Page 93 of Gifts

“He caught a knife.” Crew states this as if it was as mundane as Asa being bitten by a mosquito.

“A knife?”

“Sorry I woke you, but I know if it were Addison, she’d want a call. Go back to sleep and he’ll be home soon.”

“Where are you?” I move to my closet to pull out some leggings and a sweatshirt.

“Fair Oaks at the ER. With no traffic, my guess is he’ll be home in an hour and a—”

“I’m coming,” I blurt, balancing my phone between my ear and shoulder as I pull up my leggings. I slip on my Birks and add, “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

“No.” I hear a frown in his directive which doesn’t mean shit, because I’m coming anyway. Crew cannot tell me what to do. “Asa wants you home.”

I stop and ask, “Did you find who you were looking for tonight?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m coming. And if I get stopped for speeding, I’m throwing your name out there, Crew. I hope it means something between here and Fairfax.”

“Stay put, Keelie,” he warns again. “I mean it.”

“I’m sure you do,” I mutter and hang up on him.

I pull my sweatshirt over my head as I run down my stairs. I turn off my OTT security system as I’m grabbing my purse and the fob to my new loaner. I’m still arguing with my insurance over paying for my shot-up van. It seems drive-by shootings are somewhat of a gray area when it comes to car insurance.

I pull out of my garage and poor Ozzie is still here and as alert as ever. He gets out of his car and comes jogging over to the driver’s side motioning for me to roll down my window.

“Where are you going?” he demands.

I know I don’t owe him an explanation, but I do feel bad he’s been sitting out here forever. “To the hospital.”

“Asa told me to make sure everyone stayed put.”

My cell rings and when I see it’s Crew, I send it straight to voicemail. “I’ll take that up with Asa myself. I’m leaving, but I’d appreciate it if you’d stay here with the kids. Mine are fine with Levi and Emma, plus they sleep like the dead, but it will be nice knowing you’re here.”

He frowns, working his jaw, trying to decide what to do.

“You can try to stop me, but I’m already saddled up in this tank. I’ll drive right over you if I have to. Children come first, Ozzie. I can handle Asa, but if you leave our kids, I’m sure he won’t be happy.”

He shakes his head and steps back on a huff. “I’m gonna catch shit for this.”

My phone rings again and this time it’s Asa. I ignore it, put the monstrous Infiniti into drive and look to Ozzie one last time. “That’ll make two of us, I’m sure.”

*****

Asa

“I want to see my husband.”

I look away from the resident stitching me up. The guy got me across the ribs. When EMS saw how dirty the knife was, they reported it to the doc and I ended up getting scanned to make sure there was nothing in the wound.

“Ma’am,” I hear a frustrated voice mingling with Keelie’s. “If you’d let me see what room he’s in, I can help you. But you can’t just go looking in every room. And what was your name again? I need to see some ID.”

“I know he’s here, I don’t have time for ID.” Her voice gets closer. “His name is Asa Hollingswor—”

She stops abruptly in the doorway—her eyes go straight to my abdomen where the young doctor is sewing away. I see her labored breaths, and if I didn’t know how strong she was, I’d think she might pass out.

“Sir.” The attendant exhales, probably exhausted from chasing Keelie up and down the halls. “Your wife?”

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