by Sara Hubbard
No. It was kinder for me to wait it out.
I roam the halls, desperately searching for Amy. I’m ready to leave this place. I never should have come. I find her back against the wall with a guy’s hands on either side of her head, while he leans into her. The moment looks intimate, and the way she’s smiling tells me she’s completely into him. Well, crap. Now what? I don’t want to drag her away but I don’t want to leave her, either. I have no choice—wait it out. Again.
I head outside and sit in one of the lawn chairs by the pool. The air is cool. It’s fall. Thankfully, most of the people here are inside. I can see two people behind the bushes making out and I try my best to ignore them.
I stare up at the sky and count stars. The moon is low and full, the music quiet. It’s amazing how much the windows and doors block out the music inside. I can almost hear the crickets.
Almost. And not for long.
First, I hear yelling. A couple of male voices. I can’t make out what the men are saying because they're screaming over each other. The music from the living room, which seems to go through the house on built in speakers, almost drowns them out.
Two men burst through the sliding doors. One is Sawyer. Can I not get away from this guy?
The other guy was at the bar the night I met Sawyer but I can’t for the life of me remember his name. Ben, maybe? A small crowd of men and women follow them as they head past me, toward the pool.
“Fuck you,” says the nameless guy as he points his finger at Sawyer.
“Fuck me?” says Sawyer with a chuckle as he walks away from the guy. “No. Fuck you.”
“Turn around. Face me, you fucking coward.”
Sawyer stops dead in his tracks and like a machine, he mechanically turns around. “Call me a coward again.” His voice is even as he narrows his eyes and straightens his back.
“Coward.”
Oh, shit.
They’re in each other’s faces and I can tell a fight is about to start. And they’re about two feet away from my lawn chair. I don’t even think they realize I’m sitting here, practically between them. I bite my bottom lip and my gaze snaps back and forth between them. I’d run away but I’m afraid to take a fist if I make any sudden movements.
The fight erupts and people spill outside to surround them. Ben smashes his fist into Sawyer’s face. Sawyer opens his mouth, screams like a crazy person, and goes fucking nuts. He pounds on the other guy over and over, and the shots Ben gets in don't even seem to faze Sawyer.
I jump from the lawn chair. “Stop!” I scream when Ben hits the floor. Blood spills from his eyebrow and his nose. Sawyer jumps on top of him and continues pounding on him like maniac, but Ben finds some energy and comes to his feet, matching blows. Spit and blood sprays from Ben’s face and hits me between the eyes, and I quickly wipe it off with the back of my hand.
"Stop,” I yell. "You’re going to kill each other."
No one steps in. In fact the dozen or so people in the backyard don't even flinch. They want the fight to continue. I can see the blood lust in their intense, hungry eyes. Sadistic bastards.
Then things take a turn for the worst. Sawyer punches Ben so hard he spins around and topples on top of me. I fall to the ground and air whooshes from my chest. I can't breathe and it freaks me out—but more importantly, my head is on fire. Before I went down, the guy's jaw collided with my forehead. My head throbs so intensely I almost pass out. It’s like my brain has exploded within the cage of my skull. Searing pain shoots from my forehead and radiates to the back of my head to trickle down my spine. When the guy rolls off of me, I heave air back in, quick and hard. Blood oozes from my forehead. That's when I feel something small but hard sticking out from above my brows.
“Ow, ow, ow,” I whimper.
Sawyer straightens and stares at me. He blurs from two people to one and his outline is hazy. Ben gawks at me too before wiping away the blood spilling from his mouth. They stare at me like I’m a freak. Like I have the letter L tattooed across my forehead.
“What are you staring at?” I manage to ask.
Ben spits blood on the ground and rubs his eyes. He laughs out loud, a full belly laugh that leaves me thinking I’ve entered the twilight zone. One minute ago these guys were set on killing each other, yet now their dispute seems to have completely resolved. Sawyer turns white. He looks almost ashen, like he might pass out. Does he recognize me?
