by D. A. Young
When he came to, Darby and Casey were playing cards. His head felt like it was exploding and his face felt like someone took a hammer to it. Groaning, he struggled to sit up, but felt really dizzy. “Somebody want to tell me what the hell happened?”
“Oh good, you’re up. Bout time, Darby is slower than molasses when it comes to Spades,” Casey said cheerfully as he got up and handed Jack a cup of lukewarm coffee along with two aspirin.
“Bite me, jerk,” Darby grumbled good-naturedly as he gave his big brother a guilty look. “How are you feeling, Jackie?”
“Why’d you hit me, D?” Jack asked sourly as he carefully touched his face. He winced in pain, and his eyes promised retribution as he glared at his middle brother.
“Because you needed some damn sense knocked into you, that’s why. If you were actin’ any dumber, you could throw yourself to the ground and miss,” Casey responded before Darby could. “You’re a grown fucking man, pouting up here like a big-ass baby.”
“You’re a little shit, Casey. I know this whole thing was your idea; and when I get up, I’m gonna beat the fuck outta you,” Jack vowed as he popped the aspirin.
“I’m real scared,” Casey said dismissively. “Now that you’re finally sober, let’s talk. I’m here because Noelle finally decided to give you what you’ve been asking for.”
Jack felt his heart stop and he froze with the coffee mug halfway to his lips. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, you heartless son of a bitch. You know exactly what I mean.” Casey picked up the envelope that he brought in and tossed it on the sofa next to Jack. “It means she finally saw the light and signed the papers. In a couple of months, you’ll be a free man. Congratulations, asshole.”
Jack’s mind was racing while his heart was breaking all over again. This was the moment he’d been dreading. She’d finally realized he wasn’t shit and decided to move on. Meanwhile he was frozen with guilt and pain. Every time he closed his eyes, she stole into his dreams, making him fall in love with her all over again. But she was way too good for him and he didn’t deserve her after he’d hurt her so badly.
Darby shook his head in frustration. “C’mon man. What are you doing? That little gal looked at you with nothin’ but love in her eyes. Everyone could see that! I mean, this was your chance to be happy. You were supposed to break the Sullivan curse and get your ‘happy ever after’! Why would you deliberately screw it up? You’re one of the smartest guys I know. How could you screw this up?”
“Because I was scared!” Jack yelled and gave a mirthless chuckle at their looks of surprise. “What, I can’t be scared? Well I was! All anybody wants is someone to look up to and fix their damn problems. I’m supposed to have all the answers and make everything better for everyone. That’s how you guys see me right?
“The first time I saw Noelle; I knew she was it for me. She was so beautiful and had all these cool quirks that made her perfect; and I wanted her—so badly that I became obsessed with her, and it made me feel sick to my stomach because of Patrick. She was all I could think about, but she was young too. What would she want with an old guy like me?” Jack shook his head “I felt like if I did get her, I would keep her under lock and key. Hell, you’ve seen firsthand how I get about anyone touching her, and you’re my damn brothers! I felt like I didn’t deserve her because I wouldn’t be able to treat her right!
So instead of wooing her, I stayed away until the perfect opportunity presented itself, and I just couldn’t resist. I selfishly took it and hoped with time that I could make her love me, but the shit backfired and she found out; said she was through with me,” Jack said bitterly as he tossed back the rest of the coffee. “It made me crazy to think that she would leave, and then stuff got a little out of hand.” He hung his head in shame. Suddenly Darby was there in front of him dragging him up by the front of his shirt and they were nose to nose.
“What did you do?” Darby asked in a savage whisper. You could hear a pin drop; the room was so quiet. Casey stepped up next to him and placed a hand on Darby’s shoulder as if to restrain him; but the look he gave Jack let him know that he was seconds away from getting fucked up if they didn’t like his answer. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a buzz saw.
Jack’s eyes were as cold as the Arctic. “No, I didn’t rape or beat my wife if that’s what you’re thinking. Despite what Casey said, I’m not as big of a bastard that our father was. Now get your hands off of me, before I put you through a fucking window.”
Darby released him on a ragged sigh, stepped back, and raked his hands through his hair. “Hell, Jack, I’m sorry, but you know I had to ask.”
“When are you gonna get it in your thick skull that you are nothing like Patrick Sullivan?” Casey asked in frustration. “At thirteen, you were more of a father to us than he ever was. You looked out for us while Ma had to work and disciplined us when it was needed. Even after Lex took us in, you refused to let down your guard and just be a kid. We’ll forever be grateful for your love and care. But if YOU, the guy who takes care of all of us, don’t think that you deserve happiness; then hell, we’re all doomed.”
Darby nodded his head in agreement. “I know you stayed away as long as you did because you still carried pain and guilt over her death, but we could see Noelle helped to ease that. You couldn’t save Ma, but she saved us the best she could and gave us the chance to be free. Letting Noelle go will be the worst mistake of your life, and Ma wouldn’t want you losing out on the opportunity to be happy.”
His brother’s words were the ones he’d needed to be free. He’d needed to hear that they didn’t harbor feelings of anger and resentment towards him, and that they knew he’d done his best.
