Taming Crow (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club) (19 page)

Then she had given him a big kiss right on his cheek.

Just before midnight Jules and Crow pulled into the mostly empty parking lot at Point Memorial Hospital. They headed straight for the emergency room entrance. From there the two men found their way to the waiting room where they knew the Hells Saints VP would be expecting them.

Diego Montesalto was sitting in a chair with his head back against the wall, his legs stretched out and his eyes closed, but he jumped right up when he heard his brothers walk into the room. After a greeting of man slaps and handshakes, Diego got down to business.

“He’s hooked up, Brothers,” Diego explained. “EKG monitors, intravenous drip, they’re giving him something called throm… throm…I don’t remember the fucking word…”

“Thrombolysis,” Jules finished.

“Yeah, that's it.” Diego rubbed his jaw. “It works like a clot buster, right? I'm trying like hell to keep track of all the technical shit, but honestly I'm out of my depth here. Raine talked to the doctor and tried to explain it to me, but I still don't fucking get it.” He looked at Jules. “Figure you might want to talk to her in the morning.”

“You figured right.”

“They get to him right away?” Crow asked.

Diego leaned back against the hospital wall and hung an unlit cigarette from his mouth.

“Yeah, they did. Pinky was with him and called it right in. The ambulance came and the EMT's did some shit to him right there and then. Best as can be expected, I'm told. They're gonna keep him in here for a couple of days. Run some tests and shit. Then, depending on the outcome, move him out of the CCU and who the fuck knows from there. They're not letting more than two of us go in at a time. No one in before eight a.m. or after eight p.m. either. And they fucking mean it. Pinky almost had a heart attack herself when they made her leave him. Thank Christ that Dolly talked some sense into her and hauled her off before Nurse Ratchett called goddamn security. Might as well come back to the clubhouse and get some sleep. We can be here first thing in the morning.  I have been here all fucking day. I’ll be glad to get outta this place.”

Crow nodded and looked around the small windowless space. Hard, black, plastic chairs lined the perimeter of the room like weary soldiers. A television hung from a bracket on the ceiling turned to a home shopping channel. The rumble of a floor buffer could be heard from somewhere down the hall. The unmistakable odor of antiseptic cleanser mixed with the smell of dirty wash water and hung heavy in the air. A fluorescent light flickered above their heads.

“Goddamn depressing, ain’t it?”

Crow nodded. “I fucking hate hospitals.”

Jules grunted in agreement.

Diego put a hard hand on their shoulders.

“Reno's waiting back at the clubhouse. Let's get you two a hot shower, a couple of steaks, and a few cold ones. Nice to have you home, boys.”

“Fuck yeah, it is.” Jules agreed.

Crow followed his brothers towards the door, but Crownsmount didn’t seem like home to him anymore.

Home was miles away from here, in everything that he had just left behind.

Crow had been in the cardiac waiting room since eight a.m., where the brothers were all taking turns visiting their boss. Because God-for-fucking-bid Prosper went a goddamn minute without being filled in on all the minutia going down in the twenty-four lousy hours he had been laid up.

“Goddamn control freak. No wonder his heart gave out,” Reno murmured under his breath after seeing his uncle.

The bikers who sat together in the waiting room drinking hot coffee and playing cards all nodded in agreement.

Now it was Crow’s turn.

When he walked into Prosper’s room, it was with a warning from the bitch-on-wheels nurse that the doctor would be doing his rounds soon. Crow looked at Pinky, who was sitting on the little couch next to Prosper’s bed. The woman looked like she had aged twenty years since Crow had last seen her. He had not one doubt in his mind that all of that aging had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

“Hey, Pinky.” Crow moved to her and wrapped his arms around her. “How you doing, darlin’?”

Pinky returned the warm embrace and laid her head briefly against his chest for a moment. Then she pulled away and placed a cool hand on Crow’s scruffy jaw line. “Heard you rode through the night. You must be exhausted. I hope the boys fed …”

“Stop fussing over him like he’s a damn kid again,” Prosper interrupted.

Pinky rolled her eyes and leaned up to kiss Crow on the cheek. Then she whispered,

“He’s glad you’re here.”

Prosper snorted. His head was against the pillow and his eyes were closed, but the bed was set in an upright position.

