The House Always Wins - 2. Chapter 2

The room I was taken to was a comfortable one, and not too big. The woman, who had introduced herself as Carly Johnson, helped me get undressed and into bed. She was the casino host, she told me, and would try to make the next few days as comfortable as possible. The room was complimentary, since the hotel acknowledged their responsibility for the accident, she replied, on my statement that I couldn't pay for a room like this.

"You just focus on getting better, and let us worry about the bill, alright? I'll come and check on you in a few hours, after you've had some sleep."

I thanked her again, but she waved my gratitude away.

"Don't mention it. Sleep tight, JJ."

That I did. Whichever prescription drugs I'd received from the doctor, they had quite a kick; I was out like a light until the next morning, when Carly woke me up by shaking me on my shoulder.

"Hey there, how do you feel? Better?"

I blinked a few times, slowly moving my head from left to right, and nodded, sliding myself up to lean against the headboard of the bed.

"Want something to eat?"

Want? I was starving, and I made a face at her when she picked up the phone and ordered toast and tea from room service. Bah.

"Doc Verger said to take it slow with the food, or we'd need a staff on permanent cleaning duty here."

Well, he was the doctor, so he'd know better, I suppose.

"Where's my stuff?" I asked while waiting for room service to come up. "I had a backpack with me."

Carly nodded and rose from the bed, walking over to a closet and opening the door. All my clothes, what few I'd been allowed to take with me, had been unpacked and hung up. On the floor lay my backpack.

"Thanks."

"Sure thing, kiddo. Now, there's one thing I have to ask, because my boss has been riding my butt about it. This matter about us not calling your parents? I'm guessing that something happened, or you wouldn't have asked us not to call."

I nodded slowly.

"Care to tell me what happened?"

I sighed.

"They kicked me out of the house."

"I see. Now why would they do a thing like that, hmm? You're only nineteen...with no job to support yourself. That's a bit cold, isn't it?"

I frowned, ignoring the soft jab of pain on the right side of my head. How did she know how old I was? Then I realized how.

"You went through my stuff?"

"We had to find out who you were. Now, I've honored your request, but we also found over $500 in cash on you, and some expensive equipment; laptop, MP3 player... my boss thinks you stole it. What's the deal here?"

There wasn't much choice but to tell her everything, the whole story.

"I got kicked out because my step-dad caught me and a friend of mine in bed..." I began.

"Since when does a father kick his son out of the house because he catches him with a girl in the..." she interrupted.

"Guy," I said, interrupting her in turn. "He caught me with a guy."

"Oohlala..."

I blushed when she pursed her lips and wiggled her eyebrows.

"So he kicked you out because you're gay. He didn't know, huh?"

"No. I kept it hidden from them because they're kinda religious; kind of a lot, actually. I got a whole lecture about God's wrath and all that..."

"Aww, you poor kid," she groaned, sitting down and patting my arm. "I understand. Don't worry, we're not religious here. This is Vegas."

I couldn't help but smile, and hissed softly when another jab of pain shot through my head. Carly's face contorted in sympathy, and she handed me a pill and a glass of water, which I took and emptied.

"Anyway, I got like five minutes to pack up my stuff and get out. So I grabbed the stuff that was in my backpack and some clothes, and that's all I have. I emptied my bank account. I didn't steal anything, I swear."
She narrowed he eyes at me for a while and then nodded.

"Alright, I believe you, JJ. Don't worry; I'll take care of my boss. You just concentrate on getting better, okay?"
She reached over and hugged me.

I returned it, thankful, and she patted my back. Just then, a knock on the door sounded, followed by a soft "Room service."

**********

Three days later I felt a lot better, and Doc declared me fit to travel. He'd come by once a day to check up on me, and the bump on the right side of my head, which was almost gone by now. The stitches would come out themselves in a few weeks, he assured me.

"So where are you off to, then?" he asked, closing his bag.

I shrugged.

"Dunno. Wherever the first bus out of here takes me, I guess."

He looked at me with sad eyes.

"Carly told me about your...ordeal. I'm sorry. Do you have any other family?"

"Sure. But they're even more religious than my parents, so I don't think they'll welcome me with open arms, either."

"No, I guess not. Listen, talk to Carly before you go, okay? Maybe she can help you out; she's pretty familiar around here, maybe she can do something for you."

I promised him that I would, and thanked him for all his trouble. He left shortly after that, and for the first time it hit me: I was all alone.