When I finally stopped I said, “I’m sorry, I know he’s okay but I can’t help thinking about how much worse it could have been.”
She smiled and said, “Don’t be sorry. I’m just not crying now because I’m cried out. I cried on Bull’s shoulder all night.” She handed me a tissue and I took it and blew my nose. “I’m going down for the food, I’ll be right back.”
I forced a smile and nodded. I was afraid if I tried to speak that I’d start crying all over again. Once Gail left, I turned back to the bed. I ran my hand lightly across Dax’s handsome face and said, “I’m not leaving you this time, not ever. All of this craziness has forced me to take a deeper look at how I feel about you, Dax. I love you so much. I don’t want to be without you, ever. I can’t even imagine a life without you any longer. I don’t want to even try. So, you better hurry and get out of this bed so we can hurry and start getting on with our lives.”
It wasn’t like the movies. He didn’t wake up with any snappy come backs, but I hoped he heard me. I had meant every word. From there on out, if he ever wanted to get rid of me, he was going to have to pry me off of him.
I sat with him and listened to the gentle beep of his monitors. The nurse came in and took his vital signs and emptied his catheter. I watched her do it all, talking to Dax or me the whole time. She was smiling and she looked genuinely happy to be doing her job. I wondered how good of a job it had to be to feel like you could wear a smile as you dumped out someone’s pee as well as the contents of their stomach that were freshly sucked out through a tube.
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked her before she left.
“Sure,” she said.
“How long did it take you to become a nurse?”
“I went for four years,” she said. “You can do it in two or a little less, but I wanted to also get my degree. Are you thinking about becoming a nurse?” she asked.
“I might be,” I told her. “I just signed up at the University but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do yet. I was just watching you and you seem to really like your job.”
The nurse smiled again. “I do like my job…actually, I love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I like knowing when I go home at night that it’s with the satisfaction that although I’m not saving the world, I at least did all that I could do for the ones that I was in charge of for the day.”
“Thank you,” I told her.
She smiled and said, “You’re welcome, hon. Good luck to you too.”
Gail came in as the nurse was leaving. She had an armful of food so I went to help her. There was a little table in the room so we set up for lunch there.
“I don’t suppose sleeping beauty woke up while I was gone, did he?”
“No,” I told her. “But the nurse says he’s doing really well vital signs wise. “
“Good, my boy likes his sleep,” Gail said with a smile. “He’s probably just taking advantage of a prime opportunity.”
I laughed. She was right, Dax did love to sleep.
“Let’s sit and eat,” she said.
She had gotten us sub sandwiches, chips, and sodas. After she sat it all up and we started eating, I finally asked, “Do they know who shot him?”
Gail sat her sandwich down and looked at me. “Well, you and I know that they probably all know who did it by now, but so far no one is stepping up and saying anything. Bull says he didn’t even know Dax was in the garage until they heard the gunshot and ran back to see what was going on. Thank God they were all still there though; Dax may have lain there and bled to death overnight.”
“Wasn’t it late? What would he have been doing in the garage at that time of night?”
Gail looked over at him and said, “I have no idea. One thing I’m sure of is that it had something to do with all of that nonsense he told me he was going to leave in the past.”
“Yeah, he told me the same thing. I started out wanting to kick his ass, now I think when he wakes up he’ll be lucky if I don’t kiss and hug him to death.”
Gail smiled and said, “Me too. It’s amazing how fast we can forgive and forget, isn’t it?”
“I’ve forgiven him,” I told her. “But, I don’t plan on forgetting. I plan on standing by his side, but making sure that nothing else like this ever happens along the way.”
“Good for you,” Gail said. Then, with a far off look in her eyes she said, “You’re a better woman than me. I’m glad Dax has you.”
“What are you talking about? Dax thinks the sun rises and sets on you, Gail. Everyone thinks you’re such a great lady.”
Gail had tears in her eyes when she said, “It’s easy for me to blame Bull for all that’s happened to our family. But the truth is, I could have walked away a long time ago, as soon as I found out what kind of business he was actually running. I didn’t though and Brock and Dax were raised on the fringes of a criminal enterprise. That’s as much my fault as anyone’s.”
“Oh Gail. I’m sorry you feel that way. We all make the decisions that we do, within a moment. We try to think of what the future will hold when we do, but there’s so much of the future that’s going to change before we get there that it’s impossible. I know you thought you were doing the best thing for those boys…You raised a good, decent son. You should be really proud of that.”
“I’m really proud of him,” Gail said, looking over at Dax. “I love him so much.”
“Me too,” I said with a smile as I picked my sandwich back up to finish my lunch.
Chapter Two
Dax
Olivia and I were in a big, white house. Everything was white, the walls and the curtains, the furniture and the carpets…Olivia even had on a white dress. It wasn’t a wedding dress, but it was white and frilly and with her dark hair and eyes she looked gorgeous. We were sitting on the white couch in our white house. We even had a snow white husky running around. There wasn’t a spot on anything. I’m not sure how we did it. We weren’t saying anything and the silence was almost deafening before the ringing of a doorbell shrilly broke it.
