Page 58 of Bleeding Hearts Duet

Chapter Nineteen

I tried to ignore the armed guard watching us interact and the silver glint of handcuffs every time Brayden moved his arm.

“It’s not so bad.” He managed a pained smile as I sniffled in the chair beside his bed. “You should see the other guy.”

I wasn’t in the mood for his sense of humor, and I let him know it too. He’d been beaten to a pulp, and he was lucky to be alive.

“I have to fix this,” I said, more to myself than to Brayden. “There has to be something…”

“Stop.”

Brayden’s tone brooked no argument. And when I looked into the depth of his brown eyes, I was shocked again by how much they’d hardened over the years. “There’s nothing you can do for me Brighton, except sit here and enjoy the time we have together right now. Is that too much to ask?”

I nodded, embarrassed I’d even mentioned it in front of him. It was against my agreement with Ryland to say anything in the first place, and this conversation could have come dangerously close with the mood I was in.

But Brayden was right. I was only allowed this one visit with him, something the guard informed me was normally against the rules in these circumstances. I suspected he’d been paid off, and there was only one guess as to who would have done that.

“They kicked mom out, you know,” Brayden offered up a change of subject.

“I know,” I groaned. “I saw her lurking in the parking lot on my way in. She was in a real lovely mood.”

“You shouldn’t be so hard on her,” he said, staring out the window as his eyes glazed over.

“Really?” I bit back. “Have you seen her, Brayden? She looks like shit. She’s knocking on death’s door. She’s as thin as a lamp post and half of her teeth are rotted out of her damn head.”

“I know,” he replied. “But that’s why she needs you. I can’t be there for her anymore, and I’m not asking you to move back or anything… but would it kill you to call her every once in a while?”

“Why should I?” I sniped. “When was she ever there for us?”

I didn’t know why I sounded so bitter. I’d never been this way before. But with everything else I had to worry about, Norma-Jean was no longer making the list. I couldn’t help those who didn’t want to help themselves.

“It wasn’t always like that,” he said quietly. “She had a rough go of it, Brighton. Things weren’t easy for her either…”

“Why are you defending her?” I asked. “You seem to remember a completely different childhood to the one I had. And you weren’t there these last five years as she spiraled down the rabbit hole. So don’t tell me how bad she had it.”

My words had hurt him, and immediately I regretted them.

“I’m sorry, Brayden.” I wiped my eyes and shook my head. “I’m tired and stressed, and I was worried sick about you.”

“I know.” He squeezed my hand in his. “And I’m sorry too. You’re right. I wasn’t there, and I guess I probably don’t know half of what went on after I got locked up. But I don’t want our family to fall apart before I can see the light of day again.”

This was the Brayden special. He could say something like that at the moment, and without even meaning to put a guilt trip on me.

“I’ll try to keep in better contact with her,” I promised.

Brayden nodded, and the guard stepped forward.

“Time’s up.” He glanced at his watch. “The nurse will be in soon.”

Brayden gave me a weak smile and remained strong while I leaned over and hugged him. The guard cleared his throat, and I shot him a dirty look before stepping backwards.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” I promised. “First thing.”

“Okay, Brighton. Take care of yourself.”

“It’s not goodbye,” I emphasized. “It’s see you later.”

“Alright then,” he agreed. “See you later.”

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