Chapter 10
I was relieved that Tiago and I got Paige to agree to a week.
It would give us time to work on her.
We had no intention of letting her leave after a week.
And I sure the hell wasn’t allowing her to leave St. Aug until we had all the answers. After watching her interact with my best friend, I came to a few conclusions.
First, she was a caring individual with a sharp wit and a sense of humor.
She wasn’t easily rattled.
Second, she knew what she was doing as a nurse, and Tiago would only benefit from her care.
Third, the more I was in her presence and not focused on trying to hate her, the more attracted I found myself. I shouldn’t be surprised, though.
The truth was, back when she was sixteen and I was twenty-three, I knew she would grow into a sexy, stunning woman.
If she hadn’t been responsible for what happened with my best friend and underage, I would’ve thought about asking her out.
I’d seen Paige around town before the night of the accident.
She’d caught my attention. Her smile and the way her strawberry-blond hair shone in the sunlight were enough to make you stop. I noticed the way guys looked at her.
Now that I’d seen her up close, she was even more stunning.
The freckles scattered delicately across her nose and cheeks were like golden flecks.
Her eyes were sometimes blue, then changed to green depending on her mood.
As for her body, Paige was curvy and thick in all the right places.
She was voluptuous with a capital V.
She hadn’t worn anything provocative around me, but I wanted to peel away her clothing to see all her pale skin and that body underneath.
What was she hiding? I knew she had one tattoo. It was on her inner left forearm. It was a crescent moon with roses and what appeared to be stars and either diamonds or mountain-like peaks. I was curious if she had more. I wanted to ask her what it represented. Tattoos were personal. I knew all of mine were.
Today and last night, she’d been dressed in a casual T-shirt and jeans.
The only other clothing I’d seen her in was her scrubs at work.
I’d never seen her with much makeup on, though she did wear some jewelry.
I saw a Claddagh ring and double-pierced ears. She wore a pair of studs and a pair of dangling earrings. The only other thing she wore was a watch.
I liked that she wasn’t fussy or overly obsessed with her hair, face, and clothes.
I’d been with women who took two or more hours to prepare to leave the house.
They had so much product in their hair that you couldn’t touch it.
Their makeup was put on with a trowel. Paige let her freshness shine through.
I’d been feeling guilty over Tiago, pissed at the world, and then to have the girl who I’d been secretly checking out and, in the back of my mind, was waiting for her to turn eighteen had crushed and infuriated me.
Looking back, I knew that I took out so much on poor Paige that she didn’t deserve, even if the wreck was her fault.
She’d been a kid.
I’d harassed her mercilessly. I wasn’t looking forward to telling the club how I acted. And I wished to make up for it to her, if possible.
I hated seeing her leave Tiago’s house, but was relieved she’d return that evening.
I intended to be there when she did.
I went to the club’s garage and completed as much work as possible.
I sent Liam to fetch the items Paige had said were needed for T. He delivered them to me. I was using their delivery as my excuse to be there tonight. The hours seemed to crawl by. At five o’clock, I almost ran to my bike. The others were finishing up, and whoever was the last one out would lock up.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Turbo asked.
He was mounting his bike.
“I’ve got to see Tiago.
I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told him.
Without waiting for him to say more, I started my bike, revved the engine, and shot out of the parking lot.
I weaved through the afternoon rush hour, paying attention.
The last thing I wanted was to end up in an accident.
Even then, I had a close call with an inattentive driver.
By the time I arrived, I was ready to smack heads together.
People needed to watch what the fuck they were doing.
I parked in T’s garage like I had this morning.
I hadn’t wanted to scare Paige off. I had a key to his house, so I didn’t have to wait for him to let me in. I unlocked the door between the garage and the house.
As I entered, I yelled, “Honey, I’m home!”
“I’m in the kitchen, Boo Bear,” Tiago’s falsetto voice called back.
Shaking my head, I removed my boots and traipsed into the room.
“You had to go and make it weird,” I joked.
“What the hell, man? You come in here yelling that.
What if I had a woman in here banging her brains out? Christ, you’re cramping my style,” he grumbled.
“Style? Since when have you had style or game?” I teased.
He gave me the middle finger.
“Fuck you.
Just for that, you can leave.
I’ll entertain the delectable Paige alone.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Immediately, my good mood vanished. I scowled at him.
“Tiago, you’d better not do that,” I warned.
