Page 47 of Forever Your Touch

“Motherfucker!” Mason seethed with anger. “It’s his fucking job to fucking cut the grass. Not yours. You should never have been out here doing this. If your bastard boyfriend can’t find the time to cut his own damn grass, then I’ll fucking do it from now on to keep you safe from yourself!”

Both Jo and Mrs. Daniels gasped, but for entirely different reasons.

“How dare you speak of my son like that?”

“No one has to keep me safe from myself.” Jo’s angry eyes bored into his, the blue so brilliant, it could make the deepest oceans weep. “I’m perfectly capable…”

He put a hand over her mouth. “No, Josephine, you are not. The bloody mess under this towel says you’re not. When you need the damn grass cut, you call me.” He closed his eyes, trying to get a handle on his temper. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Because you were exhausted.” She cried out when she moved her leg.

“Don’t move.” He locked his hand around her calf, making sure she wouldn’t. “I might have been, but it doesn’t mean I can’t help you. I’m your FIBB, remember? We discussed this last night. It’s my job.”

The wail of sirens sounded. Thank God. He needed to get her to the ER before she bled to death. The towels they had wrapped around her had already soaked through.

Mason and Mrs. Daniels moved out of the way while the EMTs worked. He couldn’t stop the wince at her scream when they moved her from the ground to the gurney. Shit, shit, shit.

He pulled out his phone and called Keith. Thank God he picked up.

“Yo, Mase. How’s it going?”

“It’s Josephine. There was an accident.”

“What the fuck? Is she okay?” Fear, the same fear Mason was feeling, bled out of the phone.

“No. She was trying to cut the fucking grass, and I guess she slipped and…hell, I don’t know what the fuck happened, but her leg ended up under the mower. It’s pretty bad.”

“Fuck.”

“Call your parents, and I’ll call you as soon as I know more…” He paused when the EMT asked if anyone was riding with them. “Mrs. Daniels, can you ride to the hospital with her? I’ll follow in my truck.”

“I can’t. I have a lot to do today.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. She’s your son’s girlfriend, the woman he loves, and you can’t go to the hospital with her?”

“She’s not my daughter.”

“Thank God for that small miracle. I’ll ride with her. One of my brothers can pick up my truck.” He gave the woman one last disgusted look and climbed in the ambulance. “Piece of shit.”

The EMTs looked like they agreed with his estimation of the woman.

The squawking coming from his phone made him remember Keith. “Shit, I forgot you were there.”

“Did that bitch just refuse to go the hospital with my sister?” Keith sounded quiet. It was his tell. When he got quiet, you got worried.

“I’m going with Josephine to the ER. You want to talk to her?”

“Yeah. I want to talk to her.”

Jo took the phone from Mason, her eyes wide. She’d never seen him this angry in the short time she’d known him. He looked ready to murder someone, preferably Ray’s mom.

“Keith…” The tremor in her voice belied how brave she was trying to be.

“Jo, you okay?” Anger vibrated in Keith’s voice. Not that she could blame him after overhearing Ray’s mom. If it had been Ray and her parents, either of them would have ridden to the hospital with him, despite how much they disliked him. They would have done it because of how much she loved him.

“No, I’m not okay, Keith. It really hurts.” Tears spilled over. She wanted her brother so much right now. He was always the one who was there every single time she’d seriously hurt herself growing up. She just wanted her family.

“I’m getting on a plane, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I can. I promise.”

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