Chapter 17
17
Anchor
“Are we doing church, or are you men just going to bitch?” I grumble at the brothers around the table, impatient to see my wife.
We’ve been in church for twenty minutes already, and we haven’t even discussed the financials yet, let alone the fun run; the brothers are too busy being nosy bitches.
“We just want to know who you were fucking in your room at Huntsmen Arts,” Pitbull says as he leans back in his chair.
“Yeah,” Cannon agrees, “Art is being a pain in the ass because he believes you are lying to him, and we’re sick of it, so just tell us who you fucked, and we can move on.”
I side-eye Steal to see him trying to hold in his laugh while Acid and Piston look everywhere but at Pitbull, Cannon, and Shotgun.
Tired of all the bullshit, I sigh and admit, “I was fucking my wife….”
The brothers laugh like I just told him the funniest joke as Cannon says, “Yeah, right, nice one,” but his grin disappears when he sees I’m not laughing, fuck, I’m not evening smiling.
“No…” Pitbull says in denial, his eyes going to my left hand that I have placed on the table, the tatted black ring around my ring finger in sight, the date Heaven and I got married just above it.
Steal chimes in and admits, “It’s Heaven, his high school sweetheart; they’ve been married since she graduated.”
The room is quiet, the brothers shocked, and I sigh and speak up, “I fucked Ginger when I patched in, Heaven caught me and left me. For ten years, she’s been trying to get a divorce, and for ten years, every judge has sided with me, denying her request.” I look around at the shocked faces. “We’ve been doing couples therapy, and we’re back on track. I will tell the club as soon as she wears my cut.”
“What about Ginger? We both know Heaven won’t step foot on club grounds with that woman still here,” Piston adds.
Steal answers him, “She’ll be out. She’s done nothing but rub it in Heaven’s face for years, and has even gone as far as lying about still screwing a brother who hasn’t touched her since.”
The brothers all nod, not one upset with the news, and Pitbull smirks. “I never liked that bitch.”
I chuckle and shake my head before admitting, “That’s not all…” causing them all to sit up. But before I can say anything, the church door opens, and Western’s head pops in, his eyes wide as he states, “Anchor, brother, your dad said to interrupt; there’s a kid here....”
He doesn’t finish his sentence as the door pushes all the way open, and my son, with tears staining his cheeks, runs in. Steal and I stand simultaneously, my chair falling back with force.
“Dad!” Micha cries, and I round the table, catching him as he throws himself into my arms, his little body shaking.
“He has a fucking kid?” Cannon snaps, but I ignore him and cup my son’s tearful cheeks.
His body trembles hard, and I bend so I’m at eye level, and he bursts into tears, scaring the loving shit outta me. Without another thought, I hold him close.
“Daddy,” he cries, gripping my cut as Western states, “Brother, there are two officers in the common room. They brought the kid and are asking for Heaven Turner’s husband.”
I tense and mutter, “What the fuck has happened?”
Micha pulls back. “Mommy,” he cries, and I go still, locking eyes with my son.
“Where is she, son?” I demand gently.
He cries, “There-there was an accident, she-she pushed me out of the way, and he-he hit her. The officers tried-tried to take me away, but-but I ran….”
No, no, no, no….
I feel my pulse race, panic setting in.
“She-she wasn’t…wasn’t breathing, Daddy,” he cries harder, and my whole fucking world tilts as breathing becomes difficult. I lock eyes with Steal.
“Fuck,” he chokes, eyes wide as Acid says, “Brother,” to get my attention, but without a word, I lift my son in my arms, who clings to me like a koala, and I storm past Western.
My dad and Bulldozer stand before the officers while everyone watches in confusion.
“Officers,” I boom, getting everyone’s attention.
“Travis Turner?” the short one asks.
I nod. “That’s me, which Officer Lance could have told you. This is my son.” The room gasps in shock, but I ignore them and demand coldly, “Now, tell me where in the fuck is my wife and what has happened to her?” I feel my sister gently try to take my son, but I hold him tighter.
“Travis, please, let me take him,” she whispers, but I shake my head and snap, “The only person my son needs right now is his mother.” I look back at the men and demand, “Where is my wife?”
“Fuck me, he and Heaven never broke up, did they?” I hear Art whisper in pain, but I block him out, not able to cope with anything else.
I need to know where my wife is, and I need to know now before I burn this city down!
“What the fuck, Ginger, you lied?!” I hear Brandy snap, but I don’t take my eyes off Officer Lance, a man who has been involved with the club since he was in diapers but wanted to stay on the “right side” of the law.
His eyes soften, pain shining through them, making my heart pound.
She has to be okay; she fucking has to be….
“A drunk driver had a heart attack behind the wheel; he drove onto the wrong side of the road, and from what the pedestrians were saying, your wife had a split second decision to make, and she shoved your son into the crowd just as the car hit her,” Officer Lance explains, and my legs weaken, my sister holding my arm while my mother grabs the other as my dad takes my son, who clings to his grandfather, crying.
“She, fuck Travis, don’t make me say it,” he begs.
I squeeze my eyes tight and demand, “Fucking say it, Lance!”
