Page 43 of Loss
“Okay. Let her go home for a few days, Alex. Shy will want to see her and so will the rest of the ol’ ladies and Maddie. Let them love on her until you get released and then we’ll go from there. Slim and her family aren’t gonna let anythin’ happen to her while she’s with them. And you have to know she’s not runnin’ from you. Pretty Girl is runnin’ from what she’s just been through. Maybe Shy can convince her to talk to her therapist while she’s home. We’ll have to look into them here and find one she’ll be willin’ to work with if it’s needed,” my brother says as Chrome swears because he realizes we’re serious about Annabell.
“Don’t push her away if she runs, Vault,” Chrome states, his voice hard and cold as if he’s been through a similar situation and didn’t handle it properly.
“I’m not gonna push her away. If Annabell runs home, the second I get released, I’m gonna head to Benton Falls so I can bring her ass back here. My Angel doesn’t get to run from me because of this shit. Told her she was mine and she told me I was hers. That means somethin’ to me and I’m not gonna fuck around when it comes to her again. I lost her once and I’m not about to lose another five years with her,” I state, determination filling me as I think about what I’m gonna do to get my girl back. “Valor, call the contractors that built the clubhouse and get them back to the compound. I want houses built behind the clubhouse close to the field. We all need our own space. I don’t want them separated or anythin’ like that. We all need to be close. I want fifteen houses built for now and we’ll add more as they’re needed.”
“On it. Any particular style you want them done in?” he questions me, already pulling his phone out of his pocket to make the call.
“There are plans in my office already. I know what kind of house my girl wants and had one designed to match it. I’ve got one that you already talked about wantin’ done too. Anyone else from the Nomads stayin’ here can choose from the rest of the designs I’ve had drawn up,” I say, looking to my best friend to see what he’s gonna do since he won’t ever give me a real answer when I ask what he’s gonna do.
A nurse brings in a tray for me after a little while. It’s got a little more than clear liquid on it and I know it’s not gonna fill me up at all. But, the doctor told me today he’d like me to be on a clear liquid diet. Tomorrow they’ll start adding different foods. I also need to start out with smaller meals and then add food as I go. Valor and Chrome help me sit up the best they can and I eat most of what they’ve given me before I feel full. When the nurse comes in to grab my tray, she gives me more pain medicine and I once again fall asleep with Chrome and Valor surrounding me. Thoughts of Annabell fill my mind as sleep claims me and I dream of our life together.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Annabell
MY DAD, BROTHER, and Tank finally convinced me to go get checked out in the emergency department. They’re worried about the wound on my head and I have to say I can’t blame them. It still hurts, but I haven’t gotten sick or anything. I’m not thinking I have a concussion, but you never know with head injuries. So, once I knew Alex was going to be okay and had woken up for a few minutes, I finally went down with them and Chrome. Chrome is the only one I won’t let in the room with me. I don’t need him reporting everything back to Alex until I’m ready to tell him what’s going on. I’m not going to hide anything from him, but for now, I just need to process everything I’m feeling and thinking because everything is so fucking compacted and I feel like I’m about to explode if I don’t do something soon.
Playboy makes sure I have a female doctor checking me over because there’s no way in hell I want a man anywhere near me right now. Not after those stupid fucks put their hands on me without my consent. My brother and dad are on either side of my bed while Tank remains at my feet. His eyes are glued to my ankle and I have a feeling they’re going to tell me that it’s worse than what I thought it was.
“Annabell, I’m Dr. Copeland. I’ll be taking care of you today. Can you tell me what happened?” a younger woman asks, walking in my room with a nurse who starts pulling things out of the drawers off to the side of the gurney I’m currently on.
“I was kidnapped from the clubhouse of the Phantom Bastards. I’m not sure how long ago it was now. I’m pretty sure my ankle is just bruised. I’ve been able to put weight on it and things since it got injured. One of the men who took me hit me in the head with a pipe too. I’m not sure if there are any other injuries right now because some of the blood on my body still is my man’s,” I tell her, my voice weak and small as I look at the doctor and no one else. “As far as I know, the cops are already on their way here so you don’t have to call them.”
“I know they’re on the way here. I’m guessing your man is the one who was brought in and taken right up to surgery,” she says, giving me a small smile as I look at her and nod. “Okay. I’m gonna have the nurse, Audrey, draw some blood and start an IV on you. I want to make sure you’re not dehydrated and that there’s no infection from the wound on your head. I’ll send you down for an X-ray of your ankle because I don’t like how it looks. I’m not even going to touch it until we know more. We’ll clean the wound on your head, but it’s not bleeding from what I can tell and I’m going to guess it’s too late to put stitches in the wound. How does your head feel?”
“It hurts a little still. I’ve not been nauseous or anything since I woke up after it happened. I could have a concussion I suppose, but I’m not sure,” I answer her while pulling the blanket up on me higher because it’s cold as hell in these rooms and I don’t know how the nurses and doctors can wear their scrubs daily and not freeze to death.
“Okay. I’m going to run and put the order in for the X-ray. Audrey will get your IV going, do the blood draw, and then clean the wound on your head. I’ll be back in a few minutes and check on things once the wound is cleaned so I can get a better look at it. I’m glad that your man is going to be okay,” Dr. Copeland says before she leaves the room and Audrey gets to work putting my IV in and getting the blood she needs.
