Careful not to touch any equipment, he grabbed her hand. Leaning down, he placed a kiss across her knuckles. He wanted so badly to hold her. To tell her that everything would be okay. That he would always take care of her, but he was afraid to get too close.
“The tube on her left is a chest tube,” the nurse commented. “There was some blood left in the chest cavity after surgery. The tube will allow it to drain. So if and when something comes out of it, don’t freak out. It’s normal.”
“Thank you,” Sledge replied. Because he most definitely would have freaked out.
“If you need anything, press the red nurse button on the wall and someone will gladly help you,” she mentioned as she exited the room.
All Sledge needed was for his woman to open her eyes and smile at him. He laid his head against the bed, and did the one thing he hadn’t done in so long - he prayed. A real genuine prayer.
A soft hand tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump. He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep. “I’m sorry,” he told the nurse.
“Mr. Parks?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered, looking at Beth, she was still asleep. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing sir. It’s just past visiting hours.”
“I’m not leaving.” There was no way he was leaving his woman here. If Beth woke up, he wanted to be with her. He didn’t want her to be scared or alone.
“Okay,” she smiled. “Would you like a cot?”
“Please,” he responded, never removing his eyes from Beth’s face.
By the end of day three, Sledge knew he had to go home soon or the nursing staff would send security to escort him out. He needed a shower and to change his clothes. Sledge had arranged for Zander and Amber to come sit with Beth while he went home for a few hours. But since they arrived, he was having a hard time leaving.
“Go!” Amber said, barely hiding her annoyance.
“Devin, she will be fine. You need to go home for a while. Go see Derek. Hug him. He needs to see at least one of his parents right now. The phone calls are great, and have really helped him; but, he needs to see you,” Zander reassured him.
“Okay,” Sledge conceded. Kissing Beth’s forehead, he headed for home.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Beth
Beth woke to the sound of voices all around her. She couldn’t understand anything that was being said, it was all just white noise. She could feel the waves of drowsiness pull her under again, but she fought against it.
“We are losing her,” a voice rang out loud among the chaos in her head.
Losing her? What are they talking about, she thought?
Then the pain came, causing another wave to engulf her. Beth couldn’t catch her breath. She was lost in the sea. Losing her battle with the tide, she gave up. Drifting off, she let the darkness take hold.
It seemed like seconds passed, but Beth could hear the sound of beeping fill her ears. It was a huge difference to the nothingness she had been lost in for so long. Abruptly, a smell hit her senses. She knew that smell, but couldn’t remember from where. Then it hit her, it was Devin. She could feel his warmth pressed against her right side.
Beth tried to push the fog from her head and blink her eyes open. The darkness was still around her but this time it was different. She could see the faint glow of light coming from the windows across the room and another from behind a closed door. Looking around the room, she could tell she was in a hospital. Everything came rushing back to her. The clubhouse, the shooting, Sticks entering her bedroom telling her Devin was hurt. She remembered the feel of the gun against her head. She remembered seeing her father and a woman. Beth even remembered the searing pain after the woman shot her.
Hearing the door open, Beth turned her head toward the sound. A petite nurse walked into the room. Surprised to see Beth awake, she gasped. Devin’s eyes shot open and a smile slowly spread across his face. Beth couldn’t help but smile back.
“Well hello there, my beauty,” he whispered.
“Hi, handsome,” she croaked out. Her throat felt like sandpaper and hurt.
“I’ll go let the doctor know that you're awake and ask about maybe getting you some ice chips,” the nurse smiled as she backed out of the door.
“How,” Beth started, clearing her throat, she tried again. “How long?”
“Have you been out?” Sledge asked. Beth nodded her head. It hurt less than trying to talk.
“Almost two weeks,” he answered.
“Two weeks,” she moaned, “Holy shit.”
“Yep,” Sledge replied, placing a kiss on her head.
The door to the room opened, and an older man with graying hair walked in smiling at Beth. “Ms. Andrews, I am Dr. Shaw. It is good to see you awake finally. You gave us all a scare. Has your husband had a chance to explain everything to you?” he asked.
Beth turned her head to look at Sledge. Husband, she thought. But, instead of calling him out on that, she looked at the doctor. “No,” she choked out.
“Pam, will you go grab those ice chips for our patient, please?” Dr. Shaw asked.
“Yes, Sir,” the nurse replied and left the room, but quickly returned; handing Beth the cup.
The ice felt amazing on her sore throat. Literally like ice cream after being outside and dehydrated for too long. Who would have thought ice chips would taste so dang good?
“Now. That better?” Dr. Shaw questioned.
“Much. Thank you,” Beth answered.
“Okay. So back to business. I am sure you remember being shot?” he inquired. When Beth indicated that she did, he continued. “The bullet barely missed two extremely important arteries in the body. It traveled between the aortic and the pulmonary valves. There was damage to both, but I was able to repair them. It was a little crazy for a bit, but you came through like a champ,” he smiled.
“Thank you,” Beth replied.
