With no small measure of relief he turned off at the Fletcher Avenue exit and worked his way through traffic toward the hospital.
I’m almost there, buddy, he thought. Hang on.
* * * *
Antonio felt more than relief to finally clock out. He’d filled in for a buddy in housekeeping and hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. Exhaustion didn’t begin to describe how drained he felt.
He checked his cell as he slid behind the wheel. Shit, he’d forgotten to call his girlfriend and tell her he’d worked a double shift. She would have his balls. Maybe it was time to think about ditching her. She acted crazy jealous about every little friggin’ thing. He didn’t need that kind of stress in his life.
He dialed her cell as he started the car and put it in reverse with a careless glance behind him.
She answered after two rings. “Where the fuck you been? I been callin’ you.”
“I’m sorry. I worked a double.” He jammed on the brakes and waved an elderly man across in front of him. Damn, he’d nearly hit the dude. “Dave’s wife just had a baby, it arrived two weeks early. I worked his shift for him.”
“Why the fuck you can’t call me and tell me this?”
He weaved his way through the parking lot toward Fletcher Avenue. “Because it was last minute. I’m sorry, but I’m freaking exhausted. Look, I don’t want to fight with you right now, okay?”
* * * *
Thomas spied the hospital and fought the urge to speed up. He was almost there. It would be okay. Everything would be okay. He’d spent plenty of time here, between Nevvie’s hospital stay, and then when she had Adam, and he knew his way around. He decided to cut through the employee lot instead of swinging around to the main entrance.
* * * *
“What the fuck you mean you don’t want to fight with me right now? Maybe we should just call it quits, is that what you sayin’?”
Antonio groaned. “Look, baby—”
“Don’t you look baby me!”
He glanced to the left, didn’t see anything, then looked to his right. He had to wait for an oncoming car so he could make a left hand turn across Fletcher.
* * * *
Thomas glanced down at his cell phone to check the time and popped his helmet strap off to scratch his chin. He’d be taking it off in less than a minute anyway. When he looked up, an old shit-brown Ford had pulled out in front of him. Thomas had time to register the shock on the young driver’s face, as well as the fact that the guy was talking on his cell phone, before the Harley plowed into the driver’s door.
Thomas’ world went black.
* * * *
John Dekins walked outside the ER entrance to take a smoke break and lit his cigarette. His sixth attempt to quit had failed and his wife would have his balls. Again. After taking a long drag he looked up to see the car pull out of the parking lot and the motorcycle T-bone it. In stunned disbelief he watched as the biker tumbled over the car and hit the pavement on the far side.
The biker didn’t move. Cars going in both directions on Fletcher slammed on brakes.
Tossing his cigarette to the ground, Dekins ran into the ER and yelled at the nurse on duty at the desk. “Call a code, and get a gurney! We just had a motorcyclist get hit out front!”
He ran outside and raced across the parking lot, adrenaline pumping, jumping shrubs and bolting out into the street where he checked the biker’s pulse. The biker had lost his helmet in the crash, but he was alive.
Dekins glanced at the car and expected to see the driver moving, considering it was a huge, old, piece of shit car. Then he realized the bike’s front wheel was buried inside the driver door, through the window.
On top of the driver.
“Aw, damn.” Three more nurses and a doctor ran over, as did an ambulance crew that had just dropped off a patient. They’d have to deal with the driver, if he wasn’t DOA. He already had one patient to work on.
Well, if he had to get creamed, at least he picked a good place to do it. He waved the ambulance crew over to the biker and they slid a backboard under him and fitted him with a cervical collar to stabilize his spine before loading him onto the stretcher.
“Where do you want him, Dr. Dekins?”
He jogged along with the EMTs. “Straight into three, I think it’s open, but he won’t be there for long. His leg’s fucked, looks like he might have head trauma…”
Chapter Seven
Nevvie paced. Eddie volunteered to take Adam back to their house.
“Do you have your key to our place?” she asked.
