Home Forever

by Cee Bowerman

  Sam moved toward his brothers. Zeke was now on the sidewalk, his legs in the parking lot spread in front of him, Jace squatted behind him speaking softly. Carlie was awake now and able to hold her arms around his neck. Sam moved to Zeke and turned around and sat beside him holding Carlie in his lap, he settled her on his legs and moved his arm over her to tuck the blanket in around her shoulders.

  Jace knelt between Sam’s open legs so that he could get close to Carlie. He reached up to Sam’s neck and took one of her hands in his, he held her open hand between his palms and rubbed to get her circulation going and give her some of his warmth. Zeke reached under the blanket and put his bloody hands on Carlie’s feet to warm them, squeezing and rubbing his thumbs along the arches them to help with circulation.

  “I was so scared, Sam. So scared. But I heard you talking to me while I was in the trunk. You told me to wake up, you wouldn’t let me sleep. You told me your brothers were coming for me, but you came too.” Carlie whispered. “Are the guys okay? My Tuff?”

  Sam leaned down to kiss her, tears running down his cheeks. “Everyone’s fine, sweetheart. We are all fine. Tuff’s fine.” The brothers watched as the paramedics rushed a gurney carrying Lisa’s monster out of the restaurant into the back of the ambulance.

  The second ambulance arrived and Sam tried to stand with Carlie in his arms. He couldn’t get up because of the angle and her extra weight so Jace stood in front of him and reached his arms around to lift Carlie while Sam stood. Sam was up, Jace let go of Carlie after giving her a quick kiss on her hair.

  The three brothers walked to the ambulance side by side.

  ~*~

  At Carlie’s house the motorcycles were trickling back in gradually after receiving Kari’s text with the good news. They were parked up the drive, next door in Zeke’s drive, up and down the street. Some had even pulled up onto the sidewalk to park in front of Carlie’s yard. Men and quite a few women were camped out in different clusters around the yard in the early morning sunshine. Kari made her way from group to group thanking the people that had interrupted their sleep to help her family find Carlie. Some of the men hugged her, having known her most of her life. Some shook her hand as they introduced themselves to her. The uniformed officers had all gone, only two plain clothes detectives left on the porch.

  With the detectives was a tall man, slim and lanky. They spoke quietly at the side of the porch, each holding a cup of coffee in their hands. Lisa stood with the men, the tall one’s arms around her shoulders. She looked up as Kari approached.

  “Agent Benito was speaking to us about Carlie’s case over the years,” the dark haired detective told Kari. “That girl has been through way too much in her life.”

  “I’ve heard some of that in the last few days. But this has to end it for both of them, right? There’s enough to keep him locked up tight now isn’t there? And my brother? What will happen to him?” Kari asked, her voice raspy with stress and overuse through the night.

  “All three of your brothers are at the hospital now with Carlie. It looks like one of them may have fallen and scraped his hands in the parking lot while trying to rescue her from the trunk. Witnesses aren’t sure what exactly happened outside since they were more worried about the man who tripped and fell right before the officers rushed in to arrest him.” The older detective nodded his head. “Odd how things work out just right to make a happy ending in a situation like this. The army you mustered was very helpful, especially with those brothers in the right place at the right time.”

  Lisa turned so her face was pressed into Frank Benito’s chest, her arms going around his waist, her shoulders starting to shake with her sobs. Franks left hand came up to rest between her shoulder blades and his right extended to shake both detective’s hands.

  “Gentlemen, I will be in town for the next few days and would love to meet with you and buy a round or two.” Frank smiled. “I’m going to gather these ladies up and take them to the hospital so they can see with their own eyes that everything has worked out just fine. I appreciate your help getting the witness statements. I will turn them over to the detectives in Kansas myself.”

  Both detectives called their goodbyes and turned to walk away, nodding at the thinning clusters of bikers as they walked to their cars at the front.

  Kari led Lisa and Frank up the steps into the house. Sandra was in the kitchen, and Kari stopped to ask her to stay while she and Lisa went with Agent Benito to the hospital to see her brothers. Sandra pulled Kari in for a tight hug, then reached to Lisa and pulled her away from Frank to give her the same. The ladies hugged Sandra and then each other as Agent Benito stood to the side.

  “Your carriage, and your princes await, my ladies.” Frank said as he made a sweeping gesture to the front door.

  ~*~

  I turned my head to look at Sam, he was beside me in a chair gripping my hand. The nurse had finished cleaning my face and the small spot in my hair, the young doctor that had been in to see me a few minutes ago had determined that no stitches were needed. My wrists were already cleaned and bandaged, my ankles the same. Sam had not left my side, his eyes had barely left my face as the nurses worked to start my healing.

