Brawler (19 page)

THIRTY-NINE

Jaz

Day one hundred five.

The elevator doors opened. I ran down the corridor as fast as I could, my legs burning the entire way. Ripp and Dekk were somewhere behind me, I had no idea where. Hell, I didn’t care. 

I slid around the corner, ran past the nurse’s station, and rushed down the hallway until I was in front of the room.

724.

I took a deep breath and faced the open room.

Kelsey turned to face me.

Tears rolled down his cheeks.

He opened his mouth.

Nothing
.

My lip began to quiver. I took a few slow steps. My legs began to shake. I reached for Kelsey, pulled him into me and stepped beside the bed.

“How’s it…how’s it…uhhm…how’s it going?”

Incapable of speaking, he simply nodded.

A pen and paper sat beside the bed. I picked up the pen and scribbled a quick note.

Ethan,

I love you so much.

Signed,

The WBC Champion of the World

I kind of cried and kind of laughed as I placed the note at Ethan’s side. It was a weird combination that included an uncontrollable blubbering of emotion, many tears, and a little laughter.

He lifted the pad, stared at it for a moment, and picked up the pen. After a moment, he dropped it at his side.

I picked it up.

Jaz,

I love you, too. When I get this tube out of my mouth, I want a kiss.

I never doubted you.

Ethan

FORTY

Jaz

Day one hundred twenty-one.

I’d never seen a dining table that could seat so many people. I looked around me. The group of people were proof that family may or may not bound by blood. Some are developed through love, friendship, and a special bond that forms when people close their mouths and open their hearts.

“
You
didn’t win shit. I’m tired of it, Mike. Just sick and damned tired. Leave those stories at the door. The girl won the fight. You were just watching,” Ripp’s dad said.

Ripp dropped his chicken bone onto his plate and glared. “
We
won it.”

His dad wagged his fork toward Ripp. “I didn’t see you swing a punch. Not one. Jaz won it.”

“Is that your name, honey? Jaz?”

I turned toward Ripp’s mom, prepared to respond.

“Leave her alone,” Ripp snapped. “It’s close enough.”

Ripp’s mom shook her head. “No nicknames at the table.”

I shifted my eyes to Ripp. He shrugged. I looked at Dekk. He shrugged. Dekk’s wife, Kace, wiped her hands on her napkin and turned toward Ripp’s mom.

“It’s Beth.”

“Yes, Ma’am. It’s Beth,” I said. “But I don’t go by that. I go by Jaz.”

She shook her head lightly. “Not at the dinner table, you don’t.”

I laughed to myself. “Yes, Ma’am.”

“See, Mike? You can eat and have manners at the same damned time. Jaz called your mother ‘Ma’am’. That’s a proper upbringing. I don’t know what happened to you. We tried, and tried, but somewhere…”

“Shut it,” Ripp said as he reached for the chicken.

“The chicken is great, Mrs. Ripton.”

“Thank you Ethan. Eat all you want,” she said.

I rubbed my hand along Ethan’s thigh. He turned toward me and smiled. His hair was short, but covered all of the scars on his head very well. In another two months it would be as long as it was before they had to shave it, and personally, I couldn’t wait.

“So,
Beth.
What’s next?” Mike’s brother-in-law asked.

“She’s going for the other title,” Kelsey interrupted.

“Is that right?”

“Yes, Sir. Maybe two more months,” I said.

“We’ll all have to make it to that one,” he said. “Keep us posted.”

“I’ll let ya know, A-Train,” Ripp said.

“No nicknames at the table Michael.”

“Alec! Alec! Alec! Alec!” Ripp grunted. “How’s that?”

“Mike…” Ripp’s wife said. “Play nice.”

“They’re ganging up on me.”

“So, Ethan. We going back to the firing range tomorrow?” Kelsey asked.

Since the incident, Ethan had been enjoying time at the firing range. It seemed to calm his nerves, and it was something easy for him to do and do well.

Some of his progress in recovery was slow, while other things were very rapid. Shooting guns seemed to build his confidence, which was great for keeping his spirits up.

“I’ll go the next time, if you don’t mind,” Alec said.

Ethan pointed the tip of his fork at Alec. “I’d like that. A few pointers from a Marine might get me to beat the old man.”

“That jarhead isn’t as good as you think. He’s lucky,” Kelsey said.

“No nicknames at the table,” Mikes mom said.

I looked at Kelsey. He sighed heavily. “Jarhead ain’t a nickname. It’s a derogatory term. I use it with affection. Right, Jarhead?”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Right.”

“Beth, when you’re done, there’s pie.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

“She ain’t eatin’ no fuckin’ pie, Ma. She’s in trainin’,” Ripp snarled.

“Michael Allen Ripton,” his mother snapped back. “That’s a bad word. No bad words at the table.”

“I’ll have a small piece,” I said.

“The hell you will,” Ripp responded.

His dad poked him with his fork. “Don’t argue with her, she’ll whip your ass.”

“No bad words at the table.”

