Cleats in Clay

by Jackson Cordd

  “Thank you.”

  After unwrapping Tuck’s hand, Klyve examined it. “What’s that time stamp on the EKG say?” he asked, getting Tuck to turn his head away.

  “It says 9:11.”

  After pinching Tuck’s pinky slightly with his fingernails, Klyve was disappointed to see no reaction. He had been hoping the night nurse might be wrong. He wrapped the hand up again. “Behave yourself and I’ll be back soon.”

  “I’ll try,” Tuck grumbled.

  Klyve nodded with a smile as he left room two, but it quickly fell off his face as he rushed over to the monitoring station. With it being Sunday morning and all, he might have a tough time getting hold of Tuck’s doctor. That thought didn’t slow him any as he grabbed for the phone.

  ODIS slipped in not long after Klyve left. “Mornin’, bonehead.”

  “Hey.” Tuck’s face lit up with a grin. “Great to see ya, Odie. Did ya happen to see a TV in that hallway?” he asked as Odis approached the bed and kissed him.

  “No. Was I supposed ta?”

  “Hopin’, maybe,” Tuck replied. “Klyve said he’d see about gettin’ one.”

  “Oh. I didn’t see Klyve out there. Maybe that’s what he’s doin’.”

  Tuck looked over Odis. “At least ya got some sleep, looks like.”

  “Yep, and I even ate some breakfast.”

  “Asshole,” Tuck grumbled. “They still haven’t fed me yet.”

  “Yer kidding, right?”

  “Well, they have these protein bar things that are as bad as army rations, but no real food.”

  Odis kissed his forehead. “I’ll send Bobby in and see if I can’t find Klyve and have a little talk with him about that.”

  “And the TV,” Tuck added as Odis left.

  He bounced his leg in the bed until Bobby arrived. “Hey, stud.”

  “Hey, Tuck,” he said. He rushed up and smothered him with a kiss.

  Tuck pulled him close and smelled the sandalwood shampoo in his hair. “Is the house really okay?” he asked when he pulled away and looked at Bobby for the truth.

  “Oh yeah, just some broken windows. With the house being built like a concrete bunker, the fire couldn’t really get at it.”

  “Good, good.” Tuck tried to rise and peek out through the glass. “Where’d they go now?”

  Bobby squeezed his hand. “Calm down. You’re starting to sound like your brother.”

  “Oh fuck you, I am not,” he said a little harshly. Hearing his own tone, he took a deep breath. “I’m just bored and want outta here.”

  “I know, but you have to get your cast first. So be nice to the hospital people.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Tuck agreed, pulling Bobby in for another kiss. The twitch in his groin caused a strange painful sensation that made him stop short.

  Bobby nearly jumped back. “What’s wrong?”

  “Damn catheter,” Tuck grumbled. “Guess I can’t do any real kissing either.”

  “My, aren’t we a grumpy Gus this morning.”

  Tuck scowled at him. “You would be too, endurin’ all the shit I gotta deal with.”

  “Dial it down a little,” Bobby said with calm sincerity. “I know all this must suck big-time, but don’t take it out on everybody else.”

  Tuck dropped his gaze. “Right.”

  Bobby nodded. “I’m sure I can find Hawk’s number. I’ll call him in here and have him sit on you or something if you can’t behave.”

  “Don’t do that. I could do without all his drama again today.”

  “Okay. But I’m keeping it an option,” Bobby threatened as he moved in close and hugged Tuck around the neck.

  Tuck flinched again. “Maybe we shouldn’t do that.”

  Bobby pulled back. “Sorry. We missed our threesome last night.”

  “Don’t remind me. Did you and Odie?”

  “No, we both pretty much passed out right after crawling into bed.”

  “Busy day?” Tuck asked sarcastically.

  “Just a little. Odie’s house almost burned down, and some bonehead went missing and scared us half to death.”

  “How long was I…?”

  “Over four hours. They didn’t tell you?”

  “Nobody tells me shit here,” Tuck grumbled, then paused for a deep breath. “Other than me and Hawk, I don’t even know who else was even hurt.”

  “Josh and Humpty came in, but they didn’t even stay overnight.”

  “Humpty? You mean Hampton?”

  “Yes. Why can’t I ever remember that guy’s name?”

