Read Online Always: Broken Series Book Four by Annie Jocoby - Free Book Online
Authors: Annie Jocoby
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the clinical trials and other procedures that we’re going to have to face with her. But we’re not going to compare this to Michelle. That would be us looking only at the worst-case scenario, and I simply don’t want to do that.”
I looked over at Jack, who shrugged his shoulders. “You heard your man. We’re not going to go to the worst-case right now or hopefully ever. You have to stop thinking that everything is doom and gloom, Scotch. I know you have a problem with positive thinking after what you went through in your life, but I think you need to try not to be so negative right now.”
“I want to be prepared.” I couldn’t believe that the two men in my life were trying to stifle my voice, right when I needed desperately to be heard. “I can’t go in thinking that it’s all going to be fine, because what if it isn’t? Then what? What if I lose her? I don’t want to be blindsided. That would be the worst.”
Nick started to show his impatience. “What good does it do to talk about our daughter dying? Right now, it doesn’t do any goddamn good at all. All that morbid talk does is make everyone depressed. We don’t need that right now, Scotty. All we need are solutions and action. We don’t need downer talk.”
I got up and got some Kleenex, and then blew my nose. “How am I going to get through this? How am I supposed to act normal? Forget about going back to work.” I shook my head. “I can’t go back to work, not when this is happening. I need to take a leave of absence.”
Nick stood up. “You can’t do that. We’re right in the middle of some of the biggest projects of our careers. We can’t just up and tell our clients that you’re not going to be working on these buildings. They’re relying on you.”
I blinked my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’re going to put work over our family? Over our daughter?” I felt the anger rising inside me, and I just blurted out something that was below the belt. I knew it when I was saying it, but the words just came tumbling out. “Isn’t your workaholicism what got Abrianna killed?”
Jack just stared at me when I said that. Abrianna’s death was something that was rarely discussed. I knew the details – Nick was working all the time and he and his first wife, Rielle, were fighting about that. While they were fighting, Abrianna had slipped out the door and ended up in the street in front of a car. The car hit her, killing the little girl instantly.
Nick also stared at me, and I looked away. I couldn’t stand the intensity of his stare. I really couldn’t stand the stare when he was upset with me, as he very clearly was at that moment. “Jack, I’m so sorry, but I think that you need to leave.” Nick didn’t look at Jack when he was speaking.
I looked at Jack desperately, not wanting him to leave, because I knew that Nick was going to verbally harangue me after Jack left. But Jack just shook his head, got his coat, and left quietly.
“Sit down,” Nick ordered, pointing to the sofa. “Now.”
The look on his face was unlike any look I had ever seen from him. His blue eyes were intense, and his left cheek had a twitch. His face started to get red, and then it started to get very, very pale. I closed my eyes and pictured gathering storm clouds, and felt the wind whip up. There was soon going to be a deluge of thunder and lightning, right there in the living room, and I had to prepare myself for it. Nick looked, for all the world, like he was about to explode at any second.
I sat down and Nick stood in front of me. “I don’t know what got into you that you would bring up my daughter and imply that it was my fault that she was killed.” And then he looked out the window. His facial expression changed from anger to defeat. He shook his head. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it was my fault that I lost her. I was a shitty husband, although I had tried to be a good dad.”
I stood up and put my arm around his
I looked over at Jack, who shrugged his shoulders. “You heard your man. We’re not going to go to the worst-case right now or hopefully ever. You have to stop thinking that everything is doom and gloom, Scotch. I know you have a problem with positive thinking after what you went through in your life, but I think you need to try not to be so negative right now.”
“I want to be prepared.” I couldn’t believe that the two men in my life were trying to stifle my voice, right when I needed desperately to be heard. “I can’t go in thinking that it’s all going to be fine, because what if it isn’t? Then what? What if I lose her? I don’t want to be blindsided. That would be the worst.”
Nick started to show his impatience. “What good does it do to talk about our daughter dying? Right now, it doesn’t do any goddamn good at all. All that morbid talk does is make everyone depressed. We don’t need that right now, Scotty. All we need are solutions and action. We don’t need downer talk.”
I got up and got some Kleenex, and then blew my nose. “How am I going to get through this? How am I supposed to act normal? Forget about going back to work.” I shook my head. “I can’t go back to work, not when this is happening. I need to take a leave of absence.”
Nick stood up. “You can’t do that. We’re right in the middle of some of the biggest projects of our careers. We can’t just up and tell our clients that you’re not going to be working on these buildings. They’re relying on you.”
I blinked my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’re going to put work over our family? Over our daughter?” I felt the anger rising inside me, and I just blurted out something that was below the belt. I knew it when I was saying it, but the words just came tumbling out. “Isn’t your workaholicism what got Abrianna killed?”
Jack just stared at me when I said that. Abrianna’s death was something that was rarely discussed. I knew the details – Nick was working all the time and he and his first wife, Rielle, were fighting about that. While they were fighting, Abrianna had slipped out the door and ended up in the street in front of a car. The car hit her, killing the little girl instantly.
Nick also stared at me, and I looked away. I couldn’t stand the intensity of his stare. I really couldn’t stand the stare when he was upset with me, as he very clearly was at that moment. “Jack, I’m so sorry, but I think that you need to leave.” Nick didn’t look at Jack when he was speaking.
I looked at Jack desperately, not wanting him to leave, because I knew that Nick was going to verbally harangue me after Jack left. But Jack just shook his head, got his coat, and left quietly.
“Sit down,” Nick ordered, pointing to the sofa. “Now.”
The look on his face was unlike any look I had ever seen from him. His blue eyes were intense, and his left cheek had a twitch. His face started to get red, and then it started to get very, very pale. I closed my eyes and pictured gathering storm clouds, and felt the wind whip up. There was soon going to be a deluge of thunder and lightning, right there in the living room, and I had to prepare myself for it. Nick looked, for all the world, like he was about to explode at any second.
I sat down and Nick stood in front of me. “I don’t know what got into you that you would bring up my daughter and imply that it was my fault that she was killed.” And then he looked out the window. His facial expression changed from anger to defeat. He shook his head. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it was my fault that I lost her. I was a shitty husband, although I had tried to be a good dad.”
I stood up and put my arm around his
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