by Harley Wylde
“But I can check on her? Maybe she can hear me, and I can at least let her know she isn’t alone,” I said. I turned my smile up a notch and leaned in a little closer. My muscles flexed, drawing her attention to my biceps. When she licked her lips, I knew she’d give me whatever I wanted, even a little consoling in the nearest bathroom if that was my wish.
“I’m sure a short visit can be arranged. She’s in recovery right now, but they’ll be placing her in ICU once a bed is available. The elevators are around the corner and at the end of the hall. Go to the fourth floor and follow the signs to ICU. They’ll have visiting hours posted.”
“Thank you,” I said, giving her a little wink that had her sighing.
I pushed away from the counter and made my way to the elevator. The stomp of boots behind me told me I wasn’t alone, and it was likely Flicker. I had no doubt he’d want to keep an eye on me, but fuck if I was leaving this place until I’d seen Laken. Even if she couldn’t talk to me, I needed to see that she was okay.
The elevator opened, and Flicker stepped inside with me. The glare he was giving me would have made a weaker man cower, but I just lifted my eyebrows and stared back. I was Trent Storme’s son. He didn’t really think I was going to crumble, did he? Even if I hadn’t had Storme blood in my veins, I was a motherfucking Marine. I’d faced insurgents, been tortured, had more bullet holes put in me than I’d like to admit… one pissy biker wasn’t going to keep me away from Laken, even if he was her brother.
We got off on the fourth floor, and I followed the signs to ICU. The hours were posted just like the nurse had said, and it looked like we had a while until they’d let us see her. If she even made it into a room by then. I knew hospitals could move really fucking slow unless someone was literally dying. And even then I didn’t have the utmost faith in them. Anyone who worked as many hours as medical staff, usually without much of a break or sleep, was bound to make a mistake here and there. It was just part of being human. We needed rest, and doctors and nurses didn’t seem to get a lot of it.
I claimed a seat in the ICU waiting area and watched the TV mounted in the corner of the room. Flicker sat beside me, his presence dark and menacing. Or at least, it was to anyone else in the room. My lips twitched in a smile as two people got up and moved quite a ways off from us. The leather cuts would have been enough to do it, but Flicker’s current scowl was sure to make people run. He looked rather ferocious, and I could almost picture him scaring off any men who had looked Laken’s way. No wonder she’d still been a damn virgin. I was grateful, though. It meant she was mine and mine alone.
Fuck. I ran a hand through my hair. Yeah, I was seriously thinking about keeping her. Even if there wasn’t a baby, I’d still want her. There was just something about her, something different. She was a wildcat in the bedroom, but there was an innocence to her, and a sweetness that I didn’t often experience.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Flicker asked.
“Waiting to see Laken.”
“What do you care? It’s your fault she’s here to begin with. The way you turned on her, accused her of using you? That was fucked-up.”
I winced. Yeah, it hadn’t been one of my finer moments. “In my experience women fall into two categories. Easy, fun pussy. Or manipulative bitches. She wouldn’t have been the first woman to try to sleep her way into a high-ranking spot with my dad’s club. Women have been trying it since I turned sixteen.”
“How could you have spent any time with Laken and have thought she’d be like that? She was sweet, innocent… until you got your filthy hands on her. Laken is the kindest person I’ve ever known.” Flicker narrowed his eyes at me. “You should be damn thankful she even gave you the time of day. Instead of bitching about how she tried to trap you, you should have been kissing the ground she fucking walks on.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Look, I know I didn’t handle things well, and I’m sorry. But what would you think if you were in my position? If some woman you’d hooked up with a few times, one who had insisted you not use a condom, had said she was pregnant, wouldn’t you wonder if she’d done it on purpose? Not to mention she never, not once, mentioned that she was connected to the Dixie Reapers. I’d have backed the fuck off if she’d said something.” Well, maybe. She’d been so fucking hot, I might not have been able to resist even knowing her brother was an officer in the club I was checking out.
