see it. Just to stare. I counted the windows. I looked at the garage. The landscaping design out front. She had a pool in the backyard. I knew her window was the upstairs one on the right.
Give me a sign, darling. Please. Give me a sign.
The light turned on. For a quick second, I saw a silhouette walk by the window. My heart started to jump. Race. Pound. My mouth felt dry. I licked my lips. Damn, no other girl ever made me feel like that in my life. Not even close. I’d do anything for Lacey. I couldn’t lose her. This wasn’t something quick and done, you know? Yeah, sure, maybe I was the wrong in her life made up of right. But you know what? She was the right in my life of wrong. We would find a way to balance each other out.
I stood there and stared at the light in the bedroom. I wondered what she was doing. On her phone with a friend? Working on classwork? Sitting on her bed, thinking of me?
I heard someone clear their throat, and I turned to see a man across the street, walking a big dog. The man froze and stared daggers at me.
I showed my hands, a peace offering. I wasn’t some hoodlum looking to knock off the rich people’s houses in town.
With my head down, I stuffed my hands into my pockets and walked back to my truck.
I didn’t know much in life or about life, but I knew one thing.
I was meant to be with Lacey.
Lacey
PRESENT DAY
It was like coming out of a really good night’s sleep. My eyelids fluttering. My body so relaxed. I sucked in a breath and let out a little sigh. I expected to find myself in River’s bed, cuddled tight, the sun poking through the blinds.
Instead, the moment my eyes fully opened, I surveyed the room, realized I was in a hospital room, and everything went straight to hell. Starting with my fingertips, it was like someone was setting me on fire. Pain crept up and all around, except…well…my left leg. I couldn’t feel my left leg.
Wait.
My right leg, too.
Well, from the knee down.
I grabbed the sheets, and suddenly, it all came back to me.
I’m driving down the street. I’m in River’s truck. I’m a little uncomfortable, not familiar with the feel of it. But it’s a truck. I am driving it. The light up ahead. See that light? The light is green. Bright green. Grass green. It’s totally and definitely green. My brain says to keep going. I have to get to River’s place. That’s where he wants to meet. My heart is still twisted as is my stomach because of Axel. All those mean things he said to me. I didn’t hurt his moth-
There’s no sound for me.
From the corner of my eye I see an object flying at me, and that’s it.
I feel movement. I hear no sound.
Then it’s all dark.
My eyes filled up with tears as I tried to say something. Instead, I let out a gurgling, crying sound.
From the corner of the room, River popped up from a nap.
“Lacey,” he said. “You’re awake. Holy shit. You’re awake.”
He came rushing to my bedside.
He reached down and wiped my cheek.
“Oh, darling.”
“I ruined your truck,” I whispered.
“My truck? I don’t give a damn about my truck.” He crouched down. “You’re awake.”
“My legs, River. I think there’s something wrong.”
He nodded. “The doctor told me all about it. They’re not sure how bad everything is yet. But you’re okay. Right? You know who I am. You know who you are. Let me get the doctors to check you.”
“My legs,” I whispered. “I’m not going to be the same for you.”
River grabbed my face with gentle care. “Darling, I’m not after your legs. I’ll carry you across this world and back. I’m after your heart, Lacey. That’s all I care about.”
I blinked fast and tears started to fall again.
He leaned in and kissed me.
I felt a surge of life go through me.
Then he stood up.
“Let me get the doctors,” he said.
“Promise you’ll be back?”
“I promise,” he said. “I’ll always be back for you, Lacey. I never went anywhere.”
I shut my eyes and smiled.
Why did it feel like the universe wanted to rip us apart?
The doctor rambled off a bunch of medical jargon. Stuff about nerves. Stuff about my leg, my bone. Whatever. I was in a daze the entire time as he stood there, looking somber, talking at River
, talking at me.
The end result was simple…I would need physical therapy, and I would be monitored from there. There was a chance I’d never regain feeling in my legs and never walk again. There was also the same chance that I’d wake up one day and have feeling and just start moving like nothing happened.
“When can she leave, Doc?” River asked. “I want to get her home and comfortable.”
“Hopefully soon,” the doctor said. “I do know the police are here and will want to speak with you, Lacey.”
“With me? Why?”
“The accident. The other driver was drinking, so the police will need a statement from you.”
“A drunk driver,” I said. I looked at River as my eyes welled with tears again.
“No, no, no,” he said. “We’ve got this, Lacey. Together. You and me. I prom-”
There was a loud yell outside the hospital room door.
A second later, Axel came blasting into the room. He looked very rough, wearing the same clothes I remembered him in. At first, I didn’t see the blood on his knuckles, at least not until he grabbed the railing of my bed.
“Lacey,” he said. “I’m so sorry for what I said to you. What I tried to shovel onto your back, that wasn’t fair. You did amazing for my mother. You made her comfortable. You made it okay for her to peacefully let go. I can never thank you enough for that.”
Behind Axel came two police officers. They all but tackled him down on top of me on the bed.
River shoved one of the cops back. “She’s fucking hurt, man!”
Tate and Max came running into my room, too.
“I’ll arrest you next,” the police officer bellowed at River.
“Then fucking do it,” River said.
Tate grabbed River’s shirt and put him against the wall.
“Let me up,” Axel pleaded. “I can’t hurt her again.”
The officers pulled Axel away, and they cuffed him.
“What the fuck did you do?” River asked.
“I took care of it, Lacey,” Axel said. “I did. For you. This is my fault.”
“No it’s not,” I protested. “Axel…”
“What the hell did he do?” Tate asked the officers.