Sacrifice

by Adriana Locke

  I’m not wasting anymore time with Jules. She can be angry. She can second guess it. But what can she say? I love her and I’m going to show her that, show Everleigh that, for as long as I have left.

  “Crew!” she pulls back, eyes wide.

  “What?” I’m not sorry and I won’t be.

  We have a standoff, eyeing each other, until it’s broken by a burst of tiny giggles. We both turn to see Ever, her hand over her mouth, her eyes shining.

  “What’s so funny?” I ask, grinning.

  “I wondered why you never kissed her,” she said, her giggles growing louder. “She’s so pretty. Boys always kiss pretty girls but you never kissed Mommy.”

  “Listen here,” I say, picking her up. I sit in her spot and place her on my lap. I wrap one arm around Jules and pull her into my side. She looks up to me, a little color back to her cheeks. “Boys do kiss pretty girls. And your mommy and you are the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. But here’s the thing—no boy better ever put his lips on you. Hear me?”

  “I don’t want to kiss a boy!” she laughs.

  “Damn right,” I say, pulling her head to my chest. “You two are my girls. You aren’t allowed to have any other boys’ lips touching you or I’ll kill them.”

  We sit quietly. Jules grabs the remote and turns the television off. I’ve got one of my girls beside me and one on my lap. Eventually their breathing evens out and I know they’ve both fallen asleep.

  If I could stop time, I’d do it now.

  JULIA

  Hospitals are such a double-edged sword.

  On one hand, they’re a place of hope, a respite from a disease-filled world. A place where people work together, tirelessly, to heal your loved ones. On the other, they’re a grim reminder that sickness exists. That with sickness is pain, sadness, frustration.

  Ever has been taken out for testing and I’m alone in her room. Her monkey lies on the sofa next to me and I pick it up and press it against my chest. It smells like her, like strawberry bubblegum and that little note that’s just Ever. It reminds me of when she was a baby, of Gage carrying her around on his shoulders, of going for snow cones on warm days, like today.

  The door presses open and Dr. Perkins comes inside. I’ve been expecting him.

  “Hi,” I say, sitting the monkey on my lap.

  “Hello.” He walks around the bed and takes the seat next to Ever’s bed. “How are you holding up?”

  I laugh. “Let’s just move the questioning along, shall we?”

  He smiles. “Well, I just wanted to keep you up-to-date on what’s going on. We’ve arranged for her to be transferred on July 15th for the therapy. She will be in the hands of Dr. Morrison over there. I can honestly say that it’s the best place she can be. All of the arrangements have been made.” He pauses. “Except payment. And I hate even saying this because it sounds so harsh and cold.”

  “Of course it does. Because it is.”

  “Mrs. Gentry, if I could have gotten her in there any sooner . . .”

  “No, I know that. You’ve done everything you can. I believe that.”

  “This isn’t my favorite part of the medical field. I want to heal people, not have to do that within the constraints of red tape.”

  “I understand. We will have the money to them on the 14th.”

  He leans back and studies me. I’m not sure what he’s thinking or if it’s a good thing or a bad thing.

  “I don’t know how you’ve managed to get the money and it’s none of my business. But I want you to know that, quite possibly, you’ve just saved her life. As professionals, we normally keep guarded about a lot of things. We tell patients what they need to know and don’t reveal a lot. This field is a lot of speculation, we try a lot of things and don’t know whether they’ll work or not. But I’m going to be frank with you, Mrs. Gentry. I’ve been worried about Ever.”

  His words hit me hard, causing my head to spin. I pick up the monkey and squeeze it to my chest.

  “Whatever sacrifices you’ve made to get her into this therapy are worth it. I can’t guarantee anything with that, either, but I do give you my word that it is her best chance. If it was my child and I was in your shoes, I would have sold my soul to the devil if I had to.”

  A sinking feeling takes over me as I realize, not for the first time but for the first real time, that maybe, just maybe, that’s what Crew’s done.

