Without checking in at the nurses’ station, I pushed on the door to Jack’s room. Immediately I noticed that his nameplate was gone and I went into panic mode. There was no one in the room, the bed was made and the room sanitized, it was ready for the next patient. I picked up the phone and called the nurse. Thankfully, I recognized a friendly voice.
“Hi Margaret, this is Mollie. Do you know what’s happened to the patient in this room?” I was surprised to hear that Jack had checked himself out just a few hours ago. AMA. Against Medical Advice. I hung up the phone and stared around the room. The flowers, balloons and the cards he'd received from the kids were gone, of course. I wondered if he’d even remembered that I’d been here. It seemed odd that he hadn’t bothered to say goodbye.
“Hi, is this Jack Fitzgerald’s room? Is he here?” Jack’s visitor tapped on the door.
“No, actually. I just learned that he checked out little while ago. Are you a family member?”
The brown haired man leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. “You mean you don’t remember me? I saw you — at the race last week. My name is Dylan, Dylan Champion. You’re that pretty nurse that saved Fitz.” He smiled at me, but the warmth didn’t spread to his eyes. I somehow knew this guy was no friend of Jack Fitzgerald.
“Well, I was pretty focused on the race so forgive me if I don’t recognize you. Is there something I can help you with?” Champion? Was that his real name?
“You want to help me?” he scoffed. “No, I think I need to help you. You seem like a nice girl. Do yourself a favor — stay away from this guy. He’s a loser and always will be. I’d hate to see you get involved with a shady character like Jack Fitzgerald. Besides, he has a large enough female fan club already.” That last bit had an extra tinge of venom to it.
I had to laugh and the look on his face made me regret it. He had no idea that I’d already heard this speech once today. “Thanks for the advice. Now if you’ll excuse me...” I walked towards the door but he stepped in my way.
“What’s your hurry, sexy lady? Afraid that ol’ Fitzie might find himself another nurse to stay by his bedside? You probably should be. That guy just can’t keep his junk in his pants.” I stepped back.
“You’re in my way.” I said, as calmly as I could.
He stepped to the side but kept a hard stare going. He was pretty good looking, but he had a bad attitude and a definite grudge about something. I didn’t need a psychology degree to see that he had some deep-seated issues, at least when it came to Jack. Finally, he smiled and said, “I’m just trying to offer you some friendly advice. You can take it or leave it.” I walked past him, clutching my purse, and prepared to whack him with it if he tried to stop me. He didn’t. I walked down to the nurses’ station and didn't look back until I heard the ICU door close behind me. Jack sure did have some serious enemies—Dad and Dylan Champion.
“Hey, Margaret, what time did Fitzgerald leave?” The pretty young woman typed his name into the computer and peered at the screen.
“Around nine, you didn’t miss him by much. He did ask about you before he left.”
I couldn’t hide the smile on my face. “He did? What did he say?” I sat in the rolling desk chair next to her and whispered, “Really?”
“Yeah, he wanted to know when you were working again, but I didn’t know. I guess he'll be looking you up. He’s a cutie, but he did draw some attention with the cops. I guess they didn’t have as much evidence as they thought because they didn’t take him with them. You know, I think he has some rich relatives.”
That didn’t sound right. I knew that Jack barely had two sticks to rub together. The only money he ever had was probably from winning a race, and there was no doubt he hadn’t won the last one.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, some guy said his name was Uncle Victor and paid his medical bill. He tried to pay me here but I told him he had to go down to billing. That guy had a lot of cash,” she whispered to me.
“That is... interesting.” I didn’t know what else to say. Nothing about Jack made sense. Dylan was convinced he was some kind of pervert – the guy was probably just jealous because Jack was a better driver than he was. Then this other guy showed up to pay his medical bill. It’s all too weird. “Do you know who took him home? Was it Uncle Victor?”
“No it was a friend of his — she said her name was Elaina?” I knew who she was—a woman who lived in Jack’s neighborhood. Ricky’s mom. Well at least I knew he’d get home safe.
