by Erin Osborne
Nodding my head, the EMTs rush inside and come directly to me. They begin taking her vitals and asking all sorts of questions. None of us can give them an answer because we don’t know what happened to her while she was here.
“Look, she’s been kidnapped, and no one here knows what happened to her,” I tell them. “She’s pregnant too. I’m not even sure if she is still pregnant or has lost the baby.”
“Alright, sir,” a paramedic tells me. “We’re gonna take her now. Are you riding with us?”
“I’m not leavin’ her,” I answer him.
He nods at me and they roll my girl onto a backboard. Picking her up, they settle her on the gurney and strap her down. One of the paramedics is beginning an IV and I’m not sure why other than to save time once we get to the hospital.
“Where are you takin’ her?” my dad asks. “I have to let her mother-in-law know so she can get there.”
“Heading to County with her,” another paramedic answers.
Nodding his head, I watch as my father steps away and places his phone against his ear. The EMTs are on the move and I block everything else out as I follow my girl out of the lodge and to the waiting ambulance. The guys will take care of everything else here and meet us at the hospital on the outskirts of town.
Logan catches up to us just before the doors close so we can take off. His eyes tear up as he takes in my woman and her current state.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. We’ll all be there soon,” he assures her, even if she can’t hear him right now.
An EMT closes the door and it’s a matter of seconds before the ambulance takes off and we’re on our way to the hospital. The paramedic in back with us continues to monitor Emersyn while I hold her hand. I want to talk to her, but I won’t with an audience who’s an outsider. For now, I’ll have to be content with simply holding her hand and hoping she’s okay.
As we head to the hospital, I send out a silent thank you to whoever is up there. When my girl was taken, I prayed for the first time in my life. I prayed we’d find her safe. We found her, but I don’t know how safe she is. No one will until the doctors look at her and let us know what’s going on and what kind of road we’re looking at for her recovery. Hopefully she can overcome this latest shitshow in her life with our help, love, and support.
Chapter Thirty-One
Emersyn ‘Sky’ Wilkes
MY EYES SLOWLY open as the beeping in the room doesn’t stop. At first, I think it’s an alarm I set, but I can’t find my phone or alarm clock. Hell, I can barely move in bed and when I do, there’s a sharp pinch in my arm. What the hell is going on with me?
As my eyes open as far as they will, I take in the white walls, a whiteboard at the end of my bed with some writing on it, and the sterile, antiseptic smell permeating the room. The beeping gets louder and increases with the rate of my heart as I try to figure out what’s going on.
It suddenly hits me; Jeremy taking me, being held for however long, and Colt showing up. Jeremy didn’t blow the clubhouse up with my family inside. Slowly my heart rate returns to normal and the incessant beeping slows down.
My head hurts and my eyes are still extremely swollen. Everywhere on my body hurts and I wonder how much damage was actually caused from the continued beatings. Looking to my left, I see Colt sleeping with his head on the edge of the bed I’m currently in.
He looks rough. His hair is a mess, there’s more than a day’s growth on his face, and his clothes are wrinkled. I’ve never seen him look better than he does right now. This is his true appearance from looking for me after I was gone for however long. Yeah, I still don’t know how long I’ve been gone. Yet, Colt never gave up hope that he’d find me.
My thoughts immediately turn to Zoey and the baby I’m carrying. I have no clue where my daughter is and if she’s okay. At this point, I don’t know who has her either.
Does Gloria still have her?
Is she at the clubhouse with Tonya and Blood?
How has she been doing this entire time I’ve been gone?
I need these questions answered and until Colt wakes up, I can’t ask them. There’s no way in hell I’m going to wake him up either. He obviously needs to sleep because he hasn’t been.
Again, the beeping gets faster as I try to remember if I’m still pregnant. I don’t remember having a miscarriage while Jeremy and Ginger held me captive. That doesn’t mean I haven’t had one since being here. I’m not even sure how long I’ve been in the hospital. There’re so many unanswered questions I need to have answers to.
