by Joy Blood
I don’t find anything, but I didn’t expect to. The guy has gone so deep underground, there isn’t any trace of him ever being born. Hence the reason it took me so long to find him. I doubt we’ll ever come across him, and I’m not sure Rock would even want to now anyway, family or not. His involvement in the sex trade isn’t something Riders touch. It’s why the clubhouse was shot up in the first place. We didn’t want to get tangled up in that shit, but the Chicago Chapter did, and they teamed up with someone who did—Avil fucking Cantrell.
The bastard still comes back to fuck us, even in death.
Chapter Twenty
Ari
"Don’t be crazy, Rico. I can drive out to the clubhouse. I’m pregnant, not handicapped. Seriously." I roll my eyes even though I’m on the phone and he can’t see me.
"You're rolling your eyes at me, aren’t you?" His tone is anything but amused.
"Argh! Just stay there. I’m already ready. I’ll be there in twenty minutes tops," I say, grabbing my purse and walking out the door. The snow is just a light fall, coming down soft, blanketing the ground.
"Damn it, Ree, can’t you just listen for once in your—"
"I’m getting into the car and—oh, look at that, I’m not too pregnant to start the car!" I say sarcastically as I turn the key in the ignition and bring the engine to life. I shift into gear and start backing out the drive.
"Damn it, girl! Fine. I’m hanging up. You don’t drive too fast, and shit...just be careful. It’s starting to snow hard. Fuck." He’s pissed and wants to come get me, but my car will make it to the clubhouse easy. The ground isn’t even completely covered in snow, and it’s not cold enough to freeze yet. I’m going.
I toss my phone onto the passenger seat and strap my seatbelt over my belly—which is huge. I’m like a beached whale in the dead of winter. None of my clothes fit right, so I’m wearing Rico's t-shirt and my yoga pants. I’m not dressed up by any means, and now that I’m driving down the road, I need to pee again. "You are really pressing on my bladder, kid," I say as I stroke my side. "Just a couple more weeks." The loud crunch and jolt to my little car stops the conversation I’m having with my unborn son. My world turns on its axis, and I feel myself spinning. So much spinning. Like I’m on one of those rides that twirls in constant circles and makes you sick.
The world is a blur around me. I come to a stop, my body jolting from the abrupt end of the forced ride. Heart pounding, my vision starts to put things back into place. Dashboard. Steering wheel. Windshield. My mind places things in my stunned state until it finally dissipates and the situation becomes clear. My hands fly to my stomach to make sure my bump is unscathed. "Oh, thank god." I let out a breath as my boy gives a hard kick and roll. He’s fine. We’re fine.
I shift to grab my phone to call Rico, needing to tell him okay. I spot it on the floorboard. Bright headlights shine through my window, catching my attention. Right before the impact, I know this might be it. There’s no way I’m getting out of this one.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rico
She just can’t fucking listen to me, can she? The girl is stubborn as fuck, and now she's got me pacing the front step of the clubhouse waiting for her. "Ari being pig-headed?" Premo asks from the door. Siberians got here nearly an hour ago and have since started partying.
"If she doesn’t show up in two minutes, I’m heading home to get her," I grumble, annoyed he’s talking to me as if we’re buddies or something.
"She sure is headstrong. Always liked that about her." My head snaps to him.
"Not going to stand out here and discuss my woman with you." My phone vibrates in my hand, and I grit my teeth at the unknown number. "Yeah?"
"Mr. Cabrera?" The unknown voice brings a sinking motion to my stomach. I immediately know something is wrong.
"This is him."
"A Miss Ariella Johnson has you listed as her emergency contact."
"What happened?" I ask, already getting into my truck and starting it.
"There’s been an accident..." she starts, but I don’t hear much more through the blood pulsing in my ears as I drive at rapid speeds toward town, not giving a shit that the snow is coming down so fast, I can barely see anything in front of me.