“Why? In case you missed it, buddy.
Paige has it all happening.
Brains, looks, humor, and the body.”
Glaring at him, I slammed the bag with his purchases on the kitchen island.
My temper was rising.
The thought of him with Paige enraged me.
I wanted to punch him in the face and threaten him.
He gave me a puzzled look.
“What the hell flipped your switch? One second, you’re joking.
Next, you appear ready to kill.
Did someone shit on your bike?”
“I don’t like you saying crap like that about her, that’s all.”
“Why?”
“I just don’t.”
“There’s got to be a reason.
I mean, come on, I might be crippled, but I’m still a man, and everything important still works.
You told me I should find a woman, settle down, and have kids.
Paige might just be the perfect woman for me.”
“Not her!” I roared as I slammed my fist on the island.
His puzzlement changed to a smile.
“That’s what I thought.
You’ve got it bad for Paige.
When did that happen? Why didn’t you say something?”
The flash of fury receded as fast as it hit with his new tone.
I yanked out a stool and dropped onto it.
I lowered my forehead into the palm of one of my hands.
“Son of a bitch, what’s wrong with me, T? I want a woman who has every right to hate my guts and want me dead.
After all the stuff I did to her, she should shoot me on sight,” I groaned.
“Come on, you were an asshole at the hospital, but I don’t think they were killing offenses.
Ass kicking, sure, but not death.”
“I’d agree if that was the only thing I did to her,” I mutter softly.
“What does that mean? What else did you do? And when?” his humorous mood changed to serious.
Slowly, I confessed the things I did to her after his accident.
I was ashamed of them, but he needed to know.
He hissed and swore a few times.
By the time I was done, the silence was tense. I anxiously waited to hear what he had to say.
“You’re a fucking dumbass! How could you? She was a kid, Scorpion.
We’ve all done stupid shit as teens and even adults.
Don’t you think she suffered enough with her guilt?” he hollered.
“At the time, no, I didn’t.
And I wasn’t thinking of her as being a kid.
I saw her as the person who took my friend’s dreams away.
I was dealing with my guilt over not going with you all because of pussy, and then the fact that she was someone I’d already noticed. I was devastated to find out she was the driver.”
“You’d already noticed her and found her attractive?”
“I did, but she was underage.
I couldn’t say anything to her.
I was watching and waiting until she was eighteen, and then bam, you were hit.”
“Damn, you never said anything about her,” Tiago said.
“I felt a bit creepy.
I was an adult, and she was still a kid.
I wouldn’t make a move until she was old enough, but I wasn’t about to tell anyone, not even you,” I admitted.
“Based on your reaction, I see the draw still exists,” he stated.
“It’s even deeper than before.
I initially denied it and lashed out at her, but it’s there.
If by some miracle I could get her to forgive what I did and said, and she’d give me a chance, how would it make you feel?” I asked.
“Feel? Scorpion, if you’re asking if I would be upset if you were with the girl who put me in this chair? The answer is no.
Life is too short for that.
However, I can’t see being okay with you fucking her and then bailing.
If that’s your intention, then don’t. Paige is too good for that. She deserves someone to love and protect her, not to be used to get your cock wet.”
“That’s not what I want!” I snapped, then realized I was yelling.
“Sorry.
That’s not it at all.
Not that I should be even thinking about it.
She’d never go for me.”
“You don’t know that.
Show her the real Scorpion and let her decide then.
We all make mistakes.
We get older and hopefully learn from them,” T reminded me.
“True.
I’m anxious to find out if Micro discovers more about her family.
Maybe that’s a way to gain traction with her.
The brother stinks to high heaven. Diablo is convinced there’s more about that night than we know.” I’d told him yesterday about the conversation I had Friday night with the two of them about Micro’s findings.
“Whenever we’d talk when she was assessing me or doing wound care, we touched on a whole bunch of things, but never once did she mention her family.
I talked about the club, you, and Dad.
I don’t believe there’s any love lost there,” Tiago added.
“We’ll see.
Hopefully, it won’t take long.
Okay, enough talking about feelings and Paige.
She said she’d be here by seven. We need to get ready. Is everything else arranged? Do I need to do anything?” I asked him.
“Nope.
I placed the order, and it’ll arrive by seven-thirty.
Let’s pray that by showing her we’re not out to get her, she stays in St.
Augustine, especially if my best friend is all gaga for her.”