  Tuck nodded. “Oh, I do remember Gertie mentioning them yesterday. Who else?”

  Bobby shook his head. “Didn’t hear of anybody else.”

  Pulling him closer, Tuck lowered his voice. “What exactly happened?”

  “The only answer I’ve heard is ‘we’re still piecing it together’. So you’ll hafta ask somebody else. I’m sure with the casualties, they’ll do a thorough investigation.”

  “Casualties?” Tuck sat up and scowled. “Nobody ever fuckin’ said shit about—who died?”

  “Both the Thornson Brothers and Travis.”

  “Thursons,” Tuck corrected. “And Travie, Carl Travie?”

  Bobby nodded.

  Tuck collapsed into the bed. “Oh Loki’s nuts. That poor kid. He was only twenty-two. Just came on board less than a month ago, right out of the academy. Fuckin’ shit.”

  Bobby gave his hand a comforting squeeze. “Sucks.”

  Tuck bowed his head. “How…?” he finally asked.

  “He and the brothers were inside the kitchen, near where they think the explosion happened.”

  Tuck bolted upright. “What?” He gave Bobby a hard stare. “Did you say inside the house?”

  “Yeah.” Bobby nodded.

  “Fuck no,” Tuck barked. “This.” His brow crinkled. “It isn’t adding up.” He looked over and saw the confusion on Bobby’s face. He leaned forward and used the sheet and his finger as an imaginary whiteboard. “The house was basically a square.” He traced one out as he explained the game plan. “Hawk and I were covering the back porch, on the east side.” He indicated it with his finger. “Josh and Hampton were covering the south windows. Carl and one of the DEA guys were on the north bedroom windows. The rest were going to burst in the front door at the west with a surprise ambush.”

  Bobby nodded that he understood so far.

  “So how did Carl end up inside the house? And how’d he even get there? He didn’t slip by Hawk and me, I can guarantee that. And it seems unlikely he could have gotten past the gang of officers at the front door.”

  “What about the DEA guy on the north side with him? Maybe he knows something.”

  “Shit, I don’t even remember a name. I was still kinda ticked off about getting dragged out and wasn’t really paying attention.”

  “I’m sure somebody knows who it was,” Bobby offered. “Who drew up the game plan?”

  Tuck nodded. “Fenton. I need to talk ta Fenton.” He glanced over at Bobby. “Did ya bring yer cell phone in?”

  Bobby shook his head. “Left it in the car. They have a real bug about letting them back here.”

  Tuck glanced around but didn’t see any pens or paper. “Shit. Check the nurse’s station?”

  Bobby slipped out and came back a minute later with a Post-it pad and a pen.

  Tuck took them and scratched out a number. “Please, go call him now. I need to know what in Valhalla’s goin’ on.”

  “I’m sure they also realize something’s fishy.” Bobby hated seeing that look of frustration on Tuck’s face. “I’ll go call right now.” Bobby gave him a quick kiss before leaving.

  “Thanks.” Tuck leaned back and tried to ignore all the beeping noises and relax.

  Chapter 22

  ON HIS way out of the ICU, Bobby couldn’t help but notice the tall, thin guy pacing around the waiting room. The rough-looking tattoo-covered man appeared to be about his age. He paced quickly back and forth like he
was trying to work up the energy to go inside. Bobby gave him a nod. “You here to visit somebody?”

  The biker guy smirked. “Tryin’ to,” he admitted. “I just don’t know if I wanna see how bad it is.”

  Bobby gave him a warm smile. “Trust me, not knowing can lead to imagining things much worse than they really are. Just take a deep breath and go in.”

  “Okay,” the biker guy said. “I will.”

  Bobby headed for the stairwell as the guy took a breath and walked into the ICU.

  “That was fast,” Tuck said as the door opened. He looked over, but it wasn’t Bobby squirming in the doorway. “What the fuck?”

  “Hey, Tuck,” Vic said, stepping the rest of the way into the cubicle. “I heard ya had an accident.”

  Tuck scowled. “Ya make it sound like I peed on the carpet.” He threw Vic a hard look. “What are ya doin’ here, Vic?”

  “Dude,” Vic said as he put his hands up defensively, “I came to visit a friend in the hospital. We are still friends, right?”

  Tuck was skeptical but said, “Sure.”

