Riding Resistance: Soul Shifterz MC

by Kayce Kyle

  I reach out and grab my daddy’s hand, and my mom explains what my dad must want me to know. “Your daddy doesn’t want you crying, sweetie.”

  I both laugh a little and wipe away those tears. Even laying here in this bed, he’s still being stubborn and making demands.

  “Okay, Daddy,” I respond.

  It’s weak, but he tries his hardest to squeeze my hand, letting me know he approves.

  His doctor comes in and I introduce myself. He’s a younger man, probably just out of medical school and this makes me nervous. However, I will save any questions for him when I’m out of my daddy’s sight. He asks my daddy some questions about his pain level and checks his monitors and all the different tubes he has flowing out from underneath the white cotton blanket covering him. He then tells us to let him know if we have any questions as he will be around for the next hour or so.

  I just nod, not really saying much of anything to this doctor, yet.

  When I look back over at my daddy I notice he’s fallen back asleep. My heart sinks as I can remember that odd feeling. The feeling of desperately trying to ward off the heaviness of your eyelids and body, but unable to. How you can hear everyone around you, but you are just not strong enough to stay awake. He will get there, he has to. I have to believe that right now, and the fact that he has at least woken up for a little while springs hope inside me.

  Still holding his hand in mine, I stand up, the pain in my side a reminder once again of my recent injury, but I push past the pain. “I’ll be right outside Daddy. I’m here, and I’m not leaving here until you do.” I barely manage to, but I bend down and kiss his forehead. “I love you, Daddy.”

  My mom grabs a hold of my arm, offering extra support. “You go get some rest, sweetheart.” As she kisses my temple, and begins to escort me back to the waiting room.

  I guess I shouldn’t have expected our visit to last longer, only I did.

  “Wait,” I tell my mom as I spot the young doctor that was in my daddy’s room earlier.

  I pull away from my mom and slowly walk up to him as he congregates with his fellow medical staff at a desk.

  “Excuse me,” I interrupt him and he turns and faces me with a smile.

  “Yes, Ms. Strong isn’t it? How can I help?”

  “Well, you see, I’ve been a patient in this hospital as long as my father and I am just curious about the extent of his injuries and his recovery,” I reply, awaiting his response.

  “Maybe we should go sit down somewhere and have this conversation,” the doctor replies.

  I look at the embroidered name on his white coat and it reads F. Walker, M.D. “Look, Dr. Walker, I don’t want sugar coated medical terminology shit. I am his daughter, and I’m pregnant with his grandchild. Give it to me straight, I think we can agree that as his family we deserve to hear it in layman’s terms. So, go ahead.”

  That once chipper smile that enveloped his face and the dazzle in his eyes dissipates. “Okay. Your father was shot in the upper…”

  I narrow my eyes at him as he starts to babble those medical terms again, but notices my expression and changes.

  “He was shot in the chest, more toward his shoulder missing vital organs, but he suffered extreme blood loss. He had a heart attack on the operating table. His heart suffered some pretty extensive damage. At this point, he is beyond lucky to even be alive, but we need to get him stable enough to do open heart surgery. He has three major blocked arteries that need fixing. We found this out when we attempted to fix them with stints, but unfortunately, he is going to need triple bypass surgery.”

  I stand there for a second like a sponge absorbing all of his words in until the weight of it threatens to bring me to my knees.

  “Are you okay, Ms. Strong? Can we get her some water please, nurse and a cold rag?” the doctor yells out as a nurse pushes her own chair around for me to sit in. My mom, who was giving me some space, races to my side as I sit down.

  “What the hell happened?” I am either now hallucinating, or yet again, Justice has managed to break all the rules finding his way to my side.

  I look over and notice it is him, although I do feel very weak and quite ill.

  “I’m going to have to ask him to leave,” Doctor Walker says. “Security,” he yells out.

  All I can manage right now is to feel sorry for this pretty boy doctor as he’s just made a really big mistake and I don’t even care. My mom wipes my neck and face with the cool, damp cloth as I sip on crisp, cold water.

