Page 24 of Bully's Second Chance
She came around and placed her hand on my shoulder. “It means he’s got an incurable kidney and brain cancer. And it’s slowly creeping down his spinal cord. Now, it’s just a waiting game.”
And as I looked down into Jim’s sunken-in face, so many things about Jax and his anger fell into place.
“I’ll take care of you the best way I know how,” I whispered to Jim. Then, I turned my attention to Adelaide. “What do you need me to do?”
9
Jackson
Ipinched the bridge of my nose before I took another caffeine chew and tried to wake myself up. The last thing I needed to be doing was falling asleep in the middle of the day after a sixteen-hour private jet flight all the way into Shanghai. And once I felt the caffeine kick in, I sat up and reached for my phone.
I needed an update on my father.
“What in the world?” Lily asked groggily.
As she fumbled with her video call, I caught the most tantalizing glimpse of her leg. Her silken nightgown rode up as she tossed the covers off her body, and I felt an instant hard-on press against my linen pants.
“Nice pajamas.”
Her face quickly became the only thing on my screen. “Quit looking. I was trying to sit up. Do you know it’s—”
I grinned. “Maybe I should rub one out. You know, give you more time to piece yourself together.”
She scoffed. “I could report you for something like that.”
I winked. “Not what you said a couple of weeks ago.”
She stared me down. “Anyway.”
I held the phone up as I lay there in my empty penthouse suite. “How’s Dad?”
She shook her head softly. “Why didn’t you tell me it was your father, Jax?”
“How’s. Dad?”
She rolled her eyes. “His pain meds had to be upped again last night. Adelaide says he’s only got one more tier to go before he’s maxed out.”
It broke my heart, but I did my best not to show it. “Adelaide has been very good to him over the past year. How’s his eating?”
She sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me your father was so sick? You know damn good and well I would have done this without the NDA, or even without you asking for a favor.”
“The NDA is to protect everyone involved, not just me or you.”
“I understand that, but—”
“Just answer my questions and don’t make this difficult. How’s his eating?”
Her jaw clenched, and I knew I had pissed her off. “He’s only eaten a third of his plate for the last couple of meals.”
“Fuck,” I hissed.
“Adelaide wants me to let you know that those things will become regular until his body starts shutting down. She says it’s not the cancer that will kill him, it’ll be the—”
I closed my eyes. “—malnourishment and dehydration, I know.”
“I would’ve rather heard this from you, you know.”
She spoke so softly that it tortured me inside, and I wasn’t even sure why. “I know.”
