Candy Crush Page 8

  “Not a problem.”

  Oz closed his eyes again and leaned back on the headrest. Why had Cam been drinking? And why during the day? Of course, it was probably naïve to think that people only got drunk at night—Oz wasn’t a drinker, so he really didn’t know. But what had Cam been thinking, getting drunk and then climbing behind the wheel? He wasn’t that stupid, was he? Stupid enough to get drunk was one thing, but stupid enough to put other people in danger because of it was infinitely worse.

  When they pulled up to the hospital, the sheriff let Oz off at the main entrance while he went to park the car. He took Oz’s phone with him so he could find the Burtons’ phone number. Oz walked across the lobby and up to the nurses’ station on legs that felt too weak to function.

  “I’m Cam Burton’s brother,” he said. “Can you tell me where to find him?”

  The woman behind the computer punched a few buttons. “He’s just been taken into surgery,” she replied. “If you take that elevator to the third floor, there’s a nice waiting room there for you.”

  “Surgery for what?” Oz asked.

  She shook her head. “I recommend talking to the nurses upstairs. I really don’t have enough information to be useful to you.”

  He nodded. “Thanks.”

  When the elevator began its ascent, the lurch sent Oz’s stomach into a spin. It wasn’t the elevator’s fault, though—he’d been nauseated ever since he’d first heard the news. He paused at the drinking fountain to see if some water would help, and when it didn’t, he made his way to the restroom as quickly as he could, vomiting and then washing his face with cold water.

  When he exited, he found the nurses’ station and asked for an update on his brother.

  “He has a broken arm, two broken ribs, and a severe concussion,” he was told. “The surgery is for internal bleeding—one of those broken ribs is jutting into his liver. As soon as we can, we’ll send a doctor out to talk to you.”

  Oz nodded his thanks and found the waiting room, lowering himself into a chair. He’d hoped to see Cam as soon as he got to the hospital, but it sounded like it might be a long time—who knew how long it took to repair a liver.

  Chapter Ten

  “Hey, Whitney,” Alicia said when she saw the florist hurrying toward her from across the street. She’d picked up some cute Valentine’s window decorations in Spokane, and while she’d already changed out the display inside, she thought she’d put some hearts and cupids on the outside corners, like a frame.

  “Alicia, I need to talk to you for a second.” Whitney stepped onto the porch and put her hand on Alicia’s arm. “Oz’s brother was in a bad car accident this afternoon. The sheriff came to tell him and gave him a ride to the hospital. Oz looks like a mess—is there any way you could go to him?”

  Alicia felt the skin on her scalp prickle. “Of course,” she said. “I’ll go in and talk to Heidi. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Thanks. I know he’d want you there.” Whitney gave her a little smile. “I hope I’m not conjecturing too much, but the two of you are good together.”

  “I . . . think we are too.” Alicia returned the smile. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll get on the road as soon as I can.”

  “Please tell him that Mike’s going to run deliveries for me. He’s got some flexibility in his schedule, and he doesn’t want Oz worrying—because Oz would definitely worry.”

  “I’ll let him know,” Alicia promised.

  The prickling feeling was moving down her arms, and she tried to shake it off as she gathered up the rest of the window decals and went back inside. Heidi immediately told her to leave as soon as she explained the situation, and Alicia grabbed her coat and headed for her car.

  She stopped by her apartment and threw together a quick overnight bag. She had no idea how long she was going to be gone, but if this was as serious as it sounded, she’d want to be there for Oz every minute, and it could stretch out into a while. She scribbled a note for Tamlyn, and then she headed over to Oz’s apartment building.

  “Hello?” She knocked on the door marked “office” on the first floor, then stuck her head in. A rather sour-looking man sat behind the desk and looked up when she came in. “Hi there. My name is Alicia Roper, and I’m a friend of Oz Burton’s. His brother has just been in a car accident, and he’s at the hospital, and I wondered if I could be let in to grab an overnight bag for him.”

  The man raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Burton is in in the hospital?”

