Wheels of Steel, Book 3 (2 page)

“I swear to god if you ever scare us like that again I’ll strangle you.”

“I’m tired of being the squeaky wheel.” She said. Peter was holding her hand and Robin grabbed the other.

“You get better soon. Jason and I are going to leave but we’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Okay. Sorry I worried everybody.”

“Just get better, Squeaky.”

Amberly rubbed the back of her hand lightly. “I’m going to go home too. I’ll stop by your place and get some of your stuff and bring them to you tomorrow.”

“I appreciate it Amberly. Bring my bunny slippers.”

“Those ratty things? No, I’ll buy you new ones.”

“No, it has to be my fuzzy wuzzy’s. I already broke them in.”

“Fuzzy wuzzy’s?” Peter said. “You have names for your slippers?” He looked at Amberly. “Bring her the fuzzy wuzzy’s if that’s what she wants.”

It was night when Jason and Robin finally left the hospital. They were both exhausted and the ride home was quiet but not just because of their fatigue. Jason turned to her.

“I’m sorry, Robin.”

“About?” Her eyes were steady on the road.

“Last night.” She didn’t respond. “I was drunk.”

“Is that how you’re going to act every time you get drunk, every time you celebrate with your friends?” She finally asked.

“No. What seemed right yesterday…seems totally stupid today.”

“Did you…Jason, did you get into the swimming pool naked?”

“Yeah. I did.”

The disappointment and hurt she felt at those words almost overwhelmed Robin. She couldn’t believe how much what he just said hurt her.

“Who else got in naked?”

“Well…like, a lot of people that partied with us-”

“From Wheels of Steel!” She demanded, her tone letting him know that there was one particular person that she was concerned with, and one person only.

“Just Peter and Amberly. Belinda couldn’t because…you know, she was still healing. So…yeah.”

Robin thought that she might have to pull the car over because she was so angry. Jason knew not to say another word until she decided whether or not she was going to blow up or if she was going to handle it in her normal way…which was not to handle it but to bury it.

She pulled into the parking space and didn’t turn off the car. She popped the trunk, got out and retrieved the wheelchair. She slammed it to the ground as Jason watched her warily. Then while he maneuvered himself into it she moved to the backseat and pulled out the boxed Christmas tree. With a grunt she pushed it out of her car.

“Robin.” Jason said.

Ignoring him she got the wreath and flung it into the direction of his door.

“Nothing happened, Robin.”

She moved around his body and slammed the passenger door shut.

“Robin!”

She spun on her heels, eyes narrowed. “Me and my mother won’t be here tomorrow for dinner. I’ll see you Monday to take you to school. But…don’t talk to me. I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to hear you and I damn sure don’t want to think about you!”

“I swear nothing happened, Robin!”

She climbed into her car ignoring him and zoomed away.

Jason felt lost as he sat there in the parking lot. Not only had he messed up bad, but he’d lied. Something did happen in that pool.

Chapter 2

Robin couldn’t get home fast enough. She wasn’t even in her house before she was calling Pinnacle. Ben answered.

“This is Robin. I’m going on vacation.”

“Robin? Okay. When did you want to take it?”

“Immediately!”

“Robin, are you okay?”

“No. Yes. Just…can you take me off the roster?”

“Well…Mr. Hamilton is not easy to find a replacement for-”

“He’s got a winter break coming up soon until the first of the year. He should only need an in-home aid for that and maybe just for a few hours a shift to help him with eating.”

“Okay. How long did you want to be off the roster?”

“Until the first of the year.”

“Okay…well when did you want to start your vacation?”

“As soon as you can manage it. I’m talking a day or two.” In actuality she and Mom weren’t supposed to leave until Wednesday of next week. They would have a Christmas and New Year’s eve vacation.

“You’re not giving us much notice-”

“I never ask for time off, Ben. You know that. And other people do. But I need the time off!”

“Okay, I understand. Is everything alright, Robin? I know that Mrs. Babbs death must have been-”

“Yeah, it was. Just let me know when you have someone to fill in for me.” She disconnected knowing that she had been rude and short but she didn’t care. She just wanted to go home and throw something.

The next day she prepared for church and went to her Mother’s house. Jason didn’t bother her and she didn’t think about him because thinking about him made her too angry. She didn’t want to tell her mother about the fight they’d had so she used Belinda’s illness as an excuse for why he wasn’t present. But Betty was more focused on the CD that Jason had made for her. She couldn’t stop talking about how good it was and how talented he was. She made Robin promise to tell him how much she enjoyed it and Robin lied by promising that she would.

After church and their weekly dinner, Robin drove to the hospital to visit Belinda. She figured Jason would be there but she just wanted to see her friend and make sure that she was still doing well. When she got to the hospital Peter and Amberly were there but Jason wasn’t. She kissed Peter, ignored Amberly and then went to sit by Belinda’s bedside. She was groggy and half asleep but Peter assured her that she was still making improvements.

“Where’s Jason?” She asked while trying to sit up. She stopped suddenly and sucked in a pained breath. Peter moved to adjust her bed with the remote and Robin adjusted her pillows until she looked more comfortable.

“Jason is at home I guess.”

