Page 85 of Cash

Brick pointed out where they could have turned on Peace Street to get to the Flying Biscuit, much to Jules’s delight because it was so close, but Brick soon didn’t know what else to say. He chose to fumble around on his phone to pass the time and try to distract himself.

They arrived at Rex, parked, and Erasmus led the way to the emergency entrance. Brick didn’t understand why they were going this way until the security guard who manned the metal detector waved them through without checking any of them.

Guess they had friends here after all.

Erasmus seemed to know where he was headed, and he brought them to an elevator after slipping through a side door of the emergency room. There was quite a busy crowd of nurses and doctors tending to their many patients, and no one paid them any attention. They got into the elevator, and Brick reached for Jules’s hand.

Jules laced their fingers together, offering a small smile.

Brick didn’t feel much better, but he smiled back.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened, and they walked out to the hospital floor. It was clean, tidy, and the nurses’ station was directly across from the elevator. Erasmus stopped there for a moment to speak to an old woman with a long gray braid, and she pointed down the left hallway.

Erasmus nodded, and then he headed that way.

Brick stayed close to Jules, their hands still linked, and they followed Erasmus. They passed by a nurse working on a computer attached to a wheeled cart, but she barely glanced their way.

Erasmus paused at a room marked 2015, and he said, “Here.”

Brick went in first, opening the closed door and hurrying inside. His heart stopped when he saw Trixie laid up in the hospital bed, covered up to her neck in blankets and her eyes closed.

She stirred from the sound of the door, and she mumbled grumpily, “Whoever that is, you’d better fuck off right now because my last dose of morphine hasn’t kicked in and I know exactly where to stab you to hit your carotid artery.”

“Even neighbors with fabulously gay yards?” Brick grabbed a chair, scooting it up beside the bed so he could sit with her.

Trixie opened her eyes. “Hey!” She sounded a little dopey, but she was smiling. “Brick! What are you doing here?”

“Came to see you.” Brick put his hand on the edge of the bed. He wanted to reach out to her, but he had no idea where she’d been hurt. “We heard what happened.”

“What a fuckin’ day, right?” Trixie sighed loudly. “Thought I was about to go back to work for the last time, you know?”

“I’m so very, very glad you’re okay.” Brick again reached out to her, but he stopped again. “Okay, where is safe? What is safe here?”

“Here.” Trixie slipped out her arm closest to Brick so she could take his hand. “It’s on the other side. Fucker stabbed me in the back after he jabbed me with a syringe full of fuckin’ roofie juice.”

“Do you know who did it?”

“Fuck no.” Trixie made a face. “The cops already checked the security footage too. Whoever it was, it was like they knew to draw me over to the side of the back parking lot by the crematory.”

“No cameras there,” Brick recalled.

“Yup. The cops let me see the footage. You can see my stupid ass standing out in our usual smoking spot, and then someone got my attention because I turn around. There’s no sound, of course, so I have no idea who it was. I start walking to the back and just vanish.”

“Do you remember anything?”

“No.” Trixie sighed, her brow wrinkling. “I… I remember the pain. I remember pulling out the syringe. I definitely remember clawing the fuck out of somebody’s face or arm or something.” She squeezed Brick’s hand. “They took samples from under my nails. So, hey, maybe they’ll get a DNA match.”

Brick hated how disappointed he was, but he kept up a happy face.

What really mattered was that Trixie was okay.

“So. Is your giant friend gonna say hi or not?” Trixie whispered loudly.

“Oh! Right!” Brick beamed. “Trixie Gertern, this is Jules Price. Jules, this is Trixie.”

Jules approached from where he’d been lingering in the corner, and he nodded politely. “Hey there. Sorry about you gettin’ stabbed. That sucks.”

“Thanks.” Trixie laughed. “So, ahem, I’m assuming you two are getting along well since he totally wrecked your yard?”

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