by Marla Monroe
“Yeah. He is. That bastard that donated the sperm needs to be castrated. The thing is, he’s the one missing out. Tommy won’t miss a damn thing if we have anything to say about it.” Gunner finished his beer. “Not anymore.”
“What was that? You know I can’t fucking hear when you talk that low.” Scope scowled at him.
“I just said he wouldn’t have to miss out on anything anymore. He’s going to play ball and anything else he wants to do that Darla’s been working her ass off to try and get for him.”
“Damn right,” his friend agreed. “She works too hard. If there’s any way to do it, I want to talk her into not working at all.”
Gunner grunted and lifted one side of his mouth. “Good luck with that. She’s too independent to completely depend on us to support her. She’s had to be. Let her work some at Rizzoli’s if she wants to. It’s a nice place that’s safe. I’m sure Max and Sawyer make sure of it.”
He grinned as Scope sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. You’re right. As long as she doesn’t tire herself out there. I just want her to be happy, man.”
“I know, but like you’ve always said, we have to pick our battles.”
Before Scope could answer, his cell rang. Gunner scowled. It was nearly eleven at night. Why would anyone call at this hour? Hell, they didn’t really know many people there in Perkins City. Well he didn’t. He guessed Scope did.
Scope grabbed his phone off the kitchen counter and frowned at the number. “It’s the sheriff’s office.”
“Well answer it and see what the hell it’s all about,” Gunner snarled.
“Hello?” Scope listened then frowned.
“What? Where? Is she okay?”
Gunner immediately dug for his keys and grabbed Scope by the shoulder to propel him toward the door. Someone female needed help and the only one he knew and cared about was Darla.
“Did they get the bastard?” Scope was asking.
“Where is she?” A pause. “We’re on our way. Tell her we’ll pick up Tommy and bring him with us so she doesn’t worry.”
They’d both climbed into the truck with Gunner backing out of the drive by the time Scope had ended the call.
“What happened to Darla?” Gunner demanded.
“She was working at that fucking store and it got robbed.”
“Hell, no! Is she okay?” Gunner asked softly, growing cold inside.
“Yeah. I think so. The deputy I was talking to said she was shaken up.”
“Is Tommy at the same place we pick him up sometimes?” he asked.
“Um, no. He’s at home. The lady stays there when Darla works later than nine.” Scope was banging his fist against his knee.
“Did the deputy say what happened, and did they catch the man?” he asked.
“Didn’t say other than she was held up. They did catch him and his accomplice. They have them in custody.”
Gunner smiled. Maybe he could talk one of the deputies into letting him have a word with the two idiots who would mess with his woman. That would go a long ways to settling the sick feeling in his gut.
“Forget it,” Scope said with a frown. “I grew up with them. They won’t do it, but if I know them, neither of the bastards will be in a talking mood anytime soon. Evan Luvalle and Bradley Silas are good men. They’ve known Darla as long as I have and wouldn’t take kindly to someone doing this.”
Gunner snarled. “Are they someone we need to worry about?”
“What? No! They know how I feel about her. They wouldn’t poach. I’ve made it more than clear that she’s off limits. Don’t fuck with them, Gunner. They’re solid.” Scope’s assessment was usually on target, but he was feeling a tad bit possessive as well as protective of her right then.
They pulled into Darla’s drive behind a small, beat-up Toyota Camry. Before they’d even stepped down from the truck, Betty had the front door open, waiting for them.
“I woke Tommy and was going to take him up to the hospital but Evan called and said you’d be picking him up. He’ll do better with you two than with me. Thank you,” she said.
“Does he know what happened?” Scope asked her.
“He knows the store was robbed and his mom was at the hospital getting checked out because it was a rule,” she told them. “He doesn’t know she was hurt.”
“Hurt?” Gunner immediately tightened up all over.
“They didn’t tell you. I guess I’m not surprised considering that you are involved with her. I shouldn’t have either. They want you to get there in one piece,” the woman said.
“We need to go,” Gunner said, looking at Scope.