My eyes close and I let sleep claim me once more. I obviously need the rest, so I let it.
Waking up again, I’m still in the hospital room with Colt sleeping next to me. His face is still turned toward me. I don’t really move this time since I don’t want the IV to pull in my arm again. That shit hurts.
Lifting my hand without the IV in it, I run my fingers through his hair. Part of me needs to know he’s actually here with me. That I’m not dreaming of being rescued only to fully wake up still in hell with those two assholes. Colt immediately stirs as I run my hand down his cheek.
“Angel, you’re up,” he says, his voice deep and husky with sleep.
“I am. I woke up earlier, but not for long,” I answer him, my throat feeling dry and I cough.
“Let me get you some ice chips. I’ll ring for the nurse too,” he tells me, immediately jumping up from his chair.
I watch as he presses a button and a small light comes on.
“Can I help you?” a woman asks.
“Emersyn is awake,” Colt responds.
“I’ll send the doctor right in,” the voice tells him.
He gives me a few ice chips and I lean back, letting them melt in my mouth and provide my throat with some much-needed relief. It feels good as the ice slowly melts in my mouth and coats my parched throat. Really, anything feels good right now. It’s different to know I escaped Jeremy again. The feeling washes over me that I’m finally free from him. Forever.
I’m not just free until he finds me again. This time it’s for the rest of my life. Colt made sure he took care of my demon and he will never get his hands on me again. I’ve never had anyone love me like that before and I won’t ever again. For so many reasons, I fall in love with the man sitting as close to me as possible every single day.
“How are you feeling?” a man in a white coat asks, coming in the room.
“Um, not the best,” I tell him, clearing my throat.
“I bet. I’m Doctor Benson and I’ve been overseeing you since you arrived last night. So, let’s go over your injuries first. Then you guys can ask me any questions you may have. That sound okay?” he questions, looking up from the file in his hand.
“Yes.”
“You have bruising on over half of your body. The main parts are your back, sides, and upper legs. There’s bruising covering your face and that’s why you can only see out of partially open eyes. Your eyelids are swollen pretty bad and will slowly go down as you continue to heal,” he informs us, pausing to look at the chart once more. “There are cuts placed on the front of your body. None of them required stitches and should heal with minimal scarring.”
“There are several areas on the backside of your body that look as if you’ve been whipped with a belt or something. A few of those did need stitches put in to help close them. There will be scarring on those. Your ribs are bruised and should heal just fine over the next couple of weeks. Just be careful and go slow with your movements,” the doctor tells us. “What questions do you have for me?”
“Am I, um, am I still pregnant?” I cautiously ask, not sure if I truly want the answer.
“You are still pregnant,” he tells me, looking at me so I can see the truth in his eyes.
“Is the baby okay?” Colt asks, as the doctor puts on a pair of gloves to examine me.
“Yes. The baby is doing very well,” he says, poking and prodding me.
“Are you sure? I mean, will there
be any lasting effects from this?” I question him as I wince when he hits a tender spot.
Colt growls from the chair he’s sitting in and the doctor looks over at him with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m positive. Just for your peace of mind, I’ll have an ultrasound machine brought up so you can see for yourselves. Does that sound good?” he asks, taking the gloves off and stepping away from me to throw them out.
“Thank you,” I tell him, leaning back against the bed.
“They’ll be up soon. For now, rest. You’ll be discharged tomorrow. We want to get some more liquids in you because you were dehydrated when you came in.”
“Thank you,” Colt says, walking him to the door. “Angel, I’m gonna go get Mom and Dad. They’ve been waitin’ to see you and won’t wait much longer.”
Nodding my head, I watch him leave. Instead of instant panic and fear filling me, I feel relaxed and peaceful. Well, as relaxed as you can be in a hospital bed after being kidnapped and beaten to a pulp. Honestly, I’m lucky I only have a few cuts and bruises on my body. Jeremy’s beatings have been worse in the past and I’ve suffered broken bones. Plus, I get to go home tomorrow and won’t have to be away from my baby girl any longer.
