Page 70 of Turning Tides
“I’m afraid I can’t disclose that. All I can tell you over the phone is that he’s here and he’s stable.”
“What room is he in?” Archer was trembling now. Whether it was fear or anger or shock, I had no idea.
Cyrus was already shutting the stove off and digging around in my cupboards for containers to store the food in. Marshall took everyone’s drinks and dumped them down the sink. None of us had drank very much, but it was like all of us knew where this night was going to end up.
“He’s still in the emergency room.”
Archer sagged against me, the strength going out of him as he promised to be there as soon as possible. Clayton didn’t live in our town. He was a four-hour drive away.
Archer ended the call and stared at the phone. “Clayton doesn’t have anyone else.” Archer sounded small and scared. A little angry too, but at what? Clayton or the situation in general?
“We’ll leave right now,” I said, pulling Archer into a hug.
“We’ll come with you,” Cyrus said.
Archer shook his head. “It’s too far away and Cyrus has work tomorrow. I don’t want Shane’s business to suffer because of my baggage.”
“Archer, you don’t have to go.” Cyrus clenched his jaw and I could see the monumental effort he was putting in to bite his tongue.
“I do, though. I’m not like him, okay. I’m not going to abandon him when he needs me. I don’t know exactly how I can help, or what he even needs, but I know I’ll regret it if I don’t do something.”
“We’ll leave now and we can get a hotel. I’ll pack us a bag. Cyrus, can you take dinner home with you so it doesn’t go to waste>” I brushed a kiss against Archer’s forehead.
Cyrus nodded. “And I’ll pack you two something to eat on the drive.”
I met Cyrus’s gaze and gave him a nod. Archer didn’t want him along for whatever reason, and Cyrus was doing his best to accept that even though he clearly hated it. Marshall steered Archer to a chair to sit while Cyrus dug in my fridge.
Because Archer had been spending so much time here, he had his own drawer in my dresser and a section in my closet. I grabbed a small duffel bag and packed a change of clothes for us and toiletries. If we were gone longer, I could always buy us whatever we needed.
I sent a text to Kieran to let him know I was heading out of town, and why, and where Archer and I were going. I promised to update him when I had more news. Knowing what Clayton had put him though, I was tempted to try and talk Archer out of going to see him. But it was clearly important to him, which made him a better person than I was. I wasn’t prone to violence, but in certain cases I’d be willing to make an exception. Like in Clayton’s case.
I knew little about him. Archer didn’t talk about him a lot, which was understandable. All I knew was that, once upon a time, he’d been Archer’s best friend, and then he’d fucked him over. His gambling addiction had only come to light recently, which explained his past behavior, but that wasn’t an excuse.
Plain and simple, if someone had fucked me over the way they did to Archer, I wouldn’t be driving four hours to go make sure they were okay.
A couple of deep breaths helped calm me a little. I didn’t want Archer to see how angry I was. It was important to me to be supportive of him and his decisions, even ones I thought were stupid. This was important to him, therefore it was important to me.
Clutching the handles of the duffel, I went back to the kitchen where Archer sat. He’d put his shoes on and there was a bag of snacks next to him. Marshall was busy loading the dishwasher when he looked up and saw me.
“Drive safe. Text us when you get there.”
“Yes, Dad.” I tried for humor to lighten the mood. It didn’t work, but I’d like to think that I got bonus points for the attempt. “Can you lock up on your way out?” I asked Cyrus.
“Of course,” he said. “Call if you need anything.”
“We will,” Archer promised Cyrus before I could get a chance. The gesture was small, but it made the furrow in Cyrus’s brow ease up. Despite things with dinner not going as planned, it gave me hope that the brothers had found a way to exist in each other’s lives without going insane. Cyrus had learned to ease up, and Archer had learned to let him in. Even if the steps were small, they were still going in the right direction.
Now we just had to deal with Clayton. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I didn’t think Archer was either.
“Are you okay?” I asked him once we were in my truck and on the road. Archer had been quiet the whole time. Quiet and rigid and far away. He dragged his gaze over to me and let out a deep breath.
“Honestly, I have no idea.”
Chapter 34
Archer
Clayton had been movedup to a bed by the time Shane and I arrived at the hospital. On the drive, Shane had urged me to eat something, but that was a regrettable decision. The contents of my stomach churned the moment we walked in the doors. I didn’t have a particular aversion to hospitals, but I didn’t feel prepared to see Clayton. In my mind, I’d never see him again. He’d ruined our friendship and my life. Though, with Shane’s hand linked with mine, it was hard to feel that way.