Once she’s set the vials for the blood on the counter behind my dad, she gathers what she needs to clean my head and then gets to work. It stings like hell and I try not to let the guys know how much it’s bothering me, but I know I don’t succeed when my brother growls and scares Audrey. Turning my glare on him, I let him know without words that he’s being an asshole and needs to tone his shit down before she leaves me alone and no one will work on me. My brother is a huge dick when he wants to be and that’s typically when someone is fucking with a member of his family. Even if they’re doing their job. Playboy doesn’t care and while I love him for it, it’s annoying as fuck at the same time.
Audrey gets her job done and assures me Dr. Copeland will be back as soon as she can. She also lets me know that the technician will be up to get me so I can get my ankle imaged and then they can get the results of that. My thoughts turn to Alex up in the room of this same hospital and I wonder if he’s woken up again. I know Valor is with him and he won’t leave Alex’ side, but part of me really wants to be there with him. The other part of me doesn’t want to be with Alex because this entire situation is my fault because of a decision I made in college. Yeah, I know the club was going after Dominic for the drugs he’s been selling in Pine View.
“Baby Girl, you need to get the fuck outta your head and stop blamin’ yourself for this shit,” my dad says, coming up next to me and grabbing my hand to hold in his. “This isn’t your fault and nothin’ you did would’ve changed what happened. The club was after this fucker before you moved here. He would’ve taken you even if you didn’t know him in college. I’m not gonna press you for details about what happened between you and him, but I know it wasn’t good. Now, you gotta get the fuck outta your head and put the blame where it fuckin’ belongs. And that’s not on your shoulders.”
“It is on me, Dad. I was antagonizing the guys and I attacked them with Alex’ knives. Dominic got pissed because I got the better of his men and that’s when they pulled the guns out. Yeah, I dealt with them, but Alex was shot before I could save him. This is on me and me alone. He got shot protecting me and I have to live with that,” I tell my family members as the thought of hurting Alex is what’s weighing on my mind.
I know eventually I’ll have to deal with killing three men in cold blood. Maybe not through the law, but emotionally. It’s going to hit me and I know I’m gonna lose my shit when it does. But, for now, all I’m trying to figure out is how to process being with Alex and knowing he almost lost his life because of me. I can’t watch him fight to protect me and give his life without a thought. That’s never what I wanted from him and I won’t move forward with him doing that either.
I’ve had the X-rays done and all sorts of other tests done. Dr. Copeland checked my head and doesn’t believe I have a concussion. We’re waiting on the results of the X-rays and blood work as they keep giving me bag after bag of fluid. I’ve been in here for hours and I’ve had to go to the bathroom more than ever before because of all the fluids they’re pumping in my body. If I were dehydrated before, I’m certainly not now. Playboy, my dad, and Tank are trying to keep my mind off of everything and called my mom to talk. We hang up when Dr. Copeland stops in the doorway.
“I’ve gotten all of your results back, Annabell. Is it okay to talk in front of these three?” she asks, waiting for me to respond before talking again once I nod my head that she can talk in front of them. “Did you know that you’re pregnant? It’s very early in the pregnancy, but the test did come back positive.”
“That’s impossible. I’m on birth control and not due for my shot for another two months. I haven’t been on antibiotics or anything else that could affect the birth control either. Are you sure the test was mine and not someone else’s?” I question her, my voice wavering with this bomb that was just dropped on me because Vault and I haven’t talked seriously about having kids. Hell, we just got together after being apart for so long.
“It’s definitely your test, Annabell. You have options and I can go over all of them with you if that’s what you want,” she says as I shake my head no because I would never get rid of my baby for any reason. Now, I know this little one is half of Alex and there’s no way in hell I would ever get rid of our baby. “The X-ray showed a hairline fracture of your ankle. I’m going to put you in a cast to ensure it heals correctly, but I don’t believe you’ll need it for the full six weeks. We’ll keep an eye on things and take the cast off when it’s healed. From there we might put you in a walking boot just to make sure that you don’t have something else happen immediately after it heals. I’ve seen it happen before because your ankle will be weak even after it’s healed. Audrey will be in shortly with what I need for your cast. Is there a color you prefer?”
“Red please?” I ask without hesitation or thought because my mind is stuck on the fact that I’m pregnant and Alex has no clue. I told him I was on birth control and I am.
“Sis, are you okay?” Playboy asks me as I snap out of my mind and look at him with tears rolling down my face.
“No, I’m not. I need to go home. Back to Benton Falls. Alex and I haven’t talked about having kids and I’m not gonna make him feel trapped after everything that just happened. I’ve put him through enough and it’s time for me to go home so I can figure out my next move. I’ll tell him about the baby, but not yet. Not when he’s in the hospital, recovering from surgery. I just want to go home and see Mom,” I answer him, crying as he pulls me into his arms and holds me close.
Someone leaves the room, but I don’t pull away from my brother to find out who it was. There’s only two other men in here with me and the door is shut so no one standing outside of it can hear what’s being said in here. They can hear that we’re talking, but that’s it.
“We’ll get you home, sis. Dad can call Shy and let her know we’re on our way once you get discharged. What about your things at the clubhouse? Your car?” he asks me as I pull back and lay against the thin pillows and try to pull the blankets up even more to stay warm.
“I want them, but I’m not ready to go back there yet. That’s where everything happened. And I want my car. I’m gonna need it at home to get around. I should probably call Hunter and see if my apartment is okay,” I tell him as Playboy looks at my dad over my bed and I know something has happened.
