Ache With Me

The fact that Eden wasn’t cracking jokes about my ugly boots spoke volumes about the situation. The pom poms were bouncing wildly as I jiggled my leg. It was a nervous habit and I was certainly nervous. It was now nearing 1 am and we still had no news on Max’s condition. Hunter didn’t even know what had happened; someone had called an ambulance upon finding Max unconscious and bloody halfway across town from the restaurant. They’d gone through his pockets and apparently found a note saying to call Hunter in case of an emergency, and here we all were.

While I was scared, I was also blistering mad. The look of fury on my face was probably why neither Hunter nor Eden had said a word in the last hour. We all knew if someone started a conversation it would inevitably lead to me losing it and making a spectacle in the waiting room for all the other families.

So here we were, three very tired adults, two of whom had work in about seven hours, sitting silently in a waiting room hoping for good news. I wanted to be at home, asleep in my own bed with the cats. Hell, I would rather jump off the roof of the hospital than be here. As angry as I was with Max and this whole goddamn situation, I still loved him. And the man I loved was on the other side of that door being treated for god knows what because of god knows who.

A cup of steaming tea appeared under my nose. Hunter shot me a sheepish smile when I looked up at him. I turned the tag over; peppermint.

“Thanks.” I said, taking it from him. At least it gave me something to do while we waited. The baby also provided a distraction since they’d been kicking me in the ribs since I got here.

“Sorry.” I murmured, rubbing my free hand along my belly. The baby probably wanted to get some rest too and not be sitting in this hard chair. My ass had gone completely numb within the first ten minutes and it was doing no favors for my back.

At 1:30 I got too restless to stay quiet anymore. “So, how was your day Hunter?” I said, pasting a cheery smile on my face. He looked concerned but decided to play along.

“It was fine. I got a lot of work done, got to see you two lovely ladies.” He reached over and slid his hand into Eden’s. She’d been smart and brought along a book. A quick glance at the cover told me it was The Three Musketeers. She gave him a brief smile and returned to her book.

“You should get a dog or something, you’re all alone in that big house.”

“Lily I can barely take care of myself, let alone an animal that’s dependent on me for everything.” He chuckled. “I would like some company though. Maybe a cat, cats can take care of themselves better.”

“Oh fuck I didn’t feed the cats.” I’d assumed Max and I would be back immediately after dinner. Sylvester and Cheshire were probably starving by now.

“I can run by and feed them if you want.”

“If we’re here any longer you’ll have to.” I blew out a long breath. “I can’t fucking believe this.”

“I can’t either. But it’s going to be okay.”

“Really? We’re sitting here waiting to find out how badly injured my lying asshole of a boyfriend is. This is the second time he’s been beaten, neither of you will tell me anything. How is this going to be okay?”

“Lily, if I could tell you I would.” His tone was gentle, like he was talking to a wounded animal. “He’s working some things out.”

“If he’s working some things out, he should tell me.” I made no efforts to keep my voice done or my tone friendly. “He shouldn’t be keeping shit like this from me.”

“It’s too dangerous!” I jerked back, stunned. Even he seemed surprised at how it had come out. “It’s dangerous, for you and for your little passenger. That’s all I can tell you.” It took a moment for that to process, and before I could say anything the door swung open.

“Are you Max Brooks’ friends?” The nurse asked. She was a pretty blonde with dark circles under her eyes and the smallest amount of blood staining her scrubs. I wondered if it was Max’s.

“Yeah.” Hunter helped me up and the three of us followed her through the maze of hallways to Max’s little cubby. She drew back the curtains and quietly slipped away to let us have some time with him.

“Oh, God,” I breathed. I’d thought nothing could be worse than seeing him come home bruised the last time, but this was worse. It looked like he’d been beaten with a baseball bat. Almost every inch of visible skin had a cut or a bruise on it. His face was so swollen he hardly even looked like himself.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Hunter raked his hand through his hair. We stood at the end of his bed, staring at the damage until he stirred.

“Hunter?” Max’s voice was garbled and distorted, probably from the swelling.

“I’m here man.” Hunter moved closer so he could see him better.

“Don’t…let…Lily…see.” Max clearly didn’t know I was in here.

“Too late.” I was so mad I was shaking. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Lily.” Eden admonished, but it was too late.

“No, Eden, Max and I need to talk about this.” I glared daggers at her until she backed off.

“I hardly think this is the right moment.” Hunter said, but he too fell back at the look on my face. “E, come on.” They stepped outside, although I was sure they hadn’t gone too far. For a moment I just stood there, looking at the carnage. Then I opened my mouth and let it fly.

“I can’t live like this Max. I don’t know what’s wrong or what Mafia boss you pissed off but you need to sort your shit out. This lying bullshit is not going to fly anymore.”

“Can’t…tell…you.” He reached out a hand for me and despite myself, I took it. His knuckles were scraped raw. He’d been fighting back. “Not…safe.”

“What’s not safe is you keeping this shit from me. How can I protect myself if you don’t tell me what’s going on?”

“No, no.” He shook his head, letting out a groan when it hurt him. “Can’t.”

“There’s no can’t. You won’t tell me.” I closed my eyes, hating myself for what I was about to do. “You come home honest, or you don’t come home at all.” I managed to get all the way down the hall before I burst into tears. What had my life become?