by E. C. Land
Glancing over at Dragon, his face shows the same confusion as I’m feeling right now. Something isn’t right. Even with all the shit that’s been going down, Connors has been this strong woman refusing to show an ounce of weakness. Yet right now her emotions are all over the place.
When her tears turn into sobs, I can’t take it anymore and pull her into my arms. “Shh, baby, it’s okay. We’re gonna find Emerson and Hades. No one here has given up or will. That’s our brother out there along with your sister,” I say soothingly.
Dragon moves in, taking her as well and kissing the top of her head. “Mo chroí, no more crying. It hurts me to see you in tears,” he whispers.
Nodding, Connors lifts a hand to wipe her face. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’ve never been this emotional.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, babe.” I grip the bottom of her chin, turning her to look up at me. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she quietly says, kissing me before facing Dragon. “Both of you.”
“Love you too, Doc. I’m sorry for getting pissed with you. I simply can’t stand the thought of losing you. Gadget and I may share a bond beyond comprehension, but you are the one we share our heart with and wouldn’t be able to live without,” Dragon’s voice croaks.
As Connors stops crying, she continues to keep her eyes on Dragon, nodding to herself. She asks what I had been planning to talk to Dragon about. “Dagen, is talking more causing you pain?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he mutters, clearing his throat.
“Don’t lie to me, Dagen Brooks.” And out comes the doctor. Laughing, I pat my brother on the back.
“Come on, man, might as well tell her ‘cause I can feel your pain as if it were my own right now,” I state.
“What, are you in pain and you haven’t said anything? Why?” Connors demands.
“Doc, promise it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“I swear to fuckin’ God, you two make worse patients than a damn nurse or doctor does. I’m going to the room to grab my medical kit. I suggest you follow me in there or I will kick you,” she orders, spinning on her heels as she storms out of the bat cave.
Focusing on Connors’ ass, I groan at the sight of it swaying as she walks
“Fuck,” Dragon mutters, adjusting his dick as he moves toward the door.
Shaking my head, I turn the lights off and follow them both. I’m just as worried about my brother as she is.
Halfway to the room, a loud commotion coming from the main room draws my attention. When our names are yelled out, I take off into the room and stop right in the entrance.
Holy motherfuckin’ hell. Emerson.
33
Connors
Peeking around both my men as they stop right in the mouth of the hallway, I gasp in horror. My sister is leaning against Burner, her face black and blue. Blood stains the shirt she was wearing the last time I saw her.
As much as I want to run to her and take her in my arms as she’s done with me so many times in my life, I don’t want to hurt her.
Internally shaking off the shock, the doctor in me takes over, pushing the emotional wreck I’ve been the last few days aside.
“Dagen, can you go get my medical bag?” I ask, not waiting for a response.
Moving toward Emerson I scan her body further not liking what I’m seeing. I really should get her to the hospital for her injuries, but even I know that can’t happen. Not without knowing how she got here, where she’s been, and if they’re gonna come after her again.
“Em,” I murmur her name as I step in front of her.
“Steph,” her voice breaks when she sees me standing in front of her. Tears stream down her face as her knees visibly give out from under her. If she hadn’t been leaning into Burner, my sister would have crashed to the floor.
Looking around at everyone standing in the main room, my eyes land on Twister. “Is there anywhere I can use as a makeshift infirmary?” I ask him.
“Yeah, we have a room just for that. Burner, you carry Emerson for Doc here and show her.” Twister’s voice is rough. I’m sure seeing my sister like this brings back memories of when things went down with Izzy. I remember the day she came in unconscious and broken. Izzy finally told me the whole story not long ago when all the girls and I had been sitting around a table. They each shared their stories with me and it’s surprising how involved I was with each one yet I never knew the full stories.
As I go to follow Burner, I find Casey moving toward me. “I got you, baby. Dragon and I will be right here with you,” he says, placing a kiss to the top of my head.
“Actually, could you do me a favor?” I ask him
“Yeah, baby, what do you need?”
“Can you get my phone and call Jordan at the hospital for me? I don’t think I’m going to have enough supplies and she might need an antibiotic. From what I see so far, I’m sure of it.”
His brows crease together at the mention of Jordan’s name, but I don’t have time to worry about that right now. I need to take care of my sister.
“You got it, babe. I’ll see what I can do,” he murmurs as he continues to walk next me. When we get to the room, I find it looks almost exactly like a triage room in the ER minus the meds and surgical items.
“Dragon, being the medic for the club, wanted to have a space for when he had to handle stitching one of us up without worrying about shit in the way or something another,” Burner informs me as he places my now unconscious sister on a bed.
Casey, who was standing behind me, still touches my back. “I’ll be right out here if you need me, baby. Do you need anything else before I text Jordan for you?”
“No, just the items I listed off already,” I say as Dagen comes up and hands me my medical bag.
“Need anything else, Doc,” Dagen rasps out. God, I need to look at his throat, but it will have to wait unfortunately.
“I got it, honey. Thank you,” I say, kissing him and Casey. As I move to wash my hands, Dagen grabs my wrist.
