Clean Lines (Cedar Tree #4) (8 page)

"I'll never forgive myself if that turns out to be the case," he says quietly.

"What are you saying?"

"I warned him not to talk to you, not to get in the middle of an investigation with an election year coming up next year. Maybe if I'd have let him talk..."

I interrupt him here, "Look, you don't know that. First focus right now is your son and you can't afford to waste time on guilt. He needs you. So focus."

"Right. Okay." He seems to get himself together just as one of Naomi's colleagues comes into the waiting area.

"Sheriff?"

"Yes, this is Les Vincent, Michael's father."

"Good. Mr. Vincent, your son has some facial trauma that we are not as concerned with right now as we are with the injury to his abdomen. An ultrasound shows that the knife has done substantial damage to some of his organs and he is bleeding into his abdominal cavity as well. We have to operate on him to see the extent of the damage and repair what we can. The OR is being prepped and the anesthesiologist is ready for us. All we need is your consent."

"Yes, do whatever you need to do to save him. Can I see him before?" The man is close to his breaking point, and as he walks away with the attending doctor, my heart aches for him.

"Mom?"

Fox's raspy voice pulls me from my thoughts.

"Hey, baby. How are you feeling?"

He's been slowly waking up from the anesthetic for a few minutes now, struggling to cling to consciousness.

His surgery took a little longer than expected and by the time Dean came to give me a report in the surgical waiting room, I was starting to get a bit worried. Luckily the girls were doing their best to keep me distracted. The delay had been caused by some bone shards that had travelled, and needed to be removed before he could properly set the bones and affix the plate and screws to keep everything in place. Fox might have to have another surgery in a month or two to remove them again, once the bone has sufficiently healed, but for now he was good to go. The girls left with promises to check in later when I come to see Fox in recovery.

"Sore... Thirsty..." he croaks.

"The thirst we'll call the nurse in for, she's in charge of your medication, but I can give you a bit of water."

I push the call button to get one of the nurses' attention and bend the straw in the water cup so he can take a sip.

"Not too much at once, love. You don't want to bring it back up," I caution him when he starts gulping it down.

When the curtain around us opens, I expect it to be one of the two attending nurses, but am surprised to find Jenna poking her head in.

Seriously?

"What can I do for you, Jenna?" I know I sound bitchy, but come on. After this morning's scene in the cafeteria, I thought for sure she'd leave me the hell alone.

"Just wanted to inform you of a change to the schedule you may have missed. You're on overnights, starting at nine tonight. And also, that request for time off? I'm afraid that won't be possible on such short notice."

At that she pulls the curtain shut and disappears, leaving me stunned. Then I get mad and am about to haul ass after her when Fox pipes up beside me.

"She just fucked you over, didn't she Mom?" his voice still raspy from drugs. "What did you do to her?"

"First of all, watch your mouth and secondly, I’m breathing, and that apparently ticks her off. I have no idea, Fox, but I'll fix it. Get some rest."

I put my head down on the bed beside his hand and close my eyes, fighting the urge to cry. Fox was coming home tomorrow and I had planned on spending a week at home with him. I should have plenty of vacation time banked, but I guess our wretched hospital administrator is intent on making my life even more difficult. It's ok. I can deal. I've dealt with other people's shit all my life; this isn't new. I just need a few minutes to pull back from this looming depression I feel myself sliding into. Once I do that, I can tackle anything again.
Right.

I feel fingers scratching my skull and know it's Fox. He used to do this a lot when he was little, run his little fingers in my hair and scrape the fingertips over my scalp. Even as a toddler it was his way to soothe himself... and maybe me.
Oh baby.

"What's wrong with her?" Joe's voice stops the fingers on my head and I miss their magic already.

When I lift my head, he's crouched down beside me, his hand on my knee and his face so close, it wouldn't take much to put my lips on his.
Jesus
.

"I'm ok, Joe," I answer before Fox has a chance to say anything.

"You're sad."

"Nah. Just a little worn, that's all."

"Why don't you go home for a bit?"

"Can't. Your girlfriend just informed me not five minutes ago, she changed the schedule so I have to work overnight, starting at nine tonight. Not to mention she nixed my time off to look after Fox so I'll have to make some sort of arrangement for that." I can't help the bitter bite in my tone, thinking he is at least in a small part responsible for pissing the bitch off. But when he drops his head down looking like the weight of the world is resting on his shoulders, I feel guilty for laying it on so thick.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"No. Don't apologize, although she never was, nor will she ever be, my girlfriend. I do take full responsibility for not seeing her for the vindictive shrew she is sooner. I'm sorry to have put you in this position. Let me talk to her, I—"

I stop him. I'm not about to let him do that. It would only make things worse.

"Don't think so Joe. You jumping in for me one more time would only add fuel to the flames. No thanks. I'll handle it," I say with much more conviction than I feel.

"What brought you back here anyway?"

His eyes flick over to Fox before coming back to me. "I was planning to check in on you guys anyway at some point, but eh... there was an incident in the park earlier and Michael Vincent, the other boy we picked up at Crow Canyon the other night? He was injured."

My hand automatically seeks out Fox's, which is clenched in the sheet.

"What happened?" Fox almost whispers.