Tiago’s smirk and the way he stared at me made me give him the middle finger, which made him cackle.
He and I ensured the house was tidy and nothing needed to be done.
When we were finished, I removed the items from the bag as we waited for Paige to arrive.
Liam was able to get it all. I was reading the backs of the bottles and what they said they were used for. I was engrossed in those when we heard a car pull up outside.
“I’ll get it,” I told him.
I went to the door and opened it.
I wondered if she might need any help since she was bringing Fenrir with her this time.
I debated putting on my boots to see if she did when she came around the corner.
She carried the same bag she had this morning. Fenrir was trotting along beside her. He was checking things out with interest. He kept stopping to sniff things and then raised his leg to piss on them. I chuckled. She rolled her eyes.
“I swear, such a guy.
Gotta mark his territory everywhere he goes.”
“Hey, I resent that remark,” I protested.
“Why? Do you hike your leg up and piss on everything that you think is yours, too?” she smarted off.
“I guess you’ll have to wait and see,” I retorted.
My response made her giggle.
I took her bag when they reached me, although she tried to hang onto it.
Fenrir pushed his nose into my hand.
I let him smell me for a few seconds, then rubbed his head and under his chin.
“Hi there, Fenrir.
It’s good to see you again.
Let’s get you inside before your mom growls at you again for being a boy.”
Paige lightly punched my arm as she passed me.
I grinned.
I closed the door and locked it before following them to the kitchen.
That was where T was at. The light shone from there. Just as I knew he would, Tiago made over Fenrir. He did love animals, but especially dogs. I’d tried for years to convince him to get one. He thought it wouldn’t be fair since he couldn’t run and take it for walks. I kept telling him that it didn’t matter. Affection was what dogs wanted the most. He had that in spades.
“He’s handsome, Dragon Lady.
What breed is he? His fur is so fluffy and soft.” Tiago asked as he rubbed Fenrir’s head and back, resting on his lap.
Fenrir’s eyes were closed.
“He’s a mix of a Pomeranian and a Border Collie.
He does make for a soft pillow if you can get him to lie still or just stroke his coat while you relax,” she said, smiling down at her dog.
“I wouldn’t mind that.
Can we get you something to drink? I have more of that lemonade,” he tempted her.
“Damn, you know I can’t say no to that.
Yes, please.
I can get it if you tell me where your glasses are.”
“I’ll get it.
T, do you want some?” I asked as I went to the cabinet where he had his drinkware.
“I’d rather have some water,” was his answer.
As I prepared those, T and Paige chatted about how the rest of their days went.
Tiago spent the majority of his time in bed.
The prospects came over and helped with the repositioning of the pillows.
Thankfully, Tiago could still feel when he needed to go to the bathroom, so he had control over his bowels and bladder. He was lucky since many paraplegics couldn’t. He was able to get up and down to do that.
After handing out the drinks, I sat at the island beside Paige.
Tiago was across from us.
I made sure to get as close as possible without molding myself to her.
The occasional brush of an arm or leg would be seen as accidental, but they weren’t. Paige told us about the remainder of her day.
“I did some laundry.
Then, I sent out more resumes to jobs I found online and took Fenrir for a long walk.
You know, just a bunch of things.
Oh, and I paid a couple of bills online. The excitement almost killed me,” she said facetiously.
“Goddamn, how did you survive all that grueling work?” Tiago asked.
She laughed.
“I know.
It’s because I’m a dragon.
What about you, Scorpion? How was your day after you went back to the garage? Or did you go home?”
I was happy to have her ask me a direct question, even if it was about something ordinary.
“I went to the garage.
It was all paperwork, which isn’t my favorite, though necessary.
I did have an interesting incident, I guess you’d call it.
A customer brought in his Mustang a couple of days ago. He said it wasn’t running right. It would just quit on him, and he didn’t know what was wrong with it. He said he wanted it fixed no matter what. One of our mechanics, Henna, worked on it. She’s the best mechanic we have. Henna found a crap load of things that needed to be fixed. We’d called and told him what was found and the estimated cost, which wasn’t cheap. The guy gave us the go-ahead to fix all of it. Henna finished the car in record time, and he came today to pick it up.
“He was asking to speak to the mechanic, so Henna went to talk to him.
The asshole threw a fit because a woman worked on his precious Mustang.
He insisted that it would have to be redone since there was no way she had done it right.
