Chapter 22 #2
He stares at my hand and then back at my face and shakes his head. Throwing his hands in his hair, squeezes his eyes closed.
Shit, this can’t be good.
After a few moments, his stormy eyes are back on me. I stand tall not letting him try to intimidate me. He can judge all he wants, but it’s going to take an army to remove me if he dare mentions that I have to leave.
“Jesus Christ! She clearly expressed that you weren’t in a gang?” Mr. Walker exclaims more to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I’m not, sir,” I defend.
He waves his hand at my cut and gives a knowing look.
“I’m part of a motorcycle club, sir,” I firmly state.
He rolls his eyes and turns back to the bed, and I watch a shiver run through him.
“Yeah, okay fine. We’ve got it from here, see yourself out, and ask for a doctor to come in.” He dismisses me and walks over to the woman now holding Raegan’s hand, rubbing her arm, careful not to touch her wounds.
“With all due respect, sir, I’m not going anywhere until Raegan tells me to.” I grab her other hand and square my body towards him.
I’ll be damned if anyone, including her father, tries to come between us.
“Roger, stop this. All this bickering probably isn’t good for Raegan.
I’ve talked with Raegan several times about this young man, and she would kick your behind if she knew you’re acting like this,” she speaks up for me.
I think she and I are going to be great friends.
I make a mental note to have Melissa meet her and let them get better acquainted.
Ian chooses this moment to appear, and I never thought I’d say this, but I couldn’t be happier to see his fucking face.
“Mr. Walker, it’s wonderful to finally put a face with all the stories I’ve heard Raegan talk about.
” Okay, maybe I’m not that happy at all he’s here, the little kiss-ass.
“I’m Dr. Ian Hastings and I was the one who performed the surgery on Raegan.
We’re also really close friends.” Close friends, my ass!
They’ve hung out maybe a handful of times, but no way are they that close.
I roll my eyes when Ian smirks over at me.
I start to list off all the reasons in my head how it’d be a terrible idea if I put him in the empty bed in the next room.
The next ten minutes Ian goes over everything that Melissa already told me about Raegan.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker listen intently and ask a million questions as he talks about recovery, and I cringe at the thought of them taking her back to Seattle when she’s released.
I wouldn’t blame them if they tried to push for that, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t try to make my case for her to stay with me.
Ian leaves letting us know that Raegan will wake once she’s ready, but resting is what’s best for her recovery right now.
The silence that follows when he closes the door signals that we are once again left alone in the sterile room with only the sound of beeping from the machines filling the tense air.
“What did you say your last name was?” Mr. Walker breaks the silence after we take a seat on opposite sides of her bed.
Clearing my throat, “Stonewall, sir.”
“You don’t hear that name often. I knew a Stonewall once many years ago, an old military buddy of mine, but he wasn’t from around here. Any relation to a Phillip Stonewall?”
Maybe the tides have turned in my favor?
“My father is Phillip Stonewall, sir.”
Mrs. Walker stands and stretches for a second. She gives him a look and a cough.
“I’m going down to the cafeteria for some coffee, would either of you like some?” she asks.
“Please, Mrs. Walker,” I answer. “Black.”
“Call me Claire, honey.”
She nods and gets Mr. Walker’s order then nudges his shoulder before leaving. Once the door clicks, Mr. Walker is on me again.
“I want to know every detail of how she ended up here.” He points his finger at me.
This is going to be difficult. All of this is club business, and we don’t talk about club business to anyone who isn’t wearing a cut, only who we vote on knowing our business.
Think, Kane, think!
“Havoc got a call…”
“Who?”
“Sorry, Beckett got a call from Sutton—"
“Wait! Beckett? As in Beckett Roberts, Raegan’s old boyfriend. That Beckett?” I hate that he reminds me that they were together.
“The same.”
“Thought she was done with him when she moved to Seattle,” he says.
“Umm, yeah, they’re only friends.”
