by L. Ann Marie
“Fuck me,” Jessie says and telling Uncle Danny we’re in. “It smells like gas is everywhere.”
Uncle Danny talks in my ear. “There’s a room in the back on the second floor. I can’t see the side, but there’s a chain on the door.”
I run up the stairs and the building explodes in flames.
“Taylor!”
I keep moving. She can’t die in the fire. We have to get her out. Smoke is everywhere. I pull my shirt up and cover my nose but keep moving. “Beth!”
I hear her scream.
The door, I have to get through the door. She can’t die in the fire. She’s alive and we fix hurt. I’m kicking the door and it finally breaks so I crawl in. “Beth!”
“Get her to the window Taylor!” Uncle Danny yells.
Yeah. I lift her up. “We found you Precious. We got you back.”
“Taylor!” Prez helps me get her to the window and jumps out then pulls me through.
They’re all yelling in my head. I have to get her away. I can smell her burning. Even the fuel doesn’t cover the smell. “No!” I pull her away from Uncle Danny. She can’t burn. We got her.
“Let him go! Just throw it on him, but let him hold her.”
They’re putting the fire out. She’s here. I got her. We get moved and I hold onto her. She didn’t burn in the fire. She’s alive and watching me. “We got you Precious.”
She smiles and I see the sunshine. “I knew you would.”
I fall back and everything is black.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hospital
Taylor
“Hold him down. Fuck! How the fuck is he even moving?” Jessie is holding me down.
I smell the burning skin. “No! We got her! She didn’t burn!”
“Of course I didn’t burn. My tattooed biker man saved me.”
“Beth. We got you back.”
She laughs and my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest. “If you’d open your damn eyes you’d see me.” I open my eyes. She’s here. I try to move, but can’t. “See here’s the problem, your mind is playing tricks on you and you’re hurt. If you don’t see that moving will put you in excruciating pain, then someone has to hold you down. Really a few someones.”
She’s smiling her sunshine smile at me. “You’re alive. You didn’t burn in the truck.”
“Nope. Not even a little. You have some burns on you though. You need to stay still for me and they’ll let you go.”
“Yeah.”
She looks back and I see the bruises on her neck. “Jeremy can you help him with the shaking?”
“You’re hurt.” We can fix hurt.
She looks back at me. “You’re hurt worse. I have a couple of broken fingers. A broken toe and some bruises. You have a couple places with some stitches and pretty bad burns.” I nod. She’s okay. “Moving will hurt you.”
She bends over and kisses me. “Love you Precious.”
She smiles. “I heard. Before your mind gets back to the time before you found me—you need to know I wasn’t touched other than to be slapped around. I fought back with what I learned from Eliza. No one ever touched me. Do you understand?”
My eyes burn, but I watch her. “Yeah. It’s clearer now.”
She smiles for me. “Good. You’ve been sleeping long enough. I missed you.”
“Me too.” I try to move my arm and it burns. I look at it. “Fuck.”
“The smell that’s messing with your head is from your arm. Your shirt was on fire, but you were in a mashed-up memory and they didn’t want you to get hurt more so they let you carry me until you couldn’t.”
Fuck. “Did I hurt you?”
She shakes her head no. “Ben caught me and your dad got you.”
“Thank fuck.”
I hear laughing and look around the room. Everyone is here. I stop at Prez. “You look like shit Prez.” They all laugh.
She squeezes my hand, but I keep my eyes on him. “He’s been here since we have. That’s two days now. The smell has you remembering wrong.”
“You never let go.” He smiles and shakes his head no.
“Thanks.”
He throws me chin. “Since you’re back to clear, I’m going to sleep Brother. I’m right next door. Call if you need me.” I nod knowing I won’t be able to talk.
“We’ll be in the hall,” my dad says. I nod watching them all walk out. They held on when I needed them.
When the door closes, I look at my Precious Beth. “You were in a garage?”
