Page 62 of Parrish

Chapter Twenty-two

Jack Parrish

Once I got Danny home, I couldn’t just run out the door like I planned. He was still shaken up some by the accident and worried about his mother. Even though I was itching to ask him a bunch of questions, I bit my tongue and put his needs first.

I called Grace and after telling me there was no change in Reina’s condition; she suggested I spend some time with Danny.

It’s what Reina would want, Jack.

Unable to deny she was right, I bit back the urge to rush out of the house and spent most of the day trying to take my son’s mind off the fact his mother was in a coma. By the time five o'clock rolled around, I was fucking wiped out and I realized I had never truly spent an entire day with my son without Reina.

I couldn’t cook for shit and Lacey, well, I’ve had enough of her meals to know she and Blackie live off precooked meals from Trader Joes. Therefore, I ordered a couple of pizzas and helped him shower. Finding his pajamas was another task I apparently wasn’t cut out for and the whole ordeal only made me appreciate my wife for all she does while I’m out running amuck.

After he was fed, I hoped to get him to bed, but he asked if I would watch a movie with him. Like I could never deny his mother’s request for my affection, I couldn’t deny his. I folded my large frame into his bed and put on the Transformers. In the short amount of time I spent with my son, I learned a lot. Like that he doesn’t care for popcorn all that much and he thinks Megan Fox is the bomb—his words, not mine.

It made me realize how absent I was all these years. I’m damn fucking lucky Reina hasn’t served me divorce papers. While I like to pretend, I’m the doting family man, the truth is, I’ve spent more time chasing my club’s demons than I ever spent at home, leaving the brunt of raising our son on Reina’s shoulders.

Danny was my second chance, and I was doing a shit job. Playing catch once in a while didn’t make me a good dad. At best, I was a mediocre father and husband.

I must’ve fallen asleep during the movie because the next thing I knew, I was awakened by the sound of my son's cries. It took me a moment to focus and when I turned in his bed, I nearly crushed him. Getting my bearings, I sit up and gently shake Danny who is tossing and turning in his sleep.

“Mommy, no!”

“Danny, wake up,” I say. “You’re having a nightmare, buddy.”

Startled, his eyes flutter open, and he stares at me for a beat before glancing around his bedroom.

“Where’s mommy?”

“Is everything okay?” Lacey questions from the doorway, looking as if she was sleeping too.

“Danny had a nightmare,” I explain, draping an arm around his shoulder.

“It wasn’t a nightmare was it?” he counters, lifting his eyes to mine. “Mommy isn’t here.”

“No, she’s still in the hospital,” I tell him. “Did you have a dream about the accident?” I ask as Lacey makes her way into the bedroom and takes a seat on the foot of the bed.

Danny tears his eyes away from me to glance at his sister and nods his head. I get the impression he feels more comfortable talking to her than me and apparently so does Lacey. Eyeing me, she waves her hand demanding I move off the bed. Dropping my arm from Danny’s shoulders, I release a sigh and rise to my feet. She slides into my place and wraps her arms around Danny, bringing him closer to her.

“She was crying,” he whispers. “When the car hit us, she was crying. Then she started to scream and reached for my hand. She told me to hang on, that she loved me, and everything would be okay. Mommy couldn’t control the car and her hand slipped from mine,” he says, meeting my gaze. My jaw clenches as he recites the details of how it all went down, confirming the truth I already knew…this was no fucking accident.

“Then what happened?” I ask, trying to keep my anger in check.

“Then I turned my head, and I saw the big truck,” he whispers, wiping his eyes. “She told me to close my eyes.”

I may not be the best father, but my son had the best mother. A selfless woman who in tragedy still tried to do what was best for her child.

“When I opened my eyes, mommy wasn’t in the car anymore and the windshield was shattered. Nico came, and he held my hand while the fireman got me out of the car but I never saw mommy after that,” he says, pausing to glance between me and Lacey. “I’m going to see my mom again, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” I say immediately, earning a look from my daughter. “As soon as mommy wakes up, I’m going to take you to see her.”

“What if she doesn’t wake up?”

Lacey opens her mouth to reply but I don’t give her the chance.

“Your mom is going to wake up, Danny,” I say with conviction.

I know my daughter doesn’t approve of my response that she probably thinks I’m giving him false hope. But she’s wrong. Reina is a fighter. There ain’t no way she’s leaving our boy. I’m sure of it.

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