Page 44 of Steel & Jenna
Jack didn’t know how long he sat there hunched over, hacking up the delicious breakfast Mr. Zarin had been so sweet to buy him that morning. The man was probably regretting that decision now.
Strong hands helped Jack sit up. His shoulder screamed a protest at the hold but Jack clamped his mouth shut. He’d just thrown up in front of Jenna, Mr. Zarin, and possibly Chief Cunningham. He did not want any of them thinking him a whiner or a baby.
The leather jacket was taken away. Plastic touched his lips. “Small sips, son,” he heard Mr. Zarin instruct.
Jack obeyed. Mainly because the water felt amazing on his throat.
“…possible concussion…”
“…ribs too and maybe his shoulder…”
“…Jack, baby…” That voice was softer, sweeter. He automatically leaned towards it, wanting it to soothe the fire raging in his soul. “…so sorry…all my fault…”
Jack tried to shake his head, but the dizziness that came over him had him heaving again. Hands gripped his upper arms as if to guide him into bending over again. But the pain in his shoulder, which was becoming more and more prominent, raged to the point that Jack lost control and screamed.
Black oblivion took him.
Jenna was pacingin the waiting room. As much as she wanted to be in the back with Jack, she knew she would just be in the way. Mr. Zarin had called Mrs. Zarin from one of the payphones. Jenna didn’t know if he told her everything or just enough to tell her where they were. Not having anyone herself to call, Jenna just paced. Over and over again.
She was a mess, but she didn’t care. Mr. Zarin had tried to get her to change into a pair of scrubs the staff offered her. Jenna refused. She couldn’t really explain her reasoning, but it was like sheneededto wear Jack’s blood and bile until she knew he would be okay.
Logic was not currently driving her.
At the very least, she used another one of Mr. Zarin’s handkerchiefs to clean her face and hands. Jenna’s hands would not stop shaking. Clearly Jack was worse than she’d thought. He’d thrown upso much. And that scream when Mr. Zarin had touched his shoulder…
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Hermotherhad done this to him. It didn’t matter that Claudette Scanlon hadn’t laid a single finger on Jack herself.Shewas the reason Jack was here, that he was hurt.
And for what?
Jenna didn’t believe for one second that her mom actually thought Jenna was being assaulted when she’d come into that library room. She hadn’t beendefendingJenna. There’d been nothingmaternalabout her mom’s actions. It hadn’t even been vengeance. It had been hatred, pure and simple. Hatred for Jack, a boy she’d never even met.
Did she even know Jack’s name?
She would now. Jenna would never let her forget it.
A hand touched her shoulder. Jenna jumped, turning to see Mrs. Zarin’s kind eyes looking at her. It was the other woman’s knowing gaze that broke her. Jenna fell into the woman’s arms and let her tears really fall.
“What if he doesn’t forgive me?”
Mrs. Zarin made a soothing sound. “If I know Jack, he’s more worried about you thinking him weak right now. Blaming you wouldn’t even cross his mind.”
Jenna stiffened. “Weak? He had the crap beat out of him by two men twice his size! He’s the furthest from weak!”
“He’s not going to see it like that,” she said softly. “Men like Jack, like my Arnie, they care only that they failed to protect who they care about.”
“I wasn’t even there!” Jenna argued, her voice muffled by Mrs. Zarin’s chest.
“From what I understand, you had been. If you hadn’t run, you would have been. If you’d stayed, Jack wouldn’t have been able to protect you.”
“That makes absolutely no sense!”
“Welcome to trying to understand the male mind,” Mrs. Zarin chuckled. “They understand us just as little as we understand them.”
“Where’s Lilly?”
“She’s sitting with Mr. Zarin. All she knows is that Jack was hurt, but not anything else.”
Jenna stood up enough to look around. She saw Lilly sitting in a chair that was far too big for her with Mr. Zarin’s arm around her shoulders. She looked worried but wasn’t crying. That was good. Mr. Zarin, who was only wearing a sweater now that his jacket had been ruined, was talking softly to her. Jenna’s gaze went around the room. She saw a security officer but no police officers. She didn’t know if that was good or bad.