“Thanks Margaret. Oh! One more thing, do you have his address? I’d like to send him a card — or something.” I knew what I was asking was unethical. We weren’t supposed to rifle through a patient’s files or computer records but I had to get his address. My friend pushed her chair away, her eyes wide and her mouth shut. She knew this wasn’t right either, but while she pretended to look the other way, I wrote down Jack’s address and phone number. I still had no idea what I planned to do with this information, but at least I’d have it. I slipped away and headed to the cafeteria for a quick bite before I started my shift. I thought about everything I'd learned concerning Jack and what I didn’t know. Some things didn’t add up.
“Who are you, Jack Fitzgerald?” I said to myself. I guessed it would take a little more digging to find out. I hoped my heart would slow down long enough for my brain to catch up. I couldn’t afford to fall for him just yet.
Chapter Six — Jack
I don’t know how long I’d slept but the sun was coming up and my dick was as hard as a rock. Must’ve been that dream I’d had about Mollie. God, she was sexy, and so fucking hot. I closed my eyes and remembered her on the hood of my car begging for my cock. I chuckled to myself. My car, my cock and my woman. What a dream! “Jack, baby. Fuck me, harder, fuck!”
At some point, someone had removed my catheter and my IV. Wonder what state my dick was in when they saw it? I guessed that meant it was time to go home, though I wanted a shower before I went anywhere. I sat up on the bed and steadied myself. I held the side rail of the bed and tried to stand up but fell back a little. It wasn’t easy. My dick was hard and my legs were like two rubber bands I couldn’t control, but I finally made it. I started the shower and took off the hospital gown, and then realized I didn’t have any more clothes with me, so I’d have to call someone to bring me some.
When I got out of the shower, I wrapped the skimpy towel around my waist and walked into my hospital room, hoping to find a fresh gown or something. I was surprised to see I had a visitor. It was Elaina, but I didn’t see Ricky. Her hands flew to her mouth as she tried to hide her giggle. Elaina had a broken front tooth and she seemed embarrassed by that, but I didn’t care—she was a nice person and a great mom to Ricky. That right there meant a lot.
“I’m so happy to see you alive, Jack. You can’t believe how close you came to dying.” She waved her hand to keep the tears away. I wanted to hug her but I was half-naked. I hurriedly grabbed a clean hospital gown and put my arms through it, leaving it open in the back. “They sure don’t give a guy any privacy here,” I said as I held the back of the gown closed with my hand.
Elaina laughed and asked, “Ain’t that right. Do you want to sit in the chair?”
“Yes, that’d be great.” I sat in the chair and pulled the gown as closed as I could. “I’m ready to go home.”
She laughed, “I bet you are. It’s been almost five days since you checked in here but…maybe you should take some time. You know, Nellie is home and she’s been on a rampage. She threw some of your stuff in the yard, but the boys brought it to my house.” I nodded. That sounded like her. Wherever Nellie was, there was destruction. “She has one of her boyfriends over there, what’s his name… the one with the red hair?”
“Oh yeah, Harold. Huh, it’s been a while since he’s been there.”
“Yeah, well, she’s got him over there now. I think he took your laptop but I can’t be sure, that’s what Andre said. I’d hate for you to go home to that. Y
ou can stay with us—until you’re better, that is.”
“So he took my laptop? Jerk.” I wondered if they'd found my stash and my prize money. Life with Nellie was always crazy, insane, chaotic—you choose the adjective.
I sighed. “Thanks for the offer, I really appreciate it.” Elaina lived in a two bedroom in the apartment complex across the street from the trailer park. It was all pretty ghetto, but all we’d ever known.
“My pleasure, Jack. I’m sure Ricky would be happy, but no drinking or drugs and if you’re going to smoke those nasty cigarettes, you'll have to go outside. I don’t want them stinking up the house.”
“You got it! So, have you seen my car?” I asked her, though I was afraid of the answer. I knew it was wasted.
