1. Prologue #3
Another two officers tackle the nasty man, but I don’t take my eyes off the officer who grunted.
My instinct kick in, seeing a large piece of glass sticking out of his side, surrounded by blood, and I don’t hesitate.
I run towards the scene, my sister’s, “Scottie, get back here now!” just barely audible and I ignore her and her stupid demands when she can see someone has been stabbed.
I go to the fallen officer who grabs hold of the glass but doesn’t pull it out.
Did I also mention that my dad wanted me to be a boy, so he called me Scottie?
I’m surprised I didn’t have trauma growing up, I tell yah…
***
“Well done, Dr. Aimes,” Dr. Thomas says as I scrub my hands and I give the older man a wide smile, making him chuckle, a laugh line appearing at the corner of his brown eyes.
Dr. Thomas is a club brother of the local MC, The Untamed Hell Fire’s MC and my mentor. He just let me stitch up the officer's skin after watching him remove the glass, which was, holy crap, it was amazing…
“That was thrilling,” I admit, “and so goddamn rewarding.”
Dr. Thomas chuckles, “It is thrilling and definitely rewarding,” before stating, “You were born for this role, Scottie.”
I throw my paper towel in the trash before saying, “Thank you,” and he grins, then nods to the door and says, “Go do the report,” and I grin even wider, not even upset about doing paperwork because I got to go into the OR, and I practically skip out the door, his laughter following.
***
Practically skipping into the ER with the officer's notes a few minutes later, I walk towards the reception desk, knowing I can do the write-up there before checking on his post-op. I pause when I spot my angry-looking sister.
Okay, so I may have forgotten about her, though I am surprised she’s still here an hour and a half later.
“Well, it is about fucking time!” she snaps, and I raise a brow.
“I was in the OR, Rach, you know, working…” I say slowly like she’s thick, and her nostrils flare.
Not quite sure what she’s so angry about when she knows I’m at work.
“And I needed to speak to you!” she huffs, and I roll my eyes and remind her, “I’m at work, and an officer was stabbed. Pretty sure that is more important than you needing to speak to me, when we barely talk.”
She looks around the room with disgust, making me tense, but laughter soon wants to spill as Julie states, “You know you may need to be seen by a doctor within these walls one day, so if I were you, I’d get that look off your face.”
Rachel glares at Julie, who doesn’t even flinch before looking at me, fuming, her once perfect curled dark blonde hair now frizzled out.
Whereas she and Lorenzo have Mama's hair color, I’ve taken after dad, having dark brown hair.
“I am late, and you have probably caused this on purpose because you are jealous that Kavan chose me!” she accuses and I blink.
Okay, so my sister has decided to be delusional today.
I chuckle, which hardens her glare, but I don’t take any notice.
“Okay, one, I am at work, you know where I’m helping to save lives just like I did with that officer?
Two, how can I purposely make you late for something when I didn’t even know you were going to show up?
Three, you didn’t have to wait around, I have a phone.
And four, you had an affair with my high school boyfriend then purposely trapped him because for some reason you hate my guts.
He didn’t choose you, you stole him even though you probably didn’t even want him, and he was pathetic enough to fall for your whoring ways,” I say as I round the desk and take a seat next to Julie, who is still staring daggers at my sister.
“Well, Kavan is waiting outside with Sammie, you need to take him for the night because I want some alone time with my husband,” she snaps, ignoring my fourth point, not surprising me because she does get called a lot of names around town.
People know what she and Kavan did, which is why he has to work an hour out of town but that didn’t stop the rumors following him.
“Bitch,” Julie mutters under her breath and I hum in agreement.
Why am I not surprised that she’s trying to ditch her child yet again and even waited an hour and a half to do it?
“What part of, I’m working, do you not understand?” I ask calmly as I open my folder, and she growls, “This isn’t even a proper job!” and I swear, my sister is delusional.
She saves criminals for a living from spending life in bars. I save everybody so they can live another day.
