36. Sparrow
Waking up slowly, I listen to the voices around me before making it known that I’m awake. As soon as I can, I’m getting out of here; I hate the hospital.
“Did you guys take care of everything?” King asks, his voice low.
“Yep. Bear took care of the truck. Bird took care of the other problem, knife to the carotid. Uhh…the remains have been dealt with.” That’s Ace.
“Are you sure it has been dealt with?” There’s an edge to King’s voice, one that I’m worried about. Are the brothers fighting again?
“Yes, Kingston. Jesus Christ, how many times do I have to say I’m sorry? I’m fucking sorry!” Ace yells back.
“Both of you, that’s enough. Do you want her to wake up to fighting? Use your fucking brains. You’re supposed to be grown, but you assholes are acting younger than the twins.” Ooh, Jack does not seem happy with his sons.
The room falls silent before Jack speaks again. “We will not talk about this again after this. If anyone comes up here looking for him, we haven’t seen him. He kidnapped Sparrow, we found her running through the woods. But we did not find him. Nod your heads so I know you hear the words that are coming out of my mouth.”
Oh man, I want to laugh. I haven’t heard this tone from Jack before, but I could imagine him using it when the brothers were teenagers.
Trying to reposition myself, I cry out in pain.
Shit. What injuries do I have this time?
“Shit! Bird. You’re alright, let me help you.” Opening my eyes, I watch as King gets closer to the bed. “You scared me, Bird.”
The doctor walks in before I can say anything. Jack, Ace, and River step away from the bed to make room for the doctor.
“Good morning, Mrs. Bluff,” I look at King questionably while the doctor continues, “how are you feeling?”
“Fine. When can I go home?” I just want to get out of here and home to my kids.
“She’s in some pain, is she able to have anything?” King snitches from next to me.
“What are my injuries and when can I be discharged?” I ask.
“Well, you have three broken ribs. A broken nose that we have already reset. Most of the cuts made on your chest are superficial, but there were two that needed stitches.”
Not too bad.
The doctor continues on, “I want to keep you another night to monitor your vitals. If everything goes well, you can get out of here in the morning.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” King says as he grabs ahold of my hand.
The room descends in silence when the doctor leaves the room. Looking up at King, I take in his face. He has dark circles under his eyes, I can tell he hasn’t slept. “Where are the kids?” Jack, Ace, and River silently exit the room.
“They’re with Skye. They’re okay, Bird,” King replies.
He goes to pull away, but I grip his hand tighter. “Lay down with me, King.” He looks at the bed questionably, but he pulls my blankets back and squeezes himself onto the small bed. As soon as his arms are around me, I burst into tears. Tremors move through my body as I start crying harder.
“Hey. You’re okay, Bird. Shh, you’re safe,” King repeats over and over again until I start to drift off to sleep.
Discharge papers are signed and I’m waiting for my wheelchair so I can get the hell out of here. King hasn’t left my side, I don’t know when I’ll be ready for that. It looks like I’ll be going to work with him when the bar opens.
Ace strolls in, wheeling the wheelchair. “You ready to go home, sis?”
“God, yes. Can we stop at the diner for a cheeseburger?” I’m so hungry for real food.
“We have something better for you, Bird,” King tells me as he helps me to the wheelchair. I don’t need it, but I’ll follow the rules.
Making it to the truck, King lifts me into the passenger seat. Once I’m situated and the guys are in the truck, King reaches over for my hand while he drives out of the parking lot. It hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m the reason Chad is no longer living. I don’t know what to think; he would have kept coming after me if he lived, but now for the rest of my life, I’ll be a killer.
Shaking those thoughts from my head, I close my eyes and relax. I’m not going to solve anything right now, I might as well get a nap in.
“Bird,” King whispers as he lightly nudges my leg. Opening my eyes, I see that we're home, and I break out in a smile. It feels like I haven’t been here in a year, not just a couple of days.
King lifts me out of the truck, but instead of setting me down, he carries me inside. I’m disappointed when we walk in and no one is in the kitchen. Where is everyone? King carries me through the house until we get to the media room, and my mouth drops open. They hung a welcome home banner on the back wall, everyone is wearing party hats, and there is a plate of food set up.
“Mom!” both kids scream as they run over to me.
King sets me down on the couch, the kids climbing next to me. “Easy, guys,” King instructs them. Once they are settled, the best I can, I wrap my arms around them.
“I missed you guys so much. I’m sorry if you were scared,” I tell them as King lays a blanket over us.
Skye comes over and gives me a hug. “Don’t do that again. I need you too much, PB. I love you.”
“I love you too, Jelly.” Skye sits down on the other side of Loch, while Cam steps up to give me a hug.
Whispering in my ear, he says, “I’m so glad you’re back with us. Love you, Spare.” Before I can respond to him, he steps away and King comes back over with a tray of food. I start laughing when I look and see that they got all my favorite foods: cheeseburgers, fries, chocolate ice cream, jalapeno poppers, brussels sprouts. A weird mix, but this makes me extremely happy.
After everyone gets food and they're seated around the couches, we spend the rest of the day watching movies. Well, I keep falling asleep, but so does everyone else.