“Yeah. Want me to pick up more stuff?”
“Can you keep him late for me? Maybe all night?”
“Of course I can. Jesus, babe, you know you don’t need to worry about that.”
She broke down crying again. “I’m sorry, Eddie.”
He held her, trying to soothe her, looking at Pete over her shoulder. While at first uncomfortable with Tyler and Thomas’ choice to add her to their family, as they got to know Nevvie they understood why their friends loved her. She was sweet and perfect for them, obviously devoted to the two men beyond any boundaries of sense and reason. He and Pete had both come to love her like a little sister. Seeing her this torn up broke their hearts.
“Nev, you know he’s gonna be fine,” Eddie hoarsely assured her. “He’s a tough bastard. He just has you and Tommy fooled into thinking he’s a big softy.”
She choked out a laugh and sat back, wiped her eyes. “Thanks, Eddie.”
Pete handed him his keys. “You take our car. I’ll get a ride back later.”
Peggy stood. “I’ll get the car seat base for you. Nevvie, you want to walk outside, stretch your legs?”
She shook her head. “I’ll stay here.”
Bob took Peggy’s chair, next to Nevvie. “We’ll sit with her.” Pete flanked Nevvie on her other side, comfortingly patted her leg.
When it was just the three of them she leaned against Pete’s shoulder and he draped a meaty arm around her. “Now you listen,” he said. “You stay tough for him. You know how he is. He’ll feel bad you’re upset and that’ll make him feel guilty.”
She sniffled and nodded.
* * * *
Eddie carried the baby and the diaper bag while Peggy carried the empty carrier. They heard sirens blaring from somewhere close by, looked up, and saw several emergency vehicles in the street a half a block away.
“How do you think she is? Really?” Eddie asked.
Peggy set the carrier down next to Nevvie’s car and shook her head. “If that boy doesn’t pull through, Thomas is gonna need y’all. She’s one step from going off the cliff, I think. They lose Ty, it’ll kill them both.”
Eddie sniffled. “He’s such a sweetheart. Goddamn, I hope he makes it okay.” Eddie stared at the baby, who was trying to fall asleep again. “This little guy looks just like him. They’re both crazy about him, but it’s like Tyler changed for the better when Adam came along, you know? Like he was finally complete. I never thought I’d ever see him happier than when they got together with Nevvie. Then they had Adam, and now it’s like Ty smiles all the time.”
“I know.” Peggy had noticed that herself. All the years she’d known Tyler, she had to admit Adam’s birth seemed to bring something else out in him, in a good way.
Eddie traded her the baby for the car seat and base and she followed him to his car. He looked at the road. “Dang, looks like an accident over there.”
Peggy followed his gaze before handing Adam to him and climbing into the backseat of his Mercedes to set up the car seat. “Yeah, sure does.”
* * * *
Peggy hadn’t returned. Nevvie had to go to the bathroom. Tucking her phone into her sweater pocket, she walked down the hall to the bathroom. On her way back she felt the phone vibrate and looked. She didn’t recognize the number.
She’d reached the waiting room door when she answered. “Hello?”
“Is this Nevaeh Kinsey?” a woman aske
d.
A chilled, creeping feeling she couldn’t identify rolled through her stomach. She veered away from the waiting room door and walked down the hall. Bob and Pete exchanged confused glances and moved to the doorway to watch her.
“This is Nevaeh Kinsey-Paulson. Who is this?”
“My name is Andrea. I’m calling from TampaCommunityHospital, from the Emergency department.”
Nevvie breathed a sigh of relief. It had to be an administrator about Tyler’s paperwork. “How can I help you?”
There was an uncomfortable pause. “I need to talk with you about Thomas Kinsey.”
“What? You mean you need to talk to me about Tyler Paulson.”
“I’m sorry? No ma’am, I need to talk to you about Thomas Kinsey. You’re the emergency contact listed in the information in his wallet.”
Pete started down the hallway toward her.
Nevvie froze. “What?” she gasped.
