Coder: Book Five (Princes of Prophecy)
Page 9
Jacob and Dakota come in and ask how she feels. “Good. I’m getting the pain pills so Mucimi doesn’t get more than he has to. Will he feel the pain pills I take?”
Dakota smiles at her. “No, it does not work like that. It is good you will manage the pain better. I will see you tonight.” He takes a sandwich and walks out the door.
I watch the door then laugh. Jacob seems more relaxed. When he’s done eating I ask if he’s good. “I won’t block for him if that’s what you’re asking. I don’t like it, but I get it.”
I nod relieved. “Thanks Jacob.”
“You’re on today. I can keep him while you’re at work.”
I pull my phone and text Jessie. The boys are at the daycare today for six hours. “He needs to go to the daycare. Even if it’s for a couple of hours. The kids can help.”
He doesn’t like that. “Who’s at daycare?”
“Justice and Aquyà.”
“I’ll take them. Have Dakota drop them here.”
I text Jessie and get a reply right back. “He’s here in ten. Jess and Dakota are at Baxter Lab and he’s out.”
He nods and walks out the door telling me Nick is here with a Prospect. The steady stream of people in my house should be a concern. When the hell did I decide all this is cool?
“Hey Brother. The Prospect had your delivery too.” Nick steps through the door.
“Thanks Brother, this is Holly.” I stand up to help the Prospect. “Holly this is Nick, he’s the doctor I told you about.” I step around Mucimi who is crawling right for Nick.
He picks up Mucimi and sits talking to Holly. I take the bags to the bedroom and the Prospect says he has clothes from the MC. We get everything hung up but I leave the grocery bags for Holly to put away. It’s all personal shit and I don’t know where she wants to put it.
“There was no food?” Wiley says no, walking out. Since I have food, I’m not worried about her going hungry, but I’m surprised she didn’t order anything that would make this feel more comfortable. I check the time and stop short in the kitchen.
Nick has her arm uncovered and it looks like there are a million stitches going down it. He’s bent close looking at them. What the hell? I clear my throat and he looks at me smiling. “These will be ready to come out soon. Like tomorrow.”
I nod. With everyone here yesterday and Mucimi doing his shit, I’m not really surprised.
“Her face too. I’m going to stitch like this from now on. It will be tough to see the scar once it’s completely healed.” His hand runs down her arm and I see her shiver.
“You want to get your fuckin’ hands off her?” I growl at him wondering what the fuck is up with that and why Jacob and Jessie thinking it’s funny.
Nick pulls his hands away and keeps them up. “Sorry Brother. She’s healing fast.”
“I got that.”
He moves away from her. “She needs the stitches taken out. Her appointment is in two weeks but they should come out before that. I can come back tomorrow after Church.”
I look at Holly she nods. “I’ll be here at one.”
He nods and starts wrapping her arm. “This is just so the stitches don’t get caught on anything. She doesn’t need it covered anymore.
Jessie pulls my shirt and I follow to the living room. “Relax Brother. He’s just covering stitches.”
I hold my fingers on my eyes. “I know. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, but she’s got stitches across her stomach that he isn’t fuckin’ touching.” He smiles. I want to fuckin’ hit him. What the fuck? This is Jessie, he’d kill me in a second. I blow out a breath.
“You done?” He’s not smiling anymore.
“Yeah.”
“She’s yours, I get it, but she may not. You need to calm the fuck down before you scare her away. I wouldn’t let anyone put a hand on Jess either, but that’s Nick in there. You called him because you trust him. He’s a real Brother that’s got no interest in fuckin’ with what you have.”
“Yeah. I don’t know what’s up with the He-Man shit.” My fingers are holding my eyes again as if this will get me back to normal.
“Just relax. You got shit being thrown at you from every direction. Take it one thing at a time and keep moving forward. I’m back in a couple of days. Let Dakota know if you need anything. I’ll check in when I get back.”
“I will, thanks Brother.”
