Page 102 of Brain Damage

Clark glares at me as his fists tighten around the pillow.

“I want a moment alone with my wife,” he says through his teeth.

Jamie looks between the two of us and frowns. He finally notices the pillow in Clark’s hands and his eyes widen. He won’t leave me like this. I know it.

“Charly wants me to stay,” Jamie says finally.

As Clark glares at Jamie, I can see the recognition dawning on his face. “I know you,” he says. “You’re the asshole who pushed me in the gym.”

Jamie grins crookedly. “Yup, that was me.”

Clark drops the pillow, steps away from my bed, and moves towards Jamie. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you again,” he says. “About what happened. It wasn’t really an accident, was it?”

The smile vanishes from Jamie’s lips. “No, it wasn’t.”

“Clark,” I say sharply. “You need to leave. Right now.”

“Shut up, Charlotte,” he says, whipping his face back to look at me. He says it with such anger. He hates me. My husband hates me.

Jamie’s eyes fill with anger as well. His left hand balls up into a fist. As much as I’d like to see him punch Clark, I don’t want him to. Clark is in top physical condition right now. He can destroy Jamie. There isn’t much I can do to help him, stuck here in my bed. Where is that call button? Is it even in my bed?

“Charly says she wants you to leave,” Jamie says slowly. “So I think you’d better go.”

Clark snorts. “Are you threatening me?”

“I’m just telling you to leave,” Jamie replies in an even voice.

Clark keeps moving towards Jamie. If I were Jamie, I’d be terrified, but he doesn’t even flinch. That’s probably the brain injury affecting his judgment.

“Back in the gym, you caught me by surprise,” Clark says. “You won’t do that again. I hope you know that I could break every bone in your face.”

I’m scared he’s right about that. Clark is strong. And Jamie’s balance is far from perfect. The last thing I want is for Jamie to get hurt because of me.

Jamie still doesn’t look worried as he nods thoughtfully. “Maybe,” he says. He looks at Clark for a minute. Then he takes the cane in his hand and lifts it into the air. He grips it with both hands like a baseball bat. “This cane is made out of metal,” he tells Clark, studying the long thin rod as he speaks. “I used to be pretty good at baseball. I’m pretty sure if I swing this at your face, I could break your jaw.”

Clark’s eyes fly open wide.

“The difference between you and me,” Jamie goes on, a pleasant smile spreading across his lips, “is if I break your face, I won’t get in trouble.”

For a moment, I’m sure that Jamie is going to swing his cane square into Clark’s handsome face. And you know what? I really want him to do it. I want him to shatter that perfect jaw. I want his jaw to be wired shut so that he can never smirk at me again.

But Jamie holds the cane steady in the air.

“Fine,” Clark growls. He turns around to give me one last look. “You’re making a big mistake, Charlotte.”

Jamie drops the cane, letting it fall to the ground. I watch Clark’s hand on the door to my room, and I wonder if he’ll run. I wonder where he’ll go to escape the punishment for what he did to me. For what he tried to do to me. I don’t even care anymore. I just want him gone for good.

But before Clark can get the door open, Jamie grabs him by the arm. With his bare hands, Jamie shoves Clark hard against the wall, and presses his forearm against my husband’s windpipe. Clark gasps for air and Jamie stares him straight in the eyes.

“What were you trying to do to Charly with that pillow?” Jamie snaps at him.

“Let me go, you asshole,” Clark gasps.

Jamie releases him for a split second, pulls back his right arm, and punches Clark square in his perfect Aquiline nose. Clark screams as blood pours from his nostrils, and Jamie replaces his forearm against his neck.

“I repeat,” Jamie says, “what were you doing to Charly?”

The door to my room cracks open, then swings open entirely. I recognize Grace, my evening nurse. She gasps when she sees Jamie pinning a bloody Clark to the wall.