10. Chapter 9
Thunder – Two Days Later
I tap the side of the bed as I keep my eyes on the door, ignoring my sister pacing the room like I’m about to go into some extensive surgery. When, in reality, I should be out in an hour, but Brittany is panicking.
I hear her huff for the tenth time within a minute and I sigh.
“Little sister, you need to tell your hormones to calm down because your pacing is giving me a headache,” I mutter, not looking away from the door, my frustration building higher and fucking higher.
Two days, two whole fucking days, and I haven’t seen Scottie at all, and I’m pissed.
I knew I couldn’t do two days without seeing her, I fucking knew it.
“Don’t make me hit you!” Brittany growls, and my lips twitch, but I still don’t look her way.
I’ve felt, I don’t know, itchy, I guess, since Scottie walked out of the exam room and my sister grilled me on who she was. Now my frustration- the one I’d get from pain has fucking doubled because I haven’t seen her, haven’t heard her voice or laugh, and I’m a ticking time bomb.
“Are you going to tell me about this doctor yet who doesn’t actually look old enough to be a doctor?” Brit asks as she takes a seat beside my bed, and I side-eye her before looking back at the door.
For two days, she’s tried grilling me, and for two days I had dodged my family. Especially after walking into the common room to find Kathleen glaring at the room full of bikers. She lost it after one of the clubwhores asked her if she knew when my surgery was and if I’d need attending to.
Fucking patch chasers…
Dad looked apologetic, Kathleen was raging because no one told her I was having surgery.
I was fucking pissed- still am, to be honest, which is why I’ve spent most of my time at the Rebel’s tattoo parlor doing a design for Scottie and ensuring my sister had no idea that I was there to stop the fucking constant grilling.
I slowly lick my bottom lip. I told Dad not to bring Kathleen, but he didn’t listen to me. Even now, I’ve told him to head home because of her bitching, and he’s still here, she is still fucking here, and why? I don’t know, because growing up, I was never her priority despite what others may think.
She tried to show herself as a loving mother, yet when it was just the two of us, I was a pest on her fucking shoe because she knew I wanted to be a brother.
“Bradley, please,” Brit whispers when I don’t answer her, “You looked at her like Asher looks at me, and I heard Asher and the Untamed Doc talking. Asher doesn’t think you’ll come home, and even though I am very much aware it’s selfish, I want you to come home. I need you to come home.”
I finally look at her, angry at her words and notice tears in her eyes, but I don’t soften.
She knows what it feels like to have someone try and convince the person she loves to leave her, fuck, she lost her memories because of that shit.
“You’re right, it is selfish, Brit,” I state, not sugarcoating it, “And honestly, right now, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do, but what I will tell you is she’s mine, whether she knows it or not.”
I can’t tell her about my probable kidnapping, I can’t get her involved.
“Please don’t stay, Bradley,” she chokes as a few tears fall, and she quickly wipes them away as the door to my room opens, and I quickly look, hoping for it to be Scottie. I scowl when Dad and Kathleen walk in.
The woman holds guilt, I get it, she blames herself and the club as to why her first husband was killed.
She was having an affair with Dad, but it doesn’t mean she needs to treat the club like shit, fuck, Dad pulled back from the club for her.
Brittany marrying Doc was probably her worst fear coming to life but she needs to adapt, preferably away from me.
“I thought I told you to go home?” I snap, and Dad raises a brow.
“You’re about to have surgery, I’m not going anywhere,” he says in a tone that is serious, and I lock my jaw as Kathleen looks around the room and demands, “Where is everyone? The doctors? The nurses? Your surgery is scheduled for ten, and it's five til!”
“Mama, sometimes hospitals run a little behind,” Brit sighs, but Kathleen scoffs.
“I don’t care, we just donated half a million dollars to this hospital, and if they aren’t here in the next two minutes then I’m cancelling that check!”
“Wait, you did what?” I hear Dad snap, and Kathleen huffs, “They are late, Bobby, this isn’t acceptable!” before giving him a don’t question me look about the cheque.
