Page 41 of Loss
“Baby girl, there’s still plenty of time. Can one of us take you in to help you get cleaned up? Then you can change and come back out to wait with us,” my dad asks me, his voice pulling me from my head as I relive every moment I’ve ever spent with Alex from the second I first met him.
“No. If I miss the doctor coming out to talk to us, I’ll be upset and not know what was said for myself,” I tell him, continuing to pace back and forth in the room as everyone remains silent as we all wait for any word on his condition and what’s going on.
“Sis, I promise you that the doctor won’t say a word until you’re here. Valor will make sure of it,” Playboy says as Valor steps up and walks over to us.
“Please, Pretty Girl. Go get cleaned up and changed. I’ll keep the doctor here and make sure he doesn’t say a word until you’re back. There’s a bathroom right in this waitin’ room so you won’t even have to leave. The door can be left open until you change,” Valor says, trying to get me to change my mind as I finally stop moving and look at the four men standing in front of me.
Taking a deep breath, I know they’re right and I should clean the blood from my body. It’s doing nothing but giving me a reminder of what just happened. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to forget watching Alex take a bullet anytime soon. Maybe I should clean my body off and make sure that I don’t have any wounds. I mean, I’m the one who cut up those fuckers, but it doesn’t mean that I didn’t accidentally nick myself or something while I was going after them.
“We need to talk about what happened too, Baby Girl,” my dad says as Valor walks me to the bathroom and leaves the door open while he grabs a ton of paper towels.
The other three men follow us and stand guard in front of the door as I remove Playboy’s shirt and set it on the counter in front of us. No, I don’t want to be mostly naked in front of Valor, but Alex’ blood has soaked through the shirt and is making it stick to my body. If I’m going to get cleaned up, the shirt has to come off. Valor doesn’t look at my body in any other way as he wets the paper towels and cleans off my body the best he can with them. I’m numb as Valor cleans me up and then leaves the room so I can put the scrubs on. As soon as I’m dressed again, I look in the mirror and realize my mistake. I’m a fucking mess and there’s no way in hell people aren’t going to realize something bad has happened to me.
Walking back to the waiting room, I get surrounded by my family and the Nomads. I know they want me to tell them what happened, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to talk about that or not. I just stopped crying and I know I’m going to start all over again.
“Baby Girl, we really need to know what happened and if there are other fuckers out there we should be lookin’ for,” my dad says, getting me to finally sit in the chair Valor was in before he helped me.
“I know,” I state, my voice cold and robotic as I take a deep breath and look at the floor in front of me. “I decided to clean my car after working in the office on the paperwork for a long time. I haven’t cleaned the car since moving to Pine View and it needed it. I’m not sure how long I was out there before I heard a commotion at the gate. Looking over, I saw a white van there and the doors were opening as three men got out. They all had guns and Martin was talking to them about something. It wasn’t until they pointed their guns at me that he relented and opened the gate up.
“It all happened so fast. The men rushed me and pulled me from the car. I was fighting to get away from them when Alex showed up and he took out the three men who originally got out of the van. Before we could head for the clubhouse, three more men got out and got Alex. We were shoved in the van and he took me in his arms despite hurting his shoulder again. He landed on it and I know it was killing him. We weren’t on the road that long before one of the guys hit us with a pipe. When I woke up, I was tied to a bed wearing only my bra and panties. Alex was chained to a chair and they’d already beaten him. He was covered in blood and bruises. I couldn’t do anything to help him right then. But, I worked and worked until I got my wrists free,” I tell the men as all of their eyes drop to my wrists and take in the injury I caused myself when I was trying to get free.
“It’s okay, Annabell. You’re doin’ a really good job,” Tank says, crouching down in front of me. “Keep goin’ and tell us everythin’ you remember.”
“Two of the men came in and, um, they started touching me all over my body. I didn’t want them to and I froze. Alex was yelling at them the entire time. Eventually, I passed out from the pain in my head and just because I needed to get away from the assholes touching me. It brought me back to that night when I first met you all. When I woke up, Alex told me they didn’t rape me or anything like that. He wouldn’t tell me everything they said, but I know it wasn’t good. I’ve learned to read between the lines over the years. Anyway, I finally got myself free, but Alex was passed out. When he woke back up, I got him loose. By then, I had two of his knives and he still had his gun.
“The guys came back down and realized we were free. I went off on them because they had the dumbest plan for you guys to kill Dominic and let them walk away free. Something about telling you they found us and then they could take over all of Dominic’s business. I ended up attacking both of them with Alex’ knives and then stepped back. Dominic showed up and came down then. He went off on the guys for me getting the better of them before they all pulled their guns. Alex shoved me behind his back. When the shot rang out, he was hit and I grabbed the gun from his back as he went down. I didn’t hesitate to kill all three men. Dominic was going to try to keep me with him because he said I was his and only his,” I tell them, tears spilling over again as my voice breaks and I’m flooded by the thought of Alex in surgery because of me. “If I stayed in Benton Falls, this wouldn’t be happening right now. Alex would be okay and living his best life.”
