Page 62 of Wait For It

I’d finally found a girl who liked me, and I’d let her down—thrown her to the wolves.

Clearly, I deserved every one of the caveats in my life.

I forced a hand through my hair and stared down at the white tablecloth. If I’d done more to put a stop to the condescending way Helen had treated Ari over lunch, none of this would have happened.

“—she was gardening and saw the paper,” the old woman droned. “Then, it was like something took over her body, and she flew into a rage. I was lucky enough to escape with my life. The next patient might not fare as—”

Enough. I held up a finger, silencing her. “Thank you for coming to me with this.”

“Absolutely, we have to stick together in here. Especially you, now that she knows who you are. No one is safe anymore. We can’t even lock our doors at night!”

My control slipped as I got to my feet, briefly unmasking the fury underneath. “I meant, thank you for showing me exactly the kind of person you are. It’ll make my request to have you removed from the facility much easier.”

The fork slipped from Helen’s fingers, clattering loudly against her plate. “You wouldn’t”—

“Oh, you bet your ass I would, and will. My only regret is not doing it yesterday before you had a chance to humiliate Ari. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it seems I have an appointment I just can’t miss.”

I got several feet from the table before turning back, unable to resist one last dig. “Remind me again what you called the director? You know what—never mind. I’m sure it’ll come to me by the time I get to her office.”

As I took the elevator down to the first floor, I couldn’t help but feel that by not giving Ari the benefit of the doubt, I’d earned my final strike.

I couldn’t change what happened, but I could damn well ensure that everyone here knew I wasn’t fucking around when it came to her.

I was empty-handed when I knocked on Ari’s door a little later that afternoon. There were no carefully rehearsed speeches tucked away in my pocket. No words would fix what had already been done.

Kinda like trying to put the toothpaste back into the tube once it was out, it would just make a bigger mess.

Apologies only worked when there was a marked change in behavior. Otherwise, they were just pretty words that meant nothing. It was time to suck it up and let the chips fall where they may.

Granted, I wasn’t physically opposed to groveling on my knees if needed. Theoretically, of course, as I was still non-weight-bearing.

Strange, I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d be willing to sacrifice anything for a woman—but Ari wasn’t just some woman.

Not that there was a chance in hell of me ever admitting it, but Bailey had called it.

My teammate had seen in one evening what I’d missed in weeks. I might have been good at reading people in baseball but hadn’t even cracked the spine on her. She wasn’t like the rest of them. And maybe if I hadn’t been so damn cynical, I would have realized it sooner.

Tsega gave me a cursory glance when she opened the door before shaking her head. She was like a guard dog, which I appreciated. Ari needed someone who did the right thing for her. “Now’s not really a good time—”

“I won’t stay long,” I interjected, catching the closing door with my right foot. “Look, I heard what happened. I came to see how she was doing.”

“You want to know how she’s doing?” she hissed. “See for yourself.”

The cryptic response came out sounding more like a warning rather than an invitation to enter, but I was just desperate enough to overlook it.

Ari lay with her back to me, facing the window. Her arms were tucked beneath her chin, making her appear much smaller than she was. I assumed she was sleeping until she sucked in a ragged breath.

Hearing her cry demolished the last of my control, and I didn’t think.I couldn’t. By the time I stopped to consider how it might look, the crutches were already forgotten on the floor, and she was wrapped up in my arms.

“I’ve got you,” I murmured into her hair. “I’ve got you.”

She hiccuped against my chest, gripping handfuls of my t-shirt before releasing another anguished sob. The raw sound shredded barriers I hadn’t even known existed. I felt the depths of her pain as keenly as my own.

The truth was like a fastball between the eyes. I might have had feelings for this woman, but I would never deserve someone like her in this lifetime.

Maybe not even in a million lifetimes.

“I spoke to the director. They’re transferring Helen to Oak Lake. She won’t hurt you ever again—”

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