“What?” I scream at the two idiots.
Ben points to my head and says, “Can I have my tooth back?”
I lift my hands to touch polished enamel of a tooth protruding from my forehead. It’s smooth and hard and a little bit wet. When I pull my fingers away from it, my fingertips are dotted with blood.
“Oh my God,” I say quietly before my eyes roll back in my head and I fall backward.
I’ve been hit.
Five
I SMELL THE stale air before I open my eyes. The faint sound of a heartbeat beeps on a monitor. It beats in time with my own, a little fast, a little furious. My eyes flutter open and at first, everything is fuzzy. When the world blurs into focus, I find myself lying in a hospital bed, clothed in a pastel green gown. The lights are on and they're blinding me. I narrow my eyes to shield them from the glare. An IV in the bend of my arm stings when I lift my arm, so I immediately straighten it.
"What happened?" I say to no one.
I realize I'm not alone when I hear Amy's voice.
"So last night didn't go as planned," she says matter-of-factly.
I'm in a hospital, so this is a little bit of an understatement. My head hurts so bad, particularly my forehead, and it throbs so forcefully I feel as if my head might split open from the pressure.
"Your head got in the middle of a fight last night, and apparently it lost."
The fight. The night before comes rushing back at me and I squint through the pain. "How long have I been out?"
"Ah…it's ten am now. So…maybe twelve hours, give or take. But you've been in and out of consciousness with the painkillers."
"Was there a tooth lodged in my head?"
Amy laughs and then quickly pulls her lips into a firm line. "Ben Morrow has literally been inside of you. Or at least his tooth has. Do you know how many girls would love to say that?"
"He was at the bar the night I met Sawyer, right?"
"Yep.”
“I kind of remember the fight, but I don’t remember what happened after.”
"You passed out. The ambulance came. You made the news. They took some awesome pictures of you on the stretcher, tooth in your head and all. It was kind of epic. Combined with your wedding video, you're an overnight success story."
"Fuck my life."
“So it hasn’t been a bouquet of roses lately. Onward and upward.”
I glare at her. Onward and upward? She’s spending too much time with Megan.
"I need to get out of here,” I tell her.
"Hang on. I’ll get the doctor."
I wait for over an hour before the doctor comes by. I'm chomping at the bit to make the night before a distant memory, but every minute I stay in hospital it feels like I'm continuing to live this nightmare. I need it to end.
When the doctor enters the room, he has a smile on his face. He’s kind of cute, maybe a few years older than me. He has short, neat, brown hair and matching brown eyes. His cheeks look naturally rosy against his fair complexion. Under his lab coat and scrubs, I can tell he’s fit. Maybe a runner. Lean but muscular.
"There she is," he sings. "The lady everyone is talking about."
I sigh. “That’s just great.”
He laughs and then walks in closer so he stands next to the bed. I can smell a hint of cedar in his aftershave and the fresh scent of dove soap. I can’t help but glance at his right hand. No ring. He’s probably gay. Sweet smile, kind of cute and a doctor? No way this guy isn’t taken. Not that I’m interested after my ex did a number on me, of course. But I can’t help but notice.
I groan and slump back in the bed. "When can I get out of here?”
"Just let me write you a prescription for antibiotics, and you're good to go."
"Antibiotics?"
"Human mouths carry a lot of bacteria and you're at increased risk for infection, so we give the antibiotics as a precaution." He scribbles on a pad and rips a sheet off and hands it to me. "See your doctor in a week to remove the stitches."
"Stitches?"
"That man you collided with has some big teeth. It took three stitches to seal you up. Did you want to keep the tooth? We saved it for you. Probably get a good sum on eBay for it." His lips curl into a mischievous smirk.
Do I understand this doctor correctly? Is he encouraging me to sell a professional boxer’s tooth on eBay?
