Page 89 of Warrior's Walk
“Loretta? Wake up, Loretta.”
“What is it? What’s wrong with my mama?”
“She’s having a mini-stroke. It’s called a Transient Ischemic Attack.”
“What do we do? What are you gonna do about it? Is she all right?”
The rapid-fire questions are met with a kind smile.
“There’s not much we can do with TIA. I’ll administer a blood thinner to make sure there’s no clotting, but it’s likely to happen again.”
She says it like it’s no big deal, like it happens all the time. Maybe for her, it does, but not to me. Not tomymama. I just feel so… Goddamn impotent and useless, powerless to do anything but watch her suffer and slip away.
“Mama? Wake up, talk to me.” I just need to know she’s still with me.
She comes back online slowly, and I can’t describe the feeling of relief that hits me square in the chest when I see the color of her eyes again.
“Baby, quit yellin’ at me.” Her words are drawn out, dripping from her lips as slow as molasses dripping off a spoon. “You’re louder than a dog in labor.”
“You had a stroke, Mama.” My voice breaks as tears of relief stream from my eyes.
“I’m still here, ain’t I?” She’s drooling from the left side of her lips, and I grab a tissue to wipe her mouth. “Introduce me to your friends, pecan.”
“Mama, this is West and Brandt, and Mandy. They stopped by to make sure you’re okay.”
“No, baby, they’re here for you. And when I’m gone, you’ll have all these friends to look after you.”
Her complexion looks sallow and pale, and her skin is clammy with oil and sweat. “Don’t talk about bein’ gone. Let’s just talk about right here, right now.” I press my lips to the back of her hand. It’s plain now, with no polish and no jewelry. Mymama always wore at least four rings. Big shiny ones, fake as a snake, and the brightest nail polish she could buy at Dixon’s drug store.
Her hand shakes in mine, and I squeeze her gently to steady it. Her eyes look glassy and red, and I wonder how hard she’s fighting to hold back her tears for my sake, like I am for hers.
“Hardships make or break people, baby. After all, tomorrow is another day.”
Another one of her favorite lines of Scarlett’s. The very last line in the movie. Scarlett’s last words. A shiver runs through me and it’s soul deep. She closes her eyes to rest and my heart breaks in half and then in half again. There won’t be nothing left of it by the time she wakes up.
Eventually, I let the guys talk me into a burger, and I get up and stretch my legs as we head down to the cafeteria. After lunch, Mandy and I are the only ones who return to her room, and we stay until visiting hours are over before he convinces me to go home and get some rest in a real bed for a change. The only reason I agree is ’cause my neck is killing me. My back, my neck, and my leg.
“Spread your thighs and pop that ass out.”
Riggs’s deep voice is a command I can’t ignore. I’m on my hands and knees for him on the mattress like an offering, waiting to be consumed. The rough stubble of his cheeks scratches my ass as he buries his face between them to lap at my hole.
“I missed the way you taste.”I missed his fucking tongue.“Going to get you nice and wet before I bury my cock in you.”
Fuck yeah.He’s never deploying again. In fact, fuck life. We’re never leaving this room. My chest drops to the mattress, giving him more access, and he rises up on his knees, grasping his cock. He lines it up with my hole and shoves inside without stretching me first.
“Holy mother of…” My words are cut off by the ringing of my phone. “Ignore it. Just keep going,” I beg.
But it doesn’t quit. It just keeps ringing, louder and louder.
“Holy mother of…” I come awake suddenly, my body jerking, and I’m about to fall off the damn bed before I catch myself and bang my elbow on the nightstand. “Fuck. What?” I yell at my phone.
I was dreaming. The bed is cold beside me. Cold and empty. Riggs is still deployed in Louisiana, and I’m alone with nothing but my dreams to keep me warm.
“All right.” I rub the grit from my eyes. “Keep your damn boots on. I’m comin’.”
Everything starts to make sense again in a rush, and I scramble for the phone in a panic. It could be the hospital, or Riggs, or even one of the Bitches with an emergency.
“Hello?”