I laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll let you clean me up.” I could already feel my right eye swelling up, and I knew my lip was split and bleeding.
33
Sloane
I looked at the bleeding knuckles on my brother’s hand when he came back into the emergency room bay followed by my dad. “What did you do?”
“Less than I wanted to.”
“Where’s Tackle?”
“I think one of the paramedics is cleaning him up.”
I looked from my father to my brother. “Cleaning him up? What the fuck, Knox?”
“Have a seat.” My dad pulled out a chair and nudged Knox toward it. “The first thing the two of you need to do is lower your voices. There are other people in this hospital who are sick or injured and need care. They don’t need to be disturbed by your argument.”
“Argument?” I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and told myself to calm down. “This isn’t an argument, Dad. My brother just beat up the father of my baby.”
“Don’t call him that,” Knox spat.
I’d never once seen my father lay a hand on my brother, until today. He didn’t hit him hard, but he did swat the back of his head.
I, of course, did the most inappropriate thing ever and laughed out loud.
Knox spun around and looked at him. “Did you know?”
“I had my suspicions, as did your mother, but to answer your question; no, until recently, we did not know.”
“That’s why you wouldn’t tell me who it was.”
“You’re right. If I could’ve kept it from you even longer, I would’ve. Do you want to know why?”
“Because you knew I’d kill him.”
“No, Knox, because this isn’t any of your business. Tackle and I are having a baby, and guess what? It has nothing to do with you. Nothing. This is between him and me and no one else. If you can’t accept that, you can leave.”
“Is he going to marry you?”
“The better question is, am I going to marry him? I haven’t decided yet.”
“You have to.”
I stared at him, wide-eyed. “No wonder you’re best friends. You’re both Neanderthals. No, I don’t have to.”
“Is he at least going to take care of you and the baby? Provide for you?”
“Again, none of your business.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“There isn’t anything for you to believe. I’m pregnant, Tackle is the father, and the two of us will figure out how it’s going to work in our own way.”
“When did this happen?”
I looked up at my dad. “Would you please get him out of here?”
“We aren’t finished talking about this.”