Savior (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 3)

by Teagan Brooks

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Washing your hair. Turn around and I’ll help you lean back.”

  Once she was situated, I used the sink sprayer to wet her hair with cool water and proceeded to wash and condition her hair while she groaned in pleasure. I willed my cock to behave, but he’d heard those noises come from her mouth in very different circumstances and he was ready to recreate those memories.

  After rinsing her hair, I squeezed the water from it and carefully wrapped a towel around her head before I helped her sit up. “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “I’m not finished yet. Come on,” I replied and lifted her from the counter. I carried her back to the living room and sat on the couch with her in my lap. Then, I picked up the comb on the coffee table and started combing the tangles from her long, auburn hair.

  The whole time, she watched my every move but never said a word. When I was finished, I put the comb down and pulled her against me so her head was resting right under my chin. “Better?” I asked.

  “Much,” she sighed followed by a yawn.

  “Sleep, baby. I’ve got you.”

  Muffled laughter followed by the sound of a door opening woke me. It only took me a few seconds to get my bearings and remember where I was, but it was too late to react. Avery’s front door swung open and her mother stepped inside followed by her children.

  “Nana, who’s that?” Riley asked.

  Claire didn’t miss a beat. “That’s the Sandman, sweetie. He’s helping your mommy sleep. You and Braxton run upstairs and be quiet until she wakes up.” Riley glanced at me, as did her brother, before they both quietly went upstairs.

  I started to move, but Claire held her hands up to stop me. “Don’t get up on my account. She needs to sleep. I’ll just be in the kitchen starting dinner.”

  I probably should have objected and moved Avery to the couch so I could leave, but I was damn comfortable where I was. And she was right; Avery did need the rest. And apparently so did I, because I closed my eyes and went right back to sleep.

  My phone buzzing in my pocket woke me, as well as Avery. She shot up with a look of panic on her face. Then, she was up and running for the bathroom. I pulled my phone out and cursed when I saw the time. “Sorry, man, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” I said by way of greeting.

  “Just checking in. You don’t usually stay gone this long,” Coal replied.

  “I forgot to set the alarm on my phone.”

  “It’s all good, man. Listen, why don’t you take the rest of the day off. I don’t mind closing tonight. We were planning on starting the new schedule tomorrow anyway,” he offered.

  “You sure? Because I’m not going to say no.”

  He laughed. “I’m sure. I’ll catch ya later.”

  I got to my feet to go check on Avery when her little girl appeared in front of me. “Hello, mister,” she said cheerfully. “Thank you for helping Mommy sleep.”

  “Oh, um,” I stammered, unsure of what to say.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “I go by Savior.”

  She scrunched her nose. “That’s a funny name.”

  I laughed. “Well, it’s more of a nickname.”

  “Oh, how’d you get it?”

  “I helped save someone, and her grandfather started calling me Savior. Pretty soon, everyone else did, too,” I explained.

  “See, Braxton. I told you he wasn’t really the sandman,” she yelled with her hands on her hips. I turned to see her little brother quietly sitting at the top of the stairs watching us.

  “Hi,” I said and gave him a little wave.

  “Hi,” he said and waved his hand excitedly. He jumped to his feet and hurried down the stairs, but his little feet wouldn’t move as fast as his body was trying to go. I saw it before it even started to happen—his torso went forward while his feet were still planted on the stair behind him.

  “Shit!” I yelled and dove for the boy, knocking over a lamp in the process. By sheer luck, I caught him and cradled him against my chest while I landed on my side with a loud thud.

  As soon as we hit the ground, he began to scream and cry. “Hey, little man, you’re okay. I know that was scary, but I got you.”

  “What in the world is going on in here?” Claire called out as she came running into the room with Avery right behind her.

  “Savior saved Brax! Can he stay for dinner?” Riley squealed.

  “What?” Avery gasped and took her crying son from my arms.

  “He tripped coming down the stairs. Sorry about your lamp, but I didn’t think I was going to be able to catch him,” I told her.

  “I don’t care about the lamp,” she said and hugged her son while she swayed from side to side. “Are you hurt?”

  “He’s fine. He never touched the ground.”

  “I meant you.”

  “Oh,” I said and waved my hand dismissively. “I’m fine. I’m just glad he’s okay.”

  “Braxton, what did Mommy tell you about running down the stairs?” Avery asked her son.

  “That I’m not supposed to do it,” he said quietly.

  “That’s right. Now do you understand why Mommy tells you not to run down the stairs?”

  He nodded his head and sniffled. “Yes, Mommy.”

  Riley grabbed my hand and started pulling. “Come on, Savie; you can sit beside me.” I glanced at Avery for help, but she completely ignored me. “Nana! Savie’s having dinner with us,” Riley yelled.

  “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I made some extra, isn’t it?” Claire said with a smile.

  The backdoor opened and an older gentleman stepped inside. “Papa!” Riley squealed and barreled toward the man.

  “Hey, peanut! How was school today?” he asked as he picked her up and swung her around.

  “Frank, put her down. You’ll upset her stomach before dinner,” Claire scolded.

