Against the Cage (Worth the Fight #1)

by Sidney Halston

  Slade sat on the side of the bed. He wanted to hold her hand, but because of her IV he couldn’t. The doctor walked in and spoke with them about her condition. Chrissy was breathing on her own, though weakly. Ironically, her worst injury was the concussion she’d sustained from hitting the windshield. He told them that they had done all they could; it was up to her to wake up on her own. He and his team didn’t think she was in a coma, but he said that it could take hours, days, or even weeks for Chrissy to wake up.

  Both men sat quietly by her bed just watching her breathe. An hour later, the doctor was back, explaining that she needed to be monitored around the clock for the next twenty-four hours. He also added that according to the police, the driver of the pickup truck had lost control due to the rain and hit her car, which was sitting by the side of the road without any lights. The other man was fine and had already been discharged. Jack expected to feel bitterness toward the other driver, but he realized it wasn’t the guy’s fault. It was never safe to be on the side of the road without lights, especially in the rain. And right now Jack just couldn’t feel anger. There wasn’t room in his heart for it. He simply wanted Chrissy to wake up, so he sat by her side and waited … and waited …

  Chapter 14

  He stood in front of the mirror as he adjusted his black tie. He’d decided on his best black suit and matched it with a crisp white shirt. How his life had changed in the last seventy-two hours.

  Slade walked into Jack’s bedroom, also in a black suit and white shirt, but he had opted for no tie.

  “What’s up with you?” Slade asked. “You ready to go?”

  “No. Not yet.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I still can’t believe everything that’s happened.”

  “I know. Tell me about it.”

  “With all that’s happened, this is the last place I want to go.”

  “I know, but you have to. Just relax. It’s just a small reception in your honor. Chrissy would never forgive you if you missed it. You don’t have to stay long. Brother, you just made the most significant arrest in the history of Tarpon Springs, and you were promoted to lieutenant. You have to go. Chrissy would want you to.”

  Jack nodded somberly, and both men left.

  The reception was at the Pier. It was just a small group of men from his precinct and their significant others. How he wished Chrissy were there—his significant other. Instead, he had brought Slade. Since Jessica was still recovering and therefore wasn’t yet working, the bartender on shift that evening was Jamie Lynn. Slade sat at the bar talking to her, and after Jack made a quick round of the guests, engaging in a little small talk, he sat at one of the high-tops overlooking the ocean. The weather was warm and sticky, as it normally was in Florida. He pulled on his collar, lost in thought as he nursed a beer.

  “You’re so broody all the time. Cheer up, Daniels. This is your party, for goodness’ sake.”

  Jack swung his head around.

  “What are you doing here?” His eyes were wide with concern as he rushed to Chrissy’s side and led her to the closest seat.

  “After much begging, Dr. Stevens okayed my discharge a day early. I had to promise that I wouldn’t dance the night away. I wanted to surprise you. It’s a big day—you should celebrate, Lieutenant.”

  “Baby, you shouldn’t be here. You should be resting. I felt bad enough leaving you at the hospital today. You shouldn’t be on your feet.”

  “Actually, he said I should start walking more than just around the halls of the hospital. I’m not made of glass; I’ll be fine being here with you for a few hours.”

  Jack beamed.

  “Aren’t you happy not to have to sleep on that awful hospital room chair-bed thing? Not that you had to stay with me these last few days,” she said to Jack.

  “I wasn’t going to leave your side. I wish I’d known you were coming home—I would have set up the spare room downstairs for us.”

  Chrissy laughed. “About that. I don’t think—”

  Jack covered her mouth with his fingers, “Woman, if you are about to tell me you aren’t staying with me, you’re not staying in Tarpon Springs, or any of that bullshit, I swear to God, I … I … I don’t even know what I’d do. Now that you’re fully recovered, you’re staying with me and that’s it. I’m not putting up with your brother’s need to finally be brotherly again. It was a fight to get him to leave and let me stay with you at the hospital. I can just imagine how difficult he’ll be if I have to stay with you at his house.”

  “Yeah, he’s acting strange. Very attentive. What happened? We haven’t even had a chance to talk about the accident. I don’t even know what—”

  “We’ll talk later, okay?” He drew her into his arms, and she nodded. “You look breathtaking, by the way.”

  Chrissy pulled away and guffawed. “Yeah, with all my cuts and scrapes, not to mention the bruises on my forehead, I’m real attractive,” she said as she touched her head.

  “To me you are breathtaking, Chrissy.”

  She smiled. Together, they enjoyed the party until Jack insisted he had to get her home.

  Less than two hours later, Jack was driving Chrissy home. Slade had decided to stay at the party, since it was far from over, even though the guest of honor had decided to leave.

  “We didn’t have to leave so soon, Jack.”

  “Yes, we did. You’re still hurting, and you were just released from the hospital. I don’t care what your doctor said—you should be in bed, resting.”

  “Really, Jack, I’m fine.”

  His hand rested on her thigh, and as he drove them home in silence, his thoughts drifted to the hellish hours Chrissy had lain on that hospital bed. He hadn’t left her side for a second. He’d driven everyone in the hospital crazy asking questions and making requests to ensure that she was comfortable and that she was receiving the best care possible.

