by Hart, Rebel
Mom gasped. “Oh, honey.”
Dad raked his hand through his hair. “You tell me what in the world happened right now, or so help me God I will--”
I pointed to the door. “There’s the way out. You can leave the way you came, or you can go find Max and try this again. But if you don’t start lowering your voice and keeping a hold on your anger, I’ll have this hospital remove you completely.”
His face fell. “Where in the world is my sweet little girl?”
“I’m right here, Dad. You just don’t like the fact that I’m not blindly following you any longer. And I shouldn't. Because this is my life, and my education, and my future. And the only person that should have an opinion about that is me.”
I held my ground as I stared off with my father. I slipped my hands beneath the warm blanket and tucked them between my thighs. I didn’t want my father to see how scared I was of him. Of his anger when he got like this. I wanted to portray the strong front I always had whenever Max was at my side. Because it was about time people saw this side of me.
Then Dad caved. “If I shake his hand, you’ll talk to me?”
I nodded. “We both will.”
I watched his eyes fall to the door as Mom squeezed my shoulder.
“Nice going, princess,” she whispered.
I watched my father head for the door. “Thanks, Mom.”
And I held my breath as my father started his journey toward the door.
Please don’t blow up in my face. Please don’t blow up in my face. Please don’t blow up in my face.
7
Max
I leaned my head against the painted cement wall and sighed. With the coffee and food growing cold at my feet, I crammed my hands into my pockets. Mostly to hide my bloodied knuckles. Every time a nurse or a patient passed by, they gave me ‘the look.’ You know, the one with the crooked eyebrow and the wandering eyes. The one with the soft pause as they gave me a once over.
“You sure you don’t need any pain medication?”
“You really should go lie down. You haven’t yet been discharged.”
“If the doctor sees you like this--”
I licked my lips. “You let me handle the doctor, Nurse. Thanks.”
They scoffed and snickered and whispered as they walked by. But it didn’t rile me up. I knew I looked like a wreck. One of those class-A, super-duper train wrecks. I felt the swelling in my eyes finally going down, but I also felt the bruising creeping underneath my skin and my neck stiffening. My arms were hard to move. And my back—damn it, my fucking back hurt like hell.
It hurt to breathe. It hurt to blink. It hurt to stand, or sit, or generally exist. But nothing would get me back in that room. Nothing would get me in a bed without Dani at my side. So I dealt with the uneasy looks and the constant barrage of questions and the nurses trying to talk me into pain medication.
I was fine with the Tylenol I kept swallowing down.
Every once in a while, I thought I heard voices behind the door. But with the door closed, this damn cement wall in my way, and Dani on the other side of the room, it was hard to hear anything. I started pacing outside the door. The coffee stopped steaming from the little hole in the lid and the fruit looked to be sitting in a pool of its own juices. Hardly appetizing at this point.
It’s the thought that counts.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt nervous. Truly, genuinely nervous. I mean, these were the parents of the woman I loved. If I couldn't make a good impression, what did that mean for Dani and me? Usually I didn’t give a shit about this stuff. I didn’t care about the girl’s life, or her family, or what she did for a living, or what she’d do the next morning. We met, we fucked, she left. That’s how it worked in my life.
But Dani stuck.
And I had to do my best to make sure her parents were on my side.
Now, how to sway her father…
The door ripped open and I turned around. With my hands still shoved in my pockets, I watched as the edge of the door caught the bag of danishes, and I heard the paper crunch. It didn’t matter, though. Not to me.
Because staring back at me from beyond the doorway was Dani’s father.
He stared at me for a long time. His eyes danced around my face before traveling down my body. I was familiar with the look. He was trying to size me up. Figure out how badly I was hurt. And I let him. I took no offense to it. I mean, his daughter was lying in a fucking hospital bed. I would’ve already killed the man at her side had the tables been turned and I’d been in Peter’s position.
Then he did something that shocked me.
He extended his hand.
“It’s been a trying morning, Max.”
I looked down at his hand before I slipped mine out of my pocket.
“I apologize for how I acted in there. It wasn’t kind, given the tense situation for all of us,” he said.
I shook his hand. “I understand. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”
He dropped my hand quickly and didn’t respond to my sentiment. Which told me he wasn’t out here of his own volition. He peeked over his shoulder and I resisted the urge to do it too. I wanted him to know that I was fully paying attention to him if he had anything else to say. His head came back around and his eyes met mine. After heaving a heavy sigh, he thumbed over his shoulder.
“You should come back in. Danika’s been asking for you.”
I nodded. “I’ve got coffee and things to munch on, if anyone’s hungry.”
Peter snickered. “I’m sure Danika will appreciate that.”
I reached down and gathered everything into my arms before following Peter back into the room. I let the door close softly behind me, using my foot to stop its jarring movements so it wouldn't slam. Dani turned her head to me and the warm smile that crossed her face made me smile in return. I walked over and placed everything on the edge of her bed, giving her the first pick of the fruit and the danishes I had to offer.
“This looks great. Thank you, Max,” she said.
I smiled. “If there’s something here you want but don’t see, let me know. I’ll go track it down.”