“Yes. That looney tune cop doused the place with gas. I kicked the shit out of him though. Eliza taught me about kicking his legs and it worked. He was dragging his leg behind him trying to get out.” I laugh and she watches me. “I was so scared when you couldn’t get back to me. I’m so happy to hear you laugh.”
“My head is fuzzy, but I’m here. Everything seems wrong. All I could think about was your smile, but the memory is all wrong.”
She smiles. “Yet you’re right here with me. Ben had a specialist come in. You’ll probably have to work through some bad moments, but you being clear now means that you’re fighting for it. Your burns are throwing you for a loop.”
I think about that. The burns remind me of the girl, but it’s not the girl I was trying to save anymore. It’s my Precious Beth. She’s here and she’s smiling. “I got this. You’re here now. I can get through it with you safe.”
She giggles and I like the sound of that. “Because my crazy tattooed biker saved me.”
I smile. “Yeah.”
* * *
Beth
He’s sleeping and I get the guys in again. Uncle Danny, Jessie and Cloud sit talking softly while Jeremy stands at the bed holding Taylor’s leg. The Brothers have been here in shifts, but these three the most. Ben and Jeremy haven’t left. I’m glad Ben finally went to sleep he looked ready to drop. For some reason Taylor responds to him more than anyone else.
Emma brings coffee in, handing one to each of the men—then a cup for me. “How are you doing Beth?”
I smile. “He woke up and was talking to us and laughing with me.”
She gives me a big smile. “That’s good.”
“It is.”
“Let’s walk the hall while the guys are in here.” She pulls me out and I limp my way down the hall. Anyone that says ‘just’ a broken toe should be shot. It freakin’ hurts to walk with a broken toe. “You got your smile back. I’m happy for you Beth.”
“Me too. I’m so relieved. The doctor talked about long-term care. I was scared to death he wouldn’t be able to come back to me.”
She waves her hand. “Doctors don’t know everything. That man is too strong to let you be away from him for long.”
I shake my head. She’s right. They told me he didn’t sleep and had an episode during the day. I knew when he picked me up he was seeing the fire in the truck. He got me out though and carried me as his skin was burning. Anyone that goes through all that just to get me safe is a keeper and I’m keeping him. I think about my brother then shake my head. The bastard gave me to looney tune, saying he could do whatever he wanted as long as he got the money. I’m not glad he’s dead, but I’m not broken up by it either. I put that all away and think of the man that loves me enough to fight for me. By the time I get back to the room, I’m smiling and don’t even complain about the toe.
“I’ve got you some ice cream coming in a bit. Joey told me to call her when Taylor woke up. She’ll bring it over.”
I kiss her cheek. “Thank you.” I go back in the room and Steve is by the bed talking to Taylor. I smell menthol and look around.
Jessie laughs. “VP brought it so he’d smell the menthol instead of the skin.”
What an awesome idea. I thank him and sit where Taylor can see me, but away so Steve can talk to him. His eyes look clear and he’s smiling. It feels so good to see that smile.
Joey comes in with ice cream and holds Taylor’s while he scoops with his good hand. Steve s
its by me and asks me about how they took me. I tell him about the cop and the Princes car. I woke up cuffed and the looney tune cop moved me to another car. He asks about my panties and I look at him. “What about them?”
“Sent a box with jewelry and panties.”
I look at him, but I’m playing the time through my head. “I didn’t have my jewelry when I was moved to the second car, but no one touched me. I changed on the second day. The looney tune threw clothes in the room.” I think about the crazy cop. “He was in there; he took my clothes. I was kicking the hell out of him. I need to learn something besides kicking. It worked and all, but I broke my toe and it hurt like hell kicking him the next day.”
He laughs. I’m serious, so I just look at him. “Will tell ‘em to teach you, but the pussy’s dead.”
“Thank God. If getting kidnapped is normal around here, I need to know this shit.” Everyone is laughing. I look at Taylor and he’s smiling at me shaking his head.