  “I almost lost you again.” Sam whispered after the nurse left the room. “I can’t imagine what I would have done if I hadn’t found you.”

  “We were never apart, sweetheart. I heard your voice talking to me the whole time I was gone. I felt you there, keeping me awake, giving me strength.” I wanted to laugh, cry, get up and jump for joy at the thought of Lisa’s monster laying in a bed somewhere in this same hospital injured and in pain. “Can you go check on your brother for me? I want to know that he’s okay.”

  Sam and I both looked up as the curtain moved aside and we heard Lisa sob. She hurried to me and gently put her hands on my shoulders. Her forehead touched mine and her tears began to drip onto my cheeks.

  “I’m so sorry, Carlie. So sorry. He got you and he hurt you. I am so sorry.” Lisa sobbed.

  “He got me, he didn’t do anything to me but bind me up so I couldn’t fight him, Lisa. There will be no lasting damage. And now he is going to be gone from our lives forever.” I whispered. “I would go through it again over and over to make sure he didn’t get to you.”

  Lisa crouched over the side of the bed, laying her head on my shoulder. Sam reached over to rub her back.

  “When he wakes up Frank is going to take me to see him. So that I can see he is defenseless and small, so I can know he will never hurt me again. I’m scared and nervous but I want to see that so bad.” Lisa whispered. “What do I say to Zeke? How can I thank him?”

  Sam spoke up, softly but firm. “He doesn’t want your thanks. He slayed your dragon and would have done it in any situation, Lisa, even if that bastard hadn’t taken Carlie. Be proud of him, be yourself with him, let him know you now that the shadow of that fucker is gone. That is all he wants, is you.”

  Lisa nodded her head against me. I knew there was a battle inside her, thinking that the things she had endured had tainted her in some way, making her unworthy of a man like Zeke. With counseling, time, our love and Zeke’s help I knew that this woman was strong enough to come through.

  “I might be home in just a few hours, Lisa. They are going to do a scan of my head to make sure but it doesn’t seem like my brains are scrambled or anything so the doctor said I can probably go home. I was groggy but I feel fine, I had something for the pain and it took the edge off of my headache. Sam is here with me, you go see Zeke. Don’t hold yourself back, that lets the monster win, show Zeke what he means to you.” Lisa pulled away from me as I spoke and I watched her spine straighten as she turned to the door. As she passed Sam she squeezed his shoulder.

  “Watch our girl, I’m going to take care of our guy.” She whispered to Sam as she walked past him.

  As Lisa moved the curtain I saw Frank moving to come in. A smile lit up my face at the sight of him here with us.

  “Frank! You came to vis
it!” I joked.

  He reached out his hand to Sam. They shook hands and then he moved to the other side of my bed. Frank reached up and moved my hair away from the bandage, tucking it behind my ear.

  “Next time just call and invite me like regular folk, okay?” he smiled at me his hand moving down to grip mine. “I can’t stay long right now, Rosalie, I need to go down to the station and talk to some of the officers and make sure everything is straight. I’ll be here for a day or so and will make sure to get in touch with you before I go. And as always, I am just a phone call away.”

  “Can you do me a favor?” I asked Frank. “Drop him in a fucking hole somewhere and make him hurt for days, then pick him up and do it again over and over.”

  “Oh honey, right now he is wishing for a hole. It will be a long time before he can even move his eyes without pain. A hole would be an upgrade.” Frank chuckled.

  “Lisa wants to see him with you. You’ll keep her strong?” My hand clutched his.

  “She and I are going to go to his bedside. He won’t’ be able to speak because of the swelling and the pain, but I will make sure he is awake enough to realize that he lost this fucking war and show him that our girl is going to make it and be happy no matter what that piece of shit did to her before. I finally get to be part of a happy ending and I am going to relish every minute of it.” Frank squeezed my hand and let it go, passing by Sam to leave our curtained area. “Then, when he gets to whatever shit hole prison he ends up in, I am going to send little birdies to pass out secrets to the people around him to make sure that he falls into holes quite regularly for the rest of his unnatural and hopefully short fucking life.”

  “I like how Frank thinks, sweetheart. A good man to have in your corner.” Sam pulled my hand up to kiss my knuckles gently. “I saw Joe and Kari out in the hall. I know they want to come in and visit with you. I’m gonna give them a minute while I go see my brothers.” Sam stood up and kissed my mouth. “Don’t run off.”

  I laughed softly and watched him draw the curtain back, Kari and Joe came past him, Joe slapping Sam on the back as he passed. The curtain opened again just a second later and I saw ‘Drea and Steph, both with tear stained cheeks coming toward my bed. After a round of hugs, an ass chewing from Joe about keeping my head on straight and not walking out of a locked door into danger, I got assurances that Kari and Joe would go home to see to Tuff and Freddie. That prompted Joe to tell me about the very loud and a whole lot of scary sounds that Freddie made to alert everyone to what had happened. My King had been blindsided, but my Queen had saved the day. I knew Tuff’s preferences, but I wondered to myelf if Freddie might like a steak. Every day. Forever.

