Page 29 of Sucker Punch (The Riot Crew #1)

Chapter 29

Lotto

A s I raced the car toward the hospital, I tried to steady my nerves. I needed to remain strong for Bones. I could hear it in his voice the minute he called me. Panic. Uncertainty. And a man who knew I’d drop everything and rush to his side no matter what.

I practically ran through the hospital hallways until I finally found Bones standing there with his head in his hands. Without even thinking about it, I hurried to his side and threw my arms around him, pulling him in for a deep embrace. Bones was trembling against me, falling into me, and I felt helpless. If only I could do more.

This strong man who could decimate any beast was broken, and I held nothing but pieces in my arms. The shell of tattooed muscle crumbled within.

“It’s the cancer,” he said softly. “It’s spreading through him. I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do about it. I want to help him, to get him treatment, but I don’t know how.”

Oh fuck.

I’d seen this before.

Don’t do it. Don’t get too desperate. Please, don’t go down the same road again.

I held him closer, willing him to feel me, to know I was there for him. If he knew he wasn’t alone, maybe he wouldn’t get sucked into the darkness so easily. He was more grown up now and a changed man, but there was a desperation within him, and that scared the hell out of me.

“What did the doctor say exactly?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It was a blur, and my ears were ringing and… they said it wasn’t good. That’s all I got from the conversation.”

“Okay,” I said on exhalation. “Okay.” My own ears were starting to ring, and my head pounded, but this was no time to be weak. Not now. Not when they both needed me.

“And on top of that, I need to get ready for the fight tomorrow,” he continued. We were fucked if Bones didn’t show up. It would be a PR nightmare, especially this close to Heathens Hollow, but of course we couldn’t ask him to fight. Not now. Not with all this going on with his dad. “I don’t know what to do about it.” He pulled back from me. “I want to fight because we all need the money. I also haven’t given enough notice with regards to my contract. But I also don’t want to go and leave my dad. I’m a fucking mess. And we’re supposed to go catch the flight to Detroit in an hour.”

“I’ll call Ari,” I suggested. “She’ll understand.”

“I’ll look like a fucking flake.”

“No you won’t. She’ll understand.”

“Frankie won’t.”

“Fuck Frankie. This is about you right now,” I reassured.

He shook his head. “I don’t want to let any of them down, and I don’t want either of them knowing until… I don’t know. I just don’t want them knowing yet.”

“Fine. I’ll stay with him.” I’d do whatever he needed me to. “It doesn’t really matter if I’m at the fight or not. Frankie can fill in for me where I would be missed. This way you can fight, and you’ll know your dad isn’t alone. I won’t leave his side.” I pulled away so I could look him straight in the eyes. “I’ll talk to the doctors and see if I can get more information on the cancer. I’ll handle it.”

“You will?” He looked really relieved. “I don’t trust anyone else to be here without me but you. But… I’ve been trying to make a decision about what’s for the best. Dad’s asleep at the moment. He might not even notice me gone, but still.”

“Just go,” I assured him. “I’ll be fine. Your dad will be fine. Trust me. I’ll get in touch with you if you’re needed.”

He paused, looked at his dad and back at me.

“Go on. You don’t want to be late and miss the flight.”

With that, he pulled me in for a deep hug and rushed from the hospital. I was sure a part of this was a coping tactic, and that he needed to go punch a man into oblivion to feel better, which was fine. He needed to feel normal when his life was spiraling out of control. Fighting was his normal. Any way that I could help him, any way that I could keep him from going down a bad path, was fine by me.

I stepped into Cisco’s room where, like Bones had said, he was fast asleep. I sat myself on the chair by his bed, looking down at his weak, fragile frame. My heart went out to both of them. It was obvious now, with Cisco in his hospital gown, that he really was dying.

This was bad. This was really bad. I didn’t know how Bones was going to deal with that if he did die. I didn’t know how I would.

In great need of a distraction, I flicked the crappy old hospital room television on to watch mindless commercials and some lame sitcom I’d never seen. I kept the volume low, but somehow that seemed to be loud enough to wake Cisco.

He grumbled, sitting upright.

“Hey, Pops. Can I get you something?”

“Just some water, please.”

As he gulped down the cool liquid I handed to him, color began to return to his face, and it wasn’t long before a weak smile spread across his lips.