Crow went over then and took a good look at Prosper. His first thought was that even lying in a hospital bed the boss looked like one tough motherfucker. But on closer inspection, Crow realized that Prosper had a gray pallor to his skin and a slight slack to his jaw. He was also connected to a shitload of buzzing machines and beeping monitors.

“You doing okay, boss?” Crow leaned in.

“Damn right I am. I passed all their goddamn tests with flying colors. I don't know why the fuck I'm still in here,” Prosper shot out gruffly, but his voice sounded weak. “Maybe now that you're here, you can talk some sense into my woman and tell her to let me get the fuck outta here.”

Prosper glowered at Pinky, who let out a long suffering sigh and bent her head over a fashion magazine.

“They're not letting me get up to piss and got me on a clear liquid diet. Look at this shit.” Prosper gestured to the monitors. Then he made a frown, that despite the badass biker thing he had going on, looked more like a boyish pout. “They're telling me I got to quit smokin' after this or I’m gonna fucking die.”

“If you don’t quit smoking after this, I’m gonna fucking kill you,” Pinky muttered without looking up from the magazine.

When the doctor suddenly appeared at the door, Crow’s tension eased a little. Until his boss started talking.

“Hey, Doc. Before you even start, let's make one thing clear,” Prosper snarled from the hospital bed. “I know how these heart attack meds work. So if you plan on ramming anything down my throat that's going to interfere with my dick, you can take the pills and shove them up your ass.”

Pinky gasped, colored a bright red, and left the room, magazine in hand.

The doctor regarded Prosper silently for a long moment. Then with a smirk, he reached into his pocket and tossed a lollipop at him. Just like he would with a toddler.

Crow raised an eyebrow. Doc had some balls.

“Your test results are all looking good so far, Mr. Worthington. But I’d like to schedule another round just to rule out the possibility of a second blockage.” The physician looked up from Prosper’s chart. “Regarding any medications that will affect your sexual performance—I have already scheduled us to have a good long chat about the workings of your
dick
tomorrow morning after the test results are all in. But in the meantime, I would recommend that you just relax and enjoy the attention of the cute nurses… while you still can.”

With that parting shot, the doctor closed the door behind him.

But not before Prosper gave him the finger.

After the doctor left, Prosper asked Crow for the third t to light up a joint. Crow, for the third time, refused. When the nurse came in and shooed Crow out, he was almost relieved. As he walked down the hallway, he briefly relived the unpleasant moments of Reno's convalescence and grimaced.

Nothing worse than a bedridden badass.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. Because Crow knew that the doc was gonna have a real hard sell tomorrow if what the boss said about the medication was true. Because when it came down to it, a not-working dick was just about as bad as a not-working heart.

Crow followed the path that would lead him out to the parking lot. He never understood the road map that hospitals painted on the floors. As if the industrial tiles weren't ugly enough without having orange, yellow and blue lines splashed across them like wide open veins. Why couldn't they just put up goddamn wall signs like every other place on the planet? Maybe it was because everyone was too damn depressed to look up.

Crow turned left into a carpeted lobby area and was relieved to see a brightly lit exit sign hung over a pair of powered double doors. He had to stop himself from running towards them. After what seemed like forever, the doors swung open wide and a blast of cool air hit Crow like a burst of fresh river water.

Crow took a pack of smokes out of his cut and pulled out a cigarette. He lit up and drew deep. Then he walked over to the little courtyard and sat down on one of the benches. After he had taken a tentative gulp of the coffee that he had bought from the vending machine, he shuddered and threw it in the trashcan.

He was just about to pull out his phone and check in with Melissa, when a shadow appeared on the lawn in front of him. A slim hand held out a large Styrofoam cup. Its blue and red logo boasted the best coffee place in town.

“Black, right?”

And there she was.

Raine’s blue-violet eyes met his with a tentative smile. Memories crashed over Crow and threatened to suck him under, but he forced himself to relax. It had been a long time since he had seen Raine Winston and his life had changed in so many ways. He wondered if she had changed as much as he had.

His gaze hit her everywhere. Raine’s body was lush and fuller now. Her hips were a little wider and her breasts swelled from the recent birth of her second child. The hollows under her cheekbones had filled in and there was a healthy glow to her warm copper colored skin.

When Raine’s eyes met his, they held a measure of peace and quiet contentment. She looked self-assured, happy and confident.

And beautiful.

