Chapter 9
Nine
The sound of shouting woke Carver with a jolt. At first, he thought there might have been an attack on his men. Anger surged through him at the thought as his body tightened for the fight ahead.
But then the knock on his door came. Slash stood on the other side, his face contorted though not as if facing down an enemy. He was more resigned than angry.
“We need you. The boy woke up.”
Those words were enough to have Carver rushing from his room towards the med bay. He needed to see the young man in their care. He needed answers on what happened. He needed to figure out what came next.
Carver also wanted to know other things. Like if the pull he felt to take care of the boy would be there still. He was curious as to the color of his eyes as well. Would they shine like he hoped, or had his time in captivity stolen the light he suspected was once there?
He shouldn’t have such notions. It was strange to want to care so deeply for someone he didn’t know. In fact, it made absolutely zero sense. Still, Carver couldn’t deny the way he wanted to provide everything for the boy now under his protection.
The shouts increased as they reached the med bay. When he burst through the door, the sight broke his heart.
“What are you doing?!” he roared to the group of men holding the boy down on the table.
Not only were they touching him without Carver’s permission, but it was obvious the young man was in distress. His whimpers nearly destroyed the little restraint Carver had.
Barreling into his men wouldn’t be good for morale. How could they ever trust him again if he flew off the handle for a complete stranger? He knew his Angels were loyal to him. Knew they weren’t actually hurting the boy.
It didn’t make his anger any less potent.
Doc grunted from the side of the room. It drew Carver’s attention instantly.
“He’s hurt himself. I need their help to be able to properly bandage him up. He won’t cooperate.”
Carver frowned at the news. He moved over to the table to see how bad off the boy was. The minute he approached, his men stepped apart. He knew they could sense the anger spilling from his every move. It wouldn’t do well for them to get in his way.
The boy’s gaze immediately met Carver’s once he was within view. His pleading gaze met Carver’s hesitant one. Before he could sink into those dark pools, he swept over the rest of the boy. He needed to know how badly he’d hurt himself.
Blood trickled from various cuts across his abdomen and arms. It looks as if he attempted to cause as much damage as possible without inflicting a life ending wound.
Why?
Carver wondered what made someone do this type of thing. Was it some type of self-punishment? Did the boy think the cuts would be enough to end his life? Had he expected not to survive? Was being here reminding him of life from before?
The questions ran through Carver’s mind one after another as he continued to look over the young man. By the time his gaze returned to the boy’s face, a calm had settled over the room. It was as if Carver’s attention settled him enough to bring down the panic.
“What is your name?” Carver asked softly.
His men watched with curious eyes. Without turning their way, Carver already knew this would be the next piece of gossip making its way through the Angels. It was rare for their prez to be gentle with anyone. For it to happen to this mysterious person was enough to heighten curiosity.
The boy didn’t reply. His eyes simply remained on Carver’s form.
“Let him go.”
With the command, his men released the boy. It took only a second for him to attempt to surge up from the table. Carver frowned at the movement, his hand coming up to stop the boy from falling. Rather than accept help, he flinched at Carver’s closeness.
Noise from behind them distracted everyone. Hex’s voice cut through the group, as did his footsteps, as he came to stand next to Carver. Slash appeared on his other side.
“Did he say anything yet?” Hex asked, his gaze firmly planted on the boy who looked between the three of them.
Carver shook his head. “Not a word. He’s terrified, but I’m not sure how to calm him down.”
“I’d like to try to talk to him. Maybe he speaks a different language.”
At Hex’s request, Carver agreed the other man should give it a shot. They didn’t have anything to lose. Besides, the boy needed to be bandaged up. Doc stood off to the side, ready as ever to step in. He couldn’t until the patient remained calm enough for him to work.
If all else failed, they could sedate him. It wasn’t the ideal method. More a last resort.
They all watched as Hex went through the various languages he knew. Each attempt left the group wilting more and more. Carver hated the unknown. There were far too many questions about the young man in his care, and without being able to communicate, he had no way of getting answers.