  “He’s at the hospital. Sitting with his brother, who is in the hospital.” Why did language have to be so complicated?

  “And you want access to his apartment?”

  “Just to grab him a few things. You can come with me and make sure I’m not stealing.”

  “Do you have a key to his apartment? Are you on his list of personal contacts in case of an emergency?”

  Alicia sighed. “No, I don’t have a key. That’s why I asked to be let in. And I’m not on his list—we’ve known each other for a long time, but we only met up again this last week, and we’ve kissed, but we’re not really in love, or at least, we haven’t said it yet, and his brother could be dying and he needs a toothbrush.” She took a deep breath, a little lightheaded. “Please.”

  The man shook his head. “I will give Mr. Burton a call and see if he authorizes your entry.” He picked up a cell phone, scrolled through the contacts, and pushed a button. While Alicia waited, she glanced around the office. This was definitely the nicest apartment building office she’d ever seen. She’d been expecting the manager to be a sweaty fellow in a white undershirt holding a can of beer, but this man wore a suit and seemed to be taking his job seriously. That was great for the tenants, but it was making things harder for Alicia.

  “Mr. Burton isn’t answering his phone,” the man said at last.

  “He’s at the hospital, so he might be in a room where cell phone use isn’t allowed,” Alicia said. “Listen, if this is going to be a hassle, I’ll just go. I can buy him a toothbrush on my way. But will you please go in and feed the rabbit?”

  The manager pursed his lips, and for a split second, Alicia wondered if she’d just done a terrible thing. What if Oz hadn’t told the manager about Hershel?

  “I’d forgotten about the rabbit,” the man said, coming to his feet. “Of course I’ll let you in. We can’t let a pet go hungry.”

  Alicia exhaled with relief. “Thank you so much, sir.”

  She followed him up to Oz’s apartment. Hershel was curled up on his blanket, and she filled his food and water dishes, then checked his litter box. It looked fresh, like Oz had taken care of it that morning. Then she went into the bathroom and grabbed a hair brush, some toothpaste, and other things she thought he might want. A new toothbrush still in its wrapper was in the medicine chest, so she took that, happy to see it because other people’s toothbrushes were gross and she didn’t like them and she must really love this guy if she was so insistent that he have an overnight bag.

  And if that was what it took for her to admit that she was in love with him, well then, that’s how it was going to be. Yes, she loved him, and she was willing to pack up his toothbrush to do it. And the universe, being kind, had accepted of her sacrifice and provided her with a new one.

  The manager asked to see the things she’d collected, and she handed him the bag she’d brought. He nodded a few times, and then he frowned. “He will need a change of underwear.”

  Alicia’s cheeks felt like they were going to burst into flame. “I can’t,” she stammered. “I mean, getting his toothbrush was bad enough. His underwear . . . that’s personal . . . not that toothbrushes aren’t personal, but . . .”

  The manager held up a hand, a slight smile on his face. “I understand. Some relationships aren’t quite to the underwear stage yet.”

  She nodded.

  “I will get him some underwear, if you think that would be appropriate.”

  “I would be eternally grateful.”

 
He smiled again and entered the bedroom, pulling out the top drawer and reaching inside. He removed a few things, put them in the bag, and came back out. Alicia kept half an eye on him—just as he’d wanted to make sure she wasn’t stealing, she wanted to be sure of the same thing, but that didn’t mean she wanted to ogle Oz’s underwear. Which, she realized, was a tongue twister, so she shouldn’t try to say it fast. And then she realized that she was getting a little slaphappy and hysterical, and she needed to be on her way so she could check on Oz and make sure he was all right before her stress levels got any higher.

  “Thank you so much,” she told him, accepting the bag he handed her.

  “You’re welcome. Please have Mr. Burton call me and update me on his brother’s condition.” He passed over a business card, which she slipped into her pocket after promising to give it to Oz.

  At last, she was on her way to the hospital, her hands trembling, but she’d done everything she could and was as prepared as she could be. That was the best thing she could do to keep herself from worrying. That, and finding Oz.

