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Chapter 44: A Rescue
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The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 45: It's Not About the Chips
For the first time since we've met, he doesn't bite. He only shakes his head and points to the revolving door at the front of the hospital. What a wonderful time for him to become the bigger person and leave me standing on the sidewalk looking like a fool alone.With slow steps I walk past him and into the cold white building. As I follow the signs for intensive care, my steps pick up until I'm almost running when I barrel through the large metal doors to the unit where my mother said my father has a room. A small lobby with chairs and vending machines is to the right and a woman, my mother, with a tear-stained face steps out."Kens," she says grabbing onto my arm while clutching a small cup of coffee in her other. "Have you heard from your brother?""No," I say and her face falls. There's so much sorrow in the lines of her face and I don't know how to fix the problem.My mother wraps me into a deep hug squeezing tightly as if she can somehow suck the life out of me and return
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 46: Back to Formalities
Her eyes brighten at the thought and she nods for the first time. "Something cheesy. No salt and vinegar."I smile. Salt and vinegar potato chips have been an ongoing struggle in my home growing up. They are my father's favorite and my mother can't handle the smell of them. "On it," I say digging through my purse for loose change.If she wanted to munch on cheesy chips rather than food then I could at least give her that wish. There wasn't much else I could do to help her.She grabs onto my hand as I step out of the room. "If your brother contacts you, run right back to the room."I agree, promising I will, but I'm no further than the corner of my dad's room before my real thoughts surface. Like hell if my deadbeat brother finally contacted me would I race back in and tell her. I'd walk slower while telling him the fuck off. His crazy behaviors caused my father to have a heart attack, and he ran away from the problem. The not answering phone calls is the least of his issues onc
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 47: It's a Stupid Crush
In the end, after a few seconds of internal back and forth, I realize there is no way I can say no. It's my father."Okay, thank you." I say and realize for his faults and for the times he's upset me, I owe Vincent a thank you. A big ass one. He never waits to hear appreciation for his last good deed before doing another. It's amazing and... annoying. How can he be a saint and an asshole at the same time?"The next time you see your father's doctor, let him know I'll have someone there in the morning and to get the OR prepped. And for the love of God, Mackenzie, keep your phone on so you get my texts." The first signs of his annoyance show through in his voice."I'm sorry. There's no signal in the room.""Well, check in on occasion. Doesn't the hospital have guest Wi-Fi?" His overbearing concern has me smiling even if it's ridiculous. I have no place being happy in a hospital waiting room. There was an unlocked Wi-Fi, but it sucked too. I considered it a commentary on the entir
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 48: Bad Motives
He tracks each of my steps to his table, and as I get closer, he pulls the second chair from the opposite side to sit beside him. Next to his laptop a brown sandwich with big yellow arches sits beside him next to a steaming cup of coffee."They serve coffee here. You know?"Vincent's nose crinkles. "I can only imagine the taste resembles river water.""Hey, we treat everything before we drink it." I'm sure Vincent has Davis driving all over town looking for an acceptable cup of coffee, and I can picture his disdain when he found out there isn't anything. McDonald's is as good as it gets."How did you survive without a place to get a decent cup of coffee for eighteen years?" Vincent asks unrolling the top of the brown bag."We made it at home." Or we have low standards of coffee. It's obvious he hasn't spent much time away from the city. Life doesn't work the same way here."I picked you up one of these. I figured you wouldn't eat breakfast this morning."He hands over a w
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 49: Henry's Return
What?He must be joking.I pull my hand back a fraction, puzzled at his response. All of this is to get me back to work? It can't possibly be the truth, but why would he say it? Why can't he admit that he feels something too?I shake my head, gathering my thoughts, and realize maybe he hasn't admitted it because he doesn't. It's possible those things people say about billionaires becoming rich because they're ruthless is the truth. There's no shining nice guy hiding under his gruff exterior. Would Vincent do this for his other assistants? The man is so utterly frustrating.But as much as I tell myself he's a jerk and stare at him as he goes back to his computer undisturbed by the fact we're no longer holding hands, I can't see past what he's done.The obvious jealousy with his client in Chicago and the help he's gotten for my father. The furniture in my apartment. Hell, the apartment. These are not the things an asshole does for his employees. It's so much more.And the kis
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 50: Annoying Men Everywhere
Vincent told me to take as many days I wanted, but I hadn't planned on a week. It went by so quickly with my father in the hospital and then my father coming home. After that I need an extra day to help get him set up to recover in front of his TV in the living room. My brother returned to school in Big Rapids to finish out the summer session and it left me and my mother to do the dirty work.I lean down, hugging my father in his chair and squeezing him hard, his face the constant reminder of how close we came to losing him. My family and I might not always agree, but in the end they're the only people we have in times of need. I vowed multiple times throughout the week to do a better job of being a good daughter."Stay healthy, Daddy," I say squeezing him one last time and pulling back."Of course, your mother will feed me nothing but broccoli for the rest of my life.""If that's what it takes for you to have the rest of your life then so be it." He needs to make sure and live
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 51: Here We Go Again
I tap my foot three more times on the carpet, but there's barely a noise. Nothing satisfying at least. An annoyed foot tap is only good when you can get a satisfying thunk from it as well. The tough Berber carpet doesn't create a sound, which forces me to tap my foot harder and harder to no avail.I stack the seven card on top of an eight in my solitaire game and a loud chuckle comes from Vincent's office. With narrow eyes, I whip around and stare at his door, trying my best not to think evil thoughts but failing.It's been five fucking days since I've been back to work. Every morning I place his coffee and his sandwich from the cafeteria on his desk as I've always done since accepting the position, and every morning he comes in, asks me how my father is while staring at a corner of the room and then goes to his office, closes the door, and I don't see him again for the rest the day.Five days.It is complete and utter bullshit. Vincent laughs again and I visualize myself stabb
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 52: We Can't
I stand, ready to call security if she throws a bucket of water or something, but as I round my desk, Valiant stands from behind his with a big smile on his face greeting her as if they're long-term best friends. Our eyes connect, but his are empty and dead as he walks past his desk and closes the blinds tighter, not that I could see anything in their earlier position."How are you doing today," he says and closes the door, cutting off the rest of his sentence.Who is this woman and why is he so happy to see her this time? It's obvious the two of them know one another, but how closely? He hasn't said and I have no plans to ask.Or do I?... THE CLOCK CLICKS down another hour and I win my solitaire game, the sixth one in a row. I'm getting way too good, but the only other game preloaded on my office computer is minesweeper and no one knows how to play that one—even the people who created the game.The cars in the state employee parking lots have emptied, and the downtown ar
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