I could see some of the tension ease from Flicker and he sighed as he looked away. When his gaze swung back toward me, I could see that he understood exactly what I’d been thinking and feeling.
“Yeah, I guess I might have wondered,” Flicker said. “She really did that?”
“I shouldn’t have listened to her, but…” I shrugged.
I wasn’t going to tell him I couldn’t walk away from the temptation of his sister’s wet pussy. That wouldn’t go over well. He’d heard enough from my first day at the clubhouse, and now that I knew I’d been running my mouth not only about his sister, but the mother of my baby… I felt really damn small. Talking shit about women had never been a problem before, but this one wasn’t just some random fuck. Not that I’d realized that at the time. I should have, though. From the very beginning, Laken had been different from the others. Well, maybe not the very beginning, but once I realized I was her first… That had changed things. Maybe it had even changed me a little.
“Are you going to take my sister away?” Flicker asked.
Was I? I’d thought about taking her with me, but what if she didn’t want to go? She had family here. Not just Flicker, but all of the Dixie Reapers. Could I ask her to walk away from that? I didn’t owe my dad shit, so it wasn’t like I had to return to the Hades Abyss. Yeah, I’d done him this favor, but only because he’d seldom asked for one. I was patched in, but I hadn’t spent much time there over the last twenty years. Going Nomad wouldn’t really be an issue, not for me anyway. I didn’t think it would really matter if I ever returned. It wasn’t like my dad didn’t have a VP who could take over if the unstoppable Trent Storme ever decided to step down. Not fucking likely unless a bullet stopped him, but stranger things had happened. Like me being a fucking dad. I was still wrapping my head around that one.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I’d thought about it, but I don’t know what she wants.”
Flicker smiled a little. “As long as you’re thinking about her and not you, then we aren’t going to have any problems. I have to admit, you taking her back to Hades Abyss sucks, though. She’s been part of my life for so long now. I don’t want her to go anywhere.”
“I kind of figured that part out when she told me that her big brother chased everyone off.”
Flicker chuckled. “Yeah, I’d have kept her a virgin until she was thirty if I had my way. Guess I wasn’t ready for her to grow up. And my baby sister is having a baby. Not sure how I feel about that yet.”
I snorted. “You’ll be Uncle Flicker. If we stay here, I hope you plan to babysit at least once a week.”
“You treat my sister right, and I’ll make sure you have time to romance her. She deserves all that shit, you know? Flowers, nice dinners, all that crap women seem to like in the movies.”
“I can do that.” At least, I thought I could. I’d honestly never tried to romance a woman before. But Flicker was right. Laken deserved all that shit, and more.
“I won’t stop you from seeing my sister,” Flicker said. “But when visiting hours are over, maybe you need to go figure out a few things. She’ll want answers you may not have. I don’t want her stressed out more than she needs to be.”
He wasn’t wrong. I did need to figure some shit out. First, I’d check on Laken. Then I’d call my old man and see what he thought about all this. I had a feeling he was going to be thrilled about being a grandpa. The man turned into a teddy bear whenever a kid was nearby, and he’d probably figured I’d never claim a woman for more than a night. I had no doubt I’d first get a safe sex lecture, because even at th
irty-eight there were times my dad thought I was some smartass teen, and then he’d grill me about Laken.
That wasn’t a call I was looking forward to. At all.
Chapter Six
Laken
Two weeks later
My eyes felt like they were weighed down by sandbags. I struggled to open them and wondered how long I’d been asleep. My fingers twitched, but the rest of my body wouldn’t respond. Everything ached, especially my head and my ribs. I tried to shift and wanted to scream at the agony that shot through me, but what came out sounded more like a moan.
“Laken?”
That voice. I knew that voice. Didn’t I? I struggled harder, trying to wake up, to move. Things slowly came to me. Like the scent of antiseptic and the hard bed underneath me. My fingers twitched again, and I fought harder to open my eyes. To do something. Anything. Why wouldn’t my body listen to me? Had something happened? Was I paralyzed? Panic filled me.
