Chapter 14
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Gretchen
The atmosphere is somber when I head down for breakfast the next morning.
Doc wasn’t in our room, and judging by the coolness of the sheets, he hadn’t been there for quite some time.
I notice the only men around are the three prospects, who are cleaning the common room as if their lives depend on it being spotless.
Not that it’s ever too horrible, simply because there are old ladies in the club these days.
From what Doc has shared, it used to look like a frat house on steroids.
They still throw parties, of course, but not as often as they used to.
Doc said the recliners and other furniture has recently been replaced as well.
It’s cozy, but definitely a place where bikers hang out based on the neon signs around the bar, the pool tables and dartboards set up in the corner, and the huge television.
Taking a deep breath, I head into the kitchen and see both Constance and Maria with tears streaming down their faces as they work on cutting up vegetables. “What’s wrong?” I ask, rushing to their side.
“One of the brothers, Pokey, passed last night,” Constance replies.
Maria adds, “He had been sick for a while and we had our suspicions since he started spending more time in his room, but Rio said he didn’t want everyone knowing what was wrong.
Something about not wanting to deal with everyone moping around.
He’s been around since Rio was a young teen, and became an officer shortly after he patched in.
He’s the last old timer left from Paps’ time, so it’s hitting the brothers hard. ”
“That’s why Doc wasn’t in bed when I woke up,” I say.
“Pokey passed around three, then Doc waited for the funeral home to come pick him up. Rio called church first thing, so he likely got no sleep at all. We’re going to work on a menu for the wake once Issy gets here.”
“Let me help y’all, please,” I beg them. “I’m sure we’re all going to be busy getting ready. I don’t know how biker wakes are handled, but I do know that food is always involved.”
“And liquor,” Issy states walking into the kitchen. “Lots and lots of liquor. Gotta figure out who might want to come for Pokey’s final ride, but Rafe’s handling those calls. Our job is to make sure the guest rooms are ready once we know who’s coming, and of course, plan menus to feed everyone.”
“How many are you expecting if you had to take a guess?” I question.
“Well, several of the brothers from the East Texas chapter will probably make the trip since they grew up here and knew him. Hell, he was one of our watchers when we were pre-teens and teens until he got his patch. Still, even then, he kept an eye out for us. He was a good man, even if he sometimes got a little bit crotchety,” Issy says.
“Then let’s figure out a menu,” I decree, since Issy looks a little bit lost as well.
Constance reaches into one of the drawers at the island, her fingers brushing against loose papers before she pulls out a worn notebook and a pen.
She clicks the pen twice, the sound echoing softly in the quiet kitchen.
Looking over at Issy with a thoughtful expression, she opens the notebook to a fresh page, tapping the pen against the paper as she outlines their options.
“I’ve already put brisket on the list and figured we could also have hot dogs and burgers since there’ll be kids here, too.
It’s always safer to have something quick and simple for the little ones. ”
“That’s a good and safe place to start,” Issy replies.
“So, we’ll need sides for all of that. Baked beans, roasted corn on the cob, pasta or macaroni salad?
I feel like the men will spend more time drinking as they wax poetic about past times in the club, but I also want to make sure that we’re able to feed those who will eat. ”
“I feel like Big Daddy will come,” Maria says, “since he’s the national president for the club. I wish I could remember how many men came with him the last time he was here, but I’m drawing a blank.”
“It’s not like the food will go to waste,” I add.
“This is true,” Issy muses, tapping her chin as she looks around the kitchen. “Okay, then let’s put a grocery list together and send the prospects out to shop. I’ll go check the guest rooms and see if they need extra towels or anything else for the bathrooms.”
“I checked them already and have what’s needed on this list,” Maria says, pulling a memo pad’s width piece of paper out of her apron pocket. “All the sheets have been changed and the rooms refreshed, too.”
“Y’all… I don’t even know what to say,” Issy replies, her eyes welling up with tears.
“No need to say anything,” Constance states, “y’all, this club, these brothers, they’re all family.
When something like this happens, we all pitch in to make sure things get taken care of.