“No, he wouldn’t, Pretty Girl. He’s been fuckin’ miserable because he wants you at his side and has since the day we left Benton Falls. Vault has been workin’ his ass off to make himself into a man you’ll be proud to call yours. We would’ve fought Dominic one way or another because he’s been floodin’ our city with drugs. This has nothin’ to do with you and the past you have with Dominic,” Valor says as the door of the waiting room opens and a doctor steps through the door.
I want to collapse to the floor as I take in his scrubs covered in blood that I know is Alex’. He looks around the room as Valor grabs my hand and pulls me forward with him. We stand in front of the doctor and wait for him to let us know what’s going on with Alex and how he’s doing.
“Mr. Stone got very lucky. The bullet missed everything but his spleen. We’ve removed that and made sure that there’s no further bleeding internally. Mr. Stone will be in the hospital for up to a week so we can make sure no infection sets in. He’s on antibiotics as a preventative measure right now and we’ll continue to give them to him while he’s here. At this point he doesn’t need a blood transfusion, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on him. If he has to have one, we’ll make sure he gets it done immediately. His shoulder was dislocated and we put that back in place and it’s in a sling now,” the doctor informs us, his voice kind of detached as he relays the information about Alex to us. He says more, but the words don’t register as I focus on the fact that he’s going to be okay.
“When can we see him?” Valor questions the doctor as he wraps his arm around my shoulder.
“He’s in recovery right now. We’ve got his room waiting for him. Two of you can go in and see him at a time. Right now it’s crucial that he rests and gets as much sleep as he possibly can. I don’t want him upset or anything else when you go in to see him,” the doctor states, angering me because he’s definitely judging us because the men surrounding me are bikers.
“We aren’t going to do anything that will hurt my man while he’s recovering. I can guarantee you, we’re more civil and disciplined than most other people you have coming in here to visit patients. Don’t let a fucking cut and your lack of knowledge cloud your judgment. One of these days you’ll need these men for one reason or another and I hope they’re there for you despite you being a fucking asshole right now,” I snap, my voice hard and cold as I look away from the doctor and let the tears I’ve been holding back the last few minutes fall.
“I’m sorry. I’ll send a nurse in to take two of you to his room when we know how long he’ll be in recovery,” the doctor says before leaving the waiting room and Valor’s hold on me tightens as my dad puts a hand on my back in comfort.
Pulling away from all of them, I sink to the floor and bury my head in my knees. Someone else sits by me and doesn’t say a word to me as they let me cry with the knowledge that Alex is okay and going to make it. He’ll be back to himself sooner or later and riding his bike again. Relief floods me and I have no clue how to handle everything flooding my system. I’m completely overwhelmed and ready to break.
“I’ve got you, Annabell,” Tank says, pulling me into his arms as I completely break down in the waiting room. “Let it out, sweetheart. Don’t hold this shit in. We’re all here for ya.”
It doesn’t take long before I’m surrounded by the men of the Phantom Bastards. They shield me from anyone getting a look at me while I lay in Tank’s arms and cry and shake uncontrollably. I lose all track of time, not that I’ve really had it since the second we were taken from the clubhouse parking lot. No one says a word as they let me cry. A hand rubs up and down my back and I instinctively know it’s Valor. He’s giving me comfort when I should be comforting him. Valor should be pissed as fuck that I’m the reason his brother was just rushed to surgery and got shot. Instead, he’s comforting me and has taken care of me since the second they found us. I love this family and I’m so thankful that they found me that night so many years ago.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Vault
WAKING UP, I immediately know I’m in the hospital. The smell alone is enough to tell me that. I hate the way they smell of disinfectant and shit. Then, there’s the beeping from the machine keeping track of my heart and shit. I feel as if my body has been ran over repeatedly by a tractor trailer before the driver parked on me. Opening my eyes, I let the bright light force them closed again as I grunt in response. The light fucking hurts and I don’t want to open my eyes again until I’m in the dark. My head hurts and it’s only making it worse.
“I’ll shut the lights off, Alex,” my brother says, his voice on edge as I remain silent and still, trying to get the nausea to leave. Throwing up is the last thing I need to do right now. “You can open your eyes now.”
Trying again, I open my eyes and see all the lights in the room off. The curtain is open the slightest bit and it’s the only light coming in the room. It’s definitely better than having those bright lights shine directly in my eyes as I look around the room. Valor is the only one in here with me. My heart shatters with the knowledge that Annabell isn’t here with me. I look to my brother and he’s holding a cup of water out for me. I take a few quick sips and the cold water soothes my sore as hell throat.
“Where’s Bell?” I question my brother, my voice hoarse and broken as I again look around the room for her.
