Monkey Wrench

Chapter 14

I break the silence asking, "Pops, where's Oakley?"

"Somewhere back near the entrance if not inside."

"Well, get him over here. . . I'm stealing him," I demand without trying to.

Dad's brow furrows, "Dakota, where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go out for a bit while y'all talk to Sky. It'll be better that way. Head of mafia to head of mob to Momma Vasi."

Momma Vasi chimes in, "They have a point Pops."

Pops looking defeated, "I hate to agree with you."

Oakley arrives, "You texted. What's up?"

"You're going with Dakota for a bit."

"They need to talk business," I explain while starting to stand up to leave them. I start walking towards CVS because it's right there on the corner, and I need a pedialyte.

Oakley hesitantly asks, "Bro, you good?"

Sensing the awkwardness, I get straight to the point, "What's on your mind Oakley?"

"You were out of it earlier. You sure you don't need to be checked out?"

"I was just meditating a little too far is all. Once we get to this CVS, I'll be fine."

Once we get to CVS, I go straight towards the aisle I need. I already know which one I want, so I pick it up and start drinking it right there in the aisle. After drowning half of it, I pick up a second one and walk to the cashier and hand them a $20 as they scan my bottles. I don't even bother with a receipt because I'll be done with these two shortly.

When we get back to the hospital, I go to the waiting room instead of Ollie's room. I don't know what's happening, and Dr. Ripley will find me if I'm needed.

I pull out my phone to text Wren and give some minor details about what's happening. Shortly after I put my phone back in my pocket, Dr. Ripley appears.

"Dakota, got a minute?"

"What's up Dr. Ripley?"

"Who's this?" motioning to Oakley.

"Oakley's a friend of the family."

"Oh, okay. Everything went according to plan. Oliver's back in his room, but he's sleeping."

"Thanks for the update." With that, Dr. Ripley leaves us. That's good news. That's a relief.

Oakley breaks the silence in an encouraging tone, "Go be there for Oliver. He should see you when he wakes up. When Wren gets here and Sky is caught up, I'll bring everyone in, so everyone can get caught up and on the same page."

"Thanks Oakley," as I give him a hug for that. Oakley is more of a silent big brother than a personal bodyguard.

I slowly walk back towards Ollie's room. This has been one hell of a ride. This is not the ride I thought we were going for when I picked up Oliver. Yet somehow, it brought us closer, but at the expense of Oliver's pain. And that, I could not get over. This is my fault for dragging Oliver out of the house, and he may not have been in this situation otherwise.

I get pulled from my thinking at the sound of his voice, "What are you thinking about over there?"

"Now is not the time for what I'm thinking."

"Get your ass over here and tell me. I can't drag you to the lake. So, talk to me."

"You sure you want to know?"

"I always want to know what's going on with you."

"I'm thinking about you. About us. This situation. Driving you out to the lake. This ride we're on, this isn't the one I was planning or even remotely thinking of. Taking you to the lake that day led to this. It led to your pain. It led to this uncomfortable situation. Granted us together isn't uncomfortable, but it came at a cost. All of this is my fault for dragging you to the lake that day. That's what I'm thinking."

Oliver wraps me in a hug stating, "None of this is your fault. This would have happened regardless. It was only a matter of time. Whenever my father was going to escape from prison, he was going to find a way to come after me. That was his plan. He executed it. He needed me to get to Blair. This was his ultimate plan. I'm glad that you were with me when he found a way to get me. I don't know how I could have handled this without you. I'm also glad that you did drag me out of the house too because I didn't know how to talk to you. I didn't know how to tell you all of this. And, all I wanted was to be with you. Be around you. Feel your presence."

Lightly chuckling, I respond with, "Well then I guess it's a good thing that you brought out my training instincts."

"Are you okay?"

"As long as you're okay, I'm okay."

With a twinkle in his hazel eyes, "If that's the case, come lay down with me?"

"You never have to ask. You know I will." I am able to talk freely and naturally with so many people, but when it comes to Oliver, I'm so afraid of saying something wrong or messing up or hurting him. I'm actually more afraid with him than I am of the mafia or any of that business.

Damn.

Is this that feeling that people talk about that I'm oblivious to and constantly ignoring?

"I can hear you thinking."

"Hm?"I totally wasn't paying attention to anything else.

His soft spoken voice laced with concern, "You were thinking again. What was it this time?"

"That I may be more afraid of failing you than I am of any mafia shit that I have to deal with."

Oliver turns over to face me, "You are not failing me, you are the best parts of me. And if you ever think something is going awry, let me know, alright?"

I nuzzle in, "mmhm."