  ***

  Oz stood up when Alicia came into the waiting room. He held out his arms, she stepped into them, and he buried his face in her hair. She smelled like sugar cookies and shampoo. Not a bad combination at all.

  “Thank you for coming,” he mumbled.

  “Where else would I be?” She gave him a little squeeze. “Mike’s going to run the deliveries, Hershel’s food and water have been changed, I brought you some overnight things, and you’re not to worry about anything.” She stepped back, but didn’t let go of his hands. “What’s going on? How’s Cam?”

  Oz led her over to the sofa in the corner, and they sat, holding hands. “Cam’s still in surgery. A broken rib punctured his liver, and livers are super delicate, from what they’re telling me. I’ve never really thought about livers.” He ran his other hand through his hair. “I know my brother’s a jerk—that’s pretty obvious—and I disagree with about ninety-nine percent of his life choices. But does that mean he has to die?” A shudder ran down his spine, and he clasped Alicia’s hand even tighter.

  “Of course not,” she murmured, leaning forward and resting her head on his shoulder. “Have your parents been contacted?”

  “Yeah, Sheriff Clapper called them for me. They’ll be here in a couple of hours. They had to tie up some loose ends at home before they could come.” Oz felt disconnected. He’d gone from shock into anger, and now he was just numb. He rested his head on Alicia’s and closed his eyes. “Thank you for checking on Hershel.”

  She chuckled. “He’s a great little rabbit.”

  “He really is. He’s soft, like a cat, but he doesn’t jump up on counters and do that other cat stuff.”

  “And he doesn’t bark,” she added.

  “Exactly. He’s like, the very best parts of a cat and a dog wrapped up in one Jewish rabbit.”

  “Have you given any thought to how you’ll celebrate upcoming holidays? I’ve been trying to decide what to give him for Hanukkah, but then it occurred to me that I’m not sure if that’s a gift-giving holiday.” She sat up, dug out her phone, and started to Google. “Let’s see. Here’s an article on eight affordable gifts, one for each day of Hanukkah. But they didn’t always give gifts. That looks like a new thing.”

  Oz reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand, and she looked up from her phone, surprised. “I love you.” He hadn’t planned to say it, but the words just slipped out, and he realized that he meant them. Not just because she’d been his teenage crush, but because of who she was now. “I love that you’re Googling Jewish holidays for my rabbit to distract me. I love that you got things from my apartment so I’d have them here. I love that you came to sit with me and that you’re beautiful and that you’re giving some of that beauty to me. Thank you.”

  She smiled, and her eyes were warm and soft. “I love you too. And I want you to know, I didn’t touch your underwear.”

  He chuckled. “What?”

  “Um, that came out wrong. When I went to your apartment, your manager let me in, and he actually chose out some underwear for you because I was too shy.”

  “And I love that about you too.” He chuckled again and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her close. “Alicia, I need you in my life. You do good things to my soul.”

  She snuggled into his chest. “Yeah, you’re not so bad yourself.”

  They sat together and listened to the ticking of the clock on the wall. Alicia pulled up rabbit videos on her phone, and they watched twitching noses and bouncing tails until they couldn’t take any more cuteness. Oz was just about to suggest that he run and grab some food when Alicia suddenly stood up and darted out of the waiting room. Through the glass partition, Oz could see her talking to a pretty dark-haired girl in a wheelchair, and he followed her out.

  “Oh, my gosh,” Alicia was saying as Oz walked up. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “What’s the matter?” Oz asked. Alicia turned and took his hand.

  “This is Tamlyn, my new roommate,” she said. “Oz, she’s the driver Cam hit.”

  Oz took a step back as he looked the girl over. A cast on her leg. Bruises on her forehead. A nurse standing behind her to push her chair. “Are . . . are you sure?”

  The nurse nodded. “We just put the pieces together.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Oz said. “I’m so very sorry. Are you going to be all right?”

  Tamlyn nodded. “They’ve put a cast on, obviously, and they’re going to observe me overnight—I’m being moved to my room now. My sister’s on her way, and they’ll release me tomorrow when she’s here to take care of me.” She turned to Alicia and grinned. “I figured that invalid care wasn’t part of my rental agreement.”

