Bianca
I worked the day at the gym, though it was hard for me to concentrate. It was better than sitting at Chaos’s house and doing nothing while he worked. But I wished the hours away until I returned. I was ready to see Chaos.
After church last night, we spent about an hour in the clubhouse before excusing ourselves.
He told me about my cousin not showing up to church and how big an issue that was.
I’d crossed my fingers that he’d appear and offer a good explanation, not the pathetic one he’d given Wrath on the phone.
However, if Mishap came back last night, he didn’t make an appearance in the clubhouse.
I guess he could’ve gone straight to Wrath’s house since he and Jalisa hadn’t stayed long. Dora was tired and ready for bed.
Tonight, we were gathered there again. I had joined the other women in deciding the menu for Christmas dinner and how we planned to do it.
We agreed on the best way was to do all of the prep and to work in the kitchen at the clubhouse.
It was the largest space and would allow all four of us, along with any bunnies who wanted to assist, to do so without running all over each other.
Tonight, we asked the bunnies to join us if they wanted to help.
The offer came from Jalisa, since she had all their contact information, or so it seemed.
The only one who came was AnnMarie. I wasn’t surprised.
The other three hadn’t made trouble that I saw, but they weren’t approachable like AnnMarie.
She gave us a shy smile when she walked up to us.
“I’m here to help with Christmas dinner if that’s okay,” she said softly.
“Have a seat. You want a drink?” Jalisa asked.
“No, thanks, I’m good.”
“Okay, well, if you change your mind, put one of those prospects to work. They look too comfortable.” Jalisa raised her voice for the last part, so it carried to the prospects. They all grinned at her.
“We’re just waiting for you beautiful ladies to command us,” Vincenzo shot back.
“Oh, you’re going for the brownie points, sneaky devil,” Jalisa said back, laughing.
“Are you flirting with the prospects again, Lunatic?” Wrath asked Jalisa.
She looked at him with a sultry look. “Believe me, if I flirted with them, you wouldn’t need to ask if I was. And their heads would explode. But no worries, I save all that for you, Hercules.”
The club erupted in laughter, teasing, whistles, and hoots. Wrath stalked over, kissed her as if he hadn’t done so in years, and then left her flushed and slightly breathless. As Wrath sauntered back to his dad, Betty spoke.
“He’s just like his daddy. That man scrambles my brain when he kisses me. But don’t ever tell him that. I like to keep him on his toes and wondering.”
Cambria and Jalisa laughed. “You keep Rage plenty on his toes, Betty. You still tell him, from time to time, that you aren’t his old lady. It makes him crazy,” Jalisa remarked.
“I do. And let me say, it makes the sex even hotter,” Betty winked.
Even AnnMarie giggled hearing that one.
We settled in to go over the final menu and construct the grocery list for any last-minute items we’d need.
And then we divided out what would be made by whom based on their level of expertise.
AnnMarie revealed she had been told she was really good at baking and she enjoyed it.
That got her drafted to do pies for sure.
For the other dishes, we made some tasks communal, and others got assigned to individuals until we had them all covered.
The prospects will pick up the groceries tomorrow.
What could be prepped or made ahead of time would start a couple of days before Christmas.
All this talk made me miss my mom. I usually talk to her on the phone at least once a month, and sometimes more often.
Before I got with Chaos, I had thought of going to Washington State to visit them.
I knew she and my stepdad wouldn’t come here because they had my stepbrother and his family there.
And they had grandkids. It saddened me, but I was being added to a massive family, which eased most of my ache.
Thinking of them made me ask AnnMarie a question. “Oh, AnnMarie, I forgot to ask. How is it going with your dad? Any change? Your brothers stepping up yet?”
Her smile slipped as she shook her head. I saw weariness in her face. “No change. He’s the same. He slips a little more each month. As for my brothers, nothing. They haven’t even talked to him on the phone in at least two months. They don’t stop by. And they sure don’t cover any of the expenses.”
“What is their goddamn problem? He’s their father, too,” Jalisa snapped.
“I know. But my brothers are chauvinists of the first order. They told me that, as the daughter in the family, it’s my duty to take care of Dad.
That sons don’t do that kind of thing. Honestly, I think they’re waiting for him to die, so they can swoop in, get the house, and sell it.
They think they’re getting everything and me nothing,” AnnMarie confessed.
“How is that fair to you?” Cambria gasped.
“They told me that I’ve gotten to live there rent-free for the past couple of years, and that is more than my share.”
“Like hell it is! We’ve got to figure out how to get you into a better situation, AnnMarie,” Betty stated.
“I talked to Chaos, and he said he was trying to think of a way you can have a place when you’re not with your dad and not have to do what you do now. If he doesn’t, then I will,” I stated firmly.
Tears gathered in AnnMarie’s eyes. She blinked rapidly so they wouldn’t fall. Her voice came out low and shaky.
“Thank you, but you don’t need to do that. I’ll find something eventually. I’m thankful you’d even want to help considering what I am.”