“Get Tommy,” Scope said.
Betty turned and hurried back inside. They didn’t follow her, just waited. When Tommy saw them his anxious face relaxed and he wrapped his arms around Gunner’s waist. Gunner didn’t know what to do, so he rubbed his hand down the back of the boy’s head and then squeezed his shoulder.
“Let’s go, Tommy,” Scope said. “We’ll take you to see your mom.”
“I’ll be there after I lock up,” Betty told them as they hurried back to the truck.
Gunner didn’t pay her any attention and knew he should have felt guilty about that, but right then, all he could think about was getting to Darla and making sure she was okay.
“They said the store Mom works at was robbed and she was at the hospital. Is she okay, Gunner?” Tommy asked.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine, Tommy. We don’t know anything yet. All they told us was that she was there and that the store had been robbed. We wanted to bring you to her so she’d relax.”
“You’re the first person she’ll want to see, son. That’s a mom for you.” Scope smiled at the boy. Gunner could see how brittle it was, but Tommy wouldn’t be able to.
“I hated her working up there. I know she was doing it to get me things. I kept telling her it didn’t matter. It’s my fault.” Tommy’s voice broke, but he kept looking straight ahead of them, his eyes bright.
“You can’t blame yourself, Tommy. It’s the bastards who robbed the place who are at fault. Your mom loves you more than anything, and if you go blaming yourself, she’s going to hurt that much more thinking she’s failed you. Be strong for her, Tommy.” Gunner hated that he was giving a buck-up talk to a little eight-year-old boy, but Darla didn’t need Tommy’s guilt right then. They’d comfort Tommy later—privately so he could cry if he needed to.
When the pulled into the emergency room parking area, it was packed with trucks and cars. There were two sheriff’s department SUVs sitting outside the doors. Gunner jumped out of the truck and joined Tommy and Scope as the two of them hurried inside the waiting area. They walked directly to the reception window where a young woman eyed them warily.
“Where’s Darla Sanchez?” Gunner demanded before they’d even stopped walking.
“The doctor’s in with her right now. If you’ll tell me who you are, I’ll let the nurse know, but the waiting room is full of people here to check on her.” The woman pointed out at the nearly full-to-capacity room.
“We’re her fiancés, and this is her son Tommy. He needs to see his mother. She’s going to want to see him, too,” Gunner told her in a near snarl.
To his surprise, she didn’t bat an eyelash at his indication that both he and Scope claimed to be engaged to the same woman. She just nodded and picked up the phone. She turned away so he couldn’t hear what she was saying beyond a word here and there.
“What the hell is she saying? I can’t hear her,” Scope demanded.
“I can’t hear her either. Hold on.” Gunner watched as she hung up the phone and looked back at them.
“The nurse will be in to get you in about ten minutes. You can wait in there with the others,” she said.
Gunner was about to argue with her, but Scope shook his head and nodded toward the other room where several people were standing at the door as if waiting on them. He realized they were when they walked into the crowded room.
“Zander,”
Scope, said shaking the man’s hand. “This is my partner, Gunner, and you know Tommy.”
Zander squatted down in front of Tommy. “Hey, Tommy. It’s been a while. I thought you were going to come by and look at tats for when you turn eighteen.”
Tommy’s face turned into a brittle smile. “Mom said she’d twist my ear and scalp you if I got one.”
“Ow. Well maybe we should wait a few more years then.” Zander squeezed the boy’s shoulder then stood up again to look at them. “She’s going to be fine, guys.”
Gunner realized this was Tag’s partner who owned Naked Ink, the town’s tattoo shop. He held out his hand. “It’s good to meet you.”
Zander nodded. “I’m just sorry it’s under these conditions. Tag said you were joining the club. Looking forward to seeing you there.”
“Where’s Tag?” Scope asked.
