Chapter 3

Mark turned around. His face darkened when he saw me.

"What are you doing here?"

"You were looking for the rider's family."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear you ask a man in the ICU to pay for the car that hit him."

Mark glanced at the officer and lowered his voice.

"Don't come in here making a scene. I'm asking about liability. The insurance company needs that information."

"Jason hit someone, and you're worried about his new car?"

"I'm worried about him ending up with a criminal record."

Linda pulled Jason closer.

"Grace, Jason is terrified. The doctors say the rider is alive. We can work this out."

"That's easy for you to say."

Mark stepped in front of her.

"If you want to be angry, be angry at me. Leave Linda alone."

"Gladly." I looked him in the eye. "Let's talk about what you did."

I took the bank records from my bag and placed them on the table.

"You emptied Liam's college fund to buy Jason a car. Now you want me to unlock our account so you can spend more of our money on Jason's lawyer."

"I told you, I borrowed it."

"Did Liam agree to that?"

"He's my son. I don't need his permission every time I make a financial decision."

"He earned that money washing dishes, mowing lawns, and delivering food in the rain."

Mark tugged at his collar.

"I'll pay him back. Jason is going to college out of state. He needs a car. Liam is staying here, so waiting another year won't hurt him."

"Liam gets put on hold again, while Jason can't wait?"

"The situations aren't comparable!" Mark's voice rose. "Waiting a year won't ruin Liam's life. If Jason is charged, he could lose his college admission. That record could follow him every time he applies for a job."

Jason spoke quietly.

"Mark, maybe I should go to the hospital and apologize."

"Don't say anything yet," Mark cut in. "Wait for the lawyer."

I turned to Jason.

"Why didn't you call 911 after you hit him?"

The color drained from his face.

"I... I thought he'd only fallen."

"He was lying on the ground without moving."

"I panicked."

"So you called Mark?"

Jason said nothing.

"A truck driver passing by called the ambulance," I said. "What would've happened if no one had stopped?"

"Enough!" Mark slammed his palm against the table. "You keep talking like he's some kind of criminal. He's twenty-one. Anyone his age could panic in that situation."

The officer watched him in silence.

Mark pulled his hand back, though his tone stayed hard.

"Jason didn't run. He contacted the police himself, and he's prepared to accept his fair share of the responsibility. The rider was speeding in heavy rain. Jason can't be blamed for everything."

"Were you at the scene?"

"Jason told me what happened."

"And that's all you need?"

"I've known him for years. He wouldn't lie about something like this."

I studied the man I'd shared more than twenty years of my life with.

"The rider may never walk again."

Mark looked away.

"I'm sorry he's hurt. Insurance will cover his medical care, and we can discuss compensation later. Jason shouldn't lose his entire future because the other man was badly injured."

Linda rested a hand on Mark's arm.

"Mark's right. Jason's father is gone. We're all he has."

Mark nodded.

"I promised his father I'd take care of him. I can't walk away from Jason now."

"The rider has a family too."

"His family can take care of him at the hospital." Mark picked up the repair estimate. "No one is looking out for Jason. If the investigation finds the rider partly responsible, his family should pay their share."

I walked over and placed Liam's emergency admission form on top of the repair estimate.

"You wanted his family?"

Mark frowned at me.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm his mother."

The room fell silent.

I pointed to the patient's name.

"Read it. That's the rider you called reckless. The rider you want to charge for repairs. The rider you decided wasn't worth risking Jason's future for."

Mark lowered his eyes.

Liam Carter.

The color drained from his face.

I held his gaze.

"You took Liam's college savings and used them to buy Jason a car. Jason drove that car and put Liam in the ICU."

Mark's grip loosened.

The repair estimate slipped from his fingers and fluttered to the floor.