I’m not sure when I tossed my phone aside. It only takes minutes before I’m pulling into town and up to the hospital where the pricks dick around and keep me from seeing her. "I’m her emergency contact! You called me!" I yell at the idiots behind the glass window. "Let me the fuck in. My woman was in an accident," I growl, but they still don’t budge. They eye my cut. Since the whole shootout and explosion of the old factory, this town has become a little leery of the Riders.
"Sir, we can’t just let you in. This is a hospital. Visiting hours are over and—" My hand slams down onto the glass, and they both jump.
"Someone just fucking called me and said I needed to get here. That Ariella Johnson has been in a car accident. Look up her fucking name and let. Me. The. Fuck. In!" I demand behind gritted teeth.
"Mr. Cabrera?" A woman walks in behind the two schmucks who are lucky they’re separated by the thick glass wall between us.
"Yeah. That’s me. You the one who called?" Nodding, she reaches past the idiots and presses a button. The buzz lets me know the door to my left is unlocked. I yank it open and storm inside, sure to glare at the people behind the desk as I storm past and follow the woman who called me down a long hallway with the letters ICU labeled over the top. I’m no fucking doctor, but I know this part of the hospital isn’t one a person wants to find themselves in.
"She’s in surgery right now. The officers at the scene said the first car that hit her ran a red light. When she spun off from the impact, she went into oncoming traffic and was struck again." Jesus fucking hell.
"Twice?"
"Yes. I’m very sorry, Mr. Ca—"
"Reek." I interrupt. "Is the baby alive?" She offers a small smile as we continue down the hall.
"Yes. The little boy is fine. He was delivered just minutes after she was brought in. His lungs are slightly underdeveloped, and he needs some help breathing, but other than that, he’ll be fine."
"And Ari?" She pauses, like she doesn’t know how to tell me the news.
"Like I said before, she’s in surgery, and it’s too soon to tell. She suffered massive head trauma from the second impact." She takes one more turn, then we’re standing outside two doors she needs to swipe her badge for. The buzz sounds, and we walk through. After a few steps, a long glass window greets us. When I look in, I find three small incubators set up. Only one has a baby inside. Oh hell. The pit in my stomach grows with each step I take. This is not how this was supposed to happen.
We stop by the door to the nursery. The woman instructs me to put on the supplied gown and wash my hands. I’m in a haze as I follow her directions, pulling on the blue paper uniform along with matching blue booties that barely fit over my boots. It’s surreal. Dressing up to meet my son for the first time. She swipes her badge again and leads me to the incubator housing a small pink baby. He’s tiny as hell and has tubes strapped to him. The small mask over his nose and mouth nearly swallows his face. "You can reach in and touch his hand if you’d like. He’s a good weight for being early. Nearly six pounds," she tells me with a smile, but I barely hear it. I’m too busy taking in the small being wrapping his tiny hand around my finger.
"Shit, he's small."
"Yes, he is. Congratulations, Mr. Cabrera. You have a son." She pats my back before walking away.
"Your momma is goin’ to get through this. I know she can’t wait to meet you, tiny man." The tear that rolls down my face is an unstoppable force. The woman I love is fighting for her life while our son grips my finger with all his strength, and he can’t even breathe on his own.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Premo
When Reek took off like a bat out of hell, I knew something happened to Ari. I was right on his ass when he left. Unlike him, I didn’t go through the e
mergency entrance. Ari told me once if I needed to get inside not to go to those doors because they wouldn’t even let the Pope in. I was supposed to go through the employee entrance. Might not be legal, but it’s what I do. It takes me no time to find her. All I had to do was drop her name, and I was pointed in her direction. "She just got out of surgery," the nurse tells me, leading me to her room.
"What about the baby?" I ask, bracing myself for the answer.
"He’s fine. He’s having a little trouble breathing, so he’s in the NICU. Would you like to see him?" she asks, her hand on the door.
"Can I see her first?"
