Charge to My Line

by Lani Lynn Vale

  Now it just left the new family of three.

  Ashe was curled up in a ball against my chest, making the cutest little musical sounds as she breathed.

  “I didn’t realize that babies were so noisy,” I said, running my fingers along Ashe’s super smooth hair.

  “Me neither. You should’ve heard her when I fed her earlier. She sounds like a little piglet. I nearly recorded it, but my dad was here, and I didn’t want to show him my boob,” Tru expounded before popping another fry into her mouth.

  I grunted. “I have no doubt.”

  “Grayson?” Tru called, causing me to look at her.

  “Yeah, honey?” I asked.

  She smiled softly at me, and then rocked my world. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  I shook my head, stood carefully, and walked to her, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead before I said what I had to say next.

  “You, darlin’, are what I never knew I needed. I’ve spent all these years trying to find something I never knew I was missing. But the moment you launched yourself into my arms, you changed my life. This has time of my life, and I know there are many more to come. You’re the charge to my line, baby. Without you, I’d be useless. Without a water, a fire would become a raging inferno. And that’s what would happen if I ever lost you. I’d destroy mountains for you, and will until the day I die.”

  A lone tear streaked down her flushed cheek. “You just made my life.”

  “No baby. You made mine.”

  Epilogue

  Home is where the heart is…and where they have to let you in.

  -Welcome mat

  Tru

  “Oh, dear Jesus. What is that boy doing?” I asked Baylee, looking out the cabin’s window at the ten year old currently riding the dirt bike down my driveway.

  Naked.

  Baylee looked up and found her son, then sighed. “That boy. I swear to God. He’ll never learn.”

  Johnny was a take no prisoners kind of boy. In the five years I’d known him, he’d definitely grown, but his spirit stayed young. I had a feeling that had a lot to do with the company he kept with his father, though.

  The Dixie Wardens lived hard and played harder.

  They had a thirst for life, and lived life to the fullest.

  Just last week I’d come into the club house to find tire scorch marks on the concrete floor. Courtesy of, from what I’d heard, Kettle. Who’d been dared to do it by my husband.

  “Hey, baby,” Grayson called from the porch. “Do you have any ice?”

  I cocked my head, but nodded. “Yeah, I’ll bring some out. How much do you need?”

  “A baggie full. Ashe hurt her hand,” Kettle said as he walked into the kitchen with my daughter in his arms, sitting her down in front of Rue.

  She was rough looking, too. Her hair was skewed from her pony tail. Her lip was swollen, and she had the makings of a black eye.

  Rue pulled my daughter’s hand into her own and stretched it out.

  My daughter whimpered, but didn’t cry.

  At four years old, my daughter would never do anything abhorrent like cry.

  She was her daddy’s girl from the ends of her blonde curls to the tips of her black painted toenails. She wanted to be her daddy in every way, including becoming a firefighter and never, upon any circumstances, crying in public.

  In her daddy’s arms, that was acceptable; only, though, if they were in private. She was not a fan of showing weakness.

  “What’d she do?” I asked, placing the bag of ice on my daughter’s hand.

  Kettle laughed loudly.

  “Ford tried to kiss her. When she told him to stop it, because that was ‘indecent,’ he chose to try again, where she promptly reared back and punched him in the nose. Then Ford, not one to be outdone, returned the punch. They did that back and forth for a good minute before anyone could get to them,” Trance said dryly as he brought his, just as bloodied, son into the room and set him on the opposite side of the kitchen.

  I smiled softly, thinking that that was just the beginning. Ford and Ashe were the closest in age, along with Rue’s son, Zach. They were known as the terrible trio.

  Although the other member’s kids were also close to them in age, none were as close as the three of them.

  “Baby,” I said to my daughter. “Who told you that you could punch someone?”

  I knew the answer, of course, I just wanted her to tell me who.

  However, Ashe’s answer didn’t surprise me. “Nobody.”

  She didn’t like getting her father into trouble. In fact, she’d go out of her way to make sure he never got into trouble.

  She hated it when we fought.

  Although it wasn’t often, we did fight. We’d learned over the years that we shouldn’t go to bed without making up. When we had a problem, we worked it out. Although, most of those times it ended up being ‘fucking it out.’

  Ashe and our other two children were signs of our love for each other.

  If Grayson had his way, he’d keep me pregnant.

  However, after a third child, in five years, I was over being pregnant.

  With my last C-section that had taken place six weeks ago today, I’d had my tubes tied.

  Grayson was still mad at me for that, but he understood where I was coming from.

  I wanted time to spend with just us. I didn’t want to be pregnant all the time. I wanted to be the real Tru, not hormonal Tru.

  “Mommy, can you let me hold the ice? I want to go back outside and play soccer with Ford,” Ashe demanded.

  With a shake of my head, I took her down off the counter and handed the ice pack over.

  Trance did the same and we watched as the two ran out of the room acting as if the last ten minutes hadn’t even happened.

  “Ford must take after his mother. So forgiving,” Trance muttered as he made his way out of my kitchen and back outside.

