by Avelyn Paige
The thought of what she endured is enough to make me nauseous. A horrific vision of his hands on her helpless body makes me gag harder. My priority now is just to get her home and into the safety of the clubhouse. Flipping my phone open, I hit the speed dial number for the club’s on-call doctor, Doc. He was never officially patched in as a member, but he’s always been there to help if one of us got hurt. We kept his practice afloat a few times during the recession when small-time medical practices were being eaten alive by the local hospitals.
“Did you find her?” Doc asks without even saying hello.
“Yes, we’re on our way back now. Are you at the clubhouse? I need you to check her out.”
“I came as soon as Raze called. I’m set up in your room. How badly is she injured? I might not be able to treat her here if her injuries are extensive. She might need a hospital, Hero.”
How can I explain to a hospital about her situation and the reason for her condition? She may not be wanted by the police, but she’s still considered a missing person. I just killed the one person who could have exonerated her from all suspicion should she be found and questioned about their killings. I hope to hell the guys find something in his hidey hole that will incriminate his involvement to set her free if that were to ever fucking happen. I won’t be letting her out of my sights for the rest of our lives if she’ll have me.
“Hero, you still there?” he asks.
“Sorry, Doc. Got lost in my own thoughts. You know as well as I do she can’t go to the hospital. It looks to be just cuts and bruises, but until I can get her cleaned up, I won’t know for sure. “
He clears his throat nervously, so I know what he’s about to ask.
“You know I don’t want to ask this, but I need to be prepared if the answer is yes. Did he rape her?”
“I put a bullet into his brain before he could.”
Doc sighs in relief. “Thank fuck for small miracles. Just get your girl home, and I’ll do my best to patch her up. I brought Nancy along in case she has an issue with a male doctor stitching her up.”
“Thanks, Doc,” I say as I hang up the phone. I think he said it best. Thank fuck she’s going to be okay physically. Emotionally, her healing will take much more time, but we have all the time in the world to let the emotional dust of her past settle. I turn on the radio and let Black Stone Cherry soothe my soul for the rest of the ride.
Just thirty minutes outside of Upland, my phone rings. Seeing Ratchet’s name scroll across the screen, I know I need to take this call. Not wanting to wake Dani, I pull over into a park-and-ride a few minutes later and return the call.
“Hey, boss man, just wanted to let you know that we cleaned the place up. All’s well here. Not a trace of us to be found. How’s Dani?” he asks cautiously.
“Good to hear, Ratch. Make sure that place burns to the ground, but try to avoid setting a wildfire this time,” I say with a chuckle. The last time the club had to take care of business in the mountains, pyromaniac Ratchet didn’t watch his handy work and caused about ten million dollars' worth of damage to a rich housing addition. He thought it was hilarious to watch those rich fuckers losing all their shit because he had to cover up a murder. He’s fucked in the head sometimes. “Dani fell asleep as soon as the rubber hit the pavement. Hasn’t woken up since. Doc’s gonna look at her as soon as we get back.”
“Sleep is what she needs. I’ll call ahead to the clubhouse and make some of the guys hit the road for a long ride so she isn’t overwhelmed when you get back. Don’t want her to bolt again.”
“No shit. We need to keep her calm and in the clubhouse. Her name hasn’t been cleared yet. I don’t want to get her back just to be shipped back off to Cleveland to be questioned about her parents.”
“Truth, man. Voodoo might be able to help with her missing person’s report. He found a computer and a bunch of shit you probably don’t want to see stashed in the bedroom of the cabin. He’s got it packed up in a cage and is already on the road. He said he’d let you know what he found later.” Relief flows over my body. We might still be able to clear her name so she can get back to living. Thank fuck.
“Sounds good, man. Have him text me instead of call. Once I get her back to the clubhouse, I want to get her checked out, fed, cleaned up, and tucked into my bed before the crew swarms her. I know they’ll mean well, but she needs to work through some shit.
“You got it, boss. I’ll let you get back to driving, but good luck once the hellcat wakes up. Watch out for her claws,” he says before hanging up. Jumping back into the truck, I look over to check on my sleeping angel. Two brown eyes stare back at me.
