"Isaac, there's no way he's riding."
He canted his head and lifted a shoulder. "Ty, it's J.D. I'd rather he has a bull if he needs one than we screw it up for him."
"Good point," I agreed.
Then I got my chance to head back out. That involved knocking on the door where I heard voices so I could ask for keys. Tanner passed over both, so when I grabbed my gear, I picked up theirs as well. Cody's was gone, which meant she already had it - or so I hoped. But the rest?
J.D.'s hat was still in the backseat. Tanner's was tossed on the floorboard haphazardly now. That was the one that had been under the truck. Their bags were side by side. After gathering all that up, I went to my truck and repeated the juggling act. Mostly because of the hats, but somehow I made it work.
Then I went back to Sports Medicine and waited. Eventually, Tanner came out. His shirt had a wet spot on it where thatstain had been. His hands had been cleaned and a few band-aids applied, but when he saw his gear bag, the man sighed in relief.
"I need his vape."
"Is it in here?" I asked, reaching for J.D.'s bag, unzipping the top, and rummaging. "He usually leaves it in the room."
"And he wanted it after his ride last night," Tanner explained. "I told him to bring it, that he didn't need to use it, and now I'm fucking glad I did."
I found the thing in a side pocket, and passed it over. Tanner took that back, then returned to sigh one more time.
"Do we need to call Peter?" Isaac asked. "No bullshit, bro."
"No, I'm good," Tanner promised. "Got some anti-inflammatories. No narcotics. Worst off are my hands, but it'll be fine."
"Let him know he might be up," I suggested. "Then, if Tanner starts feeling it halfway through..."
"I agree," Isaac told Tanner. "But it's your call."
"Yeah, that works," Tanner relented. Then he turned to me. "I have to get ready. I'm not going to let those fuckers think they won."
"Tanner..."
"No," he snapped, cutting me off. "J.D. and I agree. Told him you were waiting, and he told me to make it clear I'm not fucking scared. And I'm not, Ty. I'mpissed."
"Same," I assured him. "So go. I got this."
Those two left, and I ended up waiting some more. Eventually, Doc told me to come back. There, J.D. was sprawled out on one of those tiltable medical beds Doc had. That was fine, but the wrap around his ribs? I didn't like that at all.
"You gonna be ok?" I asked J.D. as I made my way over.
"They're not broken," Anthony assured me.
"Just hurting," J.D. said. "My head's the worst. Prolly not gonna be a good ride, but don't matter none. They ain't gonna score me anyway."
"Yeah..." I breathed, reaching up to scrub at my mouth.
I'd said we shouldn't tell these two, but this? It changed everything. Yeah, Doc and Anthony were listening in, but I had a feeling they wouldn't say shit. But J.D. needed to know what the big plan was. More than that, he needed to wrap his mind aroundwhywe had to do this, and whyhehad to help.
"After you left the bar last night," I said, taking the plastic chair along the sidewall, "the guys decided that if they're not gonna judge fair, then we're picking the winners."
"How's that work?" J.D. asked.
"No one rides but the choice of the night," I told him.
"And those dumb fucks," J.D. growled.
"Less talking," Doc told him. "More sucking on that vape. J.D., you take something for the pain, or Iwillgive you something."
Obediently, J.D. sucked on his vape, the musky scent of his cannabis oil stark in the medically clean room. When he blew out the fog, I waved it away, but neither Doc nor Anthony seemed to care at all.
