Mav rolls his eyes. “And how’s that working out?”
I glance at Carol as they push her trolley past us. “Actually, not so good.”
“No shit. Christ, Hadley, I know you want to be Mother fucking Teresa, but sometimes you make things worse.” He marches inside, and I stare after him, stung by his words.
GRIM
The call from Maverick was unexpected, and when I arrive at the hospital just after my liquid lunch, I can’t see straight. Mav grips my arm and stares at me. “Are you drunk?”
“I skipped lunch and opted for whiskey,” I mutter.
“It’s not even one o’clock!” he snaps. “Hadley, get him a black coffee!”
“Hadley’s here?” I ask, confused.
Mav takes me into the relatives’ room. It’s the same room I sat in when Dad passed, so I’m already expecting the worst. “Is she dead?”
Mav shakes his head. “They’re pumping her stomach, but it doesn’t look good, brother.”
Hadley returns and passes me the coffee. “You didn’t need to leave work, Hadley,” I mumble, secretly grateful she’s here. “I’ll be fine.”
She looks at Mav with a guilty expression. “Actually, I found her.”
“Where?”
The door opens and a doctor enters. “Which one of you is the relative?”
“Me.” I hand the coffee back to Hadley and follow him outside the room.
“Your mother is going to be okay,” he says, and I’m surprised at the mixed emotions I feel. “She’s sleeping, and I expect she’ll stay like that for a few more hours, but by tomorrow she’ll be able to go home. There’s a drug programme we can refer her for, however, the waiting list is long.”
I shake my head. I’ve heard it all before. “She’s not ready,” I say. “What’s the point if she’s not ready?”
“I’ll take you to see her,” he adds, not bothering to argue with me.
Mum’s complexion is pale and dirty. The nurse offers to give her a bed bath, and I agree, stepping behind the curtain while she gets to work. Afterwards, I take a seat by her bed and watch her sleep. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I’d watch her chest move up and down to make sure she wasn’t dead. I shake my head in disgust, remembering I must have only been three years old.
The curtain slides back and Hadley comes in. My heart squeezes. Just being around her makes things feel better. “Hey, how is she?”
“She can come home tomorrow.”
“Great news. I’m pleased. Will she be coming home to the clubhouse?” she asks.
I shake my head. She’ll hate that and only run the second she gets a chance. “Where did you say you found her?”
“Oh . . . about that . . . I was at her house.”
I frown. “What?”
“I was visiting Carol to check on her.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to get her well again. You have so many unanswered questions about your childhood, and you deserve to know the answers. And if she can get better, you deserve to have a mum in your life.”
“You cleaned up the house?” I whisper, and she nods. “You took her food?” She nods again. I can’t describe the disappointment I feel finding out it wasn’t Mum getting well but Hadley interfering. “I thought she was getting better.”
“I wanted to help. I’m sorry.”
“I saw a glimmer of hope that maybe she was starting to wake up and get clean.”
“I was going to tell you,” she begins, but I hold my hand up to stop her.
“Get out.”
“Grim, please—”
“Get out!” I roar, and she jumps in fright. The nurse rushes over. “I want her to leave,” I snap, and she ushers Hadley from the room.
I stare down at Mum’s pale face. “Somehow, even when you don’t know it, you let me down. I can’t deal with it anymore. Dad was right, you’re a lost cause, and I can’t be around you anymore because you’re sucking the life out of me.”
I leave the hospital and head for the nearest bar.
HADLEY
My mobile buzzes loudly on my nightstand. I feel around for it and press it to my ear. “Huh?”
“So, about earlier,” slurs Grim.
I frown and sit up, glancing at the time. “It’s three in the morning, Grim. Is everything okay?”
“How upset are you that I yelled?”
“You never call me. What’s wrong?”
“I’m in a bit of a tight pickle.” He begins to laugh, and I hear another voice telling him to hurry up. “It seems it’s illegal to drink and drive,” he says in a conspiring tone, “and the nice policeman caught me. I need a solicitor to come to the station once I’m sober for interview.”
“You got yourself arrested?”
“Yes. I also would like to point out that they’re a little heavy handed when it comes to making an arrest. My ego is bruised.”
“Jesus, Grim. I’ll be there.”
“Thanks, little one, I owe you.”
I don’t sleep for the rest of the night, tossing and turning and thinking about Grim. By morning, I’m exhausted. I knock on Mav’s office door, and he glances up. “Grim got himself arrested.”
“What?”
“He called. He needs legal representation.”
“Do you want to do it?”
I nod. “I owe him after meddling in his life.”
Mav sighs. “You were trying to help, Hads. He knows that. He just gets weird when the club knows his business.”
“Do I need an escort?”
He grabs his keys, and states, “I’d be happy to take you.”
I sit patiently in the interviewing room at the police station. When the door finally opens and Grim enters, I arch a surprised brow. “How the hell did you get in that state?”
He cocks a bruised eyebrow and grins. “Not sure.”
“Did the police do that, or did you get into a fight?” I grip his chin and turn his head from side to side to inspect the cuts and bruises on his face.
“All me, I think. Look, thanks for coming.”
I glare at the police officer standing in the doorway. “Take his cuffs off,” I order, and he does. Grim takes a seat, and the officer steps out of the room. “Drunk driving?” I snap, and Grim shrugs.
“If it helps, I don’t remember.”
“I suggest you come up with a good explanation. The judge isn’t going to like you as it is, and looking like that’s just going to make it worse.” I pull out a notepad. “We’ll use the shock of your mum,” I add, beginning to prepare a statement.
It’s three hours later when we leave the police station. Grim’s charged with drunk driving, and they’ll send him a date to attend court, but it’s likely he’ll lose his driver’s licence as he already has points for speeding. Mav picks us up in the club’s car, and I fill him in while Grim sits silently in the back.
“We need to swing by the hospital,” Mav eventually announces. “Carol is coming to the clubhouse.”