“For a few days, you fought through a high-grade fever, but again you got through that. You’re a fighter Ms. Andrews,” Dr. Shaw stated. “Now that you are awake, we’ll see how things progress and will look to be releasing you in a couple of days if all goes well.”
“Okay. Sounds good,” Beth understood the need to be kept longer, but honestly she just wanted to go home.
“Okay then, get some sleep. I will be in tomorrow afternoon to check your wound and incision.”
“I’ll be here,” she retorted.
After the doctor and nurse left, Beth tried to turn her body towards Devin’s, but the pain caused her to suck in a breath.
“What do you need, love?” Devin asked, concerned.
“I want to lay closer to you,” she answered honestly.
“Here, let me move towards you.” Devin scooted as close as he could to her right side. Again, she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. His smell engulfed her. Closing her eyes, she drifted back into the darkness. But this time it was completely different. This time, she didn’t feel completely alone. Devin was with her.
Beth only woke a few times during the night. How she could be so tired after sleeping for almost two weeks, was beyond her; but, it seemed she couldn’t keep her eyes open for long. Devin was a trooper through it all, helping her to adjust positions when the pain was too much for her to do it on her own. Just when she thought she couldn’t love him anymore than she already did, he would do something that would make her fall even harder.
Drifting back to sleep, Beth knew her place would forever be next to the man lying beside her in the most uncomfortable hospital bed on the planet. If they could make it through this, they could make it through anything. As long as they were together.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sledge
Beth had spent a total of nineteen days in the hospital. Sledge was more than ready to get her home. So when the doctor told them that she would be released, he wasted no time calling Zander.
“Bring the truck, man,” Sledge said when Zander answered the phone.
&
nbsp; “Doc letting Beth come home?” Zander asked.
“Yep!” Sledge was excited to get out of here and have Beth to himself. No interruptions from medical staff.
Sledge could hear Derek in the background. “Can I come, Dad?” he begged.
Turning to Beth, he asked her what she thought about Derek coming. “Absolutely,” she grinned, “I miss our little man.”
“Beth says to bring him,” Sledge relayed.
After Zander told Derek to go get his shoes on, Sledge told him to let him know when they got there so they could meet them downstairs. There was no point in them coming up, since they wouldn’t be staying long. Sledge had already grabbed Beth’s clothes the last time he went home.
Helping her get dressed, he moaned when she intentionally rubbed her hand across his dick. “Don’t you dare woman,” he told her, grabbing her hand. “You know we can’t take things any further, so behave!” he scolded her.
“Then when the nurse comes in, I’ll ask her how long until I’m cleared,” Beth stated.
A few times the last couple of days, she had tried to start something, but Sledge wasn’t having it. He was not taking the chance that something would happen and she would get hurt. Pleasurable pain was one thing; Sledge was all for that. However, pain just for the purpose of pleasure, was totally different.
When the nurse entered with Beth’s discharge papers, she was good at her word. “How long until I can have sex again?”
Laughing the nurse said, “Another two to four weeks.” Then she laughed even harder when Beth made a displeased face and Sledge groaned.
Sledge knew this was going to kill him. Another two to four weeks of not touching his woman. He honestly didn’t know if he could handle that. He and Beth would just have to get creative, he thought to himself.
After the nurse left, Sledge led Beth over to the chair and sat down, pulling her carefully into his lap. “I love you,” he muttered against her ear. “You know, we may not be able to have sex, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do other things.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?” Beth giggled. Beth snuggled closer to Sledge’s chest and threw her legs over the side of the chair.
“Oh I don’t know, but I’m sure we can think of something.”
Sledge nuzzled against Beth’s neck; he missed having her so close. He still struggled with the thought of almost losing her. If the bullet would have moved, if they wouldn’t have gotten her here soon enough. So many ‘what ifs’ passed through his mind. He knew he couldn’t concentrate on those. He needed to be thankful she was still with him. For days, he had been thinking about the future. He knew what he wanted, but prayed Beth wanted the same thing.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said.
“That could be dangerous,” Beth joked, then noticed Sledge was serious. “About what?”
“This entire situation, you being shot and the aftermath of everything. I almost lost you again, and that nearly killed me. I don’t want to ever be without you.”
“I don’t want to be without you either,” she told him.
“No matter what, we work it out? No running. No letting others dictate our course,” Sledge declared.
“Agreed,” Beth replied.
Standing, he lowered Beth back into the chair. Nervous butterflies filled his stomach. Sledge had never felt this way before. He thought he was going to puke. Lowering himself down to one knee, he pulled a black velvet box from his pocket. He watched as Beth’s eyes grew wide with shock.
“Devin?” she whispered.
“I bought this ring eight years ago,” he told her. “I don’t know why I kept it this long. I never had any hope that I would find you again. That you would be mine. But...” he paused, trying to work up the nerve to get the next sentence out of his mouth.
Pulling the sparkling one carat princess cut diamond ring from his pocket, he lifted her hand. “Beth, I love you more than anything. You are my heart, my soul, the air I breathe. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tears flowing down her cheeks, all Beth could do was whisper, “Yes.”
Sledge slipped the ring on her finger, “Perfect fit,” he smiled.
