Pieces (Riverdale #1) (15 page)

     
“Oh come on, guys! It’s nothing. I just
got a little excited. It was probably just the adrenaline.”

     
“Adrenaline your ass.”
 
Luke bit back and looked at Cara. “She almost
ran onto the track trying to get to you.”

     
Cara swallowed hard, as Jake looked at
her. He lifted her chin with his forefinger. “Are you nuts? You could’ve got
yourself ran over.” His voice was sharp, and she knew that he had fully
recovered.

     
“Oh don’t you pin this on me. You’ve been
having these episodes for a while now, and they’re getting worse.” She took a
step back, so his hand that rested on her hip fell to his side. She eyed him,
seriously hoping that he saw the concern and anger in her eyes. “Look I’m
serious Jake, if you don’t get your ass to a doctor I’ll…” She tried to think
of something, but nothing came to her. Damn it. Way to make your point Cara.

     
He smiled, carefree and amused, which only
frosted her cookies more. “You’ll what, sweetheart?”

     
Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I’ll
drag you there by your pierced brow.” It sounded weak even to her, and he only
cemented that it was in fact a pathetic threat on her behalf when he bit back a
chuckle.

     
“I tell you what.” He started to climb off
his bike and she watched him hopefully. “I don’t like seeing you worked up over
me, so I’ll go to a doctor.” He smiled softly. “Maybe they’ll give me some
happy pills.” He wiggled his eyebrows, causing her to look at him skeptically.
The last thing she wanted was him just saying any old thing to shut her up and
keep her from nagging him.

     
“Promise me.” She stepped to him and took
his hands in hers, interlocking their fingers. “I’m not going to let this pass.
I’m worried about you, Jake.”

     
He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I
promise.” He whispered against her skin.

     
“I’ll make you an appointment tomorrow.”
She knew he was capable of making his own doctor’s appointment, but she wasn’t
leaving it up to him so that he could turn around and say it slipped his mind
or whatever other excuse he’d surely concoct.

     
“And then she’ll call me and tell me when
it is, so I can make sure your ass gets there.” Luke said.

     
Both Cara and Jake looked over at Luke.
His arms were crossed at his chest and his expression was dead serious.

     
“What? Not leaving you any room for
excuses. You need to go get checked out, and I’ll hold your hand because you’re
a pussy.” Luke said evenly, but there was a hint of humor in his eyes.

     
“Oh you’re so going to eat those words,
brother.” And then Jake let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, god I don’t think I ever
heard that word come out of your spotless mouth.” He elbowed his brother in the
side. “Who’s got the filthy mouth now Mr. Clean?”

     
Luke pretended to double over in pain but
grabbed Jake in a headlock and ruffled his hair instead, both of them laughing
and horsing around. Luke’s eyes averted to Cara and he gave her a slight nod.
She smiled and let out a sigh of relief. She had Luke in her corner, between
the both of them Jake was going to a doctor, come hell or high water.

     
Cara glanced up at the clock she was
working the early shift today, much to her dismay. She had wanted to be able to
go with Jake to his doctor’s appointment but with the other bartender out sick,
and the Subway Series game on tonight, she would be lucky if she made it out of
there when she was scheduled to. Being as it was mid-afternoon; the bar was
relatively slow so she took a quick assessment of all her patron’s glasses,
made sure they were full, before slipping into the back to call Jake. It was
three o’clock and his appointment wasn’t for another half hour, but he
should’ve at least been on his way, she figured.

     
It didn’t matter that she spoke to him an
hour ago, and he assured her that he would be going, that he was just wrapping
things up at the tattoo parlor. Still she couldn’t help it, call it nagging, and
call it annoying or whatever you want. She couldn’t shake this awful feeling in
her stomach. She was actually becoming physically ill worrying about the
outcome of this doctors visit. This morning when he left her apartment to go to
the shop, she tossed her cookies the minute he was out the door.

     
“Yes, Cara.” Jake said into the phone,
amusement apparent in his tone.

     
She instantly felt her cheeks redden, so
she chewed on lip to steady her nerves. “Hi. Sorry I’m bugging you.”

     
“It’s okay.” He said softly. “What are you
doing?”

     
“I just took a break to call you.”

     
“You’re taking a lot of breaks today to
call me” He reminded her.

     
“I wish I could go with you.” She
whispered.

“Oh
yeah, about that, I decided to cancel the appointment. Instead, Luke and I are
going to a casino up in Monticello.”

     
She dropped the phone and quickly bent to
retrieve it. She better have misheard him. “What did you say?”

     
“I’m kidding. Tell her I’m kidding Luke.”

     
She heard Luke, grab the phone. “Cara,
relax. We’re pulling into the office lot now.”

     
She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of
relief. “Thanks Luke. Do not let him out of your sight, please.”

