by Sam Crescent
“Daisy’s right, you know.”
“Right about what?”
“You’re beautiful.”
Sally looked at the man whom she’d had a crush on since the first moment she met him. Of course, she’d denied it when she heard him being told the truth. It was embarrassing, having a crush on a guy who didn’t even notice you. “Don’t pity me.”
“You’ve been through a lot, Sally.”
“Yeah, a leg, it’s not the first thing I’ve lost.”
He sat down, and she wished he’d leave her alone. Steven had never shown her any attention. He’d always been nice to her, but that didn’t mean anything, did it? The last thing she wanted was pity because of her situation.
“I’m really sorry,” he said.
Staring at him, she frowned. “What?”
“I didn’t protect you.”
“It’s not your job to protect me.”
“I don’t consider it a job.”
“You’re confusing me.”
“When you say it’s not the first thing you’ve lost, what did you mean?”
Her cheeks heated, and she pushed herself up the bed, trying to get comfortable. The pain medication had long since worn off, and deep down, she just knew she was going to have to lose her leg. There was no other way for her to fight the pain. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, I do.”
“We don’t always get what we want.”
He took hold of her hand, locking their fingers together. “Tell me.”
For several minutes she hesitated. “I was in foster care for most of my life, Steven. I was passed from one home to the other, and not everyone is … nice without cause. Sometimes they wanted something in return for being nice.”
“You were a young girl, an innocent.”
“That niceness came at a price. It didn’t last, though. Nothing ever lasts. If you think for a second that I’m some sweet, innocent girl that needs saving, you’re wrong. I’m not innocent, and I haven’t been for a long time. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, holding her hand.
Damn it!
Tears sprang to her eyes as she stared down at his hand holding her. Why did she have to be attracted to this man? Why couldn’t it be someone else? She seemed older than her actual years. She’d been told that a time or two, much older than sixteen.
“I’m going to lose my leg.”
“I’ll be with you, helping you.”
“I like my legs.”
“I know.” He leaned forward, and kissed her head. It had to be one of the sweetest touches she’d ever experienced.
Chapter Four
Sandy was exhausted by the time she made it down to the main reception later that night. So much had happened. Her head was pounding, her feet numb from being on them all day. Several of the guys were there, and others had left to take the kids back.
Within the past five hours, Simon and Tabitha had woken from their comas. When their parents tried to separate them, different rooms, both had caused a hell of a lot of problems. They were now staying in the same room, providing each other with the means of recovering. Devil and Tiny were taking turns guarding the door.
Everyone else had been bandaged up, treated, and either told to stay in for observation, or discharged. Curse had been discharged, but Mia had to stay in. Sunshine had to stay, and so had Alex. Both had been to visit their girl though. She was a beautiful baby. The only person who hadn’t shown any progress was Sasha. After the pressure had been relieved on her brain, they had bandaged her up, performed some MRI scans, and checked to see if there was any more damage. Nothing showed.
They now had to wait to see if she’d wake up with any problems. Moments like these, Sandy hated her job, the not knowing was worse.
Stink stood up the moment he saw her, and made his way toward her. “You look ready to drop.”
“I am.”
“I’ve got a car outside. I’ll take us to get something to eat, and then back to the clubhouse.”
“What about security?” she asked.
“We’ve got a system in place. The guys are going to take it in turns to be at the hospital. We’ll protect everyone.”
“What about protecting yourself?” she asked.
“I can handle myself. You don’t need to worry about me.” He kissed her head and took her hand. She said her goodbyes and promised to be back the next morning.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she said.
“I won’t let it.”
He helped her into the car, and she strapped herself in.
Stink climbed behind the wheel, and they were on the road, heading toward a fast food joint. She ached all over, and she stretched her neck in an attempt to relieve the pressure.
Moaning, she cricked her neck from side to side.
“I heard Sasha’s surgery went well.”
“Yeah. She didn’t code out, and we were able to relieve the pressure in time. I saw the signs, and we got there fast.”
“Do you think she’ll ever wake up?”
“It’s hard to tell with cases dealing with the brain. On the one hand, I don’t like to say no. On the other, you have to be prepared. Everyone is different. I heard the doctor speaking with her old doctor back in Piston County. There was no evidence or reason for her to remain blind after her fall. Each person reacts a different way to the same surgery.”
“If she doesn’t wake up, we’ve lost Pussy.”
“Yeah, we have. It was hard for me to drop those blinds so he didn’t see. I couldn’t let him. Witnessing someone drilling into a brain of a loved one, it messes with your head. I couldn’t handle it if it was you.”
He took hold of her hand.
When he started doing that she used to find it really annoying, and hated the intimacy of the touch. Now, she loved it. It calmed her, let her know he was there no matter what.
“You did the right thing. Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t make her blind, and you didn’t fire that gun.”
“Stink, there’s a chance she might not wake up.”
“And there’s a chance she will. Have a little faith.”
“It’s really hard to do that with everything going on.”
He squeezed her hand. “You’ve got me.”
