I called Brooke but got no answer. I called Hammer, and he told me he hadn't heard from her. I called Maria, and she bitched me out. Marnie was in the hospital! Of course, I jumped in my Jag and drove right over. I couldn't be bothered to wait for Tony to drive me. I didn't even think about the dangers of someone shooting me down in cold blood; all I could think about was getting my wife.
Right now, I'm terrified that I'll never see Marnie again. I have an awful feeling in my gut that something is so very wrong. I'm running through the hospital corridor toward the people waiting for me. Maria, Jett, Brooke, and Hawk. My baby girl is in Maria's arm's crying her little heart out. It kills me to see her like that. The second Lydia's eyes clock me, she's off my sister's lap and running toward me. I scoop her up and hold her to me tightly.
“Mommy's sick, Daddy!” She wails in my ear. My eyes close for a second. I can't believe I let myself get so fucking wrapped up in shit that means nothing right now. I should have been there for Marnie. I know how important the next month or so is for her, she's heavily pregnant, and I let work get in the way of my family.
Brooke is crying in Hawk's arms. I'm assuming her kids are with Hawk's parents because I don't see them anywhere. I don't see Jessica either.
“Where's Amber?” I can see my little girl anywhere.
“She's with my parents. She's safe. I promise.” I nod at Hawk. It’s all I can do. “Lydia refused to stay with them. She was so upset that Jett brought her with him.” I hold my daughter closer to me. I can't imagine how frightened she is right now.
Maria gets out of her seat, and I wrap my arm around her while holding onto Lydia. She's clinging to me so tightly right now she's almost choking me.
“I tried to call you.”
“I had no signal. I got no calls from anyone,” I tell Maria. It's not a lie, I was underground all evening, and I couldn't get a signal. I didn't even think to check my phone when I got out of there. First time in years that I didn't and this happened. What are the fucking odds? “What happened?”
It's Jett who tells me, “Lydia called me a couple hours ago. She said that Marnie had been sick, that she was burning up, and that she needed a bandaid. I thought maybe she'd cut herself and needed help.” My sister turns in his arms, and I wrap both of mine around my daughter. “I went over there and found Marnie passed out on the bed. She was way too hot, and she was bleeding.”
“Bleeding where?”
“In a place, she shouldn't've been bleeding from.” Shit! “I called Hawk to come get the kids, and I got Marnie to the hospital as fast as I could. As soon as we got here, they took her from me, but they've told us nothing since.”
I don't answer him, I turn and walk away. No one tries to stop me – not that they'd have succeeded – I need to find a damn doctor. Don't they fucking know who Marnie is? Every fucker in this town knows she's my wife! I am Draven Vidal for fuck's sake!
I reach the nurses’ station. Little blonde thing behind the desk's eyes widen. Yeah, she knows who I am all right. There's not a person in Tennessee that doesn't know my name!
“Mr. Vidal,”
“My wife. I want to know how she is, and now!”
“Yes, sir. I'll just go find a doctor who can speak with you.”
“Hurry up!” I snap at her. I'm aware that none of this is her fault, but I want to know what the hell is going right now! My fucking heart is in my throat!
Lydia flinches in my arms. “It's okay, princess.” I rub her back. I can't imagine how scared she's been. I'll never forgive myself for this! I'm only grateful that Amber has slept through all of this and doesn't know what's going on right now.
She looks up at me, her little brown eyes filled with tears. “Is Mommy going to die?”
“No, baby girl. Mommy is going to be just fine.” I clasp the back of her head, bringing it against my shoulder. I have no idea if Marnie is going to be okay, but I can't let the little girl she lives for believe anything but. “Everything will be just fine.”
“Mr. Vidal?” I swing around to face the man standing next to me. He doesn't look to be all that old — just a fucking kid. However, his tag definitely says that he's a doctor. Dr. Rawlings.
“Yes, that's me. How's my wife?” I can't describe how fucking sick I feel right now. I have never felt this kind of fear in my life. If I lost Marnie, I don't know how I'd go on.
