Connected by the tide, p.23
Connected by the Tide, page 23
part #3 of Hawaiian Crush Series
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry about me, Henry. I’ll see you later.”
Henry glanced at the guys one more time before he turned to the right, heading to his car. He didn’t want to stare at the nighttime lurkers and give them a reason to confront him, so he kept his eyes locked on his car and approached it. When he heard a yell, he turned around.
Andre was being held against his car by two guys. One was punching him in the face.
“Fucking faggot!” He punched him again.
Andre leaned forward, groaning through the pain, but he didn’t make a sound. The guy kneed him in the head.
The anger and adrenaline kicked in Henry’s veins, and he dropped his backpack and sprinted toward the assaulters. When he reached them, he felt his heart fall. All their faces were covered in ski masks. People never covered their faces unless they were about to do something really bad.
“Let me go!” Andre said as he fought their hold.
Henry came around the car and pushed the first guy he saw. Everyone scattered for a moment when they realized they had company.
“Get off him!” Henry said as he pushed the guy holding Andre.
Andre fell to the ground, then got to his feet quickly.
The man closest to Henry threw a swing at him, colliding with this jaw. Henry stumbled back and felt the blood pour in his mouth.
“I guess we got another one, boys,” the guy said over his shoulder. “It must be his boyfriend.” He raised his fist to punch Henry, but Henry darted out of the way. Then he raised his fist and punched the guy in the side of the head.
That pissed the guy off and he charged Henry, engaging him in a close fight. Henry felt his body slam to the concrete and another fist collide with his face. He kneed the guy then rolled over him, punching him in the face. He grabbed his mask to pull it off, but the guy brought his fist into his nose, making it sting on impact.
Henry fell back and heard Andre yell as he was hit again in the stomach. There were four guys altogether. Two were holding Andre back, one was punching him, and the other guy was trying to knock Henry unconscious.
Henry was so preoccupied with the guy he couldn’t reach Andre. Every time he tried, he was pulled back. When he was pushed to the ground again, he saw the man pull out a small knife. Now he was really afraid. Going with his instinct, he kicked the knife as hard as he could because he was wearing the metal shoes required for work. He knew the tip wouldn’t pierce the hard material. The knife fell on the concrete, difficult to see in the darkness. Henry kicked the guy again, hitting him in the groin. When the guy was bent over, Henry shoved him to the ground, pushing his head into the street.
Henry looked over at Andrew and saw the blood spilling from his mouth. His eyes were black and swollen, and he wasn’t even fighting it anymore. He seemed to be unconscious.
“You’re going to kill him!” Henry yelled.
“That’s the point.” The hooded figure looked at one of the guys. “Knock him out.”
Henry released the guy he was holding and stepped back. Now he had two adversaries.
“Sydney, call 911!”
Henry saw the doors to the aquarium open.
Coen came out, a look of murder on his face. Sydney tried to come after him, but he grabbed her by the arm and shoved her harshly inside then slammed the door closed. He sprinted to Henry then pushed him aside, taking on the first guy. With lightning speed, he punched the guy in the face five times before the assaulter realized what was happening. The other man flinched, realizing Coen was a serious adversary. Henry took the opportunity and charged him, throwing him to the ground.
“Someone is calling the police. Shit!”
The guy released Andre, letting him fall to the ground with a thud. He didn’t move. The guy jumped into their vehicle then drove to the guy Henry had pinned to the ground.
“Leave him!” the guy in the passenger seat yelled.
“He gets caught, we all get caught!”
They both charged Henry and shoved him aside. Henry wasn’t going to let them go and get away with that they did. He wasn’t letting it happen. He threw his body against the guy just as he took out a knife.
Coen grabbed him and pushed him back. “It’s not worth it.”
They both held their knives as they dragged their accomplices back to the car. Coen held Henry back as they watched them go. They peeled out of the parking lot, running over a sign on the lawn as they made their escape.
Henry ran to Andre and turned him on his back. “Andre? Andre?” Henry shook him. He was totally unresponsive.
Coen came beside him and looked at Andre. “He’s breathing.”
Blood was leaking from his nose and his mouth. His eyes were swollen shut.
“Fuck,” Henry said.
“What the fuck happened?” Coen asked as he felt his heartbeat.
“I have no fucking idea. They just jumped him.”
“Is he in a gang?”
“No! They did it just because he’s gay.”
“A hate crime?”
Henry nodded.
The police and ambulance came to the parking lot. The paramedics moved on Andre first, taking him into the back of the vehicle before they took off to the hospital. Coen and Henry were questioned by the police as Sydney ran outside and jumped into Coen’s arms.
“Are you okay?” she asked, tears practically spilling from her eyes.
“Baby, I’m fine. Not even a scratch.”
She looked at him everywhere, assuaged by his lack of physical trauma.
“Thank you for listening to me,” he whispered into her ear.
She nodded but didn’t say anything. Then she looked at Henry. That was when the tears started to fall. “Omigod,” she said as she hugged him. “Are you okay?”