  I giggled and turned back to the counter where I’d been trimming fat off of the massive brisket that Grayson had cooked the entire morning.

  “That smells delicious,” Booney groaned as he walked through the door.

  A sleeping Coal nestled down in his arms.

  Coal was my youngest, and the toddler coming in on his father’s hip, Spencer, was the middle.

  Coal was my easy going baby. He had no loyalty whatsoever. All it took was a set of arms, and he was happy.

  Spencer, however, was momma’s boy. He needed his momma. He’d take his daddy, but daddy wasn’t momma.

  Glancing at the clock, I decided now would be a good time to get them to bed. If all worked well, Coal wouldn’t wake until well after midnight.

  Grayson came up behind me and wrapped his long arms around my belly, bringing me in close to his hard chest.

  “I’ll go get them dressed. Come up when you can, okay?” He asked, kissing my neck.

  I nodded, leaning into him for a few precious seconds before he gave my ass a pat and left just as quickly as he came. Booney following him.

  “I wish I could get Cleo to help like Torren,” Rue sighed, resting her chin to her fist.

  I snorted. “All I ever get Grayson to do is get them dressed. He steers clear of the dirty diapers. And he doesn’t have the boobs, so he can’t feed them. Although, he will hold one on the rare occasion that they allow him to.”

  Rue giggled. “Let me do that. Go on up. We’ve got plenty to watch Ashe. Take your time honey.”

  Rue was a Godsend. We relied on each other a lot, over the last five years, and just like the rest of the women of The Dixie Wardens MC members, we always had help if we needed it.

  “Thank you, Rue,” I said as I washed my hands. “The casserole in the oven has a little over thirty minutes left. If the timer sounds, just turn the heat off for me, please.”

  At her confirmation, I walked through the kitchen and up the stairs, following the sound of my husband’s voice as he read to Spencer.

  Booney was just walking
out with Coal when I made it to the top of the landing.

  “Perfect timing. I didn’t know how much longer that paci was going to work. Here you go,” Booney said, handing Coal off and hustling down the stairs.

  It still never failed to amuse me, after five years, how uncomfortable Booney became around women breastfeeding.

  One would think with as much experience as Booney had, that he’d be more relaxed, but he wasn’t. If a baby belonging to any of the members started crying, he was the first to hightail it out of the room.

  Booney and I had become close over mine and Grayson’s marriage, and I could see why everyone thought he was so lovable.

  He spent more time with the Benton, Louisiana chapter of The Dixie Wardens than his own, and I expected him to make the move over to Benton as soon as he retired next fall.

  He was a sucker for his grandkids, and it showed by the lavish gifts he bought them.

  For instance, the massive sleigh crib I was currently about to put Coal in after I fed him.

  Sitting down in the recliner beside the bed, I thought about everything I had now, compared to what I had five years ago.

  A loving husband.

  Three perfect children.

  Parents that were healthy.

  A sister who’d found the love of her life.

  A niece that never failed to make me laugh.

  A job that I loved.

  A roof over my head.

  Sunday rides with my man on the back of his bike.

  Morning cuddles when my husband got home from work.

  A motorcycle club that would avenge me; where each and every member would protect me with their life.

  God gave me Grayson at a pivotal point in my life, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

  ***

  Torren

  Later that night as I lay in bed with my wife curled around me, I listened to the reassuring sound of my son breathing through his monitor. Of the dog’s snores coming from the floor beside our bed.

  Feeling the soft pulse of Tru’s heart, where my hand rested against her neck.

  When my mother died, I never thought I’d have what I do now.

  I thought I’d always be alone. Never have anyone to rely on. And now, not only did I have my club, and every man at the station, but I had my wife. My kids. My in-laws.

  I had absolutely everything.

  Author’s Note

  What’s Next?

  Chapter 1

  Tall, blonde, tatted, sexy, and a devoted father. I think I’ll need some new panties now.

  -Reese’s secret thoughts

  Reese

  “Ms. Doherty, you have Katerina Roberts on her way to see you from the playground. The teacher says she’s having a hard time breathing,” Mrs. Shoe, from the front office, called through my intercom.

  I looked towards the speaker, even though she couldn’t see me, and nodded my head as I said, “Thank you, Mrs. Shoe. I’ll meet her.”

  I was the school nurse for Kilgore Elementary School.

  In the three weeks I’d been here, I found that there were three main things that children came to the nurse for. One was a scrape or cut of some sort. Two was a stomach bug, and three was kids having trouble breathing.

  The trouble breathing thing was the scariest.

  I’d found that quite a few children at the school had asthma, which was a shocker for me.

  So I knew quite a few of the regular children due to them coming before recess, or after, to get a puff on their inhaler.

  Katerina Roberts was a new one for me.

  “Mrs. Dane, would you mind pulling up Katerina Robert’s record for me to see if she has any allergies or medications she can get if needed?” I asked Laura.

  Laura Dane was a CNA, or a certified nursing assistant. She’d been a lifeline since I’d started here two months ago. Mrs. Redden, the school nurse I was replacing, was currently at lunch, although she was expected back any minute for me to take my own.

