Rumbling Thunder

by B. F. Harrolle

  Decker was glaring down at her now. He bent down and tried to force the gator’s mouth open, but couldn’t. That’s when the other bikers came up and helped pulled the gator’s mouth open, freeing Rainy’s foot. Blood was starting to fill her boot. But Decker didn’t notice. He grabbed Rainy by the back of her shirt. He lifted her and even as she tried to get to her feet, he was half dragging her back to camp. He dropped her in a heap in front of their tent. “As soon as you’re fixed up, you’re going to ride with someone else. I’ve had it with you. You’re too much trouble. Because of you, I had to shoot that poor helpless creature,” he snapped.

  Rainy lost it. Shaking, she started to cry now. “That helpless creature was eating me!” she cried.

  “Yes, and I should have let him. If you did as you were told, he would still be alive.” Handlebars and Liz came up. “Who was shooting a gun?” asked Liz.

  “Me, because this stupid girl wouldn’t do as she was told.” Decker huffed and kept on ranting.

  Handlebars walked over and looked down at Rainy. “Oh shit!”

  That got Liz’s attention. She went to Handlebars motorcycle and pulled out an old T-shirt and a bottle of water. Returning to Rainy, she stooped down beside her and tore the shirt into three pieces. Rainy cried out in pain as Handlebars tried to remove her boot.

  “Don’t!” Liz yelled.

  “Decker, this child is hurt!” Liz yelled.

  “That’s her problem!” he shot back with anger

  “Listen to me, son, if we don’t get this child to a hospital, she’s going to die,” Handlebars snapped at him.

  That’s when Decker realized how badly she was hurt.

  Liz poured the bottled water into a piece of the T-shirt to clean the mud off of Rainy’s face. Rainy was turning pale.

  “You have to take her to the highway. I called 911, and they are flying in a medevac chopper to transport her,” Handlebars told him. Decker walked to where he was standing by Rainy’s feet. Taking her right leg in his hands, he yanked it hard three times until her knee and hip went back into place. Rainy screamed and then she passed out. Seeing the blood running out of her boot, he tied a tourniquet around her right lower leg to slow the bleeding.

  ***

  He didn’t mean a word of what he’d said to her. No, he was worried sick. What if she loses her foot or worse dies? But now Decker was faced with the problem of hauling her to the highway. How was he going to take her on his bike? If they had more time, he could steal a car from somewhere, but time wasn’t something that they had a lot of. Any other time, Tools or Keys would be there with their trucks. She was bleeding pretty bad, and her foot and leg had already started to swell. Handlebars came over and lifted her in his arms. “We’re going to take care of you, girly!” And the two of them together managed to tie her on the bike. Decker would have to sit behind her to hold her and still operate the motorcycle. He only had to take her to the race track. It was only a few minutes away.

  Handlebars positioned her in front of Decker, and then he tied her foot so that it rested on top of the gas tank. Then he put the rest of the rope around her and Decker to hold her in place so Decker had his hands free to ride. Rainy was still out, and her lifeless body was going to be hard to control as Decker rode them west to the race track.

  To make things even harder, it started to rain. This made it harder to balance Rainy and keep the motorcycle on the road. The blood coming from her boot was flying all over him. After a very tense ride, Decker pulled the motorcycle into the field of the race track. Pulling the kickstand down, he waited for the medical team to come to them to get Rainy off of his bike. After cutting the ropes free, they lifted her and placed her on a gurney, pushing her back to the chopper.

  “What’s her name?” asked the medic.

  “Don’t know. We found her when she screamed. A gator got hold of her.”

  “You don’t know anything about her?”

  “No!” Oh, he wanted to tell them, but if he did, it could ruin everything they had worked for. But he was no fool and knew this young woman could blow it all up in a few seconds.

  “We’re taking her to Mississippi Coastal Trauma Center.”

  “Okay, thanks for letting me know. My friends will want to check in on her.” Decker said relieved she was in professional hands now.

  Chapter 18

  Recovery

  Rainy woke up and realized she was in a hospital. Aside from the gator attack, she didn’t remember much. She knew Decker was angry with her. Really angry.

  When the nurse realized Rainy was awake, she went to get a hospital clerk to admit her. A few minutes later, a tall, young dark-haired man came into the room. With a tablet in his hand, he took a seat in a straight back chair next to her bed. “My name is Ken. I’m here to admit you to the hospital. What is your name?”

  Rainy knew she couldn’t tell him that. If she did, it might get her killed, or worse yet, her family hurt. And she knew she couldn’t tell them about the bikers. After all, they know where her father is. And even if they don’t know who he is, they might find out. So she said, “I don’t remember.”

  “You don’t remember who you are?”

  “No.”

  “That’s okay. Maybe you will remember in time,” Ken said and typed “Jane Doe” in his tablet in the name block.

  Looking at him, she mumbled, “I hope so.”

  “Don’t worry about it. All you need to do is worry about getting healthy again. Do you happen to remember your age, or where you live?”

  “No, sorry, I don’t.”

  “Alright, thanks. I’ll get your file started.”

  “Do you know when I will be released?”

  “You’re scheduled for surgery at 2:00 today.”

