Page 38 of Rome
“No, it’s nothing like that. They’re fine, but I need you to get over here now.”
“I’m putting my shoes on now.” Her voice was slightly muffled, like she was trying to hold the phone balanced against her shoulder.
“We have a blood pressure cuff here, but bring your stethoscope just in case you need it.” I gripped my phone in my hand so tightly I was surprised the damned thing was still in one piece. I heard a door slamming on the other end of the line.
“What the hell happened? Is she hurt? Do we need an ambulance?” It sounded like she was running.
“No,” I hesitated, not sure how to explain. “She’s just really upset with me. I…got drunk last night.”
I heard the ding of her car’s seat belt reminder. Lia didn’t say anything, but her silence was pretty fucking telling.
“I’m on my way,” she said, then ended the call. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she would be here in a few minutes.
Amelia lived in a newer apartment complex, only two miles away from our house, sharing an apartment with her best friend, Laura. They’d met in nursing school, and both worked at the same hospital.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket, ignoring the texts from Lucky and Trick. I knew they were worried about me, but my only concern was my wife. I could still hear her crying – heartrending sobs that killed me to hear. I wanted more than anything to go to her, but I knew I would only make it worse.
A few minutes later, I heard the sound of an engine coming down our street and was relieved when I recognized it. Amelia whipped her red Jeep into the driveway, barely coming to a stop in front of the garage door before she jumped out and came bounding up the steps with her stethoscope in one hand.
“How is she?”
I cocked my head toward the door, where Abby’s cries could still be heard.
“Damn, I know how upset she gets over your drinking, but this is bad. Her hormones must be all over the place to cause this kind of reaction.”
She reached for the door handle, but I put my hand over hers to stop her. I knew I needed to tell her everything.
“It’s not just that, Lia. I was so drunk that I fucked up. Bad,” I stressed.
Lia narrowed her eyes as she studied my face. “How bad?”
“I…there was a woman,” I began, and that’s all Amelia needed to hear. She jerked her hand from under mine and took a step back.
“You fucked her?” she asked sharply, and I shook my head.
“No, but it was close, too fuckin’ close. I was so damned drunk that I thought it was Abby, and I let her blow me in the hallway at the clubhouse.”
Lia didn’t say a word, just drew her hand back and slapped me across the face.
“You cheating sonofabitch,” she hissed. “How could you do that to my sister? She loves you.”
“I love her, Lia, more than life itself. You know that. I fucked up.”
“Yeah, you did. You need to leave so I can get her calmed down before she makes herself sick.”
“I’m going for now but keep me posted. Please. I need to know that she’s OK.”
“Does she sound OK to you?”
“Lia – “
“Just go, Rome. You’ve done enough damage for one day.” She pulled open the door without another word, stepping inside and closing it firmly behind her. I waited for a few more minutes, listening to the murmur of Lia’s voice mixed with the sound of Abby crying.
When the cries started getting softer, I left, not even taking the chance to grab my cut from the hook by the back door. I didn’t want Abby to hear me and become hysterical again.
I spent the next two hours riding around aimlessly, not able to stomach the idea of going back to the clubhouse. Normally, riding helped clear my head. Not today. Today, I could only hear the sound of my wife sobbing, screaming at me not to touch her and to get out. The image of her tear-stained face was all I could see, and the memory of the pain in her eyes was almost unbearable. I had destroyed her – destroyed us – and I wasn’t sure how the hell I would ever be able to make it right.
I found myself turning on to Sinner’s street around six-thirty. I could see the light on in the living room, and the flicker of the television as I pulled to a stop in his driveway. By the time I swung my leg over the seat of my bike, his front door was opening.
