Ride or Die

by Marie, Kay

  We go to breakfast at a little diner near the hospital. Rascal and Buzz tag along too. Shade and I rush through breakfast.

  "What the fuck race are y'all runnin'?" Rascal laughs at us.

  "I'm in a hurry to get back to Buster," I say honestly.

  "Well, y'all go on ahead. We'll finish, pay, and meet you over there," he replies.

  "We'll see y'all over there." Shade climbs out of the booth.

  "Thanks, Rascal," I tell him as I stand. At the hospital, we go straight to the ICU rooms. As we're about to walk into Ryan's room, a nurse is walking out.

  "Hi! You must be Cali and Shade," the girl says to us. "I'm Jenna. Sammi told me everything when I came in this morning."

  "Nice to meet you. How's he doing today," I ask her.

  "He seems to be doing well. It's kind of a waiting game at this point," she tells me. "The doctor believes he could wake any moment. I recommend you talk to Buster a lot. He may not respond, but we believe he can hear us when we speak to him. Having loved ones talk to him could help encourage him to wake up."

  She smiles at us and moves aside so we can walk in.

  "Please let me know if you need anything or have any questions. I'll be here all day," she adds.

  "Thank you, Jenna." I walk into his room and sit in the same spot I sat last night. I hold his hand. Shade stands next to me.

  "Hey brother, we're back." A small smile forms on his face. "You'll have quite a few visitors throughout the day today, so get to waking yourself up."

  I turn on the TV for some background noise, making sure the volume is pretty low.

  "Look, babe. Avengers is on." I laugh. We both loved Marvel comics as kids. When the movies came out, we would always go watch them together.

  "I'll be right back," Shade says. He leaves the room for a few minutes.

  "Rascal and Buzz are on their way. I talked to Jenna and she's going to let us have four people in the room at once," he tells me when he comes back in. "That way, you and I don't have to leave, but everyone else can still come in and visit."

  "That's great!" Shade wasn't joking when he said there were going to be some visitors today. It seems like everyone from the clubhouse came to visit, making for a bit of an exhausting day.

  * * *

  Three, close to four, weeks later, Ryan still hasn't woken up. Today is Christmas Eve and Minx and Raze are the only ones at the hospital with us. Minx and I are sitting on either side of Ryan's bed while Raze and Shade are sitting off to the side talking about club stuff. I'm holding Ryan's hand like I do every day when he squeezes my hand, making me gasp.

  "What is it," Minx asks. I'm staring at our hands. "What happened?"

  "He squeezed my hand," I tell her. His eyes are fluttering open. He stares right at me. "Shade, go get Jenna."

  "Sólnyshka." His voice is hoarse. Tears are running down my cheeks.

  "Hi," I squeak out. The corner of his mouth turns up, giving me his sexy half-smirk. Jenna quickly enters the room.

  "Well, look who's awake," she says with a smile. Minx moves out of her way so she can check his vitals. The only time he takes his eyes off of me is when she needs to check his eyes. "Everything checks out well. I'll go get the doctor."

  "Come here." He pats the spot on the bed next to him.

  "I don't think that's allowed." I laugh.

  "I don't care," he says. I climb onto the bed next to him and he wraps his arm around me, pulling me close to his side.

  "Do you remember what happened," Shade asks him. He nods his head.

  "I remember everything," Ryan responds.

  37

  Buster

  When the doctor came in, everyone but Cali left the room. The doctor asked some questions and talked to us for a few minutes. He told me it was a miracle how well I was already recovering. As for eating solid foods and walking, we will be taking baby steps but he estimates I'll be here for, at most, another two weeks. After he leaves, Shade comes back in and Cali moves to get off the bed.

  "Where do you think you're going," I ask her.

  "I have to pee. Is that okay?"

  I smile at her sass. "Don't take too long," I tease. She sticks her tongue out at me right before she closes the bathroom door.

  "It's good to have you back, brother," Shade says to me. "Sammi, the nurse who called me, gave me this. Said it was in your pocket when you came into the hospital."

  He hands me a small black velvet box. Cali's ring.

  "Thank fuck. I thought it might have gotten lost," I say. My thoughts quickly move from one thing to the next. "Is the cartel still a threat?"

  "Yes and no. We'll talk about that later. Just focus on getting out of here for now."

  "Will you keep everyone out of here for a few minutes?" I whisper as the bathroom door opens again.

  "You got it. We'll go get y'all some good food." Shade winks and walks out of the room. Cali climbs back on the bed with me.

  "How are you," I ask her. She glances up at me and smiles.

  "Much better now that you're awake," she says. I put a hand on her stomach.

  "This is kind of out there, but are you pregnant?"

  "What? I . . . " She pauses. "I don't think so. Why?"

  "When I was asleep, in a coma, whatever, I had a dream you were," I explain. She doesn't answer right away. After a couple of minutes, she gasps.

  "Now that I think about it, I did miss a period," she tells me. "There's been so much going on and I've been so stressed out. I never even stopped to consider it."

  "So, you could be?" I grin.

  "I guess it's possible," she whispers.

