Teaching Aleck

by Muriel Garcia

  By this time, I know I could stop, he’s dead. He’s been motionless and breathless for the past couple of blows, but I just can’t stop myself. I only pause when I hear Charline scream my name then loud noise and a sharp pain in my back and side. I collapse to the ground, feeling a deep burning sensation in my left side.

  “Did you really think you would get out of this alive, you motherfucker?” I turn and see our new prospect shoving Gabe to the ground who lands with a grunt.

  “W-why?” I gasp in pain.

  “I’ve been part of the Hades’ Kings for a while now. Didn’t think you guys would be stupid enough to let me in your club and on some of the intel. Thank you though, helped us a lot. Now you two are going to die, not slowly enough to my liking, but adding the VP and sergeant at arms of the Last Hangman to my kill list is still pretty sweet.”

  “You forgot something, you sick fuck.” I hear Charline say in a raspy voice. She aims a gun at him and pulls the trigger, shooting him right in the head. He collapses on the ground and she kneels to my side, putting pressure over my gunshot wound. “Don’t you dare die on me, Aleck!” she says through her tears.

  “I’ll try my best,” I say coughing up blood.

  “You better be okay.” She sniffs and grabs my cellphone. She dials a number and talks to someone, but I can’t make out what she’s saying. The pain is too strong.

  “What the fuck happened here?” I faintly hear someone say, but don’t recognize the voice.

  “Long story. Can you get Ally, she’s upstairs.”

  “Of course.” Who’s going to get my daughter?

  “W-who’s that?” I groan in pain.

  “Detective Sanders. I called him, I was too late though. I’m so sorry.”

  “I…I’ll be okay.” I cough up blood again and hear Ally crying. It breaks my heart that she’s had to go through this at such a young age.

  I feel myself slowly slip away, the pain is too strong for me to fight it. I think back on the first day I met Charline, how beautiful, sweet and incredibly shy she was.

  I’m sitting on my bike, shooting the shit with the guys outside of the compound, like most days. One thing is different today though. Ayden is walking over to us, but she’s not alone. She brought a fucking angel with her. She is perfect. Petite, very light blonde hair, big blue eyes that seem too big for her face, perfectly pouty lips, porcelain skin and the perfect curves for her tiny frame. I don’t believe in love at first sight, or love at all for that matter, but if I did, she’d be the girl I’d want by my side for life.

  She blushes hard when she reaches us and barely talks, she’s painfully shy, but it makes me want her so much more. I want to see how she would feel under me, how she would look screaming my name in pleasure, how she would react to rougher rounds in the bedroom.

  Ant elbows me. “What the fuck at you thinking about? You’re scaring Charline staring at her like that!” He laughs.

  “Sorry. I’m Aleck.” I smile at her.

  “H-hi,” she replies shyly and I’m gone. She’ll forever hold my heart, even though she doesn’t know it…

  CHAPTER 31

  Charline

  The room is eerily quiet.

  If you could hear the sound of a heartbreaking, that’s the only sound you would hear.

  My heart is breaking as I watch Aleck lose his battle against the pain, I see the light diminish in his eyes.

  The ambulance just got here and the medics are strapping a barely conscious Aleck to a gurney. Sanders is holding a crying Ally, trying to reassure her that her daddy is going to be okay. Gabe is holding his shoulder and doesn’t look too good himself.

  “Please, don’t die.” I whisper against Aleck’s lips and let the medics take him to the rig. I walk over to Sanders and take Ally from him.

  “Is Daddy going to be okay?” she says still crying.

  “Yes, Princess. Daddy will be okay.” Please God, let me be right. I cuddle her and follow the medics out the house with Sanders. Another ambulance is outside, ready to take Gabe to the hospital. I’m stunned to see cop cars closing the street and parked in front of the house, alongside cop bikes. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but at this point, I don’t give a fuck about what they think might have happened.

  “Miss, it might be better if you follow us in your car. Two police officers will escort you to the ER on their bikes, but we need to move quickly and it might not be the best to have a kid in there,” One of the medics tells me as they load up Aleck.

