Mason

by Christina Chavis

  After he left out, Mason stepped in front of me, and when I wouldn't look at him, he lifted my head, so I was looking in his eyes. He went to say something but stopped. I knew what he was looking at because I saw it when I was getting dressed. It was a bruise in the shape of a hand print. It was Steven's handprint. I'd been avoiding questions about it all morning, starting with the nurse and then the doctor.

  I knew he would ask questions and want answers. But I didn't want to talk about it right now. Notably, not in front of my dad and Johnny. So, before he asked, I shook his hand off and told him we would talk about it when we were alone. I can tell he was pissed, but hell, I was pissed too. Besides, there was nothing any of us could do now anyway. God, I just wanted to go home and curl up in bed.

  Chapter 23

  Mason

  I've been staying at Jerry's for the past three days. He offered Johnny and me his guest room since I haven't closed the deal on the house, I'm buying yet. It should be ready by the end of next week. I was grateful because I didn't want to keep spoiling the guy's fun at the clubhouse. Everyone was walking on eggshells around Johnny, and I could tell it was just a matter of time before my son would've seen something that he wasn't ready to see yet.

  I'd been awake since three this morning, and I wasn't the only one. Kelly's dad was up too. Both of us knew something was wrong, but we didn't know what it was. Walking up to the hospital this morning gave me an ominous feeling. Way worse than the feeling I woke up to last night. Waiting for the elevator, I kept looking at the exit to the stairs. My foot was tapping, and I was two seconds from leaving Jerry and Johnny to take the stairs when the elevator doors opened.

  I could tell something was wrong the moment we walked into her hospital room. She wasn't in bed to greet us with one of her smiles. She was already dressed and already sitting in a wheelchair. She wouldn't even look at us. She kept her head down as she told us she was ready to leave and started rolling herself towards the door.

  Jerry had to stop her from leaving the room. She wasn't even going to sign out of the hospital. When he left to sign her out, I stepped in front of her, but she still wouldn't look at me. Lifting her head, I started to ask what was wrong, but the words died on my tongue. Her hair fell from around her neck to reveal a dark bruise in the shape of a handprint.

  I'm about to ask what happened when she shakes off my hand and says, "We can talk about it when we were alone. I don't want to scare Johnny or have my dad in a panic. They have been through enough in the past couple of days. Please, just leave it alone for now. We'll talk about it later."

  I was pissed. Kelly was hurt again and made this so bad was that she was hurt inside a damn hospital. She should've been safe here. Fuck, how the hell was she going to be safe? This is a damn hospital. Anyone could walk in.

  I'm pissed at myself for not realizing this from the start. I left her in this hospital alone and unprotected. This is all my fault. I just didn't think. I'm going to have to talk to Demon about this. I can't leave her or Johnny unprotected like this again.

  She could've been killed or taken, and I would never have known. Leaning in close, I go to kiss her and she flinches. I pull back as though she's just slapped me. I don't know who has hurt her for sure, but I have a hutch, and if it's Steven, I'm going to make him suffer for laying a hand on her again. She's mine to protect, and starting now, that's precisely what I'm going to do.

  Wiping all emotions from my face, I nod and take a few steps back. I see a look of hurt flit across Kelly's face before she turns away from me and looks towards Johnny. He walks over and holds his hands out to her wanting to be picked up. Picking him up, she places him on her lap, and he cuddles into her and puts his thumb in his mouth. I watch as she smiles down at him and then leaning down, she places a kiss on his cheek, and he closes his eyes.

  All the while, I'm thinking, "Damn, why couldn't she have been his mother?" That just makes me want to kill Steven even more because I know we could've had this years ago it he hadn't raped her. Pushing those thoughts away, I turn towards the door just as Jerry walks in and says, "We're all set. Let's get you home, baby girl." I hold the door as he pushes her and Johnny towards the elevator.

  Once we're outside, Jerry leaves us at the front to go bring the car around. I know she wanted to wait until we were alone, but I can't hold my tongue any longer. Looking down to make sure Johnny is asleep, I turn her face and ask, "Kelly, who did this to you? Please tell me? I can't help if I don't know what happened."

