Easier to Run (21 page)

Ben

I woke to Cassie whispering my name and poking my side.

“Door, knocking,” she said, then dropped her head back to the pillow before three more soft knocks sounded at my bedroom door.

“What?” I yelled.

The door opened slowly.

“By ‘what’, I didn’t mean come in,” I growled, making sure Cassie was fully covered.

“Come now, after your closing serenade last night, you can’t be that modest.”

Cassie sank lower under the blankets.

“What Brantley?” I gave him a pointed stare.

“Paige just called and said she’s taking Liz to the hospital—no reasons, that’s all I know.”

I dropped my head back and stared at the ceiling. Couldn’t we just have twenty-four hours? One day without stupid drama. “Okay. I’ll get dressed.”

After Brantley shut the door, Cassie moaned and I kissed her forehead. “Want to stay here and sleep?”

“Alone?” She raised her eyebrow. “Not really.”

“Going with me, then?”

“Not a great alternative.” She rolled onto her back and kept the blankets tight around her while I climbed out of bed and pulled on some clean clothes.

“It’s up to you, Cas.”

“I’ll probably just make things worse if I go.”

“Doubtful,” I said. It was a crap shoot either way. I’d probably make things worse by showing up. I crawled up the bed, straddling her long body.

Her eyes were still sleepy, but her lips formed a tight grin. “I know I shouldn’t be smiling given the news, but…. Sorry.”

“God, I love you,” the words slipped out as I leaned over to kiss her. “But I do need a decision. Come hang with me at the hospital, or have another morning on your own. But I have no idea how long I’ll be there.”

“I’d rather go with you—as long as you really don’t think I’ll make it worse. I can wait outside.”

“Okay then,” I tried to pull the sheets down, but she grabbed on tight. “I’ve already seen it all, sweetie.”

“That was different,” she said, a hint of pink dusting her cheeks and neck.

“Fine,” I grumbled. I headed out the door, but turned back and gave her a wink before I closed it. “I’ll make you waffles when we get back.”

“Deal.”

In the living room, Brantley was leaned against the back of the couch, with his legs stretched out and ankles crossed in front of him. “Taking her along?” he asked quietly.

I wasn’t sure how anyone was going to react to that. “Better than leaving her here alone for who knows how long.”

“Fair enough. She seems to be doing better.”

I nodded. “I know I sprang this whole thing on you, but can you tone it down a bit around her? And please, no smoking around her.”

“You’d ask me to cut off a piece of myself?” He straightened and gave me a sideways glare. “How dare you.”

I had to go and get the melodramatic roomie. “Can you be serious for five minutes?”

He smirked. “Given everything that’s happened this weekend I can try, but if I have to be serious much longer I might sprain something.”

“Then, it’ll be a perfectly good reason to have Paige doctor you up for a while. I’m aware that sarcasm and crass are your way of dealing with the world, but please don’t weird Cas out.”

“Fine, I’ll play Mr. Serious, but you know I suck at that role.” He held up his hand as if he was taking a vow, then leaned closer. “But the racket you two—”

I punched him in the arm, and he shut up just as Cassie came out of the bedroom.

***

Cassie and I climbed into my truck while Brantley followed us in his Challenger. She stayed quiet, leaning her head against the side window.

I stopped at a stop sign at the corner near the hospital. “You okay?”

“Yep, just thinking about waffles…. And sex… but not at the same time.”

In shock, I lifted the clutch too fast and killed the engine.

Cassie doubled over in laughter as Brantley honked his horn behind us, and I restarted the truck and sped through the intersection. “What?” I asked.

“Seriously, how long has it been since you’ve killed an engine?” She barely held back her laughter long enough to speak.

“After what you just said?”

She shrugged innocently. “I’m t-trying out being blunt and honest. I r-rather like having that effect on you.”

“Right,” I said. I sighed and drummed my fingers on the shifter. “Let’s see you drive a standard then.”

“Hah,” she threw her head back. “I’m not that coordinated. Not that I’ve ever tried. My guidance counselor took pity on me and took me to get my license when I was eighteen. I’ve been lucky to have automatics.”

I groaned. “Where on earth did your grandparents come from?”

“A very, very, conservative family.” The smile faded from her face and she stared out the window. I regretted even bringing them up again.

“If I even mentioned a boy,” she said, “they flipped—before I stopped talking altogether anyhow. Sex or even speaking of sex was so far off limits they probably would have stoned me for saying the word. I feared for my life the first time I needed… feminine… stuff after I moved there.”

“I get the picture, but I really hope you’re exaggerating on the last part.” I couldn’t imagine living there as a teenager. My parents had always been the opposite—supportive and open. Mom could befriend nearly anyone, which I attributed to so many years moving around. It pays to make friends quickly when you move to a new town.

“It was still a horrible conversation. Like I wanted to bury myself in a hole or run away in shame.”

I couldn’t take learning any more about her grandparents. My jaw was clenched so tight, I’d probably break a bone or tooth if the conversation continued.

We pulled into the hospital parking garage, and Brantley parked next to us. I knew from the smirk on his face as soon as he climbed out of the car that I was in for it again.