By the time Hex turned to Carver and shook his head, it was already obvious they’d run out of options. “I’m sorry, Boss. He didn’t appear to understand any of it.”
“Or maybe he wants us to think he doesn’t,” Slash added.
Carver turned to him, brow raised. “Why do you say that?”
“Because without being able to talk to us, he’s somewhat safer. He can pretend not to follow instructions. I imagine he was ordered around a lot before. A language barrier means he can’t be with us.”
“That means nothing,” Hex rebutted. “Plenty of people learn via force.”
As soon as the words left Hex’s lips, the boy began to struggle again. Ah, so he does understand. This time, there was no calming him down. Doc abandoned the supplies he’d gathered to administer a sedative at Carver’s order.
It frustrated him to know it had to come to this. Whatever the boy had been through before made him wary. Despite the fact they were his rescuers, there was no gaining his trust as easily as Carver had hoped. It was going to be a long, arduous journey to convince him the Angels were a safe place.
Once the boy’s body sagged against the bed once more, Doc returned with the supplies. “Everyone but Prez can leave. I won’t need help anymore.”
The men shuffled out of the room. All except Carver, Hex, and Slash. It was unspoken that he’d keep the two of them behind. Whatever decisions would be made, they’d have to be involved. Whether it was to share them with the other men, or to be a listening ear, they needed to stick around.
“What is it, Doc? Tell me what you’re thinking,” Carver pressed.
Doc sighed as he used an antiseptic wipe to clear away blood.
“The trauma is more severe than I expected. You’re going to need to have Fury setup a consistent schedule with him.
And I think it would do best for him to wake up somewhere else.
The medical wing might remind him too much of the place he was held before.
Things are… sterile down here. It may do better for things to be softer wherever you put him. ”
“He’s going to be in the room beside mine.”
Carver’s words didn’t sway Doc. If anything, the old man appeared to have surmised this information already. As if he knew that’s what Carver would choose to do.
Was he so predictable? How could anyone have known when this was the first time something of this nature happened?
“I suggest adding as much soft stuff to the room as possible then. Blankets, pillows, and all that. Maybe send one of the women out to get what you need. They’ll know best.”
Hex spoke up then. “You want me to go handle that now, Boss?”
“Not yet. The stores are all closed this late. Besides, he won’t be up for a while.”
“Boss is right,” Doc added. “He’ll likely sleep the rest of the night and into the morning with the dose I gave him. You have plenty of time.”
Slash’s inquired, “What do we do until then? How can we help?”
“Prepare the others. Get Fury involved. Make sure you all get some rest yourselves while he does. There's no telling how he’ll react the next time he rises. We could either get a docile man, or he could be hell on wheels.”
Doc’s words settled over Carver. He nodded, then sent Hex to update the others. Slash stayed with him, ever the watchful guard he was known to be.
Pulling out his phone, Carver texted Fury himself. The other man would be furious had anyone else woken him up anyway. With it being Carver, he dressed and made himself available instantly.
“What do you know so far?” Fury asked once he sat on the stool Doc pushed his way.
Doc went over all the information he knew about the boy's wounds. With every new development, Carver became more frustrated. He wanted to fix everything. Wanted to make this boy’s life better every way he could.
Unlike the others he'd helped, this felt different.
He was emotionally invested. That much he could tell right away.
Carver fought not to think of his own past and the darkness lurking there. While his father had been a good man to him, there were others who sought to hold his position. They had tried time and time again to take advantage of him when he was vulnerable.
He knew a bit about what it was like to be under someone else's thumb.
The boy would need time to recover. Would need the help that Fury gave.
Carver came back to the conversation as Fury moaned. He blinked to clear his mind and saw that Doc had brewed him a cup of coffee. Fury nearly gulped it all down in one go. Then he wiped his mouth and rubbed his hands on his sleep pants.
“In my opinion, he needs full-time eyes on him.
If he's already managed to hurt himself once, he's likely to do it again.
It could be that it was part of the torture that was done to him, or maybe he thinks that hurting himself will allow him to escape.
He has no clue where he is or what's going on.
We're strangers to him. A potential danger. I can't see him trusting us easily.”