  “Of course. Thank you. Please, keep him safe,” I plead him.

  “Of course, Miss.” He gives me a compassionate smile and gets in the rig, closing the doors between Aleck and us. I move quickly and set Ally safely in the car and get in it myself, not caring about the rest.

  The drive to the hospital is excruciatingly long. It might only be five minutes away with the sirens and the cops escorting us, but they are the longest five minutes of my life. When we finally pull up at the hospital, I quickly get Ally and run inside.

  “Can I help you miss?” an older nurse asks me.

  “M…my boyfriend was brought in with gunshot wounds.” I cover Ally’s ears by cuddling her into me. She doesn’t need to hear this. The nurse checks with one of the doctors and she nods a few times.

  “They are going to get him to the operating room, they need to operate quickly, but he’s asked to see you.”

  “Where is he?” I sniff, my nerves are pretty shot and I’m not sure how much more I can take.

  “Come with me, Sweetheart.” I follow her and one of the female cops that were escorting me stops me.

  “I’ll watch her while you talk to him. Come here, Princess.” She smiles sweetly at Ally and I nod at her.

  “I’ll be back in a minute, Pumpkin. I promise.”

  “Pinky promise?” She sniffs and looks at me.

  “Pinky promise.” I hold my pinky up and she hooks hers in mine. I kiss her forehead and give her to the female cop before following a nurse to where Aleck is. They are just about to enter the operating room.

  “Baby?” I lean over him.

  “My Sweet Angel,” he groans in pain.

  “Promise me you’ll be okay,” I whisper kissing his forehead.

  “If anything goes wrong, promise me you’ll take care of Ally. I trust you with her.” He coughs up blood.

  “Don’t say that please, you have to be okay.” I try not to break down crying, but it’s getting harder and harder.

  “Promise me,” he whispers.

  “I promise,” I whisper back, the tears freely falling. He moves the mask away from his mouth and brings me to his lips.

  “I love you,” he whispers into the kiss.

  “I love you too.”

  “Forever and always.”

  “Always and forever.” One of the nurses puts the mask back over his nose and mouth and wheels him away from me. We hold hands until I can’t follow anymore. I break down crying when the door closes, feeling like a part of me just died. I slide down the wall, sobbing uncontrollably.

  “He’s in good hands, Sweetheart,” the older nurse tells me.

  “I…I hope he makes it.”

  “I’m sure he will, he looks like a fighter. He has you and his little girl to take care of. He won’t leave you two.” She smiles softly at me and helps me up.

  “I hope you’re right.” I sniff.

  “I’m sure I am. Come on, I’ll take you to the OR waiting room, there’s no one in there at the moment, it’ll be quiet for the two of you. Try to get some rest and relax a little, even in times like these, some peace and quiet is just what you need.” I nod and let her help me up.

  She rubs my back as we walk back to where the cop is waiting for us with Ally. I dry my tears before I reach them, I don’t want her to think anything else happened.

  “Hey, Pumpkin.” I take her in my arms and cuddle her.

  “Why did you cry?” So much for not worrying her more than she already is.

&n
bsp; “Come on, I’ll tell you when we get to the waiting room.” I kiss her head and we follow the nurse with the cops still escorting us. I’m not sure why, but I’m not in a position to question or complain at this point.

  Two elevators and more than I can count hallways later, we get to a small but cozy room. I sit Ally in a chair and get us two bottles of water from the vending machine before settling down next to her.

  “Are you two going to be okay?” the nurse asks me.

  “As okay as we can be.”

  “We’ll come update you whenever we can. There’s a nurse desk at the end of the hallway, if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask them, they will be more than happy to help you.” She smiles sympathetically at me and squeezes my hand before leaving.

  “I’m not going to ask you for your deposition now, but I’ll be in touch tomorrow or Detective Sanders will come over, I’m sure.” She smiles softly at me and squeezes my hand.

  “Thank you for everything.” I say softly and hold Ally close to me.

