Matt - The Black Tuxedos MC

by Darlene Tallman

  Now it’s time to go find and see my wife.

  14

  Mandie

  As I slowly open my eyes, my first thoughts are for the kids. “Aria? Beau?” I call out. I know I’m in the hospital thanks to the unrelenting beeping noises, but other than that, I’m absolutely clueless as to what happened once I got the kids out of the house. I shift in the bed and pain rockets through my left side. Spying the button to call the nurse, I press it and wait for someone to answer.

  “May I help you?” the voice asks.

  “Where are my children? Are they okay?”

  “I’ll be right in, ma’am,” the voice replies.

  I maneuver the bed so I’m sitting up and wait, my anxiety ramping up the longer it takes for someone to tell me what happened. When the door opens, I see a nurse come in and feel myself relaxing a little. “Where are my kids?” I question as she comes toward me.

  “Let me get your vitals, ma’am,” she says.

  “I need to know about my kids, dammit!” I all but screech. “I don’t give that first fuck about myself right now. They’re the most important thing here, don’t you understand?”

  I see the compassion in her eyes as she starts taking my blood pressure. “They’re on the pediatric floor under observation for smoke inhalation.”

  “So they’ll be okay?” My voice is barely above a whisper. I still can’t figure out how the house caught on fire. It was older, sure, but all the electrical stuff was in good shape. Thank God for smoke detectors. And Champ.

  Champ! Oh my God, what happened to him? I voice my question out loud but the nurse shrugs. “I don’t know about any dog, ma’am. And yes, your kids will be just fine. We’ve called your husband as well and I expect he’ll be here shortly.”

  Matt. Dear heavens, this is going to kill him if something happened to Champ. Unable to worry about him, I decide to ask the next important question. “How badly am I hurt? I mean, I feel some pain, but mostly, I feel numb.”

  “You sustained third-degree burns on your upper left arm, shoulder and back. The pain you’re feeling is mostly because of the treatment you’ve already received. We had to do what’s called a debriding in order to remove the skin that’s dead. But first, we had you in a saline soak in order to get your shirt and bra off because it was imbedded in your skin. You’ve got a pain pump next to you and it’s pre-dosed, so if you need it, you can push the button. It’s set up so that there’s no way for you to give yourself too much.”

  “How long will I be here?” I ask, her words swirling in my head. Aria and Beau are okay, that’s the most important thing. So what if you’re now scarred?

  “A lot of that will depend on your body, to be honest. We’ll be doing the debriding treatments every day to remove the dead skin and allow the new skin to grow. As long as the wounds don’t get infected, it shouldn’t be more than two or three weeks,” she states.

  Two or three weeks? I feel the tears start streaking down my face. Other than when Aria was in the hospital, I’ve never been away from the kids for any length of time. “Thank you,” I murmur. I feel so defeated right now and with my pain level ramping up, I decide to push the button on my pain pump. As the medicine enters my IV, I feel my eyes grow heavy.

  Matt

  There’s a procedure for me to see Mandie, apparently, according to the sign posted on her door. I quickly don the gown, mask and gloves, then slip on the coverings for my boots. The fact that they barely cover the top half makes me grin behind my mask. She’s in a sterile environment to prevent infection, something I’m all too familiar with. “We’re going to go over to the house, brother, and see if there’s anything we can salvage for y’all.” I nod my appreciation, my focus already on the petite woman who owns me.

  I haven’t told her what she’s grown to mean to me. Haven’t told her that I love her. Haven’t let her know that if she’s willing, I want more kids with her.

  That changes now, I think to myself as I cross over the threshold into her room. She’s asleep, the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth an indicator that she likely sustained smoke inhalation as well as burns. I grab the chair that’s in the corner and carry it over to the right side of the bed, since I can see the left side is wrapped. Leaning down, I kiss her forehead, unashamed of the tears that fall from my eyes.

