Page 68 of Every Breath

The doctors were running tests on him when Karen burst into his hospital room. She looked pissed. “You sorry motherfucker! You could have killed my son!” She was beyond enraged.

He winced, her loud voice aggravating his headache. “Could you please not yell? I hear you loud and clear. I’m sure the entire hospital hears you.”

“I’ll yell if I want to. What the hell were you thinking when you ran that stop sign? Did you think you were too good to stop or that you’re too important to obey the traffic laws?”

“Karen, calm down.”

“No, I will not calm down. You have been a complete and utter bastard, but I didn’t think that even you would endanger my son’s life. I want you to stay the hell away from him. You’ve hurt Ben for the last time.”

Mason sat up, ignoring the pain from his fractured collar. “Did it occur to you that maybe, just maybe, it was an accident?”

“I wouldn’t put anything past you. Well, now you’re going to pay. I’m going to sue your sorry ass for endangering my son, and I’m going to press charges against you with the police.”

“On what basis?” he asked incredulously.

“Child abuse. You wouldn’t have gotten into an accident if you drove like a responsible person. If you want to drive like a jackass, you shouldn’t have had Ben in the car with you! You can just die for all I care!”

“This has all been about you, hasn’t it? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in here raging against me for some imaginary sin against him.”

“Imaginary! My son has just been in a major car accident thanks to you, and you have the nerve to tell me it’s imaginary?”

“I’m not saying that the accident was imaginary. I’m saying that it wasn’t intentional. You’ve been waiting for me to mess up, haven’t you? You wanted something to happen so you can justify your irrational anger.”

“Oh, isn’t it just like a man to call a woman irrational when he knows she’s right. Let me tell you something, I will never let you see Ben again. I’m sure that given your track record as a deadbeat dad and all-around jerk that no court would disagree.”

“And if I fight you?”

“No court will grant you any type of visitation after this. I hate you and it’s time for you to suffer for what you have put me and Ben through.”

Mason lay against his pillow. His head hurt so badly that he could barely think straight. “Okay. You’ve said your piece. Now you can leave.”

Mason realized that no amount of arguing or pleading his case would make her see reason. If it took going to the courts to get visitation rights to see Ben, then that was what he would do. He opened one eye to see her still standing over him. She looked surprised.

“What? You don’t have anything else to say? You don’t care about not seeing Ben again?”

“I care very much about seeing my son again, and for whatever it’s worth, it was an accident.” He leaned his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes again.

“Just what I thought. You were looking for an out, weren’t you? This is exactly what you wanted me to say, wasn’t it? Now you can walk away neatly and cleanly and put the blame on me. I won’t let you do that!”

Mason sighed. Why wouldn’t she just go away? He turned his head to look at her. “You can’t have it both ways. You either want me in his life or you don’t. You’re making this more complicated than it has to be.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m some errant child. I’m going to make sure Ben knows just what kind of bastard you are.”

“Are you finished?”

“Not by a long shot!” she snapped.

“Then hurry up and say whatever else you need to get off your chest and go. I’ve asked you once already.”

“You think you’re so clever, worming your way back into Ben’s affections as though it will make up for all your years of neglect.”

“So you’re willing to hurt Ben? I am begging you to think clearly about this. If you do this, he will get hurt in the process.”

“He’s already been hurt by you; this will be just more of the same. He needs to know what kind of person you are so he won’t be hurt by you anymore.”

Mason shook his head at her vehemence. He knew he shouldn’t take it personally because of what Mason had done to her. He had hurt her so badly she couldn’t stand the very sight of him and he wondered if he would have shown as much restraint as she did, if the situations been reversed. He still couldn’t believe Mason Collins would get off with just purgatory instead of the hell he deserved. As a cop he’d seen many kinds of evil, but nothing quite like this.

He was sure Karen was a good woman. She just happened to hate his guts. Ben seemed to love her, and that was what was important.

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