He goes back to the kitchen and I see him fist bump Justice and kiss Aquyà on the head. I take a deep breath and let it out slow. I need to get my fuckin’ head straight. I walk in and watch Nick hand Holly the prescription bottle.
“Every four to six hours. If you’re not in pain do the six. Don’t wait until it’s bad before you take them. We can taper them down as you get better, but you being in pain hurts Mucimi and I have no clue how much he can handle. I know Aubrey passed out feeling Marty’s pain. Don’t let it get that bad.”
All the blood drains from her face. “I won’t. I didn’t know before. Now I do.”
He nods and looks at me. “Has he been okay since he woke up screaming? I can’t believe I’m even saying it.”
I was shocked too. “He looks tired, but Dakota came over and held him last night. This morning I put him on Holly and Jacob helped.” I look for him and smile seeing him on Justice’s lap with Aquyà sitting in front of them. “I think they’ll help too.”
He looks. “Fuckin’ kids. The freaky shit throws me. At least he’s not a twin. They freak me out with the call.”
I laugh. “You finish with school?” He went back at night to pick up pediatrics.
His smile gets bigger. “Yeah, but I’m taking paranormal now.”
Jacob cracks up. I see Holly cover her mouth. She hasn’t run away screaming so seeing her smile makes me happy.
“I need to get to work. Jacob call me if you need me.” He throws me chin. “Thanks for coming Brother,” I say to Nick. He gives me a nod walking out the garage door.
I bend down at the boys. “Just a minute Little Brothers.” Justice let’s Mucimi go and I lift him up. “It’s time for work little man.” I hug him and his little hands try to squeeze me back. He wets my face and I kiss his head. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
He’s jumping so I put him back on Justice. Giving both boys a kiss on the head I turn to Holly. She’s watching with smiling eyes. “No lifting or exertion.”
She nods. “Yes Doctor Brantley.” Jacob laughs.
“Call if you need me.” I kiss her head, grab my bag and get the hell out before I do something stupid.
In Ops, Billy’s my control. There is nothing planned, but Jessie took a shift for me so I’m here giving him the time to get to his job early. I don’t know what he does or for who, but ‘out’ means a job. The time flies with just routine stops and watching tracking for the family. When our shift is over, Taylor comes in with Josiah.
He must see the surprise on my face. “Chevy’s shift.” I nod handing him the tablet. Some of the Ops leads use a clipboard, but I use the tablet to log alerts and areas I’m watching. Taylor likes the tablet. All controls send everything to the tablet automatically.
He reads his alerts. “Dakota and Jess?”
“Something up at the lab. They have six hours blocked.” He nods and doesn’t ask about Jessie. When he’s on a job his tracking drops at the town line.
“Anything I need to know?”
“It’s been quiet.”
He slaps my back and finds everyone on his boards then watches the feeds. “I got it Brother.”
I walk out, but want to ask him what’s up. He must have had a worse night than me. I know he won’t answer so I keep going. I’ll ask tomorrow. If he had a bad night, he’ll be at the Club tonight.
Chapter Eight
Two weeks
Holly
Mucimi has his hand on my face and I smile. He started doing it last week. It’s almost like he’s petting me. When I open my eyes I get the happy boy smile. “Morning mylittle happy
boy.” He laughs making me laugh. That’s new too.
Brantley turns to his side. “I love hearing that first thing in the morning.”
Since I’ve been waking up with him every day, I’m not shocked to see his chest. I’m glad I didn’t do a repeat performance on my second day here. “His little laugh is cute.”
He smiles. “Yours too.”
Holy crap! He’s always saying stuff like that and it always surprises me. I have nothing to say to that so I don’t say anything. He laughs and picks Mucimi up holding him in the air with his arms straight out. He moves like he’s flying making all the noises as he swings him from side to side. Mucimi loves it, laughing and making happy sounds. He swings my way sounding like he’s dive bombing and I kiss Mucimi’s cheek before he’s flying the other way. They’re both so happy I laugh with them.
Brantley stops and looks at me. “No pain?”
“Not at all.”
He leans over and kisses my cheek. “That’s great. I was worried about you going back to work Monday.” He’s been doing that too!