Olivia smiled creepily and practically floated towards the door, like one of the Stepford Wives. When she pulled it open and I saw who it was, I tried to scream but no sound came out. Suddenly, he pulled out the gun and he took two shots at Liv first. Then he turned it on me. I lost count, but I thought I ended up with four. Blake kicked me and more bizarre than any of that, he put his foot on Olivia’s back and Terrance suddenly appeared with a big camera…the kind the Paparazzi use. He took a picture of his father with his gun, standing over his kill. They did the same for me, only this time Brock was the camera man. I looked around at the house, at the deep scarlet of the blood that was staining the carpets.
Fuck! I thought we’d never get those stains out.
That was when I woke up. I could hear beeping noises and the soft sound of female voices. It took me a second to be able to pull my eyelids open. When I finally did, I saw that I was in a hospital. What the hell was I doing there? I closed my eyes again and tried to remember the night before. I remembered arguing with Olivia…again. Then I took the heroin out of the crate and went to the garage to put it in Terrance and Blake’s bikes…Fuck. My dad had come in and caught me. Did my dad shoot me? Thinking about it made my head hurt. I opened my eyes again and that was when I saw my mom.
She’d gone on the side of the bed to get something and when she stood up she said, “Oh Dax! You’re awake!”
I tried to smile but even my face hurt. Maybe my dad didn’t shoot me. Maybe he beat the shit out of me instead.
“Hi Mom,” I said. “How are you?”
She laughed. “I’m just dandy, thanks…and you?”
“I’ve been better,” I said. I was startled when the curtain flew open. Olivia stood by me, smiling. She was beautiful.
“Hi, Liv.”
“Hey there,” she said. “This attention seeking behavior really needs to stop.”
I laughed, it hurt like hell. “If you two would pay more att
ention to me, I wouldn’t have to stoop to these measures.”
My mom waved a palm at me like she’d really like to hit me with it. I imagine that although she’d never admit to it, she’d probably love to smack me upside the head.
I looked at Liv and asked, “Are you going to wave a palm at me too?”
She smiled and said, “I should, but no. I’m going to do this…” She leaned over and gave me a soft, sweet kiss on the lips.
“I like that a lot better,” I told her, “Maybe you could teach my mother a few things about how to treat a guy in a hospital bed.” Olivia laughed and I got another raised palm from my mom, and then a kiss on the forehead. “That’s better,” I told her. “What’s for lunch? It smells good.”
She grabbed the bag of IV fluid and said, “It looks like you’re having 1000 liters of D5W with a morphine chaser.”
“Hmm, change that D5W to a sirloin steak and that’s my Friday night.” In the middle of trying to be funny I suddenly had a flash of a memory. Blake walking into the garage and pulling a gun. I’d had mine pointed at my dad. Shit! Was I really going to shoot my own father? My thoughts were all scrambled, but I was pretty sure that scene ended with Blake shooting me in the gut.
“Dax?” I looked up and Olivia and my mom were both looking at me with concerned looks. I realized they must have still been talking to me while I was lost in thought. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Just a little out of it because of the morphine I think. I know I have a bit of a reputation, but none of it’s really true. This is my first opiate rodeo.”
“Good to know,” my mom said with a smile. She ran her hand across my forehead and made her worried face again. Then she asked the question that I’m sure was on everyone’s mind. “Dax, who did this to you?”
“Was it Terrance?” Olivia said with terror in her eyes.
“I really don’t remember. I was in the garage. I’d gone to get my sketch pad out of my saddle bags. The next thing I remember is this deafening blast…I guess it was a gunshot. Then, I woke up here.”
Olivia looked like she bought it, but my mom…not so much. I wondered how much my dad told her already. I doubted whatever story he told her had much of the truth in it. She didn’t push it though, for now.
“I’m going to take off for a bit and let you two catch up,” my mom said, putting her purse on her shoulder.
“You don’t have to go, Gail,” Olivia told her.
“It’s okay, honey,” my mom told her. “I have some errands to run and I’ll come back later.”
She bent down and kissed Dax on the forehead. “I love you. Be good and don’t terrorize your nurses. You better be firmly in this bed when I get back.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I told her.
After she left Olivia looked at me and asked, “So, was that story true? Do you really not remember what happened or was that for your mom’s benefit?”
I took a deep breath, another fucking mistake. “No,” I finally said. “That was the sugar-coated version. Sit.” She sat down and I said, “I went to the garage to put the heroin in Blake and Terrance’s saddle bags.”
She didn’t say anything. She just gave me the look.
I waited a beat and gave her a chance, but when she didn’t speak out I finally went on and said, “Anyways, while I was in the middle of it, my dad came in. I had a gun and I actually pointed it at him.”
“Dax!”
“I know, how fucked up is that, right? I didn’t plan on shooting him. I just wanted him to give me a chance to explain and to not try and stop me. I told him everything, but he didn’t believe me. I was still talking and I heard a door open. When I looked up I saw that it was Blake. I moved the gun and instead of my dad, I aimed it at him. The next thing I remember is the sound…it was loud.”
Olivia looked horrified and I was afraid she was going to cry for a minute. She didn’t, thank God. I hated to see her cry. She had cried way too much over me lately.
