Monkey Wrench (Cheap Thrills 8)

The high I was on from being Shanti’s stylist and getting it right disappeared the second the doctor held up the x-ray, and I saw what’d happened. How the kid wasn’t screaming her head off and puking, I didn’t know.

That’d been followed by the news after they’d had an orthopedic surgeon assess it that she needed surgery to fix the break in her ulna.

That had all happened seven hours ago. We were currently sitting next to her bed, watching Shanti sleep off the anesthetic, her now casted arm lying on a spare pillow and looking huge in comparison to the rest of her.

“Knock, knock,” came a voice from the doorway as Tabby and DB walked into the room, carrying balloons and a teddy bear. Well, Tabby’s pregnant stomach led the way for them, given that she was thirty-six weeks pregnant now.

With his daughter, Sheena, balanced on his arm, DB frowned as he took in Shanti. “Is she okay?”

“The orthopedic surgeon said getting the bones to align and stay in place to heal would be problematic, so they operated and put in a plate,” I explained. “They did another x-ray after the surgery, and they’re happy with how it looks, so Shanti has an appointment in two weeks for them to remove the stitches and change the cast. After that, she should be good for four weeks until she has the cast off.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naomi lower her head and pull her hair forward, hiding her face, and remembered the text she’d sent to DB this morning. For the first time in hours, I grinned.

Tabby put the balloons on the cabinet beside the bed and carefully placed the teddy bear next to Shanti. “I can’t believe she fell off the bed. Poor baby.” Looking over at us, she smiled sadly.

“I know you’re both feeling guilty right now, but accidents happen so quickly. Hell, I opened a drawer to get a spoon out this morning, and Sheena ran over to hug my leg and clipped her head on it. Luckily it wasn’t the corner, but she’s got a bruise from one side of her forehead to the other.”

Knowing we’d both look at his daughter, DB angled himself so we could see the bruise in question.

“That looks…”

“Straight?” DB suggested when I didn’t finish the sentence.

He’d guessed precisely what I was going to say. It looked like someone had drawn the bruise on with the guidance of a ruler.

Squatting down next to Naomi, Tabby slapped her on the leg. “There’s no need to hide your face because you sexted my husband, dummy.”

Naomi’s head snapped up. “I didn’t sext him. It was an accident, and I wasn’t thinking and added the hearts on. Those stupid emojis ruined my life today.”

“Honey, Jacinda sent him two texts the other day. One was rows of peaches, and the next was eggplants. She said they were intended for her sister, Dariah, but she’s gay, so I’m thinking she’s lying.”

Tabby grinned at her as DB burst out laughing, his deep chuckles waking Shanti up.

Instead of talking to her visitors, she stared at the doorway. “Hi.”

From where we were and the fact the door was only open a fraction, we could only see if people stood in it, not who was standing behind it, so the four of us frowned and glanced at each other.

“Do you think she’s seeing spirits?” Tabby whispered. “Maybe she’s tripping out from the anesthesia?”

DB leaned to the side to look into the hallway. “Damn, you guys.”

“If he starts telling me he can see dead people, I’m finding the best divorce lawyer,” Tabby said under her breath, only loud enough for me and Naomi to hear. “I’ve seen the movies, and I wasn’t made for that life, man.”

“Thought Miss Shanti could use some tender loving care,” a voice I recognized as Alejandro’s said, surprising the shit out of me.

He was one of the biggest enigmas I’d ever come across. Most of the time, Alejandro was quiet and serious. He’d give you a hint of a smile if he was amused but normally just went about life with a neutral expression on his face. On the moments he felt like engaging, though, he’d laugh or even crack a joke before going back to his usual self.

For him to be here was very out of keeping with the guy I’d worked with for three years now.

Looking back at Naomi for permission, DB gestured for him to come in when she nodded. Except, it wasn’t just him. One by one, the room filled up with people, all of them focused on Shanti, who was watching them sleepily.

We had the Kleins, the guys from P.V.P.D., the ladies from Delicious Divas, and even Evie’s brother, Roque, who worked at P.T.P.D, the police department in the town next to us. It didn’t end there because a minute after the last person filed in, Hurst Townsend came in with his wife, his son, Jack, and Jack’s wife, Colette.