He demanded we not only have a male mechanic go over everything to fix what she messed up but also give him a significant discount for the inconvenience of us having it longer due to our negligence.”
“Oh, I bet that went over well with Henna,” Tiago chuckled.
“You know it.
She went off on him and told him it wouldn’t have needed all those repairs if he knew how to drive and care for his car.
She dared him to find a mechanic better and told him if he didn’t want to have to fart to blow his horn from now on, he’d better get out of her sight.” All three of us were laughing at this point.
It took a minute to calm down and talk.
“Oh, I love her, and we’ve never met.
What did the guy say?” Paige asked, grinning.
“He sputtered and tried to act tough.
Henna was mean-mugging him.
The other mechanics gathered to watch and cheered her on to give the guy an attitude adjustment.
Finally, after we’d had our fun, I told him that if he didn’t pay his bill, he’d have to deal with me and the club. He begrudgingly did it. Then he told me he’d never use us again and would tell everyone not to. I laughed and said he should go for it if he could find someone as good as Henna. But not to come crawling back to us because he wouldn’t be serviced again. He took off out of the lot, squealing his tires.”
“Dumbass.
Henna is a beast.
She’s like Dragon Lady here.
She takes no shit or prisoners. I heard you told your administrator and Scorpion, ‘fuck both of you.’ I wish I’d been there,” Tiago chuckled.
The smile on Paige’s face slid off.
She appeared uncomfortable.
Damn, T, why did he mention that? Before I could brush it off, she answered.
“I did.
I was upset, and I shouldn’t have said it.
I’m sorry, Scorpion.”
“Don’t say sorry to me.
I deserved what you said and more.
I’m the one who’s regretful and will make up for all the shit I’ve done to you — present and past.”
I stared hard at her, hoping she’d read between the lines and know I meant for the awful stuff I did years ago.
I think she got the message because of the way her face colored, but she didn’t say anything in reply.
I wondered if she knew of the secret stuff I did, not just what I said to her face.
Instead, she changed the subject.
“Tiago, did you get those supplies and supplements?”
Knowing I’d have to broach the topic again later, I pointed to the counter across the kitchen.
“Yes, he did.
It’s all there.”
She stood and walked over to check them out.
I followed her.
She gave me a startled look when I crowded close.
I pretended it was to see the writing on the bottles.
“Does this stuff work?” I asked.
“Yes, it does.
When you combine it with increased protein and other nutrients in your diet, it dramatically shortens the healing time.
However, you must do the actual wound care and stay off the areas to allow the blood to bring all those wonderful nutrients to your wound.”
“You said the doctors should leave it to the nurses to order wound care.
Why? Don’t they get this training and knowledge in medical school?” I asked.
“No, they don’t.
Basics of it, yes.
As nurses, we get the basics too, but we learn, or most of us do, what works after we get into the real world.
Some of us take extra training and classes to learn even more. Most doctors will defer to whatever the nurse recommends, unless you get the egotistical ones who see us as beneath them. Interns and residents have to be enlightened often.”
“You love this stuff, don’t you?” Tiago asked from the island.
“I admit, I do.
I love to see something go from terrible to healed.
You have physical proof that the care you provided mattered.
I take classes as often as I can.”
I could hear the excitement in her voice.
She did love it.
I had an idea.
“If you adore it so much, are there jobs where that’s all you do? And is there anything else you’ve excelled at or wouldn’t want to do?” I asked.
“Yes, there are jobs where you become a treatment nurse or a wound consultant.
I’d adore being one of those, but they’re hard to find.
I’m skilled in dialysis and was part of the DIVA team at the hospital.”
“Did you say you were part of the DIVA team?” Tiago asked before I could.
She smiled.
“Yes, it stands for Difficult IV Assist team.
For patients with veins you can’t find to get an IV in, I’m part of a team of clinicians who can.
Even if we have to do a cutdown to get to one to insert.”
My admiration for her kept growing by leaps and bounds.
Was there anything she couldn’t do?
“And what would you never want to deal with?” T prompted.
“God, please don’t put me on a ventilator unit.
I hate trach care.
Mucus is my kryptonite.
Ugh, the thought makes me gag. I could never be a respiratory therapist.”
The way she gagged and shuddered made Tiago and me chuckle, which earned us her tongue stuck out at us.
We laughed harder.
She shoved me, but playfully.