“How long have you been sitting there?” He glanced around. “Did Bones go to the fight? I told him he better not miss it. You should be there, too. I don’t want you guys fucking up a good thing because of me.”

I grinned at him before taking his hand in mine. “I made sure Bones got on that flight. Don’t worry. You gave us quite the scare.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted, sitting up even more, wincing through the pain. “Just being an old man.”

We didn’t discuss the cancer in our house. Cisco preferred it that way, and out of respect, I honored his wishes. But this time, I needed to ask, “Did the doctors say the cancer is spreading?”

Cisco shrugged. “It is what it is. We all have an expiration date.”

“Is it treatable?”

“Bones wants to believe that. It’s the fighter in him,” Cisco said, “but my body knows the truth.”

“He is a fighter. He’s not going to stop fighting for you.”

“He’s not going to win this one,” he said, sincerely, “and you need to help me make him see that. Help him deal with that.”

“I know,” I reassured Cisco, but inside I felt a mess. “I know.”

“And I know you love my son. You both have for years. I might be an old man, but I’m not blind. I can see how much you love each other.”

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”

“I’m glad you both found each other. That’s all a father can ask for. But I need to talk to you about something else, something important,” Cisco said, suddenly serious.

I nodded, bracing myself for the worst. I could see the pain in his eyes, the weight of his burden. He was dying, and he wanted to make things right before he went.

“I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me that you’ll take care of Bones after I’m gone. He’s going to need you, more than ever, and I know you’ll be there for him.”

“Of course. I promise.” My voice choked with emotion.

“You’re a good man, Lotto. Bones and I would not have been able to do this life without you. And I know you’ve always felt like an outsider looking in, but you aren’t. I’m so fucking proud of you. You are the strength. The spine.”

Cisco’s words hit me like a wave, washing over me and leaving me breathless. I had always felt like an outsider in their family, despite their warm acceptance. But hearing Cisco say that I was a part of their family, that I was their strength, meant everything to me.

“So this Ari girl?” he continued. “Tell me about this. Where do you fit in?”

I drew a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. I hadn’t expected Cisco to bring up Ari, but I should have known he wouldn’t miss a thing.

“Ari is... she’s someone special. But it’s complicated.”

“That’s what Bones said. He said there are four of you. Like a polyamorous relationship or something like that?”

I nodded, feeling my cheeks heat up. I wasn’t used to talking about my relationship with Bones, let alone with his father. But Cisco had always been open-minded, and I knew he deserved to know the truth.

“I guess you could call it that. I’ve never been good with labels, but yeah.”

Cisco nodded, his expression thoughtful. “I see. And how does that work?”

I chuckled. “Hell if I know. If you find out, could you let me know?”

Cisco’s low chuckle was rich and full of warmth. “I’ll do my best, Lotto. I’ll do my best.”

He shifted in his seat, wincing slightly as he did so. I could see the pain etched into his features, the lines on his face deeper than they had been moments before. Despite the pain, he seemed determined to have this conversation, to make things right before it was too late.

“I know it’s not my place to judge, Lotto, and I’m not trying to. I just met this Ari girl, and I haven’t met the other guy, but I need to know that you’ll take care of my boy. That you’ll be there for him when I can’t be. Keep being the spine.”

“I promise, Cisco. I promise.” I kept my words firm and steady.

He nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Good. That’s all I need to hear.”

We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of our conversation hanging heavy in the air. Despite the sadness, there was a sense of peace. Death was a part of life, but losing a parent was never an easy thing. Never.

We both glanced toward the door as the doctor stood with a clipboard in hand and a grave look on his face. “Do you have a minute, Mr. Vega? Can we talk?”

“Yeah…” Cisco straightened with his jaw clenched. Seeing him so scared made my heart beat a whole lot faster. “Come in.”

The doctor stepped in through the door and glanced down at his clipboard. “I hate to have to tell you this, but your insurance doesn’t cover the treatment that we discussed earlier, and only a small percentage of the medications. There aren’t generics of many of those prescribed. And without the treatment, there really is not much we can do.” He paused. “And to be honest, I’m not sure if the treatment would be effective with the spread. I see you’re already on hospice, and home health has been assigned. So at least you are taken care of there… We’re going to have to send you home.”

My heart fell to the floor. I might not be a medical expert, but I did know that if Cisco went home in his condition, and he didn’t get any treatment, he might not survive much longer.

And from the acceptance on Cisco’s face, it seemed he realized the same thing.