by CJ Azevedo
I clear my throat, hating that I’m going through this in public. Claudia lays her head on my shoulder and grabs my free hand.
“Sounds like a plan,” I say hoarsely. “Can you put your wife on now so I don’t have to stress all night wondering what happened?”
“Yeah, here she is.”
“Hey, Grey, you okay?” Ava says in greeting.
No! I’m freaking out. I have no idea what’s going on with my girl and I feel like I’m getting ready to have a panic attack if someone doesn’t start to explain shit to me. I have no idea what she would’ve needed surgery for and my mind is having a field day with a ton of negative shit I don’t want to think about.
“Not really, no. What the fuck happened to her?”
Ava sighed. “Do you want medical terms or Ava terms?”
“Ava terms, please.”
“So basically, she had a very large cyst on her ovary that needed to be removed. Usually they go away on their own, but apparently they’ve been monitoring this one for a while and it’s been painful for her and not going away. This morning it made her really sick, she had a high fever and the pain was unbearable, so they went in and removed it. Because of the size and location of the cyst, they also removed her ovary, which she isn’t happy about.”
That doesn’t sound good. “All right, thanks, Ava. I’ll see you tomorrow. Give Harper a good luck kiss for me and…I’m sorry I haven’t been around. I wish I was going to be there, but I really need to get in and see Mace, otherwise you know I wouldn’t miss it. Now that I know, I mean.”
“I know, Grey. I’ll tell her and kiss her for ya. She’ll be excited to see you. Good night.”
Putting my phone back in my pocket, I take a deep breath of the cool night air, willing it to calm my nerves. “Talk about hating being where you are and where you’re not at the same time. I can’t stand Mitch, but I would give anything to trade shoes with him for the night.” I speak my thoughts aloud to Claudia, since she’s the only one sort of clued in on my history with Macie. I should be the one with her right now and we both know it. Our friends and family may not have been clued in on the details of our relationship over the years, but even they know I belong with her right now. Her sham of an engagement party pretty much proved to everyone what I’ve known all along.
“C’mon, sweetie, I’ll take you home so you can get some rest before you go see her in the morning. Should we discuss the fact that I don’t have enough money in my petty cash drawer for bail for you or do you just want me to reveal the fact that I know you keep all of your account numbers in your computer like an idiot?”
I shake my head and laugh at myself because I am an idiot and I know better, but with all the damn numbers stuck in my head all the time, my account numbers are the ones I can never remember. I look over at her, smiling boldly at me. “How long have you known that?”
“Oh, just since my second week as your assistant.”
“Well then, there’s no need to discuss it. If I kill him, bail my ass out immediately, we’re going somewhere foreign. Preferably Turks and Caicos. You think they’ll harbor a fugitive there? They seem like pretty laid back people.”
Claudia laughs and opens the door to go back inside and let Brandon know she’s taking me home. “Well, they’re island people, so chances are they’re laid back, but how about we try not to kill anyone, ‘kay?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
****
The eight o’clock visiting hour takes forever to arrive. Eight seems late when you’re up with the sun. Not giving a shit about the fiancé, I stop in at a flower shop near the hospital and pick up a bouquet of flowers for Macie.
I quietly creak open the door to her third floor room, not wanting to wake her if she’s sleeping. As soon as my foot crosses the threshold, I hear sobbing. My heart starts pounding in my chest as I tear the curtain back so I can see what’s causing her so much pain. I rush to her side and brush her hair from her wet cheeks.
Macie is curled in the fetal position, wearing cotton pajama pants and pink tank top, her face buried in her hands and hair. I set the flowers down on the table next to her bed and release the guardrail so I can lay it down and get closer to her. Pulling the chair closer, I sit so my face is eye level with hers.
“Hey, beautiful girl,” I whisper to get her attention since she’s not responding to my presence at all and it’s starting to freak me out.