  I can see Justice pretty much man-handling the doctor out of the corner of my eyes, but I cannot hear. Justice must be silently threatening him.

  Justice

  Once again, I find my hands gripped around the lapels of a doctor’s coat and pinned up against the wall. “Listen here, pretty boy. You can’t just call fucking security around here on me. That’s my wife sitting there, and I don’t know what you said or did to upset her, but you never gave me the fucking chance to find out now, did ya? Instead your prissy ass calls fucking security. You better call your pussy ass security guards off before it gets ugly in here.” I release him and slightly brush off the crease my gripped fists have now made on his coat. “This isn’t ugly. You haven’t seen ugly, and you don’t wanna. Understand?”

  The pretty boy doctor just nods. “Nurses, everything’s fine. This man was just concerned about his wife.”

  I pat him on the shoulder and he lets out a little squeal. God damn sissy boy.

  I notice Lorna is tending to Jen along with some nurse, and her pale face is now more pink. “You okay, babe?” I ask her as I approach.

  “I’m better now. I think it was all a case of information overload,” she replies. “Whatever you did to that poor doctor was probably not necessary as I’m the one who asked the questions, and I got most of what I wanted even if it did make me ill. I just wanna go lay back down, okay?”

  Once we’ve made it back to her room, she lays down and pushes the nurse call button asking for some pain medicine.

  “Thought you said you were okay?” I question her.

  “Now you are gonna question the authenticity of my pain, Justice?” she barks at me.

  Oh for fuck’s sake, I can just feel the waterworks coming on from her, so I choose the fucking high road again.

  “No, baby. You’ve been through a lot these past few days. Today probably did you in. The last thing I want is for you to be in pain.”

  The nurse comes in with a pill. “What’s this?” Jen asks her.

  “It’s a pain pill, honey. Your OBGYN has discussed with Dr. Cole and they agree it’s best for both you and the baby if we begin to downgrade your pain medication. Dr. Sessions didn’t discuss this with you, dear?” the nurse asks.

  “No, but it’s fine. I’m just sore really,” Jen says as she takes the oblong white pill from the nurse and ingests it.

  “Dr. Cole will be in here in the morning, to check your incision.”

  “Okay,” Jen answers as the nurse leaves the room.

  Choosing each word, I say very carefully, “Do you need anything else before you fall asleep?”

  “No, babe,” she answers before nodding off to sleep.

  I make my own bed on this damn pull out sleeper couch in her room before I begin to get my things ready for my shower. Usually Ty, Joker, or Ace stop by to keep an eye out around this time so I can shower semi-peacefully.

  “What’s up, bro?” Ace’s whispered voice catches my ear as I put the finishing touches on this shitty thing I’ve come to call a bed.

  “Hey, bro. How ya holding up? You get a hold of Tess yet?”

  “No. How about Jen, has she heard from her?” Ace asks.

  “Not yet, but look, we’ll find her. Or she will show back up,” I tell my brother as I can see the anguish all over his face.

  “Yeah,” he answers. “I guess. Go shower, fucker.”

  I grab my clothes from my bag and go take my shower. This bitch better have a good fucking reason for ditching my br
other like she did, not to mention her best friend. Once we get out of here I swear I will hunt her ass down with my brother if need be. Right now, she’s on my shit list.

  After my shower I put my dirty clothes in one bag, and pull my colt forty-five out and place it under my pillow as I do every night. Fuck hospital policies.

  “How’s the baby?” Ace asks me.

  “He’s good, bro.” I smile. “We saw his little heartbeat earlier.” I grab the picture off the table next to Jen and show him. “Your nephew’s first picture,” I chuckle.

  This brings both a smile and a slight chuckle from Ace. “What makes you say it’s a boy? Can they already tell?” Ace asks, as he turns the picture sideways, and upside down in an attempt to make it out. “He definitely looks like you, that much I can tell.”

  “Ha-fucking-ha,” I remark at his last comment.

