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God, it was liberating to say these things out loud. Finally, she was speaking her mind to Dominic. Being herself. Living up to her favorite Eartha Kitt quote.
Did she owe Jason for that? She couldn’t think about him right now, she had to get home.
“Can you just get in the fucking car, Kendra?” Dominic yelled. “I’m done with this shit.”
“Good, because I’m done too. I’m calling my own Uber.” She whipped out her phone. “And shouldn’t you be saying ‘bloody’ car, you fake-ass grifter?”
Just then her phone rang. It was Jason. Her heart racing a mile a minute, she accepted the call.
“Sorry I didn’t pick up before. I’m with Alvin. We just got to the hospital. He’s in the exam room right now. I don’t know what’s going on yet, but he seemed disoriented so I insisted that he get checked out. He didn’t want me to bother you, but I knew you’d want to know.”
Twenty-Nine
“I’ll call you right back,” said Kendra tensely, then ended the call.
In the waiting room at the Braddock hospital, Jason stared at his phone. Had he done the right thing?
“She’s on her way to London, let her be,” Alvin kept saying. “I feel fine.”
But he was so confused that he hadn’t remembered some of the information on the check-in form. Jason had played the fire chief card and convinced the charge nurse to overlook a few details until he could track down a family member.
After that, Jason gave Alvin a choice. He could either call his wife Ruth, who was still in Arkansas, or Kendra. But someone from his family had to be notified. As the nurse guided him toward an exam room, Alvin had given in and told Jason to call Kendra first.
It hadn’t been easy to dial her number. She was in the process of ditching him, after all. But Alvin’s health was more important than any relationship drama. She would be furious if something was going on with Alvin and no one told her. And if the worst happened, she’d be devastated.
So far, he hadn’t gotten much information from the medical staff. But he’d seen enough medical emergencies to know that this was more than dehydration or exhaustion. Stroke? Something worse? They’d know soon.
His phone rang. Kendra.
“Are you in Braddock?” she asked tensely.
“Yeah. He’s in an exam room right now. It might be nothing. Do you want me to just keep you posted?”
“No, I’m coming. I just have to wait for another Uber. Dominic left.”
“I’ll come get you,” he said right away. He didn’t like the idea of her waiting for a ride at this hour of the night. As for Dominic…he really wished he’d gotten one more chance to punch the dude out.
“No. Stay there with him. I’ll be fine. And Jason…thank you for calling. You did the right thing, I don’t care what my dad said. Did you call my mom?”
“No, I didn’t have her number and Alvin refused to give it to me. He didn’t want to worry her.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, where tension had been gathering all night long.
“I’ll call her. My dad can get mad at me if he wants.”
“By the way, there’s a good chance he’ll ban me from the Blue Drake for dragging him in here.”
“Fuck that, you’re eating for free at the Blue Drake from now on. I knew something was wrong. I could just feel it.”
He caught the sound of a car engine pulling up next to her. “Is that your Uber? Listen, Kendra. Stay on the phone with me while you get into the car. It’s late and it might be sketchy.”
His tone of voice left no room for discussion. She didn’t argue in any case. As she spoke to the Uber driver, he paid close attention for any hint of sketchiness.
“I’m on the phone with my boyfriend,” he heard her say. “He’s working tonight or he’d come pick me up himself. Yeah, night shift. He’s in law enforcement. Actually he just got promoted to chief of the department.”
So bittersweet, being called her boyfriend as a kind of shield.
“Boyfriend, huh?” he said when she was safely settled into the Uber. “Are we in eighth grade again?”
“That would be nice. Things were simpler back then. So tell me everything that happened. From the beginning.”
