CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Noah
“I think as long as you take the time to let yourself recover, you’ll be fine, Noah,” Dr. Nettle states, gently patting my shoulder. He turns to Livvy, raising his chin. “Make sure he stays on oxygen and a course of antibiotics for his wounds and burns.” He turns back to face me. “The burns are superficial and should heal reasonably quickly. But if they worsen, I need you to come back and see me. As for the bullet wound in your arm, the removal was easy, there’s no shrapnel left, and the wound should heal in a few weeks. Just like everything else, keep up with your antibiotics, and no heavy lifting for a while.”
I nod through my mask. “You got it, Doc.”
“You were lucky today, Noah. This was a close call. Any longer exposure in that room, you and Wes wouldn’t be here.”
Swallowing hard, I think about Rhyan in this hospital. The thought that I might not have made it out of that building, leaving her to wake up alone after everything she has been through, is fucking terrifying.
I don’t want that for her.
My only hope now is once I get back to the clubhouse, that I can figure all this shit out with Dutch, and we can find a workaround.
For Rhyan’s sake.
“Thanks for taking care of me, Doc. Appreciate it,” I reply.
He smiles, turns, and walks out of the room.
Livvy smirks down at me, sticking a bandage to my cheek. “I’ll come by the clubhouse to take out the sutures in your cheek in about six days. The ones in your leg will come out in about ten. As for your lungs, I need you to keep the oxygen on for me.”
My eyes meet hers, and I cough. “Fine. But Liv, tell me… how’s Rhy doing?”
Her hand gently caresses my forearm. “You concentrate on your recovery right now, Noah. You’re no good to Rhyan if you can’t breathe.”
My pulse begins to race, so I sit higher. “Livvy, that doesn’t help. I need to know. Is she okay?”
Movement at the door causes us to turn to Alpha, who is stepping into the room. He smiles at Livvy, and she glances back to me, letting out a long exhale. “Rhyan is going to be fine. But you won’t be if you don’t rest. I know what you brothers are like, so I need you to hear me when I say you are to rest, Noah.”
“I hear you,” I reply, my voice muffled by the oxygen mask, making it appear more like a groan.
Livvy turns to face Alpha, and she gestures for him to come in. “I’m going to check on Wes, but I’ll be back during my next rounds. Call me if you need me.”
Alpha dips his head at his ex before she walks out of my room, and he steps beside my bed. “You did good tonight, Noah.”
“Nearly got Wes and Mav killed. And I have no clue how Atlas is doing. Yeah, real fucking good, Pres.”
Alpha reaches out for a chair and pulls it up alongside my bed, taking a seat. “Way I see it, Noah, your girl had just been assaulted, you had just lost your patch, and you had the threat of what Dutch was going to do if he found out about New York hanging over your head. I sent you to bring me back the one man you’re desperate to kill, and I demanded he be unharmed…” He pauses before continuing, “Noah, from what Ink has told me, you not only saved Maverick from being buried alive, you took a bullet while doing so. Then, ran into a chemical explosion and singlehandedly pulled Wes and Atlas to safety.” Alpha shakes his head. “You could have left Atlas in there and tried to help Wes, but you did what I asked and got Atlas back, too, risking your health in the process. I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s fucking heroic.”
After swallowing hard, I slowly nod my head in understanding. “Is Wes okay?”
“He’s gonna make a full recovery because of you. Sadie and Mav are by his side now while he receives oxygen and burn treatments.”
Relaxing my tight muscles, I cough. “And Atlas?”
“We have that bastard on oxygen in the back of the van. We don’t give a shit about his burns. He can suffer. I need him to be able to breathe, which he is doing perfectly fine. You did your job, Noah, and you did it well. And because of that, I’m not gonna take the decision to the rest of the club… I’m choosing to reinstate your patch. Welcome back, brother.”
Widening my eyes, I let out a small laugh, instantly followed by a cough.
Alpha places his hand on my chest. “Take it easy, okay?”
Deeply inhaling, I grip his hand on top of my chest. “Thank you, Pres. You don’t know what this means to me.”
He drops his chin. “I do… but you deserve a place in this club, Noah. And as for Dutch and New York, your secret stays with me, Mav, and Loki.”
Adrenaline surges through me, my heart beating so fucking fast I hear the monitor alarm for a second or two and then stop. “I owe you.”
Alpha shakes his head. “No. You don’t. What you’ve just done, saving Mav and Wes, pulling Atlas out of a death trap, even though you could have left him there to die, that was your debt paid to me. We’re square, Prospect. You just have to heal now.”
“Then I have one more favor to ask of you, Pres.”
He narrows his eyes, a frown crossing his features. “Go on?”
“I need to see Rhyan,” I demand, pulling at my mask and moving to get out of bed.
Alpha instantly stops me, pushing on my chest to keep me on the bed. “Mask on, Prospect.”
“Alpha… if it were Haven in here hurt like Rhyan is, wouldn’t you do anything to ensure she’s okay? Wouldn’t you fight like hell to see her?” I ask him.
He scrubs at his face, letting out a groan. “Fuck. Okay. But you’re keeping your oxygen with you. I’ll carry the tank. We gotta watch out for Livvy because I do not want to get on her bad side.”