She saw her glance at Peter and Robin felt bad that she was worried about their relationship even as she healed from an illness that had nearly killed her.

“Peter, can you and Amberly go get something to eat so I can talk to Robin. I know you haven’t had lunch yet.”

“Sure babe.” Peter said.

“Okay.” Amberly gave Robin a curious look but didn’t say anything to her as she left.

Belinda waited until the door was closed before speaking again. “You two are fighting?”

Robin made a face. “Why are you worrying about Jason and me? You need to get better-”

“Because I know how bad it hurts to be mad at someone you love.”

Robin looked away.

“What’s it about? That stuff that happened Friday? We were all shitfaced. He didn’t mean any of it. Jason’s like you; he’s no drinker. Even a drinker like me doesn’t really know how to hold our liquor. But he didn’t mean any harm.”

“It hurt my feelings.” She made a dismissive sound. “But hurt feelings I can get over.”

“Okay…?”

“But I’m having a tougher time getting over the fact that he got into that pool naked with Amberly.”

“He told you about that?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m of an opinion that some things should just die away quietly with no comment. That night in the pool was one of those things.”

“And you still think that there are no feelings between Jason and Amberly?”

Belinda didn’t answer, she just shrugged before finally speaking. “But he’s in love with you. That other stuff was just the alcohol. I don’t even think he knew what he was doing, we were all so fucked up.”

“But you do know where I’m coming from, don’t you? Even though you want us to be okay, don’t just pretend that you don’t get why I feel this way.” She felt close to tears because she wanted her feelings validated and not to just hear someone say, ‘just get over it’ “No woman wants to know that her man is naked in a pool with another naked woman…especially if that woman announced that she was head over heels in love with him!” Robin stared at the ceiling in anguish.

Belinda’s lips turned downward. “Every stupid move has a huge consequence.” Robin looked at her suddenly feeling bad that she had unleashed her own pity party on her sick friend. “They couldn’t save my ovum. The fever was too bad; too high.”

Robin closed her eyes sadly. “I’m so sorry-”

“Every stupid move has its consequence. So listen to me hard, just listen. Ask yourself what you really really want—even if you can’t say it out loud.” Tears filled Belinda’s eyes and her voice cracked. “And then you make it happen. You make it happen!”

Robin brushed away Belinda’s tears with her thumbs, but she nodded in agreement.

***

Jason had dragged in the Christmas tree and had put it up early Sunday morning. The wreath was roughed up but he hung it on the door and straightened the ribbon and then located some pine cones that had been knocked loose.

He played Christmas music and made dinner and when his mother came over he had still held out hope that Robin and her mother would show up as well. When they were a no-show, he had to explain that Robin and he were having an argument and his mother had nodded sadly and didn’t try to get into his business about what had happened. She just informed him that she hoped for the best.

He wasn’t the best cook, but dinner was salad and a chicken casserole that he made with white rice, chicken breasts and cream of mushroom soup. The rice was hard in places but his mother didn’t complain. They talked about the song with Akita Tom being finished, they talked about the fact that he’d been fitted for his braces, they talked about Robin going on vacation for Christmas and how the two of them would spend it, and they talked about her holiday fundraiser at The Findlay Market. And then she left and Jason stared at his phone wondering if he should call Robin despite her demands or whether he should wait until he saw her in the morning.

The next morning Jason got up and the first thing he did was to plug in the Christmas tree. He wanted it to be the first thing Robin saw when she came over. He had respected her wishes and hadn’t called her but it had cost him a sleepless night of tossing and turning. He put on Motown Christmas music and started the coffee so that they could have time to hash it out. Then he started the process of preparing for school.

He was never more excited when he heard her key in the lock. For a few agonizing minutes, he didn’t know whether or not she would show. But here she was. He wheeled from the back of the apartment where he had brushed every single knot from his damp hair and had even shaved.

Robin was staring at the tree. “It’s crooked.”

“Yeah. I couldn’t get it straight. I thought if I turned it, it wouldn’t look so bad...”

Robin had a pine cone in her hand. “I found this in the bushes.”

“Yeah…” He wheeled to her and took it from her hand. “I couldn’t find them all.” The teapot was going off and Robin hurried into the kitchen to turn off the fire and to prepare the coffee. Jason followed her. Why was saying that you’re sorry so hard to do, even when you knew you were wrong and you were truly sorry?

“Robin, I just wanted to tell you that I know I acted badly and that I wish that you would forgive me. If you do, I promise never ever to do anything like that again. And I won’t drink…or get drunk or let another woman sit in my lap, or…you know, be naked around others.”

She turned to him and just stared at him. Her expression was completely unreadable. “I trusted you…not to do certain things. Just automatically trusted that you would be a certain way.” She struggled for the right words. “But now…I don’t automatically trust that.”

He looked crushed. “I know I messed up, but please don’t say that you don’t trust me.”

“I trust you, but I don’t have…faith that you will do the right things anymore.” She poured the coffee and heard Jason’s cracked response.

His face was broken as he rubbed the tears from his eyes. “Please don’t say that, Robin. That hurts me more then you can ever imagine. I didn’t mean to take away the trust!” She walked to him, sinking to her knees in front of his chair, Robin placed her head into his lap and held onto his legs while his body folded over hers and he held her in return.