The first thing he did upon sobering up was send Kat a large apology bouquet of white roses. He also emailed Vivienne and Ian to let them know he was okay, and he’d be coming back soon. His bags were packed, and Darby was giving him a ride to the airport. The signed, divorce papers were burning a hole inside of his jacket.
Noelle probably hated his guts right now, but he wasn’t going to give up without a fight. He was a fool to walk away. But he’d be an even bigger fool if he just let her go and not do anything to prevent it. From the moment he saw her, he knew they were meant to be together. Now it was time to make her see that truth also. He walked out of the bathroom and grabbed his bags from the bedroom before meeting Darby and Casey in the living room.
Darby gave a wolf whistle and started humming the James Bond theme song, “The name’s Sullivan. Jack Sullivan.”
Casey chuckled, and Jack rolled his eyes, “Come on you clowns. I gotta go get my gal back.”
“Yeah about that…”, Casey said, rubbing his neck hard and avoiding Darby’s narrow- eyed gaze.
Jack didn’t hear him as he opened the door and looked at the rain coming down. “We better get going. Judging from the look of those clouds over there, it’s gonna really start coming down. Lock up, Case!” He shouted over his shoulder as he jogged to the car with his suitcases.
Darby shook his head as he walked out the door. “Tell me you didn’t. Never mind, don’t tell me anything. I refuse to be your accomplice, Mr. Prosecutor. No wonder folks have no faith in our justice system.”
“On a scale of one to ten, how mad do you think he’ll be?” Casey asked, whistling happily as he locked the door and followed Darby down the porch stairs.
“Don’t ask me. I sure as hell ain’t stickin’ around to see if he cancels your birth certificate,” Darby said cheerfully.
***
Noelle was anxious as she slowly drove towards Gatlinburg. The rain was coming down in torrents. The elderly salesman at the car rental place in Knoxville looked at her dubiously when she asked what the best way to get to Whiskey Row was.
“You sure you want to take that trip right now, Miss?” he asked. “I gotta say, it’s starting to rain here now, and as dark as the clouds are up there, it’s surely pouring. You should probably sta
y in town tonight and let it slow down a bit,” he suggested even though Noelle was already shaking her head in the negative.
“Thanks for your concern, but I have to get up there tonight.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Noelle saw the intersection up ahead and started to slow the VW Bug down. It rolled to a complete stop fifteen feet behind the big rig in front of her. It seemed impossible, but the rain started coming down even harder, and she could barely see the brake lights in front of her. With a sigh of resignation, she had to concede that the salesman was correct about the weather tonight.
She decided to turn around and head back towards the hotel she passed ten minutes ago. Seeing no divider between the lanes, Noelle checked for any oncoming traffic. The opposite lane was clear, so she started to slowly turn the wheel to the left. The loud squeal of tires from behind made her jump. In her rearview mirror, there were lights from a larger vehicle swerving on the slick road, hurtling straight at her. Noelle didn’t even have time to scream before everything went black.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Thanks to Darby’s driving skills, the trip down the mountain wasn’t as hard as Jack thought it would be. He looked at his watch and saw it was only five-thirty in the evening, but the sky was pitch black due to the storm. Prickles of unease slid down his back. He felt a little off and chalked it up to them cutting it close for his seven forty-five flight, but he felt confident he’d make it.
“The rain seems to be easing up as we get closer to Gatlinburg, but not by much. It will be much lighter in Knoxville,” Casey offered, checking the weather app on his phone from the passenger seat.
“Yeah, hopefully we’ll be there soon. I can’t believe that Lex was so pissed at me that he wouldn’t let me use his plane.” Jack leaned forward between them shaking his head ruefully. “Kat accepted my apology and said the flowers were great, but obviously I need to do a little more groveling.”
Darby shifted in the driver’s seat. “Well, it may be a little bit more than that. See uh…in order for the girls to fly in with me and Case for their visit, I asked him for the use of his plane. He said I could use it on one condition. My guess is he’s still a little salty that I haven’t come through for him yet.”
The other two brothers leaned in curiously, waiting to hear the arrangement terms. “He said in his big, scary, Russian voice that I had to get Viv to come home. That it was time for them to talk face to face.”
There was a moment of stunned silence following Darby’s confession before Jack gave a long whistle. “She’ll never go for it. How you gonna manage that?” he asked curiously and rubbed his neck. The feeling of unease was getting stronger and making him even antsier.
“I know that he’s been trying to talk to her for a while; and that whenever he comes to town, she conveniently happens to be out of town,” Casey said slowly. “I’ve tried talking to her about it, but it’s the one thing she actually keeps her mouth shut on; which says a lot ‘cause you know she’s got an opinion on everything.”
“Casey, I need a favor from your private investigator friend. See what he can dig up on Joel Rothman having an affair with a stockbroker named Kelly Travers. It’s been hot and heavy between them for the last three months, and in that time frame, Rothman has been making extremely successful choices with his investments. I’m also gonna need your guy at the Security Exchange Commission,” Jack said casually.
Casey whistled softly. “Are you going after Rothman because he’s Vaughn’s husband? Sounds pretty personal. You still harboring feelings for her?”