In minutes, Colt walks back in the room with Zoey in his arms. His mom, dad, and Logan follow him in the room. Tonya has tears streaming down her face as she looks me over from head to toe. She pushes past the men and makes her way over to me. Leaning down over me, Tonya kisses the top of my head and we spend a few minutes crying together.
“I’m fine, Mama Tonya,” I assure her. “Some bruising, cuts, and a few stitches. I’ll heal and won’t ever have to worry about this from that man again. Don’t cry for me.”
“I was so scared,” she says, her voice hiccupping as she tries to stop crying. “We all missed you so much. Especially this beautiful little baby.”
Looking over, I see Colt and Zoey in the chair he was sleeping in. Zoey is reaching out to me and her dad is trying to keep her in his arms. That’s not going to work for me.
“Babe, I can see her. Set her on the bed right here. I need to hold her,” I plead with him, letting my eyes lock on his.
Colt sighs and sets Zoey on the bed with me. Immediately, her little hand goes to my cheek. Turning my head, I kiss her little palm. She scoots her body until she’s laying down next to me. Zoey curls her body into mine and is almost instantly asleep. I look up at our family watching on.
“She hasn’t slept real good lately,” Blood informs me. “We could only do so much for her when she was missin’ her mama.”
“So, when they lettin’ you out?” Logan asks me, walking up and brushing a kiss on my forehead.
“Tomorrow. Other than the stitches on my back side, everything seems to be superficial. Cuts and bruising only,” I answer him.
“That’s good news,” Blood tells me, pulling up another chair for Tonya to sit in.
“I’d like you all to stay in here for a while,” I tell them, looking at Colt. “We’re going to have an ultrasound done so I can see everything is okay with the baby. If you would like to see your grandbaby and niece or nephew, please stay here.”
Tonya openly starts crying while nodding her head in an emphatic yes. Blood is smiling so large his face has to hurt. Logan isn’t sure what to think about me asking him to stay for this moment.
“Are you okay with this?” Logan asks Colt.
“Of course, I am. The cat’s out of the bag now and most of the guys know you’re pregnant, angel. I had to tell the paramedics. Let’s make sure we can give them some good news again,” Colt responds.
We talk about what’s been going on while I was gone. Gloria wants to see me as soon as I’m feeling good enough to go visit. Tonya made sure to call her and keep her up to date with what’s been happening since I was taken. She’d love to come here to see me, but she doesn’t drive unless she absolutely has to and doesn’t want to bother anyone. I love that woman more than I thought I could. She’s so sweet and caring; like the grandmother I don’t have anymore.
Finally, there’s a knock on the door. When it opens, I see the large machine that will be used for the ultrasound. The technician comes in and looks at everyone in the room. I speak up before anyone else can.
“This is family and they’ll be staying for this,” I warn her.
“Okay. Everyone move to that side of the bed so I can work and you all can see the monitor. Can someone lift the little one from the bed? I’m sorry, I don’t want to wake her, but I need the room,” she asks.
“It’s fine. She won’t wake up,” I assure her as Blood picks her up and cradles her against his large chest.
The technician gets to work putting my information in the computer. Once that’s done, she grabs the gel and I brace for the coldness to hit me. She squirts some on me and places the wand over my stomach. Immediately, we hear the heartbeat and I smile over at Colt. He’s got his phone out to record it this time, knowing what to expect.
Tonya is crying her happy tears. Blood has a smile on his face, Logan is standing there looking lost.
“The heartbeat sounds really good. Strong,” the technician tells us, hitting the buttons she needs to in order to switch the screen so we can see our baby.
She moves the wand around and shows us several different angles of the baby. While she’s pointing out different parts we can see, Tonya moves closer to the screen. I laugh at her as she’s practically laying on top of me to see her grandbaby.
“Mom, how about you move back a little,” Colt says softly.
