CHAPTER EIGHT
“Oh my god!” Addy said, almost two hours later. “Lincoln’s been going through all that shit because of that skank? Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Really, girlfriend? After the way you reacted when you found them together? How could he get ahold of you?” Brian asked in his blunt way.
“Oh, god, what should I do. I called him when I was in the hospital, but he never answered me. But then again, if she did what you’re suspecting he never knew.” Addy paced in her limited space, then suddenly turned on them. “Brian, drive me to the hospital. I’m not steady enough to drive myself.” She held out her hand and they saw how shaky she was.
Brian looked questionably at Franklin. At his subtle nod, he said, “Get dressed and we’ll drive you there.”
Addy looked down and shrieked when she saw she was in an old ratty t-shirt and shorts. “Go out in the hall.” She grabbed their arms and dragged them to the door. As soon as they stepped through, she slammed it and rushed in to change. Her place wasn’t big enough to afford a bedroom, and her bathroom was too small to try to dress in a hurry. Five minutes later she came out dressed in jeans, sneakers and a blouse. She was trying to drag her leather jacket on and lock her door at the same time.
Brian helped her with the jacket while Franklin locked her door. “What’s with the biker look?” Brian asked. “Not that you don’t rock it, it looks good on you.”
“Because Lincoln’s a biker. If his brothers are there, then they’ll be dressed in leather,” she said, and they hurried down and were quiet on the way to the hospital.
Addy strode ahead of them and Franklin looked at Brian, and whispered, “Damn, I’d hate to mess with her in a dark alley. She looks determined.”
“That’s Addy.” They hurried to catch up with her.
*****
“Yes, what room is Lincoln Murphy in?”
“And you are?”
“His wife,” Addy said firmly from her position in front of the information desk just inside the front entrance to the hospital.
“ICU seventh floor.”
“Thank you,” Addy said, and turned on her heel and the two men hurried to catch up with her. They got off the elevator and followed her down the hall. Addy stopped at the desk, and said to the nurse, “Excuse me. I’d like information on my husband?”
“Name?”
“Lincoln Murphy.”
“Oh, Mrs. Murphy, could you fill out his form on his medical history? The gentlemen, and I use that term lightly, that came in with him didn’t know,” she said, and at Addy’s look quickly apologized. “I’ll go get the doctor. You can fill that out in the waiting room.”
Addy looked where she pointed and headed that way. She entered the room, expecting to find it empty, and was shocked to see the whole club and their wives, or girlfriends there. They all looked up, and there was no way, with Brian and Franklin behind her that she could escape.
“Addy!” Mary said ,and jumped to her feet and hurried over to her. “Thank god you’re here. The doctors keep asking questions and we don’t know the answers.” Then she hugged her tightly.
“Mary,” Addy said, and looked around the room. She didn’t see censure, disgust, or anything negative in their eyes.
“Ad,” came a voice from her left.
“Greaser,” Addy said, and hurried over and hugged him. “How is he? The nurse said she had to get the doctor, but I have to fill this out first.” She sat down and took five minutes to fill out her husband’s medical history.
“He’s allergic to a medicine?” Greaser asked in shock. “Why doesn’t he wear one of those bracelets? I should know this since we work together every damn day.”
“Lincoln’s not a jewelry type of guy. Same reason he never wore his wedding ring. Said it was too easy to get caught or crushed when he worked on engines.” They all looked up when a doctor came in.
“Murphy?”
“I’m Mrs. Murphy.” Addy rushed forward and saw that Greaser and Burt were right behind her. “Here’s his medical records.” She passed him the form. The doctor looked at it and sighed. “Thank you, that’s why he’s having the reaction he is.” He looked at Addy and sighed again. “He was in severe anaphylactic shock when he came in. He was administered an EpiPen at home, but it wasn’t enough. Do you know what caused the initial onset of the attack?”
“Cats,” Greaser said from beside her.
“Lincoln’s has an almost deadly allergy to cats. So do I, but not as bad as his. He smells the scent of a cat on someone and has a reaction. He’s okay with dogs and other animals. Just cats. That and that medication. I could never pronounce it, but I learned to spell it.”
“It’s an antibiotic. If people are allergic to penicillin, we use this. We used this and he’s broken out in hives. So, he’s not allergic to penicillin?”
“No. Just that clindamycin thing, and cats.” She paused, and asked, “May I see him?”
“Yes, but only for five minutes. He’s still in critical condition.”