Jack smacked the back of his brother’s head, making him yelp with pain. “No, jackass. I’m going after him because he dared to get between Noelle and me. No one and nothing will ever come between us again,” he vowed, ignoring the loaded look his brothers exchanged.
Flashing lights ahead caught their attention. Traffic was down to a slow crawl as passing drivers surveyed the scene. Police and ambulance were everywhere. There was a large semi-truck with its emergency lights on. A Volkswagen Bug was behind it, crushed on its side to it while an SUV was smashed into the other side of it. The emergency responders had applied the Jaws of Life system to the small vehicle. It was undoubtedly a gruesome-looking accident.
“Damn, do you think whoever was in that car made it out alive?” Casey asked in disbelief. “It’d be a miracle that’s for sure. Hey, pull over; I see Harvey Pete’s on duty. Let’s ask.”
“Case, I’m not trying to be a dick, but I’ve got a plane to catch. We really can’t afford to stop,” Jack said shortly. The feeling that something was wrong sat in his gut like a two-ton boulder. If he missed the plane, Casey was going to get it.
“Just hold on, it’ll take but a minute. What if it was somebody from ‘The Row’?” Case said patiently as they stopped by the policeman. “Hey, H.P., Can you tell me what happened here?”
The two men shook hands. “Good to see you, Case. Willard Ross had a heart attack at the wheel and rammed into the car which slammed into the truck. The young woman that was in the car is in serious condition. She had to be pried out and airlifted to the Trauma Center. Damn shame it was. She’s not from around here. Her driver’s license says New York City, so I gotta locate her next of kin,” Harvey said regretfully. “Hopefully she’ll pull through.”
“New York?” Jack asked sharply, a sense of foreboding filling him. “What’s her name, H.P.?”
“The young lady’s name is Noelle Kramer. Say you’re livin’ there now, ain’t ya? You wouldn’t happen to know her by chance? I mean I know it’s a big city and all….”
Jack couldn’t hear anything past his heart pounding in his ears. His brothers were talking to him, but he couldn’t hear them. He could only hear Harvey’s words.
In serious condition. Jaws of Life had to pry her out. The young lady’s name is Noelle Kramer.
His love. His world. What was she doing in Tennessee???
***
The hospital hallway was eerily quiet; the only sounds that could be heard were Jack’s shoes as he paced up and down the hallway outside of Noelle’s room. It was a slow, methodical pace that belied the fear that now lived in him as he waited for the doctor to come out of her room with her prognosis. The last hour was a blur for him. He remembered Harvey arranging a police escort to take them to the hospital; Darby and Casey murmuring words of encouragement as he bent his head and prayed for all that he was worth. The urge to choke the shit out of the slow-moving head nurse upon arrival was strong as she questioned his relationship to Noelle.
“She’s my fucking life!” Jack shouted, getting in her face and she flinched back; all commotion stopped around them. Although he meant to say wife, he didn’t correct himself, because what he said was so true. He would die if she didn’t make it. Darby, grabbed him, and led him to the elevator as she stammered out the room number and directions. Casey took the forms that needed to be filled out.
Jack yanked on his hair in frustration as he waited for the doctor. Casey asked him questions as he filled out the hospital paperwork while Darby made calls to friends and family. The door opened, and the elderly doctor stepped out. He warily looked at the three, big men whose lethal gazes were trained on him as they crowded around him. He spoke to the one who stepped forward with the bruise on his face and wild hair, making him look ferocious. “Mr. Sullivan?”
“Yes, I’m her husband. How is she?” Jack demanded tensely, shoving his clenched hands into his pockets to keep from shaking the man for information.
“She’s resting for now. She had a mild concussion on impact but came out of it due to the pain she experienced. Your wife has a cracked collar bone, three broken ribs, and a broken ankle. She’s experiencing a lot of discomfort because we couldn’t give her the strongest pain meds possible due to her condition.”
“What do you mean her condition?” Jack barked. “What fucking condition?”
“Well the baby, of course.” The doctor said worriedly as
Jack staggered back, stunned at the revelation as his brothers braced him. “I’m sorry, sir. I thought you knew…”
“Can I see her?” Jack asked dazedly. A baby. He was going to be a daddy. Joy was a healing balm running through his body, and he vowed to be the best dad possible; to fight even harder for his marriage.
“Yes, but just for a little bit. She really does need her rest,” the doctor said firmly before adding, “Congratulations.” Then he walked away.
“Congratulations, brother,” Darby said giving his shoulder a clasp and pulling him close. Casey chimed in, “Congrats, bro. Now pull it together. Don’t go in there like a pussy, and tell her we love her.”
Jack quietly entered the room and was stunned at the amount of tubes Noelle was hooked up to. She looked so pale and helpless laying there, her breathing short and shallow. Her lips were dry and cracked and her eyes were black and blue. There was an angry-looking lump on her forehead, and he could see the bruising and swelling above her right collarbone. He pulled back the covers by her feet and saw the cast around her ankle. The pain she must be in, he thought, tears filling his eyes. She could have lost their baby and the thought was enough to bring him to his knees by her hospital bed.