“Well, if you ever get hurt, Rachel, make sure you tell the doctor who will be attending to your needs that this isn’t a proper job,” I retort then state, “I’m not taking Sammie, I’m only on hour fifteen out of twenty-four so you need to leave and stop acting entitled every time you want to dump your child on me.
Especially when I have him most weekends when I’m not working,” I look at her, “Why not take him to his grandparents?”
Her cheeks redden, fury radiating from her, and I raise a brow.
Mama and Dad won’t take him, it was the one rule they set or should I say, Dad set because they had to watch him a lot while she was in law school and Kavan was going through his PhD.
As for me, as soon as I got my acceptance, I was out of my parents’ home and I haven’t gone back since.
Ignoring Rachel, I grab my pen and begin writing the report, causing her to growl. But she soon stomps off when Julie threatens, “If you do not leave, then I will have no choice but to call security, our doctors are very busy people!”
I don’t look up as she stomps off, muttering under her breath, and I don’t look up when Julie mutters, “Good riddance.” Instead, I focus on my work, as always, because that is all I have.
***
I groan as I walk into my home, quickly closing the door behind me before Felix, my four-year-old cat that I adopted, can get out. I hang my bag up, feeling utterly exhausted.
My back and feet hurt, a headache is forming, and I’m hungry, but instead of going to get some food, I know I need sleep because I have a night shift at the store tonight.
“I swear if I carry on like this, I’m going to pass out,” I grunt as I push off the door and walk into the living area with light green walls and a comfy cozy dark gray couch which I eye.
I notice Felix asleep, curled up and I know the little shit will scratch my arm if I try and lie with him, so I head for the stairs instead.
The boy prefers to come to me, but he hates it if I touch him before he tries to make me touch him with his nose.
What can I say, he’s a stray.
I check my phone as I walk up the stairs, but wince at the missed call and voicemail, and pause for a second.
“To listen or not to listen,” I murmur, knowing it’ll be Mama after I refused to take Sammie again while I’m at work, and I grunt, “Screw it,” and bring up my voicemail.
“You have one new message, message received yesterday at six fifteen pm,” the automated voice says before a beep, then my mother’s delightful, snide tone echoes.
“Scottie Sapphire Aimes!” she snaps, “How dare you refuse to have your nephew for your sister, all because you are still jealous over her relationship with Kavan! They are married, they are in love, and they want to try for another baby, you need to do the right thing!”
Another baby? Seriously?
Kavan has checked out of his marriage, she knows this, just like she knows he tries to corner me every chance he freaking gets.
I hear a sigh, and I know it’s my dad as she continues, “That job of yours is not as important as your nephew, and as a punishment for being selfish, you are banned from four family meals.”
I chuckle as my dad cuts in, “Ellie, she hasn’t attended family meals since Kavan and Rachel had an affair. What are you talking about?”
Why am I not surprised that she hasn’t noticed me at her dining table since before that?
“Marshall, stay out of this!” she snaps, and I sigh, already used to this song and dance where Mama will berate me and Dad will stick up for me but not make an effort to actually be a father.
“No, because you are talking rubbish. She was working, she fends for herself, she has to work hard whether it’s as a lawyer or a cleaner.
That is Scottie's job, her livelihood, because we don’t give her handouts like Rachel and Lorenzo.
Rachel was out of line to show up at her work when we all know Kavan doesn’t want any more kids with her.
Just like we know he wouldn’t have married her if she didn’t announce that she was pregnant.
So, hang up the goddamn phone and tell Rachel to stop trying to hand off Sammie when she made sure to get herself pregnant in order to hurt her sister in the first place! ”
“Why I ne–”
The phone beeps, cutting off Mama's shocked tone, and I shake my head and delete the message because, as I said, it’s the same song and dance.
Shaking my head, I continue to walk upstairs and head to my room, passing the room I decorated for Sammie.
I do have him a few weekends a month when I’m not working, the only time I give in because, well, it isn’t his fault his parents are neglectful.
I walk into my room with dark gray walls and a king-sized bed that I cannot wait to climb into after my shower.
Sleep for at least ten hours before I go to the store, ready for my night shift.
“Only two hundred and forty-nine thousand to go.”