A Different Shade of Violet?

by K E Osborn

  I nod and then wince at the pain in my collarbone.

  “Get some rest. I’m sure the police will want to talk to you once you’re stable enough,” she says and I nod followed by another wince.

  I close my eyes and let the blackness take me so I can be with Hudson again.

  My eyes flutter open and I’m in a different room. This looks more like a hospital room than the emergency ward I was in before. I feel slightly dizzy because it’s getting harder and harder to breathe. My head’s in a complete fog. I don’t know how long I was out for, but it feels like the whole world is passing me by and I’m stuck in some dream-like state.

  A nurse comes in. I’m struggling to keep my eyes open and I try to talk, but it’s hard.

  “Hey, it’s okay. Your surgery went really well. You’re all fixed up. The doctor’s a little worried about your lungs though. Seems you have some fluid on them, they’re worried about you developing pneumonia. That’s why you’re having a little bit of trouble breathing. But we’re going to look after you, you are safe here, okay?”

  I nod as a tear runs down my cheek. She grabs my hand and squeezes.

  “What about Hudson?” I ask and she frowns.

  “Who’s Hudson, honey?”

  “He’s… he’s…” I can’t seem to form logical sentences.

  “Shh, it’s okay. You just rest and when you wake fully, we can talk some more.” I nod. “Go back to sleep,” she says and I don’t fight it letting my consciousness ebb away.

  I wake up again and notice it’s still daylight, but it definitely must be at least the late afternoon. I feel more alert than last time and, even though, every inch of me is aching, the pain isn’t as bad as when I hit the ground after being pushed out of the van. I look around the room and just breathe.

  Hudson is gone.

  I don’t know how long I’ve been here for, and I might be getting pneumonia.

  Great!

  I lay for a while staring at the ceiling, just wondering how my life turned out to be one big steaming pile of shit. Everyone I love is dead or is about to be because I know the hospital won’t let me go to Cupiditas tomorrow with the paperwork to hand over the business to Mad Dog. All I seem to do is let people down and get them killed. I’m a terrible person and I really want to just end it all. But I’m not silly. I’m in the hospital and if I tried anything they would just resuscitate me.

  Hudson is dead, of that I am sure.

  My family, my friends at Cupiditas will soon be dead too.

  How can I live with that? How can I possibly have brought so much bad luck into my life?

  A nurse walks in and smiles as she checks over the machines that are plugged into me. “How are you feeling?” she asks and I don’t have the energy to answer so I shrug and then wince as the pain rips through my collarbone and ribs.

  “You really found yourself in quite a lot of trouble didn’t you?”

  I turn away from her and look out the window.

  “The police will be in shortly to have a chat with you. I know you’ve been through something horrific, but I hope you’ll open up to them. Don’t let the people who did this to you get away with it,” she says and squeezes my hand gently. I look back at her and a tear runs down my cheek. “It’ll be okay darling. No one will hurt you in here. I’m sorry to say you have two broken ribs, a broken collarbone, and a broken finger, but the damage to your leg wasn’t as bad as they first thought. It has all been fixed and we just have to monitor your lungs and watch them for the next few days. You are at a high risk for an infection, so you are on intravenous antibiotics and fluids to keep you hydrated. I know it’s a lot to take in, but you are going to be okay,” she says and I half-smile. “Okay, just keep resting. There’s a television up on the wall if you want to watch it. The remote is attached to your bed just here.” She points to a little gadget. “And if you need us just buzz with this one. How’s your pain?” she asks and I nod. I still don’t want to talk. “Okay, well if you need me just buzz.” She smiles and breezes out of the room.

  I take a minute to look around. It’s only now that she has said something that I notice my arm in a sling. My pinky finger is bandaged up and plastered to the finger next to it and I have a drip in my hand and one of those monitor things on my finger.

  I exhale and swallow hard. I look a mess! I try to get as comfortable as possible and just wait.

  What I am waiting for, I’m not sure?

  Waiting to live?

  Waiting to die?