She smiled. “You know, I never thought I’d find comfort in a man telling me that I had him, but with you, I do.” She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Sandy knew they’d gone over this, but with everything going on, she felt like her life was going over and over in the same cycle. “Will it ever end?”
“The club having enemies?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know, baby. Maybe we’ll stop having shit like Master, The Darkness, and stuff. That’s what I hope for.”
She sighed. “It’s just hard. So many people are getting hurt.”
“What’s going to happen with Sally?”
“Her leg from just above her knee is going to have to be removed. It’s the left leg. She’ll get a prosthetic, and spend a great deal of time in physiotherapy. Also, she’ll need to see a therapist to help deal with her loss of a limb. It’s going to be tough for her. She’s only sixteen.”
“She’s got the whole club around her. We’ll be there with her.”
She mumbled her agreement. He felt so comforting, even with her head on his shoulder. This was what Stink did to her. He made her feel.
“Do you know what surprised me?” she asked.
“Nope.”
“Steven. He was there by her side, even when the doctor gave the news, and Sally broke down. I mean, she only accepted Whizz, Lacey, and Daisy’s affection, but Steven was there. I think there could be something between them.”
“Nah, not Steven.”
“Seriously. Tomorrow, go and see for yourself.” She pulled
away. “He has feelings for her.”
“He’s nearly thirty, and she’s a kid.”
“No, it’s not those kinds of feelings. Well, he may care about her, but it’s not like that. It’s not gross. It’s sweet. Steven wouldn’t act on it anyway.” Now she wished she hadn’t said anything. Steven wasn’t the kind of guy to prey on vulnerable people.
Stink chuckled. “It would teach him right, you know. I believe you. I don’t know why I doubt you with these things. You’ve been right about everything else.”
“You bet your ass I have.”
“Steven is such a whore. He fucks his way through so many women.”
She held her finger up. “So you haven’t noticed he hasn’t been around a lot of women lately? See, I told you.”
“Just because—”
“Don’t even try to fight this. He’s got a thing for Sally, and I think it’s going to be kind of sweet. If I was Sally, I’d make him work for it. Steven has always been cocky, always had ladies chasing after him. There are times he even expects it.”
Stink glanced over at her. “You sure know how to make a man work for it.”
They pulled up into the parking lot of the fast food joint.
“Why didn’t you fuck me?” she asked.
“What?”
“I’ve been with a lot of the club men, Stink. I was a club whore, and to most, I still am. You had a chance to have me. Why didn’t you take it?”
She’d never behaved like a slut in the club. Even though any guy could have her, she’d never actually given in to the stereotype of being fucked one after the other. Some of the women who came and went over the years would climb on the table, and one after the other, the men would bang the fuck out of them. Of course, they’d wear a condom. Since most of the guys had settled down, it had been different, calmer. Sandy had never wanted that. She didn’t mind showing off a little, putting on a show, but it had to be one on one.
“You were always so beautiful, even when you were younger. You came to the club when you were what, twenty-six?”
“Yeah.”
She’d been doing an internship at the hospital, working long hours. Sandy’s dream of being a doctor had stopped her from forming any close connections. She’d loved saving lives, and when she needed to blow off steam, the club had been available to her. Sure, the guys at first hadn’t exactly been very open with her back then. She’d been young, taking sex, and leaving. Over time, and possibly a million stitches, she’d slowly earned their trust to the point where they were now. She was part of The Skulls. They were a part of her, a part she’d never want to lose.
“I remember seeing you, so young, so fresh, yet you weren’t like anyone else. There was real passion in your eyes. When you had to stitch up Lash when he was a kid before he joined the club, everyone kept their eye on you.”
She remembered that. Lash was about sixteen years old, and he’d cut his side on some broken glass because he’d broke into one of the warehouses to fuck some random girl. Nash had carried his ass to the clubhouse, and Sandy had been there, getting fucked by one of the brothers. It was so long ago that she didn’t even remember who it was. Tiny had wanted to take him to the hospital, but seeing as the damage was the result of a break-in at the club’s own factory, Tiny hadn’t wanted to draw any attention.
Sandy had heard the argument, and had stopped what she was doing, putting herself together, and gone to assist Lash. She’d checked over his cut, and seen it was just surface. With the whole of The Skulls watching them, Sandy had kept her composure, and stitched Lash up. She had pushed aside her club whore status, taking on her role as a doctor.
After that, she’d become part of them.
“What does that have to do with it?”
“I knew in that moment that you were going to be something more to me than a quick fuck. You were already working your way in here.” He tapped his head. “I wasn’t ready to try to claim you, and you weren’t ready.”
“You’re ready now?”
“I’ve been ready for a couple of years, Sandy. Are you?”
****
The one thing Stink always tried to avoid was putting Sandy in a position that made her uncomfortable. She liked her space, and to be able to come and go as she pleased. He was more than happy to provide her that.
His love for her would never die. Stink had known that. He loved her for the woman she was, not what he wanted. She was so strong, intelligent, and gentle. The doctor inside her didn’t know any other way.
