42 Blacktop Obsession
"I gotta go. I miss you so damn much. I honestly don't know how much longer I can do this." Shayde was talking on the phone as Hector pulled open the trailer door after they pulled in. She hadn't got out of the truck and was the only one not with the group so he made it a point to come check on her. "I gotta go. We can talk later. I love you too." She hung up, looking at Hector. He pulled her into a hug.
"Girlllll, we said no cell phones in case they were tracking us." Hector chided lightly. "I know it's been a long time and you are just ready for a break. I know you miss home." he said, rubbing her shoulders.
"I'm fine." She sighed, stretching. "It's the burner phone. We're good." She held up her backup phone that no one had the number to.
"You doing ok, like for real?" Hector studied her face.
"Yes, just ready to be there and to get a few days to just keep that girl contained and out of trouble. I am ready for the Kaidyn Carnival to shut down for a bit." She said, sounding tired. "I'm hoping he's not there when we get there. You know, maybe he's got a business trip. I need some downtime." She admitted.
"Yeah, I hear you. I know she's been giving you a lot of shit. She's been hounding me and trying to ask to ride up front in the semi since a ways back. She's not gonna be happy when I tell her no." He shook his head.
"Don't you dare give in to her. She has been fighting to just get the simple stuff done like taking meds and eating." Shayde rolled her eyes.
"If she can't get the simple stuff done, she don't need any privileges." Hector agreed.
"Yes, exactly." Shayde nodded, glad she had him to help her. She was too tired to fight Kaidyn today.
"That's why you have me here. To help." Hector smiled, flashing her a big smile.
"Yes, when you don't give in to her Princess ways." Shayde retorted.
"That hurts. I feel like that was an attack." He laughed. "I don't give in as much as you think." He protested.
"Uhuh. I think you are delusional because you cave the most out of us all." Shayde accused.
"Whatever, Chica. I do not cave that much." Hector looked offended.
"If it helps you sleep at night, okay." Shayde smiled at him.
"That's it. No more phone conversations for you." Hector threatened.
"Sure, try me." Shayde rolled her eyes at how ridiculous he was being.
"I don't get paid enough for this, honestly." He joked.
"I'll talk to your boss and see if you can get a raise then." Shayde said, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Oh wait, that's me. Haha." Her smile disappeared in a tease.
"Shhhh...I got a rep to protect, Holmes!" Hector laughed, shaking his head, looking around to make sure no one had heard her.
"It's not like you are selling your body, hush it." Shayde rolled her eyes at how goofy he was being.
"I guess not. But still I got a rep." He popped his collar and cleared his throat, making Shayde give him a playful push.
"Here she comes to try to work her magic with you." Shayde warned, watching Kaidyn walk over. "She looks pretty confident with herself." Shayde remarked.
"Yes, she does." Hector laughed as they watched her make her way over to them after jumping down out of the truck.
"Nosebleed huh?" Shayde asked as she got closer.
"Yeah, and she is in pain. But of course..." he started.
"She hasn't admitted it." Shayde finished for him. He nodded and they got quiet as she reached them.
"Hey Shay." Kaidyn said, giving her a hug. "I'm happy to see you." She smiled.
"Hey, Silly girl. Happy to see you too." She replied, making Kaidyn look at her.
"You okay, Shay? You look tired. Really tired." Kaidyn fretted, feeling Shayde's forehead in concern.
"Gee, thanks." Shayde scoffed, moving Kaidyn's hand away. "I am fine." She promised. "How are you?" she asked, looking at Kaidyn's nose. Kaidyn looked down and Sjayde lifted up her chin. "Let me see." She ordered. Kaidyn rolled her eyes.
"I'm fine." Kaidyn promised. "Brian said it could be because of the cold air so I think I should ride in the front of the semi." Kaidyn declared.
"Throwing him under the bus? That's a new one for you." Shayde remarked, this made Kaidyn giggle.
"Noooo, honestly, he has medical training and said that." Kaidyn stared at her sister with big eyes.
"You need to go change your outfit please." Shayde said as Hector handed Kaidyn some clothes.
"Fine, we can talk about this when I get back." Kaidyn nodded, taking the clothes.
"I am gonna go grab some food before we take off." Shayde said, putting Kaidyn's meds in Hector's hand before walking away.
"Is she mad at me?" Kaidyn asked, staring after her sister once she got back from changing her clothes, watching her sister. "She seems not herself." Kaidyn remarked.
"I don't know. I would tread very carefully." He warned. "She's pretty tired." Hector sighed.
"What's her deal? It's her big idea to go to Florida." Kaidyn sighed, annoyed, hating that she gave in to go back to this place. Her mind started to drift. Hector noticed Kaidyn's demeanor change a bit.