  She's about to say something when I see movement out the corner of my eye. I'm not really paying attention, but I do take notice of how Kelly stiffens; her eyes widen, and she tightens her grip around Johnny. I'm in front of her with my hand wrapped around the handle of my gun before the person in front of me, even registers. When it does, I know it was him who hurt her again, and I lose it. I'm on him in the next second.

  My fist connects with his face, and then we're rolling on the ground. Both of us exchanging blow after blow trying to gain the upper hand. He succeeds with a punch to my crock, and a moment later, he has his gun pointed at my head. My mind finally registers the shouts and crying coming from Kelly and Johnny. Looking to my left, I see Jerry holding back Kelly so she couldn't go towards us, and Johnny is sitting in the wheelchair crying and yelling, "Daddy."

  Turning back towards Steven, I give him the deadliest glare I can muster. All he does is smile again. I'm slowly reaching behind my back to grab my gun when he raises his other hand to let me see what's in it. He cocks a brow and says, "You're not looking for this, are you?" The fucker's grin gets even wider.

  Now I wish I would've worn my gun holster today. Bending down, Steven puts the gun under my chin, pushing my head to the side so I can see Johnny and Kelly. Leaning close, he says, "You know, I think she's gotten even sweeter since the last time I've tasted her. Did she tell you we got re-acquainted last night? Her lips are still as soft and plump as pillows. I can't wait to have them wrapped around my cock. Tell me, Mason, have you been inside her yet?"

  Closing my eyes, I try to ignore his words. But as soon as they close, I knew it was a mistake because all I could see was Kelly lying there and him touching what's mine. Setting my nerves on fire again and had me seeing red. While he was busy taunting, I made my move pushing the gun up and tackling him to the ground. I got a couple hits in before he was able to bring the gun up.

  Grappling over the gun, it went off, and I felt a searing pain in my chest. Steven pushes me to the side, and I roll over onto my back. He gets up and looks down at me before bringing his foot up, aiming for my face. In the background, I can still hear Johnny and Kelly screaming for me. I close my eyes and wait for the blow to connect, but it never comes.

  Opening my eyes, I see the funniest thing ever. If I weren't in so much pain and gasping for air, I would've laughed. Kelly was hanging onto Steven's back, beating him in the head with her fists. Poor Johnny was trying to run him over with the wheelchair, yelling, "Asshole! Asshole! You hurt, daddy!" All the while, Jerry is trying to get him and Kelly away from Steven. Right before succumbing to the darkness, I hear the sound of motorcycles and police sirens.

  Chapter 24

  Kelly

  All these damn people sitting in the hospital, and no one came out to help. I could see people looking out the windows. The fucking security guards are standing by the door, but the dumb fuckers are watching while me and Johnny are yelling. My dad finally shows up to find us crying, and Mason and Steven fighting.

  When Steven pulls out a gun, I really lose it then. I try to run towards them, but my dad holds me in place, not letting go. I'm begging Steven to not hurt Mason, and Johnny is yelling for his daddy. I watch as he leans down and says something to Mason. Whatever it was, it made Mason snap.

  I watch as they wrestle, and then I hear the same popping noise, and Mason stops fighting. I watch as Steven pushes Mason to the side before standing up. Johnny and I both stop as we see Mason roll onto his back. I see him put his han
d to his chest, and that is when I see the blood. I watch in horror as Steven lifts his foot, readying to bring it down on Mason's head.

  But it never happens. I hear a little voice yell, "Asshole!" and I'm almost run over by my own wheelchair. Me and dad both run towards the little boy who has taken it upon himself to be his dad's savior. I know dad will get Johnny, so I bypass him and the chair and go straight for Steven. Not bothering to second guess myself.

  Jumping on his back, I wrap my legs around his waist and arm around his neck. With my other hand, I start beating him in the back of the head. I can just make out the roaring of motorcycles and police sirens in the background. I make the mistake of looking down at Mason, and my heart skips a beat, and I stall in my attack on Steven. I'm so wrapped up in trying to make sure he's still breathing, and that's the opportunity Steven needed to launch us sideways into the door of a car.

