I'd never seen Erin so hyper. She was ordering everyone around like she owned the place. It was actually pretty funny. She finally backed off after they sedated Murph and took him into surgery. We were forced to sit in the waiting room. I'd been in a hospital once before and I wasn't thrilled about repeating the experience. I was sure we'd be found out.
Erin sat down next to me with a cup of coffee.
"You sure you should be drinking that? You're strung out already," I said.
"I have a half a mind to pour it in your lap," she replied. I couldn't help but laugh. That just annoyed her more.
"What's so funny?" she demanded. That made me laugh even harder.
"You," I managed to choke out. She glared at me for a few seconds. Then she started to laugh. Soon, we were laughing hysterically for no apparent reason. The nurses would walk by and look at us funny. The least little thing would send both of us off again.
"I don't know why I'm laughing," she said, wiping her eyes.
"Me neither," I said. She leaned back in her chair and looked at me with those eyes.
"I'm going to tell you something, since it's eight in the morning and I'm feeling honest," she said.
"Okay," I said.
"You're not a bastard after all," she said.
"Well thank you," I said. "You aren't a stuck up bitch."
"Thank you," she said, dipping her head. "So tell me about yourself. We have time to kill and I realize I don't know a damn thing about you."
"You really want to hear the story of my life?" I asked. She shrugged.
"Sure, I've shown you mine," she said. She was seductive without even trying.
"Well, I was born in Dublin on October 31st of 1974," I began.
"Get to the good stuff. Any girls? Anything naughty you did?" she pushed.
"There's only been one serious girl. Her name was Abby. I was twenty five and she was eighteen. She was the hottest thing I'd ever seen and the sex was even hotter. One day, I foolishly asked her to marry me. She said yes and I was stuck. I didn't actually want to marry anybody, much less her. I broke it off two weeks before we were planning to actually go through with it. She lost her fucking mind. Throwing shit everywhere, breaking everything she could get her hands on. It was a nightmare. She went on to destroy my entire fucking life. She got me fired from my job which is how I ended up at the meat packing plant. She slashed the tires and we couldn't afford new ones. Raging fucking bitch, all and all. So, that's my girl story," I told her. She was riveted.
"I love a good drama," she said.
"You're ass crazy," I said. I smiled.
"I know," she replied. "I'm not a crazy bitch, though. I get even in far more subtle ways."
"And how would that be?" It was my turn to be interested.
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," she replied.
"I believe it," I said. "Murph said you nearly blew his balls off." She burst out laughing again.
"Not exactly," she said. I was enjoying talking to her for the first time since we'd met six weeks ago. She was funny, intelligent, and open. I almost wanted her to play her tricks on me again.
"I can see why Murph likes you," I said.
"I'd think you were dead if you couldn't," she replied.
"A bit forward there, eh?" I said.
"I know I'm attractive, Connor. That's why I can wrap guys around my little finger. I couldn't say the same thing two years ago. This mug is what keeps me alive around here," she said. "It worked on you. Twice." I tried not to blush.
"Dad doesn't kill women or children. That doesn't count," I said.
"So you're telling me that if he didn't have that policy, you would have killed me?" she said, skeptical.
"Killing you would be like destroying the Mona Lisa," I replied. She looked surprised.
"You never struck me as the art fancier," she said.
"I'm not," I said.
"You just know a pretty face when you see one," she said.
"Maybe," I said.
"Then how do you really feel about me?" she asked. I felt my heart stop. I didn't want to answer that. She saw it in my eyes.
"I knew you'd do that. You're afraid of your own feelings. I do that to people. Those that don't think I'm jailbait were afraid Dad would clip them. The only one who made no bones about what he wanted was Taylor," she said.
"He would, wouldn't he?" I said.
"He wanted money and I was the ticket. He cozied up to Dad in an effort to get to me. I don't think he was expecting me to run off with you three," she told me.
"I wasn't expecting you to run away with us," I said, leaning back and crossing my arms.
"I still don't know why I did," she said. "Maybe I felt like you needed me. Maybe I needed you."
"Guess we'll never know," I said.
"Sometimes answers come in forms we least expect," she said, leaning forward. She looked tired. She kept rubbing her eyes and yawning. I wasn't surprised. I was pretty tired myself. We'd been up for six and a half hours. I was running on two hours of sleep and I knew Erin didn't have much more.
The nurse came walking in. We both looked up eagerly.
"Are you the family?" he asked.
"Yes," Erin said.
"He's out of surgery. The anesthesia will wear off in a few hours. We got the bullet out fine. He lost a lot of blood, but he should be fine. We'd like to keep him for a few days to make sure he doesn't get an infection," he said.
"Can we see him?" she asked.
"I'd come back after noon. By then he should be awake," he said. She looked at me.
"We'll come back then," I said. Dad had taken the car to get cleaned so we were on our own for a ride.
"How are we supposed to get back?" I asked. Erin was already on her cell phone.
"Hey, Marie? It's Erin. We got into a little accident and we're at the hospital. No, everyone's fine. We just need a ride. We're standing outside, you can't miss us. Thanks, love," she hung up.
"The car will be here in five minutes," she said.
"The car?" I repeated.
"Like Marie drives," she said as if it were the dumbest thing she'd ever heard. I'd get used to it eventually. We stood in silence for about a minute.
"You've looked good these few weeks," she said.
"In what way?" I asked.
"Like how you dress. I'm glad you're actually wearing the clothes I got you. You might even pass for a man of good standing," she said. I rolled my eyes.
"Is that all you think about?" I questioned.
"My life is all about appearance. You have to look like you belong. No one questions someone who looks like they spend four hundred dollars on shoes. If I let you run around in what you're wearing now, I'd be answering questions until doomsday," she answered.
"What would really happen if someone figured out who we were?" I said. She looked me in the eyes when she responded.
"They'd contact the men. No amount of pleading or begging on my part could save you three. They have honor to consider, no matter what I said," she said.
"Are you saying you like us?" I said, giving her a playful bump.
"Maybe," she said, pushing me back. The car drove up and we got in.
"Everything all right, Miss Erin?" the driver asked.
"Murphy took a bad knock, but other than that, we're fine," she replied. "I can drive to pick him up."
"As you wish," he said, putting the car in gear. She leaned back and fell dead asleep. I could feel myself drifting. My body had finally relaxed to the point where I could think about sleeping. I looked over at Erin. She had her mouth hanging open as she slept. I smiled.
I wanted to protect her. I was just now thinking about what could have been. She easily could have taken that bullet. Murph would have been inconsolable. I had to admit it would have hurt me, too. How I really felt about her fell somewhere on the spectrum of love for a girlfriend and love for a sister. I could have told her, but I had to work it out in my own head first. I knew I loved her and that's where it ended. I knew I couldn't have her for myself. That would take longer to square with. For now, I'd do it for Murph.