  I don’t even think I care anymore.

  Hudson is dead and that thought sends a shockwave of stabbing pain through my chest. I whimper and clench my eyes tightly as the salty water drains from them freely. I feel so empty. I honestly have absolutely nothing to live for… nothing. I can’t be here without Hudson. I don’t even know how I was living before I met him. He is the only good thing I had in my life and now, he too, has been taken from me. I cry really hard, to the point of sobbing. I love him so much and my heartbeat is so fast the machine is starting to beep. I can’t help the state I’m getting myself into. I bring my free hand up and wipe my nose with the back of my hand as the nurse comes back in.

  “Oh, are you in pain?” she asks as she walks in checking the heart monitor.

  I can’t talk. I’m too busy sobbing for the loss of my lover and best friend. I think about Midas and how he has lost his dad. I think about Bill and Fran and how they have lost their eldest son. Then I think about Brige and how she has lost her brother, and that thought just grips and squeezes my heart, which in turn, makes me cry harder.

  “Oh sweetie, what did they do to you?” she says leaning down and comforting me.

  I look in the doorway and see two police officers standing there.

  “Is now a bad time?” one of them asks and the nurse looks at me and nods.

  “Yes, I think she’s a little overwhelmed.”

  “Okay, we’ll let her settle down, but we’ll be back soon,” he advises and both of them leave.

  Just seeing the police uniform makes me shudder with even more overwhelming sadness. Even though Hudson didn’t wear a uniform, it still reminds me of him. And at the moment I am drowning in my own grief. I want him back so badly I can’t stand it.

  “I’ll arrange for someone from the mental health team to come in and see you. See if we can help take your fears away, hey? How does that sound?” she asks and I nod just to get her to leave. I want to be on my own, drowning in my own misery. She smiles at me, hands me a box of tissues and then walks out of the room.

  I blow my nose and continue to silently cry. I feel so empty, like I’m a void filled with nothing but a poisonous black cloud that has completely engulfed my entire body and has drained all hope, filling me with mixed emotions, but mainly utter despair and inner turmoil. Anxiety has overtaken me, my heart pounding in my chest, my body shaking with fear and dread. There’s nothing but overwhelming negativity clouding my thoughts and fears. I can’t believe this is happening and I really just want to go to sleep and never wake up. I lay staring at the ceiling while tears that don’t stop stream down my face. I’m not sobbing anymore because I honestly don’t have the energy or strength. I feel so weak.

  There’s a quiet knock at the door and I turn to face it. I notice the same two policeman standing there assessing me.

  “Is it okay if we come in and ask you some questions now?” one of them asks and I shrug and turn looking out the window. They walk in and pull up two seats next to my bed.

  “I’m sorry this has happened to you. Can you remember anything at all?” he asks and I turn to look at him. He seems nice. They’re both good looking, but nothing compares to my Hudson. I bite my bottom lip to stop it from trembling. I want to tell them it was Mad Dog. I want to tell them everything. I won’t be able to go to Cupiditas, so my employees are all in danger or doomed anyway so telling them seems like the right thing to do. But honestly, I don’t have the energy or motivation to talk. So I just stare at them, occ
asionally blinking.

  “Can you at least tell us your name?” he asks and I look back out the window.

  They both exhale. “Can you confirm that you are Violet Dyson and you were in protective custody?” he asks and my head swings back to look at them.

  I nod my head in confirmation.

  “Great! Good work, Violet. I know what has happened to you must’ve been terrible, but if you could just give us a name or a description of the people who did this to you, then we can find them and lock them up. Wouldn’t you feel safer knowing they were locked up?” he asks and I shrug.

  “We found the officers at the cabin,” he tells me and I open my eyes wide. “Two were pronounced dead on the scene and the other is in critical condition in intensive care. You can help put the people away that did this to them, and to you, Violet.”

  My heart starts to race erratically and the machine starts to beep again.

  “The officer who’s in intensive care. Who is it?” I ask and they smile looking relieved that I’m finally talking.