He harshly rubs his hand over his face and then looks back up for me to continue.
“Anyway, Havoc got a call from Sutton earlier this evening. They were being chased down in Raegan’s car.
We heard everything over the speaker, the loud crash and the sound of gunfire.
She was able to tell us that they were close to Raegan’s favorite bridge, so we rushed there.
We found them floating on their backs in the water away from the sinking car, we jumped off the bridge and swam to them. ”
“Did Sutton say who it was that did this? You were blaming yourself when I opened the door, so I know you have an idea of who it was.”
I stare at him not knowing if I should say anything.
After a while I finally speak, “Mr. Walker—”
“Just tell me if they’re still going to be a problem for my little girl.” He leaves no room for an argument.
“Not a chance, sir,” is all I give. He might be my Ol’ Lady’s dad, but he still could cause trouble if he wanted to keep me away from her.
He gives a full nod and settles back down in his chair.
“Stop with the sir bullshit and call me Roger.”
I’m finally making progress here. Thank fuck for that!
* * *
The next day the doctors feel as though Raegan is out of the woods and can be moved from ICU to a regular room as her numbers are improving. She has been in and out of sleep all day, and the doctors think that keeping her heavily medicated is allowing her body heal quicker.
Day two in a regular room has both Roger and me climbing the walls. We want her to be fully awake now so that we can be sure she is okay. The head injury might be a setback, so keeping her awake longer than two minutes is necessary to our sanity.
Melissa and Dad have been by every day after his therapy to visit and bring us food.
Once Roger and Dad saw each other it was like long lost brothers reconnecting.
I now know every mission they were ever sent on, and the crazy things they did to the other men in their troop.
Roger also remembered Gunner, who is the Fallon president up in Nevada and wants to meet up with him if it’s possible.
It’s weird that Raegan’s dad and my dad had this entire life together before we ever existed.
I wonder what she’ll think about it once she’s awake.
The club has been laying low for the last few days. Turner has been by asking questions making a good show of pressing us, but Sutton isn’t budging on her story. It’s cute that she doesn’t know that Turner is on our payroll, but the less she and Raegan know, the better.
“We went for a ride out by the lake when a car came out of nowhere and started shooting at us. Raegan tried to outrun them in her car, but they must’ve hit one of her tires because she lost control and we went over the side and into the water.
I never got a look at who it was because I was crouched down in the floorboard praying not to get shot! ”
“Do you know if Ms. Walker had any enemies who would want to hurt her?” Turner asked.
“Raegan wouldn’t hurt a fly much less have someone upset with her,” Sutton states.
“There was a call in on some people illegally racing down a bit from where this accident happened. Do you know anything about that?” he presses, and we can all see the turmoil on how to answer.
“Are you accusing my daughter, who has three bullet holes in her body, of being part of illegal activity? As she lays here helpless from the lack of competency the police have of keeping its citizens in this town safe?” Roger chimes covering so that Sutton didn’t have to openly lie.
It was thoroughly satisfying to see Turner sweat a little under the collar.
“Just doing my job, Roger,” he grits out.
The news has been reporting about a massive Big Spring salvage yard fire. The videos show ashes and the charred remains of the building and junk cars. They’re saying that dead bodies were on the property and that an investigation is under way.
We all have airtight alibies for that night.
The hospital staff have all stated that we’ve been here since Raegan and Sutton were brought in.
Most of the staff couldn’t tell us a part and since a huge number is always walking around they can’t rebut it.
Not that Turner would actually check the hospital cameras.
The sun has set as Roger, Dad, and I play a round of cards still waiting for Raegan to fully wake, though the doctors have stated that she is coming more and more aware to natural responses.
Ian admitted that they had given her more of painkillers just to make her more comfortable.
After the first day, Roger let us know that she has never taken well to being put under in the past. Anytime she had to have a procedure done that involved anesthesia, she’d take three times longer to wake than the normal person.