I want to kiss him back, but I roll my eyes instead. “I’m fine.”
He sits Mucimi in between us. “Do you want to go do something today? We can go to the reservation and see Christian and Nunánuk.”
I smile. “I’d love to. I’ve never been on a reservation.”
He laughs. “Our first time there Nunánuk had a teepee in front of her house. We all went in and sat thinking that’s how the Indians lived. It was a riot.”
“She sounds fun.”
“She’s definitely that.” He sits up.
Waking up with him every morning you’d think I wouldn’t still be staring at his body. I don’t think I’ll ever see enough. “Let’s get moving it’s an hour drive.”
I lean over to Mucimi and kiss his head then roll out of bed. Brantley takes Mucimi to get changed and dressed. He still won’t let me carry him so I don’t even try. I get clothes and go into the bathroom. While I don’t have pain, first thing in the morning I still have some soreness when walking and bending. I move slow but I’m getting better every day. I love the clothes Nancy sent. They’re cute and nothing bothers my stomach. Prez said I couldn’t pay for them, but I still sent her a card thanking her for being so thoughtful. Today I put a bra on and think life is getting easier.
I hope we talk about what’s going on between us. Maybe I can ask on the ride down. I don’t want to rock the boat, but I’m getting better and I’m afraid of what will happen when I’m healed and have to leave. It’s going to kill me to lose my little happy man. I roll my eyes at myself. I don’t want to lose either of them. We’ve walked holding hands on the beach, gone out for diners and sat talking for hours about anything we could think of. He’s made sure I have everything before I even realize I need it. Life without Brantley and Mucimi will be miserable. I need to ask on the way down. Myself agrees and I nod at me in the mirror. With my teeth brushed and me dressed I try running a brush through my hair. I’m still not there and stop before it hurts too much. I’m not chancing hurting Mucimi over hair.
I switch places with Brantley and feed Mucimi while he goes and gets dressed. When I’m feeding him his bottle Brantley comes in looking cool in his worn out jeans and tight T-shirt. He stands behind me and brushes my hair. I almost sigh out loud, but clamp my mouth shut before it slips out.
We definitely need to talk.
***
Brantley
Something is wrong. It’s not like she’s gabbing constantly, but she’s not saying a word here. I thought things were going good. We’ve done a bunch of shit from Patches list and she seemed happy doing them. I wipe my hand on my thigh. “What’s wrong Holly?”
She looks at me surprised. “I was thinking about when I’m better.”
“What about it?”
She looks at me then away. “Going home and how much I’ll miss Mucimi.”
Just Mucimi? “Not me? Just Mucimi?”
She doesn’t say anything. I’m pissed and pull over so I can see her eyes. HS pulls behind me and I hit my watch so they stay away and wait. I turn toward her so I can see her face. Everything I’ve done to show her how I feel doesn’t mean anything to her? “You’d just miss him?”
She looks down. If she’s got nothing for me she needs to say it. I lift her chin turning it toward me. She has tears in her eyes. “Tell me you don’t feel what I do. Say I mean nothing to you.” A tear falls and I wipe it away. “I’m a guy and I clued in the day Nick put his fuckin’ hands on you.”
“You never said.”
What? I’ve been showing her for fuckin’ ever. Patches said show her. “Showing you isn’t working, so I’ll tell you. You are mine. No one puts their hands on you, no one gets my smiling eyes and no one will wake up to your morning giggles. Those are mine. Me and Mucimi are a package deal. You are stuck with both of us. I’m not letting you go and neither is he. The three of us are good together. I’ve been doing everything to show you that you mean something to me. Not because you need a place to stay, but as the woman I want in my bed every day. You’re smart, funny, sweet and beautiful. I want that in my and Mucimi’s life. No, I want more and I’m willing to wait, but I need to know you’re feeling that too.”
Her eyes are huge. Then she cries. Fuck! I unbuckle her seat belt and pull her over. “If you’re not feeling it just say so. I get that we were thrown together.”
“I do feel it,” she whispers.