No doubt about it. Raine was still an impossibly beautiful woman.

Crow steeled himself and waited for his crotch to tighten and his heart to beat faster like it always did whenever he was near her. He readied himself to wage war against the lust and frustration that settled upon him like a thick blanket at the sound of her voice.

He waited.

But it didn’t come.

Crow was both relieved and surprised to find that distance and time and reason had smoothed out his feelings for her. Seeing Raine again was pleasant and nostalgic and bittersweet. But no more than that.

“Black is good. Thanks.” He took the coffee from her and motioned to the seat next to
him.

“You want to sit?” he asked.

Raine hesitated. She let out a sigh of regret and motioned to the coffee carrier she had in her hands. “I have to get these up to the boys before they get cold. Claire is coming right behind me with donuts. We’ve pretty much taken over the waiting room. I am afraid they are going to move Prosper out of the unit early just to get rid of us.”

Crow nodded and Raine smiled at him.

“You look good, Crow. Different somehow, but still really good.” Raine stumbled over the words and reddened just a little.

“Hey, congrats on the baby. I meant to call…” Crow's voice trailed off.

“Thanks. Heard the house is coming along really well. Jules has been talking you up.” She smiled. Then she hesitated and a blush crept over her face. “Heard you met someone.”

Crow paused and looked at her over the hot coffee cup. “Yeah.”

“That’s good. I’m happy for you.” Raine held his gaze.

Crow nodded, unsure of what to say.

The buzzing of Crow’s phone split the awkward silence. Crow looked at the number of the text coming through. He smiled slightly down at the phone and Raine moved in just a little to see the name flash on the screen.

Melissa

“I’ll let you get that,” Raine said as she began to walk away. Then she called out to him over her shoulder, “I know D would love to have you stop by the house while you’re here. You helped out so much with the planning. He’d love to show it to you. Think about dropping by before you leave.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Crow answered without looking up. His fingers flew over the small texting screen.

When he lifted his head again a few moments later, the sidewalk was empty.

Crow:
Hey How’s it going?

Jett:
o.k. wen u com hom?

Crow
: Soon buddy

Jett
: today? u com today
?

Crow
: No not today

Jett:
Plese

Crow frowned slightly. The time between texts told Crow that Jett was laboring over the keyboard as befitted a little boy. Usually, his texts were two words and done. This was different. Crow felt that now familiar sixth sense wherever Melissa or Jett was concerned grow in his gut.

Crow:
Where’s your mom?

Jett:
upstairs.

Crow felt a measure of relief. She was okay. He must just be bored and fucking around on the phone.

Jett:
Tomy came.

Tommy? Fucking Tommy? Crow’s hands tightened on the phone.

Jett:
Mom Cring.

Cring? Crow read the word again. A painful throb was beginning in his temple.

Jesus. Crying?

Crow:
She’s crying?

It seemed like forever for Jett to key in the three letter answer.

Jett:
Yup.

Crow:
why?

Jett:
dunno

Crow:
I’m going to call you.

Jett:
K

Crow grabbed his pack of cigarettes, lit up and drew deep forcing himself to relax.

Jett had picked up before the phone finished ringing.

“Hey, little warrior.” Crow kept his voice quiet and smooth.

“Where are you?” Jett asked without preamble.

“I’m not far, buddy. What’s going on?” Crow answered.

“Tommy came and Mommy is crying,” Jett said in a hushed voice

“Is she still upstairs?” Crow clenched his jaw.

“Yup. She’s in her bedroom,” Jett answered.

A flash of memory came burning through Crow’s mind. Him coming home from school to his mother making crying sounds in the bedroom. But when he pulled aside the curtain to go to her, he found her naked and writhing under some guy who had his bare ass up in the air pumping his dick inside of her. When Crow's mother had seen the look on his face, she had laughed and told him to go away.

Jesus.

Crow shook his head hard. This was not that. He knew it. This was definitely not that.

But he couldn’t stop himself from asking,

“Tommy with her now?” Crow’s voice strained as he white-knuckled the phone.

“No. He’s gone,” Jett answered.

At that, Crow felt a surge of relief rush through his body. But still, what the hell was going on? He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Did she start crying while he was there or after he left?”

“I dunno. When you coming home?” Jett answered.

“Jett, can you think of why your mom might be crying?” Crow controlled his voice.

“Tommy gave Mommy something.”

