by K. C. Crowne
Silas was wearing his usual tight jeans, boots, and cowboy hat, but I still couldn’t get over how tight his body was, how large he was compared to me. And most of all, how incredibly gorgeous he was.
He cracked a smile and gave me an appreciative gaze, looking me up and down. He obviously liked what he saw.
“You look great,” he said.
“I’m just in jeans and a sweater,” I said, my cheeks burning.
“Doesn’t matter what you’re wearin’. You’d look amazing wearin’ a burlap sack, Molly.”
I had to hide the smile on my face by averting my gaze, focusing on the ugly carpet at my feet instead. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, beautiful. Ready to head out?” He offered me his arm. At first, I just stared at it, trying to decide my next move, but then I took it.
We walked arm-in-arm to the bar next door, and for a moment, I actually thought things might work out between us.
Ooo000ooo
“Just a water for me, please.” The waitress had just listed off the specials - all of them alcoholic and therefore off-limits.
“A beer for me,” Silas said. “Whatever you have on tap. And a burger, medium-rare.”
He handed the waitress his menu. I was still trying to decide between the flavorless chicken sandwich I’d had last time or something different. I craved Mama G’s roast and potatoes, but there was nothing comparable on the menu, and even if there were, the quality wouldn’t be the same.
“I guess I’ll have the chicken sandwich with fries,” I sighed. Better the devil you know, I thought to myself as I handed over the menu.
The waitress, a bored-looking woman named Connie, took my menu and left, leaving me alone with Silas.
I’d been quiet on the quick walk over. It was hard putting my words into thoughts, and I wasn’t sure what Silas was thinking. He was a hard person to read, and sometimes even harder to open up.
“So what are your thoughts? How are we going to tell everyone?” I asked.
Connie brought over the drinks, and Silas didn’t say anything for a while. I thought perhaps he hadn’t heard me over the shitty country music on the jukebox.
But then he started speaking. Leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest, he stared at me intently as he said, “I think we should just do it. Rip off the band-aid. Be up front and honest, tell him we know we shouldn’t have - but that it’s too late for wishin’.”
“Well, that’s certainly one way to do it,” I said, taking a sip from my water. “But I think we need to take a better approach. Christopher is going to be so hurt.”
“But wouldn’t he appreciate our honesty?”
“Eventually, maybe,” I hedged, tossing my head back and forth. “But your son isn’t like you, Silas. He’s likely going to feel betrayed and hurt. A gentler approach might be better.”
“Gentler? How so?”
“I don’t know. I’m still thinking this over, but—”
Silas’s eyes widened, stopping me, his eyes on the door. “Shit,” he muttered, standing up before I could turn around to see what he was staring at. “He’s here.”
“Who is?” I expected one of his brothers, but as I turned in my seat, my heart dropped into my stomach.
Christopher was near the door. It looked as if he’d walked inside and changed his mind, turning quickly to exit - but then our eyes met and he stopped.
“Molly? What are you doing here?”
He wasn’t alone. He was with a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes and a quarterback’s build. I assumed it was Tyler.
I stood up and walked to Christopher. “I can explain everything, Christopher—”
“What are you doing with my dad?” he asked, looking past me at Silas. “Is something going on? Is something wrong?”
“Nothin’s wrong,” Silas said, stepping up beside me. “But Molly and I do have somethin’ to tell you.”
I cringed and muttered, “Not here, Silas.”
“Not here?” Christopher asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He looked between his dad and me. “What in the hell is going on?”
“Let’s rip off the band-aid, Molly.”
“Rip off the band-aid?” Christopher asked. “Someone better tell me what the hell is going on.”
“Son, Molly and I spent some time together while y’all were here,” Silas started.
Christopher’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he put two and two together. His eyes jerked to mine. “You slept with my dad, Molly?” His voice rose high enough that everyone in the bar could hear. No amount of shitty music could cover it up. “He’s the one who took your virginity? That’s why you couldn’t tell me?”
“Let me continue,” Silas insisted.
“There’s more?” Christopher’s eyes were on me the entire time.
“Yes,” I whispered, feeling about as tiny as an ant. I couldn’t even look my best friend in the eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
“You’re what?”
“She’s pregnant,” Silas repeated, speaking louder than I could in the moment. “With your little brother or sister.”
Christopher was stunned. He stood there with wide eyes, as if trying to figure out if this were all some kind of sick joke.
“How could you keep this from me? How could you let this happen?” He threw his hands up in the air. “You know what, I can’t deal with this right now.” He turned toward the man he was with and pushed past him out the door.
I couldn’t let him leave like that; I had to talk to him. Silas grabbed my arm, trying to hold me back. “Give him time,” he told me.
“No, I need to talk to him. This wasn’t the way to tell him, Silas,” I said, tears falling down my cheeks. “I need to apologize and try to make things right.”
I pulled free from Silas’s grasp and hurried out the door, just as Christopher was getting into the passenger side of a car.
“Christopher, wait!”