Addy actually stumbled and it was Burt that caught her. “Easy. We’ve got you. Give us a minute, Doc?”
“Sure, just tell the nurse when you’re ready and she’ll take you in.” He turned and left.
Burt had to practically carry Addy to a chair. He sat her down and squatted down in front of her. When he got a good look at her he frowned. “Jesus, Addy, are you taking care of yourself. You’re nothing but skin and bones.”
“Burt, now’s not the time,” Mary said, and actually pushed her husband aside. She held a bottle of water out to Addy. “Here, drink this, then you can go in and see Abe, we can catch up later.”
Addy took the water and her hands shook so badly that she spilled the water. Mary had to hold it to her lips. After taking several swallows she was able to calm down. “I’m good,” she said after several minutes. “Thank you.”
“Take your time. Burt and Greaser’s the only ones that have been in to see him. Burt because he threw his weight around, and Greaser because they’re best friends. The rest of us are here for moral support. Take all the time you need. We’ll get through this together.”
Addy started to say thank you, but then she remembered what she’d been through all alone and stiffened her spine. She caught Brian’s look and it was like he read her mind because he shook his head at her. She firmed her lips, and said, “I’m fine.” Then she stood and strode out the door.
“What did I say?” Mary asked in confusion as she stood and stared after her. She looked around in confusion. “It was like she flipped a switch and went cold.”
Brian then heard several of the women begin to say bad things about Addy, and he lost it. Franklin grabbed his arm to hold him back, but he shook him off. He was defending his friend and boss.
“Unbelievable. You people are unbelievable. How dare you judge Addy like that? She’s the sweetest person that you’ll ever meet. She’s been through hell these last few months, and all because of that man she practically broke her neck to get to see as soon as she found out. But when she doesn’t react the way you expect her to you snipe at her behind her back. Let me tell you something about that woman you just trashed. She’s a better person in her little finger than the whole of you combined. Two months ago when she desperately needed her husband by her side, he ignored her. Totally blew her off and passed his phone of to someone else. But when he needs her, where is she? By his side. And I’m sorry, but the loss of a child should be as important as what he’s going through, but he ignored her. Now put that in your pipes and smoke it you two-faced, back-stabbing bitches,” Brian finished, turned on his heel and stalked out. He stopped, and said over his shoulder, “I’ll be taking Ms. Addy home after she visits with her soon to be ex-husband. You won’t have to worry about her ever again.” He let the door shut behind him.
“What the hell was that about?” Greaser demanded of Jackson, noting that Jackson looked at Franklin, and at his nod turned to the club members.
“Two months ago Addy had a miscarriage. She was fifteen weeks along. Do the calculations, Lincoln was the father. She tried to call him and let him know, but that skank had somehow programmed Addy’s number to ring into her phone and not Abe’s. Addy’s divorce lawyer and myself as Abe’s lawyer are working on getting her arrested. The skank, not Addy. We are all here right now because we have proof the skank broke into Abe’s house Friday night and let at least eight cats run loose in his house for an hour. She even rubbed a cat on the pillow on his bed.” Jackson paused when he heard a lot of swearing from the members of the club. “The man that just defended Addy is her business partner. When Abe didn’t show up at the hospital for her, he was there almost every step of the way.”
Franklin stepped up then. “What I’m about to say I could get sued for saying, but Addy had a horrific miscarriage. She was in the hospital for three weeks. They didn’t give her an immediate D&C, they gave her medication to dissolve the fetus and waited for her to expel it naturally.”
“Fuck,” Burt said, and wrapped his arm around his wife. Franklin saw that a special look passed between them. “So, you understand what she went through, all without her husband by her side. So, please cut her some slack.” He stepped back and left the friends of his client’s husband to dwell on that. Out in the hall he saw Brian pacing and went down the hall. He saw an empty room and grabbed Brian’s arm and dragged him inside.
“Calm down,” Franklin said, then wrapped him in a hug. “It was nice to know you have Addy’s back. I don’t know if it did any good, but thank you for looking out for her.”
“I love her like a little sister,” Brian said, and sighed. “Should I go back and apologize?”
“Nope. Let’s go get Addy and take her home. If she wants to leave her husband’s side that is.” They went back out into the hall and waited for ten minutes.
When Addy came out she looked at them, and whispered, “Can you take me home?” Though it was just the three of them in the hallway, she acted like she didn’t want anyone to hear her request.
