L. Ann Marie

by Tailley (MC 6)

  He fuckin laughs, giving me the date. Fuckin crazy ass Brothers, don't give me a fuckin minute to breathe. I go look for somewhere to help them out. I have to meet the Little Brothers in an hour for range practice but I can do something to help them out while I'm waiting.

  Amanda

  I finish up with the kid’s stitches and go for coffee and some food. Bob is taking trash out but stops to kiss me, telling me he'll be gone for an hour. He’s fuckin perfect. I eat and swallow half the cup, then take the next patient Sally set me up with. This girl has road rash from the skateboard park. Nice and easy. I really like helping them out. I get into working and forget the time. Bob pops his head in. “Last one, babe. Doc’s cutting you loose.” I smile at him and finish up. I’m tired so it works for me. I fill out the chart in the break room with Bob watching. “I like that you enjoyed this.”

  I look at him. “Who said I liked it?”

  He smiles, “Could be that big fuckin smile you’ve been wearing all day.”

  I laugh, “I loved it. I enjoyed the EMT job; It was a means to an end but I really liked it and I liked helping today.”

  “Good, can you help a couple of days a week? The pay isn’t great but I really need the help.” Doc says walking in.

  I think about it picturing my schedule. “I can give you two days, at six hours. Give the money to the Women’s Center.”

  “Fuck, that was almost too easy.” He smiles.

  “I didn’t realize that I missed this until I started stitching up that first kid. I have good help at the shop. I can work you in and still stay under forty.” I smile up at him.

  He looks at me then Bob. “She fits Bob. Thanks, Amanda. I’ll have Sally send you a schedule.” He kisses my cheek and walks out.

  I smile. “I have a new job!” Bob laughs and pulls me up. I drop the file with the receptionist. “What a good day this has been. Thank you for not being pissed; I know that’s not what you were hoping for when you brought me down.” I look at him.

  He’s smiling. “Nope, it wasn’t, but I kept busy helping and got to see how fuckin good you are.”

  He’s unbelievable. “You are the best fuckin boyfriend for someone with no experience, thanks.”

  Guiding me to the truck, he smiles but it looks far away. I hope he really didn’t mind.

  Bob

  I need to get the ring and ask her. Maybe she's not too tired and we can take a walk. I should have asked Danny how the fuck I'm supposed to ask. The guard opens the gate for us. "I know you might be tired but I'd like to take a walk or even just sit for a while on the beach. Are you up for it?"

  "Yeah. You waited around for four damn hours. I think I can manage a walk and sitting." She's smiling. Good sign.

  "I went to Security for an hour too. I just need to change my shoes and get the other leg." I'd rather not wear it outside but I'm not sure about the sand with this one. I need to ask the doctor.

  We go in and I change legs slipping the ring in my pocket. We walk the beach to the bluffs and sit on a rock. I'm nervous as hell but this is right. "Babe, I was waiting until you saw the pictures to see if we get each other. We met each other's parents. We fit like it was meant to be. Every fuckin day I want to give you perfect. I want your life to be happy; I will work to do that for you. Will you marry me?" I hold the ring in front of her.

  She's got tears and a smile. "Yes!" She jumps on me and clocks me in the head with her cast. "Fuck! I'm sorry. That's going to leave a mark." I laugh. "If you'll still take my clumsy ass, the answer is still yes." She kisses me gentle.

  I keep it that way so I don't hurt her lips. Thank Fuck! I slide the ring on her finger. Nancy is fuckin awesome, it fits perfect. "So now that I have a yes, I have to tell you what I did." She sits looking at me. "First, and this has nothing to do with what I did, this is just an FYI. The ring has tracking on it, every old lady and kid is tracked. We'll get more on you but for now don't take the fuckin ring off." She nods looking at it. "Now, what I did. I was going to ask you yesterday but your fuckin ex went psycho and blew my plan."

  "Is that what was important?"

  "Yeah, I had the pictures up and was ready to ask you. Anyway, I found out the Brothers were taking bets on when I'd ask you. Danny had yesterday and today. I made a deal with him, all the money has to go to the Bakery for coffee and breakfast at the clinic every day." She's not fuckin yelling at me so I might as well tell her the rest. "They're betting on the wedding date too. It's a couple of grand already. If we do it next Saturday that will go to the clinic too." I hold my breath and wait.

