Page 69 of Cutter's Hope

There was a pause on the other end of the line, “Everything okay, Hope?”

“Location, Marlin.” I said and I knew I didn’t sound okay which just made me want to leave more. Cutter and I were staring hard at each other across the short space between us. The atmosphere tense. The woman’s head bobbing back and forth between us as if she were watching a demented tennis match.

“Pear Street, other side of the Boulevard, down two blocks on Vine.”

“Copy that, en route.” I hung up.

“Hope…” Cutter tried.

“Fucking save it,” I snarled bitterly.

“Oh hey, it’s not what you…” I glared the woman into silence and she rocked back, a dubious expression on her pixie-like face.

“Hope!” Cutter tried again but I’d snatched up my jacket which had my wallet and sunglasses in it and dug them out. I left the too hot garment to flop onto the recliner it’d come from and marched for the steep steps out the hatch.

I didn’t have time to deal with my fucking feelings on this. Faith needed me and I could deal with it later. I shoved it down, and when that didn’t work I shoved it aside and burst into the bright Florida mid-morning sunshine.

“Whoa, hey!” A dude with a light brown, almost faux hawk, with sparkling blue eyes and a row of switchblade patches on his vest put up his hands. He had a smart phone in one of them and looked like he’d just finished a call of his own. I blew past him.

“Hope!” Cutter called from the hatch, the woman was on deck behind me hugging herself looking like she was about to cry.

“Go fuck yourself, Cutter! Faith needs me,” I leapt to the dock, chest heaving with uneven breaths borne of too much emotion. I didn’t break stride all the way to the clinic.

I got there just in time for Nothing to pull up with Faith and Marlin in the back of what I presumed was his Subaru Outback, an older one, probably early two-thousands, that had seen better days. Behind them was a man on a Harley. He was older, wearing a vest like the guy back on Cutter’s boat. A Sacred Hearts vest, I realized as he rolled to a stop. Shit, this was the doctor?

My sister was curled up in a ball on the back seat, staring sightless out the passenger side window of the Subaru. She didn’t look good. Pale and sweating, brow creased with pain. Nothing got out of the driver’s seat and was frowning at me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked by way of greeting.

“Nothing,” I said and he raised his eyebrows at me. I scoffed, “You know what I fucking mean,” I said and scowled. I knew my tone was acerbic and I also knew that Nothing didn’t deserve my pissed off but I didn’t have time to apologize, but rather, just enough to change my attitude for when Marlin came around to help my sister out of the car. The older man came up while Nothing used a set of keys to let us into the clinic’s side door.

“You the doctor?” I asked.

“You must be the sister?” he asked and I dismissed the skepticism. I was the tall, dark and fucked up one in our family. Didn’t look anything like my sisters, my mom, and while he’d been around, my stepdad either.

“Yeah, I’m Hope.”

“Doc,” he said and he was smiling but it held the ghost of something in it, like the smile had once been something much more than what I saw now.

“Thanks for coming,” I said.

“No problem, these boys did us a big boon not too long back, we owe ‘em a whole lot more ‘n a house call,” he was looking me over, and nodded to himself, “You wanna talk about whatever it is, Iama doctor, may not be a headshrinker by schooling or degree, but I am fair good at listening.”

I startled a bit and hoped it didn’t show, “No I’m good, just look after my sister please.”

He nodded, and turned to follow Marlin and Faith inside, he had to help her. She was moving like an old woman and I was betting the withdrawals were setting in hard core.

I followed the doctor, Nothing stayed outside to look out and warn us of trouble but the clinic was deserted. I wondered about that, but Marlin was talking.

“We have to hurry up some, the place is only closed down for two hours for lunch.” He helped my sister onto the edge of the exam table and the room was already prepped for the doctor to do his thing. He slid his big black bag he had slung across his chest off, and set it down.

“Won’t be needing that, you guys are good and stocked here, let me have a look at you if that’s all right, Sweetheart,” he said to my sister and the term of endearment made me close my eyes and count to ten. I needed to be strong, to be here for Faith. I stood at her side, and she held my hand and I held hers as the doctor looked her over.

He left me with her to help her into an exam gown for the pelvic and Faith started to cry. She hadn’t said anything yet, and that was okay. I just helped her get into the gown and laying down. I cracked the door to give them the signal she was ready and went and leaned a hip against the table by hers. I faced my sister and gathered her hand up between mine while the doctor did his thing behind me.

“Remember the first time we did this ever?” I asked and she laughed brokenly, her aquamarine eyes swimming with tears, the clear liquid magnifying her eyes and making them luminous. My sisters both managed to remain pretty when they cried. Not me.

“Yeah,” she said brokenly and jumped.

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