by Eliza Marsh
Dean heard the words, but they didn’t register at first, and he continued to struggle against the men holding him. The dust settled, and the older man was still sitting on the ground, running a hand through his short, dark hair.
“What did you say?” Dean’s raspy voice ended the silence between them as he finally settled down, and his friend's words started to sink in. His tone was cold and detached, matching the look in his eyes.
“Jackie’s pregnant. That’s the reason she left. She didn’t know how you'd react, so she left.” Nash got up with a sigh, his eyes never leaving Dean.
“She’s having my kid?” He repeated the information over and over again in his head, disbelief written all over his face.
“Well, it sure as hell ain't mine,” Nash said in reference to the man's previous accusations.
“You knew, and you didn’t tell me? What the fuck were you thinking?!”
“She didn’t want you to know, man. What was I supposed to do?” Nash shrugged, knowing this conversation was bound to happen sooner or later. “What would you have done if she had told you? Marry her and play house? Buy a car seat for your bike?” He snorted as he shook his head. “You ready for a family, brother? Daddy by day, killer by night?” Nash didn't doubt Dean's ability to be a good father. Still, he hoped this line of questioning would at least get the guy to actually think about the situation a little.
Dean began to pace like a caged animal, his friends looking on warily. “Doesn't matter. She should have told me. You should have told me.”
“It wasn't my place. I did all I could to get you two to talk.” He sighed and approached his friend, who had now calmed down a bit and seemed to have regained his senses. “She was planning on telling you that day you kicked the shit out of the guy in the parking lot. She was at the clubhouse to tell you about the baby. After your little outburst, she decided you would never want it, and she left. Didn't think she could raise a kid in that kind of environment.”
Not believing all of the shit that had piled onto his plate in the past few hours, Dean let out a groan and ran his hands over his face. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Nash was right, as always. What was he going to do with a kid? He didn't know the first thing about raising a child. That was assuming Jackie would even let him anywhere near the baby after what happened last time they spoke.
That was also assuming that both Jackie and the baby were still alive when he got to Lakeside.
Should he still go after all this? Maybe it was better for him to leave them in peace. They'd be better off without him, just like he'd always said. On the other hand, he still needed to kill the bastards that caused this mess to begin with.
With a defeated sigh, he turned to his friend of nearly fifteen years for help. Nash always seemed to know what to say without being condescending or judgmental. It was a rare find in the biker community, but Dean was glad to have him.
“What the hell am I supposed to do?”
Nash had never seen the brash enforcer so helpless and desperate. The vulnerability was so out of character that it had rendered Murphy and TJ speechless on the sidelines as they watched what would probably be a once in a lifetime event. Closing the distance between himself and Dean, Nash laid a firm hand on the other man's shoulder and looked up at him sternly.
“You go get her.”
41
It was just after eight in Lakeside, Florida, and all was quiet at Johnson Memorial Hospital. Visiting hours were coming to a close, and a small crew of nurses made their rounds with little incident. So when the elevator door opened with a loud “ding,” the sole nurse at the main desk of the third floor looked up in surprise. Her frown turned into a sly smile as a biker with short hair and neck tattoos entered her line of sight.
Tyler whistled merrily as he walked the empty hall, a vase of colorful flowers in his hand. Stopping in front of the circular desk, he leaned against the counter and pulled a single yellow daisy from the bunch. “For you, my lady,” he said with a cheeky grin as he handed the flower to her. The young woman merely giggled in response and twirled it in her fingers as she batted her eyelashes. With a wink, Tyler continued his journey down the hallway towards the room at the very end.
No matter how many times the doctors told him that Jackie was perfectly fine, he just couldn't bring himself to believe it. She had been knocked unconscious during the accident and had woken up not long after with nothing more than some cuts and bruises. The need for tests and overnight observation was only because they wanted to make sure the baby was okay.
But none of that registered with Tyler since he still hadn't talked to her. There were only a few times that Jackie had been awake since arriving at the hospital, none of which occurred while he was in the room. The doctors insisted she rest as much as she could, and therefore had been pumping her full of sleeping medications, much to the frustration of her visitors.
He entered the room quietly, trying not to wake her, and was surprised to find her propped up against some pillows and flipping absently through the channels on the television.
“Jack! I'm so glad you're awake.” Tyler set the vase of flowers on the small table as he rushed to the bed, scooping her into a hug as gently as he could. “You scared me to death.”
“I'm fine, Ty,” Jackie mumbled into his chest as they clung to each other. His arms gave her a sense of security that she'd been missing lately. “I promise I'm fine.”
“Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly as he pulled back slightly to look at her.
“I'm sure. Cuts and bruises, but I'll live.” He nodded and separated from her long enough to situate the lone plastic chair as close to the bed as possible. “You see my stitches?” she asked, pointing to the bandage on the left side of her forehead. “That's gonna leave a wicked scar. Is it weird that I'm kind of excited?”
“Yeah, it's weird,” he said with a shake of his head as he grabbed her hand in his.