He jerked around to glare at me. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Molly? You’ve been holding this in for how long now, five weeks?”
“I wanted to tell you, but—”
“But what?” he interrupted, his voice shaking. I’d never seen him so mad, and my heart broke. I’d destroyed everything we had because I couldn’t control myself around his father.
“I—” I didn’t really have an explanation that didn’t sound selfish.
“Yeah, I thought so,” Christopher growled, getting into the car and slamming the door.
“Christopher, wait!”
But the car sped out of the parking lot. Silas had appeared by my side, taking my hand in his. I ripped my hand free and faced him.
“That was not the way to do it, Silas. I told you.”
“Just give him time,” he repeated.
“No, he’s not like you. I know my best friend, and I need to go after him,” I insisted.
“Molly, you can’t—”
I ran to the hotel parking lot, my keys out. Silas was on my heels, calling my name. I had no time to stop and explain myself to him - I had to get to Christopher.
I had to explain myself.
I couldn’t lose my best friend.
I climbed in the driver’s side of my rental car and started the engine.
“Dammit, Molly!” I heard Silas call out as I pulled out of the parking lot.
I took off in the direction I saw them headed, my foot to the floor, going as fast as my rental Honda would take me.
Silas
Dammit, Molly.
She was right - the way I went about telling Christopher was all wrong. I’d fucked up again, and this time might be the last time. I wasn’t sure my son would ever forgive me.
I knew how Molly was feeling, but I didn’t like the way she peeled out of here. She was driving way too fucking fast for someone who wasn’t used to the winding country roads. With my heart racing, I hopped into my truck and took off in the direction they had gone.
I had to catch
up to her, and if possible, Christopher as well.
Somehow, I had to make it right.
I also had to make sure the mother of my child was safe.
I sped down the road, taking the switchback turns like a pro. I’d grown up out here; I knew these roads like the back of my hand. But Molly? No way she could maneuver some of the curves at the speed she was going.
In the distance, I saw her rental car. She was still speeding but going slower than before. It made me feel just a bit better. I came up behind her just as she accelerated on a straight stretch. I knew this stretch well. It was deceptive and headed right into a switchback.
“Fuck, Molly. Slow down,” I growled aloud.
I sped up and could see her car as it headed into the curve. My heart nearly stopped, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Everything from that moment happened in slow motion.
Molly’s little Honda made the first, smaller curve, but then it went straight into a switchback. The road was narrow, just enough room for two cars but barely. Another car came from the other direction, the headlights blinding, just as Molly’s car veered into the other lane. I laid on the horn and Molly overcorrected.
Her Honda went off the side of the road.
Down into a deep ravine.
I hit the brakes, nearly running off the side of the road myself. I was screaming her name as I watched the car roll down the ravine.
I was out of the car and running toward her when the Honda smashed into a tree, the only thing stopping it from going down even further into a stream. It was both a blessing and a curse. Her tiny car crumpled in on itself.
The smell of gas was in the air as I approached the car.
I had to get her out of there, and fast.
I had some medical training from my days in the Army, but not much. I knew that you weren’t supposed to move someone after an accident in case of a broken neck, but the smell of gasoline was strong. I feared a fire, or worse.
“Molly!” I wrapped my hand in my shirt and smashed the passenger side window, calling her name.
She didn’t answer, and what I saw once inside the car broke my heart into a million pieces.
Blood poured down her face, dripping into her eyes, which were open and staring straight ahead. At first, I thought she was dead, and I felt the bile rising in my throat.
But then she blinked and began to tremble.
“Molly, it’s me,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “Are you alright?”
“I—Silas?”
Her voice was slurred, like she was drunk. I leaned in through the window and removed her seat belt. Molly stared at me with a blank look on her face. She was in shock.
“Come on, darlin’, I need to know if you can move. Can you move your fingers for me?”
It took a moment, but she wiggled the fingers of her right hand.
“Good girl. Can you move anything else?”
I knew that her neck and spine could still be damaged. I needed to call for help, but I also needed to get her out of there before the car went up in flames.
I pulled out my phone and dialed 9-1-1.
I gave them my location and told them we needed an ambulance. I explained as best I could but kept it short. My focus was on Molly as the fumes grew strong enough to choke both of us. Molly began coughing.
“Alright, this is what we’re gonna do - I’m gonna get you out of here.”
Molly nodded. That was a good sign at least. She was with me. She could move.
I wrapped my arms around her and gradually moved her, little by little, toward the passenger side window. Once I climbed out, I reached inside and picked her up, carrying her from the car.
“Talk to me, baby,” I said. “Are you with me?”
“I am,” she said, her voice sounding weaker than I would have liked.
In the distance, I heard sirens. What a sweet sound that was.
“You’re gonna be okay, Molly.”
“Silas, the baby…”
Her words cut right through my core, and I could see the tears welling in her eyes. Through all of this, she was more worried about the baby than she was herself.
“You’re going to be the best mother,” I said softly.