She shook her head and sighed. “Yeah, it’s there Jackie, but it ain't pretty. You’re lucky to be alive. You want to see some pictures? I had to take these from the street because I couldn’t get in your yard.” She tapped on her phone and scrolled through her pictures. There was my baby, all crumpled up like a beer can, though I couldn’t see it so well, it was kind of a bad picture. I had to see it and I wanted to get dressed and leave right away, then I remembered I didn’t have any clothes.
As if she read my mind, Elaina said, “I got you some clothes in here,” then she handed me a Target bag. “It’s nothing stylish but at least you'll have something to wear. Did they tell you when you could go?”
“I’m going home today. Thank you for this. I’ll pay you back.” Elaina waved her hand as if to say, “Don’t worry about it.”
“What do you mean? They're letting you go home? You’re all banged up, Jackie,” she looked at me suspiciously.
“I know, I feel every inch of it but I have to go see my car.”
“That car is going to be there when you get out. Believe me—it’s not going anywhere, at all.”
I pulled on the sweat pants from the bag and then the shirt. “I know, but I have to go. Would you mind taking me home?”
She smiled at me, “For all you’ve done for Ricky, no, I don’t mind at all. I’ll be in the waiting room, though I have to go to work at three, so we need to leave soon.” Elaina pulled her long, dark hair into a ponytail and tapped her watch.
“Sure, got it. Just give me a few minutes to tell the nurse.”
That was easier said than done as Virginia wasn’t there, but her boss, Judith, was and she didn’t want me going anywhere. “That’s crazy. You need to wait for the doctor, but he won’t be here until this evening. He needs to write your prescriptions and give you some instructions. You may even need to have further surgery. What are you thinking, Mr. Fitzgerald?”
“I need to go, thank you for the care but I have to. I have to get back to my life. If I stay here any longer, I’ll go nuts. You wouldn’t want a patient to lose it, would you?” I tried to smile and be charming but I didn’t feel it, and she wasn’t buying it.
She sighed, “I can’t make you stay, but I strongly advise against it. I’ll call the doctor and get your paperwork ready. Why don’t you get a shower while you wait? That couldn’t hurt.”
“I already did and I’m ready to go. My ride is here and it’s time to bail. Thanks for all your help—”
“Mr. Fitzgerald! You can’t leave—” I grabbed a candy off her desk and popped it into my mouth. Yuck, peppermint. Elaina was waiting for me and we headed out to the car. I could hear Judith from the nurses’ station calling behind me. “Mr. Fitzgerald! Wait!”
I turned to her; she had some papers in her hand and a scowl on her face. “You know what Mr. Fitzgerald, you can’t leave my hospital without at least saying goodbye. Now, we’ve saved your life, a few times I might add, and I can’t make you stay. I understand that, but for you to walk out of here without showing respect for what we’ve done for you is just plain rude. Now, I told you I would get your papers and prescriptions for your medication,” her eyes narrowed, “and I’m only doing this out of the goodness of my heart. You are one messed up kid.” She stuck out her hand and thrust some papers at me then walked away.
Elaina looked at me as if I’d done something wrong. “Told you. You can’t just walk out.”
I felt about two feet tall. I didn’t want Elaina to think badly of me, since we were finally on good terms with each other. I just didn’t think beforehand so I’d have to check my attitude a little more often.
I was glad Elaina didn’t want to chat on the way back to her place. I wasn’t in the chatting mood. She did insist we drop off my prescriptions and pick up some food though, and I nervously chomped on French fries as we pulled into the apartment complex. From the parking lot, I immediately saw how bad my car was. Elaina put the car in park and I just sat there for a minute.
Eventually, I got out of her car and walked over to mine. The rear end wasn’t too bad. I touched her body, she was cool under my fingertips. I loved this car. She was an old friend, my best friend. I got to the front and saw the disastrous effects of my wreck. I was fucking lucky to be standing here, above ground. My gut twisted as I surveyed the damage. The whole front end was crushed. The radiator was shot, wires and broken pieces hung off of her. I swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears at bay. Baby looked like she’d been in a fucking war and lost.