“Yes,” Franklin said, and together he and Brian escorted her to the car. When they arrived at her apartment she wouldn’t let them walk her up. She ran up the stairs and after letting herself in she threw her jacket off and herself on her daybed and burst into tears. Behind her closed eyes all she could see was Lincoln lying so still in that hospital bed with a tube down his throat. And the monitors beeping and flashing numbers. She never got beyond the foot of the bed, but she’d laid her hands on his feet. And she never said anything, she couldn’t get the words past her throat. She lay there and stared at the water stain on the far wall until early in the morning, when she got up and got ready for work. Who cared if it was four in the morning when she started a pot of coffee and picked up her first file to begin her day.
*****
Three days later, she stood in the center of their work room trying to get just the right look on an arbor for the upcoming wedding she was doing on Saturday. “Brian, what’s missing?” she called out as she stepped back to see what was missing. She bumped into a wall. But heard a grunt. She whipped around, and blurted out, “What are you doing here?” She stared at the twenty-five women who were wives and girlfriends of the members of the motorcycle club. The last time she’d seen them was when they were waiting to see if Lincoln would survive his ordeal.
Before anyone could say anything Brian came rushing in, and said, “Addy, you have a visitor. Oh. Sorry. But these women aren’t your visitor, you have a different one.” He turned his glare on them, and said snidely, “I don’t know who they are but they’re not on your schedule.”
Addy looked at the woman then, Brian and then to the woman and man standing beside Brian.
“Addison Murphy?”
“Yes? How can I help you?”
“I’m Detective Lydia Marsh, this is my partner Detective Edward Ricks. In light of what happened to your husband three days ago, the powers that be have decided today is the day. We’re here to get your phone and ask you a few questions. The take down is going to be in a few hours. Detective Ricks is going to program your cell to ring here at the office. We ask that you stay here until we return. Is there someplace private we can ask you some personal questions about your husband?”
“Um, sure, my office.” She was so dumbfounded, she turned to Mary, and said, “I’ll be right back. Make yourself useful and see if you can see what’s wrong with that arch, it needs to pop and it’s not.”
“What’s the theme?” one of the women asked.
“Love at midnight. Colors are dark blue and silver, I can’t get the stars to shine.”
Addy and Brian led the detectives to her office and she handed over her cell phone and allowed Detective Marks behind her desk. “What do you need to know?”
“In the case of my investigation it’s been brought to my attention that Mr. Murphy is called by three names. Lincoln, Abe, and Link. I will be the one using your phone to call him, to see if the suspect answers. I need to know how you address him.”
“Lincoln. I always call him Lincoln. Never Abe.” Addy actually shuddered as she said it and Lydia noticed her voice changed. “Not Link,” she said, then giggled. “Only when I wanted to get his attention when he was watching some game and wouldn’t answer me. I won’t tell you what I did to get his attention, but let’s just say he’s missed the ending of several games on the TV.” From behind her she heard a snort, and the women turned to see the grin on Detective Marks’s face.
“How did you call him?” When she saw confusion, she said, “I’m a good voice mimicker. I need you to act like you’re calling him.” She handed her a phone. “Dial the number that shows, it’s Marks’s phone. Turn your back so you won’t see Marks and picture him as Lincoln.”
Addy shrugged and did. She took several deep breaths and pictured a good time that she’d had with her husband. The phone rang, and she said on a sigh, “Lincoln, it’s me.” She frowned and hung up. “I always said that. Never realized it before. I always said his name, then it’s me. Not my name.”
“Good. We want this to be as real as possible. I’m sorry for what I’m about to say, but I know about your stay in the hospital. When you called him, did he ever say anything? Did you hear his voice?”
“No, but I felt like someone was there. Listening. But no one said anything. I only said those three words and waited. Nothing. Not until about the fifth phone call when a woman said to stop calling her fiancé.” She wiped her tears. “I didn’t recognize the voice.”
“Thank you for your honesty, Mrs. Murphy. Again, please stay here until you hear from us again.” The detectives left and Addy and Brian went back out to the workroom.
“Oh my god, how did you do that?” Addy asked as she saw the arch the way she’d pictured it. She looked at the women and saw them beaming at her.
“One of your employees said we could use anything back here,” Mary said. “I found a disco ball and we put up lights that reflect stars, but we covered it.”
Addy and Brian walked around it and stepped back. They realized they couldn’t see the ball and the lights shimmered like stars through some soft fabric. She laughed and turned to the women. “You’re hired.”
