Page 55 of Wild Cub

“Wait, Aggie, are you okay? What happened? Who’s hurt?” Fear washes over me, leaving no breathing room.

“It’s Jeremiah. I’ll explain when you get here. Second floor, east wing.” She hangs up and like lightning, I’m gone in a flash. I race to the parking lot, spotting a black truck under the streetlamp. I rush over, knocking on the window frantically. I must have startled someone because I can hear the curses. The window rolls down: Keola’s on duty tonight.

“Jesus, you know how to sneak up on someone.” He shakes his head. Apparently, this man’s oblivious. Not a great trait for a tail.

“Keola, ain’t got time. You’re following me to Memorial Hospital. Something happened to Jeremiah,” I yell as I sprint to my car. At this point, all notions of a normal reason for being in the hospital fly out of my head. Did Jeremiah did not heed my warning? I hope this is just a false alarm, that he’s completely fine. Damn speed limits and traffic.

Arriving at the hospital is a blur. I don’t remember where I parked, and frankly, I don’t care. Keola’s in tow as I make my way down the hospital halls. I frantically press the elevator button, but nothing’s coming. I bolt towards the stairs to the second floor. The stomping of footsteps behind me gives off a pounding echo.

“Fucking hell. If I’d known we were doing cardio, I’d have prepared myself,” Keola lets out, breathless.

“Sweetie, always be prepared to run.” One of my golden social work rules. I slam open the door to the second floor, scaring every doctor and nurse in my path. As I get closer to the east wing, my invasive thoughts start peaking. I pause for a brief moment, realizing what the east wing is. Bold letters scream at me:Intensive Care Unit. The threat of tears sting my eyes.

I reach the nurses station, sucking in gulping breaths, asking for his room.

“Ma’am, you have to be on the approved list,” the nurse tells me.

I don’t bother with niceties. “I was called by Aggie Williams; she should be the emergency contact.”

The nurse gives me a sad but firm look. “I cannot confirm that, ma’am. I cannot divulge any information at this time ..”

I almost crumple to the floor, and I feel a pair of arms catch me, pinning one of my arms to keep me steady. “Mm, dead man walking,” I hiss.

“That would mean you have to admit something that you don’t want to admit.” I smack Keola’s chest with my free hand, which he catches too. “Either you control yourself, or I’m going to handcuff you, toss you back in the truck, and hand you off to Jackson.”

I scowl at him. “You wouldn’t dare,” I growl.

He just quirks an eyebrow. “Try me.”

He lets go of me and I rub my wrist. A hand meets my shoulder and turns me around. Aggie, with irritated red eyes and wet cheeks, pulls me into a fierce hug. I can hear Aggie speaking with the nurse, but I don’t register the conversation. All I know is that I’m being pulled further down the hall. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Keola on the phone, but he loses traction behind us as Aggie ushers me into Jeremiah’s room..

The beeps are high pitched, screeching in my ears. All the air seems to have been sucked out of the room. Jeremiah lies on the bed still, no movement. Wires poke out everywhere, the beeping of the heart monitor telling me he’s still with me. My heart beats slowly, to the point of questioning whether I’ll be seeing heaven soon. There are tubes in his throat, his face almost unrecognizable, eyes black and blue against his aged dark skin, possibly swollen shut. How I wish I could see those dark caring eyes staring down at me again. His left leg is lifted above him for elevation, pins peeking out from the blankets.

I grab his hand, holding it close to my chest. Tears spill down my cheek. Everything’s hazy, my vision gone, my body numb. I sink down to my knees, holding his hand. Guilt, disappointment, it all rushes at me at once, and I sob lightly. “I’m sorry, my friend. Please, come back to me. Please.” I repeat the apology over and over. He doesn’t deserve this. A hand meets my shoulder, stirring me back into the present.

“This is my fault. I didn’t listen. I wasn’t there.” My voice cracks with every word.

“Child, you know there isn’t anything that man could be talked out of, not if he really wanted to do it,” Aggie says, rubbing my shoulders. Tears continue to roll down my face; I can’t stop thinking about what could have happened to him.

“What happened, Aggie?” I ask again with grit in my voice. Anger rolls through my veins.

Aggie sighs and sits in one of the chairs across his bed. I can sense the heaviness in her heart. “Jeremiah called and said he was following the white van. Said that he wasn’t wasting time again, waiting on people who didn’t care. I told him to wait for me, but he didn’t. I know he left the garage after he called me. Child, he must have found something, because he left a voicemail. I didn’t listen to it; I figured you’d want to listen as well.”

I choose to wait on that for a more important question. “Aggie, how did you find him?”

The long pause doesn’t bring me comfort. “I was walking out of the center and he… he was laying there. Motionless, blood everywhere. His face was contorted and starting to swell. Tessa, he was dumped, like no one cared. I called the ambulance. Thankfully, I’m an emergency contact, and they allowed me in. That’s when I called you.”

Pain and guilt radiate through my body. “I’m not leaving until I know he’s safe.” A light bulb flits on in my mind and I reach for my phone. Instant regret hits my blood. I’m certainly asking for a one way ticket to hell.

“Little Cub.” My heart sinks, the wounds bursting back open at the breathless way he calls to me.

“Jackson.”

He doesn’t wait for me to say anything more. “I know. Someone’s coming up there to watch out for him. Johnny will be there soon. Figured you’d want someone you know. Perhaps even trust.”

He’s always two steps ahead of me, has me figured out. Yet, he couldn’t see or figure anything else out. I don’t know what to say anymore. Silence takes over again.

“Teresa. I know I hurt..”

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