Jackson frowned. “What? No. At least…I don’t think so. No. It’s about Dad and Jimmy. You know how Jimmy said Dad died from some unknown killer? It’s not true. Dad…” Why was this so hard? “Dad killed himself.”
She turned in the driver’s seat to look at him. “Is that what’s had you twisted in knots all these years? That you thought I didn’t know your daddy took his own life? You think I didn’t know the demons he wrestled with? That man was my everything. I knew how he struggled. I tried to get him to see a therapist, but that just wasn’t done back then. He was afraid they’d kick him off the force. He was always a deeply thoughtful boy. It’s why I loved him. He was too soft for the special investigations unit. Each case broke his heart. And there were too many people on the take.” She paused, her gaze looking out the window. “I know the things they did weren’t always on the up and up. Your daddy had to work ten times harder than everybody else just because of the color of his skin, and sometimes, he cut corners or turned a blind eye to the shit Jimmy and the others were doing. There’s a blue wall that you just don’t cross. It was self preservation, but he didn’t see it that way. I don’t know everything that happened, but I do know, in the end, it was too heavy a burden for him to carry alone and one he wasn’t comfortable forcing me to shoulder. He left me a note. I never told anybody, especially after Jimmy and the boys went through so much trouble to make it look like a murder so we were protected. He just needed me to know why he was leaving us.” She patted Jackson’s cheek. “There. No more secrets. Let’s go check on your man now.”
She turned over the engine and started to back out. Jackson had no idea why he’d needed to unburden himself right at that moment. Maybe he’d been stalling. He wanted to be there for Day, but he didn’t know if he could stomach seeing what that fucking monster had done to him.
As soon as they reached the hospital waiting room, his sisters ran to him, the three of them squeezing him tightly. The others from Elite were all there as well, taking up the majority of the waiting room. “How is he?” he asked Mariah, knowing she had privileges at the hospital, even though she was an OB/GYN, not a trauma surgeon.
Jackson’s stomach rolled as his sister listed out Day’s injuries with clinical efficiency. “He made it through surgery with flying colors. They’re moving him to recovery now. They said they’ll come get you as soon as he’s stable and settled,” Mariah said. “He had a fractured cheek and a fractured orbital socket they had to repair. They said a shard of bone was sitting near the optic nerve and that it might cause him to lose some vision in his right eye. He has a broken jaw, so they’re wiring that shut. He lost a few teeth, but they say that’s an easy cosmetic fix once his jaw heals. The doctor said a plastic surgeon would suture the lacerations to his face, but there was no way of knowing how he’d heal until the swelling went down. He’s going to have a lot of pain for the first week or two but he was able to answer questions and they didn’t find any swelling on his brain.”
“It seemed the dickhead centered most of his blows directly to Day’s face,” Della fumed.
“Mr. Avery?”
“That’s me,” Jackson said.
“You can see your husband now if you follow me.”
Jackson frowned at Mariah. She shrugged. “What? I told a little fib. Do you want them to think we’re not his family?”
Jackson kissed her on the forehead. “Nope. This is his family.”
Jackson followed the nurse down the hallway, who introduced himself as Brandon and said that he’d be taking care of Day for the evening and that, by happenstance, Day would be Brandon’s only patient so to just use the call bell if they needed anything. Jackson nodded as the man walked out of the room and sat at a desk just outside Day’s window where he could peer in anytime to see them.
It loosened something in Jackson’s chest. Day would be safe from now on. Safe and cared for. He picked up the large reclining chair and sat it beside Day’s bed, waving to Brandon, who looked up to see what Jackson was doing. He couldn’t see much of Day’s face. The right side was hidden by bandages, including his eye. The left side was swollen, covered in multiple black and blue contusions, his left eye swollen shut and his lips chapped and slightly parted.
“Jesus, baby.” He picked up Day’s hand, holding it gently, afraid to cause him any more pain. “I’m so sorry I left you alone. I’m so sorry. I never should have left you in that car.”
“It’s my fault,” Day croaked through clamped teeth. “I left the car.”
“Shh, don’t talk. It is not your fault. None of this is your fault. Fuck, Day. I was so scared. I could hear him hitting you.” Jackson’s voice caught on a sob. “I could hear him hitting you, and we were so far away and you just kept taunting him. God, why, baby? Why did you do that?”
“I...I’d decided I was already dead. I wanted to go on my terms.” Every word was forced and mumbled, only discernible when Jackson leaned in close, but they were music to his ears. Day was alive. Day was talking. Day remembered what had happened.
“Are you hurting? Do you need me to get the nurse?”
“Uh-uh. The drugs are nice.”
Jackson smiled, lifting Day’s hand to kiss the back of it. “Rest, baby. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
“I do love you. Did you hear me tell him that?” he asked drowsily. “Did you hear me tell him how I loved you?”
“Yeah, baby. I heard everything. I love you, too. So fucking much.”
“‘Kay, good.”
Jackson sat, watching Day sleep, afraid to look away for even a second. When Brandon entered, Jackson fixed him with a hard stare. “I’m not leaving this spot. I don’t care what your visiting hours are.”
Brandon smiled. “If that were my husband, I wouldn’t leave either. But your friends and family were hoping for a quick update. I can sit with him while you let them know you talked to him. Like I said, he’s my only patient so far tonight. I’ll find you a pillow and some blankets so you can get comfortable when you get back.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Jackson was almost to the door when Brandon said, “Look, I’m not supposed to say this and I only know what little your sister said about who did that to him, but I really hope they got what they deserve.”
Jackson gave a grave nod. “Believe me. They did.”
“You heard from our boy yet?” Mama Bev asked as she wiped her hands on her bright yellow kitchen towel.
Day looked up from the kitchen table and gave her a brief smile. “Yeah, he called when he was on his way from the airport, but you know LA traffic. He’ll be here sometime between now and next Tuesday,” Day said before stopping to massage his jaw.