  “What are they going to do?”

  “I’m not sure, but the doctor will be here to talk to you before the surgery.”

  Even though her foot was wrapped in an ace bandage, Rainy didn’t know if they had even treated her foot at all. She also didn’t know how she got to the hospital. All she remembered was that everything went dark. I wonder if Decker had anything to do with getting me here? Rainy drifted off to sleep.

  Someone walked in and Rainy woke up. The man looking down at her was a doctor. And he looked way too young to be one. “Hello, I’m Dr. Black. I will be doing the surgery on your ankle.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to put a plate and four screws to fasten the plate to your ankle.” He showed her a picture. “This will help support your ankle, and you will be able to walk sooner.”

  “Will I be able to dance?”

  “What kind of dance?” Rainy shrugged, not wanting to give anything away. “I wouldn’t recommend it. But I’m not going to say never either. A lot of things have changed in medicine over the years. So I would say, let’s wait and see. Right now, walking is more important.” Rainy nodded her head to agree. It wasn’t that she was that worried about being able to dance, so much as how her father was going to feel about it. And she didn’t even know why she was worried. “They will be here soon to get you ready,” Dr. Black said and patted her on her shoulder as he left the room. Now she felt so alone.

  Rainy woke up and was in great pain. She figured it was the next day, and she had already had the surgery. Her right leg had a cast that covered her foot and came up to her knee. No one was in the room with her. The pain was so severe, she cried out, and two nurses came rushing in. “How bad is the pain? Give me a number from one to ten, ten being the worst.” The first nurse ordered.

  “Ten,” Rainy cried.

  “Alright, we’re going to give you something. Try and relax,” said the nurse as she was leaving the room. Another nurse came and stood next to Rainy’s bed. She was checking her monitor to make sure her vital signs were alright. The other nurse returned with a syringe full of pain medication.

  “What’s wrong with the pump?”

  “It’s must not be working. I’ve reported it. In
the meantime, we can give her medicine as needed. And see if we can get a new pump in here.”

  As soon as the nurse gave Rainy the injection, she went to sleep.

  Rainy opened her eyes and knew she had been moved. She looked around and was in a big room alone. Her’s was the only bed in this room where as many as four would fit. She wondered why. The pain wasn’t as great now. But there was a lot of pressure on her right foot. It felt as if a heavy weight was sitting on top. Another nurse came into the room. Not the same one as before. Checking her monitor, she said, “They are going to move you downstairs today. You will be there until they move you to a rehab center.”

  “How long will that be?”

  “Maybe two weeks.”

  “What did the doctor do to my ankle?”

  “He put a plate in, to help hold it together. The plate will help your ankle heal quicker. And you should be able to start walking soon.”

  “I don’t think so. It hurts too badly to even think of walking. Besides, it’s still in a cast.”

  “That’s a half cast, and it can be removed. The doctor ordered rehab, but for now, you need to rest.”

  And that’s what she did. After all, what else could she do? She mostly watched TV and slept. After the two weeks, they transported her to a rehab center not far away. It was early morning when she arrived. And later that same day, two orderlies came for her. They helped her get into a wheelchair and pushed her down the hall to an elevator. Rainy knew she wasn’t going to like this.

  Now at the therapy theater, they left her just outside the door. Alone again, Rainy wondered what the bikers were up to. Was Decker even thinking about her? As angry as he was, she bet he was glad to get rid of her. She felt sad. And the fact that no one was here for her made her heart hurt. She knew Decker was only trying to keep her safe, and he wasn’t in love with her. Oh, how she wished she felt the same way. The way she saw it, he would protect any young woman.

  As soon as the orderly came back, it was Rainy’s turn. Once in the theater, her cast was removed. In its place, they placed a walking boot on her right foot. Two therapists stood on each side of her and helped her stand. The pain was so awful, Rainy cried out. “Take hold of the bar. Just stand for the count of twenty, and then you can sit back down.” As soon as she counted to twenty, she fell back into the chair. Nell, the one talking, said, “That was great, Jane. Now after you rest, I want you to try again. See how long you can stand.”

  “I think once was enough.”

  Nell laughed. “We have another twenty-five minutes to go, Jane.”

  Rainy knew she didn’t give them her name, but Jane Doe? Really? She went back to work and stood up five more times, getting all the way to the count of fifty. “Very Good, Jane. You did awesome today. Tomorrow we are going to try and walk.” Rainy nodded her head to agree. Great!

  By the time she was back in her room, the other patient had been discharged. Now she was alone again. She didn’t like this. She had too much time to think. And think was what she would do. And she asked herself, Now what? She had nowhere she could go. And she couldn’t stay in the hospital forever. She figured the bikers were done with her. Either that or they would try and get rid of her. But if that was the case, why would they bring her to the hospital in the first place? Why not just let her bleed to death? She didn’t know for sure. With all the meds she was taking, she couldn’t think straight.

  Every day, Rainy worked hard at learning to walk all over again. It was hard, and the pain felt as if she couldn’t go on, but she did. They gave her two therapy sessions a day for two more weeks. One morning a nurse came in and said, “You will be going home today.” Rainy didn’t answer because she wondered where home was. And where were they going to send her or would they just put her in the street? Now she was worried. What would she do and where will she go?

