Page 5 of Finding Hope

I look toward Jim with the long moppy hair, the eternal joker now wearing an uncharacteristically grim face, then to Jon, with the military haircut and no bullshit attitude.

I stop on Aiden. He’s the most likely to tell me the truth. “Aiden?”

Pressing a kiss to his wife’s brow and avoiding my gaze, he nods. “Yeah, Jack, he’s in this hospital.”

Although the pain throbs through my body and sets every limb on fire, although bile rises in my throat and threatens to choke me the way Stephchoked on her own blood, I kick my legs out and attempt to sit up in my bed. Using mylessbroken arm, I throw my blankets away and swing my pain filled legs over the side of my hospital bed.

Jumping forward, Kit grabs my shoulder and pushes me back. “Jack, no. You can’t get up.”

“Take me home, Kit.”

“Jack.” The doctor steps forward with a hand to push me back, but Jon steps between us and has him warily backing away.

“Jack,” the doctor tries again – and keeps his hands to himself. “You can’t go home. Your injuries are too severe. It’s too dangerous. Your spleen could bleed again, your–”

“Write me a script, doc. I’ll take my narcotics home.”

“Mr. Reilly!”

My eyes snap up with fire. “Mr. Reilly was my dad. He died in this hospital, by the way. Get my discharge papers ready. I’m leaving.”

“But–”

“I won’t ask again, asshole! Get the paperwork ready. Trust me, this is best. If you make me stay, your drunk driver will not survive the night.”

He scurries away with a white face and big eyes, but at least he scurries away.

“Jack,” Kit admonishes softly. Her hand comes to my shoulder, but no one pushes her away. “You need to stay here.”

I shake my head. I don’t want to explain myself, but I can’t bring myself to speak to her the way I spoke to the doctor. She doesn’t deserve my anger. “Remember a long time ago when you were in here? When you wanted to go home? We kept nagging at you to keep your ass put, but you wanted home…”

A single fat tear slides along her pale cheek. “I remember.”

“You wanted to go home.” My voice catches on emotion. “Please take me home.”

Aiden clutches to Tina’s hand and opens the door. “I’ll organize nurses or whatever.” His dark eyes come to mine. “I’ll take care of it.”

I nod toward the empty doorway as the door shuts behind them. “He gets it.”

By dinnertime, I’m set up in my own home, though my room’s been magically moved downstairs instead of up. Eating warm broth for dinner and scowling at my matronly nurse, I push my bowl away. “You can go to bed, Jenny Greenteeth.” I actually have no clue what her name is. “I’m going to sleep.”

Turning away and painfully rolling over in my bed, ignoring my ribsand arm and, well, my entire body, I face my three-legged dog, Annie – my giant half Labrador, half black bear – as she pants in my face.

I haven’t seen her in days. I’m not even sure how long, but a few days, at least. She sits on her haunches and rests her chin on the mattress beside my pillow.

Her eyes are unbearably sad.

She’s just a dog, but sheknows.

Bringing my hand up slowly, I play with her whiskers and watch her eyes close the way a woman’s might when her lover strokes her ribs.

The way Steph’s have when I slide my hand along her thigh.

Annie’s in mourning. She knows who’s missing from our home tonight. She knows I’m hurt. She’s the best dog in the entire world, and now that Steph’s gone, she’s myonlybest friend.

My sister insisted on staying with me tonight.Allof my sisters did, but they have families and husbands to take care of. They have a life. And hell, they all live next door. We live in our own estate; seven houses all smacked together and protected by a giant gate.

Family only.

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