by Erin Osborne
I make my way to the hospital and to the room Jeremy and my husband have shared for the last few weeks. Yeah, they’ve been in here that long after the surgery. Doctors wanted to make sure that they didn’t get an infection of some sort and that there wasn’t anything that they missed as far as shrapnel or any other injuries that would surface. Plus, they both had surgery that was pretty extensive. Gerald’s therapy has sort of started even though he can’t bear any weight on his leg just yet. His therapist has been in his room working on the other parts of his body and teaching him what he can do while in bed or sitting in a chair. It’s something for now I guess.
“Don’t you ever hang up on me again,” I tell Gerald as I walk in their room.
Jeremy and him burst out laughing and I can see that some sort of tension has been relieved for a few minutes at least. “I told him you were goin’ to bust his ass for doin’ that to you,” Jeremy says, holding his stomach from laughing so hard.
“I’m sorry baby girl. I didn’t mean to hang up on you. Didn’t get good news today,” he says in way of an explanation. “Let’s get out of here so I can tell you all about it.”
A nurse walks in the room and begins to push my husband out to the waiting vehicle I left in front of the doors. We get him in my small car and she hands me his bag of things along with his discharge papers before turning and making her way back inside. Gerald sits in the passenger seat, staring out of the window as we make the short drive to my house. I don’t bother trying to talk to him, knowing that he’ll talk to me when he’s ready to. He’s got to work through the things in his head before he voices them to me.
My mom is waiting outside for us when I pull up. She’s already picked a wheel chair up from her friend Denise and she pushes it over to the passenger side of the car. After opening the door for Gerald, she steps back so that I can help my husband. He accepts the help, even if it’s the last thing he wants right now. We make our way inside through the garage so that we don’t have to worry about any steps. Mom leaves us be as I push him in our room. I step away from the wheel chair and make my way around him so I can sit on the bed.
“I don’t know what I’m goin’ to do now Alana,” he says once he sees me settled. “Jeremy and I both got discharged because of our injuries. They’re not goin’ to let us go back and fight. Not even when we get done with therapy and can prove that we’re as good as new.”
“I’m so sorry baby. What can I do?” I ask, knowing that there’s not much I can do to help him right now.
“Nothin’. I just don’t know how I’m goin’ to support us if I can’t be in the service, earnin’ a paycheck. How are we gonna buy a house and make enough money to start a family?” he says, hanging his head down so I can’t see the emotions running over his face and through his eyes.
“Baby, we’ll figure it out. The only thing I want you to worry about right now is getting through therapy. We’ll figure it all out once that’s over with and you can move around again. In the meantime, we can talk about where we want to live and what we want to do. I’m not going anywhere and I’ll be here every step of the way,” I tell him, standing up before him and pulling his head up to look at me. “Love you always and forever.”
“Forever and always,” Gerald responds, leaning up to kiss me and giving me a tender smile before asking me to help him get in bed. “We’ll figure it out baby girl.”
Helping Gerald in bed, I lay down next to him and fall asleep with my head on his chest. I listen to his heartbeat that’s strong and steady. Just like the man that I feel in love with all those years ago. Just from one glance at him, I knew Gerald would be the man that could love me with all his heart and that we’d make one another stronger from the love that we shared.
Chapter Four
31 years old
OUR LIVES HAVE CERTAINLY CHANGED IN THE LAST few years. Alana and I had a son named Levi after her dad that was taken from her way too soon. Jeremy also has a son named Logan. He’s just a few months older than my own son. Gertie was his mom and she handed Logan over to Jeremy before disappearing. We don’t know why she made the decisions that she did, but Jeremy has been looking for her ever since. My wife also gave me a daughter named Bailey. The day that she was born, I knew she was going to be a stubborn one, but we’ll get to that in a few minutes.
Jeremy and I decided that we were going to take the money we’d been saving up while in the service and open a garage. We found one that was for sale on the outskirts of town. The owner wanted to retire and had no one in his family to hand the business over to. He was an older man that just wanted to see his business thrive again as it had when he opened it so many years ago.
We spent so many hours getting everything cleaned up and ready to open. Jeremy spent countless hours while Logan was at our house playing with Levi researching the best equipment and what we’d need to become a full-service garage. After tallying up the costs, we put in half while taking out a loan for the rest of the money needed to open the business. Alana helped out when she could but spent most of her time at home with the kids. Especially since she was becoming further along in her pregnancy with our daughter.
Once we opened the garage, Jeremy and I decided that we weren’t going to cater to one specific type of vehicle; we’d accept anything that rolled through our doors. Well, one day we discovered our love of riding bikes. A few men brought in their motorcycles to be tuned up and looked over as they were heading out of town. So, we did the requested work before taking them out for a test drive to make sure there wasn’t any little problem that we didn’t know about. We immediately fell in love with the freedom of flying down the open road while not being caged in by a car, truck, or other vehicle.
Alana encouraged our need to feel that freedom from owning our own bikes. She wasn’t happy about it, but she had been there by our sides from the second that the service discharged us and we lost our purpose in life. My wife stood by our sides when we opened our garage, spent countless hours promoting it and getting in new customers, and was there when we had no clue what we were going to do. I couldn’t ask for a better woman than her to be standing beside me.