     
“Don’t worry. I’ve got everything under
control. I brought handcuffs, if I have to restrain him down, I will.” He
joked, and she relaxed a bit. “Nah, but in all seriousness, I’ll make sure he’s
examined by the doctor. I did pack him Ava’s lunchbox full of snacks in case
there is a wait. He’s not going anywhere.”

     
She smiled and could almost picture Jake
digging through Ava’s Cinderella, lunchbox perusing a snack. Give that man a
bag of junk food and he was at your every command. “Will you call me when you
guys see the doctor?”

     
“Yes.”

     
“See, I told you I would go.” Jake said
into the phone, obviously taking it out of his brother’s hand. “Now promise me,
you’ll stop worrying.”

     
“I’ll try.” She knew he always kept his
promises to her, and she never wanted to go back on her word with him.

     
“Good enough. I’ll try and come over tonight,
but after this doctor crap I have to go back to the shop. Pete needs help with
a piece he’s working on.”

     
“Okay.” She paused. “Jake?”

     
“Yeah?”
 
She heard the door of the car slam.

     
“I love you.”

     
“I love you too, babe. Now get back to
work, we’re all good over here.”

     
She nodded, even though he couldn’t see
her. She ended the call and stared at his picture on the home screen of her
phone, her fingertips tracing his face. She closed her eyes and willed the
queasiness to stop before she slipped the phone back into her pocket. He would
be fine, right? He had to be.

     
Jake walked into the doctor’s office, and
grimaced. There was nothing he hated more than a doctor’s office. It didn’t
matter what time your appointment was, and if you were on time or an hour
early, you would still wait at least a half hour after your scheduled time. The
atmosphere sucked, who wants to be in a room with soap operas on the lone
television and magazines that were issued six months ago. Not to mention you’re
surrounded by a room full of sick people, he’d probably catch the flu while he
waited.

     
He looked at the receptionist. A cute
little thing with dark red hair or was it black? It reminded him of black
cherries, maybe if he made nice with her, she’d slip his file to the top of the
stack that sat on her desk waiting for the doctor’s attention.

     
“Hey sweetheart, how are you today?” He
purred as he leaned his hip against her desk.

     
She didn’t even look up from her computer
screen, “Name?”

     
How was he supposed to allow his good looks
charm her? He cleared his throat, still nothing. He scratched his brow and then
grinned as he leaned over her desk and placed his hands down firmly on the
wood. She bolted up, like her violet eyes were caught in headlights. Jake
grinned at her lopsided. “Jake Lanza, pleasure to meet you sweetheart.”

     
“I assume you have an appointment?” She
was a feisty one, he’d give her that. No nonsense and all that.

     
“Well of course I do.” He glanced over his
shoulder at his brother who just rolled his eyes, and dangled the Cinderella
lunchbox like a bone. Jake cocked his head, wondering what kind of snacks he
stashed in there, before turning back to Miss Black Cherry. “It’s at three
thirty, doll.”

     
She slapped a clipboard in front of him
and shoved a pen towards his hands. “Fill these papers out, every single one.”

     
Jake frowned wishing his mother was here
to do that, another thing to add to the list of why he hated going to the
doctor. “Can’t we just bypass all this?” He waggled his eyebrows, betting she
wouldn’t be able to resist his trademark gesture.

     
“No. I need your insurance card too.”

     
Jake huffed. “Someone piss in your
cornflakes, sweetheart?”

     
She ogled him, obviously taken back.
That’s when he reached into his pocket for his insurance card and Luke stepped
in.

     
“I’m sorry, my brother is not well.” He
took the clipboard and smiled at her, his eyes silently apologizing to her. He
turned to Jake and grabbed the insurance card from him and held it out for her.

     
“Obviously.
 
Should I mention his outbursts as one of his
symptoms?” She questioned Luke as she grabbed the card.

     
“No need, we’re working on it.” Luke
winked at her, and she smiled. She actually smiled at him. Disgusted, Jake took
the lunchbox from his brother’s hands, hoping his brother would charm her into
getting them the hell out of there as quickly as possible.

     
Jake sat beside an older man who was
blowing his nose. He looked the safest out of all the ailing patients. He
peeked into the lunchbox and pulled out a bag of cookies and began to munch.

Luke
was smiling as he sat beside him. He rested the clipboard on his lap and began
to fill out the paperwork.

     
“You should ask her out.” Jake said,
motioning to Miss Grumpy Black Cherry.

     
“You should mind your business and fill
out your own paperwork.” He checked off a couple of things. “And her name is
Leah.”

     
Jake raised an eyebrow at his brother as
he popped a cookie into his mouth. “She told you her name?” Well, color him
impressed.

     
“We had a couple of drinks one night.” He
didn’t lift his gaze instead he continued to busy himself with the paperwork.
“What’s your blood type?”

     
Jake almost choked on the cookie, and
started to cough. Once he swallowed it and it slid down the right pipe. “You
screwed the receptionist?”

