Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Steve had tears running steadily down his cheeks, as I’m sure everyone around us had the same emotions hammering through them. Molly continued her chant of pain, and we all took deep breaths as the paramedics finally arrived.
The rest of the situation was a whirlwind of activity as they immobilized Molly, and then strapped her onto the baby backboard. She was riding to the hospital with her mother and father within four minutes of the ambulance’s arrival on scene.
My body seemed to give out as soon as the boxy shape of the ambulance disappeared from sight. I dropped to my knees and lost every single bit of the lunch I’d had not even an hour before. Max’s hands pulled my hair back, and I started to sob. Nasty, gut wrenching sobs that could be described as nothing more than good old-fashioned blubbering. Snot and all. I buried my face into Max’s chest and cried my heart out.
Logically, I knew she’d be okay. She was talking, and responsive. My head was a different story. My brain kept that sickening scene on repeat, and couldn’t stop the images from searing to my brain.
“It’s okay, baby. She’s going to be fine. She’ll have a bright pink cast that you’ll have to write nice things on instead of profanity since she’s two. She’ll think it’s the best thing ever. Shhh.” He said as he rocked us.
I smelled my dad before he touched me or announced his presence. He smelled like oranges and leather, and the smell calmed my roiling stomach down significantly. He wrapped his arms around Max and I both; Max stiffened slightly, but then relaxed and allowed the touch.
“I love you, sweetheart.” My dad said voice trembling.
“What the heck happened?” My mom asked slightly frantic.
“Molly got into the road. The car hit her, and didn’t even stop!” Bennett all but yelled.
That got everyone’s attention.
“What do you mean it didn’t stop?” I asked him as I scanned for the dark car.
“That’s what I mean. Whoever it was didn’t even stop.”
“License plate number is 57H-G6H7.” Brandon, another cousin and former Seal, said from the street side.
A Texas State Trooper was questioning my brother as he tried to make sense of what we’d witnessed. Max surrendered me to my father, and we both watched as Max pulled his cell phone out and called someone. Once the phone call was done, he spoke with the Trooper, and then we went to the hospital and waited.
Four hours passed before we heard that Molly was going to be just fine. Aside from a mild concussion, surgery on her broken arm, and scrapes covering her face and arms, she was doing great. Her spirit was high, and she loved the funny nurses that worked on the pediatric ward. Her room was covered in fairies, which she absolutely loved.
We left the family smiling and laughing, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. Max wasn’t acting right, as if something was wrong other than the obvious.
I finally got tired of his silence once we were lying in bed that night. “Tell me.”
The silence stretched out awkwardly, and I was just about to open my mouth again when he blew me out of the water. “O’Hare almost killed a freakin baby.”
“What?” I asked confused, and then understanding finally dawned. “That was her?”
I absolutely lost it. What sick person would run over a little girl on purpose? At first, I wasn’t aware that it was anything more than a horrible accident, but the more I thought about it, the more the details became clear. Granted, Molly was close to the road, but she wasn’t in it. Where she was hit was a flat road, and had a speed limit of thirty miles an hour due to the school that was located across the street.
I remembered the driver running the stop sign. Also, I remembered hearing the revving of an engine.
The driver was definitely not going anywhere close to the speed limit. “You have to do something.” I demanded.
“I already did. I don’t think it’ll be very pretty either.” He said thoughtfully. “We got some information right before the reunion. I was going to tell you when we got back, but now I think I’ll keep that to myself.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I won’t be telling you. Go to sleep sweetheart.” He said and snapped the bedside lamp off.
The room plunged into darkness, and I debated whether to ask him what he was going to do. However, I replayed what he said, and how he said it, and knew that he wouldn’t tell me no matter how much I begged.
I would just have to trust him. I would have to trust that he wouldn’t get himself killed.
What I could do was make love to him, and that was what I did. Soft and slow, I loved him, as he needed to be loved. I worked him until he was begging for release, muscles and tendons straining, and still held off until the last possible moment. We both peaked together, and I knew that that would be the last time we would have to spend some alone time together for a while.
It was only when I was nearly asleep that he finally spoke.
“Please don’t hate me.” He whispered against my hair.
Chapter 14
Only trust people with big butts. They cannot lie.
T-shirt
Max
“You’re going to end up in jail, or worse, dead.” James said from his position beside me.
“I don’t really know what else to do. If we leave it like it is, I’ll end up dead anyway.” I reminded him.
“She’s got them in her back pocket.” James tried again.
“I know.” I said softly.
“Watch Payton for me. I’m pretty sure you promised me when we were in fifth grade that you would marry my widow and take care of my kids if anything ever happened to me.” I teased.
“No, you have it all wrong. I said I would comfort your widow. I didn’t say anything about marrying her. At least I don’t have to worry about getting her pregnant for a few months.”