  “Just doing my job, Miss.” She nods at me and leaves.

  Ally wraps her tiny arms around my neck and rests her head in the crook of my neck.

  “Why were you crying?” she asks softly.

  I sigh, here goes nothing. “I’ve been under a lot of stress lately and with your daddy being injured and the bad man trying to scare us tonight, the pressure was too much and I cried.”

  She nods thinking for a minute. “Is the bad man going to hurt us again?”

  “No, Pumpkin. I promise you he won’t hurt us anymore.”

  “Good.” She cuddles into me. “If Daddy doesn’t come back, will you be the one taking care of me and loving me?” I choke back a cry.

  “Your daddy will be okay, Princess.”

  “But if he’s not?” She looks at me her bottom lip quivering.

  “Of course I will, baby girl. I love you, my little Munchkin.” I kiss her forehead and hold her to me.

  “I love you too, Liney.” I can’t hold the tears back anymore and break down crying, holding her close to me.

  Hearing her talk about her dad not coming back is breaking my heart, for the both of us. I love both of them like mad. I couldn’t even begin to imagine my life without either of them being in it. This is my own personal hell.

  The only man I’ve ever loved is fighting for his life and it’s my fault.

  I still can’t wrap my head around all the shit Brian said tonight. Just the fact that he was the one killing that guy when I was in college was a lot to take by itself. To know that he has been harassing me for years, was also a part of a rival MC and was fucking me? It’s too much. To know that he’s also the one responsible for Emma’s death is the most fucked up thing. I’m not sure if I should tell this information to Aleck. He’s already screwed up from his past, knowing this could make things so much worse for him.

  What would have happened if Emma hadn’t died? Would she and Aleck still be together and happy or would he have pushed her away like he tried with me?

  What would have happened had I not seen what Brian did to that guy? I wouldn’t have had the threats, but I wouldn’t be as strong as I am today.

  What would have happened if I didn’t shy away when I was younger and was bolder with Aleck? Would we have dated or would it have been just a onetime thing?

  I’m driving myself crazy with all these questions.

  Every few minutes I check the time, hoping that I’ll look up and an hour has passed and the doctor will come and give me news about how Aleck is. Instead, it taunts me and passes slower than before.

  Ally fell asleep in my arms, which eases my mind slightly, at least she’s not torturing herself with worrying thoughts about whether her father will come back or not.

  I keep seeing nurses walk past, but none of them walk in to let me know what’s going on. I’m starting to get desperate. I don’t know why it’s taking so long.

  Another hour passes by and no one has been in to update me. I’m tempted to go to the nurse office, but I don’t want to wake Ally up or for her to wake up and see I’m not here.

  Just as I’m about to dose off and get some much needed rest, my parents walk in quietly and I lose it again, breaking down crying as Mom comes straight to me and hugs me tight.

  “Oh Honey, I’m so sorry. Is there anything we can do?”

  I shake my head. “I’ve been here for hours, they haven’t been in yet to tell me what’s going on.” I sniff.

  “I’ll go see what’s going on, Princess,” Dad says kissing my head before walking back out.

  “I can’t lose him, Mom.” I lean on her, tears falling.

  “I know, Honey. I’m sure he’ll be okay, he’s a strong man.”

  “He was shot Mom, on the left side of his chest,” I whisper.

  She sighs and nods. “I still stand by what I said, he’s a strong man. He wouldn’t leave you two.” She smiles softly.

  I nod and wipe my tears. Ally slowly wakes up, rubbing her eyes she looks up at me confused as she doesn’t know my parents yet.

  “This is my Mom, Debbie. Mom, this little angel is Ally.” I smile softly.

  “Hello, Sweetheart.” My mom smiles at her.

  Ally looks between us for a minute. “Hi,” she whispers and cuddles into me.

  “Do you want anything to eat, Pumpkin?” She nods against my chest. “Cookies?”

  “Yes, please.” She yawns and wraps herself in my jacket.

