Worth the Fall(80)
He had a bad feeling. Would she completely ignore him? It wasn’t unusual for her not to answer her phone, but…Something was wrong. More wrong than him just being an ass. He was still awake when the sun came up, and with every hour that passed, that feeling grew.
Tony, Beth, and the kids came by and invited him to ride over to his parents’ for lunch before his niece’s dance recital. Siccing the kids on him was low, but no way could he say no to the repeated “Peeze” from his doe-eyed niece.
He and Tony waited for lunch the same way they had as boys, throwing the football in the backyard. A nice ritual, but it didn’t take his mind off Abby. His messages sounded frantic even to his own ears. His thoughts abruptly ended when Tony’s pass hit him on the side of the head.
“Sorry, man. Gotta keep your eye on the ball.”
His brother didn’t look sorry. Matt pulled out his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed any calls.
“Still haven’t heard from her?”
Matt shook his head, studying the phone. Are you kidding? “Piece of shit’s not even working!” He chucked it at the nearest tree with deadly aim.
Tony laughed. “Dude. You need to chill.”
Matt didn’t feel like chilling, but he did pull himself together before going to his mother’s table. Damn it. If he had to sit at AT&T all day tomorrow to make sure his service was connected, he would. As soon as they sat down to eat, the kitchen phone rang. The same phone with the curly cord that had hung there his entire life.
“Hello?” Tony answered.
Matt continued eating, half listening to the long, drawn-out story his niece was telling. He nodded, though he couldn’t understand half of what she said.
“That’s no problem,” Tony was saying. “Actually he’s here. I think he’s been trying to call you.”
Matt met his brother’s eyes, then switched his attention to the phone in Tony’s hand. He slowly pushed his chair back and stood.
A look of concern came over his brother’s face. “Are you okay?”
Matt stepped in front of his brother, his entire body rigid. “Give me the phone.”
Tony took the phone away from his ear and held out one hand. “Give me your keys.”
Matt went for the phone, but Tony held it out of reach. “Tony, I swear to God—”
“Not until you give me your keys. You’re not running out of here in your current state.”
Matt dug into his pocket, slammed the keys into Tony’s open palm, and grabbed the phone. “Abby?”
“Hey. I had a little accident. I’m in the hospital, but I’m—”
All he heard was “accident” and “hospital” and he lost it. “You didn’t think I would come? Abby, I’ve been going crazy!” Did she not think he even cared enough to want to know she’d been hurt?
“I’m okay. I—”
“You didn’t call me? Jesus, Abby.”
“Stop yelling at me!”
Shit. Was she crying? “I’m sorry, baby. I’m not yelling. Don’t cry.”
He forced out a shaky breath and glanced over at his family sitting around the table, listening to his every word. Beth sent him a look, eyebrows raised in warning. Facing the wall, he spoke softly into the phone. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, baby. I can be there in two hours, maybe less. Don’t do anything. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t even get out of bed.” He made eye contact with Tony, who gave him an Understood nod. “I’ll be there in two hours,” he repeated. “I love you.”
He hung up and took a breath. His first in twenty-four hours. It was only half a breath, though. He’d take a full one when he held her in his arms. His mother looked concerned—about him or Abby, he couldn’t tell. “Give me my keys. I need to—”
“I heard. I’ll drive you to the hangar, and I’ll call Vance. Same guy who took you last time.”
Matt was out the door before his brother finished talking.
Chapter 29
“Damn it!” Matt hit the dashboard of Tony’s Tahoe hard enough to make a cracking sound.
“Hey! Easy on the car, bro.”
“Sorry.” He closed his eyes. “Why was she driving around? I told her to relax and rest when the kids were at school.”
“And she didn’t listen to you? Man, that is a problem.”
“Shut it. I don’t need your smart-ass comments right now.”
“Come on, brother. Pregnant women can drive. And shop,” he added with a knowing glance.
Matt stared straight ahead, his mind running wild with what-ifs. She’d said she hit her head. He brushed off injuries all the time, but this was Abby. He wasn’t brushing off anything.