  The impact causes me to let go, and I slide to the ground before he grabs me by the hair and pulls me to my feet. Kissing me roughly, he says, "You'll pay for that the next time I have you alone." Then he punches me in the stomach and jumps in the passenger seat of a car, just as a couple of motorcycles pull into the parking lot. I see two bikes break off and speed after the vehicle, and then the police are showing up.

  Standing on wobbly legs, I cradle my stomach as I make my way over to where Mason's is lying on the ground. I reach him just as Dad and Johnny come out of the hospital with a doctor and some nurses rolling a bed. They stop looking between Mason and me like they don't know who they want to help first. Balling my hands into fists, I yell, "Don't just stand there, you bastards, can't you see that he needs help! If he dies, you die next!"

  My words are backed up by the six other men that's standing beside me wearing the Storm Reapers MC kuttes when they all nod their heads in agreement. With the look on the guy's faces coupled with their size has the doctor and nurses jumping into gear, and then we're all rushing into the hospital like the hounds of hell are nipping at our feet. I followed them all the way up to the surgical wing and was about to follow them in when a nurse turned and said, "You will have to wait in the waiting area until a doctor comes out to talk to you." Nodding, I turned and ran face-first into someone's chest. Looking up, I came face-to-face with Demon.

  Taking me by the arm, he leads me towards the waiting room and places me in a chair before questioning me on what happened. I'm in the middle of recounting the events when Jonny walks over and climbs into my lap. Wrapping his arms around my neck, he looks up and asks, "Did daddy get an Ouchy?" Rubbing his head, I say, "Yes, baby and the doctors are going to make him all better just like they did me." He lays his head on my shoulder and closes his eyes. A few minutes later, he's fast asleep and snoring softly.

  It's quiet, and when I look up, I see all the bikers and my dad staring at me. Ignoring them, I lean my head on top of Johnny's and close my eyes. I wake with a start as I feel someone trying to take Johnny away from me. Tightening my grip, I pull him closer to my body as I look up into my dad's warm and soothing eyes. Lowering his voice, he says, "Baby let me hold him. The doctor just came out to give us news about Mason."

  Handing Johnny over, I rush over to stand beside Demon as the doctor starts talking. Ten minutes later, we've learned that his injuries weren't as bad as they thought they were. The bullet went straight in bypassing his ribcage and lodged itself into his lung. Which resulted in his right lung collapsing. They were able to go in and repair the damage.

  That was the best news we could have gotten at that moment. It was short-lived when I turned and seen two cops coming towards us. It was then I realized I still had to talk to the officers about what happened in the parking lot. I was surprised when they walked straight by me and went towards Demon instead. I watch as they walk up to him and do that side hug thing that all men seem to have ingrained into their DNA.

  They talk for a few minutes, and then the officers walk pass me again. I'm still standing there watching the elevator that the officers left in when I realize Stryker is standing beside me. I turn towards him and say, "Those officers didn't even bother to ask me about what happened to Mason. Do I have to go down to the station to give my statement?" Shaking his head, he leans in and whispers, "They work for us. They'll make sure that any statement or report dealing with what happened today disappears because we take care of our own."

  I'm about to walk off when he says, "That includes you and your dad now. Mason has staked his claim on you, and that makes you part of our family as well. Just so you know, he's told us all about your history. He has never stopped loving you. You were and always will be his one. Think about that before you leave him again."

  He leaves me standing there with my mouth as dry as the Sahara Desert. Could Mason really still love me after all these years? Even after what Steven has done to me. Could he still love me though I'm damaged goods? I'm left with more questions than answers, and my damn head is really starting to hurt again.

  Chapter 25

  Mason

  I've been in this hospital for almost two weeks. Catching an infection after surgery was a bitch. I haven't seen my son or my girl in a week and a half. The only people I've seen in this room are the doctors, and I would catch a glimpse of Stryker or one of the other members every once in a while, when they open the door. I'm still sore, but I need a long ride on my bike.

