Shutdown

by Winter Travers

  “Would you shut up. Mave doesn’t want anyone here to know she’s staying with you.”

  “Why the hell not?” I was paying her some good money.

  “Because this hospital is where she works, and she doesn’t want it getting around that she does house calls for grumpy old patients.”

  “I am not old,” I growled.

  “Right, right.” Harlyn slid the duffle bag off her shoulder and dropped it on the floor. She crouched down and ruffled through it. “You seriously have no shorts. What the hell do you wear in the summer?”

  “Pants. I’m at the track or in the shop all of the time.”

  Harlyn popped back up and held up a pair of blue shorts. They were the type people wore to the gym or to play basketball. Neither of which I did so it didn’t make sense for me to own a pair.

  “I’m not wearing those.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Uh, yeah you are, unless you want to live in a hospital gown for the next couple of months.”

  “Why didn’t you bring me some fucking pants?”

  She looked down at my legs. “Because I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t fit your calf in your jeans, let alone your whole leg.”

  Dammit. I hadn’t even thought about that. “They didn’t have black?”

  A smile spread across her lips. “They did.”

  I looked at the bright ass blue shorts. “But you got those.”

  She nodded. “Sure did. I figured you needed a little color in your life since you’re such a crab-ass.”

  “I am not crab-ass. Have you not heard about my motivational pep talks before races? I’m a regular Sammy Sunshine when I’m not laid up in this bed.”

  She dropped the shorts on the bed and ducked back down to rummage through the bag. “Your last motivational pep talk, if we’re really going to call them that, was from Wikipedia. Remy said you read it word for word off of your phone.”

  “And we fucking won, didn’t we?” I didn’t know what the hell she was getting at. At least I had taken the time to look for some words to get their asses in gear.

  She looked up at me. “Roc. You told them, ‘Never let anyone treat you like a yellow Starburst. You are a pink Starburst.’”

  “I would like you to tell me how that isn’t motivational?” I was a regular fucking poet as far as those asshats were concerned.

  Harlyn huffed and shook her head. “Remy is right. You really are a lost cause.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Tell Remy to stop talking about me and get his ass moving on getting the car ready.”

  She stood and held up a bright yellow t-shirt. “The car is ready. They tested it yesterday and they’re all on the way to the Laketon Nationals. I talked to Remy on the way over here.”

  My brain couldn't register what she had said because I was fucking blinded by the shirt she held up. I shielded my eyes with my hand. “How in the fuck did you get a shirt the exact same color as the sun?”

  “You don’t like it?”

  I peeked at her from behind my hand. “I’m pretty sure the astronauts in space can see that shirt right now.”

  She balled it up and tossed it at me. “Ha, ha.” She stood up, kept one arm behind her back, and rested her other hand on her hip. “Though I’m going to be the one with the last laugh.”

  “Why’s that?”

  A smile spread across her lips. “Because those are the only clothes you have to go home in.”

  “You’re fucking kidding me. What happened to the clothes I came in with?”

  I had been wearing a pair of jeans and a King Racing shirt. What I wore all of the time.

  “They cut your pants off of you, Roc, and I think I took your shirt home.” She tapped her finger on her chin. “Or was it Remy who took it home?”

  “Why the hell would Remy take it home?”

  She laughed and patted my arm. “I think he brought it to my house so I could get it washed up so you had something to wear home.”

  “So why the hell isn’t the shirt here instead of this neon yellow thing?”

  “Because I washed it and then I forgot to bring it along.”

  “Of course you forgot,” I grumbled.

  “Chin up, Roc. You should be bouncing off the walls being thankful you’re going home.” She lowered her voice and leaned in close. “Mave is one of the best doctors in this place. You somehow sweet-talked her into nursing you back to health.”

  I rolled my eyes and spread the shirt out in front of me. I didn’t like the damn shirt, but there wasn’t a thing in this world that would keep me from going home today. I tugged it over my head and stuck my arms in the holes.