So, the guest rooms are now ready for more family to arrive, which means all we have to worry about is the food part. ”
By the time the brothers leave church in search of sustenance, we’ve sent the three prospects to the store to get the food and alcohol we think we’ll need. Since we were already in the kitchen, we helped Constance and Maria fix lunch.
“You look so tired,” I murmur to Doc as he leans in to kiss me before making his plate, the heavy exhaustion of the long day clearly visible in the slump of his shoulders and the faint strain in his posture.
“I feel like I could fall asleep sitting up,” he admits, running a weary hand over his face as he looks down at the food. “There’s still so much to be done, though,” he adds softly, his voice trailing off as he contemplates the remaining tasks ahead.
“Not really. We sent the prospects to get the food and alcohol, Maria and Constance have already set up the guest rooms, and before they left, the prospects cleaned the common room,” I reply.
“The only thing we didn’t know was how many to expect, so the prospects might have to go get more once we get a better count. ”
“Old ladies to the rescue,” he teases.
“As Constance said, he was family and we take care of family,” I say. “Do you have anything after we eat? I think you need a nap.”
“I was planning on one if you’ll join me,” he replies. At my raised brow, he smirks and adds, “To sleep, baby, because my get up and go has got up and gone.”
Despite the somber atmosphere, my giggles break free. Maybe it’s because a stress breaker is needed, I’m not really sure, but soon, his chuckles are joining mine. It takes a while to calm down, too, because every time we look at each other, we start up again.
“Y’all go get some rest, gonna be a busy few days,” Rio announces.
“Seems the women got the ball rolling with what we’ll need for the wake as far as eats and drinks go, so outside of getting wood chopped and the grills ready for barbecuing, we’re pretty much good to go.
East Texas will be rolling in tomorrow, and Big Daddy is gonna let me know when they hit the road. ”
I nod as though I understand everything he’s saying, but I obviously don’t, which has Doc nudging me. “Shush, you. I know you’ll explain when we get upstairs,” I whisper.
“Definitely. C’mon, sweetheart, let’s go fade away for a little bit,” he says, taking my hand in his.
Once upstairs, I put something comfortable on and crawl into bed, only to have him pull me into his arms. “Doc, I need to get settled,” I huff.
“Trying to help is all,” he teases. He finally gets me where he wants me, and trust me, I will not complain and I snuggle into him, my leg thrown over his thigh.
“I’m guessing that you never came back to bed last night after I fell asleep,” I murmur.
“I’m sorry,” he replies.
I pat his chest and say, “Please don’t apologize, you were where you needed to be, Doc. I obviously didn’t know him all that well, but the ladies were filling me in on him. He sounds like he had a unique personality.”
He chuckles while nodding. “Yeah, he could be a bit of an odd duck, but he was a loyal brother until the very end. He just didn’t want all of the brothers fussing over him while he was going through treatment.”
“Makes sense, it had to be difficult for him to go through it alone, though.”
“He told Rio early on, but swore him to secrecy,” he replies, sounding distraught. “The only reason I found out is I didn’t think Pokey looked good and asked Rio what was going on. Pokey relented finally and let me help him from a medical standpoint.”
“Hopefully, he didn’t try to downplay his pain so you could help him find some sort of relief toward the end,” I state. “Somehow, that sounds like something a badass biker would try to do.”
His chuckle is mirthless, but he says, “He tried, but you know as an LPN that there are ways to tell.”
Sighing, I snuggle into him and state, “Yeah. Just hate it for him, cancer sucks. He didn’t seem to be all that old, either.”
“Late fifties, early sixties, I think,” he replies. “Let’s get some sleep, sweetheart, I’m wiped out.”
“Works for me,” I say as I lean up and kiss the underside of his chin. “Sleep well, Doc.”
“Who knew a three-hour nap would revive you so well?” I tease as Doc moves over me.
“I’m quick to recover,” he pants out. “And if you’re still talking normally, I’m not doing something right.”
With that, he changes the rhythm of his thrusts and soon, the only thoughts flying through my head are the ones that end in -asm, and when mine hits, all I can keen out is, “Doc!” as I shatter into a million pieces.