  Epilogue

  Lisa hugged me as I pulled the wrapped gift out of the closet in the guest room. As we walked toward the door she turned to me and grinned.

  “You’re living the dream, Carlie. I am so happy for you.” She reached out and squeezed my arm. “You reached out and caught it, and I’m so close to doing the same thing.”

  “Enjoying the ride, sweetheart?” I asked her.

  “Seatbelt is on and I am ready for the curves.” As we got to the glass door Rowdy saw us and jumped up to hold it open from outside.

  The birthday party guests were mingling around our yard, enjoying good food, great music and even better company. Frank and his wife were here, standing to the side and speaking to Joe.

  Sandra and Tink weren’t far away, talking to Valerie, the waitress from the station who had spoken to Kari on the phone that crazy day almost a year ago.

  Steph and ‘Drea, my witches, stood with Chandler, watching the little Princess run around in the yard with some other children.

  Jace and Sarah were sitting on a blanket down in the grass, glaring at each other as they seemed to do so often lately. If they would quit arguing for a second and just reach out they might see how happy they could be together.

  I watched as Lisa stepped past me to stand in front of Zeke, interrupting his conversation with Sam. Sam turned to me and saw me with the gift in my hand. He walked towards me with a huge smile on his face.

  “I thought you gave me my gift this morning in the shower before I left for work.” he whispered after his lips touched mine.

  “This was last minute, had to get the details right before I wrapped it up.” I was so excited I was shaking. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lisa wave her hand at Jace, grab Zeke’s hand and start to pull him towards Sam and I, pulling Kari up from her chair where she was sitting and talking to Brenda as they made their way past her. “Let your brothers and Kari get up here with us so they can see you open it.”

  Sam held the box and turned to watch his siblings and Lisa come up to us on the patio. Jace laughed at him as he held the box up and shook it lightly. I smoothed my hands down my shirt nervously waiting for him to open it. Lisa shot me a bright smile. Sam pulled the bow off and ripped the paper. He crumpled it and tossed it to the chair beside him.

  Lisa was leaned against Zeke’s chest just to Sam’s left, Zeke’s arm around her shoulders. Jace and Kari stood on Sam’s right. I was just a step or two away in front of Sam.

  Sam pulled the lid off the box, tossing it to the chair along with the wrapper. He dug through the tissue paper and brought out a small motorcycle, then a small car that looked a lot like Betty. He looked up at me with his eyebrow raised.

  “Lisa made an appointment for me and we went to visit the doctor today.” Sam’s other eyebrow raised and I saw that Lisa had tears running down her face. Zeke looked down at her and then back to me. “They did a sonogram and there are two babies in there, Sam. I’m about three months along.”

  Sam’s mouth opened, he blinked and then looked down to my still mostly flat belly. Kari squealed and jumped up and down, Jace’s arm going around her. Zeke’s arm that was wrapped around Lisa’s chest squeezed. Sam dropped the box, holding the small toys in his hand and took a step toward me. He put his free hand up to my neck and drew me closer to him, his lips touching my forehead before he pulled my head into his chest.

  “We’re gonna have a baby, Carles. Babies. Your gonna have my babies. Oh shit.” he whispered softly.

  He quickly bent and put his arm behind my knees, his other still behind my shoulders. He picked me up and turned toward his siblings and our yard full of friends and family as my hands wrapped around his neck.

  “She’s gonna have my babies!” he roared, and the birthday guests went wild.

  I held on to my Sam tightly, enjoying our happiness, knowing that nothing would ever make me let him go again.

  Coming soon – more stories about the Knights MC, The Dukes, their families and their friends.

  Please follow Cee Bowerman on Amazon and Facebook for more details.

  About the Author

  Cee Bowerman is proud, lifelong resident of Texas. She is married to her own long haired, tattooed biker and is the proud Mom to three mostly adult kids, a daughter and two sons. She believes in love, second chances, rescue dogs and happily ever after.

  Cee received her first romance novel along with a bag of other books from her Granny when she was recovering from surgery at 15 years old. She has been hooked on reading romances ever since. For

  years she had a dream of writing her own series of stories but motherhood and all the other grown up responsibilities kept getting in the way. Luckily, with the support of her family and the encouragement of her son, she purchased a computer and let her dreams become a reality.

  You can find her on Facebook @ceebowerman.

  Look for more fun romances in this series in the coming months and get updates on the Facebook page for more information on characters and stories that are in progress.

 

 

 
scale(100%); -moz-filter: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share