“She hit her head hard, and she was unconscious at the scene…with no pulse,” he admits, and I take deep breaths as a phone rings.
“Trouble?” I hear Steal say with pain.
“She’s at Memorial, isn’t she?” I confirm, and they nod.
Why else would Cassidy be calling her man during her shift?
I nod, and without a word to anyone, I take my son from my father, who looks ready to protest but keeps quiet at the glare I give him. I walk out of the clubhouse to the club truck without a backward glance, my heart in my throat.
Half an hour later, I walk, with my son in my arms, into the hospital's main entrance, and head to the reception desk.
I hear several pairs of boots behind me, but I ignore the brothers and clear my throat, getting the male nurse’s' attention.
His eyes widen when he sees my cut, then the rest of the brothers behind me, before his eyes go to Micha, and they soften.
“My wife Heaven Turner was brought in unconscious,” I say, and his eyes sadden for me, and I swallow hard.
He picks up the phone and waits a second before he says, “He’s here,” then hangs up, looking back at me. “Cassidy will be down in a minute; she’s working on your wife’s case,” he confirms, and I nod just as I see Tanner, Cassidy’s best friend and our Secretary, Shotgun's boyfriend, rush over to him.
I look away as they embrace when I hear the doors open, and Cassidy rushes out, not looking as put together as she normally does.
“Anchor,” she whispers, and I hold my son closer to me as he sobs, his face in my neck.
“Just give it to me straight, Cass…. Where’s my wife?” I rasp, and her tears fall.
“She, uh, she has swelling on the brain and has been placed in an induced coma,” Cass admits reluctantly, and my knees give out.
Steal and my dad catch me as someone takes my son. I go to shout at them to give me him back, but instead, my eyes lock on Perrie to see she has got hold of him, and I know she’ll ensure he’s safe.
I look back at Cassidy. The pain and heartbreak shining back at me, it’s too fucking much.
“What aren’t you telling me, Cass?” I demand to know, and she shakes her head, her body trembling, causing Steal to step forward. She shakes her head at him and then looks my way.
“In the first years of my residency, one of my closest friends came in, and I swore I’d never do this again, but here I am,” she says, her tears falling. “I’m so sorry, Travis, when Heaven was hit by the car, she landed on her stomach…she lost the baby.”
I squeeze my eyes tight as my brothers all murmur in shock behind me, realizing just how much I haven’t told them, not because I didn’t trust them but because my wife didn’t have club protection because of my stupidity, and now, because of me, because I trapped her with a pregnancy, she’s got to live with the fact she saved our son, only to lose our baby….
My whole world tilts, my pain overshadowing everything… I’m ready to break.
“Where is my wife?” I ask Cassidy numbly.
She sniffles and points, “Through those doors, first left into ICU, then the fifth door to the right.”
I nod, step forward, kiss her forehead, and whisper, “If you could have saved it, you would have. Don’t blame yourself, sweetheart, and don’t worry about telling Heaven; that one is on me.”
She sobs, and Steal quickly takes her in his arms. I turn to one of the strongest women I know, a woman I know would kill for my son if need be.
“Perrie, take Micha to the cafeteria, but don’t let him out of your sight,” I ask softly at her, and she nods, her tears coating her cheeks as she keeps one arm wrapped around my son, her other hand covering her bump.
Carefully, I kiss my son's head and whisper, “Go with Auntie Perrie, bud, please, for me….”
He sniffles but nods as he wraps his arms around my waist, squeezing tight. Everything in me slowly dies as I place my hand in his hair. Carefully, Perrie takes him from my arms, and I watch as she guides him to the elevator, trying to comfort him. Natalie, Piston’s old lady, follows them.
I don’t take my eyes off them until the elevator doors begin to close. Once the doors shut, I say, “Dad, I’m going to need you to keep to your promise….”
“Travis…” he chokes, but I shake my head and demand, “Keep to it, Dad.”
“Keep to what?” Art demands.
I look at my old friend, seeing his eyes full of hurt and betrayal, and I admit, “To take care of Micha if I’m unable….”
His eyes widen in shock, hearing my insinuation, while Steal shakes his head and says, “No, you’re not leaving. She’ll survive this, Travis, I swear to fuck she will….”
The room goes quiet, hearing their president’s words, Acid demanding, “What does he mean, Anchor?” not wanting to believe it.
I look at him, a man who has come such a long fucking way, and I state, “I can’t live without her,” and he stumbles back in shock.
“Son,” my mother croaks, and I shake my head and admit, “If she dies, I’m going with her.”
Mom cries while Heaven’s, who I didn’t even see rush in, looks at me in shock, not realizing exactly what her daughter means to me.
“You can’t do that, Travis,” Steal says firmly, “you need to think of your son….”
I laugh darkly and admit, “I am thinking of him. Without his mother, I’ll be a shell of myself.” I hold my arms out at my side and state, “For ten years, I’ve barely been holding on, and that was with snippets of her. She dies, I go with her because, trust me, Colt, no one will want me around without her; I’ll destroy everything I’ll touch, including my son….”
That said, I storm through the double doors to find my wife, hoping and praying she doesn’t leave me.