Covered In Ink

Chapter 35|Just sit tight

"That still doesn't explain why you were so angry about her 'cheating' on you."

"Oh I was more than angry, I was pissed. She made me go along with her little act, yet she ended it with a snap of her fingers," he said, glaring at the table as he spoke. "And I really did catch her going at it with a college kid in my bed. It felt like she had actually cheated on me y'know? being stuck with her was like being married to a real housewife or something."

I gulped. "I know who that college kid is."

He frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Do you remember in art class a while ago when Alex asked to talk to me?"

He nodded.

"Well he confessed that it was him who took my sketchbook and helped Erika make those posters. Apparently she threatened him into doing it."

"Alex did all that?" He asked in disgust.

"Yeah, and the guy you caught Erika with was his brother."

"Well isn't that a plot twist," he mumbled to himself. He looked at me. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was wanted to, I was going to, but Alex said that it would have consequences, and that more people would get hurt if I told you."

"Damn straight, more people would get hurt. I'd be the one doing the hurting," he scowled.

There were a few moments of silence. The only sound that could be heard was the chattering of the nurses, but they were too far away for me to make out what they were saying.

"Do you really just box for fun?" I asked.

He sighed. "No, I don't enjoy bashing people's skulls in, and I don't enjoy getting my skull bashed in."

"Then why do you do it?"

"Insurance doesn't fully cover dad's treatment, and moms wages go on stuff like food and electricity bills, so Evan and I have to pitch in."

I swallowed, nodding again. "You moved here two years ago right?"

"Right," he confirmed.

"Why?"

"We lived in the next town over. Two years ago when dad got sick, we tried to buy a house closer to the hospital so we could be closer to him, but no one was selling. So we moved here, basically uprooted our lives, just so we could live nearer to a hospital."

"Do you regret it?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "Nope, not even a little bit."

I tried to contain my grin, but failed miserably revealing a toothy smile.

Ryan wrapped his arm around the back of my chair, briefly pressing his lips to my right temple. I responded with contented sigh, resting my head on his shoulder.

"My dad's never going to wake up," he said softly.

"Is it..." I couldn't bring myself to finish.

"They're giving him two weeks."

I turned my phone on at night after that, and it wasn't for the purpose of receiving early morning phone calls from an intoxicated Tara.

~*~*~*~

Exactly a week to the day I received a phone call in the middle of the night.

I rubbed my eyes blearily, grabbing my phone and mentally preparing myself for what could follow. He could've just called me to talk, he did that sometimes. Well that's what I was hoping for anyway.