Page 34 of Fox and Nitro
“Oh I was looking for Vi. I have a, ah, a dilemma.” I screw up my face and plop down on the couch next to him.
“Well, you’re shit outta luck I’m afraid. Vi is off talking my grandson off the ledge. I think she had your mother in tow as well, although I can’t be too sure how much help she would be.”
My brows fly up at this information. “What the hell? What’s going on? Where are they? What’s wrong with Jules?”
Pops rolls his eyes, holding his hands up to try and placate me. “Juno is due her next round of immunizations. Which mean Jules is having a fucking panic attack and to be fair, with the speed of which your mother’s Spanish and emotions were switching, I can’t imagine your sister is having a good time with either of them at the moment.”
I move to stand, “Which medical center are they at?”
Pops snorts, “Jules refuses to see anyone other than Switch. He’s filling in for someone at Rose Grove Medical, so head down there.”
“Thanks Pops!” I chirp before leaning down and smacking a kiss on his leathery cheek.
“You gonna tell me what the rush was?” he calls after me.
“Maybe later!” I yell back over my shoulder as I make my way out to my car.
Helping Vi with Mom is just the thing I need to settle my heart rate after agreeing to spend time with Fox and Nitro as friends. Strictly friends. I’m not looking for a relationship with one man, let alone two. Given that Gavin dumped me for being boring both in and out of bed, the thought of entertaining two men is frankly nuts.
I snort to myself as I park at Rose Grove Medical and make my way inside to support my sister. I’m about to ask the receptionist which room they’re in when I hear non-stop Spanish being yelled at the speed of light.
“Ah, do you mind if I head back and calm my mother down?”
“¡No puedo creer que con eso pienses tocar a mi bebé, ni loca!”
The receptionist nods at me wide eyed and I rush toward the sound.
“¡Quita las manos de encima!”
“Oh crap,” I whisper as I make my way down the hall, lightly rapping at the door. “Vi? Is Mom with you?”
The door flings open and Vi’s wild eyes meet mine. “You have to take her,please, between her and Jules it’s fucking chaos!”
I nod once, then move into the room, speaking in hushed tones like you would with a wounded animal. Mom has Switch backed into the corner of the room, poking his large chest with her finger, berating him in Spanish, while Jules has Junowrapped in his arms, eyes darting everywhere as if looking for escape. Laughter starts to bubble up inside me, but I swallow it down because any loud noises or sudden movements might set Mom or Jules off.
“Hey Mom? Mama, come on, let’s take a little walk, just you and me,” I soothe, wrapping my arm around her waist and I slowly extricate her from Switch’s personal space.
“Mija? Why are you here?” Mom asks, confused by my sudden appearance.
“I heard this is where everyone is, so figured I’d offer some moral support.”
“Thank you!” Vi mouths as I move past her making our way to the doorway.
“Come on, let’s go wait outside. I’ll get you some water and you can tell me all about how Switch is in there being mean to yournieta.”
I hustle her out of the hall and down to the waiting room, smiling at a small woman slumped in a waiting room chair with her daughter chatting away next to her.
“Sit, Mom, and I’ll grab you something to drink while you settle your nerves.” I roll my eyes once my back is turned and run into the little girl that was with the woman. “Oh, sorry sweetheart, are you alright?” she tips her head back and my eyes widen at the bruise on her face.
She doesn’t say anything, just stares at me with wide eyes and nods. I move to the water cooler, grabbing a small cup and filling it. Usually kids with bumps and bruises don’t worry me so much as I see them day in and day out at work. But there’s something slightly off about the woman and her daughter that has me studying them as I fill Mom’s cup.
The little girl is oddly subdued for her age, which I’m guessing is around 4 or 5, and the woman is sitting awkwardly, as if in pain. Her hair is down, hiding her face from my pryingeyes, but the little girl’s bruise is out for all to see. My heart clenches when I put all the clues together. Walking back toward mom, I instead sit next to the woman and offer her the water.
“Are you OK? Do you need any help?” Her wide eyes meet mine and it takes everything in me to not flinch when I see the split lip and dark bruise on the side of her face.
Her eyes dart around the room and her grip on the arm of the chair turns her knuckles white.
“You don’t have to say anything. But if you need me to get you and your little girl in my car and take you to the bus stop or to a friend, I can do that, no questions asked.”