“What did he give her?”

“I dunno.”

Jesus.

Crow tried counting to ten. He had gotten to three before he began to kick the shit out of the metal trash can next to him. Then he took a deep breath and tried to reel in the frustration that came with talking to a boy who wasn't quite seven.

“What’s that banging noise?” Jett asked.

Crow inhaled again and then again as he fought to steady his voice.

“If you don’t know what it is he gave her, how do you know he gave her something?”

“What?” Jett sounded distracted.

“Jesus, Jett,” Crow growled out.

“Mom said don't cuss,” Jett scolded.

Crow tried again. “You didn’t see what it was?”

“No. I was too far away  and she put it in her pocket really fast,” Jett said quickly. “But she’s been crying a lot. Since yesterday.”

“Since yesterday? Tommy came yesterday?”

“Uh-huh. She’s trying to smile but her eyes are all red and she looks sad when she thinks I’m not looking. I gotta go to camp and I don’t wanna leave her, but there's gonna be an overnight with a bonfire and stuff. Mom bought me a brand new sleeping bag. So I think you gotta come home now. ” Jett lowered his voice to a whisper again. “I gotta go. She’s coming down the stairs.”

Click
. Jett was gone.

“Jett? Jett? Jett!?” Crow yelled into the phone.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Crow released the fury and frustration of the last seventy-two hours in a violent stream of profanities. He pulled back and rammed his booted heel repeatedly into the now dented metal trash container until it was ripped from the bolts that had cemented it into the concrete slab.

“Trash can piss you off?” Jules looked at him amused through a ring of smoke. “I was gonna use that, too.” He flicked the cigarette away.

“Fuck off,” Crow spat out.

“Crow?” Pinky was standing beside Jules. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Crow snarled.

Pinky looked at Crow long and hard.

“Jules, go on in. I’ll be right behind you,” she said.

Jules looked like she had just sent him to stand in front of a firing squad.

“Seriously Pinky? You know how he is when you’re not in the room. You gonna make me face that alone?”

“I’ll be right behind you,” she repeated and sighed. “I talked to the nurse on the way out. They’re moving him to another room in about an hour. Looks like he’ll be coming home, maybe as soon as tomorrow. He’s in a real good mood.”

And if Crow hadn't already learned years ago about the balls that Pinky had, he was again reminded of it when she dared to say to Jules, “Don’t be scared.”

Her tone held genuine disgust and annoyance at running interference between Prosper and his doctors, Prosper and his nurses, and Prosper and his boys.

“Pussy,” Crow threw out at Jules just to make himself feel better.

“Yeah.
I’m
the pussy. I’m not the one having a fucking fight with a trash can. You pissed off? At least hit something that can fight back,” Jules returned.

Crow, who was dying to throw a punch at something, didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation. “How about I hit you?”

“Love to see you try, Brother.” Jules cracked his knuckles.

“Stop it. Right. Now.” Pinky pushed her way in between Crow and Jules and scowled at them.

The three of them stood just like that. Two big men caught in a standoff with a little bit of a woman stuck in the middle scolding both of them. Anyone walking by would be reminded of a scene from a B movie.

Then seemingly out of nowhere…

“Pinky?” someone called out from behind them.

For just one moment, time stood still, the air charged with a shocked kind of dulled energy.

Jules, Crow, and Pinky all turned at once, surprise at the voice registering on their faces.

“Glory!” Pinky called out an excited greeting and moved towards her. Crow recovered from the surprise of seeing Glory first. When he turned to see the expression on Jules's face, Crow understood exactly what he must be feeling.

Brother looked like he had just gotten his ass kicked.

Crow put his hand down heavy on Jules’s shoulder and squeezed it. Then he made his way to Glory. He took her up in his arms and spun her around playfully, hoping to give his brother a chance to wipe that
look off his face.

“Hey, beauty. Been way too long. Heard you might be moving into the lake house.” He smiled into her eyes as he released her.

Glory looked at Crow with an expression of surprised confusion. Blue eyes met green ones in a series of startled silent questions, because Glory knew for sure that Crow was not a
spin a woman around
kind of guy.

“Um...yeah.” Glory stepped back and brushed a wisp of white-blonde hair from her face. “Prosper offered it. He thought that it would be good for Hal. Not a lot of stairs. Not a lot of noise. You know…fresh air… new start…that sort of thing.” Glory's voice tapered off as Jules moved to Crow's side.