  “Detective Hudson Stone. He was the one watching you, right?” he asks and I start to really cry. I make noises that I didn’t even know existed as my chest fills with something.

  I’m not sure what it is.

  Hope?

  Love?

  Whatever it is it’s warming me up and I smile so brightly my cheeks hurt.

  “Is he here? In this hospital?” I ask and they nod looking at me with creased brows.

  “Hudson,” I call out loudly as I rip the blanket off me. I see my thigh all bandaged up, but I don’t care. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and move to stand up.

  “Whoa, wait Violet,” the cop says just as I stand up, pulling the drip holder over onto the bed in my hurry. Pain rips through my leg and I collapse to the ground letting out a loud scream.

  The police are by my side in an instant. I start to slide myself along the floor to get to Hudson, but the officers stop me and one lifts me up as I scream against him and fight to try and get to the doorway. My drip rips out of my hand and it hurts for a second, but it’s nothing compared to the pain of knowing Hudson is here in the hospital… hurt. He needs me and I need to see him. I scream as the officers’ fight to get me back to the bed. One of them presses the call button and a nurse rushes in. She grabs a needle while I flail about trying to get free as she stabs me in the arm while I scream in her face.

  “I need to get to Hudson,” I yell and the cop lays me back down on the bed as my body starts to feel heavy. I feel dizzy and my head is swirling as I fight to try and stay awake.

  “It’s okay honey, just rest,” the nurse whispers wiping the straggly pieces of hair out of my face as I go limp and my eyes start to close.

  I feel so heavy, my entire body is aching so bad that I can’t think straight. I open my eyes when I hear someone walking in. I look toward the door and see a nurse with a tray of food.

  “Hi honey, are you hungry?” she asks and I shake my head.

  “Can you please take me to see a patient here? His name is Hudson Stone. I really need to see him,” I ask as I look down to the drip in the back of my hand.

  “Sweetie, you need to stay in bed and rest.”

  “No, I need to go and see Hudson. I don’t give a shit if I’m dying. Just please, I need to see him!” I say loudly.

  “Okay, just calm down.”

  I notice my breathing becoming short and shallow. I start to cough and I bring my hand to my mouth and cough into it.

  “I need… to… see him,” I say through the coughing fit.

  “Sweetheart, you need to rest and recover. He’ll still be there when you’re better. Just concentrate on yourself first,” she says placing the tray on the stand next to me and wheeling it over my bed.

  “No, I need to see him, please.”

  “Sweetheart you’re not listening—”

  “No, you’re not listening. I. Need. To. See. Him!” I yell and then start coughing all over again.

  “Okay, just take a deep breath, your lungs are having difficulty coping. So slow your breathing and try to take in long steady breaths,” she says raising my bed which forces me to sit up.

  It is hard to breathe so I do as she says and stop struggling for a moment just trying to breathe. A tear runs down my cheek and she wipes it away.

  “I’ll go and get someone to fill you in on how Mr. Stone is doing. Will that help?” she asks and I nod. “Okay, just relax and I’ll get someone for you. I think the police would like to interview you too, if you’re willing to see them again that is?” she asks and I nod again.

  “Great, I’ll let them know,” she replies and walks out of the room.

  I lay back and slowly catch my breath. I guess the water torture really hurt my lungs. I hate Chops so much right now! All I want to do is get to Hudson, but I can’t breathe and I can’t walk, so I’m going to have a hell of a lot of trouble getting to him. Even though every fibre of my being is calling out to him, and every inch of me is aching to see him, I stay put because I know Hudson, and he would hate the thought of me killing myself in the process of just getting to him.

  A policeman walks in followed by Chief Thomas better known as Denzel. I sit up a little higher as I look at Denzel, who’s looking at me and shaking his head.

  “Oh Violet, what did Mad Dog do to you?” he asks and comes in sitting by my bed.

  “How’s Hudson?” I ask ignoring his question.