“He’s back there with Tessa and Taylor. They’re not in the room with Darla, but waiting in case she wants one of them. You know Tag. He isn’t letting Tessa out of his sight.” Zander smiled. “Ben was out on a call and will probably be here soon. Steve’s over there waiting. They wouldn’t let both him and Tag back there at the same time, so Steve let Tag go. He wasn’t happy about it.”
“I’m sure.” Scope nodded. “They’re supposed to come get us in a few minutes to take Tommy back. Do me a favor and tell everyone thanks for coming. We’ll talk to them later. Right now, Tommy and Darla are our priorities.”
“Don’t worry. They know that. Did anyone tell you what happened?” Zander asked.
Gunner looked pointedly down at Tommy. “No. Not yet.”
Zander nodded in understanding. “She’s all right. One of the men who tried to rob the store is going to be singing soprano for a while though.”
Gunner felt his face tighten into a hard smile. “Good. I’d like to make it more permanent.”
Zander’s eyes darkened. “Oh, believe me. I understand.”
The door leading back into the emergency department opened, and an older woman wearing scrubs looked at the four of them standing there.
“Who’s with Tommy, Darla’s son?” she asked.
“That would be us,” Scope said. “This is Tommy, her son.”
“One of you can come back with Tommy. There are too many people back here as it is now.”
Gunner smiled wide for the first time in a long time. “All three of us are coming back there. We can walk with you, around you, or through you. Your choice.”
Chapter Eleven
Darla felt as if her body had rolled down a mountain in a wooden barrel. She could almost imagine how that would have looked, and a drug-induced giggle escaped before she could stop it. Man, whatever they’d given her sure did wonders for her disposition, but it wasn’t helping a lot with the soreness. She tried to change her position and winced. Well, maybe it was helping more than she realized. She looked down at her swollen hand and wrist strapped into the ugly green splint.
I wish they’d had another color. That looks like green pea soup. How in the world can I match anything I wear to that to work at Rizzoli’s?
Oh yeah. Splint. She wouldn’t be working at all for a while. How was she going to pay her bills and take care of Tommy? For the first time, everything began to sink in despite the brain fog she had going on. She had to be able to work. Rent would be due in a week and Tommy still needed new shoes.
Why did she have to agree to work that night? She’d done everything just like she’d been trained. She’d given them the money from the cash register and when they wanted more, she’d offered the tobacco and the beer, which was what they normally wanted. It hadn’t worked on them. They wanted the money from the safe. It didn’t matter that she didn’t have the combination for it. All she did was wrap any extra money or big bills and shove them into the slot.
Her head ached, but she couldn’t remember why. The lights blinking across the machine next to her snagged her attention. They were pretty. She watched as they flashed on and off in a straight sequence. Darla started to reach out and touch them when the curtain near the foot of the stretcher slid back and the nurse from earlier walked in with a strange frown on her face. Was something really wrong with her? She looked down at her hand and worried that they wanted to do something else to it.
“Your son is here, Darla. Two men brought him. Is it okay for them to come in, or would you like me to call security to show them out?”
“My son? Why would you call security on him? He’s just eight years old.” Her voice grew louder at the thought that they would take her son away.
She was a good mother and hadn’t done anything wrong. Did they think she couldn’t take care of him with her hand messed up? She scrambled to get off the stretcher, but her hurt hand and wrist wouldn’t let her use them, and something was pulling on her other arm.
“He’s my son! You can’t take him away from me!” she screamed.
“What the fuck?” All of a sudden the nurse was shoved out of the way and Gunner, followed by Tommy and Scope pushed their way into the cubical.
“What did you say to her?” Scope yelled.
“It’s okay, baby. No one is going to take Tommy away from you. Calm down and lay back.” Gunner helped her back onto the stretcher. “Come here, Tommy. Let your mom see you. She’s scared something is going to happen to you.”
She finally relaxed when Tommy hurried into her line of sight. He threw himself on the bed with her, Gunner helping him so he didn’t hurt her hand.
“Mom! I was so scared. What happened? Are you okay?” He buried his face in her neck.