  "Now could be a good time to give you this." I set the little box on her lap. She stares at it for a second before she picks it up. Her hands shaking as she opens it and gasps. Her eyes move from the ring to me, tears in her eyes and the biggest smile stretching across her face.

  "Are you . . . " she says but I cut her off.

  "Calina Orlov, will you marry me?"

  "Yes, yes, a million times yes!" she responds.

  * * *

  A week later, I'm being released from the hospital. I've recovered a lot better and quicker than they expected. I'm thankful to get the fuck out and go home. Minx brought Cali's car to us so we wouldn't have to have anyone take us home. Rascal and Raze, with Minx on the back, follow us back to the clubhouse. We pull in through the gate. As soon as we're both out of the car, I pull Cali to me, tip her chin up and kiss her.

  "What was that for," she asks.

  “Because I love you," I tell her. "And I'm so happy I get to keep you for the rest of our lives."

  "I love you too," she giggles. "Now, let's go see everyone."

  "Congratulations," everyone in the clubhouse shouts as we walk in. Cali and I stand there in shock. There's a huge sign on the wall that says 'Congrats on your engagement' and balloons everywhere. Minx and Rivet are both smiling so big their faces might split open. They're the first ones to run up to us, each one handing us a flute of champagne.

  "Wow! This is amazing. Thank you," Cali says with tears in her eyes. She gives me a look like she's asking if we should spill our other news. So I do.

  "Well, since we're already celebrating. We might as well tell you our other news." I pause, grabbing Cali's hand. "Cali's pregnant!"

  Minx, Rivet, Emma, and Wren simultaneously sequel and wrap Cali in a group hug.

  "How far along are you and why the hell didn't you tell me sooner!" Emma asks her.

  "We honestly just found out last night at the hospital," Cali tells her. "We were going to tell everyone today anyway."

  Minx moves over to me and gives me a hug.

  "I'm so happy for you, B. You two are perfect for each other and you're going to be great parents," she says to me. Raze walks up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

  "Congrats on both, brother," Raze says.

  "You two need to get caught up." I wink at him.

  "Working on it," he replies. Minx nudges him in the stomac
h. "Oomph."

  I shake my head at them, laughing. I turn to Cali and take the champagne out of her hand.

  "Let me get you something baby-friendly," I tell her, giving her a kiss on her forehead before I go to the bar.

  "Congrats, Buster, and welcome back," Tink says. "Sprite for the mama-to-be?"

  "Thanks, Tink, and yes, please."

  We spend the rest of the evening celebrating with our family. I've never been more thankful for this club than I am at this moment.

  Bull comes over to us. "We're glad to have you back, Buster," he says, shaking my hand.

  "I'm glad to be back, sir. Thank you for taking care of Cali even when y'all thought I was dead."

  "That's what we do for family," he says and goes on his way. We head to our room well before midnight, both of us exhausted.

  "Sólnyshka," I say to her, pulling her close to me. "That has even more meaning to me now."

  "Why is that?"

  "In the dark, it was you who brought me light. Everything I thought about or dreamed about was always related to you. You pulled me out of the dark," I tell her. "I will spend the rest of our lives showing you how grateful I am for your love."

  38

  Buster

  It's the first Saturday in March and the weather is actually cooperating. It's in the mid-seventies, sunny with a few clouds floating around. It's the perfect weather for a wedding. Both my family and Cali’s family are here as well as the Riders from Arizona and our new friends from New Orleans. Gunner, our treasurer, is ordained, so he will be performing the ceremony for us. It will be a quick ceremony and a whole night of partying. Well, as much as Cali can handle being four months pregnant.

  Cali and I will only have one person standing with each of us today. Her maid of honor, Emma, and my best man, Shade. So Shade, Clutch, Diesel, and I are borrowing Bull's office for a moment of bro time before the festivities start.

  "I wanted to tell you how appreciative I am for the three of you. We have been through a lot of shit together and I thank you for trusting me as much as you have," I tell them. "I've said it before, but thank you immensely for taken care of Cali while I was away. I’m not sure how I’ll ever show y’all my gratitude."

  "Just keep being the awesome leader that you are, bro," Diesel says.

  "I second that," Shade adds.

  "Third that," Clutch says. I smile and shake my head. Diesel pours shots of Jameson, handing one to each of us.

  "Here's to the next chapter of your life," he says. We all clink our glasses together and throw them back.

  "Damn, that's good shit! Now, let's go so you can marry your girl," Shade says to me.

  My cheeks hurt from smiling so much as I watch Cali walk down the aisle toward me. She’s breathtaking. Her smile is as big as mine feels. The ceremony flies by.

  “You may now kiss the bride,” Gunner tells me. I grin at Cali before dipping her backward and kissing her. Our friends and family all cheer. When I stand her back up, her cheeks are deep pink.

  “It is my honor to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Brewer,” Gunner announces. Everyone breaks out in cheers again.

  After dinner is served, Cali and I have our first dance. We dance to In Case You Didn’t Know by Brett Young. I hold her close and sing in her ear. After our song is over, everyone comes out to the dance floor. Cali and I manage to sneak back to our table to eat some food.

  “Finally!” my little sister Ellie says as she walks over to us. “I’m so glad I can call you my sister now!”