They laughed, until one of the women asked, “You do this for a living? Make arches?”
“No. I plan events, parties. This is just part of it. This arch is for a wedding on Saturday. Not all event planners do this, but I like to take the major pieces that I will be using and set them up here to look at them. I tweak them to get them perfect, so when it comes to the time of the event, it will be just a quick setup. This particular event happens to be in the third-floor ballroom at the Hastings Hotel. It’s a night time wedding, it’s supposed to be a clear night and with the natural stars, we’re trying to recreate them for the arch and in the ballroom. I’ve been working with the grooms for the last eight months.”
“Grooms?”
“Yes, because same sex marriages aren’t legal here yet, it’s actually officially a commitment ceremony. Just shy of a wedding.”
“How many of these do you plan?”
“Honey,” Brian said, from Addy’s side. “From now until the New Year, we’ve got an event every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Weddings, commitment ceremonies, anniversary parties, Christmas parties, you name it, Addy plans it.”
“Let me guess.” Mary laughed. “All those times Abe said you had ‘a thing’, you told him what that thing was and he couldn’t remember, or he would forget and always called it a thing?”
“Probably.” Addy laughed.
“Why didn’t you ever plan our pig roasts?” another woman asked.
“Lincoln said that he didn’t want me to. Said that I planned other people’s parties all day, every day, and that when I was with him, he wanted me to relax and be with him, not worrying about what’s going on behind the scenes..”
“And you’re booked until the first of the year?” Mary asked.
“Solid, I am. I have some free time at the beginning of the year, not much, but some. I’m already working on weddings for next summer.” Addy frowned when she saw her expression. “Why?”
“Don’t get me wrong, any of you. I love Burt to death and would do anything for that man. It’s just that our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary is in late February. Burt said he was planning something and I’m not to worry about it. Now again, don’t get me wrong, but I’d like to have something nice. Not a biker pig roast or a riding event. There’s freaking snow on the ground still. I want something fancy.” She sighed. “But I can’t fault him for trying.”
Addy studied the women, then decided to ask, “Why are you guys really here?” She knew something was up when they all looked at each other and couldn’t look her in the eye. “Don’t worry, I’ve been through a lot of shit in the last few months, I can handle whatever you have to say to me. I’m just surprised, because in my experience, women who break up with a patch holder are shunned by you.” She paused to gauge their reactions. “Don’t get me wrong. I can understand the reasoning behind it. The women can’t take sides, not if it’s a patch holder whose relationship broke up. A prospect is different, but you still can’t take sides.”
“So, you do understand.”
“Yes, but since we’re being honest here, just before my marriage broke up, matter of fact, it was the night before the annual pig roast. I had a wedding the day you guys set up. So, on that Friday, I mentioned to Lincoln that I didn’t think you guys even liked me. I didn’t feel slighted, just not accepted. I know a lot of that was on me, in the last year I wasn’t really there.” When no one said anything to deny her feelings, but they still couldn’t look her in the eye, Addy sighed. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have a lot of work to do.”
“We’ll get out of your hair then,” Mary said sadly, and as one the women turned and left.
Hours later the detectives returned and put her phone back to order and told her thank you for her cooperation.
“Did it work?”
“It did. She’s under arrest and asking for a lawyer so we can’t do anything yet. But she’s facing numerous changes. We’ll let you know if you’re needed to make a statement or testify.”
“Thank you,” Addy said, and after they left, she cleaned up her office and headed home for the day. However, she stopped off at the hospital on the way home to check on Lincoln. She still never said anything to him, just stood at the foot of his bed, with her hands on his feet, for her allotted time.
At the hospital she entered his room and saw two people standing there. Lincoln’s eyes were open, but he still had a tube in his throat. She looked up when the man approached her. “Thank you for calling us, Ms. Barker. We’ll take it from here.”
Addy clenched her teeth and hands to prevent herself from hitting the man. For god’s sake, he was her father-in-law and he still called her by her maiden name. Lincoln’s parents had never liked her. She nodded and looked at the bed and saw surprise on Lincoln’s face. “I’ll leave you to him then, Mr. Murphy.” She turned on her heel and left before her tears blinded her. She drove home and sat in the dark reflecting on her life, and realized that she had absolutely no friends that she could call and cry on their shoulders. She sat there in the dark for hours planning to make some changes in her life.