Beautiful Brute (Court University 3)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Jax

My stepmother and father were in a frenzy after that, a round of calls back and forth. Maggie had the idea to reach out to as many family members and close friends as she could and had even contacted Cleo’s dad. Unfortunately, he was ineligible. He said he’d wanted to, but his struggle with certain vices in his life wouldn’t allow it. He’d even offered to fly out as soon as humanly possible. He wanted to be there, to see her.

And so that light of Cleo’s brought out everyone else’s, more than one person outside of this hospital wanting to help her. Maggie and my dad just needed names at this point, people willing to help. Before we all knew it, they had over half a dozen. People literally willing to donate their kidneys for this girl.

I wasn’t surprised.

Those names were waiting on standby while Maggie, Rick, and I waited for the results of our own tests. And eventually, they did come in.

“Mr. Ambrose?”

My name was called, mine and not my dad’s or stepmom’s. Dr. Fieldhouse had come back, wanting to just talk to me.

I knew I was the one without her even telling me.

It was just the look she gave, that all-telling look, and I didn’t need to be taken off into some room. I didn’t want to be spoken to and stressed that I could change my mind and that I could wait for a donor to come through. Cleo might not have time.

“I want to do it,” I said, probably the easiest decision I’d ever made. I didn’t need to think about it. If something I had inside me kept her alive? Well, really there was no decision at all. I stepped up, ready for it.

I just needed to know where to go.

*

My own phone calls came quick after that, everyone either trying to talk me out of it or to really consider what I was doing. The worst had been my moms, of course.

“Don’t you do anything until me and your mama can get down there,” my mom had said.

She’d told me they were booking the first trip down to Florida, but by the time they got down here, who knew the kind of state Cleo would be in. Dr. Fieldhouse and her team had her stable, but waiting for the sake of my moms’ arrival wasn’t a good enough reason. Cleo needed me, needed this.

I’d been able to talk them down eventually, my friends eventually. They called in succession after I finally texted them all back.

“Jaxen Ambrose, if you die, I’m going to kill you.” This from Royal’s girl, December, and who was I kidding?

This girl was like a sister to me.

I loved her like I loved her own sister, Paige. Paige’d been one of my dearest friends, and we’d all lost her way too soon. She passed away when we all were in high school, and the event had brought December into our friend circle. We all loved her, our good friend.

“It’ll all be fine,” I said, assuring her like the calls before. LJ and Knight had said something similar. It’d been a little more threatening if one could imagine. If I died, they’d make me suffer for it in the afterlife, a damn promise on Knight’s end especially. The big guy hadn’t broken down or anything, but he’d been close enough to it to have to get off the phone.

I heard it in his voice.

I’d admit hearing that had made me a little emotional too, but after getting my shit together, I called up Royal, my last call. He put me on FaceTime with himself and December, both of their mugs staring back at me from my hospital bed.

“You better be,” December said, holding the phone. Her cheeks were all red, her eyes puffy. “I can’t lose someone else in my life I care about.”

She had lost a lot, one of the strongest people I’d ever known, male or female. I grinned. “Aww, December. I didn’t know you cared.”

“You know I love you, you stupid asshole,” she chuckled, more emotion than I wanted to hear in her voice. I barely had the strength for any more of it. My moms had basically broken down before they finally let me go. December sniffed. “You call us as soon as you can.”

“Yeah, have your dad call us even if you can’t,” Royal said, frowning. He was tucked in beside her on the line. “As soon as you’re out of surgery, I want a call.”

Rick had a list of people to both call and text, his name on there.

“He already knows,” I told him, then watched as my buddy rubbed his fiancée’s shoulders. She blew me a kiss before leaving the line, but Royal stayed.

“I guess all I can say is don’t die,” he said, one of the only people not to either try to convince me out of this or make me think longer, harder. He smiled a little. “Who am I kidding? I couldn’t get rid of your ass even if I wanted to.”