“Would you like to go somewhere more private?” He's referring to the fact Maria and the rest of them are now standing to the side of me.
“Just fuckin' tell me!” I yell, but Lydia whimpers. I shush her while stroking the back of her head. “Do you have any idea who I am?” I ask him.
“Y-yes, Mr. Vidal.” He's visibly afraid. He should be right now. One wrong word and I'll end him. No matter what the fuck happens, even though it won't be his fault, I'll kill him in the worst way if Marnie doesn't come back to me.
“This is my daughter.” I tip my head to Lydia. She has her face buried in my neck. “Her mother is in your care. She's frightened. Cause me to raise my voice and frighten her again, and I'll rip your throat out!” He visibly swallows hard. I see his Adam’s apple bob. “Now, get to the damn point and tell me what the hell is going on with my wife.”
“Yes. Yes, of course. Well,” He swallows again. “Mrs. Vidal seems to have contracted an infection,”
“What kind of infection?”
“In her bloodstream.”
“Is it serious?”
“It's treatable.” Good. Good. “There's something else. I don't want to ask this, but I have to, it could save her life.” Save her life? Fuck, this is bad, I know it is. “Mrs. Vidal,”
That's right, motherfucker, show the damn respect my wife deserves.
No one refers to my wife as anything but “Mrs. Vidal,” out of respect. Only those closest to us call either of us by our given names.
“She has a mark on her upper arm that would suggest she'd been given an injection of some kind. Do you know if she's had any shots of late?”
“No,” Shots? Her doctor hasn't given her any shots; she doesn't need them, Marnie is very healthy. “Shot of what, exactly?”
“Well, we've run some tests, and it seems your wife was given a shot to...” He stops and rakes his fingers through his hair for a second before continuing. “To end her pregnancy.” No! There is no fucking way in this world!
“That's bullshit!” Brooke yells, and I just pull my daughter closer to my body. She's fallen asleep in my arms, but I need to cling to something right now. This cannot be real. “Marnie would die for that baby! There is no way she would do anything to harm it.”
“We're just checking her records as we speak. However, if Mrs. Vidal didn't do this willingly...”
“She didn't!”
“Brooke, calm down.” Hawk hushes her.
“Then we need to look at who could've done this to her.”
“In your honest opinion as a doctor,” I say, “Do you think my wife did this?”
“No,” I knew that, but I had to ask. “No doctor would've performed anything like this either. For a start, it is illegal to do so at this late stage in pregnancy, and highly unethical to send the mother home to birth the baby alone. It's dangerous beyond words. In my opinion, someone did this to Mrs. Vidal, probably without her even noticing. It seems she contracted the infection because of said injection, and the fact her body has been fighting the effects of the drug.”
“How could that happen?” I ask. I don't understand, I've made sure Marnie has been well protected. No one from the outside has been near her, so that means it can only have been someone who close to us or someone who works for me.
“If someone bumped into her?” The doctor shrugs.
My blood runs cold. Fuck it all! I can't say a person wouldn't've done this to get at me. I'm Draven fucking Vidal! Boss of the Vidal Crime Famiglia! Anything to get to me, people will do. I'll find the cunt that did this, and I will end them in the worst way imaginable! And that is a promise!
I ne
ed to speak to Tom. I want to know what Marnie did today. I also want to know where the fuck he's been when he should have been with my wife! I've known Tom for a long time, but I won't rule out that he could have done this. For his sake, I hope it isn't true.
“Mrs. Vidal is very sick right now. We had to perform an emergency C-section. I'm afraid we had no choice. The placenta came away, and the baby was starved of oxygen.”
The wailing coming from behind me, my sister and Marnie's, is too much, I can't bear it.
“The baby?” I swallow hard. If anybody wanted to bring me to my knees all they have to do is hurt my family. They have, and I'm finding it hard to stay on my feet. If it weren't for the little girl in my arms, I wouldn't be.
“Your son's were delivered safely.”
My sons?
Delivered safely?
My sons!
“Twins?” I swallow hard. We weren't told that we were expecting twins!
He nods.