“Laken, sugar. Can you open your eyes for me?”
Sugar? I calmed a little. Only one person had ever called me that. I tried to smile and failed. Ryker.
“Come on, babe. Show me those pretty eyes.”
I felt his rough hand take mine, his thumb brushing over my fingers. As if I needed more encouragement to open my eyes than just knowing he was here. A warmth filled me, just hearing his voice, but there was something that didn’t feel right. A voice in the back of my mind was pushing me, trying to get me to remember something. But what? And where the hell was I?
It took more energy than I had to finally open my eyes, and I quickly closed them again as the bright light pierced them. Wherever I was, that had been as painful as looking at the sun.
“Shit,” Ryker muttered. He released my hand and I heard him walk across the room, then I heard the flick of a switch. “Try again, sugar. I turned off the lights for you.”
I struggled but managed to open my eyes once more. It took me a minute to focus, then I realized I was in the hospital. Why was I here? And why did I hurt so much? My head throbbed as I fought to remember what had happened to me, my brain almost feeling like it had spikes being driven into it. How could I remember Ryker, but not remember why I was here? What the hell was wrong with me?
“Easy, baby,” he murmured, taking my hand once more. “You’ve been in a coma for the last two weeks. Take your time and don’t force yourself to do too much too soon.”
I licked my lips, my mouth dry as cotton, and he picked up a cup from a nearby table. He held a piece of ice up to my lips and I gratefully took it. It soothed my throat, and I moaned a little at how good it felt. When it had melted, I opened my mouth for another. After I’d had three, Ryker set the cup back down.
“Not too much, sugar,” he said. “I need to let someone know you’re awake.”
He pushed the call button on my bed, and a few minutes later a nurse bustled into the room. She smiled widely when she saw I was awake and came closer.
“It’s good to see you up,” the nurse said. “This guy has been so worried about you, and so has that hunky brother of yours.”
The way her eyes lit up when she mentioned my brother, I could tell she was smitten with Flicker, but then, most women were. He’d been compared to a Viking more times than I could count, and every female he spoke to nearly fell at his feet, just hoping he’d take her home. It had always amused me to watch them make fools of themselves over Flicker. Maybe if they knew he left the seat up, had dirty clothes piled all over his room, and barely knew how to boil water, they might not be so impressed. Not that I’d rat him out.
“She hasn’t spoken yet,” Ryker said, sounding a little worried.
“She will,” the nurse said. “Just give her a little time. I’m going to check your vital signs, Laken, and then I’ll page your doctor to let him know you’re awake.”
I barely paid any attention to the nurse as she did her thing, my gaze focused on Ryker. He was tense and watched the nurse like a hawk. How long had he been here? He’d said I’d been in a coma for two weeks, but why? I still didn’t remember anything that had led up to me being here, and it worried me. Was there something wrong with my brain? Was that why I’d been in a coma? What if it wasn’t reversible? Would I always have pieces missing of my memories? What if I couldn’t speak because of some sort of brain damage?
The nurse squeezed my hand. “Your blood pressure is a little high. Try to calm down, sweetie. You’re in good hands here, and I’ll let your doctor explain everything to you.”
I took a deep breath and tried to do as she said. When she left the room, Ryker sat in the chair by my bed again, and took my hand once more. His touch comforted me, and I slowly started to calm down again. I tried to squeeze his hand, but I felt so damn weak.
“You have a lot of people scared and worried about you,” he said. “They tried to kick me out, but I refused to leave. Security came, took one look at me, and turned right back around.”
I smiled a little at that. I could imagine that happening. Ryker was well over six feet of pure muscle, and I doubted any security guards were going to scare him into leaving. I wasn’t even sure the police could get him to budge unless a small army of them came in and took him by force.
“Were you going to tell me?” he asked softly. “About the baby?”