  I point to Jen. “She’s convinced, right now it’s a boy. I don’t even bother arguing with her, it’s pointless. It’s crazy bro, just ask Pops. She fucking cries at television commercials, and if I ask the wrong question. Hell, I don’t even know what a right question is anymore. So I’m just going along with it’s a boy, so I don’t provoke her.”

  Ace laughs. “You are so fucked for the next few months. I’m gonna enjoy every little bit of this shit.”

  “Fuck off,” I grumble as I shoot him the finger.

  “Okay, well I’m headed to work. You good?” Ace asks me.

  “I’m good, brother.” We part ways with a fist bump.

  I gently kiss my world, my Jenalyn Strong on the top of her head, and climb into my very own uncomfortable bed.

  Chapter 24

  Jenalyn

  It’s been a week now and both myself and the baby are doing well, all things considered. I’m even being discharged today.

  My father is still in ICU, but seems to be slowly recovering, but I am still nervous to get my hopes up too high as he still needs another major surgery. The thought of leaving him while we get to go home tugs at my heart. The doctor says I’m healing very nicely, but I still need plenty of rest. My body suggests the same to me as it too is still very sore and exhausted. Dr. Sessions explained I’m getting it twice over considering pregnancy itself makes you very tired for the first three months typically.

  We now have two pics of our little dot. It’s amazing how much this little baby has grown in just one week. I don’t quite understand all the math and timing as the doctor explained. Technically I’m six weeks pregnant, but I’ve only been home a bit over a month. That was an intense conversation on Justice’s part with the doctor as he did not understand either. Naturally, we had an argument afterwards as I felt like he was implying our baby may not be his. Dumbass. It had been four months before I even came back home that I’d even slept with anyone. I had the doctor come back in and explain it again, and she assured him it was very much his baby. He’s still on my shit list for even thinking such a thing, but I may give his ass a pass this once considering he’s been through pure hell and put up with all my erratic emotions lately.

  Ty is helping me gather my things as I sent Justice off for a brownie sundae.

  “Thanks for everything, ya know. You didn’t even know me before, and you tried to take a bullet for me. You’ve spent your days between both mine and my dad’s room looking after us.” I look at him as he packs up my shampoo and conditioner along with the rest of my bathroom items.

  He never misses a beat-he just continues on without making any actual eye contact. “Of course, y’all are my family. It’s what we do, it’s really no big deal.”

  My mom comes in. “Hey, sweetheart.” She hugs my shoulders. “Daddy has asked to speak with you and Ty specifically before you leave. Where’s Justice?” she asks.

  “He’s on a brownie sundae run,” I answer.

  Looking over at Ty I ask, “Wanna go up there now before Justice gets back? I was gonna see him anyway.”

  This is definitely an odd request coming from my father, so it has my interest piqued.

  “Um, yeah…sure,” Ty says still grabbing items and packing them up, denying me visually again.

  “I’ll stay down here so Justice doesn’t panic when he returns. Jenalyn, remember ice cream is gonna melt fast sweetie,” my mom says.

  “Yes, Mom, I know.” I let out a giggle. “Justice is still gonna panic though, and you know it.”

  I quickly scribble out a little note on the back of a napkin for him, hoping to keep the crazy to a minimum. Maybe he’ll feel better seeing my handwriting.

  Ty and I make our way to the elevator, and the tension seems to be building as I can feel it.

  Once we’re buzzed back we make our way to my daddy’s room. He’s sitting up in his bed eating jell-o.

  When he notices the both of us together he puts it down. “Hi, Princess,” he says as I lean down and kiss his forehead. “Hey there, Ty. Why don’t you both have a seat?” my daddy asks.

  He actually looks so much better and almost sounds like his old self.

  I mess with his spoon in his jell-o. “I see you’re finally getting the good stuff,” I sneer as I remember those days as if they were just yesterday.

  “Yeah, I got upgraded from fucking ice chips. I dunno what I gotta do to get a god damn steak around here.” He raises his voice while looking toward the nurse’s station outside the door. It draws the attention of a nurse and she comes in.

