Doc

by Reagan Phillips

  "Fine," he grinds out. "But all the doors stay locked. You accept the food order, then you don't move from this office until I return. They always deliver through the back.”

  "I promise." His possessive side is showing, but I don't mind it as much as I used to. It's cute how protective he is of me.

  I cross my heart with a finger and Doc takes the finger and lifts it to his mouth. "I'm being serious, Mer. There will be punishment if you break your promise."

  His face is serious but his tone is teasing. "I'll take it like a woman."

  Doc drops one more kiss on my forehead before he pulls a set of keys from a desk drawer and instructs me to only use them for the back door for the food delivery. As soon as I assure him I will comply, he's gone.

  By the time I hear the knock on the back door, Doc and the prospects have been gone a while. Honestly, I'd gotten so wrapped up in my work I'd forgotten that I'd even ordered lunch or that it had taken longer than normal to arrive.

  "I'm coming," I yell into the intercom for the back door. I grab the keys Doc left out for me and walk down the short hall to the delivery dock. The door is stuck, and it takes all of my strength to pull it open.

  When I do, the bright sunlight is blinding, and I can only make out a man in a hat with a bag of food boxes standing in the doorway. It isn't until I lift one hand over my eyes and narrow them that I realize the figure is too tall to be our delivery boy and his face is as familiar to me as my own.

  "Gears." His name sticks in my throat. I take a step back into the hallway and keep one hand on the door. "What are you doing here?"

  He grins at me. "You ordered enough lunch for an army, Dawn. Who's eating all of this with you?"

  "None of your damn business." I step forward to shut the door in his face, but he's too fast.

  Gears drops the food and shoves his foot in the doorway. He's stronger than me and I have no chance of forcing the door closed with him on the other side.

  My brain buzzes with alarms. All of them telling me to run. But Gears is good at that too. He'll catch me. And when he does…

  "You're not happy to see me, Dawn." He steps all the way inside and shuts the door. "I'm happy to see you."

  "I'm with Doc now," I spit out. "He's in his office right now. Any second he's going to see you. Gears, for your own good. Leave now."

  "Good try," he says, stepping forward with each word until I'm backed into a wall. "Doc and every other citizen are in church. They won't break for hours."

  "How would you know that?" I thread the door keys between my fingers by my side, but I don't dare break eye contact with him.

  Gears raises one hand to touch my cheek and I flinch. He's quick to pinch my chin between his fingers and force me to look at him. "Don't get stupid on me now, Dawn. You always knew your place before. I still have a few connections with the club. I know they’re meeting about the Devils.”

  I narrow my gaze into his. I'm not going to show him an ounce of the fear coursing through me. "I do know my place. It's with Doc. As soon as they break, he’ll be back here to kick your ass."

  "Fucking bitch," he spits in my face.

  Before I can react, Gears’s hand comes down hard on my cheek and I'm knocked to my knees. The keys fly out of my hand and I scramble to grab them up before Gears is on me again, pulling me up by my hair. "If Doc loves you so much, then why did he leave you here all alone while all the other women are locked up in the clubhouse? Didn't he tell you Tempest Elite is entering a turf war with the Devils?"

  He pulls my hair hard until my neck snaps back and I'm staring at him again. "That's not true," I say through my gritted teeth.

  "Fuck, Dawn. You really are as stupid as everyone said. The Dark Angels are plotting an attack right now and your Doc is there, helping them. Not here saving you. You don't belong here. Come back with me where you do belong."

  "I’m not going anywhere with you, Gears. We’re done." He has my hair so tight I'm forced to stand on my tiptoes to keep it from pulling harder.

  Gears laughs. It's a noise that makes my stomach twist. I remember that same cackle right before he'd hit me or tell me how worthless I was. Every time, I'd fall for it. Every time, I'd believe him.

  Not this time.

  "Yes, you stupid bitch. You are," he says, bringing me back to him.

  I squirm, trying to get my footing. "Gears, please," I plead, knowing it will do no good. He’s too hard to care about anyone but himself.

