Nice Buns (Cheap Thrills 7)

“It was sore when I got ready this morning, but it’s been aching for a while and I was trying to ignore it. Then, about two hours ago, it started to get bad and keeps getting worse, but I was too embarrassed to say about it until I threw up on my desk.”

“I don’t blame you, man,” Carter said, squeezing his hand. “I’d be the same. Just as well you’ve got us here to look after you, right?”

Straightening up, he leaned in. “I’ll contact DB and let him know what’s going on, but hit your lights if we get caught up. If he’s twisted his ball, he’s only got five hours to save it before they can’t anymore.”

Dropping my head, I growled, “Fuck. How would he have done it?”

“I don’t know, but I think we need to go on the assumption that’s what’s happened and be quick. If it started getting worse two hours ago, he’s got three hours to get into surgery, and the pain’s going to be agony.”

Handing him my phone before both of us jogged around to the other side, I asked him to contact Evie on our way there to let her know what he was assuming was the issue. I kept the lights on the whole way to the hospital, and by the time we got there, the poor kid was sobbing his heart out.

Leaving the engine running so Carter could park up for me, I got Cody out and carried him into the ER and up to the desk, grateful that the place wasn’t packed for once. There wasn’t even a Townsend waiting to be seen, which was unusual.

“He needs to see a doctor as soon as possible.”

The receptionist looked up from her screen and took in the crying kid. “What’s his name?”

We had him checked in between the two of us quickly, and when I turned around, a nurse was waiting with a gurney. I’d been so focused on Cody that I hadn’t even heard him wheel it up.

“Let’s get this young man looked at.”

Lowering him onto it, I went to follow behind them as the nurse pushed it toward the door that led to the treatment area, but Cody reached out and grabbed my hand.

“Please don’t leave me.”

The words were said out of fear, but there was also something else behind them that I couldn’t quite figure out. Maybe later it’d all click for me, but right now, getting him pain-free and the problem resolved was the priority, so it could wait.

As they were checking him over, Evie arrived, rushing into the cubicle and over to my side.

“Are you okay?” she whispered, pressing her forehead against Cody’s. “God, I’ve never been so worried.”

“Mom, it hurts,” he whimpered, tears trailing down the side of his temples. “Please make it stop.”

My heart hurt. The kid was in that middle stage between child and teenager, and it was a confusing time for him. There were hormones, and there was the draw of interests for a younger kid and ones for his almost-teenage years. His body was changing, he was expected to act older than he’d ever acted… and here was, crying in public and begging his mom to make it stop.

“Uh, Mrs. Walters—”

“It’s Edwards,” she replied automatically, then blushed. “Sorry, Cody is the Walters, I’m an Edwards.”

Writing something down on Cody’s chart, the doctor smiled understandingly at her. “That’s fine. We need to know details like that. Anyway, would it be possible to speak to you outside the cubicle for a minute, please?”

Seeing that she didn’t want to leave her son on his own but knowing the doctor wouldn’t want to discuss whatever the issue was in front of Cody and scare him, I squeezed her hand.

“I’ll stay with him. Carter’s taken the cruiser back to the station, and DB’s listed me as officially off-duty to help out. I was due a day off”—that wasn’t a lie—“so he’s relieved I’m taking it.”

Nodding, she followed behind the doctor.

Wanting to take his mind off it all, I sat carefully on the side of the gurney and smiled down at him. “So, I think you’re due a lot of fun stuff. What’s your favorite food?”

“Tacos and grapes.”

“Like together?” I mean, so long as ground beef or meat of any form wasn’t involved, that might be okay. Well, if the grapes were just sliced and placed straight into the taco.

“No, I like tacos, and I love grapes, but separately. Together would just be gross.” His voice was strained, and it was obvious he was fighting against crying again.

Going through what I could remember seeing online and in the stores that he might like, I thought up some more questions for him.

“What are your favorite games?”

“Minecraft, Roblox, Call of Duty, GTA, and Halo.”

Some of them were familiar.

“I used to play Halo with DB. I loved that game.”