  "They're fuckin crazy." She's smiling. "If we hold out will we get more?"

  I laugh. Fuckin woman. "My deal is with Danny, I don't think the other Brothers will give up the money. Pres offered me a hundred."

  "Cheap Bastard!" She's fuckin serious; I'm laughing so hard my eyes are watering. "I guess Saturday is as good a day as any."

  "Really?" She surprises me.

  "Yeah, I wouldn't have said yes if I wasn't sure. You already work to show me perfect, you've got a good track record and I love you."

  I hold her cast and pull her to me hugging her. "Thanks, baby. I love you too. Saturday. Do we need to do anything for the wedding?"

  She smiles. "Since Danny is winning I think he should do it. I just want big flowers. I don't give a shit about anything else. What do you want?"

  "To see my name after yours." I pull my phone. "Brother. She wants your date but you need to set it up. It's too fuckin overwhelming with short notice." I listen to him talk to Kate. "Yeah, Brother. Just big flowers." I hang up. "Kate said you're going to Nancy's in an hour and Danny will handle the rest."

  "Too damn perfect, my Badass Biker Man." She kisses me again. I'm thinking she's fuckin perfect. Never a fuckin problem with anything.

  She pulls my hand to help me up, the PVC doesn't bend; we make it home and she changes for shopping.

  Kate shows, telling me I have to leave when they get back. I heard about her and Jess with the fuckin crazy shopping sprees. I just nod. Mandy shows her the pictures and she cries. I decide now is a good time to leave and I do; with a gentle kiss I'm out.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Two weeks

  Amanda

  I get my test scores back and smile. My new name is on my new certificate. I make a copy filing one and put the other in a plastic sleeve. I send it to Bob and close down the computer. Keying the alarm, I'm out the door and on my way to the clinic with the biggest damn smile.

  I meet Sally and Doc in the break room. Peg remembered my coffee; she's so sweet and always remembers. I show them my certificate and test scores.

  "Well, Mrs. Tailley, with scores like this I'm afraid to lose you to the fire station. We'll hang the certificate but keep the scores to ourselves." Doc says, making me blush.

  Sally hugs me. "Are you interested in medical school?"

  I give her a disgusted look. "Hell no! I like the jobs that I have." She's nuts if she thinks that sounds like fun.

  Doc laughs, walking out with my certificate. I'm so damn proud of myself; I smile for the first four hours. Bob sent me lunch again, he's so fuckin sweet. After I eat, a gunshot wound comes in. A Prospect got hit off Main Street, Doc and Sally take him in the back while I take what I can of the patients. I'm wondering where Bob is but I don't want to call; I decide to send him a text. I work until my time is up; I need to get to the shop for an appointment.

  Sally finds me walking out of the bathroom where I changed into shorts and a tee. "Thanks for taking the extra today, Amanda. The Prospect is headed home, he's doing just fine."

  I'm relieved. "Thank God. No one else got hurt?"

  She smiles. "No, it is rare for the Brothers to get hurt. You've been around long enough to know that. What happened to you and Bob is unheard of with the Club. They are very good at their jobs. It takes strong women to live with the Security Brothers. They're the guys that keep us all safe and the drugs out. What they do is important in our community and our
lives."

  That is just what I need to hear. I was nervous about him being out on Security. Hell, I got taken and I just do ink. The got me back the same day, getting to psycho’s aunt’s before the psycho even made it. "You're right. Thanks, Sally."

  I make it before my appointment; once he's outlined, I start thinking about what Sally said. I add his shades of color on auto pilot. Bob is one of the guys that keep us safe. Even after the accident, he's back to work keeping us safe. I love him for that dedication. It's the same dedication he applies to me. When I look at it like that, I realize I need to let the worry over him being hurt go. The guys talk while they're waiting and getting inked; he's good, Bob is always partnered with Danny when there is trouble. He's right under Rich. They are all held to legend status. I smile. I'm proud of my husband for his ability and for his job.

  I finish my guy and send him to the Prospect at the counter. Tiny puts Prospects here every night now. I love it; they handle the money and keep us safe.