Her left hand, adorned with the flashy diamond ring I’ve come to despise, reaches out and searches for my face. It finds its purchase and lands on my cheek. Her right hand rubs her teary eyes vigorously.
“Mace, are you pain? Should I call the nurse?”
I want to fix her.
“I…I…c-can’t…” She draws in a deep breath and tries to steady her trembling voice.
What the fuck happened?
“I can’t have babies, Grey!” she says on a sob, and I literally feel her pain straight in my heart. I know how much she has always wanted kids. I don’t know the circumstances yet, but it doesn’t matter. If she can’t have kids, I know she’s in pure agony right now.
I stand and walk around behind her, crawling onto the tiny, sucky ass hospital bed to cuddle her from behind as she starts another round of sobbing. Where the hell is her prick of a fiancé? Not that I mind holding her—I’ve missed this, missed her, bad—but seriously, where the fuck is he?
We lie here for probably an hour before she’s finally calmed down and I think she’s fallen asleep. I have nowhere to go, so I’m not in a rush to leave. I stretch out my legs and she rolls over gingerly to rest her head on my chest.
Once she’s settled, her broken, raspy voice breaks the silence. “Mitch said that we both knew what we were getting into when he proposed,” she draws a deep, shaky breath and I try to control the instant rage I feel, “that his future is set in concrete and it can’t change, there’s no room for alterations.” Macie’s fingers splay out across my chest and run down towards my abs absently as she talks just above a whisper. “When the doctor told us that he had to remove an ovary and that it was going to be very difficult for us to conceive, even impossible if a full hysterectomy becomes necessary, Mitch left me.” Her last words come out so softly it’s as if she still can’t believe it. I, on the other hand am not surprised at all, but it doesn’t make me want to hurt him any less. “He just thanked me for the time we had and for my understanding and walked out. He was very professional about the whole thing.”
Murderous. Never in my life have I felt the rage currently brewing inside of me. Last night I was joking with Claudia about the bail money, but this is starting to feel very real. My skin is hot to the touch, my jaw aches from clenching it so tight. I slowly and carefully reach up to stroke her cheek, to let her know that although I don’t have words for her right now, I’m here and very present. I can feel my shirt dampening from her tears and hear her tiny sobs and sniffles.
Two good things came out of that conversation, though—she actually can still have kids at this point, its not impossible yet, and the prick is finally out of the picture so she can give up her sham of a wedding and horrid future.
I continue to lie there, running my fingers through her hair, knowing it’s soothing for her, and eventually Macie falls asleep. As I sit in the hospital bed belonging to the love of my life, strung tighter than a bow, planning the demise of a certain politician, I hear her text chime from her phone, not thinking twice before I stealthily extract myself from her warm body and grab her phone from the tray.
Mitch: I’m sorry to do this right now, Mace, but my mother is worried if I wait too long it will be more difficult. I need to come by and pick up Grandmother’s ring.
I’m going to kill him. Simple as that.
Macie: Come now
Yeah, I texted back. I may go to jail but this sorry bastard is going to get his today and I’m giving it to him. I lay Macie’s phone back down and as gently as possible, slide the damn ring off of her finger. Just a
s I’m laying her hand back on the bed, her eyes flutter open and she takes in her surroundings, looking confused.
“Go back to sleep, Macie,” I say quietly, leaning down to kiss her hair.
“What are you doing with my ring?” she asks in her sleepy voice.
I know I should only be feeling sympathetic towards her right now, but her sleepy voice has always been so damn sexy and I haven’t forgotten that the love of my life isn’t getting married to someone else anymore.
“I’m returning it to the weak prick that broke your heart.”
She shoots straight up, clutching her lower abdomen where her incision must be. I’m sure that didn’t feel too good. Little tears appear at the bottom of her eyelids. “Shit, that hurt.” Her voice is shaky as she whispers words that make me shake my head, but I don’t have the heart to get on her about her cussing right now. “Crap. I meant to say crap,” she says, her face scrunched up in pain and apology.
