Chapter 10
Haze
I ’m driving Anna to an appointment with her orthopedic surgeon. With any luck today is the day she gets her cast off. I know she’s excited about it because she got up early and is all smiles. Vapor is holding down the fort and I opened the day up on my schedule by moving appointments around. I’m going to take her to the coast and out to dinner to celebrate if they cut the cast off. If not, I have a backup plan meant to cheer her up. Either way, I’ve got her covered.
It’s been almost two weeks since Anna was discharged from the rehab center and came to stay at my place. Getting her to help in the shop has been a godsend. In a way, it was good that she’d inadvertently upset Trix, as it gave me an opportunity to get even closer to her. As for Trix, my brother told me something in confidence. I really want to tell Anna why she freaked out, but it’s not my news to share just yet.
Anna and I are still fooling around but not going all the way. I wanted us to get to know each other better and for her get her cast off. So, fingers crossed, we might end up doing the deed tonight. I’m getting more obsessed with Anna by the day. She’s sweet, wholesome, and really smart. Having Anna work at the shop hasn’t just been good for me, she’s really helped streamline our operations. We’re now pushing through about fifteen or twenty percent more customers and she’s upselling the hell out of a whole new line of aftercare products. Truth be told, she’s covering her own salary through extra revenue generation.
I shift gears, daydreaming about having her on the back of my bike. I’ve been very careful about not letting her lift anything while her arm is in the cast, and also, I didn’t want to chance her losing her hold on me, by letting her ride on the back of my bike. So, that’s something else for her to look forward to if she gets her cast off.
“I can’t wait to see the doctor. Today’s the day. I can feel it in my bones,” she says excitedly.
I laugh and tease her, “I never knew you were so punny.”
She looks adorably confused for a moment before understanding clicks onto her face. “I didn’t even realize I was making a bone joke.” Lifting her casted arm, she moves it around in a circular motion. “I swear, it feels healed. If they don’t take it off, I’ve got a good mind to cut it off myself.”
A quick glance at her face tells me she’s not even joking. “Trying to get that cast off on your own sounds like a shitty idea to me, but if push comes to shove and you’re determined to have it off, let me help you. The last thing we need is for you to reinjure yourself trying to get the damned thing off.”
“Jesus, calm down. Why are you so serious all the sudden?”
Her comment took me by surprise. Yeah, I was being shitty because the thought of her hurting herself after trying to get that cast off made me feel things. I’d spent weeks standing by her while she crawled back from the brink of death. I can’t go through that again. I can’t see her hurting again. It tears my heart out.
Naturally, I can’t say shit like to her because we’re just supposed to be friends with benefits, not in serious relationship. She would probably consider that some fucked up, controlling shit. So, I clamp my mouth shut and drive.
After a few minutes, she asks tentatively, “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
I raise an eyebrow, “Hurt my feelings? I don’t have feelings to hurt.”
Her voice turns soft. “Yeah, you do. I know you and your brother like to think that you’re rough and tumble bikers who can walk through fire unscathed, but you’re just flesh and blood like the rest of us.”
Shifting gears again, I shoot back, “Being mortal is one thing. Hurt feelings over verbal slights is something else entirely. Look sweets, it would take a lot more than your worst to hurt my feelings.”
I don’t even know how we ended up in this conversation or why I’m saying the words spewing out of my mouth. I guess it’s because I don’t want her to think that I’m weak. Plus, my belief has always been that if I don’t allow myself to care what other people say, their words can never truly sting.
“Sure, whatever you say,” she responds quietly.
I hate that my stupidity has caused her good mood to evaporate. I don’t get a chance to reflect on that because we pull into the parking lot of her doctor’s office. I drop her off at the door, park up and walk into the lobby to find it’s a big office building filled with medical suites.
Anna is waiting for the elevator but there is a man with greasy black hair, standing right in front of her, way too close for my comfort. His hair is long and unkempt, and his clothing is disheveled. As I walk up, I can see he’s making a nuisance of himself. And on top of that, he smells worse than the clubhouse bar at the end of a weekend.
“Look little lady, I’m just saying that if you tell me where you’re headed, I can show you the way. I know every doctor in this building. Been comin’ here for years. They all know me too.”
Anna takes a step backwards. “I’m fine. I don’t need any help. Thank you just the same.”
He takes a step closer. “Women always say they don’t need my help, but they sure do like it when I give it.”
This fucking man does not need to be harassing the patients that come here for treatment. I stroll up, grab him by the back of the neck and shove him aside.
“She said no. No means no. Leave her the fuck alone.” I step between him and Anna, blocking his view of her with my body.
He loses his balance and takes several staggering steps before finally righting himself again. He sputters, “Who in the fuck do you think you are?” before turning around and getting a good look at me.
Like always, I’m wearing my cut and I know the second he realizes he’s crossing a member of the Savage Legion because his eyes get big, and he backs up. Instead of apologizing, like I think he’s going to, he grumbles. “Fucking bikers think they run this town, especially the young ones.”
“Watch your mouth,” I warn him. “You know better than everything you’re doing right now.”
“Don’t fucking talk down to me, boy.”