  “Stone is stable, but he took some horrific hits. A bullet went into his diaphragm, another into his left lung and one more grazing his side just by his ribs. He’s lucky to be alive, and he is, but only just. If the shift change didn’t happen just after the Dog’s took you, then he probably wouldn’t have made it,” he states and my hand shoots to my mouth as I let out a sob.

  “He’s going to be okay though, right?” Denzel shrugs.

  “They think he will pull through, but it’s still early days and he’s had major surgery to remove the bullets and repair the damage. He’s going to be in the hospital for a long time, they’re estimating three months for recovery,” he says and I burst out crying.

  “He’s tough, Violet, just like you. He’ll pull through.”

  I nod and swallow hard. “Is he awake?”

  “Not yet, he’s still in intensive care. They’re trying to keep him still. We know when he wakes up he’ll just want to get to you. Just like I hear you tried to get to him.”

  “I’m just so glad he’s alive. I thought for sure he was dead when I saw his body. He was so cold and had lost so much blood…” I trail off at the memory.

  “It’s okay. I know how traumatic this must’ve been for you and I apologise deeply that we failed you. I’m just glad Mad Dog let you go. What happened?” Denzel asks and the other cop pulls out a notebook and a pen.

  I decide I may as well spill everything. If the cops can help me keep him away from Cupiditas and my employees, then I’m going to try.

  “He wants me to hand over the ownership of Cupiditas to him and to retract my statement about the MC. He said if I don’t then he would kill all of my employees and their families. Please Chief, you have to send more guards to Cupiditas, I couldn’t stand it if he killed them all.”

  He puts his hand out to rest on mine. “Don’t worry Violet, we have him and all of the Dogs in custody. No one is going to hurt your friends or their families. The lady that called the ambulance got a good look at Mad Dog from the back of the van. She has identified him, so there’s no way he’s getting out of this one. He’s going down for at least kidnapping and causing grievous bodily harm. Plus, anything else we can throw at him. He seems to be opening up and telling us everything we need to know, which is very unlike an MC member. They never… ever… rat, but he said something about you making him see some sense? Like he wants to pay for his sins? Trust me Violet, he’s going away for a long time and we’ve got something on all the Dogs. They will all be put away in one way or another. We raided their clubh
ouse and found enough drugs and guns to put them all in the slammer for as long as I can get them in there for. You’re safe. Stone is safe and your friends and their families are safe. But even though I am sure of it, we are continuing to guard Cupiditas and we have a guard outside yours and Stone’s rooms. We’re not taking any more chances. Your safety is our top priority and I’m devastated that they were able to find you. I feel personally responsible and I can’t apologise enough—”

  “Stop, it’s not your fault, Chief. The Dogs are smart. They probably had guys following all the unmarked police cars or something. I don’t know how they found me, but I certainly don’t blame you for it at all.”

  “He told us about a dirty cop who was working for him and told him where you were. I am sorry about that and trust me the dirty cop is being dealt with. Just know we intend to throw the book at the Rebel Dogs MC. They will all be sent to various prisons around the country so they can’t consort with each other. But we will have a guard with you for as long as you want one, so you feel safe again. We won’t fail you this time, Violet.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure, shoot.”

  “Papi, I mean, Carlos. Will he be in the same prison as any of the Dogs?”

  “We’ve been talking with Carlos Rivera. He’s been very helpful and giving us plenty of inside intel. We’re pushing that his sentence be suspended and that he serves no jail time. He’s a good guy and we don’t want to see anything bad happen to him.”

  I bite my bottom lip and suppress a happy smile. “Thank you so much. That means a lot to me and it will mean even more to Papi and Star. Thank you, Chief. Thank you so much!” I say as a tear falls down my face.

  Once the floodgate opens, it doesn’t seem to want to stop!

  “Don’t thank me yet. A judge may not be as lenient, but I will push for it, Violet. You have my word on that,” he explains and I smile for the first time. “Now if you’re up to it, I’d like you to tell us all about what they said and did to you while you were in their possession.”