"Yes. Of course. Just for a little bit, though." The door is pushed open, and for the first time since she left to come back to Cental, to be with Reek, I see her. I try not to let that little fact bother me as I take her in. So damn small on that bed hooked up to all kinds of tubes. The constant whirl and beep of the machines fill my ears, seeming to sound in time with each step I walk closer. She has a tube down her throat and tape on her face to hold it in place. I want nothing more than to rip it off her and make her better again. A thick bandage covers her head. There isn’t a place where I can see her hair.
"Jesus Christ." Pulling up a chair to her bed, I sit down and take her hand in mine. It’s so fucking cold, it nearly makes me shiver. I stand up and check the other one to find it’s also cold. Tucking it under the blanket, I sit back down and try to warm up the one closest to me, stroking it in mine. I place my lips over her knuckles, and for the first time in a long fucking while, I pray. "You gotta get better, babe. That baby boy is going to want to meet his momma," I say, hoping she hears me. "Get better."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rico
Waiting. I fucking hate it. It’s been five days since Ari came out of surgery. Four since her breathing tube was taken out. Still no prediction on when she’ll wake up. The boy—yeah, he doesn’t have a name yet—has since come off his oxygen and is breathing on his own. "I got to hold him today, Ree. He looks just like you. Got some dark ass hair, though," I tell her, hoping to break through and bring her back to me. I haven’t gone home yet. I've been going back and forth between her and the baby. Rock and the boys have all stopped by at one time or another. Kimi was just here, but Jake dragged her away when she fell asleep in her chair. The woman is as stubborn as Ari and wouldn’t go. Kimi got here shortly after I was told Ari was out of surgery. She only left once, but came back a few hours later.
"Reek, you should go home and get some rest, man. I'll stay here. Call you if anything changes," Vin says from behind me. Last time she was in this position, he and Ellie were by her side. Now, it’s me.
"No," I bark. He knows damn well I won’t leave.
"Fine," he grumbles. "Ellie made this. Told me to drop it off." He places a plastic container with a red lid on the table next to the bed. "You know how she is." He shrugs.
"Yeah." The sight of food makes my stomach roll.
"She'll wake up, man. She's gone through this before and came out on the other side," he says, trying, like everyone else, to reassure me.
"He's right." There’s that voice I’ve heard too many times since I've been here. Premo has come and gone, but he’s been here from the beginning too. Asshole was in Ari’s room when I was brought to see her. I nearly threw him out of the hospital, but Gin talked me down. Knew it was only the grief fueling my anger toward the man.
"You can come back later," I bite out.
"Came to tell you they’re releasing the baby. He's good and can go home."
"We’ve got it," Vin starts. "I'll give Ellie a call and—"
"No." I scrub my face and stand. “Fuck,” I point to Premo, "stay with her." I start for the door. As much as leaving him by her side irritates me, I know she’s in good hands.
"Reek, we don’t know who he belongs to yet." Fuck no. I spin on him, slam my arm into his chest at full force, and back him up to the wall.
"We aren’t having that conversation right now—not while his mom is laying in that bed fighting to wake up," I hiss through clenched teeth. "You can either get in your truck and go the fuck back to Siberia, or you can sit there and hold her hand while I go get that boy and bring him home." I give him one more shove and let him drop. Not giving a fuck which he chooses to do, I storm out of the room and head toward the exit. I need to go home and grab the car seat, then I can come back and get him. I have no idea what to do afterward, I just know I should be the one to figure it out.
Twenty minutes later, I’m back at the hospital getting a crash course on how to strap the kid into the hundred-dollar car seat Ari said she needed to buy. "Now, you need to make sure it’s tight, but not too tight. You need to be able to slip a finger under the strap easily, and this latch needs to be across his chest. Like this," the nurse explains, showing me how to strap him in correctly. "Do you have the base already installed in the vehicle?"
I only nod, not even registering a smile at the memory of the argument Ari and I had while strapping the thing into my truck. "We still need the birth certificate signed," she says, and I freeze.
"Can we hold off? His mom is still unconscious." She gives a sympathetic smile.
"With these circumstances, we’ll just take the father's signature for now. Here you go." She hands over the paper, and without a second thought, I sign my name. "Okay, just a couple more signatures and we’ll get you on your way."