"Hey, let's try not to think about those memories, huh?" Hector put his arm around her, to distract her, knowing her all too well. "We gotta talk about something called medication, Missy." he said, holding out his hand.
"I don't need those. I told you I hate how they make me feel." She stomped her foot.
"No, none of this homegirl" He shook his hand at her. "You are taking them because I know once they wear off, you'll be hurting. Not negotiable." he shook his head.
"UGH, I wish Shayde would just call you off for a day and let me be..." Kaidyn grumbled.
"I'm not a genie or a fortune teller but sure doesn't look like that's gonna happen." Shayde walked up behind Kaidyn and whispered in her ear, almost threateningly.
"Shayde…" Kaidyn started to say but was silenced by Shayde lifting a hand to stop her.
"Don't Shayde me, little one. I have been patient with you and this medication business but you will stop fighting us on this." Shayde said, not having the patience to deal with this stuff right now.
"The meds don't make me feel right." Kaidyn complained, stomping her foot again.
"You don't want to listen, you don't want to do things to help yourself and I can only do so much." Shayde shook her head. Kaidyn's eyes were big as she stared at her sister. "Not once have you considered that maybe, just maybe we are trying to help you. Now let's get this taken and handle our business like we should." Shayde drew in a deep breath, leaving Kaidyn stunned.
"I did try to warn you." Hector leaned in and whispered. Kaidyn looked shook.
"I'm sorry, Shayde." Kaidyn said quietly, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Shay, can I have a word with you?" He asked, leading her away from the truck and Kaidyn.
"Sure, what's up?" She asked, folding her arms. "I am sorry if that was harsh. I heard her fighting you with the meds and just I am tired of it. I guess I need a break. I am sorry." She sighed, feeling guilty now for having lost her temper a bit.
"Hey, you have the most patience out of anyone here." Hector said.
"Yeah, right. We all know patience for nonsense is my weakness with her. That's why I have you and Han." Shayde corrected him.
"You're human. You are allowed to get upset. You're not wrong. She has been giving us hell for the whole trip about the meds. I get it." He nodded.
"She needs to want to help herself." Shayde shook her head.
"I agree." Hector nodded.
"I already see it." Shayde rolled her eyes.
"What?" Hector asked, looking at Shayde.
"You're gonna cave and let her ride up front with you." Shayde accused.
"I mean, I was kinda thinking maybe I will put her upfront with me so I can make sure she gets some rest before we get there." He said, rubbing her shoulders and admitting.
"You caved way too easy but okay. You can deal with that. Good luck getting her to sleep." Shayde said, feeling very annoyed at the moment. "I only care about getting home on time." She sighed.
"Hopefully he's not there." Hector sighed.
"Hopefully not. My tech guru may need to stir some stuff up to get him to leave on business if he is." Shayde said wearily. She was not ready to see Carter just yet.
"So I am gonna need you to take some sleeping meds and get some sleep, Grumpy Bear." Hector held up a pill.
"No, I am fine." She grumbled. "I am not Kaidyn, I do not need to be medicated, thank you very much." She said vehemently.
"Shayde, don't be a hypocrite. I know how much you have been on that phone with him and you won't quit answering him to rest. I can't have you getting worn out again." Hector put the pill in her mouth, ignoring her trying to fight him. "That's better, take it like you want Kaidyn to take her meds." He teased, getting a frown from her.
"Now I am gonna kill you." She promised, her eyes narrowed.
"It's in your best interest, homegirl." He promised, holding his hands up innocently. "If he is there, you are gonna need the rest to be on top of your mental game." Hector advised her.
"You're right about that." She gave in. "You better let him know why I am not answering, asshole." She popped him in the back of the head. "Just because I missed him and I barely get to talk to him." She rolled her eyes.
"I can't help it if you can't stay off the phone and get rest on your own. He's going to want you to rest and be ready too, you know. He would agree with me. I am taking the phone and I will let him know why you are not answering." Hector promised.
"I really should kill you." Shayde growled, not wanting to give up her phone.
"Awe, I love you too, Grumpy bear." he grinned. "You'll thank me for this later since you have an all-nighter coming up." Hector shrugged.
"Will I? I don't know about that." She shook her head, pulling her long black hair up in a ponytail.
"Give me the phone since you'll be riding in the other truck with O'Connor." Hector held out his hand expectantly. "Come on, give me the phone. You will appreciate me for it later." He waited for the phone. She stood there, not moving. "Come on, Shay." he coaxed.
"UGH. I don't want to ride with him." Shayde grumbled, handing over the phone but clearly not happy. "You seriously are going to die if you keep pissing me off, Hector." Shadye grumbled.
"There, there, grumpy bear. It's okay." He soothed, getting a slap from her. "OWW." he cried.