I'm floored.
This is Marnie's second set of same-sex twins.
Jesus!
“Identical.” Identical? I have no idea what the fuck to say. “I take it you weren't expecting that?”
I shake my head again. “No one mentioned it at the ultrasounds.”
“It's not unusual. Happens more often than you'd believe. One hides behind the other.”
“Yes, my wife has been through this once before.”
“Yes.” He's looking at Lydia. Everyone knows Marnie, and I have twin daughters. Everyone knows Amber has Down Syndrome and Lydia doesn't. I'm not ashamed of Amber, and I won't hide her away from the damn world because of the problems she faces. Many Don's would hide a child with disabilities away from the world out of shame. That will never be me because Amber is perfect in my eyes, just as Lydia is, and she always will be.
“Will they be okay?” I can't bear the thought of losing them, of losing Marine. I don't know how the hell I'm even holding myself together right now. I will, however, for my wife and children. I have to.
Jesus, I have twin daughters and twin sons. Son's I never believed I'd have! I need them to survive. I need Marnie and the twins to survive. They can't leave the girls and me alone. I feel so very fucking weak right now, and I can't be weak. I have to show the world nothing can break Don Vidal, but the truth is, this is the only thing that could break me.
“They were taken straight to the NICU, where they'll be for a while, I'm afraid. Both babies are extremely small, and cannot breathe unaided.”
Fuck, my heart is fucking breaking! Who the fuck would do this?
“And my wife?”
“She's going to be ill for a while. We're hopeful that she will recover from this, but we can't be sure of the extent of the damage caused to her uterus just yet. As I said, Mrs.Vidal has an infection in her bloodstream, so she's been given a blood transfusion to help. We'll be bringing her out of recovery shortly. You'll be able to see her then.”
“Thank you,” I wave my hand, dismissing him. He scurries off in a hurry.
I hand a now sleeping Lydia to Brooke. I need some air. I have calls to make; I want men outside this damn hospital 24/7 while Marnie is here. I want men outside my sons' room, and my wife's, bikers, mob, I don't give a flying fuck! No one is getting inside this hospital without me knowing about it. Every fucker that comes through is getting checked for weapon's, anyone looking off will be trailed and dealt with.
“Draven,” I turn slightly only to be crushed by my brother. Fuck, he's enormous! I haven't had time to blink, and his arms are around me, crushing me to his big body.
He's younger than me by a couple years, and I'm not a man to show my emotions, but right now, I need this. I need my brother’s strength because I finally understand how he must've felt when his wife was almost killed. It fucking hurts too much, so much that it's hard to breathe.
“It's all right, brother, I'm here. Lean on me. Everything's gonna be all right.”
I clutch the back of his cut, my lips to his ear. “I want who did this found, Sam. Help me find them. Then help me end them.”
“Always.”
* * *
A nurse leads my brother and me to the NICU where my sons are. I have a sick churning in my stomach that just won't end. It's been that way since I was told Marnie was here.
There are but a few things in this life that could reduce me to tears. This moment right here, seeing my son's in, side by side incubators, lines, and tubes in their tiny little bodies, small breathing masks over their faces, this is where I cry. This is a moment I just can't stop the tears and sobs.
Hammer clasps my shoulder, showing me that he's here for me, that he won't be going anywhere right now. I draw comfort from that. I'm not a weak man, but I challenge the hardest bastard out there not to crumble at a sight like this: two tiny boys, the smallest I have ever seen, struggling to stay alive.
Only someone with a complete emotional detachment disorder would feel nothing right now. Even then I challenge them to stand here and not feel their heart break a little.
The nurse explains what all the machinery is for and how it's helping keep my son's alive. She then leads me over to them and explains who's who.
“The one on the left,” She points to the bigger of the two. Not that he's much bigger, but I can tell he's the one I've seen on the screen at Marnie's appointments. He's the one I've been talking to each night before I fall asleep, and I wonder if he'll recognize my voice. “He was born first. 3Lb 7oz, which is a little small for his gestation, but not drastically.”