“Hi,” her faint voice whispers to me.
“Hey, angel face, did you have a good nap?” I ask gingerly.
“Yes,” she responds. Even though her answers are short, at least she’s talking.
Turning the key in the ignition, the truck rumbles. “We’re just outside Nealey’s Corner. Do you need anything to eat or drink before we get back, beautiful?” She quietly ponders the question before requesting a Coke and some French fries. “Anything you need, angel. And I mean anything. All you have to do is just ask.” She straightens up in her seat as I pull into the McDonald's just off 15. I order Dani’s request and get a sandwich combo and drink for me in the drive-thru. Once we get our food, I hand the bag to Dani and she passes out our orders between us.
She pulls her legs up off the floor into her chest and rests her carton of fries on her knees. She delicately picks up each fry, studying it before putting it into her mouth. Reaching into the drink tray sitting between us, I grab the chocolate milkshake out of the container. I thought she might want something frozen to ease her throat. Just as soon as the thought crosses my mind, I slam down the blast walls to block out the visions of her screaming my name for help; the; the rage I feel cannot be contained, and I punch the steering wheel. She jumps in her seat, sending her fries scattering on the seat between us. Fuck, why did I do that? She’s scared enough as it is. She tries to shovel them back into the box, but I offer her mine. “Sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to scare you. Eat mine.” She sheepishly looks at my outstretched hand before slowly taking them from me and moving back into her corner of the truck. She polishes off the rest of my fries and finishes both drinks.
“Thank you,” she mumbles. The food must satisfy her just enough as she drifts back off to sleep.
Pulling up into the dusty dirt road of the clubhouse, I notice Ratchet was true to his word as most of the bikes that typically line the front parking lot are missing. I pull my truck into the back lot behind the clubhouse and shut off the engine. I shoot a text off to Doc to let him know we got here when I realize I should probably tell Dani that he’s gonna check her over. “Baby, Raze called the club’s doctor to examine you. Are you okay with that? He brought his nurse, Nancy, along with him if you’d feel more comfortable with a woman present.” She meekly nods yes. She starts to unbuckle her seat-belt as I jump out of the driver’s seat to help her. She has the door open before I make it around the truck, and I catch her by her waist as she tries to jump from the truck. She tries to walk on her on but as she limps along, I can’t stand that she’s in pain. Picking her up off of her feet, I carry her in my arms into the clubhouse. She protests at first, trying to wiggle away, but soon gives up. Her body relaxes against mine as I carry her up the stairs into my room.
Doc is standing in my room looking through his a medical kit as Nancy spreads a sheet on my bed when I walk through the door. I carry Dani over to the bed and sit her down on the outstretched sheet. Nancy helps get her situated as I move out of the way for Doc.
“Dani, my name is Donny, but you can call me Doc. I met you before, but I doubt you remember me since they drugged you with enough tranquilizers to put a horse to sleep,” he says to introduce himself. “I need to examine you before you get cleaned up to see what I am working with. Are you okay with that? You likely already know that I may need to ask you some questions as I examine y
ou that are quite personal. Would you rather I have Nancy handle that portion of the exam?”
Dani’s eyes lock onto mine, looking for reassurance, before answering his questions. I nod my head to ease her nerves. “I’m okay with being examined, but I’d prefer Nancy, please. ,” she answers and Doc walks to the bedside, ready to begin the examination. I begin to exit the room before she speaks again. I’m not ready to hear her answers to the questions I know Doc is going to ask her or see the marks on her body that rat bastard inflicted on her. “Hero?” she asks quietly.
“Yes, angel?” I reply as I turn back toward her.
“Please stay,” she pleads with tears falling from her eyes. Every one of those tears chip away at my heart even more. I can’t deny her simple request for lack of the impending rage of seeing her injuries. I need to stay calm for her.
“Of course I will, angel.” A tiny smile forms on her lips when I walk toward the bed and sit on the side with her.