  “I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.”

  “Okay, Vito,” she laughed. “You may have offered her a crap-ton of money to come stay with you, but I’ve been your daughter for a long time. There isn’t enough money in the world that could persuade me to spend a whole month with you. I’d go absolutely batty.”

  I tugged the shirt over my body and sat back in the bed. “Well, then it’s a good thing she’s staying with me and not you.”

  “I give her a week before she runs for the hills.” Harlyn swung her arm from behind her back and slapped a pair of shoes on the bed.

  “You took my shoes too?” I growled.

  Harlyn beamed down at me. “Sure did. I got these amazing slides for you, though.”

  “I’ll go barefoot. You are not putting those fucking things on my feet.”

  She scoffed. “As if you can actually do anything about it.”

  “I’m not a fucking doll you can dress up, Harlyn. I will roll out of this damn hospital naked before you put those fucking shoes on me.”

  “Whoa, whoa. There will be no naked rolling around here.” The nurse who had given me a bath walked in with a clipboard and a small stack of papers. “What’s all of the ruckus about?”

  Harlyn plopped down in the chair next to the bed. “He’s being a bear, but at least I got him into the shirt so I guess I’ll relent on the shoes.”

  “And what a...bright shirt it is,” the nurse snickered. “Let’s get your also-bright shorts on, and then we’ll go over all of this paperwork.”

  Half an hour later, I was sitting by the curb of the hospital entrance waiting for Harlyn to pull the car around.

  “Try not to give your daughter too much hell, Roc.”

  I tipped my head back and looked up at the nurse. “If you ask her, you should be saying a prayer for my nurse.”

  She shook her head and laughed. “She’ll be in my prayers.”

  Harlyn pulled up in front of me and rounded the front of the SUV with a smirk on her lips. “Did I forget to mention I raided your garage and borrowed a car?”

  “Think you failed to mention it.”

  Of course, she had helped herself to my new Range Rover. The Range Rover I had just bought last week and had only driven home from the dealership.

  “It drives like a dream. I can drive it around for you while you recover so she doesn’t have to sit in the garage, lonely.”

  I wheeled over to the passenger door. “It’s a fucking car, Harlyn. It doesn’t get lonely.”

  She opened the door. “No, but I might get lonely without it.”

  “I probably should have told you to bring a car if possible. They’re much easier to get into than higher up vehicles,” the nurse murmured.

  After a good five minutes of fumbling, grunting, and a shit-ton of cursing, Harlyn and the nurse managed to get me in the car and the door shut.

  Harlyn started the truck then pulled her phone out.

  “Who the hell are you calling?”

  She glared at me. “Remy. There isn’t any way in hell that Mave and I are going to be able to get you out of this car.”

  Her phone rang though the car as she pulled out onto the road.

  “Hey, babe.”

  I cringed at Remy calling her “babe.” I was still dealing with the fact that my daughter was dating one of the crew.

&n
bsp; “I’ve got the package, but I’m going to need help getting it out of the car.” She looked over at me. “It’s heavy and disagreeable.”

  “Babe, we’re on the road.”

  “Oh, shit. How the heck did I forget that?”

  “You got a lot going on. Hold on.” The phone was muffled but I could hear Remy talking to someone.

  “You hungry?” Harlyn asked.

  “Burger. Fries. Milkshake.” A few days of shitty hospital food was a week too much for me.

  She rolled her eyes and flipped on her blinker. “Burger and fries, no shake,” she countered.

  At least she had agreed to the burger and fries and hadn’t tried to talk me into a salad or some shit. “Fine. Hit the drive thru.”

  “Har?” Remy called.

  “Still here.”

  “Brooks said he’ll give Christy a call and see if Susan can come over and help you out. Between you, Mave, and Susan, you should be able to get Roc into the house.”

  “Again, why the heck didn’t I think of that?” Harlyn laughed. “I’ll call you after I get Roc settled.”

