Page 5 of Jack

For the next hour, I enjoy food and drinks with my family hovering around me. This kind of attention makes me nervous. I’ll let them make a fuss over me tonight. I understand because I’ve missed them more than I thought I would.

Dad disappeared down the hallway half an hour ago. A couple of club officers followed him. That can’t be a good sign. Club business doesn’t care if we’re celebrating. I watch the hallway until the man I’ve missed the most walks out. I was wondering where he was.

One side of Jay's mouth lifts when he sees me. Before I’m off the stool, he’s standing in front of me.

“Glad you’re home. Sorry I couldn’t go with you.” Jay wraps me in a bear hug. The men in our family hug hard.

“Sorry I stayed gone so long.” I motion to the stool next to me. “Join us?”

Jay’s lips form a tight smile. He nods once to our grandfather and meets my eyes. “Can’t. Got some AA work.”

Oh, man. I knew something was up.

“I’ll go with you.” I turn to say bye to Granddad.

“Nope, boy.” Granddad pulls me onto my stool. “Jay’s got it. You can’t leave your own party.”

“They may need help,” I insist.

“Look.” Granddad points his finger in my face. “I’m not fighting with your Nana or your mom for losing you tonight.”

Oh, good grief. I drop my head back and groan. Nana appointed him my watchdog tonight.

Jay laughs and clamps his hand down on my shoulder. “Granddad’s right. Don’t make your mom and Nana mad. They worked hard on this party. You can ride with us next time.”

“Next time,” I agree.

I watch as my cousin leads about ten Vikings out the door. He has more than enough help tonight. I won’t miss the next one. AA work is the most important thing we do here at the Den. But he’s darn right. I’ll be there next time. There’s always a next time.

Chapter 3

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Lily

Weekend shifts are horrible. I’ve been here for four hours. Only eight more to go. It’s midnight. My feet already hurt. Thankfully, it’s time for one of my thirty-minute breaks. I hurry to the nurses’ lounge and drop down on one of the sofas. Oh, if I could stay right here for a couple of hours.

“Girl, you need to eat.” Nina Lowe pops two plates into the microwaves in the kitchenette.

“Too tired to eat,” I mumble.

“I brought fancy spaghetti,” she sing songs.

Of course, she did. She knows I love Italian food. Fancy spaghetti is what I’ve always called spaghetti where you put the noodles on the plate first. You top those with the sauce and meatballs. Parmesan cheese is sprinkled on next. Add garlic bread sticks and a side salad, and you’ve got a complete meal. My mom always mixed the noodles and sauce in the pot beforeserving it. When I was ten, I had fancy spaghetti for the first time at a friend’s house. It was special, different, and tasted way better.

“I’m coming,” I grumble and peel myself off the sofa. The smell of the sauce and garlic bread already has my mouth watering and my stomach growling. I want this more than I want to rest.

“Did you get any sleep today?” Nina sets the food on the table in the far corner.

“A little.” And by a little, I mean less than two hours.

“You can go home with me in the morning. We can crash and get a good eight to ten hours before our next shift.”

Her offer sounds wonderful. Too bad I can’t take her up on it. I signed up for every three-day weekend shift I could get. Twelve-hour shifts are awful and should be outlawed, but it’s better than being at home on the weekends. I’ve been doing this for the past four months. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep it up. I can pull the thirty-six-hour weekends with no problem. Joel’s getting tired of it, though.

“Thanks, but I better go home.” I turn her down, like always.

I’d love to go to Nina’s apartment and get some actual rest. The consequences I’d face for doing so aren’t worth it. Instead, I go home and listen to Joel fuss for hours. I nap when I can. It’s the best I can hope for. I started doing these long shifts so I wouldn’t have to spend so much time with him on the weekends. He’s getting suspicious and meaner.

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