Right now everything about her is freaking cute as hell and I wish I didn’t have to go down and deal with this guy because what I really want to do is lie back down and cuddle with my girl until she feels better.
I release a long breath as I gently guide her back down, tears trailing relentlessly down her cheeks. “I’ll ask the nurse to bring you in some more pain meds on my way out, okay? I won’t be long, promise.” I kiss her nose this time and she rolls back over to the same position she was in when I first arrived. My heart clenches.
As soon as the cool air hits my face, I see Mitchell walking across the parking lot. That was fast. I keep my stare on him as he pretends not to see me until he’s right in front of me.
He begins to step around me, greeting me with a detached “Good morning, Greyden” and a nod of the head.
I guess he hasn’t put the pieces together. I take a step to the left, not allowing him to dismiss me like yesterday’s news. He stops abruptly, squares his shoulders and lifts his chin. “Did you need something? I need to get inside to Macie.”
Like hell he does.
“That’s not going to happen,” I say evenly as I flick my gaze past him out toward the parking lot. We’re standing in the entrance to the hospital still and people are starting to trickle in to see their loved ones. We don’t need to cause any trouble right in front of the hospital. That and I don’t need hospital security showing up before I kick this guy’s ass.
Mitch glances in the same direction and understanding flickers across his face. He takes a step back. “Look, Greyden, I don’t want any problems. I just need to pick something up and I’ll be out of your way.”
“See, that’s the problem. You’re such an asshole. I’ve wanted to say that to you for so long now. Mitch, you are such an asshole. You don’t deserve Macie, so I’m actually happy that you’re a fucking prick and do as you’re told. I just wish it hadn’t involved the girl I love. The girl that I’ve loved for most of my life is lying upstairs completely heartbroken because she was chasing a false dream that you presented to her, and for that alone I should kick your ass. Breaking off your engagement when an ‘alteration’ was added to your well thought out future and not giving a damn that Macie is devastated by that ‘alteration’?” Yes, I air quoted alteration. “I should really kick your ass for that, but showing up here in the aftermath of that because your mother told you to retrieve Macie’s ring? Dammit.” I can’t hold it in any more, I reach back and swing with as much force as I can and connect with him right in the eye. Releasing pent up aggression is always nice, but hitting the main source of it is the best. I immediately reach down with my left and hit him in the gut, keeping him upright with my knee. I purposely avoid his nose, hoping he can hop in his car and go home instead of going into the hospital for any treatment. “I have to at least get in one brutal punch, you know,” I comment calmly. “I would beat the shit out of you, but I don’t want you in the same hospital as my girl.” I start to walk backwards. “You’re damn lucky I’m the only one here,” I sneer in farewell. I throw his ring at him and hits him in the shoulder (since he’s still doubled over) before bouncing off and landing on the cement. He stands there holding both his stomach and his eye, but he doesn’t say a word to me. Fucker knows he’s in the wrong.
My hand is throbbing when I exit the elevator on Macie’s floor. I try to text Claudia but that isn’t happening with my hand so I call her.
“Hello?”
“Claud, sorry to wake you. But remember what we discussed last night?”
“Oh shit! Are you in jail? Did you really kill him? Oh my God, sit tight, I’m on my way. Where’s your lawyer’s number? Why didn’t we talk about a lawyer? Oh, never mind. I’ll call London. Is your minute up? I need more time! A minute isn’t long enough—I have more questions. Shit!”
I’m trying so hard to stay quiet I can’t breathe. I can barely feel my throbbing hand because my whole body is vibrating in silent laughter at this extremely loyal friend of mine.
“Claudia.”
“Yeah?” She’s breathless and things are banging around in the background. I can just picture her throwing shit everywhere, trying to get dressed to get down to the bail bondsmen so she can get my ass out of jail.
“I’m not in jail.”
“Oh, thank God.” Her relief is evident as her words are exhaled easily. “You scared the piss out of me. Like literally, I had to pee so bad when you woke me up, I peed a little when I thought you were a murderer.”