I just shrug. I’m glad the looney tune is dead. He was trying to kill Taylor using me as bait. I hope for the next kidnapping I know more. I’ll teach the bastards not to mess with my tattooed biker. I smile thinking about the mamma bear protecting her cubs. I can so do mamma bear. Steve laughs.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Taylor
Nick follows us in the house. It feels like a month since I’ve been home. I sit in the first chair I reach and Nick pulls the gauze off me. Fuck.
“That has to burn like a bastard Brother, but it had to be covered for the ride.”
“Yeah.” Since he broke me out, I’m not complaining. Beth puts a beer down in front of me and sits next to me. She watches Nick put shit on me. He drops bottles on the table and washes his hands.
He looks at her. “You know what to do. If he goes out it’s covered. Keep the Vicks under his nose and call if you need me. I’ll be by tomorrow before work.”
She nods smiling. “Thanks Nick,” I tell him as he’s walking out.
I look at her. “It feels good to be home.”
“It certainly does. I can’t wait to sleep in our bed. It seems like the last time we slept in there was a year ago.”
I laugh. “I thought a month, but I’ll go a year with you.”
She giggles. “I love to hear that.” She’s got sunshine on her lips and I kiss them. “I need to get the belt off Precious. You want to go for a walk by the beach?”
“Nick would flip out and you would die with sand and salt on your burn.” She stands and puts her hand out. “If we walk it’s around the neighborhood, not the beach.”
“Okay. I need the belt off.” She pulls the belt and I feel like I’m going to pass out. I hold the chair-back.
“Damn! Let me get you cleaned up. I’ll grab a shirt while I’m there.” I watch her walk toward the room and lean on the table. A shirt? She comes back with two bags and I watch her pull gauze and tape out of one. She puts antibiotic on my side and covers it. “It was open again. You think next time you’re in pain you can tell me?”
I smile at her. No fuckin’ way. “Yeah.”
She nods, not believing me. She checks my leg then lets my pants go and goes back to the room. I got cut when Prez pulled me out the window. My leg and waist have stitches, but it doesn’t come close to the burn that goes from my shoulder, down my arm, to the fingers of my right hand. Thank fuck I’m left handed. For some reason the inside of my arm and on my chest, the burn isn’t as bad. They threw water on me before I pulled Precious to me Uncle Danny said. Thank fuck for that too, or she would have been burning with me. They threw more when I had her and was still burning, but my head was fucked. I wouldn’t have understood what they were doing. There are places the skin had to be fixed because I held her legs on that side, but it’s the forearm and it looked good enough that Nick broke me out.
She’s back with a smile and a pair of shorts. I drop my pants and she laughs. “They’re low enough and you’ll be more comfortable.”
My dad walks in as I’m getting the shorts on and pulls them up on my right. “You’re bleeding through the bandage.”
“He put a belt on for the ride home.” Beth tells him. “I’ll change it again when we get back.”
He looks in my eyes but just nods. “My pants wouldn’t stay up.”
“You both lost some weight. Brantley wants you to go over for dinner.”
I look at Precious Beth getting a nod. “We will.” Beth pulls foam pipe insulation from the second bag. It’s different size diameters. I watch as she puts one at the edge of each side of the bandage on my forearm. She’s watching my eyes. She puts another where my cuff was. It’s burned in the center where the snap was but not the edges. Another she stretches open and puts on my shoulder above the burn close to my neck. She angles it to my shoulder and tapes it then holds a button-down shirt up for me. I smile at my smart nurse and slide my arm in. The insulation stops the shirt from hitting the burn. “The wind may get you sticking to the shirt but we can pull it off.”
“Yeah. This is better than the gauze.” I look at my dad. “We were going for a walk.”
He nods. “I’ll be here if you need me. Just call me Beth.”
I smile and throw him chin. I had two bad memories since I woke up. Both were in the day and both caused more damage to my arm and concern for everyone. They have someone with me all the fuckin’ time. It’s good so Beth doesn’t get hurt, but it grates on my nerves. I take her hand and walk her out the back. Going through the yard we hit the next street and walk up and down the neighborhood talking and laughing. I love to see her smile.