Doc asks her to strip down to just her bra and panties so that he can examine the sources of her bleeding. As she peels away each layer with Nancy’s help, every bruise and cut sends rage coiling inside of me. Knowing Doc is seeing my girl sans apparel bothers me, but I’d rather have her patched up and healing than care about him seeing her like this. She shouldn’t have had to go through this. I fucking threw her to the wolves when those fucking fake cop bastards took her away. I didn’t even take the chance to hear her side of the story and instantly branded her a murderer, sending her straight into his dungeon of terror. No, what she endured was completely my fault for not trusting her to tell me the truth and my only hope is that she can forgive me someday. Dani covers her body as Nancy deposits her clothes into a paper bag that I know Doc is keeping for evidence in her case. Doc gingerly examines her body and indicates the cuts that will require stitches. Each time he touches one of the cuts with his gloved hands, she winces from his touch and the pain. He apologizes each time, but I know he doesn’t mean to hurt her. While getting down onto his knees to examine her ankle, Dani abruptly grabs my hand.
“It’s okay, baby,” I whisper to her as he slowly elevates her ankle. After inspecting it, he rises off the floor and jots down more notes. Pushing his glasses back onto his face, he hands Nancy his notepad and sighs.
“Dani, I think your left ankle is severely sprained. I will have to put you in a walking cast until the swelling goes down enough that I can make sure it’s healing properly since we can’t x-ray you. You’re gonna need stitches in several places, but I don’t want to put those in until we get you cleaned up for fear of an infection setting in. Nancy will help you get cleaned up here in a few minutes and we’ll finish up here so you can rest, but I need to ask those questions I mentioned before. They’re very personal, so I need to know if you are all right that Hero and I are in the room. Like I said earlier, if you want to have Nancy do this part of the exam, you’re more than welcome to request it.”
“Please just ask them so we can move on,” she pleads with Doc.
“Okay, did he rape you?” Doc blurts out. Dani freezes instantly with his question. A hiss exits my lips before I can stop it.
“Fuck, Donny, couldn’t you have eased into that one? Nothing like pulling the fucking Band-Aid off before you clean the edges of the wound. Jesus, man.” I can see the hurt in his eyes, and I know he had to ask it, but I at least thought he’d ask simple questions before going straight for the elephant in the room.
“I’m sorry, Hero, but I need to know in case I have to perform an internal exam.” The thought of Doc doing that nearly makes my blood boil over as much as what Mikey may have done to her. She’s been violated enough as it is and doesn’t need any further embarrassment.
“Dani, I need you to answer the question. Did Mikey rape you?” I can’t even look at Donny right now. He won’t let it go until she’s ready to talk about it. Squeezing Dani’s hand, I try to comfort her and reassure her that nothing she says will ever affect how I feel. Her trembling makes the bed quiver. Her eyes stay vigilantly locked to the floor.
“No, Mikey didn’t rape me. He was about to when Hero saved me.” Her voice meekly quivers at the admission. “He beat me, but he never raped me.” I know she may be against being touched, but I need her closer to me. Hooking my hand around her slender waist, I press her against my side, my arm circling her neck. Her body tenses at first from my touch, but she relaxes into me.
“Do you need to know anything else, Doc, or can she get cleaned up? I want my girl patched up and in bed sooner rather than later.” Dani’s breath hitches at the mention of being in my bed. She must think I mean to fuck her, but that’s the farthest thing from my thoughts. I doubt my dick could even get hard with Viagra coursing through my veins. His girl has been hurt, and he’s not in the mood for play time. “No, angel, sleep only,” I whisper into her ear. She sighs in relief.
“That’s all I need for now. Let’s get you clean and stitch you up. I’m going to give you some pills to reduce the pain and to help you relax. Your number one priority is to rest and heal. I don’t want you to be on your feet more than fifteen to twenty minutes at a time until you’ve had more time to heal.” Doc hands Nancy his clipboard and exits the room, giving Dani privacy. She toddles to the ensuite bathroom, holding onto my arm with each labored step. Dani leans against the counter as Nancy all but shoves me out of the bathroom. I hear the shower turn on and the glass doors close against the tile.