I carried her up the hill to the road and was greeted by first responders. They rushed from the ambulance and ran over to us, but it was difficult to hand her over to them.
I knew I had to, I knew they would take care of her, but it killed me to let her go.
What if this was the last time I’d ever get to hold her? What if I lost her?
The thought sat like a lead weight in my gut.
Ooo000ooo
“Christopher, it’s your dad,” I said, leaving yet another message for him. My voice cracked as I spoke. “Listen, I’m sorry about everything, and we need to talk. But first, you need to know that Molly is in the hospital. It’s bad, son. She was in an accident and I haven’t seen her since they took her, no news or anything. She needs her best friend here.”
I hung up. I hated leaving that kind of message in a voicemail, but he wasn’t answering his phone. Not that I could blame him. Like I’d told Molly, he needed time. Normally I’d give him some time and then try to talk to him after things had cooled off a bit, but we didn’t really have the luxury of time right now.
I knew Molly would want him by her side, and perhaps I was being selfish, but I could use him too.
I sighed and stared down at my hands. Another hour in the waiting room with no news. I was starting to go crazy pacing the tiny room, but there was no way I’d go anywhere. I would wait there forever until I heard the news.
Molly had to be okay, she just had to be.
She’d been talking to me afterward, that had to be a good sign. At least for her. My heart dropped as I thought about our baby. Please, God, let them both be okay. I wasn’t usually a praying man, but I found it in me to pray to whatever higher power would listen.
I heard footsteps and picked up my head, expecting a nurse or a doctor, but found Christopher and the man he’d been with at the bar.
Christopher had tears in his eyes. When his gaze fell on me, I prepared myself for the worst. I expected him to tell me how much he hated me, how I’d destroyed his life yet again. And he was within his right to say both of those things.
What I wasn’t prepared for was him running into my arms. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as he cried into my shoulder.
“Please tell me she’s okay,” he sobbed. “I can’t lose Molly. She’s the best person I’ve ever met. I just—” A sob ended his words.
“I know, son,” I said, patting him on the back.
I’d never been the affectionate type, but this felt right. My son needed my comfort, and I would give it. I think part of me needed it too.
“Is there any news yet, Mr. Walker?” the blonde man asked.
“Not yet.”
The man nodded solemnly. “My name is Tyler by the way. I’m a—a friend of your son’s.”
I had a feeling that he was more than just a friend but left it at that until Christopher was ready to tell me otherwise.
“Thank you for takin’ care of him and drivin’ him over,” I said.
“Of course.”
There was a look in the man’s eyes as he stared at Christopher. A look of concern and love that I recognized instantly. It was the same look I had for Molly. Tyler obviously cared for Christopher very much.
Christopher pulled away and wiped at his eyes. “I haven’t forgotten what you told me, and I’m not sure I forgive you yet, but we can deal with that later.”
“Thank you, Christopher.”
There were more footsteps, and this time, a nurse turned the corner. She had a friendly face and a smile that gave me hope.
“Are you here for Ms. McBean?”
“Yes,” we all said at once.
“Do you have any updates on her condition?”
“Are any of y’all family, by chance?”
Christopher�
��s face fell.
“I’m the father of her child,” I said slowly. “Does that count for somethin’?”
“It does,” she said. “Molly is awake and talking, so she can give us permission to let you back.”
“She’s awake?” My heart flared to life. Up until that moment, I didn’t think it was beating at all, but suddenly, I was alive once more.
“She woke up about twenty minutes ago, but she’s still in recovery. She had a head injury, a concussion, but she should be ready to see you shortly,” the nurse said.
I fell backward into a nearby chair, relief washing over me. “And the baby?”
I was almost afraid to ask. It felt like we’d already gotten lucky, that asking for the baby to be alright as well might be too much. I’d done so much bad shit in my life, but I prayed that my child wouldn’t suffer for it.
“The baby is fine,” the nurse assured me. “We’re monitoring both for now, but so far, everything seems to be okay.”
“Thank you,” I said, my eyes clenched shut to hide the tears of relief.
Molly and our child were going to be fine.
Molly
“You have visitors,” my nurse, a friendly woman named Betty, said in a sing-song voice. “You seem to be a pretty popular patient.”
“People? More than one person?” I asked, just to be sure. My voice was still strained, my throat sore from the breathing tube from earlier.
“Yes, at least three last time I checked,” she said with a smile. “Should we let them in?”
“Sure,” I said, curious who besides Silas knew about me being in the hospital in the first place.
Betty left, and a moment later, the door opened. Silas entered, and while that didn’t surprise me, it still filled my heart with happiness. I knew I wasn’t alone as long as he was there. Following him was Christopher, which did surprise me. And then the blonde man from earlier that I assumed was Tyler.
Tears welled in my eyes at the sight of my best friend, and he was crying too. He pushed past everyone to be by my side and leaned down to hug me tightly before pulling back. “Oh wait, is it okay? Do I need to be careful?”