Hutch shrugged, wincing as he did so. “I ran into him on the trail. He confronted me. We argued. I tried to leave. He punched me.”
“You need X-rays, Hutch. Please go to the hospital.”
“First things first, Simone. Tell me... Is it fair to say that you got pregnant only to satisfy the terms of your grandfather’s will?”
* * *
Hutch watched her face. Every drop of color washed away. Her eyes welled with tears. He had his answer. “My God,” he said. “It’s true.” His heart shattered into sharp pieces that stabbed his chest. “You wanted money, so you decided to have a baby. Do you have any idea how incredibly selfish and immoral that is? I’ve spent my entire career protecting mothers and babies. What you did is unconscionable.”
She stood proud and tall as he annihilated her. “I made a foolish mistake. I admit that. But it wasn’t really about the money, I swear.”
“Of course it wasn’t,” he sneered.
“I’m telling you the truth,” she cried. “Let’s go back inside so you can sit down. I’ll explain everything.”
He shook his head violently, almost welcoming the pain. “I don’t need to hear your explanations. I see it all now. That’s the real reason you sent me off to Africa, isn’t it, Simone? You thought you were dating an up-and-coming surgeon, but then you found out I was more interested in offering my services to the poor than building a mansion in Royal and inviting you to be lady of the manor.”
“Tonight isn’t a good time to discuss this,” she said quietly. “Come back inside with me. I’ll get some ice for your head.”
When she tried to take his arm, he jerked away. He saw the agony in her eyes, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything at this moment. “I’m sure there are a number of people at the ball who will be glad to take you home, Simone. You and I are done here. In fact, we’re done permanently.”
“Hutch, please...” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “You’re twisting the facts and coming up with the wrong answers. This isn’t as bad as it seems.”
He opened the car door and managed not to groan when he slid behind the wheel. “I don’t want to hear it, Simone. Goodbye.” Barely allowing her time to jump out of the way, he put the car in gear and screeched out of the parking lot. Though he was cautious getting out of town, when he made it to the interstate, he pressed down on the accelerator and tried to outrun his demons.
Thank God he hadn’t told her he loved her. That would have been the final indignity. He felt like a credulous fool. Hell, he was a fool. He had let hot sex blind him to Simone’s real nature. She was a user and a manipulator.
He drove on into the night with no particular destination in mind. At last, though, his massive headache forced him to pull off and find a motel room for the night. The clerk gaped at him—he must have looked like something out of a horror movie—but handed over the key without protest.
Hutch parked in front of the door to 11C. He had no suitcase, no shaving kit, nothing. What did it matter?
Before he could collapse onto the bed, he had one phone call to make. He was scheduled to work Saturday and Sunday. Fortunately, he was able to get in touch with his second in command, who agreed to switch shifts for a couple of days.
That left Hutch totally unencumbered for the next forty-eight hours. He stumbled into the bathroom, took a quick shower and carefully washed the wound on his head. Then he went back into the other room, pulled back the hideous bedspread and fell facedown on the mattress.
* * *
The following morning, he awoke with the hangover from hell. Then he realized he hadn’t been drinking. After that, he remembered that Simone was gone. He felt empty inside. Though he was hungry, no amount of food could fix what was wrong with him.
Even so, he couldn’t sit around in his tux all weekend. He downed some acetaminophen and made it out to the car on shaky legs. Fortunately, there was a diner nearby...the ubiquitous staple of rural Texas. The waitress took one look at his face and didn’t bother with chitchat.
After a hearty meal of bacon, eggs and toast, Hutch felt marginally better. Next on his list was a stop at a discount store. There he found a pair of jeans that fit his long, lanky body. He grabbed a couple of plain knit shirts, some underwear and socks, and cheap sneakers.
Back at the motel, he took another shower. It was hot as hell outside. Afterward, he put on his new duds and stretched out on the bed to watch TV. He rarely had time in his life for something so mindless and sedentary. Every day was filled with work and more work and, recently, Simone.
For the first time, he allowed himself to remember what had happened. There was plenty to be pissed about. The worst was that she had lied to him. By omission, but still. She told him she got pregnant because she wanted to be a mother.
Maybe that part was true, but it wasn’t the whole truth. The real truth was money. Lots of it. People would do almost anything for money.
Eventually, his anger was replaced by a dull acceptance. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to get married and have a family of his own. Maybe he was supposed to devote his life to helping other people have healthy babies.
By Sunday morning, both bumps on his head were healing nicely. In addition to his new clothes, he had bought a handheld mirror so he could look at the knot on the back of his skull. That was a mistake, because suddenly the memory of Simone stroking his brow and running her fingers over his head came back with a vengeance.
He had to check out of the room by eleven. After that task was accomplished, he sat in his car and clenched the steering wheel with two hands. One thing was certain. He was not returning to Royal in order to worm his way back into Simone’s good graces. He probably wasn’t even in love with her, not really. He’d been dazzled by good sex and his need to watch over triplets who needed him.
Slowly, he cruised the small town, which was little more than a wide space in the road. They had a fast-food place but little else. The only meal he had eaten was breakfast yesterday. His stomach had been rolling and pitching too much to think about food again. Now, though, he was hungry.
In the drive-through he ordered a double cheeseburger with fries and a Coke. His whole life was in ruins. Why not indulge in junk food, as well?