No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,50
exactly’s going on?” Phil asked. “Are you in trouble?”
Charlie told him everything, and Phil listened patiently.
“Does Warren know?”
“I have no idea. If they questioned you, they must have questioned him.”
“Maybe not. He’s not in the medical field.”
“But Taylor is.” In theory, at least. But being a CNA at a drug rehab center, he probably didn’t have access to the types of drugs the cops were worried about.
“I think Taylor would have told me if he’d been questioned,” Phil said. “Too bad Gray isn’t still on the force. What does he have to say about the whole thing?”
Charlie sighed. “I’m not sure if he knows.”
“You haven’t told him?”
“He’s not talking to me. He won’t take my calls.”
“Are you serious?”
“Not since I told him about Jonas.”
Phil was silent for a moment, and Charlie wondered what exactly he was thinking. Was he going to tell Charlie to forget Jonas? To stop causing trouble?
All he said was “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“I will.”
“Hang in there. It’s all going to work out, I promise. This mess with the cops won’t go nowhere, and Gray will pull his head out of his ass and go back to being a pain in yours.”
“I hope so.” It still surprised him that of all his friends, Phil was the one who would call. “Thanks for calling, man. I appreciate it.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
Chapter 16
Two days later, the hospital called Jonas to inform him he’d passed all the tests. The only thing left to do was schedule the surgery.
And a wedding.
Jonas was pale when he hung up the phone.
“I have a pre-op appointment in two weeks, and the surgery two days after that.”
Charlie didn’t bother telling him again that it would be fine. He knew Jonas was sick of hearing it.
They went to the County Clerk’s office to obtain a marriage license. The man helping them was all smiles at first. The general lack of excitement coming from Charlie and Jonas clearly confused him. But Jonas was stressing over the surgery, and Charlie over his work problems and his argument with Gray. Neither of them felt like giddy grooms.
Charlie’s days felt empty. He was still on suspension with Urgent Care. None of his neighbors knocked on his back door. None of his friends rang his front bell. He forced himself to stop baking and focused on knitting instead. At least the knitting wouldn’t add to his waistline.
Several days later, Warren finally called.
“Hey, man. You busy?”
Charlie sighed. He’d finally finished the afghan and started a new one. “Not really. What’s up?”
“Can you come over? I need your help with something.”
“Right now?”
“Yeah, right now. Can you do that?”
Charlie debated. “If it’s medical help, this isn’t really a good time—”
“Nothing like that, I promise.”
If nothing else, Charlie’s curiosity was piqued. “Sure. I’ll be right over.”
Outside, it was a normal day for Colorado in February, if there was any such thing. February could see temps anywhere from seventies to subzero, but “normal” meant high forties to low fifties, with lots of sunshine and a bit of wind. The warmth of the sunlight streaming through his windshield hinted at spring, but once he stepped outside, the wind would freeze every bit of exposed skin. The trees wouldn’t start to bud for another six to eight weeks. It felt like winter was never going to end.
He wondered, as he drove to Warren’s house, what could be so urgent and yet not be a medical issue. Maybe something involving Taylor?
He heard raised voices as he climbed the steps to Warren’s back door. It opened before he could knock. Not Warren or Taylor, as he’d expected, but Phil. And with the door open, it was easier to tell who was arguing—Warren and Gray.
“It’s none of your damned business, so stay out of it!” Gray turned as Charlie came in. “Fuck!” He threw up his hands, turning away in aggravation. “Great. Just what I need.”
Warren had never been intimidated by Gray’s outbursts, though. He gave as good as he got. “You’re going to sit your ass down and listen—”
“Like hell I am! I’m out of here.”
Gray turned toward the door, but Warren stepped in front of him, blocking his escape. “Sit. Down.”
Gray took a step closer. So did Warren. They stood chest to chest, eye to eye, the air practically vibrating around them with pent-up fury. Gray’s fists clenched.
“Go ahead,” Warren said. “Try it. I dare you.”
Gray pushed closer, his shoulders back, refusing to back down.
Charlie glanced at Phil, wondering what exactly they were going