“He’s been admitted to our Emergency department. I’m sorry, but he’s been in an accident—”
“What?”
Pete broke into a run, trying to keep up with Nevvie. She still talked on the phone, looking up at the hallway signs, making turns, heading to the ER.
“Ma’am, please, calm down.”
“Where is he? How is he? Where are you?”
“He’s alive. I don’t have an update on his condition. I’m in the ER.”
Nevvie ran down a hallway and flew through a set of double doors into the ER. She scanned the area, homed in on the desk. “Who’s Andrea?” she screamed.
A startled woman sitting behind a desk turned, a phone in her hand. “Mrs. Kinsey?”
“Where’s my husband?”
Pete had caught up with Nevvie and now another nurse and a doctor surrounded her, trying to calm her down.
Past the point of hysterics, Nevvie sobbed, “Where’s Tommy? Thomas Kinsey. Where is he? What have you done with him?”
A doctor tried to reassure her. “Ma’am, they’ve already taken him to surgery. He’s got a broken leg and head injuries—”
“Oh my God!” She sank to the floor and stared at Pete. “This is a joke, right?” she sobbed. “This is a really horrible fucking bad joke, right?” She looked at one of the doctors, who grimly shook his head.
She cried.
Pete dropped to his knees and grabbed her hands. “Nevvie, honey, calm down.”
She glared at the doctor. “You can’t have them both! You can’t take them both from me!” She stared at the ceiling and screamed. “You hear me? You can’t take them both from me, goddammit, it’s not fair! You can’t have them—they’re mine!” She collapsed, inconsolable, against Pete’s shoulder.
* * * *
Bob grabbed the women’s purses and paced by the waiting room door, anxious for Peggy’s return. This couldn’t be good. He swore he heard a woman screaming from the direction of the ER. As soon as he saw Peggy he ran to meet her and made her follow him.
“What’s wrong? Is it Tyler?”
He shook his head, following signs. “I don’t know. Nevvie took a phone call and Pete rushed off with her this way.”
They didn’t need signs to follow Nevvie’s anguished screams. They pushed through the ER doors and saw a doctor and two nurses surrounding Nevvie as she thrashed on the floor in Pete’s arms while he tried to restrain her.
“Nevvie, what the hell is going on?” Bob yelled.
The doctor looked up. “Do you know her?”
“I’m the family attorney.” He dropped to his knees and shoved them out of his way, captured Nevvie’s chin in his palms. He pulled her face close to his. “Nevvie, honey,” he whispered. “Stop. Calm down. Now.”
She focused on him, sobbing. “They can’t have him, Bob! Tell them they can’t have him! Fix it! They already have Tyler. Tell them they can’t have him, too!”
“Can’t have who, honey?” He glanced at Pete’s face and spotted the large man’s tears. This couldn’t be good.
“Tell them they can’t have Tommy. Please, Bob. Tell them. Make them give him back! Please fix this!”
He froze and looked up at Peggy, who wore a horrified expression. By this time two hospital security guards had arrived.
“Pete, give her to me.” The other man released her. Bob scooped Nevvie into his arms and headed for the first empty room he saw. Nevvie clung to him, still sobbing, pleading with him to fix it.
Pete dragged his bulk from the floor and grabbed the women’s purses. He wiped his eyes and gently pushed Peggy into the room, followed by the rest of the staff that had gathered.
Bob set Nevvie on a gurney and, keeping his arms securely around her, he looked at the doctor.
“What is going on?” he asked, forcing his voice to stay calm.
“Andrea was talking on the phone with her and she suddenly burst in here, then she was in hysterics,” the doctor said.
Peggy recognized one of the nurses from that morning and zeroed in on her. “Will you please tell us what’s going on?”
The nurse looked uncomfortable. Peggy lost her patience. “Look, the three of them live together. They’re not legally married but they’ve got paperwork that just as good as makes them that way. Tyler and Thomas are both her husbands. They’re polyamorous, get over it. Now what the hell is going on?”
