How much tragedy does it take before someone snaps?
Raised by the president of the Rogue Dogs Motorcycle Club, who just happens to be her uncle, had given Teresa-James O'Dell a tough skin. She didn't waste her time with the gossiping girls who saw...
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26 years old
When I had invited TJ home to check out the improved office space, I thought she'd stick around for the whole weekend. Even staying one night would have been nice. She looked rundown when she'd climbed out of her car. With her resignation came a huge amount of research and paperwork to finish up the cases she'd put on hold to visit last month. It felt like she was being punished for leaving.
By the time she had gotten out of the office, she could only visit on Sunday. A quick walk through of the office followed by two hours of debating between three different shades of off white. I thought she was joking until I saw her frustrated expression. She'd given up, telling me to pick before leaving me with a mere kiss on the cheek.
The past month of visits haven't been enough of a fix to get me through the weekdays. Knowing there was only a month and a half until she was back for good helped a little. The first chance we got, after things had settled, I was going to ask her to be my wife. I didn't want to put it off any longer. There would be no reason to.
"Where's your head at," the gruff voice growled. My eyes drifted up from the cards in my hand to study the old man. I raised one shoulder in a half hearted shrug. Placing his cards face down on the table, he crossed his arms over his chest and scolded me with a glare. "Whooping your ass is only fun when you notice."
"The Bronco is giving me a hard time." He wasn't buying it and I was too tired to put more effort into the lie.
"Are you going up this weekend?"
"Nope," I sighed.
"Good." He spit the word out before a coughing fit took over. A low, throaty groan caught in his throat as he leaned back into the raised mattress. The hospital bed in the middle of the living room had been hard to get used to. Still felt like a punch to the gut when I showed up.
"How is that good," I grumbled, studying my cards once again.
"She should have to make the trek, too." His voice had softened and it was unnerving. There was always a demanding presence when Gull spoke. A single word to get someone's attention would have all eyes on him. The man sitting across from me wasn't the same one I had met nine years ago.
As I placed a card down on the row we'd been creating, the old man glanced at his wrist. It was the third time he'd done it since I showed up. The newest nurse had run out the door before I made it up the walkway. Assuming she planned on returning, she should be back soon. That didn't explain why he was checking the time so often though.
"Where's your head at," I mocked.
"Fuck off," he growled in response, starting a new rounds of coughs. A finger jabbed the air when he caught the look in my eye. "Get the hell out if you're about to start your period."
"Do you want to know why you've had seven nurse quiet in the last three weeks?" I didn't wait for him to answer. "It's that mouth of yours. You should try sweet talking the ladies, old man."