“AnnMarie, you’re a woman in an impossible situation. You’re not defined by what you do here at the club. You’re surviving. We want to find you a better way to survive,” Jalisa told her as she patted her hand.
As I sat there, I felt warmth towards the amazing people in the club. A loud slam made my head whip around. I saw the source. It was the front door hitting the wall. And storming in was Mishap. My stomach flipped. Oh God, what now?
Everyone around the room got quiet. Not everyone was there at the moment.
Some of the guys were either at home or out.
It was Thursday night, so not the typical large party night that included any of the bunnies or hangers.
His gaze lasered in on me. He came straight toward me with determination in every step, and his face twisted into a scowl.
I braced myself for the verbal assault about to come.
I vaguely registered that Chaos, who had been clear across the room from me, was moving in my direction at a fast clip.
I saw that from the corner of my eye. I kept my gaze on my cousin.
When he stopped next to the table, I projected a calm demeanor.
Mishap stood there, staring at me without saying anything.
“Yes, do you need something?” I asked calmly.
“You’re goddamn right I need something! I need you to leave and go back to your husband. It’s not right to shack up with another man when you’re married, Bianca. You know that,” Mishap snapped.
“I’m not shacked up. And I don’t have a husband. Have you forgotten the divorce that was finalized eight or nine months ago?” I asked him.
There was a momentary expression of confusion on his face, and then it was gone. “You married Byron. You should’ve stayed and worked on your issues, not gotten a divorce,” Mishap spouted off.
“Are you crazy? You were one hundred percent behind the divorce! You said he was never worthy of me. And you wanted to beat him to a pulp. How can you be saying these things now? What has gotten into you? I don’t recognize you anymore,” I told him. I let my hurt show.
“Mishap, you need to stop and back the hell off. Your cousin doesn’t need this shit from you. Instead of worrying about her life, you should worry about yours,” Chaos told him.
He came up to stand behind me with his hands on the back of my chair. His thumbs rubbed soothingly on my back. Mishap turned his gaze to my man.
“What does that mean?” my cousin snapped.
“It means that you’ve been acting strange, causing trouble with your cousin, bringing her ex-husband back into her life when that’s the last thing she wants.
You’ve been determined to keep her and me apart.
And you missed church last night. Are you that determined to get your ass kicked out of the club?
If so, you’re doing a bang-up job of making it happen,” Chaos barked.
“I’m only protecting her. She’s my family. I want what’s best for her,” Mishap protested.
“Then why bring Byron here? He’s done nothing but hurt me. He almost destroyed me at one point. I’m never going back to him no matter what he says or does. I’m with Chaos. You need to get that into your head. I love Chaos,” I told Mishap firmly.
I watched what looked like shock overtake him. His hand went up to his head, and he rubbed at his temple. I’d noticed him doing that lately but never asked him why. His brow furrowed, and his face reddened. I was ready for him to have another verbal explosion.
Suddenly, Mishap let out an anguished cry and fell.
As he hit the floor, his entire body jerked and shook.
It took a few seconds for it to register that he was having a seizure.
I jumped out of my chair and raced to him, where I dropped to my knees.
I heard shouting. The next thing I knew, Stitch was on the other side of him.
All we could do was protect Mishap’s head.
“Does he have seizures? He never mentioned them,” Stitch asked me.
“I-uhm, not that I know of. He never told me he did, nor have I seen him do this,” I told him.
“Someone call 911. He needs to be evaluated. If he has no history, then we have to figure out what caused this,” Stitch called out authoritatively.
I knelt there, feeling helpless as Mishap continued to seize.
It was over in less than thirty seconds, from what I heard Stitch say, but it felt like an hour.
Chaos crouched next to me, his arm supporting my back.
Mishap didn’t open his eyes when he stopped jerking.
He remained still. His eyelids fluttered open for a second, then they closed.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked, terrified.
“It’s not unusual for someone after a seizure to be out of it or to sleep. It’s incredibly draining,” Stitch explained.
He was calm while the rest of us paced, watched anxiously, or, like me, with my insides shaking. Mishap was pale beneath his normally tanned skin. I held my cousin’s hand and whispered to him.
“Come on, Rawley. Don’t do this to me. You can’t not finish an argument with me. You know how that drives me crazy.” My voice broke. Tears threatened to fall. I felt the burn of them.
The next thing I knew, paramedics came rushing into the common room.
They were professional, but I caught the wide-eyed look they gave the place and the people in it.
They worked quickly to assess Mishap. They listened to Stitch describe how long the seizure lasted, what kind it was, and more.
They had Mishap on the gurney and rushed out the door about five minutes later. I rose shakily to my feet.
“I want to go to the hospital. I need to be there,” I told Chaos.
“Of course, but let’s go get the Escalade. You’re not in any condition to ride on the bike,” he said.
After telling the others the plan, Chaos led me out. I heard bikes coming to life. I figured they were headed to the hospital. I kept up a litany of prayers that Mishap would be okay. Even if I was mad at how he had been acting, I didn’t want anything to happen to him.