  JULIA

  Exhaustion would be a relief right now because I’m so far past it that I can’t even remember what just being tired feels like. My entire being aches. My body can’t rest on this hospital sofa and my mind can’t zone out, either. Not that it could if we were home and not at the hospital, but my chances would be better.

  In. Out. In. Out.

  I watch her chest rise and fall, listen to her breath move softly through her lungs.

  In. Out. In. Out.

  My stomach rumbles. I glance at the clock and it’s mid-afternoon. I think I’m hungry. I try to remember the last thing I’ve eaten, but can’t recall it.

  A banana at breakfast? No, that was yesterday.

  Ever moves in her sleep and I jump up, untangling her cords. I don’t want her pulling them out when she’s sleeping.

  We’re supposed to be released again today. We’re just waiting on the paperwork to be done. Sometimes I think that takes longer than anything. We know the procedure by this point. We know the instructions, know when to be back, know who to call, know what she’s supposed to eat, drink, and take and when. It’s routine, just like breathing at this point.

  A loud knock hits the door, making me jump. Ever’s eyes flutter open.

  “Come in?” I say, more of a question than an offer. I’m not sure who it is or why they are so inconsiderate.

  It opens swiftly and two men come in. One is a shorter, dark-haired man. The other is taller with blond hair shaped into a mohawk. They’re smiling wide, like we are old friends, but I have no idea who in the hell they are or why they are here.

  “Can I help you? You just woke my daughter up.”

  Ever tries to sit up. I grab her under the arm and help her get situated, keeping an eye on the two strange men that I’m sure I don’t know.

  “My apologies, Mrs. Gentry,” the dark-headed one says. “My name is Jason Drake. I’m with the NAFL.”

  This makes no sense. “Crew isn’t here.”

  The larger of the two men laughs and the shorter one shakes his head. “Oh, we know that, Mrs. Gentry.”

  “Then why in the world would you be here?”

  “Please, relax. If you want us to leave, we’ll be on our way. But I’d appreciate you hearing out what we have to say first.”

  The blond one crosses his arms in front of his large chest and smiles. I don’t like him. He sets off something inside of me that tells me to keep my distance.

  “Make it quick,” I say.

  “We are here because Mr. Davidson has generously offered a donation of his earnings from the fight this weekend to your daughter’s care.”

  I take a step back. Why didn’t someone tell me this? Why didn’t Crew mention this?

  “We would like to present you with a check for three thousand dollars on behalf of Team Davidson.”

  “Oh,” I say, obviously caught off guard. “I . . . um . . . I had no idea. Thank you.”

  “You are so welcome.”

  “Why didn’t Crew mention this?” I ask. Ever reaches for my hand and I squeeze it. I’m trying not to show that I’m thrown off for her sake, but she’s so attentive, just like Gage was, that I know she reads through my facade.

  “I’m not sure,” Jason says. “We are contracted with Davidson, not Crew. I’m not really sure how much the NAFL communicates with your . . . well, whatever he may be to you.”

  “He’s my daddy,” Ever says quietly.

  The smile on the blond’s face grows wider.

  “That’s nice,” Jason says, smiling half-heartedly at my daughter. He hands me a check for exactl
y three thousand dollars.

  My hands shake as I look at it. “Thank you,” I say, not sure what else to say. My cheeks heat under the gaze of the blond and I’m embarrassed, completely put on the spot. “I wish I would’ve known. I feel so unprepared.”

  “You had nothing to prepare for. It’s just a kind gesture aimed at making your hardship a touch easier. An act of charity, if you will.”

  “Thank you. Please extend my gratitude to the Davidson team.”

  Jason laughs. “This is Mr. Davidson. You can tell him yourself.”

  My eyes grow wide as I realize just who this enormous man is. I feel like I’ve been played, like the wolf has gotten into the henhouse.