  “Hey, pretty girl,” I whisper, taking her hand in mine. I look at all the monitors and realize that she must have recently hit the pain pump. The one I had when I was injured had a red light and a green light to indicate when you could and couldn’t press it, but hers has a timer that is counting down. Regardless of whether she’s awake or not, I’ll press it when it’s time because above everything, she’s going to need rest in order to heal. “The kids are okay; I just left their room. When you wake up, I’ve got the cutest pictures ever to show you. They’re both in the same bed and Aria is curled around Beau as if she’s protecting him. You did good, Mandie, so fucking good and I’m beyond proud of the fact that you got all of y’all out of the house. Nick has gone to look for Champ for me. I’m sure he’s fine because he wouldn’t have left your side. The rest of the brothers are at the house to see if there’s anything they can salvage for us, but I’ve got the most important things here in this hospital — you and the kids.”

  She murmurs slightly but doesn’t wake up, so I continue talking. “I’ve been remiss, sweetheart, and haven’t told you exactly what you mean to me. Not only do I love you beyond mere words, but I’m in love with you. I can’t imagine a day in my life without you and the kids in it. I want more kids, Mandie, with you. I can’t wait to see your belly grow round as you carry the fruits of our love. I know I said things were at your pace, but this morning showed me that nothing is guaranteed, so when you get home, we’re going to get started on that, okay?”

  Time passes as I continue to talk to her, sharing things that no one outside of my therapist ever knew. I remind her about how Jessa’s attitude toward my scars left me incapable of sustaining an erection, how I was resigned to living the rest of my life that way until she came along and I felt that urge once again. “Can’t promise things won’t go fast those first few times, sweetheart; hell, it’s gonna be like I never did it before, I’m sure, but I’ll always take care of you.”

  “Matt?” a voice from my past calls out. Looking up, I see Jessa now in the room.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I question. She’s wearing scrubs but the Jessa I knew wouldn’t be involved with burn victims, not based on how she treated me as if I were a leper. In fact, she was a paralegal then, so the fact she changed careers has me a bit perturbed. She pitched such a fit about my injuries that for her to now be in the medical field has blown my mind.

  “I, uh, I’m a phlebotomist. I’m here to draw more blood to see if her oxygen levels are improving,” she replies, her hands shaking.

  “You’re not touching my wife,” I seethe out between clenched teeth.

  “Your wife?” she whispers, glancing down where Mandie is lying, still asleep. I can see shock written on her face; did she honestly think I would remain single the rest of my life? I mean, I had anticipated that happening until Mandie came along, but that’s for me to know, not her.

  “Yes, my wife.”

  “Matt, I owe you an apology for how I acted,” she says. When I go to say something, she holds her hand up. “Please, hear me out. When you left, I was crushed because I realized that the best thing I ever had was no longer in my life. I can’t believe how cruel to you I was, and words can never express just how sorry I am for how I made you feel.”

  I’m stressed, frustrated, scared, which is probably why I say what I do. “Honestly, Jessa, I don’t give that first flying fuck about any apology you want to make. Until I got hurt, everything was all sunshine and roses. I know that if you had been in a car accident and hurt, I wouldn’t have turned my back on you. No, I would’ve been beyond grateful and relieved that you were still alive. You didn’t give me that same fucking consider
ation. You called me a monster and told me I was repulsive. Do you have any fucking clue how that fucked with my head? No, you don’t and quite frankly, I don’t care if you ever understand what you did to me. Thankfully, I have a family in my life who doesn’t give a damn if I have scars or not and this woman lying right here? She’s the strongest, kindest person I’ve ever met. Now, find someone else to draw her blood because you’ll never touch any part of her. Do you understand?”

  Jessa flees from the room, tears flowing down her face while I try to calm myself down. I’ve never been more livid than I am right this moment. Does she honestly think a few pretty words will erase the emotional damage she wrought? Fuck that shit. A few minutes later, another person in scrubs comes into the room, causing me to look away from Mandie’s face.