Glancing from his hold on my wrist to his face, I find his eyes softer than I’ve ever seen them. “You just called me ‘honey’. It’s the first time you’ve ever used an endearment with either of us and I fuckin’ love it,” he says, pulling me in for a quick yet powerful kiss. “Now, get to work.” He slaps my ass as he turns toward the door. Casey leans in, kissing me before following after his brother.
My mind wants to go to mush right now, but I steel all emotional thoughts out of my head. I don’t need to break down yet again while taking care of Em. She’s more important to me than my mental state.
Shoulders back, I clean my hands grab a pair of gloves out of my bag and begin to strip my sister’s clothes from her. When I have her clothes removed, I suck in a breath as I take in the damage done to her body.
“Oh, Em, why did he do this to you?” Tears fill my eyes as I go about cleaning the dirt, filth, and blood from her body. I can’t do anything else until she’s clean of the grime.
By the time I finish cleaning her from head to toe, someone knocks on the door. Covering her body, I call out to whoever it is to come in. When the door opens, Jordan walks in, closing it right behind her.
“Hey, Jordan, thank you so much for bringing me supplies,” I say, eyeing the bag in her hands.
“Not a problem, Doctor Connors. My shift was just ending so I was able to grab and go,” Jordan shrugs. Something’s different since the last time I saw her. Granted, we’ve texted but had yet to meet up for coffee due to me being on lockdown, of course.
“Would you mind staying and helping me?” I ask, wanting the chance to actually find out what’s going on with her. And if I’m honest with myself, I need the mental distraction as I go about doing the rest of what’s needed to help Emerson.
“Not at all.” Jordan smiles and without hesitation moves to the sink, washes her hands, and grabs a pair of gloves from my bag. Moving to the other side of the bed, we begin to work together
. Damn, I’ve missed this part of my job.
34
Connors
“So I know in text messages you said the hospital is okay, but really how is it,” I ask Jordan as we finish closing yet another laceration on Emerson’s body.
“Ugh, it's the same as always. People come in injured or wanting a reason to get drugs in their system. Sucks without having you there. Since you’ve been on vacation, Doctor Dicks-a-lot seems to think he doesn’t have to abide by the rules and regulations. You know, he’s tried to get me into the stockroom closet with him?” My head shoots up at what Jordan says as she begins to ramble.
“What?” I asked in bewilderment. I mean, I know exactly which doctor she’s talking about and he really does try to hit on the nurses, or, well, anyone that has a vagina. But I’d never actually known the man to try to have sex in the stockroom.
“Yeah, just because he found out that I’m not just a nurse at the hospital but I’m also a stripper, he thought I would be easy enough to give it up.”
My jaw drops even further. Holy shit. A stripper? I mean, I could see it. She is gorgeous, leggy, even in scrubs anyone with eyes can see that. But damn, she just let that ramble out like it was nothing. Don’t get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being a stripper. Nick used to force me into going with him to one of the stripper joints the club owned and some of those girls were really good. I commend women who can lift themselves up and spin around a pole and make it look like art.
Internally shaking my head, I finish up the last of what we need to do for my sister. With an IV going filled with fluids along with an antibiotic hooked to it as well, it’s all I can do for now. Other than the bruises and lacerations, she thankfully didn’t have any broken bones. However, without x-rays, I can’t be sure.
“How did you end up being a stripper and a nurse?” I ask nonchalantly.
Her face pales for some reason and I wonder if she thinks I’m judging her. “Oh, umm . . . ”
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I mean, we all do things we have to or need to do to get by,” I say, going about cleaning up.
“It’s just easy money. My umm . . . my dad does have a job and I help support him and my mom,” she says quietly, her eyes shifting toward the door. “Plus, I’m really good at it. My boss Derek is really cool and works around my schedule at the hospital. Weekends are when I really make my money, though. Since I usually work day shift Fridays and Saturdays, I headline at night,” she shrugs like it’s not a big deal.
“Wow, what club do you work at? Maybe I’ll come check the show out. I find dancing to be beautiful.” She lifts a brow at my statement and laughs. “I’m serious, it is. I remember this one time I was at a strip club and a woman danced to Mozart as she did ballet around the pole, ending with an upside-down slide down the pole while twirling. It was absolutely magnificent.”
“That sounds amazing. I might have to YouTube it and see if I can get any ideas. I work at one of the clubs right inside North Carolina,” she says with a smile yet not giving me the name, only a general location.
“Okay, cool. I’m sure I can find it. Anyway, thank you for staying and helping me as I did this. It’s nice working alongside someone in an environment that’s not the hospital.”
“Yeah, this town could really use a place similar to an urgent care.”
“You know, that’s a good idea.” A thought starts to form in my head. Emerson said I should start my own practice. Maybe I could do something like an urgent care so people don’t always have to go the hospital and be charged an arm and a leg for medical care.
“So anyway, I should be going.” Her demeanor changes again when she opens the door.
“Thanks again. Feel free to call me anytime or text. Hopefully soon we can get that coffee we were planning,” I say, trying to wipe the nervous look from her face.
“I’ll hold you to it, maybe after the holidays are over.” Smiling, she leaves, still ducking her head to not make eye contact with any of the men.