“Ass isn’t a bad word.”

“It most certainly is.”

“It’s a body part.”

“So’s cock,” Ripp said. “And we can’t use it.”

“Michael!”

I grinned.

It was like a circus.

But it was family. And it was the only family I had. After dinner, we sat and talked until long after dark. After all the stories were told, the pie was eaten, and the coffee was gone, I thanked them for my first Sunday dinner.

“Thank you so much for having me,” I said.

“I’d say
come anytime
,” Mr. Ripton said. “But that’s now we do it. So I’ll say this.
See you next Sunday
.”

“Okay,” I said with a smile. “See you next Sunday.”

We bid our farewells and said goodbye to the group.

“You ready, Ethan?”

He nodded. “About to pass out from overeating.”

I reached for Ethan’s wheelchair. “Thanks again.”

As I pushed the wheelchair toward the door, I thanked God for friends, family, and, as always, for Ethan.

He was the love of my life, and always would be, no matter what. The incident may have broken some couples apart, but it seemed to draw us even closer.

In another month, they were going to be able to operate on his spine and relieve some pressure. We all reserved a little hope that he might be able to feel his legs afterward.

The post-op possibilities, according to the doctor, were only limited by finances. It seemed money could buy the best doctors, the best surgeries, and the best rehabilitation.

Kelsey negotiated 24 million for my next fight. All I had to do was keep winning, and money would be no object.

I loaded the wheelchair into the van, secured it, and gave Ethan a kiss.

Before I closed the van’s door, I took a moment to admire him. He was the most handsome man on earth, and he was mine. I couldn’t have been any prouder of him. If he spent the rest of his life in the wheelchair, not only would I accept it, I’d embrace it.

But, if money could fix him, I’d spend a mountain of it to do so.

All I had to do was keep winning.

And, if there was one thing I knew how to do, it was win.

EPILOGUE

Ethan

I parked the truck and glanced to my side. Jaz sat in the passenger seat, blindfolded and mad as hell.

“Can I take it off now?”

“No,” I snapped back playfully.

“This is bullshit!” she shouted.

“Just shut it, you mouthy little shit,” I said. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

“I hate surprises.”

I got out of the truck, walked to her side, and opened the door. “Just hold on to me.” I guided her hand to my shoulder. “There.”

I gazed out at the ocean, glad we’d finally reached a point that I was able to take time and drive down to the coast without interfering with her schedule. The last six months had been filled with surgeries, more surgeries, and countless weeks of therapy.

My neck was still going to require some skin grafts for cosmetic reasons, but other than that, I had recovered one hundred percent. I had no intention of returning to boxing immediately, but it was anyone’s guess what might happen in the future.

“Why did I have to wear these ridiculous boots?” she asked.

“Because. It’s a surprise.”

I guided her half the distance between where we parked and the edge of the water, stopping about twenty feet from where the ocean met the sand. I reached over, removed her blindfold, and stood back.

She stood at my side, the most beautiful woman on earth, and gazed out at the endless horizon of water.

“You finally made it,” I said.

She stood and stared.

Without speaking, she reached down, removed her boots, and smashed her bare feet into the sand.

She glanced at me and swallowed hard. “It’s…”

Her eyes welled with tears. She’d waited a lifetime to make it to the beach, and had sacrificed many potential trips just to make sure I got the surgeries I needed when I needed them the most.

“I know,” I said. “It’s pretty breathtaking, isn’t it?”

“Can I get in it?” she asked.

“You can do whatever you want,” I responded. “But before you do, I need to ask you something.”

She turned to face me. “What?”

“In the last year, a lot has changed. I feel like we’ve gained a family at the Ripton’s, and I’ve been working toward fixing things with my father. You’ve won two championships, and we bought a house. You’ve got a new Range Rover, and you bought me a new truck. Hell, we don’t ever have to do anything to survive. We’re set for the rest of our lives.”

She smiled a prideful smile.

“But something’s missing,” I said. “Something big.”

“Tell me. Whatever it is, I’ll fix it,” she said flatly.

“Good. It ought to make this easy, then.”

“Just tell me what to do.”

I reached into my pocket and removed the ring. “I think it’d be better if I just asked.”

She looked at the ring. Before I could muster the courage to continue, her eyes welled with tears.

“Beth Briscoe, will you marry me? I can promise you if you do, I’ll…”

“Yes,” she blurted.

I shook my head. “I wasn’t done.”

“I was done listening. Yes. The answer’s
yes
.”

“I put together a speech. I was going to--”

“I said yes.”

I shook my head and forced out a sigh. “Fine.”

I slipped the ring on her finger.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She kissed me. “Can we go down to the ocean now?”

“I thought you’d be more excited.”

I am excited,” she said.

“About the marriage proposal, not the ocean.”

“Shit,” she said. “In my mind? I married you a long fucking time ago. Where have you been?”

And she took off running toward the ocean.

I shook my head.

Beth Briscoe.

The craziest woman on earth.

And the love of my life.