Nevvie kept begging Bob over and over to fix it. He held her face against his shoulder, stroked her hair, trying to calm her.
The doctor finally spit it out. “Mr. Kinsey was seriously injured in an accident in front of the hospital. A car pulled out in front of his motorcycle.”
Luckily, Pete caught Peggy and guided her to a chair. Nevvie’s sobs renewed. Bob held her tightly against him as she cried.
“How bad is he?” Bob softly asked.
“He’s critical. I don’t know the full extent of his injuries—leg and head injuries, possible internal injuries.”
Nevvie shook her head against Bob’s shoulder. “It’s not true. Bob, make them quit lying. Make them stop. Make them give him back!” She tried to thrash against him. He maintained his iron grip on her until she settled again, still sobbing.
The doctor looked at Peggy. “Ma’am, are you okay?”
She looked stunned. “Thomas is my son.” She looked at Pete. “Oh God, one of us needs to be in the waiting room in case they come about Tyler.”
The doctor looked confused. “Ma’am?”
Bob took a deep breath and assumed control. “Tyler Paulson. He’s in surgery. He had a heart attack this morning. Thomas was driving up from Ft.Myers. He’d been out of town. And yes, the three of them are partners together. That’s why they called me, in case there were any issues.”
The doctor closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
Nevvie thrashed against Bob again. “No! It’s a lie! You can’t have him!” she screamed.
Peggy closed her eyes and put a hand to her mouth, quietly crying. Pete gently squeezed her shoulder.
Bob tightened his grip on Nevvie, restraining her. “Nevvie,” he said sternly, “you have to calm down or I will make them sedate you. You can’t help Tom and Ty if you’re unconscious. I promise I won’t leave you alone, but you can’t help them like this. They wouldn’t want you to be upset like this. You have to calm down for them.”
Like a splash of ice water his words and tone cut through her grief and she relaxed against him. Her tears still flowed.
He tried again. “Sweetie,” he said, softening his tone, “we’ll all get through this, but the guys need you to be tough. Adam needs his mom to be tough. You can do this. I’ll help you. We’ll all help you. You can do this.”
“I can’t do this alone,” she whispered. “I need them. I need my boys. What am I going to do without my boys?”
“You have them, honey. No one said they’re dying now, did they?”
She shook her head and took a long, hitching breath.
Bob looked at Pete. “Take Peggy back to the waiting area. Someon
e needs to be there in case they have news about Tyler.” He spoke to the nurse. “Will they send word to the same waiting area about Thomas?”
“Yes.”
He noticed she carried a large plastic bag. Nevvie couldn’t see because he still had his arms around her, holding her with her face pressed against him.
He motioned for the bag. The nurse handed it over. He set it on the floor by his feet, out of Nevvie’s sight.
Thomas’ personal effects.
Pete helped Peggy to her feet and led her from the room, his arm around her for support, followed by the doctor.
Bob finally released Nevvie and cupped her face in his palms again. He suspected she perched on the verge of an emotional, if not mental breakdown.
“Look at me, Nevvie.” He waited until her eyes settled on his. “I promise you, I will be right here for you. I know Ty and Tom want that. Pete and Eddie are going to help you, too. Peggy’s here, and Karen’s on her way. You are not alone, but you have to stay calm and let us help you. That’s your job. That’s your only job right now until we hear word about them. Okay? You have to stay calm. We’ll do the rest. Can you do that for me, for them?”
She nodded.
“Good girl.” His foot kicked the bag, making it rustle. Nevvie noticed.
“What was that?”
He silently swore and bent over, looked through it, found a smaller bag with Tom’s watch and wedding band. He handed the ring to Nevvie. “Put this on, keep it safe for him.”
After trying a few fingers, Nevvie finally settled for her right thumb. He realized for the first time that she wore Tyler’s band on the middle finger of her left hand. Nevvie stared at her hands, her fingers working the men’s rings.