Dagen and Casey both stare after Jordan with looks of confusion. Stepping between them, I hug them to me. “Have you ever noticed the resemblance you two share with Jordan? Shoot, you three even have the same name.” Looking between them, their narrowing is all the answer I need. She’s their sister.
“Baby, I know you’re good at connecting the dots and all, but yeah, she’s our sister. We only just found out about her when I was in the hospital. I don’t even think she knows,” Casey says. His face shows nothing but remorse.
“Do I even want to ask how you have a sister you’ve never met before?” I find it crazy how siblings don’t know about each other, but it happens all the time, which is a shame.
“I haven’t really found out much about her other than we share the same dad and she was born and raised in North Carolina. I’ve looked into our dad on several occasions to make sure he stayed away from our mom. After he left her for not giving him what he wanted, both of us thought it necessary to keep tabs on him.” Casey goes on to tell me he hadn’t checked into Jordan’s mom, figuring it wasn’t his place. The woman might be married to their dad, but she deserves her privacy.
“That’s understandable.” Nodding, I lean up to kiss each one of them on the cheek. Turning my focus on Dagen, I say, “Now it’s your turn to be checked out.” Reaching out, I grab his hand and pull him into the room with Emerson. What’s nice about this room is they have two beds and I can examine him somewhat properly.
35
Dragon
I swear our woman is gonna be the death of both me and Gadget. Lately, her emotions have been all over the place, which is understandable but fuck, one minute she’s ripping one of us a new asshole over something as stupid as not putting the toilet seat down, then the next she’s being all sweet like them fuckin’ Sour Patch Kid commercials you always see on TV.
With Emerson still not waking up, I’m sure that’s one of the problems, but there’s got to be more to it. Since knowing Connors, I’ve never known her to let her emotions go the way they have recently.
It’s been five days and Emerson has yet to wake up. Without her, we can’t find Hades. Everyone is about to pull their hair out trying to figure out how she got here. She couldn’t have been far, right?
“Hey, man, what’s going on?” Slapping me on the shoulder, Twister joins me at the bar.
Lifting my beer, I shake my head instead of answering. My throat is killing me and after Connors had a look at it, she ordered me to not speak, period.
“Still on orders not to talk,” Twister chuckles, taking a sip of his own beer once the prospect places it in front of him.
“Yep” is all I manage.
“Well, we’ve all been learning how to read sign language so you can still tell me what’s going on,” he says quietly.
Nodding, I turn toward him and sign, I’m fuckin’ frustrated. Emerson is still out of it and we don’t know where our brother is. We still have Hydro to worry about and on top of all that, our woman is going fuckin’ nuts.
Twister bursts out fuckin’ laughing. “Brother, welcome to the life of having a knocked up ol’ lady.”
What the fuck? I sign, furrowing my brows.
“Think about it, man,” he says as he finishes his beer and leaves me to my thoughts.
Could she be pregnant? Needing to know, I down the rest of my beer and head to my bike. There’s only one way to be sure. Heading to the pharmacy, my mind is reeling over the possibility. The thought of her being pregnant fills me with pride. I want to watch her grow round with our kid and see Logan become a big brother.
Doesn’t take me long to get in and out of the pharmacy. I grabbed every single brand of pregnancy test they have, paid, and headed back to the clubhouse.
Walking inside, I find Gadget and our woman sitting at a table, laughing. When they see me coming toward them, my brother lifts a brow, seeing the bag I’m carrying.
Not wanting to explain in the main room, I grab Connors’s
hand, pulling her up out of her chair and almost dragging her to our room with her calling my name the entire way.
“Dragon, what the hell, man?” Gadget says, closing the door behind him.
“That’s what I’d like to know. Why the hell did you drag me in here?” Huffing, she places her hands on her hips.
Without responding to either of them, I dump the bag on the bed, watching their expressions as they look at the bed.
“Have you gone crazy, Dagen?” Connors asks.
Shaking my head I sign, Baby, you need to take one or all of them, I don’t care, but I want to know if we got you pregnant.
“You really think I’m pregnant?” she says.
Please, I sign.
“Fine, but I’m not pregnant, honey.” Moving toward the bed, Connors grabs a box and goes to the bathroom muttering under her breath about crazy he-man actions.
I sit on the end of the bed, keeping my eyes straight on the door to the bathroom. Gadget sits down next to me without saying a word. I can feel his nervousness through our bond.
“You think it’s true?” he asks quietly.
I nod my head just as the bathroom door opens. Connors comes through the door and I can’t read her expression. She holds a stick out for Gadget and I to see and clear as day it says it’s positive.
“Holy fuck,” Gadget whispers. “We’re gonna be dads.”
“You okay, mo chroí?” I rasp.
“Umm, I’m not sure,” she murmurs.
“Come here.” Opening my arms, I let her move into them before turning us to lay down. Gadget lays behind her so that we’re both surrounding her in our warmth.
“Are you okay with this?” she whispers.
“Fuck yeah, baby. You’re an amazing mom to Logan and I can’t wait to see our family grow,” Gadget murmurs, kissing the side of her head.
“Exactly what Gadget said. Once all the drama is over, I want you to marry us,” my voice cracks.