So, Jeremy and I scoured the area trying to find bikes. Finally, we saw an ad for two bikes that were being sold by the same owner. We called him up and made an appointment to go see them. That became a day that would change our lives once again. A day that gave us a new purpose in life, one that would allow us to feel the camaraderie of brotherhood and family that we had in the military. See, Cam, the guy that was selling the bikes, was in a club and he talked to us about it. Even invited us to come to the clubhouse to see what it was about. When he saw that we were serious about starting a club in our area, Cam helped us figure out what we needed to do to make that happen.
“Alana, baby girl, where are you?” I call out, walking in the house after a meeting with Jeremy and some guys that we called about joining.
“In the kitchen,” she calls back, letting me know where she is.
I walk in the kitchen to see Logan and Levi sitting at the table eating a snack while my wife is at the stove mixing something in a pan while the timer for the oven is going off. Fuck! I should’ve been here to help her. Especially as I look down at her round belly where our daughter is resting peacefully; waiting to make her entrance into the world.
“How was your day, babe?” she asks, opening the oven while pulling on an oven mitt to take out whatever she’s baking.
“It was very good. The guys are on board for joinin’ the club. We’re gonna start out in the garage until we can find somewhere to turn into a clubhouse. I can’t thank you enough for supportin’ us in doin’ this,” I tell her, walking up to her so I can wrap my arms around her.
“I told you when we got married that I would stand by your side until the day that we’re buried in the ground. What’s the next step?” she asks, leaning up to give me a quick kiss before taking the pan out of the oven.
“We have the name registered, Wild Kings MC, and now
we’re goin’ to find somethin’ to make into a clubhouse. I don’t know what we’ll have to do after that,” I answer her, walking over to the boys and ruffling their hair.
I hear Alana make some noise as she continues baking and stirring whatever is boiling on the stove. It smells like heaven in here with the way she cooks and bakes. So, I sit down with the boys and tell Logan that his dad will be here soon. He’s finishing up on a car before he comes to pick him up. As usual, he’ll be here just in time for dinner. It’s the same thing every day. I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.
We finally found a spot that would make a perfect clubhouse. It’s got a huge lot surrounded by a fence and the woods. There’s a vacant building that used to be a warehouse with offices and extra rooms. The building itself is sturdy so we’ll only need to make repairs and renovations to the inside of the building. It shouldn’t take us too long with ten of us guys and the different guys we know that can help us out.
“Pops, where you at?” I hear called out by Jeremy as I finish painting what will be the common room so that we can bring the bar in and get it all stocked.
“In the common room Ace,” I call back, using our road names.
He walks in followed by Rhyno, Sargant, BullDog, and Tiny. They’re holding a case of beer and a few folding chairs. Must be break time. Well, I can’t afford to take a break right now. This is the last room that we have to finish and I want it done now. Alana is going to go into labor at any second and I don’t want to leave the guys hanging to finish this place by themselves.
“Take a break and lets figure out what we’re gonna do about a party as soon as we finish this place. Or how we’re gonna get some prospects in here,” BullDog says, setting up his chair before plopping his ass down in it.
“This needs to be finished now. I want to get the bar in here within the next few hours,” I tell them continuing to paint while they sit in a circle and drink their beer.
“Pops, every single room in this place is finished but this one. What’s the rush?” Rhyno asks, popping the top on her drink before taking a long pull from the bottle.
“Ma could go into labor at any second. I’ll be leavin’ here as soon as I get that call,” I tell them, continuing on painting the wall with the last coat so that I can let it dry before we bring the rest of the furniture and alcohol in the room.
“We know you’re waitin’ on a call,” Ace says, standing up and grabbing a brush to help me finish the wall. “It doesn’t matter if the clubhouse is done or not. Our little princess will be comin’ soon and we’ll all be there to welcome her into the world.”
“But...” I begin to say, before I’m cut off.
“No ‘but’,” Sargant grumbles, setting his beer down before walking over to join us. “We’ll get it done together and that’s it. If we have to push everythin’ back because your little girl is goin’ to be here, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Sargant isn’t a man that says a lot; to anyone. So, when he does talk, everyone around him listens to what he says. Today is no different. Every single guy that was sitting on their ass is now up with paint brushes in hand. It takes less than an hour to make sure the entire room is painted. Now, we can relax for a few minutes. Once the walls are dry we’ll move everything in and make sure the room is open and there’s room for whatever is going to happen when we party. Well, the rest of the guys anyway.
As soon as I sit down and reach for a beer, my phone goes off. Looking down, I see that it’s my wife calling me. “Hey baby girl. Are you okay?” I ask, setting the phone down while making sure Alana is okay.
“Babe, I think you need to get here. My water just broke and it’s going to be time to leave soon. Ace will have to be here for the boys too. I can’t leave two nine-year-old’s alone,” she says, her breathing coming out in pants.
“Leavin’ now baby girl,” I tell her, running outside and to my bike so that I can get home. “Ace, you need to get the boys!”