  He remembered how he and Slade sat by her side for hours, impatiently waiting. Then, about five hours after the accident, her head slowly turned toward him, her eyes just barely open.

  “Chrissy? Baby?” He pushed the Call button as he spoke.

  “Jack,” she croaked. “Wh-what happened?”

  “You were in an accident. You’ve been unconscious.”

  Her brow furrowed. “My head hurts.”

  He pushed the button again. “Try not to move, honey. The nurse is on her way, and she’ll give you something for the pain.”

  “Jack?”

  “Shh. It’s okay, baby. I’m here.”

  Slade took her hand. “Chrissy! Thank God, Chrissy.” She slowly turned her head toward his, and Slade gave her a reassuring smile. Jack noticed the mist in his friend’s eyes.

  The nurse came in and checked Chrissy’s vitals, then gave her some medicine for the pain and told them she’d page the doctor. Jack stroked Chrissy’s hair and held one hand while Slade held the other. He tried to reassure her as much as possible that everything would be okay, even if he himself wasn’t sure.

  Once they arrived at Jack’s house, he settled her on his couch. Drogo immediately jumped up and nestled in right by her hip. “I can see the wheels turning,” he said to her. “I know we haven’t had a lot of time to talk since the accident. What do you want to talk about?”

  “Tell me what happened. How’d you find me?”

  Jack recounted how he’d gone to look for her and had seen her car by the side of the road. How’d he found the bottle of Jack Daniel’s on the floor. How no one at the hospital would initially give him any information.

  “Wow. Looks like I really put you through the wringer, huh?”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “I was driving back to Tarpon Springs, but my car died and my cell phone’s battery wasn’t charged.”

  “That explains a lot.”

  “I need a new phone, by the way. I don’t know where mine went.” She was rubbing Drogo’s belly as she spoke.

  “I have it. It’s with your purse and other belongings that
Slade was given at the hospital. As for your car, well, that’s totaled. You needed a new one anyway. I hated that fucking car.”

  She leaned forward, cradled his face with her hands, and kissed him gently on the lips. She remembered seeing the look of dread on Jack’s face when she had awoken. After that she’d been on a lot of pain medication because of all her injuries, so they hadn’t been able to have this conversation until now. But she did remember how, as she drifted in and out of a medicated haze, he’d stroked her hair, caressed her face with the back of his hand, then bent down and given her a kiss on the lips. She remembered feeling as if she were being kissed for the first time. It had been awkward due to the hospital bed and all the equipment around her, but it had also been tender and soothing, and at that moment she’d loved him more than she’d ever loved anyone in her life. She’d wanted to tell him that. She’d wanted to scream it to the world, but instead she’d smiled up at him. He’d rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, and that was all she remembered.

  “Chrissy, you drive me crazy. I don’t know if I’m coming or going with you,” he said now. “But you know you can’t just kiss me like that. I’m gonna want more. With you, it’s always more, baby. But you’re still so fragile, so let’s keep a little distance, okay? I don’t want to hurt you.” He pulled her to his chest carefully and kissed her softly, just the way he’d done at the hospital.

  “Oh, you’re definitely coming.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Get it?” She giggled as if she’d just said the funniest thing ever.

  He barked out a laugh as he got up to retrieve something from the kitchen. “Lie down on the couch, beautiful girl, before you do or say something you’ll regret. By the way, Drogo missed you—he’s been bitchier than usual. He’s been moping around the house so much that I was actually able to pet him without him trying to bite off my finger.” Jack smiled. “Here’s your stuff, by the way. I charged your phone.” He handed her a bag of things. “Do you think you can stay out of trouble while I’m upstairs? I want to take a shower and get out of this monkey suit.”

  “I’m not going to break, Jack. I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

  Jack strode away, and Chrissy went through the bag. A lot of the items were ruined from the rain that had gotten into the car from the broken windows. She looked at her phone, which now had even more cracks but seemed to be working just fine. She turned it on and saw she had a dozen texts and a number of messages from the night of the accident. A few were from Slade, but mostly they were from Jack.

  She put the phone on speaker and started going through her voicemails. About ten messages in, Jack came downstairs in a pair of flannel pajama pants and no shirt. He settled in next to her.

