Page 27 of Ruptured

“If he’s lucid, he might take comfort from seeing you,” Meggie said.

The sound of running water echoed in the room.

“Okay, baby,” Christopher said with a nod. He thought for a moment. “He still with Wilcunt, huh, Mort?”

Mortician winced. “Didn’t mean to lie to you, Prez, but I didn’t know what else to tell you so you wouldn’t kill your kid.”

Kendall walked to Mortician, holding a wet washcloth. “For your lip.”

“You punched him, didn’t you, Christopher?” Meggie asked.

He shrugged.

“I’ll call Brooks so he can call the hospital’s CAO and settle whatever damages you two juvenile assholes caused,” Kendall announced, and walked out.

Christopher ignored her. “Baby, you up to movin’ to Reb’s room?”

Meggie smiled. “That’ll be the best medicine of all.”

He stood and swept her into his arms.

Squealing, Meggie grabbed her IV pole.

“Reb need her ma close, baby.”

No matter what Christopher said about Rebel’s condition, Meggie wasn’t prepared to see her daughter hooked up to monitors with a tube running from her chest to the draining machine.

Rebel slept, so still and silent, not at all the lively girl Meggie knew and loved. Tears rushed to her eyes and she pressed her lips together to hold back a sob. Christopher didn’t speak as he brought Meggie to her bed and laid her down.

“I thought…I thought…” She couldn’t process her daughter’s condition to saywhatshe thought. She sniffled. “Why does Rebel have all of that?”

Christopher walked to the foot of Rebel’s bed and touched her foot. “They need to reinflate her lung,” he said, his tone suddenly distant and his expression unreadable. “They was hopin’ it wasn’t as serious, but she couldn’t fuckin’ breathe. After Pritchard told meeverything, I signed the consent and a pulmonologist performed the procedure.”

Snapping her brows together and wiping her wet cheeks, Meggie narrowed her eyes. “You chose to chase Mortician rather than stay at Rebel’s bedside?”

He scowled. “What the fuck could I do in here, Megan? I told them to sedate her so she’d relax. Pritchard said it should only be a couple days. I want her sedated the entire fuckin’ time cuz he said a lot of patients are in fuckin’ pain from the chest tube and the reinflation. On a scale of ten, motherfuckers rate their pain at nine or ten. You want that for her?Isure the fuck don’t.”

“Christopher, I know you’re upset and worried right now, but calm down. She’s going to be o-okay.”

“She almost wasn’t. You, too.”

“I know,” Meggie acknowledged, unable to focus on her husband and not over her shock of seeing how gravely ill Rebel was. She slid out of her bed and closed the short distance to Rebel’s. The railings were up and Meggie had her fair share of injuries, so instead of leaning over to hug and kiss her daughter, she grabbed her hand. “Momma’s here, sweetheart,” she whispered. “I suppose CJ saw you before they decided on the procedure.”

“CJ ain’t seen her,” Christopher cut in, still at the foot of Rebel’s bed. “I’m the only one who been with her.”

“Oh my god!” Meggie cried. “She must be even worse than I imagined if she wasn’t allowed visitors.”

“Ididn’t allow fuckin’ visitors, Megan. Only Mort and Mattie outside of the boys could see you. No one but me saw Rebel.”

Meggie nodded. Christopher needed time to get control of himself, so she wouldn’t fault him for barring other family members. “So CJ doesn’t know about Rebel’s breathing tube?”

Christopher clenched his jaw and shook his head.

“Does Diesel?”

“No, Megan.Nofuckinbody. Only Mortician cuz he came to talk to me while the doctor was with me.”

“Maybe, you need to tell the boys before they see her. It’s a shock. CJ is traumatized enough and so is—”