"No. I'm good," I tell him. He must see the disgust in my face.
"You know, I'm a huge fan of Ben 'The Animal' Morrow. Mind if I keep the tooth?"
My jaw drops and Amy makes a face. She and I are on the same page. This doctor's a freak. "Whatever floats your boat, doctor."
His smile widens as he turns on his heel and exits the room. The nurse comes in minutes later and unhooks me from the IV, giggling the whole time. The fact that she’s laughing at me and my life makes me want to bury myself in a deep hole. Amy turns on the television while I get dressed in the bathroom. I'm on channel 7 when I walk out. All I can do is shake my head. My life is utterly pathetic and it somehow manages to worsen on a daily basis. Who the hell did I piss off in a previous life?
"Turn it off, please," I moan.
She raises the remote and presses a button. "Well, at least they don't have your name. They have a picture, but your face was covered in blood so it's not a particularly good picture. Definitely not one that will help them identify you."
"Things just keep getting better and better." I head for the door and Amy sidesteps in front of me. I am cautiously curious.
She slaps her hands together and takes a breath. “So…Jason’s here.”
I close my eyes and lean my head back. Hearing his name makes the stabbing pain in my heart return at full force. “How does he even know where I am?”
She raises her hands in the air in a mock surrender. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t call him.”
“Shit.”
“You want me to tell him to piss off?”
“No. It’s fine. I’ll have to talk to him sooner or later.”
“Or never.”
“He works with my father. Fat chance of that ever happening.”
Soon after she leaves, there’s a knock on the door. I’m laying back in bed when the door slowly creaks open and Jason creeps inside. Guilt is written over his beaten face. My first instinct is to make him feel better, but I quickly remember what he did to me—to us.
“How are you?” he asks.
“Fine.” My voice is monotone. I have no idea what he wants and I pray he didn’t come here to break me all over again.
He sits on the edge of the bed and I meet his big, brown eyes. His blond hair is tousled, like he’s slept on it and hasn’t bothered to brush it. His clothes are wrinkled too. Did he stay here all night?
He casually points to my hair. “Red, huh?”
“I needed a change.”
“Huh. It’s definitely a change. Not sure if it’s for the better.” He narrows his eyes as he takes it in from roots to ends.
“What are you doing here?” I pull the sheets up under my arms, as if covering myself might protect me from the sting deep in my heart.
“I needed to know you’re okay.”
“If you’re referring to my head, then yeah, I’ll be fine.” Somehow I know this isn’t what he’s talking about, or at least, not entirely.
“I miss you, Molly.”
“I miss you, too, but...”
He slides his hand up the sheets to reach for mine. Slowly, I slide it away. This is hard enough without touching him.
“I made a mistake. A huge, horrible mistake. I can’t take it back and I wish to God I could. If you could only try to forgive me, maybe leave the door open between us...”
“Maybe if it was someone else, Jason. But it was Mia. How do I forgive that?”
He looks out the window and for a few moments, he doesn’t respond. When he does, his voice is quiet, distant. “I was having cold feet. I knew I would walk down the aisle, but I just needed to collect myself. Mia came in and tried to make me feel better, but then she hugged me and started kissing me. I responded without thinking...and then your father walked in.”
I huff and glare at him. “Mia said the complete opposite. That you came on to her. That you’d always had a crush on her.”
He laughs. “You and I both know your sister has to be the centre of attention. I’m sure your wedding day was killing her, having to share the spotlight with you.”
He’s right. My sister has always been that way, and I’ve always stayed in the background while she shined, but then what if she wasn’t lying? Would she really ruin my wedding day on purpose? “I don’t know who to believe.”
“Believe me. I’ve never lied to you. I love you.”
“Don’t say that. Not now.” I breathe through the tears threatening to fall.
“I’m not asking for us to get back together now, but I’m asking for you to think about it. Don’t shut the door on us. I’ll wait. I’ll wait forever if I have to.”