My knees buckled and I sank to the ground. Man, this can’t be real. My chest heaved and I cried right there in front of God and everyone. I swiped my hands through my hair and tried to regain my composure. This was a fucking nightmare. How was I going to manage my life without this car? It wasn’t just about getting around; that car meant something more to me, so much more than just a ride. I could hop on the fucking bus if I wanted to go across town.
I loved working on my car and racing was the one thing I was good at—hands down better than anyone else I knew. It wasn’t something someone taught me, I'd learned it myself. I watched and I learned. I didn’t have a clue about changing a spark plug when I started, but now I could tear a motor down and put it back together in a day. I was a high performance guru, coaxing speed out of my Camaro like a man coaxed passion out of a woman.
When I sat behind the wheel of my car, I was a winner, even when I wasn’t racing. And when I was on the road, the windows down with the wind tearing through it, my God, I felt alive. All of the hatred and anger I’d felt, all of the shit I’d been through, the pain and loneliness—I left all that shit behind me, shrinking away in my rear view mirror.
Now, it was all gone.
“Jack, you okay?” Elaina called to me from the street and I could see Ricky standing beside her. She was holding him back. Obviously, she didn’t want to let him into the yard but he broke free and ran to me. “Come back here, Ricky.”
Tears streamed down my scruffy face, my heart broke in my chest. I felt like all hope was lost. I had nothing now, no way to escape the hell I’d lived in. I’d been the king of the world, at least king of the road, now I was nothing—again. How could I have done this? Ricky threw his little arms around my neck and hugged me tight. It hurt, but I didn’t care, I deserved it. His small brown hands grasped my face. “Fitz, it’s going to be okay. I’m going to help you build a new one. It’ll be better than this one.” He looked so serious, I couldn’t push him away or make fun of him. “You hear me in there?” He tapped on my forehead lightly, just like I used to do to him.
I nodded and tried to smile, “I hear you in here,” I answered just like he used to answer me. “Yeah, we will build it better next time.”
Ricky patted my back. “Well, since you’re starting over, you might need to make some changes.” I rubbed the wetness off my face with the back of my hand and looked at him curiously.
“What do you mean?”
“You should probably have a red car next time. I bet if you painted it up, you wouldn’t even notice that big hole there.” He tilted his head and examined the car like he was an expert on car remodeling.
Elaina walked up, I guess she was sure Nellie wasn’t home right now. Those two didn’t get alo
ng at all. “It’s going to be alright, Jack. I saw you build this car, so you can do it again. I know you can.” I got on my feet and shook the dust off my pants. Truthfully, I just wanted to leave and walk away. Maybe take my money and hop on a bus out of town. What was holding me here, after all? My loving mother? The hope of a date with Mollie? A chance to race for Stockton? I guess that was over now, too. I found it ironic that when I finally decided to do something right like help the Village Clinic, I lost the race and nearly killed myself. It was like God wanted me dead—no, God let me live and I’d made him a promise. A promise to be good, to do better, to try harder.
Ricky’s kindness showed me how much one person could make a difference. Just the fact that this little guy believed in me was all the motivation I needed to go for it. Besides, at this point what did I have to lose?
“Fitz! Fitz is here!” Andre bounced his ball to a friend and took off running towards me. Another kid I cared about. “Hey man, when did you get here? I thought you’d be there for at least a month.”
“Hey what’s that scruff on your face, Jackie? That is one shabby beard,” Trey asked. He was always joking around. “You look like some old-school ZZ Top with that.”
I rubbed my face, feeling the fur, pretending this was my new look. “What? You don’t like my new look?” The kids booed me and I knew everything was going to be okay. Somehow, I’d make this work. I had all the help I needed.
Chapter Seven — Mollie
“I can’t believe you’re falling for this guy! I mean, what do you know about him?” Natalie sucked on the straw in her caramel macchiato. Nat could drink any of those fattening drinks and not gain a pound, but I didn’t have that luxury. I wasn’t fat in any way, but I ordered all my drinks ‘skinny’, just in case.
“Nat, it’s not that I’m falling for him. It's just that he tugs at my heart,” I replied. I just wanted her to be a friend, not play the devil’s advocate.
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