     
The man with the runny nose leaned over
and he and Jake stared at Luke expectantly. Luke looked up abruptly and stared
at the two men and then back towards where Leah was. She hadn’t heard them.
Luke smiled at the old man. “I’m sorry, he has Turrets.”

     
Jake looked at the old man next to him.
“He lies!”

     
“Blood type?”

     
“Hell if I know.” Jake leaned closer to
his brother. “You and Black Cherry hit the sheets or what?”

     
“What the hell does it matter?” He shoved
the clipboard against his chest. “Do your own paperwork.”

     
Jake grinned. “You definitely did!” Luke
shook his head and dropped his head into his hands, letting out an agonizing
sigh until Miss Black Cherry- scratch that Leah, called Luke’s name. Jake was
on the verge of changing his mind about doctor’s visits after all.

     
“Luke? Dr. Brooks will see your brother
now.” She smiled, holding his chart in one hand and the door to the examining
room with the other.

     
Luke and Jake stood up and walked towards
her.

     
“Thanks, Leah.” Luke smiled and stepped
inside the room. Jake scribbled something on the paper that was on the
clipboard, before handing it back to Leah.

     
“He’s single. There’s his number.”

     
Leah’s eyes widened and she glanced down
at the clipboard before watching Jake hop onto the exam table. She turned to
Jake who standing against the wall, shaking his head. “You sure you don’t want
me to add those outbursts to his chart?”

     
Luke shook his head. “One minute with him
and the Doc, will see for himself.”

     
Leah nodded and put his chart in the
sleeve on the front of the door. “The doctor will be right in.” She said before
walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

     
“You’re incorrigible.” Luke hissed.

     
Jake shrugged. “I don’t even know what
that means, so no harm done.” He looked at him for a moment and then back at
the door. “Are you going to hold my hand? Go make nice with your one night
stand.”

     
“She wasn’t a one night stand.”

     
“On second thought, you could stay, entertain
me and tell me all about you and Black cherry.”

 
He cocked one eyebrow, testing his brother’s
patience.

     
The noise that escaped Luke was much like
a growl. “I’ll be outside, do us both of favor and tell the doctor everything
that is wrong with you or Cara will have both of our heads.” He looked him
seriously. “I mean it Jake, no tiptoeing around anything.”

     
“Okay, Dad.” He saluted him and then
winked. “Go get her, tiger!” He said as he pretended to claw the air, mocking a
tiger.

     
Luke looked at him, shook his head, and
walked out of the exam room, mumbling to himself.

Jake
listened to the door click closed and then he stared at the sterile room,
kicking his legs like a five year old child. He hoped to God he didn’t have to
wait long for the doctor. That was another thing on his list. Once they made
you wait what seems like an eternity for your name to be called in the waiting
room, they stick you in the exam room and make you wait some more for the
doctor. He felt as if he was in purgatory. He looked around for something to
occupy his time. The full length skeleton hanging in the corner was a contender
maybe he’d take the old bones for spin around the room. He laughed out loud as
he pictured Dr. Brooks walking into the room and catching him dancing with the
skeleton, surely the family doctor would call his mother on that one. He looked
at his watch, time was standing still it seemed, and he had left the damn
snacks in the waiting room. He had an appointment with Pete in two hours, to
get his latest tattoo, and if he could lay still for a couple of hours, Pete
had promised him he’d manage to do it in one sitting.

     
Jake grabbed the stethoscope off one of
the hooks next to him and put it on. He wondered if he could hear outside with
the thing, maybe get something to tease Luke on. He hopped off the table and
pressed the scope to the door, frowning, he couldn’t hear a blessed thing. The
door opened and smacked him in the head. “Ah shit!”

     
Dr. Brooks eyed Jake, from the rim of his
glasses. “Well, if it isn’t, little Jake Lanza. I’m surprised my office is
still standing.”

     
Jake rubbed his head as he took Dr. Brooks
in. “How you doin’ doc?” He unraveled the stethoscope from his neck and handed
it over to the older man. Dr. Brooks had been their family doctor for as long
as Jake could remember. He took on all the Lanza kids after their pediatrician
had died, as a favor to his parents. He had gained some weight, and his pants
hung under his belly. He was missing some more hair, since the last time Jake
saw him, when he fell off a ladder trying to repair the broken window in his
room before his parents had got home from work. He actually thought he’d be
able to crazy glue the shards of glass and no one would notice. Not only did
they notice, he had fallen off the ladder and broke his leg.

“What’d
you do this time kid?” He said and patted the exam table, motioning for him to
sit. Jake jumped on top of the table and smiled at the doc. “You’d be happy to
know, none of my shenanigans are the reason I’m here.” He cocked his head to
the side and grinned at the older man. “I missed you, thought I’d stop in for a
visit.”