Page 65 of Parrish

Chapter Twenty-three

Jack Parrish

Forty-eight hours had passed, and Reina still wasn’t awake. Still not breathing on her own. The doctors said there was nothing more they could do that the ball was in her court. Of course, they continued to monitor her, checking her vitals and changing her dressings around the clock but they couldn’t drag her out of the coma.

Knowing she had remained stable during that crucial threshold was the only sliver of light I was granted since I got word of the accident. I began to wonder if Reina was done dragging me out of the darkness. Maybe she was finally giving up on me altogether.

I went from promising her a fairytale if she opened her eyes, to swearing I’d leave her alone. Whatever she wanted, whatever she needed—I’d do it just as long as she came back to me. Nothing worked, and I was tired of listening to the sound of my own voice, so I resorted to silence.

Another poor choice to add to the ever-growing list.

With my voice quiet, my mind took the opportunity to wreak havoc. I ran out of pills and could no longer self-medicate. I thought about calling Lacey and asking her to bring me some of hers, but I figured she’d only force me to make an appointment with my shrink and I wasn’t willing to leave Reina’s side to have a pow-wow with my doctor. With no other choice, I became a prisoner of insanity as I sat there helplessly waiting for my wife to come back to the land of the living.

Today, I was extra fucking crazy, treading dangerously on the brink of lunacy, and all because Blackie was getting arraigned. I wanted to be there but since Lacey insisted on going; I needed to be available to take Danny to school. After I dropped him off, I thought about heading down to the courthouse, but I got a call from Grace telling me they were taking Reina for another CAT scan.

The last thing I wanted was for my daughter to be alone when the judge made his ruling. On top of that, I wanted to be there for Blackie too. I needed to know where his head was at and somehow make him understand sacrificing himself to spare me wasn’t the answer.

Once again, I was torn between one of my children and my wife. My promise to put Reina above all won in the end, forcing me to call Wolf. I asked him to meet Lacey at the courthouse and made my way back here. Now, it’s been hours since I relieved Grace and when I’m not staring at the monitors in Reina’s room, I look up at the clock and watch the seconds tick by.

I scratch at the scruff covering my jaw and divert my eyes to my wife’s still form, trying to conjure what I can say that will bring her back to me. I’ve run out of promises and I’m starting to think a trip down memory lane isn’t the answer either. The more I let myself reflect on our life together, the more I realize how I’ve done a shit job at being a man worthy of a woman like Reina.

Honest to God, I don’t blame her for checking out and putting me through the wringer. A woman can only take so much before she realizes she’s worth more than stolen moments and false promises.

Leaning forward, I reach over and touch her hand.

“Take your time, Sunshine,” I say hoarsely.

To my surprise, I mean every word. I’ll wait for as long as it takes. If these days turn to weeks or God forbid, months, I’ll sit here day after day and hold her hand just as long as she eventually puts me out of my misery and comes back to me.

Rising to my feet, I release her hand and press a kiss to her forehead. As I brush my hand over her blonde locks, a knock sounds on the glass partition behind me causing me to turn my head. Pipe’s wife Layla stares back at me and offers me a sad smile. My hand falls away from Reina and I take a step back as she enters the room. Keeping one hand on her protruding belly, she lifts the other that holds a cup of coffee from the cafeteria.

“Black, two sugars, right?” she asks, extending her hand.

With a nod, I take the coffee from her and motion towards the chair I’ve been sitting in for hours.

“Thank you,” I say. “Sit.”

“I’m fine,” she argues, cocking her head to the side as she stares at me. “How are you doing?”

“I’m hanging in there,” I answer, before taking a sip of the piping hot coffee. Welcoming the warmth as it slides down my throat, I watch as Layla moves closer to Reina’s bed and takes her hand.

After the clubhouse exploded and Pipe’s first wife, Oksana, was killed, he handed in his patch and took off. He spent months trying to punish himself, burying the pain with booze and cheap women. Then Layla and her three kids moved next door to him and turned his world upside down. The man who never thought he deserved a family, suddenly became Mike fucking Brady, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy for the bastard. Seeing him with those kids, well, it warms my cold heart. He’s going to be a great father.

“I’ve been meaning to come by,” Layla says, turning to meet my gaze. “But Lee wasn’t sure if you were up to visitors. Then I heard, Grace had been helping you out, and I said fuck it.”

My lips quirk at the expletive but quickly fades back into a thin line when I spot the flicker of anger in her eyes.

“Jack, why didn’t you call me?”

Honestly, Layla didn’t cross my mind. Maybe because I associate her as being Pipe’s wife and not Reina’s friend. The two of them have gotten very close since Pipe and Layla moved from the sticks to the city.

“I’d be happy to help with Danny,” she continues. “He could stay with us, play with the kids and when you’re ready, you pick him up. I’ll make sure his homework gets done and that he eats dinner with us.”

“Layla—”

“Grace is a wonderful woman, Jack, but she’s not Reina’s only friend,” she interjects, pausing for a moment. “Do you remember that first night I called you?”

I remember it like it was yesterday. She called me in hysterics revealing a detective with a hard-on for the club had taken Pipe at gunpoint right in front of her and the kids. Seeing as they were upstate, and I was in the city, my hands were tied.

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