"You deserved it. Why am I riding with that cop now?" She asked in annoyance.
"Well, if I am gonna be in the first truck with Kaidyn you gotta be in the second truck with your favorite person in the world." Hector laughed, flinching in case he got punched.
"I am not gonna punch you." Shayde said, rolling her eyes. "I'll just make sure your paycheck gets lost." She shrugged.
"Hey!" he grabbed her, putting his arm around her. "You definitely need sleep, Grumpy Bear. Let's go load you up." He said, walking her to the second truck.
"Quit calling me that. I am not Kaidyn. I do not like pet names." Shayde complained.
"Oh my gosh, poor Brian. He has to put up with you." Hector shook his head. He walked over to Kaidyn.
"I changed. Thanks for getting me my favorite shirt." Kaidyn smiled at Hector, happy to have something comfortable.
"Come on, Kaidyn. Let's go." Hector grabbed Kaidyn by the waist and picked her up holding her horizontally in his arms and carried her to the truck. She kicked, giggling.
"Put me down." She laughed, getting a kick being carried like she was some object sideways.
"Nope, no can do." he said, putting her up in the truck.
"We're in front?!" She asked, excitedly.
"Yes, now settle down." Hector said in a monotone voice.
"I call shotgun." Kaidyn smiled, her eyes wide and excited. She looked at the driver and he would not look at her.
"Do not talk to the driver, Kaidyn. You are to sit in the back and be quiet. Or you can go back to the back again." Hector warned.
"What? I can't talk to the driver?" She asked, looking at Hector with concern.
"Get in and no, you can't. He has to drive and concentrate. We sit in the cab not up by the driver." He said, shooing her into the truck's cab. "GO!" He ordered loudly, making her scramble to the back.
"What, are you serious?" She asked, about to protest.
"I can just put you in the back of the semi if you keep it up." he threatened, shaking his head. "You still got a window." He said, pointing to the window. "So instead of griping, you should be saying Thank you, Hector, you're the best, Hector." He ruffled her hair, making her hit him.
"You're kinda mean but I still love you, Hector." Kaidyn said, shaking her head.
"You Sutton girls are mean today." he shook his head and declared.
"Speaking of mean, what's up with Shayde? Is she okay?" Kaidyn asked, looking in Hector's bag of snacks but stopping to watch his response.
"She's tired, Kaidyn. She needs a rest. She'll be better once she gets home." Hector promised.
"Cali coulda been home too." Kaidyn said quietly, feeling bad that Shayde was in such a bad need of a break. She feared going back to Florida.
"Well, she had to keep moving to keep you out of trouble and then you got caught in that hacking bullshit and then you getting put in juvie didn't help. Sometimes you are too stubborn for your own good, kiddo. She did it all to keep you safe so the least you can do is try to accept Florida for a while." Hector said, wanting her to realize just how much Shayde had done for her.
"I never meant for her to give up things because of me." Kaidyn said softly, playing with the zipper on her hoodie she had changed into as she looked down.
"She knows that. She did it because she loves you and wanted to. But it doesn't help when you don't do what she needs you to do." Hector replied.
"I am sorry. Florida just makes me sad. And nervous. And I feel unsettled. So much I can't remember and the stuff I do remember…" Kaidyn shuddered, wanting to get the bloody images out of her mind. She shook her head, trying to get it to go away.
"Hey, look at me. You okay?" Hector looked at her, her eyes becoming glossy from the pain pills he had given her.
"I'm fine. I hate these pain pills. I feel weird." She sighed, her speech a bit slower now.
"I know, I am sorry, girl. I just don't want you hurting and like the doctor said, the worst days are the first few days when the body comes off the IV meds." Hector said. "You comfy? You can stretch out your legs back here in the bed and I'll be right up front, okay?" he asked, getting up to move to the front of the cab.
"What if the doctor is wrong?" She mumbled but too low for Hector to hear. "Can I have your jacket, please?" She yawned, looking pretty sleepy. Her words were a bit slower and she was looking like she was gonna fall asleep any moment.
"Sure." He said, covering her up with his jacket. She was almost asleep when she heard a ringing on the floor, which was close to the bed in the cab.
"Hello?" She picked up the phone that didn't look like Hector's at all.
"Hey, why are you answering the phone?" A deep voice on the other end asked, making Kaidyn's eyes open and squint to concentrate and fight the sleepiness. "Where's Shayde?" He asked.
"Who's this? What do you want with Shayde?" She asked, curious to know who was on the other end.
"Just checking on her. Are you doing okay?" The voice asked, sounding concerned.
"You sound familiar but I can't think..." Kaidyn's voice trailed off, the meds making her blink a few times before she could get her thoughts together. "I don't know you. Who are you?" She asked quietly.