  Alicia chuckled. “Hey, I’ll do what I can, but I can’t replace a sister.”

  “So true.” Tamlyn looked at Oz. “Are you all right? You look a little pale.”

  “I always look a little pale. Not enough time at the beach,” he replied, trying to bring some levity into the situation, but he did feel a little sick. This woman had been hurt because of his brother’s stupidity, and it was difficult to look her in the eyes and know that she’d be in pain for a long time because of it. “Do you mind my asking what happened?”

  “Not at all. I had left the ranch and was on my way to the grocery store—Alicia cleaned out half the fridge for my stuff, and I was dying to fill it up with cheese. Can never get enough cheese. I was almost ready to pull into the parking lot when this car just came barreling toward me from the other direction, also turning into the parking lot, and plowed right into me. Thankfully, I had slowed for the turn and wasn’t going very fast, but he was—probably around fifty miles an hour. He cut across some lanes of traffic, but no one else got hit.”

  She spoke calmly, but Oz could see that she was upset by what had happened—who wouldn’t be? “Is there anything you need? Anything I can do for you?”

  She smiled. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll check in on you later,” Alicia promised, and Tamlyn waved as the nurse pushed her toward the elevator.

  Oz watched her go, feeling helpless. He wondered if she had enough insurance to cover her hospital bill. It should go on Cam’s policy, but he’d be pretty surprised if Cam had bothered to carry insurance—or at least, enough to cover what had happened. Oz decided he’d talk to the hospital administration and see what he could find out—and arrange to have any leftover bills sent to him and not to Tamlyn.

  Alicia slipped her hand into his. “Is that Cam’s doctor?”

  Oz turned and saw the same green-scrub-wearing man walking toward him that he’d met earlier. The man looked worn out, but he had a smile on his face. “Everything’s going as well as can be expected,” he said. “We repaired the liver, and we’ve put some hardware into the broken ribs, and Cam’s in recovery now. He won’t be moved to a room for a bit, so you can’t see him yet, but we feel that he’s out of the woods
. The next twenty-four hours will tell us the whole story.”

  “Thank you.” Oz reached out and shook the doctor’s hand.

  “I’m glad we were here to help. Now I have another set of doctor’s orders—leave your cell number with the nurse and go get something to eat. I know you’ve been here for a long time, and you must be starving. You’re not doing him any good if you’re not taking care of yourself.”

  “He’ll be asleep for a while?” Alicia asked.

  “I don’t expect him to wake up for at least an hour, maybe two,” the doctor replied. “And the nurse will call you if there’s any change in the meantime.”

  “All right. Thanks again.” Oz gave a nod, then walked over to the nurses’ station and left his number. “My parents will be here soon too,” he told the woman who was taking down his information. “They’ll probably call me when they get here, but just in case . . .”

  “I’ll make sure you’re notified,” she said with a smile, and Oz thanked her before turning back to Alicia.

  “What are you in the mood for?” he asked as they walked toward the elevator.

  “Anything. I’m just hungry. Oh, I almost forgot.” She pulled a business card from her pocket. “The manager at your building asked me to have you call when you have any updates on Cam.”

  “Thanks. I’ll call him after we eat.” Oz slid the card into his own pocket, secretly amused at how Alicia called it “his” building. It actually was his building—he’d bought it as a real estate investment, and the man who managed it worked for him. He’d tell her that later, though.

  Chapter Eleven

  Oz looked a lot better after they’d eaten, and Alicia knew she felt better. They’d found a sandwich place around the corner from the hospital and ordered foot-longs, which disappeared in a matter of minutes. Then they got a text that Oz’s parents had arrived, and they walked back to the hospital as quickly as they could.

  “Oz,” his mother cried out as soon as they stepped off the elevator, and she wrapped him in a giant hug. His father patted his shoulder, and Alicia stood there awkwardly, feeling like an intruder even though she knew these people.