“How's my poor truck?”
“Pretty smashed, with a nice collection of bullet holes on one side.”
Jackie cringed as images of her vehicle during the accident surfaced in her mind. “I can imagine. Guess I'll be car shopping when I get out of here.” She paused with a roll of her eyes and a sigh. “Assuming I ever get out. What's the latest on my release date? Earlier, they said I'd be out tonight, but here I am.”
Laughing at the annoyance on her face, Tyler replied, “They said you could go around lunch tomorrow, just so they can be sure you're okay.”
She groaned loudly and dropped her head dramatically onto the pillows behind her. “They're killing me! I feel fine. It's nothing some aspirin won't cure.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially as she leaned towards him slightly. “You know I hate hospitals, Tyler. Get me out of here!”
“Hey, if the doctors say they want to keep you a little longer, then you're staying. I don't want to take any chances. Especially with the baby.”
Averting her eyes from his stare, Jackie bit her lip nervously. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you. You were just having such a good time with the club and...”
“And you didn't want to ruin it. You knew I would drop the club in an instant to help you with the baby. And you knew I'd tell you to call Dean.” She smiled at her friend's knowledge of how she thought. It made the conversation much easier when she didn't have to explain her motives. “When were you planning on leaving Lakeside?”
Her head shot up in surprise at the question. Apparently, he knew her too well. “In the next few weeks. I can't hide this thing much longer.” She placed a hand on her rounded stomach, which was framed much better in the thin hospital gown than in the baggy clothes she'd been wearing recently.
“You still gonna leave? Even though everyone here knows you're pregnant?”
“I have to. Dean will find out soon, and I can't even imagine how pissed he's gonna be when he does. I'd like to be long gone by then.”
It occurred to Tyler that he should probably tell her that Dean was currently
on his way down with only the knowledge of Jackie on her possible deathbed. But then he thought of how angry Bianca would be if he spoiled her plans at making the pair confront each other and decided to keep his mouth shut. “Okay.”
“Okay? That's it?”
“Well, you've obviously made up your mind. So I don't see the point of trying to convince you to stay.”
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, expecting him to put up more of a fight over the issue. “Good.” Tyler merely smiled back cheerfully, knowing Dean would be here soon to hopefully fix everything.
A nurse came in, surprised to find her patient awake, and immediately administered a drug that put Jackie back to sleep almost instantly.
Half an hour later, the Macon bikers pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. They were greeted by Vic and Benz, who had arrived just a few minutes before to check on things. The president's brow furrowed as he took in the beat-up appearance of both Dean and Nash as the group approached them.
“What the hell happened to you two?” he asked, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.
“It's a long story,” Nash replied quietly, cutting his eyes over at Dean, who was standing with his arms crossed and an angry expression on his face.
“You find the fuckers that ran them off the road? I'm ready to kill somebody.”
“Relax, D. We're workin' on it.” Vic was trying to be reasonable with the man, but one look at his face said that wasn't going to be an easy task.
“That's not what I want to hear,” he growled in response.
“I know, but that's all we got so far. We'll find them. In the meantime, you need to go inside and see Jackie.”
Running hands through his dark hair, Dean sighed and looked to the ground, his anger fading slightly as his face softened. “How is she?”
“She's fine,” Vic replied with a smile. “Got scraped up pretty bad, but she'll be okay.”
“Then we should head back to the clubhouse and get to work on finding these guys.” Dean turned to head towards his bike but stopped as Murphy blocked his path.
“You need to go upstairs,” he said firmly, holding up a hand to silence the man as he tried to protest. “Go upstairs and see her. Now.”
In any other situation, Dean would have knocked the blond out for taking that kind of tone with him and giving orders. However, judging by the looks he was getting from the rest of the group, they all had the same idea. Releasing a heavy breath, he nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah.”
It took him almost ten minutes, but he finally wandered up to the third floor and down to the end of the hall, where a nurse told him the location of Jackie's room. Bianca was standing to the left of the door, looking in through the window at the patient who, much to Dean's delight, was fast asleep. Tyler was sitting in a chair next to the bed, looking as though he could use some rest as well.
“He's barely left her side since the accident,” Bianca commented softly, not bothering to turn her head as Dean came to a stop next to her. “He's a good kid.”
“Yeah, he is.” They stood in silence for a while, watching and waiting, then Dean spoke again. “She's pregnant.”
“I know.”
Of course, she knew. He shook his head and ran a hand over his face, trying to rid himself of the oncoming headache this situation was giving him. “How the fuck did all of this happen? One minute we were fine, we were having fun. And then it just all went to shit.”
The older woman turned to face him, leaning against the window as she refocused her attention. “Allow me to let you in on a little secret: love requires hard work.” His eyes hardened at the four-letter word, but they never left the sleeping woman in the next room. “I know you don't like that word, but if you didn't love her, you wouldn't be so frazzled. You would have moved on and forgotten all about her. Instead, you've dropped everything to be with her. The fact that you're even considering the possibility of doing this is all the information you need.” She smiled at him with motherly affection, marveling at the differences she saw in the man in front of her. “You love her, and she loves you. That's all that matters. You'll figure out the rest later.”
