“What are you talking about?” He put a potted plant on the windowsill beside an enormous bouquet of roses, and dozens of colorful cards from the kids at her daycare. “Can’t a son visit his mother in the hospital after she’s been in a serious accident?”
“I know you.” She gave him an admonishing look. “You’re planning to ground me. Well, I will not be driven around in a fancy limo like I’m some big-shot celebrity. As soon as I get the all clear from the doctor, I’m buying a new car.”
“I told her a Hummer H2 is the way to go.” Rick gave him a nod when he pulled up a chair beside his mother’s bed. “That thing is built like a tank. No one’s gonna hurt her in three quarters of a ton of solid steel.”
“For once, I agree with you.” His mother had escaped with a concussion, a broken arm, internal injuries, and two broken ribs. Rick had taken the brunt of the impact, suffering a broken leg, a shattered collarbone, a punctured spleen, and more. The airbags had saved their lives but had left their faces a mass of bruises.
“I’m not driving a Hummer around San Francisco.” She winced when she sank back in the bed.
Jay jumped up from his seat. “You want me to get the nurse? Do you need something for the pain?”
“I’m fine.” She waved him back down.
“I’m not fine,” Rick said. “The food here is shit. I sent one of my buddies out for some pizza and wings. He’s getting your mom a couple of fish tacos and some of that healthy green juice that tastes like grass.”
“Are you allowed to eat outside food?” He couldn’t believe they could even chew with their faces so swollen and bruised.
“Nothing wrong with the stomach.” Rick slapped his belly with his unbroken hand. “It’s the padding. If I looked like you, I’d probably be dead. You’ve got no body fat. Go eat a couple of burgers, drink a few milkshakes, maybe get something deep fried. Calories save lives. I should put that on a T-shirt.” He looked over at Jay’s mom. “Hey, babe. What do you think? We could get his ’n’ hers to wear under our jackets on our trip.”
“We’re taking Rick’s bike down the coast when we’re better,” his mother said when Jay lifted a brow in inquiry. “We were planning to do it this fall, but we’ll have to wait.”
Jay held up his hands, palms forward. “You’re going to ride on a motorcycle? After this? Seriously?” He shook his head. “I can’t even . . .”
“Dude, you gotta chill,” Rick called out. “These things happen. We were in a Volvo driving in a school zone, for fuck’s sake. You can’t get safer than that.”
“You’re angry because you’re afraid.” Jay’s mom reached out her hand and he clasped it in his own.
“Of course I’m afraid,” he gritted out. “I thought I’d lost you. Again. It was too much.” His voice rose, raw and ragged. “What would I do? You’re all I have.” He squeezed her hand, trying to get a handle on the emotions that were still dangerously close to the surface. He hadn’t slept more than a few hours since her accident, hadn’t been to work or even the gym. He hoped that she wouldn’t smell the alcohol on his breath, because it was the only way he could function without going insane.
“What about Zara?” Worried eyes studied his face.
He stood to pour her a glass of water. “I’m no good for her. Not like this. She deserves better. I’m a fucking mess, Mom. I almost couldn’t walk into the hospital and when I did, they admitted me and had a shrink come and talk to me. She gave me some pills and insisted I go home until you were out of surgery. She said I was a liability risk and it wouldn’t do you any good to see me that way.”
“Zara didn’t mention that you’d seen a psychiatrist.”
Jay froze, his hand on the pitcher. “Zara was here? When did you see her?”
“I saw her this morning, but the nurses told me she’s been here every day.” She nodded at the windowsill. “Those roses are from her. She brought her doctor friend Parvati to meet me, and some of her aunts and uncles, and a cousin or two. It was like a party in here. We were never alone.”
“They all knew Days of Our Lives,” Rick called out. “One of her uncles downloaded the new season to my tablet for me. I’ve watched it three times already. More kidnappings. And everyone’s running around with chloroform drugging everyone else. Where do they get it? That’s what I’d like to know. It sure as heck isn’t sitting on the shelf in my local Walmart.”