I can't take my eyes off him, he's beautiful, even if he is wrinkled up like a little prune. He's my boy, mine and Marnie's, our little Luka. That's the name we decided on for our son.
“Luka,” I tell her. “His name is Luka.”
“Suits him.” My brother tells me while squeezing my shoulder.
“And this little man,” We turn and follow the nurses hand. “He weighs a little less than his big brother, just 2Lb 8oz.” Shit, that's small. “Do you have a name for him too?”
“Not yet.” Marnie and I didn't pick any other names that we liked. We agreed on Luka, the only child we were expecting. I won't choose a name without my wife. I'll just have to wait until she's awake for that. “Once his mother is awake, we'll choose.”
The nurse nods with a kind smile. “Dr. Ramone would like to place both boys in the same larger incubator in a few days. He'd just like to stabilize them.”
“Put them together?”
“Yes,” She nods. “You'd be surprised how much it helps premature twins. They've been together inside their mother’s womb for over seven months. As they haven't grown as most babies would by that stage in pregnancy, they're going to be here for a while. Being together will help them bond, make them stronger.”
That's all I need to hear. Whatever makes them stronger so that they can come home, I'm on board with.
I press a kiss to the fingers on each of my hands and then press them against the plastic of their incubators, “Daddy loves you.” I tell them before walking out of there and making my way to Marnie's room. I haven't seen her yet. I need to see her.
I tell Hammer to wait outside with everyone else who seems to have congregated while I walk into Marnie's room. She looks peaceful like she's simply sleeping, yet she's so pale, she looks almost dead. If it weren't for the heart monitor beeping away, I'd think she was.
I take a seat in the high back chair beside her bed. I take Marnie’s hand in mine and bring it to my lips, pressing a hard kiss to her knuckles. “We have two boys, Marnie. Can you believe that? You're the mother of four. Two sets of twins. No one can ever say you do things by halves.” I chuckle. “Twin boys, Marnie, and they're so beautiful. Luka and, I don't know.” I chuckle. “We didn't plan on a second child. I don't want to name him without you. It wouldn't be right.”
She doesn't even flinch. She just lies there as still as a dead body.
“You have to come back to me, Marnie. I need to know w
ho did this to you. I swear to God, I'm gonna kill them. They won't get away with what they've done to you; believe me.” I lay my head on her hand.
God, what if she doesn't wake up? She can't leave me here alone without her. I waited all my life to find her. Marnie has brought so much love into my life, so much light to my darkness. She's given me four beautiful children to share my life with, and if I lose Marnie, I don't know how I'll go on.
“Don't leave me, baby. Please. I need you.” A hand on my shoulder tells me that I'm not alone. I don't need to look up to see who it is; I can sense it. I'd know her delicate little hand anywhere.
With my free hand, I reach back and take Maria's. I hate showing weakness in front of her, but only a man with a stone heart would be able to do anything but right now. The truth is, if she were anyone else, I'd put on the hard face and show them all how strong I am, just as I always have. With my brother and sister, I don't need to be that man.
“She will wake up, Dray. Marnie is not leaving you; she's just resting.”
“What if she doesn't, Maria? What the hell do I do then?”
“She will, Draven, she just needs a little time to rest. While she's resting her tired body, you're going to find the piece of shit that did this, and you're going to end them. Do you hear me?” There's so much venom in her voice that I can't help but look at her. She sounded so much like our mother right then. I've never heard Maria like this. “Make them pay, Draven. Make them pay in the worst way.”
Oh, I will, little sister. There is no doubt about that.
Chapter Thirty
Draven
It's been a hellish three weeks. My wife still hasn't woken up, and the doctors are worried. Marnie should have woken a few short hours after the operation. She didn't. They told me that she'd slipped into a deep coma due to what she'd been through. Her body went into shock, and the doctors are fighting hard to keep her alive.
How did it come to this?
One injection could cost Marnie her life. I've been a bad man in the past, I've done terrible things, but do I really deserve to lose the only woman I have ever loved?
Vidal!: Snakes Henchmen MC Page 28