“Been that bad, huh?”
“It’s been insane, but no more than usual. I just didn’t realize how much better things are when you’re around.” She leaned towards me and whispered, “Janet has been a mega-twat the last few days. Word is, she’s been all pissy because she got a bad eval from—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Lacey, another one of the nurses, called out to her and said, “Hey, Krissy! Can you give me a hand with Mr. Larkin? I need to change his bedding.”
“Sure thing,” she answered before turning her attention back to me. “I’ll catch you up at lunch break.”
“Sounds good.”
As soon as Krissy left to go help Lacey, I tried once again to make my way down to Mr. McClanahan’s room. Unlike Ms. Rice, he was older, and while his health was better than Ms. Rice’s, his mind was not. He preferred to be alone, often isolating himself in his room for days, and the rare times he was around others, he was often antagonistic, starting arguments over petty things. Mr. McClanahan was easily set off, so Janet ordered all the nurses to limit their interactions with him and only do mandatory routine checks. Considering his normal temperament, hearing that he was in rare form today was more than a little concerning. As I quietly slipped into his room, I was expecting to find him angry, hostile, and ready to start an argument, but that’s not what I found at all.
Mr. McClanahan was sitting in his chair and actually smiling. I was shocked to find Hawk sitting there with him. When I realized they were in the midst of a deep conversation, I took a step back and listened. Hawk smiled as he asked, “What’d ya ride?”
“Last bike I had was a Yamaha TX50.” Mr. McClanahan chuckled as he said, “I know you boys today are all about your Harleys, but let me tell ya, that Yamaha was one hell of a ride.”
“I bet it was. Nothing better than being out on the road, no matter what you’re riding.”
“You’re right about that.”
“So, how long has it been?”
“Too damn long ... at least twenty years, maybe more.” Mr. McClanahan sighed as he continued, “Some of the best days of my life were spent with my brothers. Would give anything to go back, but I’m grateful God graced me with memories.”
I couldn’t believe it. Mr. McClanahan looked happier than I’d ever seen him. Hell, the man was practically beaming, and it was all because of Hawk. I didn’t know what to think. I had no idea what he was even doing there. It was one thing to watch me from a distance, but Hawk had taken things to a new level when he actually came inside. I should’ve been furious, but as I stood there watching him with Mr. McClanahan, I was far from angry. Instead, I was in awe. Hawk was not only able to get our grumpiest resident to carry on a lengthy conversation, but he’d gotten him to smile—even chuckle a time or two. It was impossible not to be moved by the sight. I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye as I listened to Hawk say, “Maybe we can find a way to get you back on the road again.”
“Doubt that’s ever gonna happen, son. I’m just not as able as I used to be.”
“I don’t know. I think you’ve still got at least one more good ride in ya.”
While it was thoughtful of Hawk to even think about getting Mr. McClanahan out for a ride, I didn’t want him to make a promise he couldn’t possibly keep, so I stepped out of hiding and said, “Hi there, Mr. McClanahan. I see you have company today.”
“I sure do,” he replied proudly. “Not sure if you’ve met, but this is Hawk.”
I cocked my eyebrow at Hawk as I replied, “Yes. We’ve crossed paths before.”
“That we have.” Hawk stood up and extended his hand to Mr. McClanahan then said, “It was good talking to you, brother. Mind if I stop by again sometime?”
Mr. McClanahan shook his hand. “No, not at all. I’d like that.”
“Good. I’ll see you soon.”
Without saying a word to me, Hawk walked past me and into the hall. Before I even realized what I was doing, I rushed out the door. “Hawk!”
He stopped and turned to look at me, and the second his eyes met mine, a shiver ran down my spine, making me instantly regret chasing after him. I couldn’t understand it, but there was something about the man that I found hard to resist. The fact that he looked unbelievably sexy in his tattered jeans, dark t-shirt, and leather vest didn’t help matters. His green eyes danced with mischief as he said, “Yeah?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I think it’s pretty clear. I was talking to Mr. McClanahan.”