Turning off the ignition, they made their way toward the diner. He was in the mood for some meatballs. Angel was one of the best cooks in the clubhouse, and she wouldn’t be cooking tonight. Tate was okay, but he feared she would more than likely spit in the food she was cooking.
They took a seat, and like always Sandy grabbed the menu and started to peruse the offerings. She liked to try new things, and if she didn’t like what she had, she always ate half of his. It was one of the reasons he always ordered a larger portion for himself. The biggest problem was if she ordered what she liked, he was left with a large portion. He had to visit the gym a few times to drop a few pounds.
“Oh, they have a garden burger.”
“You tried that three months ago. You didn’t like it.” She’d spat it back out, looking green.
“Oh, right, it had way too much cilantro in it.” She wrinkled her nose. “What about … the chicken parmesan? No, I’ve had that. Meatballs?”
“I’m going to have that.”
“Meatloaf? I haven’t had that in a while. It’s nice and comforting. What do you think?”
“I’m having meatballs, so pick whatever you want.”
“Oh, this is so hard.”
“Can I help you?” the waitress asked.
“Yeah, spaghetti and meatballs for me, coffee, large, black, no sugar.” Stink sat back and looked toward Sandy.
She bit her lip, looking through the menu again. “I’ll take the buffalo wings, house special burger, chili cheese fries, and a double helping of apple pie with whipped cream and ice cream. Strawberry milkshake as well, thank you.”
The waitress left them alone, and Stink stared at his woman. “Wow.”
“Working, it makes me really hungry, and I haven’t eaten all day. I’m starved. Angel usually knows what to cook for me.” She sighed. “We can’t have it all our own way.”
She ran her fingers along the edge of the table.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I know. You were getting ready to leave, and being hungry and all, this isn’t the kind of conversation you want to have on an empty stomach.”
He ran his finger across his lip, staring at her. Stink would never get bored of simply staring at her. She was a beautiful woman, vibrant and full of life.
“I know you’re ready to give us a chance, so that’s not my question.”
“I get the difference, Stink. You want to know if I’m ready to finally settle down, have a relationship with you.”
His heart started to pound as he stared at her.
For Sandy, it was a huge step.
“Yes, I am. I am ready for you, and for us to be something.”
He reached across the table, taking hold of her hand. Until that moment he didn’t realize how worried he was about her answer.
She chuckled. “Looking a bit scared there, mister.”
“Just a little. I haven’t even gotten you naked yet.”
“Like I’ve told you before, you can get me naked any time you want.” Sandy shrugged. “I’m ready.”
Stink stared down at her hand, seeing how steady it was. There were times he’d touch her, and she’d be shaking.
Sandy had had to deal with a lot when it came to the club.
“Tell me why you became a doctor.”
“Really? That’s what you want to talk about? I just told you we can fuck, and nothing?”
“I’ve waited all this time, what’s a few more hours, days, weeks, month
s? I want more than a simple screw.”
“Okay. Being a doctor. It’s the usual, I wanted to help people. My family…” She paused, and he noticed her eyes suddenly fill with tears, which only created more questions to him.
“If it’s too hard—”
“It’s fine. I want to talk about it. I lost my family a long time ago. My mother was killed from septicemia. The doctor misdiagnosed her condition, and she was in pain for hours up until she finally died. She died in my father’s arms.”
“Wow,” he said. Sandy didn’t talk about her family. He couldn’t even recall her recounting a single memory. He always figured she was too embarrassed, or there was no family to tell.
“It was a long time ago. I was, um, I was eleven. I remember not knowing that there had been a fuck-up until later on. I did some research and learned the doctor had a gambling problem.” She laughed, but it wasn’t humorous. It was forced, and near hysterical. “He was more interested in putting on his next bet than he was to listen to my mother. I remember thinking if someone was there who really cared, she’d still be alive.”
“What about your dad?”
She laughed. “My parents had one of those relationships that was similar to Angel and Lash. They really connected. Their entire lives were about each other, and I got to witness that. I was part of it.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “After Mom died, he couldn’t cope. He couldn’t handle being alone. There was no other woman for him. In the early months after her death, he’d spend all night crying, and at work, he just couldn’t function.” She paused, licking her lips. “One night, he, er, he took a drink of whiskey, and then another. It started to numb his pain. He didn’t have to think about my mom or what he’d lost, nothing.”
“He became an alcoholic?”
“You got it. The beer took him, but he wasn’t a mean person. He tried to hide it, and it wasn’t like he became a slob.” She chuckled. “The beer actually made him a good parent. He stopped driving, and he started taking the bus to work. He never drank excessively, just enough to make him able. If that makes sense. People would talk about it, but he never put anyone at risk. Not even me. I was hurt once. I climbed a tree to look at a bird that had nested. I didn’t hold on well enough, and I fell. Broke my leg in two places.” She chuckled. “After that, he did try to stay sober. We had to wait for the ambulance, you see, and he had to fill in paperwork. I think it scared him a little.”