As we get closer to home she slows down. “Pres from the MC said we can postpone the wedding a couple of weeks until you’re healed.”
My heart starts beating fast and I’m taking shallow breaths. “Is that what you want?” Maybe she doesn’t want someone she has to take care of anymore. My head is fucked and it isn’t going away. She deserves happy. I try to breathe.
She stops and looks at me. I look away. “Taylor look at me.” I try to breathe deeper and feel a little more in control then look at her holding my breath in. “I told him I didn’t want to, but I would ask you.”
Relief washes through me and my breath comes out. “No.”
She smiles sunshine for me. “That’s what I told him I thought you’d say. I do want to postpone the honeymoon or change it from a beach.”
I nod. That would be smart. We don’t need someone following us around on our honeymoon. “Yeah.”
She laughs. “Which do you want, postpone the honeymoon or change it?”
“Both. If it doesn’t matter to you, I need some time to get my head straight and I think the cabin would be better. We can go to the beach, but not be right on it.”
She nods. “That works for me. I still get to drive you crazy in my bathing suit, but not be in the sun the whole time.”
I get a smile and smile back. She’s so easy. “Thank you Precious Beth.”
At the house, the table is clear and my dad isn’t here. I’m relieved again to have some space. We putter around and make a cake for after dinner. I like doing normal and the time goes by fast.
We get hugged by everyone at Brantley’s and Mucimi sits on my lap until we eat dinner. Jeremy sits by me and keeps his knee against mine. I feel heat running through me the whole time. I love my family.
Terry tells us about the kids at KC making everyone laugh. The little kids started working last month and they’re a trip. Diego loves working with them and they keep the Brothers on their toes.
After dinner, Brantley takes me outside with my dad and Christian. “Prez set up a meeting at the Activity Center. It starts in a few minutes. Do you want a shirt?”
Fuck. “Do I need one?”
He smiles. “No. They’ll be in shorts and shit. They were swimming and had a cook out down there.”
“I’m good. I need more Vicks first.” I start moving to get up.
“Got it,” Jeremy says walking out.
&nb
sp; I get it on and follow them down the road. We walk in the back and I’m surprised to see people from the regular group here. Everyone is in shorts and some have no shirt. Jessie comes up to me smiling. “How was your first day home Brother?”
“It was good. We made cake and life feels normal again.” They laugh.
“I need to go do this. Don’t take off after. Prez wants a meet and didn’t think you’d be at the patio.”
I throw him chin and sit with my family. It’s a normal group meeting and I answer some questions just like usual. It feels so fuckin’ good, but I’m glad when it ends.
The Brothers and other men leave and my family stays with Uncle Danny, Uncle Steve, Jax, Chet, Hyde, Jason, Aaron, Nick, Rich and Dakota. They’re not at the meetings, and I didn’t notice them here tonight.
“They attend other meetings, but came to this one tonight,” Dakota says bending low. They all go to meetings. I shake my head smiling. My Brothers.
Prez stands up and smiles at me. “I didn’t hold you alone Brother.” I throw him chin. “We need to get Taylor back to functioning normally on his own. He had a minute today that he got through it himself. We need to let that happen. He needs us to let that happen. Everyone constantly jumping in will be more of a hurt than a help. Let’s let him or Beth ask for help before we jump. They are both aware and have no problem telling us what’s going on. We have to let them have that.” He looks around and I’m relieved and nervous. I got this.
My dad sits straighter. “He doesn’t know what’s happening when it’s happening.”
Prez nods. “But Beth does and he started falling today, but kept it together without any help from anyone. Beth knew and I was aware. We need to let him get his feet back under him. It can’t be easy with people hovering constantly. He’s a grown man.”
My dad puts a tie in his hair and I smile. “I need to do this Dad.”
He’s surprised and looks at me. Jeremy touches his arm and he smiles. “You’re right. It’s hard to not be the one to catch you when you fall.”