  For the next three hours, Rainy worried about what was going to happen to her. Time had passed for her morning therapy. It was lunch time already. She was waiting for someone to bring a lunch tray. A nurse came in with a wheelchair. “You ready?” Rainy nodded her head. Ready for what? She lifted herself into the wheelchair, and the nurse pushed her outside. Sitting in the entranceway was a Ford pickup. It was an older model truck, navy blue in color. Rainy wasn’t sure of the year. The nurse pushed her towards the truck as if that was her ride. Beside the truck, they waited while someone got out of the driver’s side and walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. It was Handlebars. Rainy grinned at him, so happy to see someone from the club. The nurse locked the wheelchair and started to help Rainy out. “I got her!” stated Handlebars as he lifted her and placed her into the passenger’s seat. He pulled the seatbelt around her and locked it in place. Rainy couldn’t believe the bikers didn’t forget her. Maybe they do believe me to be one of them. Even if she knew better, for now, this was the best thing for her. Where else could she go? Her father wouldn’t want her now that she couldn’t dance. It was too late to return to her classes. No, this was good for now. Until she could heal. Handlebars pushed into the driver’s side. He looked her over. “You look good, girly. A lot better than the last time I saw you. How do you feel?”

  Rainy gave him a weak smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Okay, I guess.”

  “Can you walk yet?”

  “With crutches, I can.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Yeah, I do good for a gimp.”

  Handlebars gave her a negative look. “Don’t think of yourself that way. Hell, you’ll be kicking ass in no time, girly.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Not like it’s your ankle.”

  Then he said something she couldn’t believe would come out of this gruff biker’s mouth. “Sweetheart, if I could take your place, I would. It breaks my heart to see you like this. But you’re still a beauty, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.” He glanced over at her and winked. She never said anything back to him. She stared out the window as if she was avoiding him. “If you start hurting, let me know. We can stop anytime you need to.” She nodded her head to let him know she understood. But her mind was on Decker. She already knew he wouldn’t want her anymore. Him, or any of the other bikers. Maybe they would keep her just because she got hurt while she was with them.

  “Handlebars?”

  “What is it, girly?”

  “Is there another room at the clubhouse that I can stay in?”

  “What’s wrong with Decker’s room? You’re his old lady. It won’t look good if you aren’t with him.”

  Looking right at him now, she smiled. “If I’m with him, why did you come and get me? I’ve been at the rehab center for weeks and Decker never showed his face.”

  “I know how you must feel, but take my word for it, he wanted to see you. He’s been worried sick about you. And one day you’ll understand everything.”

  “I don’t want to have anything to do with him. I want to stay in a different room!”

  “I’ll see what I can do. But Decker won’t be happy.”

  “Good!” she sighed. “Let him see how it feels.”

  It took hours for them to reach the clubhouse in the southern outskirts of Atlanta. The bikers all came out to welcome ‘Gator’ home. ‘Gator Bait’ was now her club name, and Rainy had become a folk hero. They all gathered around her to welcome her home. All but Decker. He stayed inside.

  He was angry, mostly at himself for letting her get hurt in the first place. And he knew it was going to be hard to face her. They all followed Handlebars, pushing her in a wheelchair that they had rented for her. Both crutches were across her lap. A knot formed in Decker’s throat. He wanted to tell her he was glad to see her, and he was sorry she been hurt. But it didn’t take him long to realize she was giving him the cold shoulder. For just a second, her eyes met his and they were cold as ice. She turned away from him. They would be having church in an hour. He would deal with her afterwards. He didn’t want to, only he knew he had to. But he wanted to talk to her one
on one. Not where the bikers could see his vulnerability.

  ***

  The meeting lasted for more than two hours. Decker wanted to go and see his girl. God, he had missed her. But this meeting was important. He now knew Tinmans plans to move the cargo on Christmas day. Yes, Christmas day had been his idea. But Tinman didn’t always take his advice. So now he was sure. They would transport the cargo to mid-state Georgia, and the other two clubs would take it from there. This was not what they wanted so much, but it would slow them down, and hopefully get him out of Georgia once and for all. He couldn’t wait. Four years of his life was too long for his liking. This year, he really couldn’t wait for Christmas. North Carolina was his home state, but he wasn’t sure where he would settle down. And that’s just what he wanted. To settle down with Sassy and maybe have a couple of kids running around. He knew when he saw her that she was the one. But aside from his fantasies, the more he got to know her, the more in love he became. Not that he could show her that. But the day was coming when he could and would. And he hoped to God she would forgive him for the lies.

  After church, Decker went looking for Rainy. The old ladies were getting things ready for a party to welcome Rainy back. The sign read, “Welcome home, Gator Bait.” Cute, he thought, but wasn’t sure his woman would appreciate the new name. He was glad the bikers were embracing her, though. At first, he thought that maybe Tinman would have her killed for whatever reason. Mostly because she might bring the law down on the club. But Sassy wasn’t a stupid woman by any means. Time told Tinman she was cool and could be trusted. So now Miss Rainy Graystone was the biker’s hero.