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Carter
The next few days pass in a blur. Our lives take on a strange cadence. Work happens in the margins, but everything orients around the hospital.
Dominic is carrying around a crushing sense of guilt, but it pales when compared to mine. He thinks he’s responsible for what happened to Ed?
No. The true blame lies with me.
I did this. When Ed came back into town, I could have let bygones be bygones. I could have let go of the past. Instead, I’d allowed myself to wallow in my anger. I’d used my contacts to make sure Ed couldn’t get a job at any of the casinos. I’d buried him in legal proceedings. I’d done everything in my power to ruin his life. To make him go away.
I drove him into Denton Mitchell’s clutches. Dominic didn’t cause this. I did.
Noah knows his dad is in the hospital; I had no choice other than to tell him. He’s insisted on visiting every day, and it helps. But Ed’s recovery isn’t smooth. He’s better on Wednesday morning, but Wednesday afternoon, he has a terrifying setback and has to be intubated. It isn’t until Sunday morning that he’s finally transferred out of the ICU.
I go to see him in his hospital room. He’s sitting up in bed, reading something on his phone. He looks up when I come in. “It’s you,” he says flatly.
“Yeah.” The hostile tone isn’t a surprise; it’s exactly what I deserve. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m in the fucking hospital, Carter.” His voice rises, and pain washes over his face. He sinks back. “How do you think I feel?”
“Sorry. That was a dumb question.” There’s a chair in the room. I move the teddy bear that Noah brought Ed out of the way and sit down.
“Did you do it?” Ed’s voice is quiet.
“Do what?”
“Arrange the beating.” His lips twist in a sour smile. “I saw Dominic with the girl. Gabriella. She was one of your spies, right? Was she supposed to catch me drinking?”
I stare at him. “You think I sent goons to beat you up?”
“You want me gone.”
I swallow hard. “I wanted you gone.” Fuck me, is this how far he thinks I would go? Then again, can I really blame him? “Look, I’m not going to pretend I don’t want to punch you in the face. But if it comes down to it, I want the satisfaction of doing it myself. I’m not going to send intermediaries.”
He considers that, and then nods. “Do you know who it was?”
“Denton Mitchell.”
“No way,” he says at once. “He wouldn’t do that. Mitchell was the only person in this fucking town that would help me.”
“It was him,” I insist. “He’s trying to buy the Grand River, but Dominic refuses to sell. His thugs didn’t just target you. They also beat up one of the Grand River’s dealers.”
“This doesn’t make any sense. I have no love for Dominic, nor him for me. Why would Mitchell think either of you would care if I got hurt?”
Apologize, you idiot. Tell him you were wrong. Tell him you’re going to do whatever it takes to make amends.
The words freeze on my tongue. Habit, I guess. “Noah cares. By extension, so do I.” I change the topic. “Your doctor thinks you can be discharged by Wednesday. Noah’s been staying with me, but if you think you’re capable of taking care of him…”
His expression hardens. “Yes, Carter. He’s my son. I’ll take him.”
“Okay. I’m going to arrange for a team of people guarding your house. Just in case Mitchell decides to send his goons back to finish the job.”
He doesn’t like it, but he gives me a grudging nod. “Thank you.”
I turn to leave. His voice stops me. “One more thing, Carter.” I turn around and look at him. His expression is pained and raw. “When Chloe died, it wasn’t just your world that got upended. Everywhere I turned, there were memories of her. Every time I looked at Noah, I saw his mother. I fell apart. I’m not proud of it.”
“I know—”
He holds up his hand for silence. “The thing is, I didn’t abandon Noah. I left him with someone who would bring stability into his life. With someone who would love him and take care of him. With someone who would be a better parent than I was capable of being in that moment. I left him with you.”