Once I’m ready to leave the clubhouse, I turn my head and see nine other guys ready to follow me home so that Alana knows everyone is going to be waiting to meet our new little princess. We speed the short distance to the house Alana and I bought a few years ago. Logan and Levi are outside waiting for us on the porch, jumping around and trying not to run toward the bikes as we pull in. I slide mine to a stop next to the van that Ma’s been driving around because of the boys and our little girl on the way.
I run inside the door the boys left open and find Ma, as the guys have been calling her lately, sitting on the couch with one hand on her swollen belly and her eyes closed. She’s concentrating on breathing which tells me that she’s in the middle of a contraction. Placing my hand over her own, I help her breathe through the pain until I see a small smile covering her face. As Alana opens her eyes, I see love shining back at me.
“Are you ready to go baby girl?” I ask, reaching out to help her stand up so we can make our way out to the van.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she answers, standing up with my support as we slowly start to make our way outside. “Oh! They didn’t have to all come.”
“Couldn’t stop us if you tried,” BullDog says, racing over to help me get her to the van.
“You guys are too much,” she says, laying her head on my shoulder as another contraction wracks her body.
Fuck this! I pick my wife up in my arms despite her protests and carry her the rest of the way to the van. Levi and Logan are already in the back seat waiting to take off as I run around after making sure Alana was settled to drive to the hospital. It’s almost a half hour away from us so there’s no time to waste. The boys are trying to keep a light conversation going because they can sense the fear I feel and the pain that my girl is in right now. More than once they have us laughing; breaking the rapidly growing tension in the vehicle. My brothers are surrounding us. When we come to an intersection, they block traffic and put their lives on the line so that we can make it through with no problems. Hell, cops aren’t even bothering to stop us for some reason.
Finally, we make it to the hospital and I swear that Alana is ready to burst. I’ve heard women joking about crossing their legs to hold the baby in, but right now, I’m seeing it first-hand. So, I park right in front of the doors, not giving a fuck what anyone says or thinks. Getting Alana in the hospital is my only concern right now. The guys will take care of the boys and moving the van out of the way when we’re inside.
“I need help!” I yell, running through the door with Alana in my arms.
“Sir, what’s going on?” a nurse asks, rushing toward us with a wheelchair.
“My wife is about to deliver our daughter,” I say, my voice breaking and breathless.
“Okay. Let’s get you up to delivery. Does your doctor know you’re in labor?” the nurse asks Alana as she runs through the maze of hallways to the floor we need.
“Yes. I called before I called my husband. It’s Dr. Lashley,” Alana answers just as another contraction hits.
I reach down and squeeze her hand so she knows that I’m right next to her. We make it to an empty room where Dr. Lashley is already waiting. Between the three of us, we get Alana moved onto the bed and I help her get undressed so that she can put a gown on before the doctor exams her and hooks her up to the monitors.
“Okay Alana let’s see what’s going on,” the doctor says, walking back over as she puts on a pair of gloves.
It took several hours before our daughter made her entrance into the world. Alana was a trooper throughout it all. By the time we got there, she was too far along for any pain medicine or an epidural. So, my wife delivered our baby girl feeling every single ounce of pain it took to help her make an appearance. I stood by her side and wished there was something I could do to take the pain away. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life.
“Pops look at our baby girl,” Alana says as I walk back in the room with Levi. “She’s so precious.”
My son and I walk over to the bed that
contains my entire world; my wife and my daughter. I can see the exhaustion and joy radiating from my girl as she looks up from our little girl to take in our son and myself. Helping Levi sit up on the bed next to his mom and little sister, I lean over them and kiss my wife on her forehead before looking down at my daughter.
I reach out to take her from her mother’s arms so that I can have a few minutes with her before the brood makes their way in to see us. As I look down into my daughter’s face, I make a vow to be the best dad I can be to her. The same vow that I made when Levi was born nine years ago. This time, the only difference is that I promise to let her be anything she wants to be as she grows up while making sure that I do everything in my power to help her not ever feel what a broken heart feels like. I vow that I will protect her with everything that I am. After I kiss her on her little button nose, I hand her over to Levi who is sitting at the head of the bed with his mother. A peaceful calm washes over me as I gaze at the three people that mean more to me in this world than anything else.
“Knock, knock!” I hear called through the door before the rest of our family makes their way into the private room I arranged for Alana and my family.
“Come on in everyone,” Alana says, pulling the blankets up just a little bit higher before looking down at our children.
It takes a few minutes for the guys to all get in the room and not be on top of one another. As soon as it looks like they’re ready, Alana takes our daughter back from Levi and turns her so that her ‘uncles’ and Logan can see her. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Bailey,” she says, a smile shining so bright lighting up her face as the guys become puddles of goo at the first glimpse of our princess.
Logan rushes over to the bed and asks if he can hold her. Alana tells him to take a seat in the chair and I’ll hand her over to him. I grab a pillow that’s on the end of the bed and place it on Logan’s lap before turning to take my daughter. He sits up straight in the chair and puts his arms in the same position that Alana just had hers in. After handing Bailey over to him, I remain close to the chair but don’t keep my eyes on him. He’s a good boy and won’t do anything wrong to my baby girl.