My vision darkened for a minute as my brain throbbed. The word baby triggered something, something I wasn’t sure I wanted to remember. Pain, sharp and unrelenting, hit me, and had I been standing, I’d have collapsed. It was suddenly like a dam broke, and I was flooded with memories, ones that I didn’t want. Ryker yelling at me, accusing me of getting pregnant on purpose, then me running. I gasped as I remembered the car hitting me, and then everything going dark as Flicker leaned over me.
I stared at him, not sure how I felt. He was here, and that had to mean something, but he’d been so angry, so accusatory. My hand trembled in his, and I felt my eyes tear up. He hadn’t wanted me, hadn’t even let me explain anything. He’d been furious, had lashed out at me. That he’d thought for one moment I’d gotten close to him for any reason other than I had found him attractive proved that he knew nothing about me, and had likely never cared at me at all. I’d figured I was just a one-night stand to him, with an encore, but the way he’d spoken to me only proved that was true. No one who cared about me could have said those things, could have thought for one minute I was underhanded and sneaky enough to try something like that.
“Hey,” he said, his voice softening. “It’s okay, Laken. You’re okay.”
“Baby,” I said, my voice scratchy and sounding like it hadn’t been used in forever.
“Yeah, we’re going to have a baby. I’m so sorry, Laken. I’m sorry I yelled at you, that I didn’t let you explain. I know you’re different from anyone I’ve ever met before, but in that moment, all I could think about were the women who wanted to trap me, those who just wanted to be connected to someone of consequence with Hades Abyss, or had wanted a military husband. I should have never compared you to them, but I did. When I realized you were part of the Dixie Reapers, even lived there with them, I guess something inside me snapped.”
I didn’t know what to think of what he was saying. He looked contrite, like he meant the words he was saying now, but could I believe him? My heart ached as I remember the look in his eyes as he’d spoken to me on the sidewalk, the look he’d had when he realized Flicker was my brother, that I was related to a Dixie Reaper. He’d looked betrayed, and I never would have done that to him. Even though we hadn’t spent much time together, I’d given him a piece of my heart during those encounters, and I’d wanted more from him.
“Laken, I didn’t mean any of those things,” he said. “That day, on the sidewalk… I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I can never say I’m sorry enough times. Before any of that happened, I’d thought of taking you with me when I leave. I wanted you. Still want you. And I want this baby.”
Pain spiked in my head, and I whimpered as my eyes slid shut. The pa
in went on and on, and I heard the machines start going nuts. There was shouting, but I couldn’t focus on any of it. Agony rolled over me in waves, making it hard to breathe. I gasped, and my body jerked as I fought against everything I was feeling. The voices grew louder and after a few minutes, the pain began to dull, and I felt sleep pulling me under again. I succumbed to the darkness, welcoming it and the relief it brought to me. The next time I opened my eyes, it was darker outside my window, and it wasn’t Ryker sitting with me but my brother.
Flicker smiled, looking tired and haggard.
“Hey, baby girl.”
“Ryker,” I croaked.
“They asked him to leave. Said it wasn’t good for you or the baby if he was going to upset you.” He bit his lip. “Actually, they kind of threw him out. It took three security guys and some off-duty cops who were here visiting someone to manhandle him out of her room and escort him from the hospital. He’s no longer allowed in the ICU, not even the waiting room.”
Was that what had happened? I must have looked confused because Flicker moved a little closer.
“They said that Ryker was pushing you too much too soon. Your body and your mind couldn’t handle it. They gave you something to make you sleep and to numb the pain in your head. You suffered a brain trauma, and you’re not going to be one hundred percent for a little while. The doctor came by and said you may experience headaches off and on for a while, and that pushing yourself too hard can trigger intense pain. Once you’re released, if you black out, I’m supposed to call an ambulance.”
“Home?” I asked, wanting to leave the hospital as soon as possible.
“They want to keep you here a little while longer. Make sure everything is okay. When they’re convinced you can stand, walk, and take care of yourself, they’ll release you. They also want to run some more tests, make sure everything looks okay. But I’m going to be with you every step of the way. Torch said he won’t call me in for anything except emergencies until you’re back on your feet, and the Prospects are all ready to help any way they can.”