“I don’t know, Jason. I need to think about this. I just don’t know if I can ever get over this. If we’d ever be the same.”
“But you’ll think about it?”
I nod. “Why haven’t you called?”
“I don’t know. I was…ashamed…and I needed to think. Plus I really didn’t think you’d take my calls.”
When he attempts to take my hand this time, I let him. He squeezes it tight before kissing me tenderly on the back of my hand. As he lets go, I consider reaching out to take it back, but I nibble on my lip and hold my hands together instead. I don’t want him to know how easily it would be for him to convince me to take him back. I’ve been with him so long, I’m not sure I know how to be without him. It’s like I’m just stumbling through life on my own.
“Just say the word,” he says as he backs toward the door. “And if you need a lawyer…I do house calls.”
I chuckle without humor. “Yeah, I’ll keep you in mind”
As his hand hits the door, I call out to him and he turns. “I’d prefer if you didn’t tell anyone about this, okay? Especially my mother.”
“No problem.”
When he opens the door, another man in an expensive suit stands on the other side. He smiles at Jason. “Jason Mathews? I’m surprised to see you here.” He glances back and forth between Jason and me.
“Dane,” Jason says with an air of caution. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“Are you Miss Denton’s lawyer?"
Jason answers yes at the exact same time I answer no.
I clear my throat. “No. He’s not. Can I help you with something?”
The men stand, sizing each other up.
“Well it was good to see you, Jason. I’ll call you sometime. Maybe we can catch up.”
“Oh, I’m not leaving.”
I groan. “I’m sorry, but who are you and what are you doing here?”
“This is Dane Thomas. He’s a lawyer.”
“A lawyer?”
I shift in my bed and sit up a little straighter.
“On second thought, if you want to stick around Jason, that’d be great.”
Jason backs up and then takes a spot on the window sill, his eyes intent on this Dane character.
“Good morning, Molly,” Dane says. “I hope you’re feeling better.”
I grumble in a noncommittal way.
He sets his briefcase on the tray at my bedside and with two clicks it pops open. He removes a stack of papers. I eye him curiously, wondering what's coming next.
“I represent Sawyer Davis. You’re familiar with
him?”
I clear my throat as I quickly glance at Jason. The last thing I want right now is for Jason to know I had a one-night stand less than a week after we broke up. I don’t know if I want to get back with him, but I don’t think my recent sexual activity will make things easier for us if I decide that I do.
“I am.”
“In light of the event leading to your injury, he’s asked me to come by the hospital and pay your bills.”
“I have insurance. But that’s nice of him…” My voice trails off. I sense there’s more to his visit then just this or else he probably would have just sent a check. Why send his lawyer?
“Is he the man responsible for your injuries, Moll?” Jason asks.
“Yes…no…kind of.”
“He also wanted to know if there was anything else you need?” Dane asks.
“Nope. I’m fine.”
“Fantastic. Perhaps then you wouldn’t mind signing this then.” Dane holds a stack of papers out to me.
Jason steps forward with an outstretched hand. I push it away and take the papers. I’d like to know what this is about before he does. The reality hits me quickly. Sawyer didn’t feel bad and send his lawyer to make sure I’m okay and taken care of; he was trying to cover his ass by having me sign away any future rights to damages, in exchange for $25,000. And underneath that contract is a non-disclosure contract, also with a commitment for Sawyer to provide an additional $10,000. Irritated, I hand the contracts to Jason.
The lawyer smiles weakly and rocks on his heels, looking innocent. I bet finding my ex-fiancé lawyer in my hospital room wasn’t something he expected. Not that I’ll need Jason. I’m too pissed off right now to do anything other than tell him off.
"You can tell Sawyer to shove his papers up his ass. I don't need his money. An apology would have been nice, but apparently sending a lawyer is more his style.”
"I assure you he didn’t mean to offend you.”
"I'm sorry you wasted your time, but we're done here."