“Oh, hon. I’m fine. I hurt my hand. That’s all. I’m just fine.” Having him close to her with the sweet scent of the soap he had bathed in and the way his skin always smelled like fresh baked bread to her went a long way in settling her fear.
“He’s mine, Gunner. Don’t let them take him from me. I can take care of him even if my hand is hurt. I can still work,” she pleaded.
Scope stepped away from where he’d been arguing with the nurse to stand by Gunner. “No one is taking Tommy away from you, sweetness. He’s your son and you’re a damn good mother. I promise. Gunner and I will fight anyone who ever tries. Okay?”
“You need to calm down, babe. You need to rest so you can get well,” Gunner told her.
Darla couldn’t help but notice how his blue eyes appeared a bit darker and the skin around his mouth appeared strained. She reached up with her good hand to touch his cheek, but the thing in her arm pulled.
“Easy, Darla. Don’t pull out the IV.” Gunner leaned in closer so she could touch him.
That surprised her. He was so controlled and quiet. Admittedly he’d lightened up around her and Tommy more since they’d been seeing each other some, but this baffled her. It wasn’t like him.
Darla laid the palm of her hand against his warm cheek and gently caressed it. There was a soft stubble that tickled her palm. When she lowered her hand, he leaned in and kissed her forehead. If Tommy hadn’t still had his head against her neck, she might have turned her head to catch his kiss with her lips.
“They said they gave her something for pain when they fixed her hand. She’s probably sleepy,” Scope said. “The doctor will be in to go over some things, and then she can go home.”
“I want to go home. I want to take Tommy home.” She knew she was babbling but couldn’t help it. The fear that they would take her son was still there.
“Don’t worry, Darla. We’re going to take care of you and Tommy. Just relax and rest for now.” Scope brushed the hair from her eyes and frowned before the darkness she saw cross his face dissipated.
There was a knock on the frame holding the curtains. The two men exchanged looks then Scope walked over to see who it was. Darla really hoped it was the doctor so she could leave. She didn’t like being there even if they had stopped her hand from hurting so badly.
“Darla, Taylor and Tessa are out here and want to check on you. Is that okay or would you rather
not…” Scope was saying.
“Let them in. I want to see them.” She wanted to make sure they told everyone she was a good mother. Maybe Betty would come and she knew Betty would tell everyone.
“Oh, honey.” Taylor hurried over to where she lay, still holding Tommy close to her. “We’ve been waiting forever to check on you. Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
“I–I’m okay. Really. Just make sure they know that I can take care of Tommy. I don’t want them to take him from me.” Darla choked back a sob.
“Darla, they aren’t going to take Tommy from you. I promise. There’s no reason for them to. You’re his mouther.” Tessa smoothed the hair form her eyes and smiled at her son.
“I think the pain meds they gave her are making her paranoid,” Scope said.
“I just don’t want them calling security to take him away from me. I want to go home, Chester. Please take me home.” She started to try to sit up so she could get down and get out of there.
“Easy, Darla. You’re going to hurt yourself. I promise, no one will take Tommy from you. Just relax. You can’t tell me that these two hunky men can’t protect you and Tommy,” Tessa pointed out.
She heard a grunt, looked between Taylor and Tessa, and saw Tag standing at the curtain with a scowl. For some reason it struck her as funny and she started giggling. Poor Tag had just heard his wife call her men hunky in front of him. That made her stop giggling. She’d just thought of Gunner and Chester—no, Scope—as her men. Were they?
“I think you’re right, man,” Scope was saying. “The drugs are doing things to her mind. We need to find out what they gave her and make sure they don’t it again. I don’t like seeing her upset and paranoid like this.”
“I hear you.”
The curtain parted and poor Tag got pushed forward a step. Both Scope and Gunner stood between her and the other two women, whoever had just walked in.
“Sorry, young man. I didn’t know there was anyone in here. I’m Dr. Brown. Dr. Greer has been taking care of her, but he’s tied up with a car accident that just came in so I’m going to finish up her instructions and discharge her for him,” the older-looking man with a balding head and blue scrubs said.