  “Yes, love,” he said and placed Riley on her feet. “And how was your day, dear? How’s our girl?” he asked and pecked his wife on the cheek.

  “She had a rough night and morning, but her afternoon has been much better.”

  “Great! Was it something specific? Because if it was, we need to keep doing it.”

  “It was Savie, Papa. He put Mommy to sleep,” Riley informed him.

  “Who?” he asked as his eyes landed on me for the first time.

  I cleared my throat and extended my hand. “That’d be me, sir. Savior.”

  “Your name’s Savior?” he asked with a raised brow.

  “Nickname,” I clarified.

  He took my hand and shook it. “Frank Cameron.”

  “Nice to meet you, sir.”

  “So, you put my girl to sleep?”

  I laughed nervously. “I came by to check on her after work and helped her wash her hair. She fell asleep as soon as we were finished.”

  “Is that right?”

  “It is, Papa. She was asleep right on top of him when we got home from school. She was drooling on him, too, like Brax does to his pillow.”

  “Riley Grace Parker,” Avery called, but in a teasing tone. “It’s not polite to tell people your mother drools in her sleep. Even if it might be true.”

  Riley crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her bottom lip out. Braxton had stopped crying but was still in Avery’s arms. “Honey, let me take him. You don’t need to be putting any extra strain on your body,” her father said.

  Braxton lifted his head and pointed to me. “Savie.” He extended his arms toward me with his little hands opening and closing.

  “No, baby, we’re getting ready to eat dinner.”

  “I can take him,” I said and reached for the little boy.

  Avery made a plate of food for her children and then she made one for me, too. Once everyone was seated, I noticed she didn’t have anything in front of her. “You’re not going to eat?”

  She grimaced. “Over the last few weeks, I’ve learned it’s better if I wait unt
il everyone else is finished before I try to eat anything.”

  “So, Savior, what kind of work do you do?” Frank asked.

  “I manage a gym that just opened up last week,” I said as I took a bite of my food with Braxton perched on my lap.

  “I thought Avery said you worked security at the bar.”

  “I did. I’m a member of the Blackwings MC. I do whatever job I’m assigned.”

  “You get steady work?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Frank focused on his meal and the conversation turned toward the children. Once they were finished, Claire scooted them out of the room and Frank followed her, leaving Avery and I alone in the kitchen. Without a word, I got up and made her a small plate of food.

  “I don’t know if I can eat that,” she confessed.

  “Will you try? You’ve got to get some nutrition in you.”

  “I know. But the doctor said it was okay right now. That it was more important for me to stay hydrated than to worry about my food intake.”

  “What about some protein shakes? Do you think you could drink one of those?”

  Her forehead wrinkled while she thought it over. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Stay right here. I’ll be back in just a few minutes,” I said and darted out the back door.

  I hauled ass to the gym and ran inside to grab a few different flavors of the premade shakes we had in stock. I waved to the guy at the desk—Adam, I think—and ran back out to my bike.

  When I walked back into Avery’s house, she was sitting exactly where I left her. “Here you go. Which one would you like to try?”

  “Where did you get these?” she asked.

  “I work at a gym. We have tons of these in stock.”

  “Can I try the vanilla one?”

  “You can try them all. Whichever ones you can keep down, I’ll bring a case over for you,” I offered.

  “Cross your fingers,” she said and brought the bottle to her lips. She took her time, taking small sips, but she managed to drink the entire bottle.

  “I don’t want to jinx it, so I’m not going to ask.”

  She laughed lightly. “That’s probably a good idea.”

  “Well,” I said and clapped my hands together. “I should probably get going.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You can call me, you know? If you need anything,” I trailed off. “Or if you just want to.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  “Okay,” I said and kissed the top of her head before I left.

  17

  Avery

  I wiped my mouth and flushed the toilet before I carefully stood up. I’d been getting dizzy when I changed positions too quickly and was making an effort to take things slower. Surprisingly, I had gotten used to the nausea to some extent, but I felt awful all the time. It was all I could do to get my kids ready for school in the morning. Thank goodness my mom was able to take them to school for me because there was no way I could have driven them.

  “Honey,” my mom said and cupped my cheeks. “I think you need to call the doctor. You can’t keep going on like this. There has to be something they can do for you.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll give them a call this morning.”

  “Good. Let me know if they want to see you. I have a few appointments this morning, but your dad can take you,” she said and turned to the stairs. “Grandbabies! If we leave now, we can stop for donuts on the way to school!”

  “But don’t run down the stairs!” I shouted; at least, I tried to.

  “Go sit down, sweetie. I’ll bring you a protein shake and a Coke before we leave.”

  I collapsed onto the couch and pulled the blanket over me. “Bye, Mommy,” Riley said quietly. “I hope you feel better soon. You’ve been sick for a long time.”

  I pulled her in for a hug. “I feel better already, baby girl. I’ll be fine. You have a good day at school, okay?”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” I said and kissed her cheek.

  “Bye, Mommy. Love you,” Brax mumbled.

  “Love you, too. Have a good day,” I said while I hugged and kissed my little man.