  “Mr. Ferguson? I’m Cody, another phlebotomist. I’ll be doing the blood draw on your wife if that’s okay?” I look at the slight nurse standing there; he’s only a few inches taller than Mandie, but I can tell from his actions that his first concern is the patient he’s caring for as he washes his hands then puts on a pair of gloves.

  “That’s fine,” I reply, moving back. From memory, they usually draw blood on the opposite side from any injury, so I know he’ll need to be where I’m at.

  “You can stay where you are if you’d like, this won’t take long,” he advises. I watch as he expertly sets up the tourniquet, cleans the area, then quickly inserts the needle. Within a minimal amount of time, he has two tubes drawn and is removing the tourniquet. All without Mandie so much as crying out, which I find impressive as hell.

  “How long before you know anything?” I ask.

  “The doctor put a rush on these tests, so as soon as I return to the lab, the technician will be working on them.”

  “Thank you.” I go back to staring at my wife, my mind drifting to all of the what-if’s that could’ve happened. What if I hadn’t changed the batteries last weekend? What if I had been home? Would she and the kids have gotten hurt? Guilt swamps me, even though I logically know that there’s not much else I could’ve done differently than it appears that she did.

  “I wish you’d wake up,” I whisper, my hand smoothing back her hair. I know they cleaned her up, but her hair still smells smoky and I wish I could wash it for her. Since getting married and moving in with each other, I’ve grown accustomed to the scents that make her unique. She’s the perfect old lady, too. Nothing seems to faze her, even though I know that she’s still dealing with demons from her own past based on the nightmares that have woken me up most nights. I wish that fucker was still in town; I’d find a way to make him pay for ever causing her harm. However, him not being around will make it that much easier for me to adopt Aria and Beau according to our club attorney. Because his rights were terminated after he beat Mandie, the attorney said that we shouldn’t have any issues and don’t have to deal with the notifications that typically get published in the paper. My guess is that he’s long gone, and we won’t hear a peep from him.

  My phone rings and I answer it when I see it’s Nick. “Hey, brother. Did you find him?” I ask before he can say a word.

  “Yeah, brother. The firemen took him to the vet we use and he’s there being treated.”

  My heart sinks hearing that Champ is hurt. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He’s got a few burns on his paws, as well as a few places on his back from burning embers. He also suffered some smoke inhalation, but Dr. Webb says he’ll be fine and not to worry. She’ll take care of him until y’all get home.”

  “Thank God. I knew he probably didn’t leave them, but it honestly didn’t cross my mind that he would be hurt as well.”

  “He’s a good dog, that’s for damn sure,” Nick replies.

  “I owe him a fucking steak dinner from Juan for saving my family.”

  Nick chuckles before saying, “Yeah, I think he’d like that for sure. Reese said they didn’t find much at the house, but what they got, they brought to the clubhouse and put it in your room. Well, except for the clothes; the old ladies took those and are trying to get the smoke smell out. Found two baby books as well. They’re charred, and they smell like smoke of course, but they’re going to air them out as well. Not much else, brother.”

  “The most important things survived, brother, and that’s all that matters,” I tell him. “If anything had happened to Mandie, the kids, or Champ that was worse than what they suffered, it would’ve killed me.” I’m not lying there; she breathed new life into mine the day I saw her for the first time at The Steakhouse.

  “Well, y’all were planning to move so while you’re dealing with them at the hospital, we’ll put the old ladies and the prospects on shopping and stocking duty. No doubt they won’t mind handling that at all.”

  I chuckle because he’s definitely right about that fact. Even Mandie has said she can’t believe how ‘do or die’ the old ladies are when it comes to dividing and conquering when they shop. “I know we’re all gonna need a new wardrobe from the sound of it. Old man Smithers was leaving the furniture we decided on, and the rest was going to be delivered tomorrow.”

  “We’ll take care of it. You just worry about your family, brother. Reese said to tell you that was an order,” he advises, laughing.

  “Glad y’all have our backs because I honestly don’t think I could leave here if I wanted to,” I admit.