I take a step towards him and lower my voice, so we don’t draw attention, or at least any more attention than we’re already drawing. “It’s not even noon and you’re already drunk. Don’t let the alcohol write checks your ass can’t cover.”
The man sways on his feet for a moment and then makes as if he’s going to lunge towards me. I feel my expression shift into a disapproving one, because he hesitates. When he does, I’m on him within two seconds and end up frog marching out the front door. We meet an older man who pales when he sees us coming.
“Fucking hell, Scott. What did you get yourself into now?”
Trying to wrench himself out of my hold, he grits out, “Nothing.”
I jerk my chin at the other man. “Try, continuing to accost a woman after she turned him down.” I finish the sentence by tossing him towards his friend.
The man reaches out and grabs him, so he doesn’t hit the ground. “Scott, at least tell me you attended the AA meeting.”
I snort a laugh. “If he did, it was wasted effort. He’s already been drinking, and the day has hardly started.”
He steadies the drunk man and then steps out to shake my hand. “My name is Corey Dukes.
Sorry about my younger brother. Scott has been having a hard time maintaining his sobriety since our mom passed.”
I look Corey in the eye. “She was his primary enabler, right?”
The man flinches, letting me know I hit the nail on the head. “Yeah, you could say that. I’m on it, though.” Glancing over his shoulder at his brother and then back at me, he promises, “No more drop offs. From here on out, I’ll stick right by his side.”
I feel an ounce of empathy for Corey because I know all too well the depth and dedication of a brother’s love. “I’m sure you will. You know you can’t fight this fight for him, right? He’s gotta want to stay sober for it to stick.”
“He does. I promise you that he wants it. He’s just lost his way. I hope your club won’t be harboring a grudge over this.”
“No. Of course not. No real harm was done. Not this time anyway. Just impress upon your brother the importance of staying away from my woman. Unless he pops back up, I’ll consider this resolved.” Truth be told I might have overreacted a bit, but I don’t say anything for fear they won’t take my warning seriously.
“Like you give a shit about her. Bet you were the one who gave her that broken arm.”
Both Corey and I slowly turn to stare at Scott.
Before his brother can intervene, I clear up the misconception. “She was in an automobile accident that left her in a coma. She’s fought her way back like a fucking champ. The last thing she needs is you projecting all the bullshit floating around in your head onto her during the last leg of her recovery.”
Finally, something close to understanding clicks onto Scott’s face. He opens his mouth to speak but I shoot him a stern look, daring him to open his ignorant trap just one more time.
Glancing at his brother, I tell him, “Trying to help your brother is a noble, selfless thing to do, but don’t set yourself on fire trying to keep him warm. If you keep this up, he’s going to get you both hurt.”
Not giving either of them a chance to respond, I turn on my heel and head back inside the building. Luckily, there are very few people around to notice what’s going on. By the time I catch up with Anna, she’s sitting in the waiting room, scrolling on her cell phone one-handed.
Dropping down into the seat beside her, I ask quietly, “Are you okay, darlin’?”
Her hand drops to her lap and when the screen becomes visible, I can see she was playing a video game on her phone to pass the time.
She sighs. “Yeah, that guy was more annoying than dangerous I think.”
“I agree. The thing is, lots of people that seem more aggravating than anything else turn out to be more dangerous than they look.”
“Do you think that guy was one of them?”
“Come to find out he was here for an AA meeting, and unless I miss my guess, he skipped out on it to booze it up. His brother showed up and he’s in good hands, but I think he seriously lacks good judgement, especially when he’s intoxicated.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to steer clear of him in the future.”
Before I can respond, they call her name. “Do you want me to come back with you?” I ask, rather than just assuming.
“No. I’ll be fine,” she assures me.
I watch her follow the smiling nurse through one of the doors leading to the back. Since the charity we got to pay for her hospital and rehab stay doesn’t cover outpatient care, I go over to the front desk and make arrangements for her visits to be put on my credit card moving forward.
The receptionist is nice and smiley, like women usually are with me. I can’t pay attention to her though because all I can think about is Anna and if they’re being nice to her, if she’s getting that cast off and if, heaven forbid, it’s painful getting it removed. I feel like I should be there to advocate for her because that’s what I’ve been doing all along.
Deep down inside I know that’s fucked up. She doesn’t need me. The doctor she’s seeing is one of the nicest ones she’s had during her recovery.
Plus, now that she’s strong and whole, she can speak for herself. My protective instincts are out of control when it comes to her. I need to throttle that shit back and lock it down. The way to a woman’s heart is not through smothering her with a man’s need to protect her from all harm. It’s like the logical side of my brain knows this shit, but the emotional side is not getting the message.
So, I sit and wait while the two sides of my brain fight it out. Strangely enough, I always thought that I’d never be a mess over a woman. I’ve spent a lifetime avoiding getting into serious relationships with the multitude of women in my orbit. All it took was one disarmingly sweet woman to pull down all the walls I’ve so carefully built up to protect my heart and I’ll falling hard and fast for her. There should be alarm bells going off, telling me to dial it down and step back. Instead, there is only my inner caveman and he’s telling me to throw her over my shoulder and run away with her.