"Shayde's best friend." He replied. "You know me but you may have forgot me." He said, the smile in his voice obvious.
"I'm her best friend. I would know if she had another best friend." Kaidyn said, truly confused at who this was.
"She says you are her best friend too. I am the number you are supposed to call in an emergency." He admitted.
"Why don't I know you?" Kaidyn asked, chewing on her lip as she did when she was lost in thought.
"You do know me. You just don't remember me, that's all. You sound pretty tired." He replied. "Maybe you should get some rest?" he asked.
"When do I get to meet you?" Kaidyn asked, closing her eyes a bit, then opening them back up, trying everything she could to stay awake.
"When Shayde decides you are ready we can meet again, okay? In the meantime I need you to promise to behave for her. She's trying to keep you safe and she needs you to listen to her. Can you try to do that for me?" he asked.
"I'll try. I do try." Kaidyn sighed, sounding discouraged somewhat.
"I know you do. Tell Shayde I really miss her, would ya?" He asked.
"She misses you too, I think. She never gets to have any fun. She's always sad." Kaidyn said, trying to hold the phone. Doing anything was getting harder and her lack of coordination was becoming worse.
"Tell her don't be sad and I'm waiting for her." The voice replied, also almost sounding sad.
"Are you sure we met?" Kaidyn asked, suspicious he might be lying to her.
"I guarantee you we have. Take your time, don't think too hard about it. You'll know me when you see me." he replied. Kaidyn closed her eyes, no longer able to fight the medication.
"Hey, she's out." Hector grabbed the phone, waving his hand in front of her face just to test if she was really asleep.
"That got farther than I thought." The voice on the other end said, sounding shocked.
"Yeah, I agree. I was waiting for a different reaction for sure." Hector agreed, his eyes watching Kaidyn sleep to make sure she was really in a deep sleep.
"Send me a pic of her please?" The voice asked, sounding almost hopeful.
"Holmes, you don't want to see her like this." Hector shook his head, knowing how upset seeing her blackened eyes and how bruised she was would make him.
"Yeah, I do." The voice said, sounding wistful. "I miss her, Hector." The voice said, sighing. "I want to see what Shayde has been dealing with and how bad it is." he explained.
"I get it. I'll send it, just know I warned you." He said, taking the pic and texting it to him.
"Damn, are you sure she still shouldn't be in the hospital?" He asked, shocked at how dark the black circles were around her eyes. She looked like she had put black Halloween makeup around her eyes, they were that bad. Her cheeks had bruises, cuts and scrapes.
"You know Shayde wouldn't have let her leave if she needed to stay." Hector promised. "Speaking of Shay, she misses you, she can't wait until she can come see you." He said.
"So my girl misses me huh?" He asked with a slight laugh. "I miss her too." He nodded.
"You know she does." Hector assured him. "The sooner she sees you, the better off we all may just be." He laughed.
"Good, tell her I miss her too. Where is she? She had the phone earlier." He asked, confused how Kaidyn got the phone.
"She needed her sleep, man. She was about to get ruthless, even with Kaidyn. That's when I knew she needed sleep so I took the phone and gave her a sleeping pill. I'm surprised she took it honestly." Hector shrugged with a laugh, being funny.
"I appreciate you helping her out. Thanks for takin care of them." The voice said on the other end appreciatively.
"Yeah, you know it's no problem." Hector replied. "I love them like they are my own family." He nodded, moving Kaidyn's bangs out of her eyes as she slept.
"I am glad they have you and you are on their side. I worry what it's going to be like for them once they get home." He admitted.
"Yeah, it will be interesting for sure. Shay and I think she's close to getting her memory back. I hope it's sooner than later for Shayde's sake." Hector said with a sigh. "She's been a handful." He admitted.
"Of course. I'd expect nothing less from her. Would you?" The guy laughed.
"Nope, not at all. It's definitely to be expected." Hector agreed.
"Just keep a close eye on her for me, I appreciate it." The voice hung up. The ride was quiet for a while. Hector dozed off some and then woke back up, deciding to check on the other truck.
"Hey Brian, checkin in on Shayde and how you guys are doing back there." Hector radioed Brian.
"We're good. She's asleep." Brian replied. "Might want to be careful when we get to where we are going." He grinned.
"Why?" Hector asked curiously.
"Pretty sure you are on her shit list." Brian said, shaking his head.
"Hit list or shit list?" Hector joked.
"No telling, maybe both. She wasn't happy with you, man." Brian replied.
"She'll get over it. I ain't scared." Hector laughed. He sat back to relax and was relieved they were in the homestretch. They had switched to two trucks that were a completely different company and not linked to the previous ones on the last stop just in case law enforcement had figured out what type of trucks they were in and were watching the entrances into Florida. He was ready to get these girls home.