A huge weight feels like it lifted off my chest and I take a deep breath. I’m not saying another word until I get more. I grab a receiving blanket from the back and wipe her eyes. I get the shy eyes and feel relieved.
“I’m sorry. I’ve never had anyone and you gave me all these people that care about me and a reason to smile every day. I thought I was the only one feeling like this and I’m so afraid you’ll send me home.”
Shit she was scared? With her night terrors, she’s spent her whole damn life scared. “No more being scared. You haven’t had any nightmares since the first night and I’m not letting you go anywhere.” I kiss her lips and move away fast so I don’t try for more and hurt her. “Tess said we’re good together. Dakota says you’re mine and Jeremy agrees. Mucimi loves you so much that he feels your pain. That’s a fuck of a lot of freaky shit to go against. I’m not chancing it, so you’re staying.”
I get her smiling eyes and smile down at her. “Do I have a say against the freaky shit?”
“Nope.”
She laughs holding her mouth. “Okay then, I’ll stay.”
“Now that we’ve got that settled I need you off my lap and sitting in your seat. We can talk logistics the rest of the way.” I’m hard and she’s in no condition for me to show her how much I want her. I’ve been pretty good at hiding my dick’s reaction to her, but I don’t have to anymore and think she needs to hear it. I help her over and she shows me her embarrassed eyes and red face telling me that she got my meaning.
We talk about the house and bills. Every old lady does this. I laugh when the Brothers talk about it, but now I see. It’s just stupid. I see no reason to argue over stupid shit so I tell her she can do the half thing. She’s going to be surprised the first time because we don’t have much in the way of bills. I ask about her apartment and car and I’m surprised she owns the building and her car is paid for. She gets a decent pay from Princes but she’s young to own a building. She doesn’t make me ask and she tells me she writes books as a side job.
“They must be pretty good books for you to buy a building.” I’m just pulling in the gate and she smiles at me.
“They do all right and I’ve been doing more with them. Is this the reservation? How did they know we were here?” She looks back at the guard.
I guess I’m looking up her books. “HS called the Reservation Security. They’re called RS now. The whole reservation is wired like the towns.” I don’t tell her about the guns aimed at the gate. She’s got enough fuckin’ nightmare material as it is.
“My dad and his friends built this. I was in awe of him. I think it overshadowed her not living in a teepee.”
She giggles making me smile. I help her out and open the back door. Mucimi is happy to be out of his seat and does his Mexican jumping bean act. Christian comes out and takes him before I even have his bag in my hand.
“He’s getting big.” He man hugs me and smiles at Holly. “I’m Christian, Holly. It’s good to finally meet you.” He hugs her surprising me. He doesn’t touch many people.
“I’ve heard a lot about you Christian. I’m happy to meet you too.”
“If Jeremy is talking about me, don’t believe a word.”
I laugh and Holly holds her mouth smiling. “No, he’s been pretty quiet.”
He smiles. “That’s the way I like him best.”
Nunánuk yells for us to come in. I smile walking Holly up to her. She’s in a track suit with her neon Nikes on. “You’d never know it by looking at her but she’s the Shaman,” Christian says. “A really good one too.” He smiles over his shoulder.
Nunánuk takes Mucimi and kisses his whole face making him laugh. When he starts jumping again Christian takes him. Nunánuk takes Holly’s hands. “My grandson has found his other half. The ancestors smile down on you Holly.”
I translate for her and she gives me her shy eyes. “Thank you Nunánuk, I am honored to meet you.”
Nunánuk laughs. “I already love her.”
Christian cracks up. “She’s easy that way,” he tells Holly.
We sit and talk about the reservation, Christian living here, and Mucimi. Nunánuk tells me he is getting stronger and is learning quickly. It throws a calm over me. While she is talking to me, Christian takes Holly and Mucimi to the back deck. I hear her tell him it is beautiful and smile. It’s my favorite view of the village.
“Your woman is not concerned about her markings my grandson.” She always speaks to me in Mohegan and I give it back to her. I think she likes knowing we use the old language regularly.