  Bob walks in smiling. "I'm just in time?" He bends and kisses me.

  "Yeah. I'm done for the day." I clean my equipment; he cleans my table and chair. "I'm starving, how about you?"

  He nods. "I was hoping you were done; how about the Seafood Shack?"

  "Perfect." I check the schedule for tomorrow and wave bye to everyone.

  Bob

  Sitting across from her, I see she's tired. "Sorry I didn't text you back. I was on the bike all day. By the time I got it I knew you were at the shop."

  She smiles. "I talked to Sally after I sent the text. I'm proud of what you do. You're fuckin good and I know it. Once I had a minute to think it through, I wasn't worried. I've worked with the Club guys for years, I should have known better. I like you doing your job keeping us safe, that's the guy I fell in love with."

  Fuckin perfect again. I thought she'd be nervous and want me to change jobs. "Thanks, babe."

  I throw money on the table and guide her out. At home, I fill the tub and put the towel down for her cast. While she's in the tub I log onto my laptop and get some work done. I spent all day hunting fuckin pussy down; Brothers don't get fuckin shot in our yard. There was no video coverage where the bullet came from. The Prospect was one of three allowed in Security. Another was beaten in the City. He's at the Club healing. Someone's trying to eliminate them. We have the third being shadowed. There's not one fuckin clue for us to follow. I blow out a breath.

  "Everything ok?" She reminds me I'm sitting in the bathroom with her.

  "I can't talk about the Club shit. It's one of those things about the job that sucks, sorry."

  She smiles and puts her hand on my shoulder. "I'm good. I'm exhausted. Do you mind if I take a nap when you go to the patio tonight?"

  "You ok?" It's not like her to sleep so early.

  She looks at me. "Just tired, babe. It happens." She's smiling, so I'm good.

  I wash her up and dry her. She sleeps in my shirt. I love it. Kate and Jess didn't get her any pajamas, thank fuck. They're fuckin nuts with the shopping thing. She has thirty fuckin pair of panties because Amanda told them I rip them. Not something she needed to share. The drunken women told me all about them, then lectured me on what panties were ok to tear and which ones weren't. Fuckin women. I just walked away; what the fuck could I say? I don't know the difference from one panty to the next, I wasn't about to ask for clarification. They were fuckin drunk. The best part of the shopping spree is Mandy is always sexy as fuck; they did a good job shopping. I'm glad they wait to drink until after the clothes are bought. Even her wedding dress was nice. I didn't know what to expect but she was beautiful.

  I put her to bed and kiss her head. She's sleeping in minutes. I watch her. She has had a busy few weeks on top of getting kidnapped and beaten. Then the wedding and honeymoon. Everything happened so fast, she moved in then we're married being driven back to New York for a few days alone. The hotel was great; we went to a show and a concert. The rest of the time we fucked, talked and slept.

  Once we got home, she started with Doc. She worked her schedule out but it took a couple of long days to get the appointments set for the times she wanted to work. Then she took the tests to update her certification. She's got to be worn out. The weekend is coming up; I'll make it good for her.

  I meet the guys at the patio. No one says much. It's one of those days, with no leads, everyone is out of ideas. We don't want to rehash what we can't do. Rich comes in with a smile. "Tess is pregnant. We've known for over a month but she didn't see a new baby. Today, she did. A boy." We all congratulate him. He's relieved. I man hug him, I'm happy for him and Patches. They're good fathers. He holds on to me, "Amanda doing ok?" I look at him. He's got a big fuckin smile on. Fuck! I sit and he laughs.

  I look at him. "Don't you say a fuckin word; let her have it her way." I say softly. He nods, still smiling. Fuck. I smile. I wonder, if it's a girl, will she name her Amelia?

  He leans in. "Get two names ready, boy and girl."

  Holy shit! Twins! I get up, slapping his back. I need to see my girl; she's tired because she's pregnant. I'm having kids. I never thought about having my own kids. I walk home in a daze. Fuckin twins. I make it home and slide in beside her. She rolls onto my shoulder. Kissing her head I smile. Twins.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Two weeks

  Amanda

  I just finish up with my last patient and grab a urine sample cup. Being tired for a day wouldn't bother me; being dead tired for more than a week, something is wrong. When I counted back to my last period, I knew; missing my appointment when I was in the hospital didn’t even register until I did the count. I just need to confirm it. I've had to go for twenty minutes, when I finally make it; wipes applied, cup in hand, I piss on my hand and all around the cup and curse the fuckin cup, smiling. How many times have I told women to pee in the damn cup? I'll be more understanding about how hard it is to get the aim right.