Lifting her into his arms, Sledge held his world close to his chest. She was made for him. Everything about her was perfect.
Within the hour, Beth was ready to leave. Zander called to let them know that he and Derek were waiting downstairs. Helping Beth into the wheelchair, Sledge rolled his fiancée to the elevators.
“Should I say congratulations?” the nurse asked, seeing the ring on Beth’s finger.
Sledge and Beth both smiled, “Thank you,” they said in unison.
Exiting the hospital, Sledge helped Beth stand from the wheelchair. Turning to the nurse, Sledge gave his thanks for taking such great care of his woman.
Helping Beth walk to the truck, Derek came running towards them. “Mom!” he shouted.
“Whoa! Slow down, Son. You have to be gentle,” Sledge reminded him.
Derek slowly wrapped his arms around Beth. “I missed you so much, Mom.”
“I missed you too, baby. I think you’ve grown a foot!” she told him. Sledge watched as his son beamed up at her.
“Nah. But Uncle Zander said that I have grown a few inches,” Derek told her. “He also said that I can have my birthday party this weekend. He and Aunt Amber said they would take care of everything. You won’t have to lift a finger. Just show up and be pretty.”
“Did he now?” Sledge asked, looking to his best friend. Zander raised an eyebrow, daring Sledge to say no.
“Can we?” Derek begged, “Please!”
“That would be perfect,” Beth agreed.
‘Perfect’ that word fit his life, well - perfectly, Sledge thought. He had the woman he loved, his son, and his crew. Everything seemed to finally be right in his world.
The drive home seemed to take forever. After helping Beth into the front seat, he and Derek climbed into the back. Sledge was forced to watch Beth grimace over every bump in the road.
“Slow the fuck down, Zander!” he bellowed. “You’re hurting her.”
“I can’t slow down any further without get ran over!” Zander hollered back.
“It’s fine!” Beth yelled to be heard over them both.
Damn Dallas County and the crappy roads, Sledge thought. He hated seeing her hurting. There was nothing he could do to prevent it though. Finally arriving at the compound, Sledge jumped out of the truck and opened Beth’s door.
“Come here, love. I’ll carry you into the house,” he told her, but she refused.
“I can walk honey. I was shot. I’m not crippled,” she reminded him.
“Hey! What do you have against crippled people?” Zander retorted.
“Nothing. And shut up! You aren’t crippled either,” Beth said, shaking her head.
“True,” Zander responded with a grin.
Helping Beth from the truck, Sledge let her walk, but kept a hold of her arm in case it was too much for her. Entering the clubhouse, they were met with a round of cheers from the entire club. Everyone was there.
Each lining up, they made their way towards Beth. One by one, the entire crew placed a kiss on her forehead. Sledge understood what they were saying. They were welcoming her home. Any other time, Sledge’s jealousy would have peaked after the second or third person, but not today. His crew was calling her ‘one of them’ and that meant so much to him. These guys were family to Sledge, not just a brotherhood. Now, they were including Beth as family to them.
“Okay, back the hell up!” Sledge watched as Amber waddled her way through the group.
“Wow! Look at you!” Beth said, putting a hand on Amber’s round belly. She was starting to show and looked so damn cute pregnant.
“Don’t say a word!” Amber said looking at Sledge.
“What?” he asked defensively. “All I was thinking is that you looked cute.”
“Uh oh,” Zander muttered behind him.
“Cu
te?” Amber grunted. “Cute!?”
“Yeah?” Sledge had no clue what he said wrong. “What’s wrong with cute?”
“A puppy is fucking cute!” she hollered. “A baby kitten is cute! A pregnant woman with feet the size of elephant hooves is not cute!”
“Okay,” he gave in, stepping backwards.
Zander started to laugh, but stopped quickly when his wife turned her blazing eyes his direction. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“Oh you will be,” Amber threatened.
With a sigh, Sledge excused himself and Beth from the group. Telling everyone she needed to rest, he escorted them both from the room.
“Are all pregnant women like that?” he asked when he knew Amber couldn’t overhear him.
“No,” she laughed. “But some do get pretty testy. Just wait until you tell her hello and she starts crying.”
“Are you serious?” he hoped she was joking.
“Nope.”
“Oh good grief,” he mumbled, opening the door to their bedroom.
Helping Beth out of her clothes, he slipped one of his shirts over her head. Normally she would sleep naked, but Sledge knew people would be stopping by to welcome her home; so he wanted her comfortable, but covered. His shirt reached her knees. She looked so sexy in his clothes, he thought to himself.
“I think I am going to take a nap,” she yawned.
“Okay baby. Let me get you a pain pill then I’ll help you lay down.”
Sledge pulled the pill bottle from his pocket and dropped two in her hand. After grabbing a glass of water from the bathroom, Beth swallowed her medicine and climbed into bed.
“I am so glad to be home,” she yawned again.
“I’m glad you’re home, too. Get some sleep, baby,” he whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek. Within seconds Beth was passed out, exhausted from the trip home.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The President: Devil's Henchmen MC, Book Two Page 14