“Hi, Jules.” Glory's voice softened when she said his name, but her face revealed nothing.

Jules lifted his chin in a seemingly unaffected silent greeting. But Crow was not fooled. He knew that the shock of seeing Glory had rendered him speechless.

Time stretched out uncomfortably until Jules finally spoke.

“I gotta….I gotta… I gotta…,” he said, clearly searching for an excuse to leave. Finishing lamely with… “I gotta go.”

Glory, Pinky and Crow had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the gravel that spit up from the fast spin of Jules’s tires as he roared out a hasty retreat.

Glory held her head high as her glacial blue eyes met Crow's deep emerald ones with not a flinch.

No doubt about it.

Glory had changed.

And by the look of determination on her face, it was evident to Crow that Glory had changed in a way that he guessed being kidnapped, brutally assaulted, then dumped by your man and having your brother almost killed in a war can do to a girl.

And now she was back to where it all started.

“I know that Jules probably doesn't want me here…” Glory's voice trailed off again and her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. She continued, pushing resolve into her tone, “But yeah, coming back is definitely on the table. I'm just not sure if the outpatient care my brother is going to need is available. I'm really here to visit Prosper, but I thought while I was around I might as well try to sort out some of the logistics of coming back—like if it's possible to get some exercise equipment brought into the house.”

“What’s he need?” Crow asked.

Glory thought for a minute before answering. “I'm really not sure. I thought maybe some gym sort of stuff. Treadmill, stationary bike, heavy weight bag… that kind of thing. His physical therapy team members are putting together a list of recommendations.”

Crow reached into his cut for his wallet.

“No.” Glory touched his hand in a stop motion. “We’re fine.”

We’re fine.

There it was again. What is it with these chicks that made them feel the need to say
we’re fine
when it was clear that they needed help in the worst fucking way?

Crow met Glory’s eyes.

“I want to help. And I know the brothers will feel the same. Whatever you need.” Then Crow looked away from Glory and said pointedly to Pinky, “Should go without saying for you too, Pinky. Whatever you need.”

Pinky reached out and kissed him on the cheek before murmuring. “
We’re fine,
too
,
honey, we really we are.”

Another one.

Pinky was almost dead with exhaustion from running interference and waiting on Prosper’s sorry ass.

We’re fine.

Crow shook his head, but asked Glory. “How’s Hal doing?”

Glory shrugged again and a shadow passed over her eyes.

“Some days are worse than others.” she paused, “I'm only here for a little while and I have a lot to do before I go back. I need to get going…” She looked at the hospital and hitched her purse back on her shoulder. “Good to see you, Crow.”

“Yeah. You too,” Crow answered and surprised them both by leaning in and kissing her lightly on the cheek. Glory stiffened slightly before giving him a quick hug and walking away.

On impulse, he called out to her retreating back. “Hey, Glory? Jules will come around. Don't worry.”

Glory stopped mid-stride.

As she slowly turned around to look back at Crow, an expression of surprise shone on her face. She paused as if weighing her words carefully.

“I took Jules off my list of things to worry about a long time ago.”

Then Glory smiled at Crow.

And Crow felt that smile like a punch to his gut because it was without a doubt the saddest smile he had ever seen in his whole goddamn life.

That list of Glory’s worries. That had to be something.

Pinky shifted automatically towards her, but looked at Crow with hesitation.

“Go on up to Prosper’s room with her. It’s cool.” Crow nudged Pinky on.

“I’m gonna head out. You good with that?” Crow asked.

“Yes I am, honey. And Prosper will be good with that too. Means a lot that you came as fast as you did and stayed to see him through the worst of it. You headed to Havengate?”

“Yeah. I’m headed home,” Crow answered.

Pinky’s mouth opened slightly at the word
home
, but she didn't say a word. Instead, she merely gave Crow a long, hard hug.

***

Crow wanted to make one more stop before he grabbed his gear and left.

Now he glanced down at his phone while he waited by the tall iron gate at the end of a long gravel driveway. He had chosen the Thuja Giant Evergreen trees himself to fill in the gaps between the high iron rails that now created the living fence. Crow had liked the way the trees gave the illusion of pristine beauty and mostly hid the substantial amount of barbed-wire surrounding the property.