I roll my eyes and drop my head back with a huff, and Dad says, “They’ll be here soon, Kathleen, just be patient, yeah.”
“I’ve been patient for two days, and honestly, I don’t even know why we couldn’t wait until today to come down, especially if they were going to take this long.”
“Because he’s our son, Kathleen and I told you to stay in Wincher!” Dad snaps, and his wife scoffs, a wife who adopted me, and I shake my head before looking at the door again.
Come on Scottie…
“All I’m saying is, the doctors are eating shit!” Kathleen complains, and Brit snaps, “Enough with the whining, Mama, or get out. It’s a hospital, not a hotel! They have other patients, for Christ’s sake, and like Dad said, you could have stayed in Wincher!”
“Brittany,” Kathleen snaps just as the door finally opens and a smile automatically stretches across my face as I lock eyes with the dark blue ones I see in my sleep.
I instantly relax but when Kathleen snaps, “Ah finally, a nurse!” gaining Scottie’s attention I tense and not just because I want it on me and only me but because Kathleen is being a fucking bitch.
“Mama, she’s not –”
Kathleen cuts Brit off and demands, “Turn your ass around and go get the doctor who is doing my son's surgery, because waiting this long is a joke!”
Scottie raises a brow at her before looking at Dad, who gives her a wince before she looks back at me. I give her a wink, causing her cheeks to heat, and Dad coughs to cover his chuckle.
She wants me but doesn’t want to admit it.
“How are you feeling?” my girl asks as she steps forward, grabs my chart, and opens it, and I watch her eyes move.
Fuck, I love how passionate she is about her job.
I open my mouth to basically say better now because if I’m honest, I’ve missed her, but Kathleen growls, “How dare you ignore me! Go and get me the doctor in charge right now and then your superior!”
“For god’s sake, Kathleen!” Dad snaps just as Dr. Thomas walks in but pauses, seeing the tension.
“What’s going on?” he asks, and I open my mouth to explain my so-called mother is being crazy but Kathleen, stupidly, jumps in, “What’s going on is that his surgery is supposed to be in two minutes and yet this nurse has only just come in to do her observations, and it is not acceptable!”
Dr. Thomas raises a brow at me as Scottie snorts, not bothering to hide it, and I roll my eyes and confirm, “A nurse called Tilly came and did my observations as soon as I arrived twenty minutes ago. She also gave me a warning not to take Dr. Aimes away from her or you.”
Scottie’s cheeks redden again, a color I fucking love on her, and Dr. Thomas chuckles, “Sounds about right for Tilly,” before he looks at Kathleen, who rightfully so looks embarrassed hearing that I’ve already been checked in.
He states, “My club gave you a room and food, they welcomed you. My hospital is not even charging Thunder for this procedure and not because of the check you gave them behind your husband’s back but because of me and last time I checked Kathleen,” he checks his watch, “We are right on time, and furthermore, the next time you snap at my best resident, even better than Meghan who will also agree, I will have you escorted out!”
Kathleen looks away, and I lock eyes with Scottie again and smile wide.
“How’s Sammie doing?” I ask her, hoping to ease her tension, and it works as her whole fucking face lights up and I bite back a smile while Dad looks anywhere but at her, as well as Dr. Thomas.
Her nephew is my fucking way in, and they both know it.
“Who’s Sammie?” Kathleen demands to know, and Scottie answers professionally, “He’s my six-year-old nephew,” before she says to me, “And he is doing great, he spent the night with me last night, and he’s at Dad's tonight.”
“And how did your talk with your dad go?” I ask softly, and she softens further towards me.
I sensed the tension with her dad instantly, and considering I have that same tension with Kathleen, it didn’t take much for me to figure shit out, even without Dr. Thomas confirming it all.
“Surprisingly good,” she admits, making me smile.
She says, “He was honest, and yes, it got tense for a moment when he admitted to paying off my student loans, but I felt a little closer with him. He also wants permission to find out your status after your surgery while my nephew is demanding to be allowed to come and see you.”
I grin and confirm, “The little trouble has taken a shine to me?”