  The next message came on. It was another one from Jack. “Chrissy, I’m on my way to Miami. I’m so sorry, baby. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you how I felt before you left. I’m sorry I let you leave … again. I wanted to say this in person, but you’re not answering the phone. Chrissy, you are the bravest woman I’ve ever met. You saved Jessica’s life. Had you not gone to speak with her, she’d still be in an abusive relationship. You, Chrissy—you—gave her the courage to stand up for herself. To fight. To go to the police. She’ll be safe because of you. Had she stayed, who knows what would have happened. You also saved your brother’s ass, once again. All charges have been dropped. You’re so brave, honey. And I need you to be brave and come back to me. I love you, Chrissy. I love you more than I ever thought possible. Maybe I even loved you back then. Hell, I don’t know. I just remember that it bothered me to see you hanging out with the assholes your brother and I hung around with. I didn’t want to see you go down that road. I wanted you safe, and the shit your brother and I did wasn’t safe. It was stupid and reckless. You were always so smart, and I wanted to see you get out of this small town and make a big life for yourself. I’m even sorry for all those times when we were younger and I dragged you home when I found you somewhere I thought you didn’t belong. I saw how you were slowly turning into a beautiful young woman and the guys were starting to take notice and I didn’t like it. I didn’t want anyone else looking at you like that. You were this silly little prissy girl who hung on every word Slade and I said, and in the blink of an eye you had transformed into a beautiful girl who had stopped following us around. I don’t know what to say. I shouldn’t have lied about Slade, but I didn’t want you to go to the fight. I did it to keep you safe. You have to know that. Shit, that’s what I should have said to you yesterday, not that macho shit about not having to ask permission. I know I’m rambling, but I need you to call me. And don’t pretend you don’t feel something for me. This wasn’t just about sex. You may not love me like I love you, but I will prove to you that we belong together. I’ll stop fighting. I’ll even quit my job and get a safe desk job. Whatever you want, baby. Anything. God, listen to me. I’m such a pussy. Chrissy, you’ve turned me into a blubbering mess. I love you, Chrissy. Plus, if you don’t come back, Drogo will be stuck with my shitty cooking and he’ll get depressed and run away. I swear, that damn dog’s competing with me. He loves you and only listens to you. Please call me.”

  When the call ended, her eyes were teary. She glanced over at him. He looked nervous. Neither of them spoke for some time. Maybe, she thought, he was regretting those words; maybe it had been his fear talking that night, and now that the adrenaline rush had passed, maybe he didn’t feel the same anymore.

  At last she spoke. “Jack—”

  “Wait, Chrissy. Let me say something.” He tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “That message was a mistake.” Her lips quivered, but her eyes remained locked onto his. She braced herself for the inevitable—he was going to say he didn’t mean it. He didn’t love her. He had just been caught in the moment.

  “You don’t need to explain—”

  “It was a mistake, Chrissy, because I shouldn’t have waited for you to leave to tell you. I should have looked you in the eyes and told you. So I’m doing it now.” He leaned in closer, and her heart fluttered. “I love you, Christine Martin. If something had happened to you, I don’t know what I would’ve done, because I can’t imagine a world where you’re not in it. Where I don’t get to see your beautiful face every day. I am so sorry for lying to you. I meant everything I said. I’ll quit my job if that makes you feel safer. Just please, don’t ever feel scared around me. I will always keep you safe. And whatever it takes, I’ll show you that you can trust me.”

  She sniffled. “You lied to me. Never lie to me again, Jack.”

  “So we’re having this conversation now, huh? I just declared my undying love to you, and just a few days ago you were in a horrific accident, which took years off my life, yet you still want to chat about Slade’s fight. God, you’re a pain in the ass, but I love you, so let’s do this.” He smiled.

  “I know it seems moot at this point, but I want you to promise me.”

  “Chrissy, I promise you, I will never lie to you again.”

  “Jack, you know why I was coming back? I was driving back because I wanted to tell you how sorry I was for comparing you to Brian. You are nothing like him. You’d never hurt me. In fact, you’re always rescuing me, even from things you shouldn’t. I know that now.” She leaned in toward him and kissed him slowly, then pulled back. “I love you, Jack. So much. And it isn’t because you stayed with me at the hospital and took care of me and worried about me and protected me. I fell in love with you before that. I was coming back from Miami to tell you that. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, Jack, but I love you.”

  “And here I thought you kept me around just so you’d have someone to help change all the flat tires you seem to get.”

  “Ha ha.”

  Jack smiled his beautiful dimpled smile. “Chrissy, those are the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard.” He draped his arms around her and hugged her gently, still careful of her injuries.

  “Chrissy, I know you don’t approv
e of my hobby, and I know we fight …”

  “A lot.”

  He smiled. “Yes. We fight a lot. But there’s no one else I’d rather fight with than you. In fact, maybe it’s time to retire and fight exclusively with you. You’re worth it.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to stop doing something you love.”

  “I wouldn’t stop doing something I love. I’d start doing someone I love.”

  She snorted. “Oh my God, that was so corny and perverted all at the same time.”

  “You bring it out in me.”

  “No, seriously, Jack. I know you wouldn’t hurt me. I’ll support your fighting if that’s something you want to do. I realized in Miami that you and I aren’t that different. I suppose I can see why you like that adrenaline rush. For me, it’s being in an exotic country or in a fast-paced ER helping people, and for you it’s in the ring. I’m not going to lie—I don’t enjoy watching you get hurt—but I understand that you work hard for it and you love it. So as long as you can tolerate a nervous girlfriend on the sidelines with my backpack ready for action, I can handle it.”

  “I love that you just said ‘girlfriend.’ And yes, I can tolerate that. You know … there are hospitals and clinics here too. Don’t take the job in Miami, Chrissy. Stay here, in Tarpon Springs, with me.”

  “I didn’t take the job in Miami.”

  “So you’ll stay?”

  “If my brother doesn’t mind me moving back home, yeah, I’ll stay.”