Henry nodded, holding her tight.
“You’re bleeding everywhere.”
“I’m fine,” he said quietly.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Everyone is fine. It all worked out.”
“Did you get a license plate?” an officer asked.
Coen swore loudly and gripped his hair. Henry knew what that meant. He shook his head.
“Description?”
Henry shook his head again. “They all wore masks.”
“Did they say any names?”
“They were careful.”
The officer nodded. “We’ll look into it.”
Henry knew that meant they didn’t have any leads at all. “Damn.” He turned away and walked to his car.
“Henry, where are you going?” Sydney asked.
“The hospital.”
“You should get checked out.”
“No, I’m fine. I’m going to Andre.”
“We’ll follow you,” Coen said.
Henry nodded then slammed the door. He pulled out his phone and stared at it, not wanting to make the phone call. Ren would be devastated. With shaky hands, he called her and waited for her to answer.
“Coming over?” she asked with a smile in her voice. “I just went shopping for lingerie. Your timing couldn’t be better.”
“Baby, listen to me.”
Her voice totally changed. “Henry, what is it?”
“Meet me at the hospital.”
She paused for a long time. “What’s going on?”
He sighed. “Andre was jumped by a group of guys. He’s unconscious, and he’s been taken to the hospital.”
She didn’t say anything for a long time. He expected her to cry, but she didn’t. She took a deep breath before she spoke. “I’ll call Jeremy and my dad, and then I’ll meet you there.”
“Baby, it’s going to be okay.”
“Yeah.” She hung up.
Henry dropped the phone in the seat then left the parking lot, heading to the hospital. Andre was in the emergency room, so he waited in the lobby until he was allowed to see him. The nurse said she would give a report when she knew more about his condition. That didn’t make Henry feel better. He just wanted to know if he was going to survive. But the nurse said there were always complications below the surface, whatever the hell that meant.
Coen and Sydney came inside a moment later, Nancy and Derek, too.
“What are you doing here?” Henry immediately asked.
“Isn’t Andre Ren’s brother?” Nancy asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then why wouldn’t we be here?”
That meant a lot to Henry, but he was too upset to express that. They sat on either side of him and waited. Eventually, Ren came through the doors with Jeremy. She seemed calm and collected. Henry stood up and wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her tightly.
“How is he?” she asked as she pulled away.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I’ve been waiting.”
She looked into his face. “Henry, what happened?”
Jeremy came over to him, waiting for him to elaborate.
Henry said the whole story, including Coen’s participation in the fight.
Ren blinked back her tears and controlled her emotions. “I can’t believe you did that. You could have been killed.”
“He’s your brother. Of course I wouldn’t stand by and let him be killed.”
She stared at him for a long time, touching the dried blood on his face and his swollen eye. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me.”
Jeremy pulled him into a hug. “Thank you so much.”
Henry patted him on the back. “No gratitude is necessary.”
Ren pulled away and walked up to Coen. “Thank you so much,” she said as she hugged him. “Thank you, thank you.”
He hugged her with one arm, letting the other remain by his side. “Henry’s family is my family.”
Jeremy shook his hand. “Thank you.”
Coen nodded. “You’re welcome.”
Henry looked around, realizing someone was missing. “Where’s your dad?”
Ren and Jeremy looked at one another. “He isn’t coming,” she said.
An awkward silence filled the group. Nancy glanced at Derek, giving him a confused expression. Coen didn’t say anything to Sydney, just wrapped his arm around her. Jeremy placed his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor.
Henry felt angry. That was unacceptable. Since Ren was already upset, he held his tongue, knowing an outburst would just make it worse.
They took a seat and waited for news. Henry placed his arm around Ren and held her close, trying to comfort her in the only way he knew how.
“Did the police catch them?” she asked.
He shook his head.
Jeremy looked at him. “Description? Anything?”
“I couldn’t see any of their faces. They wore ski masks, and it happened so fast.”
Jeremy looked away.
“I’m sorry,” Henry said.
“Don’t,” Jeremy said. “My brother is alive because of you.”
The doctor finally approached them. He looked at Henry. “Joseph Zeering?”
“That’s my father,” Ren said. “How is he?”
“Are you Andre’s sister?”
“Yes.”
“He has a concussion, but no internal brain damage. We stitched the wound in his lip and gave him some pain medication. He should be okay.”
Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
“He’ll stay here overnight so we can keep an eye on him.”
“Thank you so much,” Ren said.
He nodded.
“Can we see him?”
“Of course. Come with me. But just a few of you—family only.”
Ren grabbed Henry’s hand. “We’re family.”
“Okay,” he said.
Jeremy, Henry, and Ren followed him into the room while Henry’s friends stayed in the waiting area.
When they walked inside, Andre was lying in bed, his eyes closed. His hands were resting by his sides. His face was purple and blue, the swelling evident in his face. Ren came beside his bed and held his hand. Henry stepped back and gave her space. Jeremy moved to the chair on the other side and looked at his brother.