  I get up and go to the vending machine, getting her cookies and a pack of chips for myself. I open the cookies and hand them to her before pulling her back onto my lap. She doesn’t really have the heart to eat, neither do I, but I encourage her to eat. I feel horrible for her, the things that must be going through her head right now.

  “What are you thinking about, Pumpkin?” I ask softly.

  “Hoping Daddy is okay,” she says softly.

  “He will be, he’s strong. He loves you both very much and wouldn’t leave you two.” Mom smiles at Ally, getting a shy smile out of her in return.

  A few minutes later, my father pops his head in the room. “Can I talk to you, Line?”

  “Sure.” I look at him confused and dread is washing over me. What now?

  I walk out of the room and join him outside. “What’s going on? Did you talk to the nurse?”

  “Yes,” he sighs, “he’s in a bad shape, but they are doing all they can to make him better.”

  My heart shatters. “This can’t be happening,” I whisper.

  “I’m sorry, Princess.” He hugs me tightly and I break down crying even harder.

  “It’s all my fault!” I scream into my father’s chest.

  “What are you talking about?” he asks stroking my hair.

  “I…it’s a long story.” I can’t tell them.

  “Okay, I’m not going to ask you to tell me now, but one day you’ll have to open up.” I nod. “Let’s dry those tears and go back in.” He kisses my head and hands me a tissue. I go to the bathroom quickly to wash my face. I don’t want Ally to see me in such a state. I look at my reflection in the mirror, I look like death. I’m paler than usual, have dried blood on my arms and shirt and I have bruises around my neck where Brian had his hands wrapped around it. I’m surprised my parents haven’t said anything. I take a minute to collect my thoughts and walk back out to the waiting room.

  I sit on the ground, trying to get as comfortable as can be here. Ally joins me and cuddles me. I wrap her in my jacket and hold her to me, rocking her softly, hoping she’ll fall back asleep. She’s clutching a teddy bear in her arms that wasn’t there before, I smile up at my dad who nods at me.

  We stay like this for what seems forever. I’m trying to keep it together for Ally who’s been as restless as the rest of us.

  Someone knocks on the door and a nurse walks in. It took them seven hours for them to come give us news.

  Seven. Fucking. Hours.

  I’m fucking raging! I know they are doing their
job and everything to save him, but to leave us in the unknown on what’s going on?

  I get up, holding Ally. “How is he?”

  “We have to wait 24 hours to be sure, but he should be fine. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  I nod and kiss Ally’s head. “I’ll be right back okay? I’m going to talk to the nurse, Pumpkin.”

  “Is Daddy going to be okay?” she asks looking at me hopeful and on the verge of tears again.

  “Yes, Princess, Daddy is going to be okay.” I smile at her and she hugs me tightly.

  I smile hugging her back and give her to my mom when she slowly loosens her grip on my neck. I follow the nurse outside and she closes the door. “How is he really?”

  “The bullet has left some damage I’m afraid. It went through cleanly, but it went through his left lung. He was bleeding badly, but the doctors have managed to stop it. It was touch and go for a couple of hours. He flat lined twice and we’ll have to keep him in ICU for at least two weeks to make sure he’s okay. The next 24 hours will be the most critical. Also, he won’t wake up straight away, we’ve had to put him in a chemically induced comma because of the pain he’d be in. It’ll only last for a couple of days, but I’d rather have you be aware of it beforehand.”

  I nod and rub my face. “When can we go see him?” I ask my voice breaking. I can’t lose him.

  “The nurses in ICU are setting him up, but you’ll be able to go see him in half an hour. We’ll give you and his daughter a sterile outfit to go in. We don’t want outside contamination.”

  “Of course. Thank you.” I nod at her and walk in.

  “When can we go see Daddy?” Ally asks smiling.

  “In a few minutes, Pumpkin,” I smile softly at her and kneel down, “Daddy will be asleep for a couple of days, but it’s normal. It’s just to make sure he doesn’t talk too much and hurt himself again. You know how chatty your Daddy can be.” I giggle softly and she nods smiling.

  “Worse than a girl!” She hugs me giggling softly.