I let out a small laugh but immediately start coughing as I slide off the edge of the bed.
Alpha helps me, shaking his head. “This is a fucking bad idea,” he mumbles under his breath, but I ignore him as he reaches for my oxygen tank, lifting it. I disconnect the monitors attached to me, grab my IV pole and portable oxygen, and begin walking with Alpha while he leads me through the ward toward Rhyan’s room.
My hospital gown makes me feel like a fucking idiot as we walk the short distance. I spot the other guys spread out between the various rooms, obviously guarding Wes and Rhyan.
“Good to see you up and about, Noah. Your ass hairs weren’t singed in that fire though by the looks of it, brother,” Eggs teases.
The guys chuckle as I glance behind me, noting my gown open at the back, and my ass out on full display.
Alpha smirks, stepping in behind me grabbing the ties and begins pulling them together for me.
I nod at him. “Thanks, Pres.”
He tilts his head at me as Ink chuckles. “Nice to see you’re a redhead everywhere, Prospect.”
I roll my eyes while Alpha huffs. “All right, all right, cut the shit. The kid’s not in the mood for your ribbing right now, so shut the fuck up, or do something useful and help him in to see his girl.”
Weaver stands, and gently grips my shoulder. “In all honesty, Noah, you had us worried for a moment there.”
Through my oxygen mask, I manage a small smile and look over all the guys sitting in the hall. “Can’t keep Defiance down,” I reply, and they all grin back at me.
Alpha gestures for me to keep moving, and I turn, edging toward Rhyan’s room. I get to her door, and then stop, standing at the entry, peering in to see Dr. Nettle talking to Dutch and Ellie. Rhyan is in bed, and I hesitate in the doorway, waiting for a signal to enter once the doctor is finished talking to them. However, my anxiety is building to an all-time high, and all I want is to run in there and hold Rhyan and tell her that I will make everything okay. My heart beats frantically as I move from foot to foot. Alpha’s hand presses on my back, trying to calm me. But then Dutch turns and spots me, giving me the signal that I have been begging for.
Not wasting a second, I take off inside her room, Alpha following closely behind. My breathing is fast, even though I am wearing a fucking mask, and I move beside the bed—Rhyan’s curled in a tight ball. The sounds of her sobs rip at my chest as I lean over, gently touching her arm. She flinches, jerking away from me, snapping her head around to see who’s touching her, and I raise my hands in surrender. “It’s just me, dragonfly. It’s Noah.”
Her eyes widen when she spots me. Rhyan’s shaking and sweating profusely, but she shifts on the bed, making room. Her hands reach for me, and she pulls me to sit on the edge of the bed with her. Her hands snake around me as soon as I sit, and I have no choice but to lie beside her. Wrapping my arm around her, she cuddles into my chest, her entire body shaking against me while my hand slides into her hair. My heart pounds as my eyes shift to Dutch, expecting to see anger in his eyes, but all I see is acceptance.
He simply nods and turns, walking out of Rhyan’s room. I let out a long breath while Alpha leans in and grips my shoulder. “We’ll be right outside if you need us.”
“Thanks, Pres.”
He glances at Rhyan, then back to me, and nods before leaving the room. Rhyan’s tears soak into my hospital gown while she cries on my chest. Her fingers clench my clothes as she writhes against me. My heart breaks seeing her like this. “I’m here, dragonfly. I’m not going anywhere.” I yank this fucking oxygen mask off me, tossing it aside, so I can press my lips to her head.
Ellie sniffles from the other side of the room, my eyes snapping up. To be honest, I forgot she was still in here. “What are the doctors saying, Ellie?” I ask because Rhyan clearly isn’t talking.
Ellie clears her throat. “She’s coming down off the heroin. When she first came to us, she couldn’t feel anything. No pain, nothing, because she was euphoric. Now, though, she feels everything. Physically, emotionally… it’s overwhelming for her.”
My top lip curls in anger as I hold Rhyan a little tighter, my breathing quickening, my chest tightening. “Any signs of…” I hesitate because I’m not sure if I want to know the answer, but I continue, “… abuse?” I clench my eyes, dreading Ellie’s answer. I’ve wanted the answer to this question since Rhyan was dropped off at the clubhouse.
Ellie sighs. “Thankfully, the doctors say even though Atlas branded her inner thigh, there doesn’t appear to be any signs of trauma.”
My entire body shudders as I try to hold in my relief. Letting out a small cough, I finally open my eyes, my fingers caressing through Rhyan’s hair, and I hold her tightly to my body. She whimpers with my force, and I instantly loosen my grip, but she continues to hold me.
“You’re gonna be okay, baby. You’re gonna be okay,” I whisper.
She slowly glances up at me. Her glistening eyes meet mine, and her fingers trail over the bandage covering my cheek. Her bottom lip trembles as her eyes dart past me. She reaches over me, grabs my oxygen mask, and slowly slides it back on my face.
Weakly smiling, I caress the side of her face. “I’m okay,” I reassure her.
She places her head down on my chest and cuddles into me again, holding on so damn tight.
Wrapping my arms around her, I finally start to relax.
As long as we have each other, we’ll be okay.