After I sign him out of the nursery, I bring him to her room. When I get there, Vin has left, but Premo is still here, sitting next to her bed with his feet propped up on the table while he eats whatever it is Ellie had Vin bring. "By all means, help yourself." He pauses, spoon halfway to his mouth.
"You going to take him home?" he asks, but I don’t answer. Instead, I place the car seat down and go about getting the tiny man out of the straps. The first time I held him, I thought I would break him—so small in my hands and squirming to beat all hell. The kid is strong as fuck. As I pick him up, he gives a long stretch, extending his hands above his head and yawning for emphasis.
"I know there’s that fifty-fifty chance, but that looks like my chin on him." The mother fucker.
"Get out, Premo. I don’t give a shit if I’m holding him, I won’t hesitate to lay your ass out," I growl and nod toward the door. "Get. The. Fuck. Out." Hissing, I try to keep my voice low. He listens and walks out the door. "Sorry, kid." The boy's eyes are now wide open and looking up at me, but he’s not making a sound. "Let’s meet your mama." I sit down on the chair next to the bed and hold him out so he can look at her. I’m no baby expert, I don’t even know if he can actually see her, but I don’t care. He’s here, and that’s all that counts. I place him on her chest and watch as he reaches out and touches her cheek, as if he knows who she is.
Ari had something she called a sleeper picked out for him to wear when we brought him home. I grabbed that and put it on him before we left the nursery. It’s black with a printed Hell’s Riders cut on it. Cute as fuck. I wish she could see him in it. The kid is so damn small, he drowns in the soft fabric.
"We never talked about what to name him, Ree. I put baby Cabrera on the certificate." The steady beeping of the machines is all I get in return. "Fuck, you gotta wake up, girl. He needs you." I lean up and kiss her forehead. "I need you."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ari
"I need you," a voice says, breaking through the haze holding me captive. "Come back to us." More words from the hard voice seep into my ears, then the best noise in the world follows: a baby crying.
The small cries ignite a need inside me, and I find strength from somewhere deep to crack my eyes open, only to have the bright light force them shut again. I keep working at it, though, until they’re wide open and staring up at a pair of dark eyes—eyes I’ve longed to see. "Thank Christ. There you are, baby." His words come on an exhale, as if he’s been holding his breath for me to wake. “Hang on, girl,” he says before suddenly leaving my side. My eyes search him out, but w
hen I try to move, I find it too hard, so I stay put. When he comes back into view, he’s holding something small and black. I also catch sight of doctors and nurses filing into the room, whirling around me, assessing me.
"Ari. Can you hear me?" A man I know I’ve seen before but can’t place hovers above me, shining a light right into my eyes.
"Need. Up," I force out through a scratchy throat.
"Hold on. We need to take your vitals. See how you are doing, okay?" the doctor says. I try to nod, but my head hurts so much, I only let out a small, whispered, “Yes.”
"Good." He gets to work accessing my injuries. He’s quick, shining his light in my eyes again, then looking over my head while someone else takes my blood pressure.
"Your injuries are healing nicely, and the swelling to your brain has gone down significantly, according to our last scans. You had a massive hematoma on your frontal lobe and several lacerations. No broken bones, just bumps and bruises." I could care less about all that. I only have one concern.
"Baby." He gives me a smile and nods toward one end of the room.
"Ree." That voice again. My eyes desperately seek him out, but I still can’t find him. Not until the small cry starts once again—that sweet sound that pulled me from a deep sleep. That’s when I find him. The tall, broad-shouldered man holding a small baby.
"Puerto. Rico," I rasp, and a wide smile spreads across his face.
"Never thought I would fucking love to hear that come out of your mouth." His voice is haggard, his steps slow as they come closer. "I didn’t know what to name him." He shifts the small bundle of black in his arms until I come face to face with my son. My first urge is to reach out and grab him, but the weakness in my arms stops me. "I’ve got it, Ree. Hold still." He situates the baby on my chest, carefully keeping him in place for me to look down on him.