  “We’ll get you some clothes up there, brother, so you don’t have to leave. Corrie also said she heard from Juan and they’re donating twenty percent of the proceeds for the next two weeks to y’all to help y’all out. Oh, and Juan and Maria are going to be bringing food up to y’all as well.”

  “Mandie’s still sleeping, Nick,” I advise.

  “Well, you have to eat, brother. Oh, and Shayla picked up some pajamas for the kids to wear instead of those ‘stupid hospital gowns’ as she calls them. She dropped them off at The Steakhouse and Maria and Olive plan to head up there shortly. Since they’re family, they’re going to alternate staying with the kids so you can focus on Mandie.”

  “Gonna need a new stuffed Poppy and Olaf,” I say. Aria loves her ‘babies’ and those two didn’t survive from what I understand.

  “Believe it or not, Poppy was in the car. Olaf, however, wasn’t, so I’ll add that to the list. We’ve got you, brother. Later,” he says, before disconnecting.

  The emotions swarming through me at what he just imparted have me crying, something I haven’t done in a long ass time. “God, Mandie, we’re so fucking fortunate to have the family we do,” I murmur, my hand squeezing hers. “You just need to focus on getting better because all of them are taking care of the rest of it.”

  15

  Mandie

  I’ve been in the hospital for a week and Matt hasn’t left my side, despite my assurances that I’ll be okay. A slight infection at the wound on my left shoulder has me on heavy-duty IV antibiotics, which make me sick. I won’t let him come with me when they take me for the burn treatment, however. I haven’t even looked at them yet, afraid to see just how bad it looks. Today, the nurse handling the debriding told me that things were looking better so I feel slightly encouraged. Right now, I’m waiting on Matt to bring Aria and Beau in to see me. They were only in the hospital for two days and have been with Juan and Maria since then because Matt refuses to leave me alone.

  Hearing Aria’s voice, I look up and see him walking through my door, all three of them in gowns and masks. “Mommy! Did you knows that Champ is okay? We is too, Mommy. When does you come home?” He sits them on my bed and cautions them both about being careful, even though Beau, as a baby, has no clue what he’s saying. Still, I relish their weight against my right side and smile at him through tear-filled eyes.

  “Thank you,” I whisper. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go without seeing the two of them but had to wait until my infection cleared up.

  He leans in and kisses my forehead before replying, “Anything for you, pretty girl.”

 
; I raise my left arm a bit, nodding at the protective covering that they replace every day after treatment, and state, “Not so pretty anymore.”

  Tilting my chin up, I have no choice but to look at him when he states, “You’ll always be my pretty girl, Mandie. No amount of scars, inside or out, will ever change that, do you hear me?”

  I’m about to reply when Aria pipes up and says, “I got a new Olaf, Mommy. Him burned up in the fire.”

  “I know, sweetie. Thanks to Champ, though, we’re all safe and that’s what’s important, right?”

  She turns her sweet face to me and says, “But you got hurt, Mommy, when you was carrying me and Beau.”

  “Aria, that’s my job, sweetie, as your mommy. I’ll always do what I can to protect you both. I’d do it again in a heartbeat even if it means I’m here getting better instead of at home with y’all.” I know she doesn’t really understand, but I feel like I have to say it.

  “Well, some of my favorite people are in the same room,” Juan says, walking in, gowned and masked, with several bags of food.

  “Juan,” I protest. “Y’all have done so much for us.”

  “Haven’t we had this discussion before? You’re family,” he replies, before he proceeds to set up a delicious lunch for us all. “Did you give Matt the information to call your insurance agent?” he asks. “And do we know what caused the fire?”

  “The fire chief called and said that apparently, there was some built up lint in the dryer. The screen itself was clean, but hell, I had no clue that it could get inside and build up, so I’m pretty sure that Mandie wouldn’t have known either. About the insurance agent, I called them the other day for her,” Matt states. “They’re going to want a statement for their file, but I’ve forwarded all the pictures to them. Your landlord uses the same insurance company as you do so he’s going to get information from that adjuster. I’m glad you had it, sweetheart.”