  The check is burning in my palm and I want to tell him to take it back and get out of here. I know the awful things he’s said to Crew. I know this is the guy that hurt him in Minnesota. I want to have Crew’s back on this, to tell him to stick this up his ass.

  Ever squeezes my hand again and I’m thrust back into reality. I have to stay calm. I can’t do something stupid, especially considering the reason they’re here. They’re here to help Everleigh and, if I make a scene, it could make Crew lose his focus or the fight altogether.

  I plaster on a fake smile. “Thank you, Mr. Davidson.” I hate the sound of the words coming from my lips.

  “You are welcome. It was really my pleasure.”

  The last word rolls suggestively off his lips. He makes my skin crawl. There’s something very reptilian about him, something that makes me shiver. I just want them to leave. Now.

  The door pushes open again and Macie walks through. She starts to smile but stops after seeing the men against the wall. She’s our nurse nearly every time we are here and besides Crew and sometimes Will, there are never other men here. I know she’s suspicious but I don’t need her causing problems right now either.

  “Is everything okay in here?” she asks, crossing her arms in front of her. She‘s clearly ready to flex her muscle and toss them out on their ass. I’d love that, but can’t risk making them mad.

  “Everything is fine,” I mutter.

  Her eyebrows are pulled in, obviously not believing me. “Okay. I need to take Miss Ever down for a test.”

  “That’s fine.”

  Macie winks at Everleigh and gets the poles and bed rails up and ready to go. “You ready, my lady?”

  “I am.” Ever’s voice is soft, but she’s grinning at Macie, her cracked lips spread as far apart as she can. “I’ll be back, Mommy.”

  “I’ll be here, baby girl. I love you.”

  “Love you.”

  Macie wheels her out and casts me a final glance. I subtly shake my head and, before I know it, she’s gone. Immediately, the walls seem to start closing in. I feel like a mouse trapped in a cage with a couple of large cats, ready to pounce on their prey.

  I know I have the deer in the headlights look going on. I also know that won’t do me any favors in the midst of characters like these.

  Before I know what’s happening, Hunter is beside me. He has his arm around my waist. His hands are huge, his fingers spread wide around my hip, the tips nearly touching my breasts.

  I try to pull away, but he draws me even closer against his solid frame.

  I gasp, my hands shoving against him. “Get away from me,” I spit, sucking in a large gulp of air as I react to the violation. My senses are overtaken with the scent of a vomiting department store, expensive colognes mixed with douchbaggery. I push away as hard as I can, but his body is a brick wall.

  He laughs a low, bellowing chuckle. I can feel his ribs moving beneath my hands.

  “Does it make you nervous to be touched by a real man?” He begins to stroke my skin and my stomach threatens to expel the milkshake Macie brought me earlier.

  “Let go of me,” I say through gritted teeth. “Let go of me or I will scream.”

  “I can probably get you another three grand if you play nice.” His hand drags slowly down my side and lands on my ass.

  I turn to respond, to tell him exactly what he can do with his three grand, and his lips land on the side of my face. He presses them hard, barely missing my mouth.

  My hand comes up and finds the side of his. The sound of my hand smacking his face zaps across the room. He howls with laughter and my blood pressure soars even higher.

  I grasp at his fingers and try to remove them from my body, lifting his thick, meaty digits away from me. It’s obvious that he lets me lift his middle finger and that only enrages me further. The fact that I can’t make him stop, that I’m at his will, is both terrifying and infuriating.

  With each second, the panic in my core starts to increase. I glance to Jason and he’s amused.

  Hunter squeezes my behind in his palm before finally releasing it. “Oh, that’s tight,” he says, his voice full of innuendo.

  “Get out of here!” I shout, my body rocking with fury. “Leave! Now!”

  “I’d like to see what else is tight on you, sweetheart.” Davidson grins, acting like he didn’t hear me. He leans forward and I take a step back. And then another. And another until my back is flat against the wall.

