Page 65 of Personal Foul
I was so fucking stupid. So distracted by drinking, partying, fucking, and being on vacation that I didn’t even make sure it was plugged in. And of course, I miss the one time my Gramps needs me. For all I know the bar has burned down too because I wouldn’t know that either since Tom and Tammy couldn’t have reached me if they wanted to. I try to take a breath, and I almost can’t, my throat and my lungs going tight, the echo of my own heartbeat drowning out everything around me.
I swat at the tears falling down my cheeks as I bend to plug the phone in, annoyed that it’s another thing slowing down my progress. And I nearly jump out of my skin when I turn around, and Easton grabs my arms.
“Wren!! You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?” I look up and his face is tense with worry. I can tell he’s probably said my name several times before this, but I’d forgotten he was even in the room with me.
I take another breath, my lungs giving just enough that I can get a small one in. Just enough to let me speak.
“My Gramps had a stroke. I have to get back to Denver. I’ve got to get to the hospital. Oh my god! I forgot to ask her what hospital. Fuck. This fucking phone needs to charge so I can text her. This is a nightmare.” A little sob comes out of my chest. And I am not this girl. The one who falls apart. I normally don’t mind a good crisis. It keeps me thinking. Keeps me going to have a challenge to solve. But one that involves my Gramps being sick… My sweet old Gramps and my last close family member… I can’t face it like everything else. It’s just not the same.
“Okay. We’ll get you back. Don’t worry,” Easton says, his tone remarkably calm in contrast to my panic.
“I don’t have a car, and I don’t know, are there charters or something? A bus? I can’t ask Liam to take me back.” Most of us, with the exception of Ben and Chelsea, had piled into Liam’s SUV to come here because he has snow tires and chains and four-wheel drive. And in the dead of winter, you need them to get up these mountain roads.
“I’ll rent us a car. I’ll drive you back. Don’t worry. I’ve got you, okay? We’ll get you to your Gramps.” His thumb swipes away more of the tears from my cheek, and he looks at me thoughtfully.
“You? You can’t leave. This is your whole thing. This vacation. And your brother is here. You haven’t finished seeing him. And what it’ll look like if you take me. They’re gonna think it’s weird.” I start deflecting as I pull back from him and run around gathering my clothes into my suitcase. Because I don’t want to be an imposition on him. I don’t already want to be falling apart and become some huge disaster he has to help fix when we’ve literally only just started things between us.
“I don’t care what it looks like. I’ll just tell them it was the quickest way to get you down there. Just let me help you. I want to help you, okay?” He stops me again and kisses my forehead, bringing my chin up so that our eyes meet.
“Okay,” I nod, trying to stifle another little sniffle that makes me feel ridiculous. I have to get myself together.
“I’m gonna call around and get a car brought here. Then I’ll call our friends and let them know what’s going on. You just focus on getting packed up and ready to go, okay?”
“Okay.”
“It’s gonna be all right. We’ll get you there. I promise.” His voice has a firm edge to it. One that’s oddly reassuring.
“Thank you.” I almost start to cry again, but I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to stop the swell of tears I can feel bubbling up again.
“Of course.” He nods and pulls his phone out, starting to look for a rental place.
* * *
Less than an hourlater we have a car and we’re pulling out of the resort. It’s funny how well money talks when you have it. I’m insanely lucky Easton and his black card are here to save my ass. I have no idea how I would have gotten home today otherwise. I definitely don’t have the money to drop on a rental and making everyone go home would have made me feel awful.
I should have thought about all of this when I agreed to go on this trip. There should have been a plan. A plananda backup plan for something like this happening. I should have had lists. Backup batteries. I should have plugged my phone in. An alarm to remind me.
I send a message to Tammy and Tom to make sure the bar is still doing okay. I haven’t heard from them, so I hope everything is still running smoothly but now it feels like everything could fall apart. Like one domino could send my whole world careening out of order.
Because if I have to be at the hospital with Gramps, I don’t know who will run the bar, and if he needs long-term care I don’t know how we’ll pay for it. My mind starts spinning a mile a minute with all the things that I’ll have to take care of, and my chest tightens with the weight of it all.
“Wren?” Easton’s voice breaks through the fog, and I look over at him. His hand is extended palm open on the console, and I put my hand in his. “It’s gonna be okay.”
I thread my fingers between his and squeeze.
“You don’t know that. You can’t know. I don’t know,” I say softly, watching out the window as the snow-covered mountains whir past through the glass. I’m at least thankful it isn’t snowing right now, and the roads are relatively clear. I might actually make it in time to let Sherry get to her appointment. I feel awful that she’s taken responsibility for all of this in my absence.
“We’ll figure it out. If your Gramps is anything like mine, he’s strong. And if he’s anything like you, he’s a fighter. And we’ll get you there soon.” He squeezes my hand back.
“Thank you for taking me home. I really appreciate it. I didn’t mean to ruin your vacation. I’ll pay you back for the rental.”
“I’ve got it. And you didn’t ruin my vacation. I just wanted to spend time with you.” He brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses the backs of my knuckles.
* * *
I’ve never been sorelieved to see my Gramps in my life than I am when they finally let me in the room with him. He manages to mouth my name and take my hand with the arm that hasn’t been affected by the stroke. I kiss him on the forehead and give him a gentle hug.
“I’m sorry it took me a while to get here, Gramps. I was up in the mountains, and I came as soon as I could. They tell me you got yourself into a little bit of kerfuffle while I was gone though. Got yourself an extra special bed for the night, huh?”