  "Isn’t it funny? I had planned to have to fight for you, but then good old Doc just served you right up to me. I've been watching you for weeks, Dawn. I saw him leave with the prospects. I knew you were here alone. The delivery boy showing up was an added bonus I hadn't counted on."

  I wrestle him again and he lets go, but as soon as I'm free, he pins me to the wall so my back is to him. He's got me beat in size and strength. I'm not going anywhere unless he lets me go, or I take him down.

  "What did you do to the delivery boy?" Maybe there is a chance he's run for help. He knows the club. He’d run there and find Bear, or Doc, or one of the other members.

  "Do you really want to know?"

  A shiver climbs up my spine and my stomach twists so tight I feel like I'm going to puke. There is no telling what Gears is capable of.

  "What do you want?" I ask flatly.

  Gears shoves one knee between my thighs so I’m sitting on it before he reaches around me and runs a hand down the button along the front of my dress. "You never looked this good when we were together. Why did you never look this good for me?"

  I see my chance to make a move when his attention is on popping the buttons open. With all the force I have I left in my body, I drive the set of keys anchored between my fingers into his thigh.

  Gears screams in pain and drops his hold on me. The metal tore his jeans and the fabric turns dark. I push him away from me and he falls to the floor, grabbing at his leg.

  "You fucking bitch," he screams.

  He reaches for me again, and I swipe the keys across his hand and run. I don't stop until I'm inside Doc’s office with the door locked from the inside.

  Outside, Gears is moving around. He's up and he's getting closer, calling my name as his heavy footfalls come closer.

  I can't breathe. Fear almost has me paralyzed, but I'm so used to hiding from him, I calm myself quickly and duck under the desk with the phone. My fingers shake as I pick up the receiver and begin to dial the clubhouse number.

  I close my eyes tight as I hold my knees to my chest and rock back and forth. He's still calling my name, but when he pounds on the door, it doesn't budge. The phone continues to ring. No one is answering.

  "Dawn. I still love you. Come out."

  I throw my hands over my ears. The bloody keys are still between my fingers, but I don't dare let them drop. If he makes it inside, they may be the only thing that saves me.

  I shut my eyes and after the outline of the room fades, I see Doc. God, he’ll never find me in time. "Please forgive me," I whisper over and over. “I should have listened to you.”

  Gears slams into the door repeatedly until I'm sure the hinges are going to break. He's screaming my name now and alternating between begging for me and cursing me. Then it all stops. There is a loud slam against the door before everything goes quiet.

  He's either given up, or he's finding another way in. "I'm so sorry," I repeat with my head in my hands and my fingers in my ears and the phone on the ground, useless. "I'm so sorry, Doc."

  Something hard thuds against the door, then again and again until the wood splinters and cracks and light spills in from the hallway.

  I stop breathing and curl up as tightly as I can with the keys sticking out from between my fingers. I hide my face in my knees, hoping it will save me from being punched.

  If Gears is going to kill me, he's going to have to fight for it. I'm not his anymore. I can't be controlled. If he wants me, he's going to have one hell of a fight on his hands.

  * * *
<
br />   Doc

  It only takes Bear and Gunner two tries to break open my office door. From the looks of Gears, he's been battering it enough to have a good start on the hinges and Gunner's shoulder finishes off the rest enough for the door to swing open.

  I dart inside first, but Meredith is nowhere to be found. “Baby Girl?” I call with my heart in my throat.

  "Check the other rooms," I yell over my shoulder to Bear and Gunner and the two prospects we brought for back up. "She could be hiding anywhere."

  Then I turn back and I soften my voice. Gears was intent on getting into this room. She has to be somewhere nearby. "Mer, it’s me. Doc. It's safe. Hawk has Gears under control outside."

  There's a sniffle from near my desk and my heart fucking stops in my chest. She's crying, but I can't see from where until I pull out the rolling chair and find her huddled in a ball with her hands over her head, rocking and repeating something that sounds like “I’m sorry.”