Her mother giggled. “That effort extend to all of us?”
I turned my gaze to her. “Of course. Though I think I got a decent-enough spread for what they had down there.”
Peter sighed. “I’ll be right back. I need to go let work know I won’t be reachable for the next twenty-four hours.”
I peered over my shoulder. “I’ll save you a danish. Do you have a preference for flavor?”
He shrugged. “Surprise me.”
I nodded slowly as he marched back out the door, closing it a bit too hard behind him. And when I turned to face the two women in the room, Rena gave me a tight-lipped smile.
“My husband handles stress poorly. Always has. I’m very sorry if he offended you.”
I grinned. “It’ll take more than that to offend me. I promise.”
“Well, thank you for the coffee. And the food. The fruit looks fresh. Is it?”
I nodded. “Watched them cut it just before they put it out.”
“Oh, fabulous. I love a good fruit salad.”
Dani snickered. “Well, you can have it. I’d rather have a couple of those apple danishes.”
Rena rolled her eyes. “My daughter, always chowing down on carbs. You’ll lose that metabolism one of these days. Then you’ll be just like me.”
Dani shrugged. “Well, I hope Max here likes big women. Because I don’t ever plan on giving up my danishes.”
Her words brought silence between the three of us. That was such a heavy-handed statement, I didn’t know where to start picking it apart. Did Dani really see us together that long? Did she dream about our future the way I did? I saw worry cross behind her mother’s eyes and I wanted to say something to reassure her. But I figured keeping my mouth shut was probably for the best.
So I drew in a deep breath. “Rena, Peter is fine. I promise
. I get where you guys are coming from. When my own brother was in the hospital…”
She giggled nervously. “Are you sure you don’t need any medical attention yourself? Your face looks pretty…”
I chuckled. “You should see my ribs.”
Dani murmured, “Max.”
I nodded. “I’m just kidding. Kind of. I promise I’m all right. I don’t need any sort of attention. Just rest, some Tylenol, and plenty of fluids.”
Dani interjected quickly. “So, Mom. How in the world did you and Dad figure out where I was?”
Rena laughed. “You know how your father is. The second he drained Hannah of all the information she had, he started calling every police station and hospital in the area. Searching for your name. Wondering if you had been admitted. He did it for the majority of the ten-hour drive over. And, once this hospital confirmed you had been admitted, it was ninety the rest of the way here.”
Dani sighed. “Yep. Sounds like Dad.”
Her mother patted Dani’s knee. “You know he’s just worried. And he’s got a right to be. We still don’t have any answers. We haven’t seen a doctor. All the nurses are telling us is that you were submerged underwater for too long. Which doesn’t make any sense, given the fact that you’re a great swimmer.”
“Look, Mom, I really didn’t mean to scare you guys. Things just sort of… got out of hand last night. It was no one’s fault.”
“Well, don’t take offense if I don’t believe you. Max?”
I nodded. “Yes?”
“Would you like to fill me in a bit on what happened last night? You know, since my daughter won’t?”
I looked down at Dani and saw the panic behind her eyes. I felt that same panic wafting around in my gut, too. This wouldn't go over well. And it was hard to keep that feeling off my face. I knew I bore a great deal of the weight of what happened last night. If anyone was to blame, it was me and my actions. Had it not been for me being so damn selfish, I never would’ve pulled Dani into this lifestyle in the first place. Had I been thinking with my head and not my dick, I would’ve known that she was a girl fit for more than this. More than a few one-night stands with some jerk-off who didn’t deserve her.
And if I hadn’t dragged her into any of this, she never would’ve been on my father’s radar.
Rena sighed. “I’m waiting, Max. Please don’t make me wait much longer. It’s making me concerned that the police should be involved at this point.”
My mind spun with all sorts of things. I felt myself raging out of control again. I should’ve known that coming to the hospital would’ve set off this chain reaction. But I didn’t realize her parents would get involved. I felt completely unprepared for something like this. Hell, I’d been completely unprepared for the whirlwind that was Danika Young. She had swept me off my feet in ways I’d never experienced before.
How in the world was I supposed to explain any of this to her fucking parents?
So many things ran through my mind. Like how Dani needed to be on campus right now. It was a Monday, and I knew she had morning classes she was missing right now. She had her ritual swimming in the afternoon, too. Which she would also miss. Instead of swimming those lengths and stretching those muscles and carrying on with her normal life, she was here. In the hospital.
Because she’d nearly drowned in my father’s backyard.
Rena huffed. “Well?”
Dani sighed. “Mom, you have to understand that he’s been through an ordeal, too.”
“Yeah, I can see it from the bruises on his face. That doesn’t mean we don’t require answers. We’re your parents, Dani. And while I get that you’re trying to spread your wings and be a bit more independent, you’re in the hospital. That warrants at least a bit of an explanation as to why a wonderful swimmer like you almost drowned.”
“Technically, I did drown. It was Max who saved me.”
My voice grew stern. “Dani.”
She looked up at me. “Sorry. I just--it’s true. And I think you guys are missing that point.”