  “Sounds good. Love you.”

  I cringed and turned my head to look out the window.

  Harlyn laughed. “Love you, too.” She ended the call and reached over to nudge me. “I saw that look.”

  “I don’t ever need to hear that again. Just so you know.”

  “One day, you’ll get used to Remy and me being together.”

  “Right,” I drawled. And pigs could fly.

  Harlyn pulled into the drive thru, ordered me a greasy cheeseburger and large fries. “Don’t get used to this,” she warned as she handed me the bag of food.

  I pulled out the chicken sandwich she had ordered for herself and handed it to her. “You aren’t going to be around, little girl. I’ll eat what I want.”

  “That’s what you think.”

  We ate our food in silence, and about two minutes after I finished, my eyes got heavy, and I dropped the empty bag on the floor.

  “Sick of being fucking tired,” I grumbled.

  “Sleep, Dad. We still have about half an hour until we get to your house.”

  My head hit the headrest, and I closed my eyes. Hopefully, when I woke up, this would all have been a dream, and I wouldn’t be a helpless cripple.

  *

  Chapter Four

  Mave

  “I’m Susan.” She hitched her thumb over her shoulder. “That’s Christy, and you know Delaney. I’m her mom.”

  Delaney waved at me with a huge smile on her lips.

  “Uh, hi?” I was already a bit out of my comfort zone trying to get used to Roc’s huge house, and now, Delaney was here with her mom and friend.

  “Harlyn called. She had a bit of a problem getting Roc into the truck so she asked me to come over and give a hand to get him in the house.”

  I stepped to the side, and Susan walked in.

  “Oh, I guess I hadn’t really thought about transferring him into the car and house.”

  Harlyn had said she would pick up Roc, and I had been more than okay with that. I wasn’t really sure I wanted the hospital to know that on my vacation, I was caring for a patient.

  Delaney walked into the house and shut the door behind her. She leaned toward me and lowered her voice. “I am so sorry. I was with my mom when she got the call from Harlyn, and I thought coming with was the best.”

  I patted her on the shoulder. “You’re good. It’s actually nice to have you here.”

  It was nice to see a familiar face. I had seen and talked to Harlyn a few times at the hospital, but we were still basically strangers. Hell, Roc was still a stranger to me.

  “I’ll try to get my mom out of here as soon as possible, but I know how she is. She talks, talks, and talks.” Her hand mimicked someone talking. “She wanted to stop at the store on the way over to grab something for dinner, but I managed to talk her out of it.”

  “This place is as huge as Brooks’,” Susan hollered. “Swear to God, I need to get me on one of those race teams. Shoot.”

  Susan and Christy were wandering around the kitchen and living room. “You basically live with me at Brooks’, Susan. We get all of the perks without actually having to do anything.”

  Susan high-fived Christy. “True that.”

  “So, Christy is Brooks’ mom?” I asked.

  Delaney nodded. “She has some health issues. Susan is her live-in caretaker. Calling my mom really was the best thing. She’s dealt with helping people her whole life.”

  I put my arm across Delaney’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Good.” I didn’t want her to feel bad about being here. “And if Roc is up to it, we could totally do dinner.”

  “Don’t mention that to her. She’ll be at the store quicker than you asking her to stay.” Delaney laughed.

  A horn honked outside.

  “Showtime!” Susan yelled. “You stay here and hold the door open, Christy,” she ordered.

  Susan bustled out the front door, and Christy held it open.

  Delaney and I followed Susan out the door and over to the SUV.

  “Damn, girl,” Delaney laughed as Harlyn opened her door. “Did you buy a new car on the way to pick up your dad?”

  Harlyn held up the keys and shook them. “Just stole it from the old man’s garage.”

  Roc reached across and grabbed the keys from Harlyn. “I’ll be taking those,” he grunted. “You put more miles on it than I have.”