  Cali jumps up and squeezes her in a hug.

  “I’ve only been waiting forever to be able to,” Ellie adds.

  “Elise,” I warn and Cali laughs.

  “Oh, leave her alone,” Cali says to me before turning back to Ellie. “I totally get it. Growing up with two older brothers will do that to you.”

  As soon as Ellie leaves us, someone else is right there talking to us. It makes it hard to eat when people won’t quit coming over to us. Once we finally finish eating, we get pulled out onto the dance floor. I try to keep an eye on Cali, but we get pulled in different directions.

  39

  Cali

  Today was more perfect than I could have imagined. Minx and the girls decorated the backyard of the clubhouse beautifully. They hung strings of fairy lights and lanterns in the giant tree we were married under. The guys all strung up lights over the tables and chairs for the reception. It was gorgeous. Everything came together nicely for taking less than two months to plan. Having both of our families here to celebrate was the icing on the cake.

  As soon as we were finished eating, we got pulled onto the dance floor. Minx and Emma grabbed me as soon as they were able to get their hands on me. While Ryan’s mom and Ellie take him.

  “So, when do we get to find out what this beautiful baby is,” Minx asks.

  “We’re going to do a gender reveal,” I tell them and they both squeal with joy.

  “Can we plan it? Please?” Emma begs.

  “Of course,” I laugh. “That would actually be super helpful.”

  “It can be a gender reveal combined with a baby shower,” Minx suggests.

  “Yes! That would be perfect!” Emma agrees with her. I’ll add it to the list of things I won’t have to stress about and for that, I am thankful. The two of them are brainstorming ideas. I try to sneak away while I can and bump right into Shade.

  “Oh, sorry,” I chuckle.

  “It’s alright. I was actually coming to ask you to dance,” he replies with a smile. He takes my hand and I place the other on his shoulder. “I’m happy the two of you found your way back to each other. You’re good for him.”

  “Thank you, Shade. I appreciate it.” I pause and he twirls me. "Buster might get upset with me for this, but I can't keep it in anymore."

  “What's up,” he asks.

  “We would like for you to be our baby’s Godfather.” My cheeks heat up.

  “I would be honored.”

  “She fucking told you without me, didn’t she,” Ryan asks as he walks over to us. Shade laughs.

  “I couldn’t help it,” I tell Ryan. He shakes his head, smiling at me.

  “You two are perfect for each other.” Shade laughs again, moving out of the way so Buster can cut in. “Congratulations again. Love you both.”

  “You can’t keep a secret, can you?” Ryan says as Shade walks away.

  “Nope, I guess not.” I giggle. Ryan leans down and kisses me. He gets on his knees, holds my growing belly on either side and talks to our baby.

  “I love you and your crazy mom. You’re going to be the most well-loved and spoiled child ever.” He kisses my belly and stands, pulling me closer to him. “This is going to be our greatest adventure together.”

  “I agree.” I smile so much my cheeks might split open and a tear falls down my face. I’ve never felt so much joy as I have today. I can’t wait for our next chapter.

  Epilogue

  Shade

  Today has been surreal. Standing beside my best friend, my brother, as he married the girl of his dreams was an honor. When we lived in Arizona, none of us ever pictured this moment for ourselves. Hell, I still don’t, but seeing Buster and Cali together makes me want to consider sticking with one girl and not whore around anymore. That is if I could find the right woman for myself. I won’t hold my breath. I don’t have the best track record when it comes to dating.

  As I’m searching for the Riders, I find my sister sitting at a table by herself. I stop and sit with her.

  “What’s up with you,” I ask her. She shrugs.

  “Nothing.” She deadpans.

  I stare at her while she makes it a point not to look at me. “Come on, sis. Talk to me.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” Wren says.

  “Fine, but you can talk to me right?”

  “Yeah, I know,” she replies with an eye roll.

  I stand. “I love you, Wren.”

  She sighs. Damn it, she’s exhaustin
g. “Love you, too.”

  Something is going on with her and I fucking hate she won’t talk to me about it. I’m not gonna force it out of her. I find the Riders hanging out closer to the clubhouse.

  “Is everything okay with Wren,” Smokey asks me. Dude has always had a thing for my sister but she’s never been into him.

  “I don’t fucking know. She won’t talk to me,” I reply.

  “So what’s on the agenda for the rest of the night,” Maverick asks, changing the subject. I’ll have to thank him later. “Y’all got any tire biters?”

  “Yeah, but Minx banned them from the clubhouse for tonight,” I tell him.

  “Let’s take them to Bluez Lounge,” Clutch suggests. Our Arizona brothers head back home first thing Monday morning. We had planned to take them out tonight all along. I knew Buster and Cali wouldn’t be awake too late. The more pregnant she gets, the more tired she is.

  “I’ve heard good things about it, but I’ve never been,” I say.

  “Well, let’s check it out!” Maverick replies. “As long as there are some hot chicks there, I’ll be good.”

  Leave it to Maverick to always be searching for ass. He’s worse than me. I’m not in the mood to go out, but I go anyway.

  What I wasn’t aware of then was how great of a decision it actually was.

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