“Ah, you kill me, Claud. But seriously, something did go down, nothing as serious as that, just keep your phone on and answer it.”
“’Kay, got it. Call me tonight and fill me in if I don’t hear otherwise.”
“I will. Thanks.”
I hang up and notice Macie’s nurse is sitting at the nurse’s station, watching me as I walk closer. I’m cradling my hand close to my chest because not only did I knock the hell out of it, but I think I might have tweaked it a bit at the wrist; it doesn’t feel good.
The nurse looks at my hand and raises her eyebrows. She looks to be about the same age as my mom. I’m sure she sees the little bit of blood that has seeped through the broken skin on my knuckles.
“That soda machine get you too?” she asks curiously as she stands and walks around the desk to me. I have no idea what the hell she’s talking about.
“Sorry?” I just want to get into Macie.
“Your hand. It looks like the soda machine door closed down on your hand too; it happened to the janitor early this morning as well. Come with me and let me fix that up for you.” Her eyes are wide, as if she’s trying to tell me something secretive. I suck at charades so I’m just going to go with her, maybe she can wrap it or something to make it stop throbbing.
She takes me into an empty room and motions for me to sit on a chair as she starts pulling things from a cupboard. “That man was not right for that sweet girl,” she whispers, then continues louder, “I’m glad you returned that sugary soda, although I’m sorry you made a mess of your hand in the process.” She winked and poured some clear liquid on my hand that burned the shit out of it.
Once I caught my breath and was able to talk without sounding like a girl from the pain, I asked, “Am I following you correctly?” Because if I am, I’m pretty sure she’s giving me a damn alibi.
The lady laughs kindly and nods. “Yes, dear. He comes from some pretty uppity places. I’m afraid you might need to explain this hand of yours, which I just did for you. What you did just now definitely needed to be done.”
“Well, I happen to agree with you. Thanks for fixing me up.”
“You’re welcome, dear.”
Macie is exactly where I left her. I lie down behind her and try to keep my hand out of her view.
“You were gone for kind of a long time,” she says softly.
“I didn’t think so.”
“What did he say?”
I sighed and reached up with my left hand to run my fingers through her hair. “Nothing, Butterfly, he didn’t say anything.
”
“That sounds about right.” Her voice is still raw and scratchy from all of her crying and it breaks my heart that she has to go through this.
Macie rolls over to cuddle better but stops mid roll when she catches the bandage on my hand. “What did you do?” She sounds really angry.
“Uhh, soda machine?”
She sits up carefully and glares at me. “You fought him? You don’t fight, Greyden.” She looks stern, but also confused, like she really can’t figure out why I would have hit the bastard.
“I don’t?”
She shrugs her shoulders and readjusts on the bed so she’s facing me. “You never have before.”
I smirk back at her because she really is cute and really naïve right now. “You never wondered why your first date ended up with two black eyes and a broken nose when you went back to school that next week?”
Her eyes bug out and she leans forward before wincing and siting back again. “That was you? I thought it was my brother, but Landon said he got hit by a basketball.”
“Nope. Then there was Sean from the end of summer bonfire.”
“Oh God, what did you do to him? I never even saw him again.”
“There was a reason for that, Mace. Ask Keegan about the morning after Dec’s housewarming party when the drunk fucker tried to get you to go skinny dipping. Then we’ll leave it at that so I don’t sound like a crazed pshyco.”
“Wait a minute. My friend from school, Liam.”
“Still trying not to sound like a crazed psycho, babe. Do you want me to order you some breakfast?”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “So you’ve beaten up every guy I’ve ever had any sort of contact with until Mitch?”
“I didn’t realize I was doing it at the time, but yeah.”
“Why not Mitch?”
“I guess because I realized that you really were done with me so I had to stop and let you find your happiness.” I look down at my bandage-covered hand. “Now I feel like shit because he was the one I needed to stop the most.”