  "Meredith," I say softly and repeat, but she can't hear me. I reach out a hand to pull her head free, but she lunges at me with something metal in her fist. “Meredith.” I catch her face in my hands and scream until her eyes focus on mine. I'm fast enough to grab her wrist before she plunges two blood-soaked keys into my chest.

  "Mer, I’ve got you. You’re safe we me now."

  Her eyes flash open and go wide before she sucks in a breath, drops the keys, and wraps herself around my neck.

  "You're okay," I whisper, stroking her hair and holding her as tightly as I can.

  She's shaking and warm tears spill onto my shoulders. "Gears. He. And." Her voice breaks.

  "Shh. I know. Everything is okay. I’ve got you now."

  Her head pops up and her wild eyes stare into mine. "He did something to the delivery boy. He's out back and—"

  I shush her again and press her head back into my shoulder. "He's fine. He ran to the club as soon as Gears left him. Smart kid."

  "He's okay?"

  "Yes," I breathe into her hair. "A little banged up, but he’s fine. Are you?"

  I pull her away from me to examine her more closely. Her hair is a tangled mess and the first few buttons on her dress are gone. Something hot spills over inside of me at the sight. My fists ball at my sides. I’m not going to let Gears walk away from this without having my five minutes with him.

  Meredith catches me staring and she reaches to cover her open dress. "He didn't get far enough to do anything. I stabbed him with the office keys and ran like hell."

  "You did good, Baby Girl," I say into her hair. "Really good."

  "Doc." Gunner calls from behind my back. He comes to a stop at the door and Meredith lifts her head to see him. "Dawn. Are you okay?"

  "Yes." She nods before her head drops back to my shoulder.

  "Why don't you go ahead and take her home, Doc. Bear and I will clean up here and Hawk’s already taking out the trash."

  I want Meredith away from Gears as fast as I can carry her. I need to get her home so I can examine every inch of her. I won’t be able to breathe easy again until I can see for myself that she isn't hurt.

  When I lead her to the back door, Gears is sitting upright on the loaded dock with his arms zip tied behind his back. His leg is still losing blood and his face is already bruising from the beating Hawk gave him throwing him into the door. From the look of things, Meredith got her licks in as well and I can't help but smile when I think of her stabbing the fucker in the leg.

  I reach my arm around her legs to carry her, but Meredith protests.

  "No. I have something I need to do first." She steps out onto the loaded doc and right up to Gears. "You may have had me once, you mother fucking piece of dog shit, but I'm not that girl anymore. She's gone. Dead. Like you should be. I'm Meredith now and if you ever come near me again, I swear to you I will finish the job I should have finished tonight."

  Just when I think she's done, she lands a swift kick right into his ribs, sending Gears's body jerking into the wall behind him. Then another into his side hard enough to crack a rib. I'm almost sure she's got a few more kicks in her, but I need her out of here and alone so I can check her over.

  This time when I bend and put an arm under her, she doesn't protest. Her head drops to my chest and her body goes limp in my arms. "Doc," she whispers. "I'm sorry I caused all of this."

  "Not now," I tell her. "Don't worry about any of that now."

  I carry her to Gunner's truck and set her in the passenger seat. I slide in the driver side and start the engine, turning the heat all the way up. She's shaking and freezing and has her eyes closed and her head thrown back against the seat.

  Our ride back to the clubhouse is silent. Walking inside she doesn't say a word or even respond when Bree and Everly run up to us. She clings to my shirt and buries her head in my chest until I lead her up the stairs and to our room.

  I pull the sheets back on the bed and help her step out of her shoes and dress before she slides in and turns her back to me.

  I'm trying not to take anything personal. She's been through hell, and given the way the club has treated her, I'm sure she feared no one was coming to her rescue.

  "Meredith," I call, but she doesn't answer. I take it as a sign she needs to be alone and turn off the lights and slip out of the room.

  Bree is standing in the hall when I shut the bedroom door. "How is she, Doc?"