Finally she said, “Please tell me that you know how lucky you are to be alive.”
“I know,” I told her. The truth was, I hadn’t really thought of it. I hadn’t had time. “I’m sorry I lied to you Liv.”
“I know,” she said. My arm was on the side of the bed and she lay her cheek against it. Her warmth felt good since the damn hospital was so cold. We just sat there like that for a long time and she finally pulled her head back up and looked at me and said, “I love you so much.”
“I love you so much, too. Were you at work today?”
“Yeah, I had just gotten there when your mom called.”
“I’m sorry. Was your uncle mad?”
“No, not at all. I didn’t tell him what happened, just that you were in the hospital and I needed to go. He was totally okay with it.”
“Good. You don’t have to come back here tomorrow,” I told her. “Go to work and if you want to stop by afterwards, I’m sure I’ll still be here.”
“No, I can get someone to take my shift…”
“Olivia, you have already rearranged your life enough for me. Go to work, I’m going to feel terrible if you don’t.”
“Hmm, maybe you just don’t want to see me.”
I put my hand on the side of her face and said, “I’d have to be crazy not to want to see this beautiful face.”
She smiled and said, “Okay, your smooth talking worked. I’ll go to work tomorrow but I’m leaving my number with the nurses, just in case.”
“I can live with that,” I told her.
The rest of the evening she hung out with me. My mom came back and they both fussed over me when my clear liquid meal was brought in, insisting I eat…or I should say, drink everything on the tray. I drifted in and out a lot from exhaustion. It was probably just the morphine, or just the trauma and stress of it all.
The worse part of it was every time I had a second of alone time I would close my eyes and I would see Blake again, pointing a gun at me…
Chapter Three
Olivia
The next morning I called the hospital as soon as I woke up. They patched me through to Dax’s room.
“Hey, good morning,” I said. “How are you feeling?”
“Good morning, beautiful. I feel like a million bucks.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” he said. “I’m ready to blow this joint.”
“Shut up! You better not be trying to get out of there already.”
“I tried, but the Doc said no. This place is worse than prison. Come break me out,” he pleaded.
“Nope, I’m sorry. You told me I had to go to work today.”
“Damn, I did, didn’t I? My mom should be here soon, I’ll ask her.”
I laughed and said, “Yeah, good luck with that. Has the doctor been in to see you today?”
“Yeah, he said that I am a perfect male specimen.”
I laughed again and said, “Well, that’s a given. Stop screwing around and tell me what he really said.”
“He said the bullet went clean through. They patched the hole in my stomach and took out my spleen, which I don’t really need. He’s just going to recommend I avoid sick people because I guess the spleen is part of your immune system or something. That was pretty much it. When the swelling goes down they’ll do another CT scan of my abdomen to make sure it all looks like it’s supposed to and maybe I can go home in a few more days.”
“Now that’s good news,” I told him. “Has anyone else been in to see you?” I was fishing for whether or not any of the guys from the club were visiting him…or bothering him.”
“Not so far. I’m sure my mom will be here soon.”
“Okay, I’ll keep my phone on me so if you get bored give me a text or a call.”
“Will do. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I hung up with an odd sense of peace, like everything was going to be okay…finally. I finished getting ready for work and headed in. My uncle had gotten in before me and opened
up.
“Hey girl,” he said. “I’ll be in the back doing some modifications today so if you need me just holler.”
“I will, but I doubt I’ll need you though. I’m practically a motorcycle parts expert now,” I told him with a grin.
He smiled back and said, “Yeah, okay.”
I watched him go into the back and I opened up the register for the day. A few minutes later I heard the door jangle. I looked up to see three cops walk in…two in uniform and a detective. I was only assuming he was a detective. He had on a cheap suit and his hair was styled in a comb over. Add that to his choice of company and that was what my brain deduced.
“Hi, can I help you?” I asked the one not in uniform.
“Hi, Olivia?”
“Yes…”
“I was wondering if you had a minute. I’d like to ask you a few questions about a shooting over at the Smoke Joint two nights ago.”
“Okay,” I said, my voice breaking.
“Were you there that night Miss?” he asked.
“I had been, earlier. But I wasn’t there when the shooting took place,” I told him.
“So about what time did you get there?”
“I had been packing all day, so I wasn’t really conscious of the time because I was so focused, but I think it was maybe six-thirty or so.”
“Who did you go to see, ma’am?”
“I was there to see Dax,” I told him.
“Did you find him there?”
“He wasn’t there when I first arrived. He got there about five minutes after I did.”
“Did he say where he had been?”
“No, but I didn’t ask.”
“Does Dax spend a lot of time at the bar?”
I thought about his parole and I knew that him living there was a violation. The thought of lying to the police made me sick to my stomach but I wasn’t going to throw Dax to the wolves so I said, “Not that I know of. He just stopped by to get his sketch pad out of his saddle bags is what he told me.”
“If he doesn’t hang out there, why would you go there to look for him?” the detective asked me. Shit!
Dirty Biker (An MC Motorcycle Romance) (The Maxwell Family) Page 89