“At least he’ll be okay,” Ren said. “That could have been worse.”
Jeremy didn’t respond to her comment. “I want to know who did it.”
“Me, too.”
“You think it was Dane?” he whispered.
She looked at him, her eyes wide. “Dane’s an asshole, but he wouldn’t do that.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well, no.”
Jeremy leaned back and rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought.
Henry sat beside Ren and rubbed her back, silently assuring her he was there.
“I can’t even imagine what would have happened if you weren’t there,” she whispered.
“Don’t think about it.”
“It’s hard not to.”
“Renee?”
She looked at him. “Are you awake, Andre?”
“I don’t know. I can’t tell.”
She chuckled quietly. “I think you are.”
“I can’t open my eyes.”
“Consider that a good thing,” Jeremy said. “Now you don’t have to see your ugly sister.”
Andre chuckled. “Am I in the hospital?”
“Yeah,” Jeremy answered.
“Am I going to be okay?”
“Unfortunately,” he teased. “I was hoping I would never have to play football with you again.”
“Shut the hell up,” Andre said with a laugh.
Henry was surprised by how calm they were. They made the horrific situation not seem so horrible. Humor was the cure for all pain.
“You guys are all assholes,” Andre said, his eyes still closed.
“What were you expecting?” Renee said.
“Dad, don’t turn on me, too.”
The room fell silent. Henry closed his eyes, knowing how painful this was going to be.
“Dad?”
“He isn’t here, Andre,” Ren said quietly.
“Oh. Is he on the way?”
Seconds trickled by.
Ren covered her face with her hands, trying not to cry.
Jeremy took the reins. “No.”
Andre lay still. “Oh.”
Renee couldn’t look at him, keeping her face directed on the floor. Jeremy patted his brother’s hand, giving him the only assurance he could.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Henry said.
Andre tilted his head. “Henry?”
“It’s me.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“I’m glad nothing happened to you.”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for saving my life.”
“No problem.”
“Did the police get them?”
Henry paused. “No.”
“At least we’re okay. I didn’t think I was going to survive that one.”
“I got your back, man.”
“If I didn’t say this before, I really like him, Renee. Keep him around.”
She grabbed his hand. “I will. Coen came to your rescue, too.”
“Coen?”
“Henry’s friend.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yeah. He’s fine.”
“Give him my thanks.”
“He’s here if you want to do it yourself.”
“Please. I would like that.”
Jeremy stood up. “I’ll be in the lobby.”
Henry and Jeremy returned to the waiting room, and Henry got Sydney and Coen and brought them back to the room.
Coen and Sydney sat down where Jeremy had been sitting.
“Well, Andre, this is Coen. Coen, this is Andre,” Henry said.
Coen nodded. “It’s nice to meet you. I wish this was on better terms.”
“Thanks for saving me, man. Most guys wouldn’t do anything.”
“Well, Henry and I aren’t like most guys.”
“And I’m grateful for that. I would open my eyes and look at you, but I can’t.”
“You can look at me later.”
Andre took a deep breath and lay there. His eyes started to flutter.
“Don’t rush it,” Ren said.
“Stop acting like Mom,” he said. “Did you call her?”
“Not yet. I wanted to wait until I knew what your condition was.”
“Don’t tell her, okay?”
“Why?”
“Just don’t. I don’t want her to come out here.”
“Okay.”
His eyes continued to flutter until he finally got them open. “Thank God, I can see.” He looked at Ren, who started to get teary-eyed. “Don’t get all sappy on me. Buck up.”
She wiped her tears away. “Sorry.”
He looked at Henry. “You look like hell.”
“It’ll heal.”
“Wow. You took a beating, too.”
He shrugged. “Nothing time won’t fix.”
He turned and looked at Coen. His eyes widened. “Holy shit, you’re hot.”
Coen grinned then looked away, embarrassed.
Sydney laughed loudly, and then Ren started to chuckle.
“I apologize on behalf of my brother,” Ren said, glaring at Andre.
“Sorry,” he said quickly. “I don’t normally say that to straight guys. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s fine.” He pulled Sydney closer to him, making it clear he was straight. “This is my fiancé.”
“You’re straight—I get it,” he said with a laugh. He leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “Henry, I think you’re hot, too.”
“Uh, thanks,” he said awkwardly.
“I just didn’t want you to think I thought you were ugly or something.”
“Thanks for the reassurance,” he said with a laugh.
“I don’t need to reassured,” Ren said as she touched his thigh.
They sat with Andre for a long time, talking about anything besides the incident. Now that his eyes were open, he felt calmer than he did before. Henry knew he would feel differently if he could see his face. It wasn’t brown like it should be, covered in splotches of red and purple.
Henry looked at the time. “Visiting hours are almost over. Are you staying, babe?”
Ren nodded. “I’m going to sleep here.”
“I don’t think they’ll let both of us stay. I can wait in the lobby.”
“No,” she said quickly. “Please go home and get some rest. You can go to my place if you want. Perry needs to be fed anyway.”
