Over the next couple of days, Hazel continued to do what she could to nurse me back to health, coming several times a day to bring me something to eat and to make sure I’d taken my medicine. With the meds, it didn’t take me long to get back on my feet, but I wasn’t exactly happy that I was getting better. I’d come to enjoy my time with Hazel and wasn’t looking forward to the day she stopped coming by to see me. I’d just have to make the best of the time I had left. When I heard her tap on my front door, I sat up on the bed and turned down the TV.
“Come on in,” I shouted.
Seconds later, Hazel walked into the room carrying a paper sack and a Styrofoam cup. I thought she’d be impressed that I’d showered, but she didn’t even seem to be fazed by the fact that I no longer looked like death warmed over. From the dark circles under her eyes, I could see that she’d had a long day and she was exhausted. She tried to hide her fatigue, giving me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she asked, “How ya feeling?”
“I’m hanging in,” I answered. “How about you? Long day?”
“Yes … a very long day.” She placed the drink and brown paper bag on the bedside table, then plopped down at the foot of the bed. “I’m beat. How about you? Anything interesting with you?’
“Not much. I did call Blaze about Kevin. He said he was home from the hospital,” I told her.
“Good. I know you were worried about him.”
“Yeah, I was. He seemed like a pretty cool kid. I told Blaze I’d try to be back to work tomorrow.”
Her voice went up several octaves as she began to fuss, “No, it’s too soon, Clutch. You’ll get worse if you push yourself. They can make it a few more days without you.” It meant something to me that she cared, but I didn’t have a choice; Cotton and Gus were counting on me to get the job done so I could be on my way.
“The sooner I finish in the garage, the sooner I can get back home,” I explained.
A look of disappointment crossed her face as she looked down at her lap and started fiddling with the strap of her apron. Without looking up, she said, “Do what you’ve gotta do, but I think you should give it another day or so.”
“Hazel?”
She glanced over to me and mumbled, “Yeah?”
“They’re months behind in that garage, and they need me. That’s why I’m here. Their top mechanic’s laid out, Sunshine. And Blaze needs to be with his boy. All I can think about is the work load building up. I get that you are worried, but if I stay in this room for much longer, I’m going to lose my damned mind. I’ve gotta get out of here … even if it’s just for a little while.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “Just don’t overdo it.”
“I won’t,” I promised. “I’ll go in for a couple of hours, and then I’ll be back.”
She paused for a minute, taking a quiet breath, then asked, “So, when you finish helping them in the garage, you’ll head back home?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Where is home? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“You can ask me anything. I grew up in Missouri, but for the last nine years or so I’ve been living in Washington.”
She leaned back, propping herself up with her arms behind her. “Wow. How did you end up all the way in Washington?”
“I dropped out of college during my junior year after spending the summer out on the road. I was just supposed to be taking a break, but when I ran into Cotton and spent some time at the club, I knew I’d found what I’d been looking for.”
“You really dropped out of college just so you could join a motorcycle club?”
“It was where I was meant to be.”
“Simple as that, huh?” She smiled.
“Yep. Simple as that. When you know, you know. How about you?”
“I’m a waitress, Clutch. Not much to tell.”
“I’m not talking about what you do, Hazel. I want to know what makes you tick. What makes your palms get sweaty and your heart race? What’s the one thing you want more than anything in the world? What do you long for late at night when you’re lying in bed all alone?”