The shower should help her exhausted limbs relax. I know she won’t take long in the shower, so I don’t have long to get something more for her to eat. Judging by how fast she shoveled in the French fries earlier, I doubt she’s eaten much since he kidnapped her. Sure, it was only a few torturous hours that she was gone, but I know my girl well enough that she’s probably starving. Closing the door behind me, I run downstairs and rummage through the clubhouse kitchen cabinets before I finally settle on a can of chicken noodle soup and crackers. While the soup warms in the microwave, I check the laundry room for a fresh set of sheets. Ruby must have been in the mood to clean because several sheet sets are freshly laundered and sitting in the baskets for each room. Grabbing the one labeled with my name, I throw the soup in a thermos to keep it hot while she’s stitched up and head back upstairs.
Softly knocking on the door, Nancy lets me back in. Dani’s dressed in one of my club shirts and a pair of the pajama pants she kept in my room. Doc is stitching her up in the recliner in the corner of the room. My brave girl is being sewn like a quilt and not a single tear stains her face. She’s been so brave throughout all of this, but I know the other shoe will drop soon enough. Seeing the basket, Nancy takes it from me, pulling the sheet set out of it. Nancy takes to re-making up the bed while I return to Dani’s side. Twenty minutes later, Doc finally finishes by wrapping her ankle with an ace bandage.
“I didn’t think to bring an air cast with me, but I’ll make sure one will arrive here tomorrow. Until it’s here, you need to stay off of that foot,” Doc orders while Nancy hands her two white oval pills and a glass of water. Swallowing them down in one big gulp, she gingerly leans against her new stitches into the chair, trying to relax. Knowing the pills will kick into effect shortly, I give her the soup. She drinks it straight from the thermos in just a few swallows before returning the container to me. A soft click of the door signals to me that Doc and Nancy quietly exited the room, leaving us alone for the first time since the drive here. I don’t know whether I should feel this afraid being alone with her. Apologies have never been my strong suit and yet I owe her the biggest apology of all. My actions nearly killed her and I would have had to live with that guilt and regret for the rest of my days. Deep down, I know that it’s going to take more than just pretty words to make it up to this woman. I just hope she gives me the chance to do it, but I’m not holding my breath. Putting myself into her situation fills me with dread that once she finds her strength again, I’ll never see her again. I don’t want to live this life without her but bec
ause of my fucking idiocy, I may have already sealed our fates. I just need to take it a day at a time like Dani and see where the cards fall. That’s all I can do.
“Let’s get you to bed, angel. Those pills will be kicking your ass soon enough, and I want you in bed when they knock you out.” She tries to stand on her own but I pick her up, carrying her back to the bed without a single protest from Dani. Her warm body feels good against my chest. It reminds me she’s really here and that her heart is still beating. It might not beat for me anymore, but it’s still pumping within her chest. That’s all that matters to me right now. Laying her gently onto the freshly-made bed, she snuggles into the fabric. I pull the comforter up to her hips just like she likes it as she settles into my bed. Clicking the light off, I walk quietly to the door so she can sleep without anyone bugging her.
“Tyler?” she quietly calls in the darkness. “Please, don’t go. I don’t want to be in here alone. Please stay with me,” she cries. I can’t leave my girl now that I know she wants me close. Pulling my shirt over my head, I retrieve a pair of pajama pants from the top drawer and trade them for my blood stained jeans. I need a shower, but I’m not wasting any more time not being able to hold her in my arms. Sliding into the bed next to her, I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her shaking body to me. She snuggles her ass as close as she can get to me without hurting herself. We lie there for several minutes in silence before she begins to sob.
“I’m so sorry I lied to you, Tyler. I never meant to hurt you like this. In the end, it was me who ended up hurt.” She whimpers into the pillow.
“Shhh, angel. I know you didn’t, but now isn’t the time for us to talk about this. I need you to sleep, angel face. We have the rest of our lives to figure shit out, but tonight is just for rest. Sleep, baby.” Dani uncontrollably sobs into her pillow for several minutes before her tears turn into quiet snores. Her body rattles as she rapidly sucks in air between her crying outbursts. She blames herself for this, but I know the truth. It was me, and I’m planning to spend every single day making it up to her. “You’re safe, baby. I’ll never let anything else happen to you from this day on.” Cradling her body tighter, I close my eyes and force my body to relax against hers.