Rena shook her head. “We’re not missing that point. But you have to understand that even though you feel independent right now, you just admitted to drowning, Danika. You drowned. And yes, in time I will thank Max for saving you. But now isn’t that time. Now is the time for answers.”
Dani looked up at me and I had no clue on how to guide us. Where to take us. What to say from here. I expected to be dealing with the police. Not her parents. I’d have to have a talk with that fucking roommate of hers once we got ourselves out of this mess. I drew in a deep breath, preparing to tell the entire truth. Well, most of it. The story quickly threaded itself together in my head as I stood there, trying to buy myself a bit more time.
Before the door to the room swung open.
Thank fuck.
“Sorry that took so long,” Peter said. “My boss wanted to know what was going on and it required a bit of an explanation. Though he’s still got some questions. Just like I do.”
Dani sighed. “I know, Dad.”
Rena patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. You can talk to us. I hope you know that.”
I looked over my shoulder, ignoring the pain wafting through my body. Peter gave me a hesitant look before he walked around me, giving me a wide berth. He didn’t want to be anywhere near me. That much was for certain. And honestly, with the way I looked, I couldn't blame him one bit. He walked over to where Rena was standing and exchanged places with her. He bent down, kissed Dani on the forehead, then took her hand softly within his.
“Okay, you ready?” he murmured.
Dani swallowed hard. “Ready for what?”
Peter sat on the edge of the bed. “Princess, can you please tell us what happened last night?”
8
Dani
I held his hand tightly, but I kept drawing a blank. What in the world was I supposed to tell my father about something like this? I mean, I sure as hell wasn’t telling him the truth. I wasn’t telling anyone the truth. The truth would stay between Max, me, Rupert, and the rest of the Red Thorns. It surely wasn’t something I was telling my parents. The look in my father’s eyes was desolate, though. My mother was practically begging me with the worried downturn of her lips. My father threaded our fingers together as he tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear. And as I drew in a deep breath, I started with the truncated truth I had quickly concocted in my mind. Because I couldn’t lie to my parents anymore. I felt guilty enough already that I had scared them so badly. Adding lies to that would do Max and me no good.
Especially since I wanted them to accept Max.
“Well, we were at Max’s father’s house. He has a pool in his backyard,” I said.
Dad nodded. “Uh huh. Was there any rough-housing going on or anything?”
No. There were just thugs and business tycoons and gunfire and I watched a man die. You know, the usual stuff a college girl gets herself into.
I paused. “Not really. I mean, Max’s friend Rupert was there. His father was there. I don’t think John was with us, right?”
Max shook his head. “No. He wasn’t. John doesn’t swim.”
Mom interjected. “Who’s John?”
Max grinned. “My brother. He’s got some lasting issues from a coma he slipped into due to some serious trauma a few years back that prevent him from doing things like swimming and riding a bike.”
Dad’s face hardened. “Seems like a lot of people get hurt around this guy, Dani. Are you sure he didn’t--?”
I shook my head. “Dad, it isn’t like that. Not at all. I’m telling you, Max is the one that saved me. It was just an accident. There wasn’t anything that--”
Max cleared his throat. “It was my father.”
My blood ran cold as my head whipped over to face him.
“Max, what are you doing?” I whispered.
He snickered. “Summarizing our eventful night. Just stand in my corner with this one, okay?”
Dad narrowed his eyes. “Wh
at are you talking about? What the hell is going on? I demand to know what’s going on this instant!”
Mom placed a hand on his shoulder. “Peter, calm down. We’re only going to cause a scene if you don’t calm down.”
He shrugged Mom off. “I don’t give a shit about the scene anymore. If it gets me answers, then so be it. You talk to me now. What the hell happened to my daughter?”
I panicked. “Daddy, stop. I’m telling you the truth. This isn’t what--”
Max cleared his throat. “My father has always been a pain in the ass. We’ve had bad blood for years now, and your daughter got dragged into something that had nothing to do with her. That’s what happened.”
I stared at him. “Max, shut up. Now.”
His eyes grew cold as he slowly looked at me. “You let me handle this.”
Dad stood up. “What kind of bad blood? Did your father do this to my little girl?”
Max sighed. “Yes. He did.”
Mom gasped. “What in the world? Did he try to kill our daughter?”
Dad roared. “That’s it! I’m calling the police. I’m calling the police and having you arrested along with everyone else!”
I raised my voice. “Will you two just shut up and let him talk?”
Max took my hand within his as the door to my room ripped open.
“Do I have to start removing people from this room?” the nurse asked.
I looked over at her. “No. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
The nurse looked at me hard. “You know where that button is if you need it. But if I hear your voices again, all of you are gone. Got it?”
I nodded. “We got it. Thank you, Nurse.”
“Uh huh.”
But when she closed the door, the chaos didn’t stop. It simply got quieter.
“You talk to me right now,” Dad hissed.
Max nodded. “It’s a long and involved story. But the gist of it is this: my father is not a good man. He deals with a lot of very bad people. He tried to rope me into something I wanted no part of. And when I told him no, he looked for any kind of leverage he could find against me to change my mind.”