  Harlyn shrugged and slid down from the SUV. “Like you really would have fit in my car. Besides, your cars barely get driven because you’re never home.”

  We all moved to the passenger side, and Susan opened the door.

  “What the hell is this?” Roc grumbled.

  “The Calvary is here to get your butt out of this truck and in the house,” Susan explained. “It’s amazing they even got you in the front. They should have laid you across the backseat.”

  I helped Harlyn get the wheelchair out of the back of the SUV and rolled it over to Susan. I locked the wheels and finally looked at Roc.

  His face was pale, and I could tell he was tired.

  Though it might have been the fact Harlyn had dressed him like a safety cone.

  “Well, your shirt looks happy.”

  He flipped me off and curled his lip. “The first thing you’re helping me do is get these fucking clothes off.”

  Susan and Harlyn moved to each side of him, swung him so his legs were hanging out of the SUV and put his arm over their shoulders.

  “You two grab his legs,” Susan ordered Delaney and me. “We all need to lift at the same time.”

  Delaney and I each grabbed one of his legs, and we all managed to lift at the same time. I blindly unlocked the wheelchair with my foot and scooted it under him. We lowered him down and all breathed a sigh of relief when he was in the chair and not lying on the ground.

  “Well, damn. That was much more smooth than at the hospital. I thought we were going to need a crane to get him in the truck,” Harlyn laughed.

  “Down is much easier than up. You should have taken a car to pick him up.” Susan stood behind the chair and made a beeping sound to get us out of the way.

  “What are you doing, woman?” Roc grunted.

  “Taking you into the house. I was in there. There is a lot of work to be done.” Susan pushed him past us and up the sidewalk.

  “What the hell kind of work?” he asked.

  “You really think Mave is going to be able to carry you up and down the stairs? We need to set up the guest room downstairs for you and Roc-proof the house.” Susan huffed and managed to tip Roc back enough so she could push him up the slight step into the house. “Thank God you don’t have steps up and down the porch. You’d be trapped in the house ‘til you could walk.”

  Harlyn grabbed a duffel bag from the SUV and walked into the house behind Roc and Susan.

  Delaney stood next to me and sighed. “Are you sure about doing this? We cou
ld always have Susan keep an eye on Roc and you could hang out with Christy.”

  I rolled my eyes and bumped her shoulder with mine. “You have no faith in me.”

  “All I’m saying is, this isn’t really going to be much of a vacation for you.”

  It wasn’t, but I knew I still had about two weeks of vacation I needed to use. The money from this non-vacation was going to fund my two-week escape to the beaches of Bali or wherever I ended up going. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Jesus, woman!” Roc hollered from inside the house.

  Harlyn turned to me and rested her hand on my shoulder. “You’re a saint if you manage to make it through this, Mave. A damn saint.” She shook her head and walked into the house.

  I tipped my head back and looked up at the bright, midday sky. “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

  Out loud, I was optimistic and seemed ready to do this, but inside, I was terrified and wondered if I had gotten myself in too deep.

  However, I felt it didn’t matter. I was in too deep to back out now.

  “Mave!” Harlyn called. “You wanna come in and see what all Susan is doing?”

  I opened my eyes and looked at Harlyn standing in the doorway. “I’m coming.”

  It was only a month or so. I could totally do this.

  Hopefully.

  *

  Chapter Five

  Roc

  “Put qualifying on.”

  Harlyn grabbed the remote and pointed it at the TV. “Have you heard of the word please?”

  I grabbed a pillow and crammed it under my arm. “I have.”

  “Maybe you should try using it?” She flipped through the channels ‘til the twits who announced the AC Cola Series started jabbering.

  “They need to get these yahoos off the screen and show the damn race,” I grunted.

  “You only want them to show the pits so you can see what the team is doing.” Harlyn tossed the remote on the coffee table and kicked her feet up.

  The thought had crossed my mind. I knew the team was fine without me, but it still felt completely wrong not being there for qualifying.

  “What time is it?”