  Mom placed my drinks on the end table beside me, as well as my cell phone. “Call the doctor as soon as they open and let me know what they say.”

  “Will do,” I promised and fell asleep right after they left.

  When I woke, I was covered in sweat and vomit was already on its way up and out. I leaned forward and barely managed to get my hands on the little trash can my children affectionately named Hurley.

  Something was different. I usually threw up once and that was it. But this time, I kept heaving and heaving and couldn’t seem to stop. And there was a new pain in my stomach that felt like someone was squeezing something inside of me. I screamed in frustration before I started to cry.

  Grabbing my cell phone from the end table, I called Savior. Just as he answered, another round of heaving hit me hard.

  “Avery! Answer me!” he yelled into the phone.

  “Sick,” was all I managed to say while dry-heaving and gasping for breath. There was a strange pressure on my chest that made it hard for me to catch my breath.

  “I’m on my way. Stay on the phone with me,” he said.

  “Yeah,” I choked out and pressed my hand over the place where it hurt.

  When the pain finally eased off, I collapsed into a heap on the floor, clinging to Hurley and crying hysterically.

  The front door crashed open and Savior stepped into my living room with a look of sheer panic on his face. “Oh, Avery. Fuck! What happened, baby?”

  “Sick,” I cried. “I’m so sick.”

  He scooped me and my disgusting trash can off the floor and started walking. “Where are your keys?” he asked.

  I pointed to the hook by the front door where I always hung my keys. He grabbed them and closed the door behind us. “I’ll have one of the guys come by and fix the door.”

  I honestly didn’t care at that point. I just wanted to feel better. He maneuvered the seat belt around me and Hurley and got into the driver’s seat. Before I could ask where he was taking me, he was on his phone. “Hey, man, did River work last night?” There was a pause, and then, “Will you call her and see if she’ll wait for me? I’m on my way there now with Avery. Thanks, brother.”

  “Who’s River?”

  “My brother’s girl. She’s an ER nurse, and I trust her,” he said.

  She was waiting by the door when Savior carried me inside. “What’s going on, Savior?”

  “She won’t stop throwing up and it’s getting worse.”

  “Follow me and we’ll get you checked in. How long has this been going on?” she asked.

  “For about six weeks,” I said.

  “What?”

  “I’m pregnant and have HG. But this is different.”

  “When did the different stuff start?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe a few days ago.”

  “All right. I’m going to get an IV started and get some fluids going. Then, one of the doctors will be in to see you.”

  “Knock, knock,” a woman called from the door. “Hi, I’m Dr. Daniels. Why are we seeing you today?”

  I started gagging again before I could explain. Savior placed Hurley in my hands and answered the doctor for me.

  “Have you had any other symptoms?”

  I nodded and held up one finger. As soon as I could speak, I said, “I have this dull ache in my chest. I didn’t really notice it until I was trying to catch my breath, but I think it’s been there for a few days. I woke up covered in sweat last night and this morning, and the nausea and vomiting has been significantly worse over the past few days.”

  She nodded and walked to the sink to wash her hands. “I’m just going to check a few things,” she said and proceeded to feel all around my neck and shoulders. Then, she brought out that damned light and shined it
in every orifice above my belly button.

  “I know this probably won’t be pleasant for you, but I need to feel your abdomen. I’ll try not to press hard,” she said, not waiting for me to agree. She was true to her word and was finished quickly.

  “Okay, we’re going to give you some fluids. I’m going to order some lab work, and we’ll get you something for nausea. Is there anything else you need?”

  “I would do just about anything for a toothbrush.”

  “I think we can arrange that. But, I don’t want you to eat or drink anything for right now.”

  “No argument here,” I promised.

  “Do you want me to call your mom?” Savior asked.

  “Yes, but tell her not to come up here just yet,” I said.

  I closed my eyes and tried to breathe through the nausea. I knew there was nothing in my stomach and I dreaded dry-heaving.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll call as soon as we know something, and I won’t leave her side,” Savior said.

  “You don’t have to stay with me. You probably need to get back to work.”

  “I’m not leaving you here. Bronze and Batta were already there working out, so they’re going to cover for me.”

  “Thank them for me.”

  “I will,” he said and paused. “I’ve been meaning to ask you…are you okay financially? Because I can help out if you’re not.”

  “Thank you, but I’ve got everything under control,” I replied and didn’t offer any other explanation. I didn’t want to think about the fact that I was fine because of my husband’s life insurance, and I’m sure he didn’t want to think about that either.

  “Do you have a job?”

  I snorted and shook my head. “I’ve really kept you at a distance,” I mumbled to myself. “I’m a graphic designer. I create book covers, logos, and promotional graphics for authors.”

  “So, you work from home?”

  I nodded. “For the most part, but I can work from anywhere if I have my laptop,” I explained.

  “Can you show me some of your designs?” he asked.

  “Sure. Let me see your phone.”

  I internally smiled when he handed it over without an ounce of hesitation. I pulled up my website and clicked on my premade covers section before handing it back to him. “These are some that I currently have for sale.”