She hums and answers, “He has,” and I melt slightly because that is a fucking honor.
“You have my permission,” I confirm, and her eyes soften before Dr. Thomas confirms, “You quit the convenience store, right?” and she rolls her eyes and admits, “I did, though Dino was not happy,” and I frown.
Who the fuck is Dino?
“Who’s Dino?” Brit asks for me, and Dr. Thomas answers, “The owner’s son who wanted Scottie,” and I scowl hard at that, causing Dr Thomas to grin wide, making me want to punch him, but he’s saved when my door opens again.
“Okay, Dr. Aimes, you ready for your first solo surgery?” Doc says as he walks in, and Scottie twists and looks at him in horror, which has me struggling to hold back my laughter.
Did I speak to my pres and doctor about Scottie having her first solo surgery without her knowing? Fuck yes!
I’d do anything for this woman, and I need her to see that.
“Solo?!” all three women snap at the same time, and Doc crosses his arms over his chest and confirms, “Solo.
Kathleen and Brit both open their mouths to object, but my girl beats them to it and denies it, “Oh hell no, not happening!”
“I thought you were itching for a solo surgery?!” Dr. Thomas goads, trying his fucking hardest but failing to keep his smirk off his face.
He’s about to trap her into explaining the weird pull that she’s having towards me, and I am not one bit sad about it.
“Well, yeah, like maybe I don’t know a gallbladder removal or a hernia repair or something but not this!” she snaps, “What if I damage the nerve further? Oh god, what if I tear the nerve?!”
Scottie’s eyes widen the more she speaks, and I swear she’s about to hyperventilate.
“Oh yeah, she is not operating on my brother, she looks ready to fall apart and is clearly not experienced!” Brit snaps, and Doc intervenes before I can and states, “Actually, she is. Even if it means you steal more animals, she’s doing the surgery, so stay out of it, Brit.
I mean it. You’ve done nothing but butt in since we got here without thinking about the repercussions proving Thunder’s theory about you taking over right. ”
Brit’s mouth parts in shock at her husband's rightful anger because he is right. She has butted in a lot where my care is concerned, trying to go against Dr. Thomas. Somehow even pissing off Axel, who didn’t have to house the brothers that rode up.
“Wait what?” Scottie gasps, “You steal animals?”
I finally let my laughter out at how pale my sister has gone, and Kathleen admits, “Several. If she thinks they are in danger, then she takes them, and the number of times she thought she was slick hiding them in her room growing up was ridiculous.”
“What about animals that are a danger to their owners? Do you take them?” Scottie asks, and this time Dr. Thomas laughs while we all look at her in confusion, and she points her finger at him and snaps, “It isn’t funny, Dr. Thomas, the cat is a demon, I tell you.”
“You are the one who adopted it,” Dr. Thomas laughs, and I raise a brow.
She adopted a cat?
“Only because I thought it needed saving!” Scottie retorts, and my sister chimes in, “You protected a cat?” awe lacing her voice.
“No!” my girl instantly snaps, “Felix isn’t a cat, he’s a demon who scratches me if I even attempt to walk past him and only likes affection when he wants it. I can’t even sleep after a night shift because the little monster claws at my legs!”
Dr. Thomas cackles while my sister finally relaxes and tries to hide her smile, and I mention, “Maybe he just needs a friend?”
Scottie narrows her eyes at me when my sister mentions, “I could get him a friend, you know…”
“Yeah, just what I need, two demon cats,” she mutters, causing my sister to giggle, and Scottie sighs, “Okay, enough about the cat. Dr. Thomas, I can’t do the surgery solo.”
“Yes, you can,” he says softly, and she reminds him, “I haven’t even passed my exam yet!”
“But you will, it’s next week, Scottie, you’ve got it in the bag,” he retorts, and I add, “If you don’t do the surgery then I’m walking out of this room.”
All eyes come my way with shock while Scottie narrows hers and accuses, “This was your idea!”
I grin and confess, “It was,” then state, “You do the surgery, or I walk- your choice, baby.”
Oh, if looks could kill...