  Vic stepped closer, looking over Tuck. “What all happened?”

  “What did ya hear?”

  “Don’t be that way, Tuck,” Vic scolded as he moved closer. “Never could give a straight answer.”

  “Meth lab explosion.”

  “Well, ya don’t look too bad off,” Vic said as he sat on the left edge of the bed. “It didn’t hurt yer pretty face,” he said as he reached out for Tuck’s cheek.

  Tuck pulled back. “I’m not fuckin’ pretty. And don’t touch me.”

  “Sorry,” Vic whined, dragging out the word and sounding less than sincere. “Thought ya’d be happy to see a friend.”

  Tuck bit his tongue when the door opened again. He looked up to see Odis, who froze when he saw the guy sitting on the bed. “Hey, Odie,” Tuck said cheerfully. “This is Vic.”

  Vic turned around and studied him. “So yer the little Odie I’ve heard so damn much about.”

  “And you must be the asshole Tuck dumped,” Odis said as he stepped around the man. He pushed him back to lean in and kiss Tuck.

  Vic blinked at them. “Really, now, little straight man. Who do you think yer foolin’?”

  Before he could answer, the door opened again. Bobby stepped in about halfway. “How rude. I turn my back for one minute, and you guys start without me,” he joked, looking over at the biker guy on the bed.

  “And who the fuck are you?” Vic bristled as he stood to his feet.

  “I’m Bobby Lane.” Glancing over at Tuck, he questioned with his eyes.

  “We’re past room capacity,” Tuck announced with an edge in his voice. “Time to leave, Vic.”

  Bobby glared over at Vic. “Sounds like a great idea. I’ll see you out,” he said in a hard tone.

  “So much for bein’ nice. Fuck you, Tuck,” Vic barked out as he headed for the door.

  “Those days are over,” Tuck yelled back. “I’ve got new boyfriends now.”

  Bobby nudged Vic on the shoulder when he paused in the doorway. Vic turned back and said, “Yeah, right. Yer just tryin’ to fuck with my head.”

  Odis glared at the door as they left. “I’ll kick his ass if he comes back,” he promised Tuck as he hugged his neck.

  Tuck chuckled. “I can handle Vic,” he said before kissing Odis.

  As Vic walked out the ICU area, Bobby stomped right behind him.

  Vic turned when they got to the hallway. “I don’t know what kinda game y’all’s playin’, but if ya really are his boyfriend now, better enjoy it while ya can.”

  “Keep moving. Elevator’s over there.” Bobby gave his shoulder another hard nudge.

  Vic started down the hall. “You wait. You’ll find out how selfish he is soon enough.”

  Bobby nearly laughed. Maybe Vic knew a few more things about Tuck than he did, but Bobby had never seen or heard anything to make him think of Tuck as selfish. If anything, he had shown himself to be more of a self-sacrificing kind of man. “If you really think that, you don’t know a damn thing about Tuck.”

  “Oh, I do. Especially in bed.” Vic stepped into the elevator. “Just wait, you’ll find out,” he called out as the doors closed in his face.

  Bobby just shook his head and went back to room two. He walked in and sat on the bed next to Odis. “You won’t believe what that asshole said.”

  Odis glanced over curiously. “What?”

  “He called Tuck selfish,” he said and chuckled along with Odis. They both stopped when they looked over and saw the hurt expression on Tuck’s face. “Sorry to laugh, Tuck. I know it’s not true.”

  Tuck peered from Odis to Bobby, trying to decide how much to divulge. He quickly decided to be honest. “Well, from his side, I guess it’s true.”

  Odis frowned in disbelief. “What do you mean?”

  “Vic—he wanted to do things I wanted no part of. I refused to help him.”

  “What things?” Bobby asked pointedly.

  “He liked—he wanted me to choke him while we did it.” Tuck dropped his gaze as he spoke. The words seemed distasteful for him to even say.

  Odis gaped like a fish. “What the fuck?”

  “Erotic asphyxiation,” Bobby explained. “Lack of oxygen until you pass out, hopefully right at the point of orgasm.”

  “Seriously?” Odis gasped. “People actually do that?” He glanced over at Tuck. “How do they keep from killing themselves?”

  Tuck shrugged. “Sometimes they don’t.”

