Tinker clenched his free hand and gritted his teeth.
“Tinker.” Abby brushed her free hand over his, and he realized he was gripping her hand too tight.
“Sorry.” He relaxed her grip and tried to let go of her hand.
She clasped both her hands around his, brushing her thumb over his knuckles. “It’s okay.”
“You good?” Katherine asked. “You guys can go back first, or you can wait a bit.”
Tinker shook his head. “I’d rather go now.”
Katherine nodded. “She’s in room 412.”
Tinker nodded and took a deep breath. Abby remained close to his side as they made their way down the hall. It seemed to stretch on forever, expanding further with every step he took. They reached Melanie’s room, directly in front of the nurse’s station, sooner than he expected.
It was bad. Holy fuck, it was bad. The entire side of her face was one huge purple bruise. Her arm rested on the covers, wrapped in a beige cast.
He swallowed hard and stepped across the threshold. She was so small in the bed. A tube ran under her nose and around her ears. More tubes ran from her good arm and wires poked out of the top of her surgical gown.
Fighting to breathe, he concentrated on the low, steady beeping of the machine beside her bed and the strong squeeze of Abby’s hand in his.
Had it been this bad last time? He’d met Melanie after charges had already been brought against her mom’s boyfriend.
As if the thought conjured her, Becky stood from the chair on the far side of the room. “Tinker! You’re here.”
She rounded the bed and tried to throw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing the side of her face against his chest.
Tinker stood frozen, revulsion crawling through him. He wanted to push her away. Hard. But he’d never hurt a woman in his life and he wasn’t going to start now, no matter how much he didn’t want her touching him.
“You need to back up.”
The force of Abby’s voice surprised him. It apparently surprised Becky as well because she did exactly what she was told.
“What—?” Becky looked between him and Abby. “What is she doing here?”
“I’m his woman.”
Despite all the shit he’d been dealing with for the last couple hours, those three words brought a smile to his lips. His woman. Fuck yeah, she was.
“Tinker.” Becky lowered her voice. “Can I speak to you privately?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Tinker, please. You don’t understand, if you had just?—”
“Don’t you fucking dare.” Abby dropped his hand and stepped in front of him. “This has nothing to do with Tinker. This happened because of you and your shitty decisions.”
Becky took a step back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t understand what it’s like. I needed someone to take care of us. To take care of Melanie.”
Abby took a step forward. “Are you fucking kidding me? I know exactly what it’s like. It is not anyone’s job to take care of you or Melanie. That is your job.”
Tears streamed down Becky’s face. Maybe he should step in.
“If Tinker had just given me a chance, I wouldn’t have had to go back to John. This wouldn’t have happened,” Becky said angrily.
The way Abby moved, he thought she was going to punch Becky. Instead, she jabbed her finger at Melanie, making her step back as she advanced.
“You are her mother. It is your job to protect your child. The only thing you ever have to do in life is love her and protect her. Do not blame this on anyone except yourself and your own selfish decisions.”
