Free Beautiful Life: The Carpino Series by Brynne Asher Page B

through great room and toward the basement. 
    Just before disappearing around the corner to the stairs, she turns and says while looking at the floor, “I’m sure he’ll be discharged any day.  He needs to rest so his body can heal.  You need to make sure he has a quiet space to do that.  I know you all are going to want to be near him, help him, cook for him and everything else you all are so good at.  Do it in a way he can rest and heal without the chaos.”
    With that, she disappears to the basement with my dog running after her. 
    Well, shit.  That didn’t go well.
    *****
    Jude
    One Week Later…
    I rap on his door after ringing the doorbell twice.  It’s been well over a week and even though he’s been shot, he can get off his ass to open the front door.  I haven’t seen him for a couple days since Christmas Eve when he was a downright Scrooge.  I’m not saying he doesn’t have a right to be pissy after taking a bullet, but I know it’s more about Leigh than a GSW to the gut.
    I hear the lock.  He opens the door and stares at me without inviting me in, telling me to fuck off or silently moving out of the way to let me know I’m welcome even if he’s pissed I’m here. 
    I hold up my bag and say, “Bleu Peppercorn Burger with fries or Reuben with fries.  You pick, I’ll eat the other.  You gonna let me in?”
    He picks option number three, moving silently letting me know I’m welcome even though he’s pissed I’m here.  Even if I did bring food.
    I follow him silently to the kitchen and park it at the island as he moves slowly and gingerly to the fridge where he pulls out ketchup and Cokes.  He comes to the island and starts opening plastic containers grabbing the Reuben.
    “So what have you been doing?” I ask before digging into my burger.
    “Working,” he mutters.
    “You supposed to be working?” I ask.
    Without turning away from his sandwich, his eyes come to me and with a full mouth he bites out, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
    “Yeah…sorry,” I mutter back.  I know the silence will continue so I forge on, “Gabby and I are leaving for Colorado tomorrow.  We’re driving this time, she has a shit load of furniture she wants at the cabin.  Not to mention the kitchen’s getting a re-haul.  I’ll be glad when that’s done.  We’ll be there a week, past the New Year.”
    “Gabby told me,” he said.
    “I figured.  Leigh’ll be at the house with the dog, they’re inseparable.  I can’t say that hasn’t been nice,” I say as I toss another ketchup covered fry in my mouth.
    Again, he has nothing to say so we eat quickly, mostly in silence. 
    Finishing my Coke and throwing my trash in the bag, I get up and pull a piece of paper out of my pocket and hold it up to him between my index and middle fingers.  He frowns as he takes it asking, “What’s this?”
    “Just tryin’ to repay a favor.  Or favors , I should say.  You invited me to Fantasy Football and now I’m getting married in two months.  Not to mention you took a bullet for your cousin and my woman.  If you want, I’ll kidnap Leigh myself and drag her ass over here, but I thought you’d rather try and finesse the situation a bit first.  I don’t want her to hate me but if it comes to that, I’ll do it.  For now, that’s her schedule at the hospital for the next two weeks.  Good luck man,” I slap him on the shoulder and without looking back, I leave him in the kitchen knowing he’ll figure it out while letting myself out the front door.  Hopefully he’ll have this shit wrapped up before we get back from the cabin.  Gabby’s driving me insane with the he-said-she-said drama from hell.  She has a wedding to plan.
    *****
    New Year’s Eve…
    Tony’s been home from the hospital for a little over a week.  He was there for five days, at my workplace, hospitalized in the same building where I spend twelve hours at a time.  But I haven’t seen him since the night he was shot and I