"She's taken something Marcus! Help me!" Her screams came through the phone so loud Will ow jerked in my arms.
She'd heard her.
"Who? Mom took something?" My heart was pounding in my chest. Oh God no.
"YES! She won't wake up. I called 911 but I can't find a pulse! Help me!" she wailed.
"I'm coming. Keep her alive Manda. You hear me! Keep her breathing. Do mouth to mouth. Something!" Will ow had stood back from my embrace and her face was chalk white. I needed to deal with what was bothering her but my mother's life hung in the balance right now and I couldn't.
"Low, I gotta go."
She nodded, "Hurry," she said frantically. I could see the horror in her eyes. She'd heard every word Amanda had said. She understood. I wasn't leaving her. She knew that. I bolted for the door. Please God don't let my Mama die.
Five hours later, my mother's stomach had been pumped and she was being given fluids through an IV. My sister hadn't been able to find a pulse because in her panic she wasn't looking in the right place. But she had been right about one thing. Mom had taken a bottle of pain pills. The divorce papers had been signed by my dad and had been clutched against her chest when I'd got there.
Mom's eyes flickered open and she focused on me. I moved from my stance against the wall where I'd stood for over an hour watching her, willing her to open her eyes.
"Marcus," she whispered. I grabbed her hand and nodded.
Suddenly I wasn't a twenty-one year old man. I was a little boy. Scared and in need of his mama to hold him and tell him everything was going to be okay. Seeing them lift her lifeless body onto the gurney and take her from the house was a nightmare I never wanted to relive.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Shh Mama. Don't talk. It's okay just promise you'll never do that to me again. I can't handle that Mama. I can't." I squeezed her hand and she let out a small sob. I didn't want her to cry. Not now. She needed to recover.
"He left me. Took her with him. Moved to Mobile," she said in a hoarse whisper.
I reached and got the glass of water and straw the nurse had left a few minutes ago. She'd said Mom would need it when she woke up.
"Here Mama take a small sip. I don't want to talk about him.
He's gone. We're all still here and we aren't going anywhere."
She obediently took a small sip of water and laid her head back against the pillow.
"I love you," she said staring up at me with sad eyes.
"I love you too. Manda and I need you Mama. You can't try to leave us again. We need you." I spoke gently but forcefully. I needed her to understand that just because our father had cast her off we never would. She was important to us.
"I need you too."
I nodded, "Good. Now take another drink."
"You're awake."
I glanced back as Amanda ran toward the bed and hovered over our broken mother. "Oh Mama, you're okay. You're awake," she gushed.
Mom reached for Amanda's hand with her other hand and grasp hers.
"I'm sorry. I won't do this ever again. I had a weak moment." She explained slowly looking up at my sister. Amanda sniffed back tears before crawling up on the bed and curling up beside mom.
"My baby girl," Mom cooed and kissed Amanda's forehead.
They were here and they were safe. It was going to be okay. I could do this. I could hold this family together. I'd do whatever I had to do. Low would help me. Mom loved her.
We'd make it through this.
Willow
Cage saw me the minute he exited the dugout. Frowning, he made his way over to me. I'd never come to his practice before. I could see the question and concern on his face.
"Low, what's wrong?" He asked when he reached me. I felt the sob inside me well up and I covered my mouth to silence it. His eyes widened and he reached for my hand.
"Come on," he said pulling me with him. Away from the curious eyes of his teammates. He led us straight to his car and opened the passenger side door.
"Get in."
I didn't argue. I climbed in. the familiar smell of safety surrounded me and my eyes filled with tears. Cage would always be my safe place. Because once Marcus knew the truth, I was going to lose him. He was going to leave me too. And I didn't blame him.
Cage climbed into the driver's seat then turned to look at me.
"What happened and whose ass do I need to beat?" I shook my head, "No ones. Oh Cage it's awful. It's worse than I could've ever even imagined."
"Nothing's that bad baby. Ever. And if it is I'll fix it."
"You can't fix this Cage. This is unfixable."
"Nothing's unfixable"
"Larissa and Marcus have the same father," I yelled fisting my hands over my eyes as another sob rattled my chest.
Silence.
I'd rendered him speechless.
"The married man Tawny's been screwing is Marcus's father. Jefferson HARDY just left his wife for my sister."
"Fuck."
I dropped my hands in my lap and looked at Cage's horrified expression. "How do you know? I mean how did you find out? Does Marcus know?"
"She met me outside my class today. Driving a brand new Mercedes SUV. Told me that Larissa's daddy had left his wife and they were moving to Mobile. He'd bought them a fancy new house and he was moving in with them. Then she handed me a check for what she called debt she owed me and left." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the check and handed it to Cage.
"Holy Mother."
"Look who wrote me the check Cage. Not the amount." He lifted his blue eyes to me, "Low, baby, I'm so sorry. She just keeps f**king your life up."