“What the hell would I do with a kid? I don't know the first thing about them.” He braced his hands against the frame of the glass window and sighed. “She needs to take that baby and get as far away from me as possible.”
“Well, that decision isn't up to you,” Bianca said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest. “It's your job to do the best you can. You'll just have to learn on the way.” Silence reigned for a few minutes while he thought things over. “I know you still have doubts, but talk to her before you decide what you want to do.”
Dean nodded, then shoved his hands into his pockets and took a few steps back. “I guess I'll talk to her later. I don't want to wake her up.”
She quickly grabbed his arm and stopped his exit, pushing him towards the closed door. “The docs knocked her out with some medication. She won't be up for hours, but you can still sit with her. Now get in there.”
“But-”
“At the very least, you can talk to Tyler. Poor boy could use some reassurance.” He gave her a disbelieving look, silently asking her if she recalled his abilities to comfort and be kind. Bianca's only response was to smirk and place a hand on her hip, staring him down until he sighed in defeat. He really wished people would stop telling him what to do.
“No promises,” he muttered in annoyance, before slowly opening the wooden door and entering the room. It was quiet, except for the beeping of a small heart monitor. There were vases filled with an assortment of flowers located strategically throughout the room, along with balloons and a large, fluffy teddy bear he could only guess was from Tyler.
The man in question looked up as the door creaked to a close, relief flooding his face as he recognized the newcomer. He stood up with a quick stretch and crossed the tiny room to greet him with a hug.
“I'm glad you're here, D," Tyler said quietly and thumped him on the back before releasing him.
“Me too, kid. How you holdin' up?”
“I'm good now that I know she's okay. I'll be much better when we're out of here, though.”
Dean nodded, grateful he wouldn't have to be giving a pep talk to an emotionally unstable biker. “I heard you adjusted fine to Lakeside life.”
“Yeah, I like it. A lot. Kinda miss Macon, but it's nice here.”
They stood in silence for a minute as they took in Jackie's sleeping form a few feet away. “How's she getting along?”
Tyler shrugged and thought about his reply momentarily. “Well enough, I guess. She doesn't spend as much time at the garage as she did in Macon. Sort of keeps to herself and her art. But she likes everyone, and they seem to like her too.”
“That's good.”
“Dean, there's something you should know...”
“She's pregnant, I heard.” Tyler's shocked expression would have been funny if not for the subject of discussion. “Nash told me on the way down here.”
“Oh... right.” He took a moment to collect his thoughts, jumping forward in the conversation he had been working out in his head. “Well, she was planning on leaving before all of this happened. She says she's still going to after she gets out.” A curious look from Dean made him continue. “Jackie knew you'd find out eventually and was afraid of what your reaction would be. She didn't want to be here when you showed up.”
“Nobody told her I was coming?”
“Bianca threatened to kill anyone who did. She's determined to get you two in a room together to talk it out.”
Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes as an understanding hit him. “Sounds like she's been talking to Nash. Should have seen that one coming.” Laughing lightly, the pair fell silent once again until the Macon biker spoke a few minutes later. “Why didn't she just tell me?”
“You'd have to ask her for the exact reasons, but from what I gathered, she was just scared — scared of being a mom, of your reaction
, of raising a kid around the club. She knew you didn't want a kid and that it wouldn't fit in with the life you guys had. I guess she thought not telling you was the best option for everyone.”
“That decision wasn't up to her,” he muttered, repeating the words he'd heard only minutes ago.
“I think she had the idea in her head that you'd make her get rid of the baby when you found out.”
Truthfully, the thought had crossed his mind, but he knew Jackie would never go for it. And somewhere, a part of him would never allow it either, even if he did decide that fatherhood wasn't his thing.
With a smile, Dean replied, “Nobody can make her do anything.”
Tyler laughed and nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, that's pretty true.” He pulled his hands from his pockets and took a few steps towards the door. “I'm gonna get some coffee. Give you a few minutes to... talk or whatever. I'll see ya later.” Before Dean could protest, the prospect was out the door.
He looked around the room with a sigh, wondering what he was supposed to do now that they were alone. Should he talk to her, even though she couldn't hear him? Should he just sit there and stare at her? Or should he sneak out while Bianca had abandoned her post at the door to accompany Tyler on his quest for coffee?
While the latter idea sounded incredibly appealing at the moment, he knew he would get an earful from the woman when she saw him later. Instead, he took residence in the recently-vacated chair next to the bed and simply watched Jackie sleep.
His life had done a complete one hundred and eighty degree flip in the past few months. He wasn't the kind of guy that should be going through this sort of stuff. Relationships, babies, heartache... love. These things were for normal people with normal nine-to-five jobs and normal lives.
He was a fucking biker.
A sex-loving, liquor-drinking, car-stealing, money-making, law-breaking, people-killing biker.