Melissa and Claire are out for the night to pick up some essentials since Raegan’s parents jumped on a plane without a thought of packing anything.
“Aces win every time!” Dad calls out, tossing his cards down on the table while both Roger and I grunt at his hand.
“When in the hell did you get good at cards? If my memory serves me correctly, you lost every hand back in the day,” Roger jokes and starts shuffling again.
We all put in the two-dollar ante and Roger deals from the deck.
“I’ve had a lot of time on my hands.” Dad gestures to his wheelchair. “Time…”
The hospital door storms open, and we whip towards the opening. There in the doorway is Satan himself and in front of him is his little whore of a wife.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Roger hops up from the chair, and I follow suit to block their attempt of coming any closer to Raegan’s bed.
“Are you kidding me right now, Roger? I was just informed that my only daughter was brought into the hospital riddled with bullets.” She tries to stomp her foot and move farther into the room.
Roger is a lot faster than I give him credit for because he beats me over to them, putting as much distances as possible between them and Raegan.
I might need to remember that if I ever get on his bad side again.
“You and that asshole are not coming anywhere near Raegan,” Roger informs his ex-wife.
“Real mature, Roger. I see Seattle hasn’t made you grow up in the years since I’ve seen you,” Satan’s whore spouts.
“I mean it, Carly. If you or that piece of shit come, any closer I’ll call security and have your ass thrown out of here. I bet the papers and town gossip would love to hear and see pictures of that.”
“You can’t throw us out; she’s my daughter as much as she’s yours!”
“Raegan stopped wanting anything to do with you after you let this motherfucker hit her, while you sat by and did nothing,” he yells.
The door is still open, and I know we’re starting to get some attention from the staff. Security, I’m sure, has already been summoned up to our floor.
“Roger, you know how dramatic Raegan can be. It wasn’t like that at all. Really, I think you coddled her too much growing up.”
I can’t listen any more to this shit.
“I saw the mark he left across her face, and it was exactly how Raegan described it.” I step in with a growl. “She doesn’t want anything to do with you since you picked a dick over your own daughter once again.”
How dare this bitch try to make my woman out to be a liar. I watch as she rolls her fucking eyes, and it takes everything I have not to pluck them out of her skull. The rage I feel to harm her is strong.
“Ahh, is there a problem here?” We all turn and see a rent-a-cop standing in the doorway with his hand on his fucking flashlight.
What the fuck is he planning on doing with that? Blind us all?
“Officer, I came here to see my daughter after finding out about her accident, and these men won’t allow my husband and me in,” the bitch speaks so sweetly, I think that the poor kid just got his first cavity.
“Excuse me, but my daughter doesn’t want to have anything to do with this woman or that man. She is unable to speak for herself right now, and as her power of attorney, I’d like these people escorted out and kept away from her and this room.”
Roger walks over to Raegan’s chart and grabs it off the end of the bed and flips open the pages pointing to a piece of paper towards the back of the file. He then pulls out his driver’s license and shows the useless guy.
Power of attorney? Why the fuck didn’t I know this before?
After reading the paperwork the poor kid turns, “I’m sorry but I’m going to have to ask you both to leave,” he nervously says then motions for Carly and Dennis to leave.
Carly stands there with her mouth open wide in disbelief that someone had the nerve to tell her no. Finally, she closes her trap and points to Roger in a fit of rage.
“You’re going to regret this, Roger. You have done nothing but turn her against me for the last several years, and when she wakes up and finds out what you did, you’ll be the one escorted out!”
“I doubt that,” he rebukes.
I’ve kept my eye on Dennis this entire time as he stands there observing the situation and how it’s playing out.
He tries to eye Raegan while her parents hash out everything, but I’ve gotten in his line of sight to keep him from seeing her.
I have plans for this asshole, but I just need to wait and be patient until I can make my move.
I’m coming for you, motherfucker.