I didn’t move more than half an inch, making her glare harder at me. Our fun didn’t last past that because she decided it was time to take care of T’s wounds.
“Alright, boys, it’s time to get down to business.
I want you to take these supplements starting tomorrow.
I’d take one of each twice a day.
And I’ve brought you a handout on what your diet should look like. I can get groceries for anything you need and don’t have. If you’re okay with it, after I change your dressings, I’ll inspect your fridge and pantry to make up your list.”
“You can peruse anything you want, and the list-making is great.
However, you don’t need to do the shopping.
We’ll order online and have one of the club’s prospects pick them up and deliver them for us.
A perk of being MC family,” Tiago told her, winking.
“That’s a great perk.
I guess we should see how your ulcers did today, and then I’ll rummage through the kitchen,” she replied.
He nodded.
As they headed down the hall to his room, I ambled along behind them.
She didn’t say anything.
It was a repeat of earlier today, of him getting on the bed, and his sweats coming down to see the bandages. He didn’t tease her about his ass, though.
The bandage wasn’t stained like it had been.
When she eventually removed it, I saw the extra gauze she used on them had soaked it up.
It still looked like a bunch to me.
She cleansed them and then studied the open areas for a minute or more.
“Is everything okay?” Tiago asked anxiously.
“It is, but we have to stay on top of it.
I can’t stress enough the need for supplements, nutrition, offloading the pressure, and doing this care twice daily.
I don’t want it to become infected again.”
“With you helping me and watching out for me, I have no doubt they’ll heal,” he assured her.
I let them talk as she swiftly did her work.
In hardly any time, she was done and clearing away her supplies.
Without waiting for her to do it, I reached over and tugged up his pants.
“Hey, I’d like her to do it.
She’s gentler, and it’s nicer to think of her near my bare ass rather than you,” he smarted off.
“Listen, buddy, over the years, I’ve been way close to your ass numerous times.
That ship has sailed.
Deal with it.
And I wasn’t rough, you big baby,” I snarked back.
“You two act like siblings the way you go after each other,” she said.
I took the opening without thinking: “Is this how you and your brother are? I recall you have an older one, right? Do the two of you do this?”
Instantly, her humor and joy disappeared from her face, and her expression became guarded.
Paige avoided my gaze and busied herself, straightening items in her bag.
“No, we’re not like that.
My brother, Paxton, is five years older than I am.
He and I were never close.
It’s the age difference.”
I knew the age excuse was a lie.
A glance at Tiago showed he was studying her.
He gave me an almost imperceptible chin lift, so I continued.
“That sucks.
T and I were born into the club.
According to our parents, we bonded as soon as we met: he was a newborn, and I was a three-month-old.
I wouldn’t know what to do without him. He’s my soul brother,” I admitted.
Sadness flickered over her face and then was gone.
“That’s nice.
You should never take it for granted.
Not even natural siblings often get that.
Well, I think I’m finished with this. Let me see what you have in the kitchen, and then I’ll get out of your hair. If it’s alright with you, Tiago, I’ll start those eight hours tomorrow.”
“That works for me.
Why don’t you do the grocery list tomorrow, and by afternoon, it can be picked up? And, like I said, bring Fenrir with you.”
He had been continually rubbing Fenrir, who was lapping it up.
The dog appeared to be ready to keel over into a dead sleep.
His eyes were slits.
“If I do that, you’re going to spoil him.
He’ll never leave,” she joked.
“He’s always welcome to stay with Uncle Tiago.
You’re so chill, buddy,” he crooned.
I was more determined than ever to get him a dog.
He could bitch all he wanted, but he needed one.
They discussed when she’d be here in the morning as he got himself repositioned and up in his chair.
I assured her I’d make sure he was situated before I left, and then he’d have help throughout the night until she arrived in the morning.
They agreed that eight o’clock worked for them both.
He was an early riser and would be up and dressed, though she did say she’d help him in any capacity he required. All he had to do was tell her what he needed.
According to my estimate, it was too soon for her to say goodnight, but she and Fenrir left.
This time, I walked her to the car.
It was dark, and even though Tiago lived in a safe area, you could never be too careful.
She seemed taken aback that I did this and opened her car door for her.
“Drive carefully,” I said.
“I will.
Good night.”
I watched until her taillights disappeared.
Then, I slowly walked into the house.
I had a lot of thinking and planning to do.