Page 29 of Letters Book Two
Mrs. Howard had gone home for some rest and to tend to some household chores, and it was just the two of us keeping each other company. She would return later for the night shift, her preferred time to be with hergrandson, as she had begun to refer to him full-time. “I like to talk with my grandson when it’s quieter around here,” she said. “I can catch him up on things and if I get tired, we share a bit of a rest too.”
Our eyes diverted to the door as two doctors hurriedly followed a rushing young woman into the room. She stopped three steps into the room and looked around. “Where is he?” she asked, looking from us and to the curtained-off area where Clint was hidden. “That sure as hell ain’t him.” She pointed a bright red lacquered nail at Lucas. She gave us a head nod and snapped her gum. “He sick too?” We were too shocked by her presence to answer, so we both nodded in unison.
The sudden arriver stood in the middle of the room smacking on her gum with crossed arms. Her legs were bare from the frayed-bottom edge of a very short micro-mini denim skirt to her six-inch stiletto-clad feet. A very tight and clingybarely theresweater hugged her ample breasts and showed her midriff. An extra three or four pounds of midriff should have been covered, but she obviously paid no mind and I sure as fuck wasn’t about to point it out. Her bleached blonde hair was teased into some sort of beehive style and had a minimum of thirty bobby pins keeping the wasp nest in check.
“Is he behind there?” She walked over and yanked the curtain back. She stood staring at an unconscious Clint, and then turned to the doctors. “He looks normal to me. Maybe he just had a fight is all.” She moved closer and pushed on his shoulder. “Wake the fuck up, Clint.”
I looked across at Chad. He had turned white, and his brow had furrowed in anger. I shook my head slowly at him and mouthed the wordno. He laid Lucas’s leg down gently and sat in the chair by the bed, instinctively reaching for Lucas’s hand. If he couldn’t protect Clint, he sure as hell was going to look out for Lucas.
The female doctor stepped toward the woman. “Ma’am, we can assure you that your husband is gravely ill.”
“Ex-husband!Let’s get that straight, missy.” She moved away from Clint and headed for the end of his bed. “Well, he don’t look it. Maybe he’s faking it.”
“Jesus! Faking it? What the...“Chad seethed through his teeth, and I shot him anotherlet’s stay out of itgaze. He seemed to be quite protective of this unknown to us man.
“Your husband... I mean, Mr. Bowers has been shot twice and lost a lot of blood. He has been unconscious since his arrival and the accident,” the other doctor, an older gentleman named Dr. Garrett according to his badge, replied.
Her eyes widened. “Accident you say?” She suddenly perked up.
“Yes, he was a victim of a crime, Mrs. Bowers.”
“I don’t go by Bowers anymore. It’s Rhonda Green again.” She pointed at Clint. “And... that would be considered an accident?” Rhonda grabbed the foot rail and smiled. “You think he’s gonna live?”
“We are doing everything we can to give him the best chance,” the female doc said, reaching beside Rhonda to grab the clipboard with Clint’s medical treatment plan. “Would you like us to go over things with you?”
“If he’s gonna die, it’s best if it happens before thirty days.” Our visitor had been reading the fine print of her insurance policy it would seem. Rhonda placed a nail against her lips, deep in a crazy thought she was mulling over. “And you’re positive they’d call it an accident if he were to die, say in the next coupla weeks?”
“Excuse me, Ms. Green, but what are you inferring here?” Both doctors looked from one to the other, and the female physician had heard enough and continued. “Are you worried about an insurance payout?”
“Hell yeah, I’m worried about an insurance payout. He only bought the accident kind. I told him I wanted the kind that pays no matter what, but he’s too fucking cheap for the good stuff.” She turned to me and scowled. “You judging me, dude?”
I had heard more than enough. “Ms. Green is it?” I crossed the distance between the two beds and stood at the headboard beside Clint. “This man is a hero. He most likely saved a life.” I jerked my thumb over to Lucas and Chad. “That is if the man lying in that bed lives.”
She glared at me and moved her eyes to the doctors. “Is he gonna die or not?” She reached for the clipboard one of the doctors held. “Give me that!” she hissed. The doctor quickly pulled the clipboard away in reaction.
“I’m sorry, miss, but you are not looking at his files,” I interrupted, as she turned her pissed off face back to me.
“Who the fuck are you?” She gave me the once over and smiled. “You’re one of his fag friends I’ve been hearing about, ain’t ya?”
“I’ve never met Mr. Bowers before his hospitalization.” I calmly held her gaze.
“Mr. Bowers, is it?” Her lips curled in disgust. “Ain’t the bunch of you fancy.” She stood glaring at me. “Stay the fuck outta my business, yuppie.”
I began moving toward the end of the bed and her. Her eyes darted around as she backed up a couple of steps. “You referred to him as yourex-husband, isn’t that what you stated?” I said in a low timber.
“Yeah. So, the fuck what?” She took another step back and the doctors stood wide-eyed as I closed in on her. They weren’t sure I wasn’t going to pop the crazy bitch.
She turned to them. “Get this fucker outta my space.” Attempting to wave me away with her fire-tipped nails.
I turned to the docs. “No need, doctors. It’s ok. I won’t be laying a hand on our visitor. However, I am about to deliver some bad news to Ms. Green.”
“What bad news you talkin’ ‘bout?” She tugged on the bottom edge of her sweater, all of a sudden conscious about her bare midriff.
“You divorced Clint, didn’t you?” I asked for confirmation.
“Damn straight. He couldn’t take care of me worth shit.”
“Is that divorce final?” I glanced at Chad as he was frozen in time, watching me, shock on his face, and took another step toward Rhonda. All she could do was nod her headyes, as she eyed me warily.