“Forget how to drive?” he asked, leaning over his car. Then he dropped his head and shook it. “Already, did it again, didn’t I? But what the hell were you two doing that you suddenly forgot how to work a clutch.”

Cassie burst out laughing again.

I just pressed my lips together and shook my head. There was nothing I could say. I caught Cassie by the back of the neck. “Will you stop laughing, you’re just encouraging whatever depravity is going on in his mind?”

“Can’t help it,” she burst out in a giggle again. “You know m-me. Awkward makes me laugh. The l-less appropriate the situation… the more awkward… endless cycle.”

She snorted from holding it in so long to talk and covered her mouth.

“And you’re worried about
me
?” Brantley asked.

I threw up my hands. There was no use in arguing with either of them, but at least she was laughing. That’s what I kept telling myself. “I give up.”

Cassie tucked her arms around my waist and peered up at me. “Sorry.”

All I could do was smile, and be damned if Brantley saw that as even more incriminating.

“Can we get this over with?” I asked with a sigh to both of them. Brantley used sarcasm, crass, and humor to deal with any situation. As unnerving as it could be in some situations, I’d grown used to it. But I wondered if there was a connection in dealing with his dad’s PTSD. Especially since Cassie seemed to pick up on the same tactics of diversion.

I had too many things to worry about.

Too many possibilities.

I felt like a hamster interminably stuck on the proverbial wheel. I was tired of going around in circles. And just plain tired.

Cassie’s hand clasped onto mine, and we headed toward the front door of the hospital.

“This place sure has changed in six years,” she said, glancing around as we walked through the entrance.

“Yeah.” It seemed like the construction never stopped really. As soon as you found one way around, you had to relearn the route the next time you visited. The building was more like a creepy funhouse than a hospital at times. “Any idea where they are, Brantley?”

“No, Paige hasn’t returned any of my messages, so I assume she has her phone off.”

Cassie and I hung back as Brantley checked in at the front desk. “I’m looking for Elizabeth Hiland.”

“Are you family?”

“I’m her brother; Brantley Matthews.”

The receptionist raised an eyebrow, then picked up the phone. I couldn’t pick up much of her hushed conversation but when she put down the phone she pointed Brantley to the elevator. “She’s not taking visitors, but you can wait in the third floor waiting room for an update.”

I didn’t know whether to be relieved or more worried that we couldn’t find out immediately what was going on. I wondered if my sanity would survive much more of the push and pull.

We followed Brantley onto the elevator and he punched the third-floor button, rubbing his beard with his other hand. All of the levity had passed, and the quiet weighed down on us as the elevator dragged us up to the third floor.

The waiting room was just off the elevator. The room was packed so I waited for Brantley to make the first move since I didn’t recognize anyone from his family.

This was going to be harder than I anticipated. Much harder. Especially when I was here with another girl’s hand in mine.

Brantley looked around, then shrugged. “I guess no one else is here. I’m going to check at the nurse’s station.”

I pointed Cassie to a couple of chairs near the side wall and we took a seat.

“You’ve m-met their family, right?” Cassie asked.

“They live out of town… I’m never in town….” I let her fill in the rest.

“Oh good,” she whispered. “And I w-was worried about s-standing out.”

I nudged her in the shoulder, then draped my arm around her.

Brantley returned and sat down next to me. “No news. Again. I guess Paige is with her.”

His phone buzzed a few minutes later. “It’s Paige. She said they finally got Liz calmed down. She started raving at four o’clock this morning and breaking shit, then curled up in a ball and started crying.”

Because of me? Because of us?

His phone buzzed repeatedly, apparently Paige was catching him up with the updates all at once. “They suspect a chemical imbalance, but they’re waiting on a tox screen.”

“What about the pregnancy?” I asked, but the words barely made a sound.

He shrugged. “No word. Paige said she’s asking to see you, though.”

My chest clenched.

“They’re letting one person in at a time, so if you want to go rotate out with her, it’s room 317.”

I squeezed Cassie’s hand, and she gave me a tight smile.

“I’ll be here,” she said.

Cassie

The waiting room still freaked me out, but I needed to be here because of all the times he’d stood by me. I needed to be here because for once, I thought he might need me as much as I needed him.

Brantley slid over into the seat next to me. “I figured I should apologize for my crude remarks.”

I shrugged. It wasn’t the crude remarks that made him seem intimidating—although they didn’t quite make him approachable either. The scariest thing about him was that he knew my secrets. It had been hard enough to talk to Ben about things, but I had known Brantley barely more than twenty-four hours.

“That’s why I like living with Ben,” Brantley continued. “He’s an easy going guy, and normally lets me run off at the mouth when I need to. It’s just a habit, I get stressed, I make crass remarks and laugh it off.”

I shuffled my feet underneath my seat as he continued talking.

“I’m trying to make you
less
nervous around me,” he said leaning toward me.

“D-don’t take it p-personally,” I whispered.

He gave me a warm smile and a nod. “So, it’s not the beard?”

I laughed and managed to raise my eyes up to his dark eyes. “N-no.” I swallowed and dropped my gaze back to my restless feet. “Th-thank you… for t-talking me down yesterday.”

“Sure. Since you have medication, I’d assume you’ve been to a doctor. And maybe I’m reaching to think that they’ve mentioned PTSD to you.”