  Later, when I took over fully, I’d be taking my school lunch during my spare time, because the school couldn’t be without a nurse. But for now, until I finished interning with Mrs. Redden, I’d be able to leave if she was here.

  Standing, I walked out of my office, through the room that held the exam tables, and into the hallway.

  I was always surprised at the bright red walls with the black tiled floor.

  Kilgore took their school colors very seriously.

  Along the walls on the two furthest tiles, were painted red feet that showed the students where they were to walk as they went through the hallways.

  It was always fun to see them walking single file, especially the ones that were rebels and made their own path.

  I wasn’t one to follow the path myself, and I always sympathized with those students.

  My daughter, Rowen, was the same way.

  I used to drive my parents crazy during my school age years, which was always fun to remember now. Back then, it hadn’t been so funny.

  I waved to Mrs. Shoe, who was making her way slowly down the hallway. She nodded before disappearing into the school’s office.

  Just before I turned the corner that would lead down the hallway that held the entrance to the playground, I heard the labored breathing of a small child.

  I sped up, running, especially concerned now.

  Surely they wouldn’t have just let her walk alone, right? A child with respiratory distress?

  But as I rounded the corner, I saw the girl on her knees, alone, with her hands planted on the tile in front of her.

  Typical tripod position for a person in breathing distress.

  “Honey,” I said rushing forward. “Sweetheart, look at me. Katerina?”

  The little girl looked up.

  Her beautiful blue eyes the color of the sky, were scared.

  Her lips were slightly blue, and I knew she was in shock.

  “Kat, can I call you Kat?” At her nod, I bent down and picked her up.

  She was a small little thing, much smaller than most of the children in this school. My guess was that she was a first grader, but most likely on the younger side of the grade rather than the older side.

  “Can you tell me what’s going on? Did something happen on the playground?” I asked as I started running towards the office.

  “B-b-b-ee.” She gasped for air.

  My heart froze.

  Anaphylactic shock.

  “Honey, are you allergic to bees?” I asked.

  I felt her nod against my cheek where her head rested. “Y-y-esss.”

  The ‘S’ came out in a wheeze as I rounded the entrance to the nurse’s office.

  Then the coughing started, as I laid her down on the exam table.

  Laura rushed forward, holding out the small cubby that held each individual child’s medications and said, “She’s allergic to bees, peanuts, and shellfish.”

  I’d already decided that what she had was related to the bee sting, but having it confirmed made me comfortable in using the EpiPen Junior I saw in her plastic cubby.

  Reaching into the container, I removed the EpiPen and read the prescription label confirming it was for the same child. Checked the dose, comparing it to Katerina’s chart. The expiration date. Removing it from its container, I took the safety cap off, and then promptly injected it into her thigh.

  The click was deafening as the needle penetrated the skin.

  I counted slowly to ten and watched as, instantly, Katerina started to breathe.

  Her lips, which I hadn’t noticed had gone completely blue, started to return to their normal color, and Katerina’s eyes opened.

  Tears started to run down her cheeks, and she launched herself into my arms.

  I caught her effortlessly, and curled her into my chest as I held the girl’s shaking, sobbing body.

  “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay,” I whispered softly.

  “Medics are less than three minutes out, but I’m sure her father will beat them
here,” Mrs. Redden said, startling me.

  I hadn’t realized she was here.

  “Why would her father beat the medics?” I asked.

  I knew that the parents would be called, but not before the medics, which were a little over a mile down the road.

  “Her father’s on the police force for Kilgore. Luke Roberts,” Laura said wistfully.

  Should I know him or something?

  “I want my daddy,” Katerina whimpered softly against my neck.

  “I know, sweetie. He’s on his way,” I said softly. Then, turning to Laura, I said, “Go wait for the medics so they’re not freakin’ out trying to get in here.”

  The school was new, and with the brand new building came new security features.

  For instance, the front office was the first thing that the public had to pass through to get into the school.

  It had a wall of glass windows that were bullet proof, and each individual had to be buzzed in by the office attendant.

  The doors could be opened from the inside, but it kept the general public from waltzing in anytime they felt like it.

  Which definitely gave us some piece of mind when it came to protecting our children.

  It was especially nice as a parent of my own kindergartener, too.

  I felt comfortable sending her to school, knowing that every possible thing was being done to keep her safe.

  A loud banging from the area of the office had me poking my head out of the my room to find a large, blonde man in a KPD SWAT shirt with a large gun on his hip hammering on the glass doors, while Laura hurried to open it for him.

  “Make sure it’s him before you let him in,” Mrs. Redden chastised Laura gently.

  I agreed. The man was big. We wouldn’t stand a chance against him if he got through and he wasn’t the child’s father.

  “Can I see your ID or badge?” Laura asked through the glass.

  He glared at her, but showed his badge, which seemed to appease Laura.

  Pushing on the bar that opened the door, she stepped back quickly and moved. Good thing, too, or she’d have been run over.

  He charged to us quickly, his eyes on the now sleeping little girl in my arms.