  "She'll be fine," I answer, because beyond hoping she will be, I don't know. She's shut me out.

  Bree takes my hand and pulls me down the hallway toward the stairs. "She's strong. She just needs some time."

  I hope Bree's right. I hope giving Meredith space is the right thing for her now. I can't lose her. Not again. Not like this.

  In the past week, our lie has become the truth, and I can't face a future that doesn't have Meredith in it. I’m the Doc. I’m supposed to be able to fix anything. But I’m not sure I can fix what’s going on in Meredith’s head right now.

  I’ll just have to hope she’ll come around again soon, and she’ll still care about me the way she did before I left her alone to be attacked.

  Chapter 9

  Meredith

  Bree and Everly insist we need a girls’ night out, and after the last two tense weeks, I'm more than ready for a drink somewhere other than the club.

  I know what they are up to. Since Gears showed up at the warehouse, everyone has been extra sensitive around me. Bear has stopped scowling at me every time our paths cross and even though Gunner has always been nice to me, he's even more so now. The rest of the members are quiet, but I don't see hate in their eyes when I sit in the bar and even the sweetbutts are laying off giving me a hard time.

  It's a breath of fresh air to be with Bree and Everly who are still treating me the way they always have.

  Then there's Doc.

  Lately, I’ve been making excuses to stay away from him. He’s tense when we’re close and I don’t know how to take it.

  "How are things going at the warehouse?" Everly asks over her strawberry lemonade.

  I'm cautiously optimistic her drink choice paired with her growing bulge means there is good news in the near future.

  "The usual," I mumble over my beer. "Doc is being extra cautious and I'm not allowed to work the front without him or one of the prospects he's keeping on as added security watching over me. It's a little crowded to say the least."

  "After what happened," Bree chimes in, "I don't blame them. Bear said there's still no clear proof who gave Gears the intel on the club, but once they find out, there will be hell to pay."

  Everly nods in agreement. "Even Kyle is being overprotective now. He wants me home in the evenings instead of stopping at the club to see him and Dad. And all the church meetings they've called over the last two weeks only proves they are planning something."

  "Understandable after what happened to Dawn," Bree adds.

  I glance between them both and sip my drink. I don't know what they did with Gears after I left, an
d I don't care, but I do know I won't need to worry about him again. Between Bear and Gunner and the rest of the club members who showed up that night, he knows what will happen the next time.

  But I'm uncomfortable with the fear I've caused within the citizens and their ol'ladies, and mostly I'm worried what happened has put a wall between Doc and me.

  "Okay," Everly's voice pierces the silence and brings me back to their conversation. "Change of subject." Thank God, she can read my mind. "I want to know more about what's happening between you and Doc, Dawn. Things seemed to be getting pretty hot and heavy before everything went down. Are we going to be welcoming a new sister back to the club any time soon?"

  She's smiling, so I know she has no clue what's been happening in my world over the last two weeks. She's so happy. I hate to burst her bubble, but I can’t lie to either of them.

  "I'm not so sure myself what's going on between me and Doc." I have both of their attention. "That night. When Doc found me, I was so full of anger I went off on Gears. I screamed and kicked him, and I let go of everything I'd been holding in for so long."

  They stare at me, speechless. I'd hoped one of them would tell me that my reaction was normal, or that they would have done the same, but they both say nothing.

  "Since then I've just felt numb. When Doc brought me back to the clubhouse, I just wanted to get away from him. I didn't want him to see me so angry. He put me to bed, and I just rolled over and closed my eyes and waited for him to leave before I let the flood break and I cried myself to sleep."

  Bree is the one who reaches for my hand first. "That's a normal reaction, Dawn. You had a traumatic experience. If it helps, I overheard Gunner telling Doc that night that you probably were suffering from shock and he just needed to give you some time."

  "Time." I laugh and it's the most sharp and undignified sound I've ever made. "He's taking plenty of it. I know I'm different now. I feel drained and tired and like I just can't find my footing anymore."