  The sale on the house went through a week ago, and the guys helped Kelly get it ready for when I got home. From what I'm told, she's been staying there with Johnny getting him use to the house. Knowing that she and my son has been staying there together has me hoping that it will be easier for her to accept the fact that I'm not letting her go anytime soon. If I had my way, she'd be moved in there as soon as I'm back home. I like the idea of it being our home.

  I wasn't going to be fooled twice. I made sure that at least two brothers were watching the house at all times. Plus, when Stryker wasn't at the hospital, he was staying at the house watching over them both.

  When I saw the for-sale sign in the yard, I stopped. Something told me that the house was going to be the house for us. When the owners let me take a look at it, I was already imagining Kelly and me filling it up with brothers and sisters for Johnny to play with. That was the reason I told the owners I would add an extra fifteen grand on the asking price if they could be out in a week. To say they excited would be an understatement.

  They were already on the phone trying to find movers to come out. I couldn't have been happier because I knew it was just a matter of time before I had my son and the future mother of my children all in the same place. Me and Johnny would have her moved in within a week. No one could withstand our charm. Hopefully, Kelly wouldn't be able to either.

  I brought out of my thoughts when the door to my room opens and in walks the doc. He's the same doctor that looked after Kelly. I told him he should think about working for the club. I'm sure Demon would patch him in without him having to prospect if he decided to work for the club. As many times as one or more of us has ended up at this hospital, it would be handy to have the doc on speed dial.

  Look up from my chart, he asks, "Are you ready to go home, Mason?" I give him my best "What the hell do you think?" look and he just laughs. Pulling out some papers, he hands them to me and tells me to make sure I check out at the desk. I was up and grabbing my clothes before he even made it out the door. I didn't have a shirt, so I just put my kutte on and slipped on my pants and shoes before walking into the hall.

  Stryker was waiting in the hall as I came out. Patting me on the back, he said, "I'm happy to have you back, brother, but I kind of hoped you'd stay longer because Kelly's planning on cooking Lasagna tomorrow and I don't want to miss it." Laughing, I punch him in the shoulder before saying, "Brother, you can come over anytime you want. I'm sure Kelly wouldn't mind feeding you. Although to do that, I'm going to have to figure out a way to get her to stay."

  Shaking his head, he says, "I don't think you're going to have to do much convinc
ing. Johnny has her wrapped around his little fingers. Just use the kid. He'll get the job done." Making our way to the truck, Stryker looks over and says, "The clubs throwing you a welcome home party tonight. You should ask Sarah to come over and watch Johnny. That way, you can get Kelly to come."

  On the way home, I told him to stop by a flower shop. He looks at me and asks, "You trying to woo her already?" Looking at him, I say, "Man, you don't let a woman like Kelly get away from you twice. I'm going to do whatever I can to get her to stay. If wooing her is the way to get that to happen, then you can bet your ass I'll be doing just that." Shaking his head, he pulls in front of the shop, and I go in and get a dozen roses.

  Pulling in the driveway, we hear loud music coming out of the house. Stopping at the door, I'm about to knock when Stryker hands me a key. Unlocking the door, we walk in to find Johnny and Kelly dancing around the living room. We watch them for a few minutes before walking over and turning off the radio. The music stops, and they finally notice us.

  Johnny jumps off the couch and runs straight into my arms. Kelly hesitates but finally does the same after I hold my hand out to her. Standing there with them both in my arms, I know that there is no other place I'd rather be. Pulling back, I hand Kelly the flowers and watch as she brings them to her nose with a big smile. Turning, she walks into the kitchen. Picking up Johnny, Stryker and I follow her and watch as she puts the flowers into a vase of water.

  Placing Johnny on a stool, I ask, "How would you like to stay with Sarah for a little while?" Nodding, he jumps down and runs back into the living room to play with his toys. Pulling out my phone, I text Sarah and ask if she could watch Johnny for a few hours tonight. She replies with a yes and I text her the address. Turning to Kelly, I say, "I hope you don't have any plans tonight. We're going to a party at the clubhouse."