  I cover it, clean the cup then my hands and carry it out. Sally comes down the hall smiling. "I'll do it!" She's excited; shaking my head I smile and hand it over to her. She brings it to the little room dedicated to samples and cultures. I stand waiting; I wonder what Bob is going to say, we've never talked about kids.

  Sally looks at me "Little Mama." She hugs me. I'm smiling with tears in my eyes. "Get out of here, you're done. Go find your man and tell him."

  I laugh, "I'll wait for him to get home. He's been stressed enough with work."

  She frowns with a nod. I hug her again and get changed for the shop. Stopping at the Sub Shop, I chat with Evelyn while she makes my grinder. She hugs me telling me love looks good on me; I leave with tears in my eyes. Fuckin hormones. I eat in my office while I take care of the bills.

  My appointment is early; I take her right away and have to wait for the next one but this gives me time to catch up with Kellan. I'm fuckin shocked he's been dating Quinn for three weeks. He's not drinking or smoking at work, I'm guessing that's why he's taking more appointments. I tell him I'm proud of him and he relaxes, I wonder what that's all about but I let it go. We talk about the Clinic. He squeezes my hand, "I'm so fuckin proud of you, Amanda. I'll pick up the extra ink if you want to be there more." He looks so fuckin sincere, I tear up.

  "Thanks Kellan, I'm going to be here less. I'm glad you’re here and your head is clear, I was worried about stepping back. I've thought about finding a manager to keep everything straight and everyone making money."

  He laughs, "Without you here, we make more; we're doing ok here. Give us a chance to keep it going; if we fuck up, put your manager here." I nod. I really like this clean Kellan. I've worked with him for years while he's been high or drinking. I'm kind of interested in how the new Kellan will handle things.

  My appointment shows a little early. He's MC, he shows me his card and I show him the MC book. I've seen him around but never met him. He picks a shoulder design and I get to work. He has a full sleeve and half his torso inked. It's all in black; I know Kellan did it by
the art and ask why he has me doing the logo. Kellan told him I'm the best with the MC detail. I'm surprised and flattered. He usually does the outline, then sets an appointment with me to do the detail and shading. He's good but afraid of fucking it up and getting beat by the Brothers. When he was high, he was paranoid. Since I like my shop, I was ok with the way things worked.

  Since Bob hasn't come in, I work a half hour over his appointment time getting him ready for shading. I set his appointment for two days and send him to the Prospect to pay. Cleaning my station takes no time and I'm out the door heading home feeling good about my day. I think about Kellan. If he can keep it up, I wonder if he'd be interested in owning the shop. I could rent the chair space from him. I make a shit load on my pictures; I can do more on that end and step back to a two day ink schedule. I'll have to wait and see. I need to rent out my apartment but I'm afraid to get a lousy tenant in there. I'll ask Bob if he knows anyone.

  The Prospect opens the gate for me, checking in the car as I go by. Bob told me it was to make sure I wasn't being held to get in the gate. That's scary. I stop inside the gate and the other guard gives me our mail.

  He's not home when I walk in; I drop the mail on my desk and look for dinner. I wonder if I'm going to be sick. CJ never got sick; I hope I'm like her. I get chicken strips cooking for stir fry. It's really the only good thing I can make, everything else is shit. I'm glad Bob does most of the cooking. Grinders every other day gets old.

  I hear the alarm and turn toward him. He looks tired and he's favoring his leg. He smiles and bends to kiss me. "Thanks for starting dinner, I had a long meeting tonight then I had to pick up your tracking from the Club." He washes his hands and takes the wooden scraper thing out of my hand. Maybe I'm the only one that thinks my stir fry is edible. I smile and get him a beer and some Advil. He throws me chin, making me smile.

  "I got here late too. I'm going to take fewer appointments, Kellan has been working clean and he's dating Quinn." I laugh at his expression. "She's not that bad."