"He was attacked at the public washrooms in the City Park. It's pretty serious, bud, but he's in good hands now and I'll keep you up to date. Promise. Listen, I know you just got out of surgery and I'm not going to bug you now, but do you think maybe tonight, before your mom starts her shift, I could come back and talk to you? I know you told me as much as you could that night, but I know a few more things now, and would like to pass those by you. Think that'd be okay?"

Joe looks at me, even though the question is directed at Fox and I see deep concern etched there. My balanced life is just crumbling to dust between my fingers when I realize his concern is for my son. I nod my assent.

"I need your mom for a sec. Promise she'll be right back."

With a small nod in the direction of the hallway, he indicates he wants me to follow. I turn to Fox, try to give him a reassuring smile and a quick kiss on the top of his head.

"Two clicks, Bub."

Out in the hallway, Joe pulls me in a quiet corner where he grabs my shoulders.

"Michael was severely beaten and stabbed. They have him in surgery but he's critical. I saw the two guys going into the washroom with him, and also saw them run out. One of them was there at Crow Canyon, Doc. Fox has seen him, knows him, has talked to him. We need to make sure Fox stays safe."

"H
ey, honey! So glad you're coming to stay with us. Finally someone who I hope will appreciate my cooking."

"Shut it, woman. Don't tell me I don't appreciate your cooking; in the past two years you've grown me a potbelly."

Fox finally cracks a smile, even though his face has read thunder since he found out we would be staying with Emma and Gus for a while.

Between my new schedule change and the myriad of uncertainties in our lives right now, settling in under the roof of a well-known security specialist gives me some peace of mind. Well... technically we'll be in the guesthouse and Fox will be there alone overnight, which is partly why we are doing this. I wasn't going to send Fox to school this coming week anyway, since he is still recovering and when Joe suggested moving in with us, or us moving in with him, I had to put my foot down. No way. Too close for comfort. I'm just getting used to talking to the man again, let alone having to share my morning coffee with him, or God forbid, having to watch him parade around the house half naked after a shower. Yes, my mind just went there.
Fuck
. Anyway, the guesthouse at Gus and Emma's had been refuge for quite a few of our friends already, so it felt okay to accept the offer when it came last night. Both Gus and Joe feel that with the attack on Michael, as well as the question marks around James' disappearance, this is the safest route, until we have more answers.

Emma already had Fox set up on their huge sectional couch with a plate of muffins that he was eagerly chowing down on.

"Slow down, Bub. You just started eating solids this morning. The bathroom in the guesthouse is something special I hear, but not hanging around the toilet bowl, I'm sure."

A roll of his eyes, but my kid isn't stupid; he knows I have a point and leaves it with the one muffin, putting the plate with the rest of them on the coffee table.

"Didn't know you had a go at the shower in the guesthouse too?" Emma snickers when I walk into the kitchen on the hunt for a cup of coffee.

"Shut up, you awful woman!" I laugh at her. "I never did, but one hears things; doctor privilege and all that."

"Oh phooey. You are no fun. Everybody's '
done'
that shower. That's why Gus had it put in."

I stick my fingers in my ears and blow raspberries at her.

"What did I put where?" Gus asks as he wraps his arms around his wife with a chuckle.

"Hush, we've got kids in the house."

"You are unbelievable Emma. You started with the sex shower and now you're scolding Gus?" I smile at her.

"Hello! Right here... and eh, not so sure I want to even have a shower in this amazing bathroom at this point," Fox pipes up from the living room, where he obviously was able to follow the discussion word for word. We look at each other and burst out laughing.

I'll have to get used to not driving to my house after my shift, which I almost do this morning. The night was relatively quiet, as weeknights often are, so I was able to check on Michael. I've never met the kid but Fox said he was 'okay,' which in sixteen-year-old speak is a seal of approval. He made it through his surgery, now minus a spleen and a portion of his liver, but he can grow old without those. Lucky kid. So far, no signs of infection which is the next major concern to look out for since his bowels were nicked and there was waste in his abdominal cavity. He was put on intravenous antibiotics right away and is being monitored very closely.

Joe never managed to come back to question Fox, but called me yesterday to let me know he would be by today. Things were hectic, he said. I bet. It's not everyday someone is attacked so violently in the middle of the day in Cortez. He sounded tired.

I love this drive to Cedar Tree. After exiting the 160 and turning onto County Road G, the scenery immediately changes. My thoughts immediately start wandering to the occasional chats I've had with Kendra about basing a clinic in Cedar Tree. I hadn't actually considered moving in that direction for quite a while yet, but given the atmosphere at the hospital and the shitty shift changes I’ve been handed, I’m thinking maybe I should keep my eyes open for opportunities. Maybe I could see how Kendra would feel about actually moving forward on those plans. Sure, it would mean getting Fox back and forth to school in Cortez, but that shouldn’t be too difficult to manage.

With my mind going a mile a minute, before I know it, I'm pulling into the driveway to Gus and Emma's house, and the guesthouse that is our home for at least the next week. I'm surprised to see Joe's truck sitting out front. It's barely nine thirty in the morning.

I take the path alongside the house to the back, where the guesthouse is located and find the door unlocked. Fox must be up and about. A quick check in the bedroom confirms he is gone. Probably at the main house being stuffed by Emma. She has a tendency to love everyone to death with food. Not that you'll hear much complaining; she's a good cook and a kick-ass baker. Bakes all the pastries for the diner, since Seb prefers to stick to cooking and is happy to leave the muffins and pies to Emma.