  He looms over me, caging me in with his hands. I can feel his breath on my face, his aggression rolling off of him.

  I glance around quickly for something to grab, for an alarm to push, but there’s nothing. Just the bedside table with a coloring book and a foam cup.

  “Get away from me,” I growl, pressing myself against the wall and as far away from him as I can.

  He doesn’t flinch. He takes his right hand off the wall. I breathe in a small sigh of relief that’s one second too soon.

  In one lightening quick move, his right forearm is across my chest and his left hand is cupping me between my legs. I try to jerk forward, but am caught by the tree trunk he has for an arm.

  “You asshole!” I all but scream, my throat constricting around my words.

  He leans his face in close to mine. “Your body knows a real man when it sees it. Don’t feel bad. It happens all the time.”

  I take advantage of him being so close and bang my forehead off of his nose. He isn’t expecting it, but it doesn’t exactly hurt him either. I can see a glimmer in his eye and I prepare myself to scream bloody murder.

  He releases me and takes a couple of steps back, his hand wiping across his nose. He watches me, almost with a look of approval or respect. I’m not sure. All I can really concentrate on is getting closer to the door.

  “You might wanna take the fight instead of Crew,” he laughs, joining Jason on the other side of the room. “You fight better than he does. I’d even let you walk outta there just so we can have makeup sex later.”

  “Go to hell and you can take this with you.” I shove the check at his chest, but he ignores it. My hands shake as I pull them back, watching the check flutter to the floor.

  “She’s a feisty one,” he laughs, glancing at Jason. “I love it.”

  He grins mischievously and rubs his thumb against his forefinger. He brings his hand to his face, breathing in deeply, before licking his fingers. “Damn, I can see why these brothers passed her around.”

  “If you don’t get out of here now, I don’t care what the NAFL does, I’ll have you reported for assault. Get the fuck out of here!”

  “You aren’t reporting shit,” Davidson barks. “You won’t risk the fight getting called off. All you are going to do is go back to that pussy of a man I’m about to break in half and tell him all about what just happened.”

  His eyes light up and I know that’s exactly what he wants to happen.

  “You’d love that, right? Well, you, Mr. Davidson, can go fuck yourself.”

  He takes a step towards me and Jason pulls on his shirt, drawing him back.

  “Let’s go, Hunter,” Jason says and starts to the door.

  Hunter follows but stops abruptly. “Tell Crew not to worry about ya after this fight. I’ll take care of ya,” he winks.

  “Tell him yourse
lf. See how that works out for you. Again,” I wink.

  He shrugs like he doesn’t really care one way or the other, but I can see I’ve irritated him. It’s a small victory, but I’ll take it.

  “You’ve finished your charity work today, Hunter. Let’s go,” Jason says.

  “My charitable acts . . .” He looks at Jason and busts out laughing, his anger sloshing beneath the surface of his tone. “My charitable acts can include the gift of orgasm, Miss Gentry. It’s kind of a coveted thing by women, especially ones passed around. Like you. I’ll leave the invitation open until after the fight. Your tune might change after I kill your boy.”

  His eyes shine like a tiger ready to pounce. “And I do mean kill.”

  JULIA

  My hand shakes, the adrenaline still coursing through me minutes later as I dial Will’s number. Although Hunter is gone, the room still smells like him. His energy is still in here, crawling over my skin. I shiver, waiting on Will to answer.

  “Hello?” He asks, sounding distracted.

  “Hey, Will. It’s Julia.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to talk to you.” I pace the floor from the door to the window, trying to burn off some of the energy I can’t seem to rid myself of.

  “Is Ever okay?”

  “Yes. Ever’s fine.”

  “Okay. What’s up?”

  “Will . . . Hunter Davidson just left here.”

  “What? He just left where?”

  “The hospital. He showed up here with another guy, Jason Someone.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “I don’t know. They walked in here and gave me a check. It was all so weird.”