Her body jerked, and I fought to keep myself upright.
“Increase charge to 200. Clear!”
She jerked. We waited. My breath came ragged.
“I’ve got a pulse!”
Dalton’s eyes were wild with rage, fear, and uncertainty. Being this helpless wasn’t a feeling either of us were used to. It had only happened twice before. I ran my hands through my hair, pacing just outside of the room while also trying to stay out of everyone’s way.
They padded her wounds, doing their best to staunch any further blood flow, and wheeled her out of the room and down the hallway.
I reached for her. “You fight, Vixen. Don’t you dare leave me.”
Dalton was on the other side, running alongside the gurney just as I was, his eyes never leaving her bruised and battered face. Another nurse grabbed my arm, pulling me away from her. Dalton shook off the nurse pulling him away, and looked frantically after the gurney that wasquickly leaving our sight.
“Sir, you need to stay here. I’m sorry, but you need to let us work.”
Sitting in that too-bright waiting room, I had never seen my brother look so damn lost—except when we lost our mother. Part of me itched to get my hands on the son of a bitch who caused this whole mess. I should’ve killed him when I had the chance. But another, bigger part of me ached so badly from not being at her side, that I thought I would die if I left the hospital. The woman made me irrational. I clung to the memory of her smile and the taste of her lips on mine like a drowning man.
“She’ll pull through. Our girl’s a fighter, Mac. And once we know what the fuck is going on, once she’s in the clear, we are gonna make that fucker wish he had never been born.”
I was silent but nodded my agreement. Dalton’s voice was raspy from shouting, and I knew he needed the reassurance, but right now, that just wasn’t something I could offer. His own words sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than me. I glanced over at him, my eyes landing on the small bite mark on his bicep. She had scarred him when she bit him, clamping down so hard it left a permanent mark.
Dalton’s eyes followed mine, and a small smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “See, she’s a fighter.”
Just then, the doors opened and Jackson came in, Maria and Holly hot on his heels. Maria’s face was tear-streaked and puffy from crying. Holly’s face was damn near unreadable except for her eyes, which darted between Dalton and me, and then around the lobby in an absolute panic. She clung to Jackson’s hand, and Maria threw herself at me.
“Diego stayed home with the babies. Jackson picked me up. What the fuck is happening, Maverick? Who did this? She’s gonna be okay, right?”
Dalton stood and pulled Maria into his arms, rubbing a soothing pattern up anddown her back. His eyes met mine over the top of her head, and I shook my head, at a loss for words.
A nurse hurried over from the desk. “Visiting hours were over at 8:30, everyone. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
Dalton and Maria started protesting at once, and the poor nurse stepped back. Clearly, she wasn’t prepared for the combined onslaught of a six-foot-tall biker and a small Latina mom. I didn’t blame her. Holly was still glued to Jackson’s side, and he had his arm protectively around her in a way that hurt me physically. When she stepped towards the nurse, the woman gave her a wary look. The poor lady was probably overworked, underpaid, and exhausted. I knew it all too well—my mom had been a nurse before she met my dad.
Holly silenced Maria with a hand on her friend’s arm and Dalton with a look. She had become the picture of calm, taking control while the rest of us searched for a foothold.
“Listen, ma’am. We’re not trying to be rude. But our friend was just brought in with a stab wound—”
“Three.”
All eyes turned to me, and I cleared my throat awkwardly. “She was stabbed three times.” I didn’t mention all the tiny cuts—the wounds I felt as clearly as if they were my own.
Maria started crying again, and Holly’s voice shook a little when she corrected herself, “Our friend was brought in with three stab wounds. We just want an update before leaving.” The nurse hesitated, and Holly continued, pointing at me. “The pediatric wing at this hospital was named after his mother, and paid for by me. I don’t like throwing our weight around, but damnit, just let us stay here until we know what happened. That girl…” her voice cracked again, “she means a lot to all of us.”
Sometimes, it was easy to forget that Holly was rich, but I would be more than grateful if it had helped us gain a little favor.
The nurse looked between our small group, takingin our miserable expressions. Dalton was hunched over next to me like he could curl in on himself and make the pain stop. I guessed yelling at the nurse took the last little bit of fight out of him, and to be honest, I wasn’t feeling like much of a hotshot myself.
Finally, the nurse sighed. “Okay, but you can’t wait here. This area is for visitors, during the day. And for emergency room patients. The lobby on the main floor, next to the gift shop, is open all hours. You’re welcome to wait there.”
About three hours later, a doctor came down to find us and a few other Saints scattered around the lobby. We all stood when he approached, his face grim.
“I’m told that you folks would like an update on… I’m sorry. She didn’t have ID on her. Are you family?”
Holly shook her head. “Her name is Nicky. And we’re the only family she’s got.”
The doctor seemed to consider this and then said, “Alright, I’ll do my best to explain everything—perhaps you would like to sit down?” When none of us moved, he pressed on. “Your friend suffered extensive trauma to her pectineus muscle,” he said, pointing to a spot on his inner thigh, “and her deltoid.” He indicated a place on his shoulder.