  “Shit,” Odis spit out. “Just when I thought I’d heard of every kind of thing there is out there, out pops another one.” He got to his feet. “And yer not selfish for sayin’ no to something that made you uncomfortable.”

  Tuck looked over at Bobby, questioning with his eyes.

  Ignoring Odis as he paced around, Bobby wobbled his head. “Fenton wouldn’t say anything to me. Promised to come by later.”

  Tuck nodded he understood. They all turned when the door opened. Odis bristled, getting ready to kick ass, but it was only Klyve. “Out,” he said when he saw both guys inside. He turned to Tuck. “Doc’s coming by in a minute.”

  “What about my TV?” Tuck whined like a three-year-old.

  Klyve sighed exasperatedly. “Sorry, forgot,” he said as he closed the door behind Bobby and followed them. “And the one-at-a-time rule applies unless ya ask me first,” he scolded the men as he herded them to the waiting room.

  “Sorry,” Odis apologized.

  Klyve smiled. “Doctor’s coming by to look at his hand. Go downstairs and grab some lunch or somethin’, it might be a while.”

  “Okay.” Bobby nodded. With a gentle nudge on the shoulder, he steered Odis toward the stairs.

  Klyve turned and went back to the ICU as the other men went down the hall.

  Odis seemed to breathe heavily as they entered the stairwell. He moved quickly ahead of Bobby down the first half, rounded the central landing, and made it halfway down the second half of stairs before he seemed to wobble. “Shit,” he groaned as he froze and clutched at the railing.

  “You okay?” Bobby stopped beside him, noticing the way Odis clung tightly at the metal bar with both hands.

  Odis wobbled again and his eyes glazed over. “I’m not fee—” Odis said as he lost his grip on the railing and slid back. Bobby jumped forward and caught him as he fell.

  “Odis!” Bobby yelled as he tried to stand him on rubbery legs. “Shit,” Bobby hissed. He got his arms under Odis’s armpits and dragged him down the rest of the stairs. He somehow managed to open the stairwell door without dropping Odis and mostly carried him out into the hall. “Help!” he yelled out, but with a quick glance, Bobby saw only a vacant hallway. But he did see an empty wheelchair near a doorway a bit farther down the hall.

  “Loud voice,” Odis whispered as Bobby carried the rag-doll-limp Odis to the chair and set him in it. He pushed the chair as fast as he dared toward the ER area.

  “Help!�
� Bobby yelled out again as he approached the ER.

  A nurse came up when she saw the wheelchair. “What happened?” she asked as she kneeled down and looked at Odis while grabbing his wrist.

  “We were coming down the stairs, and it looked like he got dizzy,” Bobby explained as another nurse rushed up and started waving a flashlight around in Odis’s face. “He collapsed and hasn’t been coherent since.”

  The first nurse stood. “Weak pulse,” she said, grabbing the chair handles from Bobby.

  Nurse number two announced, “Unresponsive pupils,” before looking at Bobby. “Is he on any medications?” She grabbed Bobby’s arm and led him to the ER station as nurse number one whisked Odis toward the curtained cubicles.

  Bobby shook his head. “He was on some things, but he stopped taking them last week.”

  “Any idea what they were?”

  Bobby shook his head again. “Arthritis stuff. I don’t know exactly.”

  “Name,” the nurse asked when she got to the computer.

  “Odis Tyler Vorleik,” he told her.

  “O-T?”

  “No. O, D as in dog, I, S.” While she typed, he spelled the last name also. Bobby read her name, Evie, off of the Velcro-adhered patch on her chest as she peered over the computer screen and hit a few keys.

  “Find it?” Bobby asked.

  “Yeah,” Evie said as she reached for the phone and dialed a number she read off the screen. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

  Bobby ignored her suggestion and ran to the curtains. He found two nurses with Odis, who was now stretched out on the bed with a clothespin clip thing attached to his thumb and one of the nurses using a blood pressure cuff on his arm. “Out,” nurse number one said as she body-blocked Bobby from stepping near the bed.

  “How is he?”

  “Out,” she repeated. “Call his family.”

  Shit. It must be bad if they want me to call. Bobby reached down to his pocket. He’d absently slipped the phone in after making that call for Tuck earlier. At least he wouldn’t have to run back to the car first. He pulled out the phone as he walked to the row of plastic chairs and dialed the B and B.