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I dress quickly in the, surprisingly well fitting, jeans and t-shirt and step back into my room. Rick is holding some papers in one hand and Roxy’s pumps in the other.
“Here. Put these on and let’s go,” he orders, passing the pumps to me, which I snatch from him childishly.
“Is this how it’s going to be?” I say, leaning against the wall as I shove a foot in one of the pumps. Silence. “You giving me one word answers or short, abrupt orders isn’t going to work for me.” I crouch down to tie the laces.
When I stand back up, Rick is watching me with that intense and assessing gaze of his, and our eyes meet for a second before he looks away, stepping to the door.
“I have your papers. Let’s go.”
“Yeah, that right there, ‘I have your papers. Let’s go’” I parrot back to him in a deep-toned accent that doesn’t sound too dissimilar to Arnold Schwarzenegger in the filmTerminator.“That’s bullshit,” I state as I exit the room, my voice echoing down the empty corridor.
Twenty-Six
Jess
We drive through town in silence. It’s not uncomfortable per se, more tension filled. Like the fizz in a bottle of champagne ready to pop as you loosen the cork.
When we turn into Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, I turn to Rick. “What are we doing here?”
He spins the wheel quickly, reversing into a parking space and cutting the engine.
“There’s someone I need to see before we leave.” Rick steps from the car before I can ask anymore.
Hurrying to get out and catch him up, I hear the beep of the car locks as I reach him.
Inside, we travel to the ICU, and I begin to get a bad feeling. As we step out from the elevator, I grab his arm, stopping him.
“Rick, what’s goin—”
“Daddy, Daddy,” Max shouts as he barrels down the hall, jumping into Rick’s arms. I hear a grunt from Rick, and when I look, I see a half grimace half smile on his face. No doubt it’s from the blast, and he’s been hiding it well.
“Hey, bud. Sorry it took so long. You okay?”
“I’m fine, Dad,” he says like it’s a daft question. Then he gets serious, an uncertain look on his face. “Grandma is hurt, Dad. Is she going to die like Mum?”
I hear a small gasp from the right and look to see Jamie there, a hand covering her mouth. I almost let out a gasp of my own. I had no idea that Rick’s mum was ill. I try not to think about why Rick was with me instead of his family. Feeling eyes on me, I turn to Jamie, and her eyes widen and brows raise in an ‘I told you so’ way. Quickly looking away from her judgement and back down to Rick and Max, I see his throat bob as he swallows.
“Hey, no, Max, Grandma is going to be fine,” Rick says, gripping Max’s shoulders and looking right at him. “She just needs a little time, but she’s going to be just fine, right, Gramps?” Rick asks his dad as he steps up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The question is meant to reassure Max, but I get the feeling Rick is looking for assurance too.
I suddenly feel like I’m imposing but still I remain standing here.
“That’s right.” A look passes between the two men before Rick’s dad takes Max’s hand. “How about you and I see if we can find something for Grandma at the gift shop while your dad sits with her.”
“Okay, Gramps. Do you think Grandma would like some grapes? That’s what you give to people when they’re in hospital, isn’t it?” he asks as they walk off down the corridor.
Rick stands, rubbing his hands down his face, and it’s only now I notice how tired he looks.
“I’ll be back shortly, then we’ll talk,” he says to them all, including Ryder who has joined us along with a beautiful woman holding a baby standing at his side.
“She’s in the last room on the right, and we’ll be here when you get back, Sully,” Ryder says, and I can’t help flinching at hearing Rick being called Sully.
Rick starts to walk away but pauses, turning back to me as though he has something to say before changing his mind and carrying on down the corridor.
Ryder introduces me to Cam and their baby, Jamison, before we all move to take a seat in the small waiting area just outside the ICU, only I can’t sit. Instead, I pace by the window overlooking the car park and attempt to wrestle with my conflicting emotions. My headache, that was slowly easing, returns along with a tightness in my chest that no amount of slow, deep breaths seems to lessen.
“Want to explain what that was?” Jamie asks, looking at me expectantly.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” I feign ignorance, despite having a good feeling what she’s talking about.