  “You can have a steak Mr. Strong when your doctor says. We’ve already been over this.” The nurse rebukes.

  My daddy just snarls at her and she leaves mumbling, “Grumpy, grumpy that man is.”

  “I wouldn’t be so damn grumpy if I had a real fucking meal,” Daddy replies.

  I quickly try changing the subject. “So, I’m going home today. Did Mom tell you?”

  “Yes she did Princess, and I promise when I get out of here, we will make sure any and all responsible for this are dealt with. Their brothers, their fathers, their friends. No women and children obviously, but I don’t want any lingering threat out there for my little girl,” he says.

  We still haven’t told him about the baby, as we figured finding out about me was enough right now. His heart isn’t good, and we need him to get stronger so he can have the surgery he needs.

  “Listen, I need to talk to the both of you in particular. Your momma doesn’t even know this yet, but the doctor came in while she went home to shower and grab some more clothes. Anyway, my bypass surgery has been confirmed and scheduled for this evening around five.” Ty and I both look at each other. He finally looks me in the eyes and I believe we are both extremely curious as to why he is choosing to tell us first.

  He continues. “I need both of you to look at me, as I have something I need to tell you both. Please understand this is not the ideal situation for this, but I’m having major surgery later, and need you both to know something very important.” He reaches for a manila folder, and hands it to Ty. “Ty, meet your half-sister, Jen. Princess, meet your half-brother, Ty.”

  A tsunami of emotions crash into me and I grab the trash bin next to me on the floor as I lose my breakfast.

  I keep my head in the trash can buried away from both my embarrassment and my fury right now.

  A cool damp cloth instantly soothes some of my nausea and the hot lava now coursing through my veins. How old is Ty? Did my father cheat on my mother, I mean how is any of this even possible?

  “You okay, Jen?” Ty asks me as he extends a cup of water for me to rinse my mouth with. He obviously was the one who placed the cloth on my neck seeing as my father can’t get out of bed.

  I just look up at him as I’m obviously not okay, and I wonder how in the hell he can be okay.

  “That was a dumb question, I’m sorry. This must be a lot to hear right now. I had no idea he even knew,” Ty says to me.

  “And you did?” As I ask him and look into the depth of his hazel green eyes, it starts to make so much sense.

  Ty’s looking at me like he�
��s silently begging for some form of forgiveness from me. I look back and forth between the two of them for what seems like an eternity. The jaw line, the eye shape, and most importantly, the eyes themselves.

  My father hasn’t even said a fucking word. This is so surreal-somebody better start speaking soon before I do.

  “You mean to tell me, your Pres, that you knew this entire time and you never once approached me?” my father finally breaks the silence.

  I have so many questions of my own, but right now I wanna hear what these two have to say.

  “Found out when I was twenty, Pres. My mom passed when I was thirteen from a drug overdose. I was sent to live with my aunt who was also a drug addict. Before my sixteenth birthday, she gave me my mom’s old journal. It had your name in it. I moved out at seventeen and I was bitter and lost. I got into drugs myself until I was arrested and did nearly two years in the penitentiary. When I got out, I made it my mission to find you. I was clean from drugs, and all I wanted was a family. I actually met Joker by pure chance, then eventually, I found you Pres,” he says through trembling lips, and completely unable to look my daddy in the eyes. “I never meant anyone any harm, Pres. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me, or I’d be abandoned again by the only true family I’ve ever known.”

  “Son, you don’t think I did a background check on you, first?” My daddy chuckles and begins to cough, causing me to jump up. “I’m fine, Princess. Sit down. Tristan Tyler Adams, that’s your full name.”

  “Yes sir, Pres,” Ty answers.

  I can no longer take it. “Daddy, you cheated on Mom? How in the hell is this gonna make her feel? I cannot believe this.” I stand up and cross my arms for a brief second before throwing them up in defeat. “That’s it, I’ve heard enough of this bullshit!” I begin to walk out.