Tonya rolls her eyes at her son and leans back a little. This is why I love this family so much and they’re now mine. Permanently.
“In a few more weeks, you should be able to find out what you’re having if that’s what you want,” the technician tells us.
“Really?” Colt asks her, his face lighting up like a kid at Christmas.
“Yeah. You’ll want to make an appointment with your doctor in case they want to see you after being in here. Call when you get discharged tomorrow and follow what they advise,” she tells me, taking the wand from me and handing me a towel to clean up.
After a minute, she hands over enough photos for every adult in the room. Tonya and Blood scoop theirs up from Colt’s hands and stare at them for a few minutes. Logan actually takes one and holds it to his chest. He’s happier than he’s letting on about becoming an uncle.
This is how I want to be the rest of my life. I want to wake up to the man who makes me happier than I’ve ever been in my life. Be surrounded by these amazing people who accept me for who I am and love me because of that. I love each and every one of them in return. The only thing that will make this better is my dad being here to be with us and share in these moments.
“What’s wrong, angel?” Colt asks me.
“I want my dad here. I miss him so much,” I answer honestly.
“I know you do. He’ll be home with us soon,” Blood answers. “He doesn’t know what’s been goin’ on. You can decide if you want to tell him when he’s here with us.”
“Thank you. For everything,” I tell him.
The rest of the day, members of the club rotate in and out of the room. We talk and laugh. Needa even comes in to see me and I’m happy to have her here. Colt told me she’s been here since I was brought in and hasn’t left yet. Most of the club has been the same way. I’ll never be able to thank Kari enough for rescuing me and bringing my family back to me. Allowing me to meet these amazing people who love freely, watch out for one another, and protect one another with a ferocity I’ve never seen before in my life.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Colt Johns
TODAY IS THE day Emersyn gets to leave the hospital. I’ve been by her side since finding her and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I’ll never let her out of my sight again if I can help it. Yes, I know that’s not realistic, but it’s how I’m feeling right now after just getting her back and learning our baby is still safely gro
wing inside her.
The doctor has just discharged her, and the nurse is currently unhooking her from the IV so she can change into the sweats and T-shirt mom brought her a little while ago. Zoey is with them until we get home. They’re meeting us there.
I’m nervous as hell as I help Em get dressed the second the nurse is out of the room. She’s going to get a wheelchair for us so we can leave now. There’s no way in hell we’re sticking around longer than we have to. That’s not why I’m nervous though. Today, Emersyn and I move into our home. The one I bought us.
Everyone in the club has moved the furniture and other things in while we’ve been here. There’s something they aren’t telling me, but I’ll find out soon enough. Emersyn will have plenty to do there because other than the furniture for our living room, Zoey’s room, and the master bedroom, I haven’t gotten anything else. Em can decorate and buy whatever else she wants for us to have a home together.
“You ready to go, angel?” I ask her, helping her sit on the edge of the bed.
“I’ve been ready. I want to go home and sleep in our bed with you by my side and Zoey in the same room with us,” she answers, looking in my eyes.
Leaning my head down, I brush my lips against hers and savor the feeling. For a while, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to kiss her again. If I’d feel her lips against mine or her body pressed against me. Now, I don’t have to worry about it. Jeremy won’t be a problem for us any longer. Yeah, there’re still outside threats, but I’ll die to protect this woman and our children. The same I’d do for any member in the club.
Pulling my lips from hers, I step back as the nurse brings the wheelchair in for us. I help Emersyn into it and the nurse pushes her out of the room. I’m carrying the flowers Mom and Dad haven’t taken before now as I keep pace with the nurse as she pushes the love of my life by my side.
We get in the elevator and make our way down to the first floor. When the doors open and let us out, I kiss her one more time and run ahead of her to get the SUV I borrowed from the club. Dad brought it over earlier with Mom because there’s no way she’ll be able to get in the truck right now. I’d bring her car, but it’s parked at the house waiting for us.