Chapter 16 #3
Kelly was not surprised in the slightest that her mom had traveled with the club brothers down to Texas.
Ghost might be in charge of the club, but Ruth was a force of nature.
And no one got between a Jewish mother and her baby.
Per Angel, even with Ruth’s physical limitations, she’d practically bowled through the club in her haste to get to the airport gate.
All the ol’ ladies sent their love, but they stayed behind with the club kids to offer the brothers more speed for their arrival.
To prevent bed sores, Grumpy was rotated between lying on his stomach with his neck supported by a wedge pillow and being propped up on his right side. He was also on a special mattress that used air pressure to help distribute his weight.
Kelly had not left his side since returning to his room to find he’d woken up the day before. The only time she’d done so was to use the bathroom, but thankfully he had not woken up during her absence. Kelly also had no intention of ever telling him.
The hospital staff did not seem to know what to make of the club.
They didn’t just stand around like sentinels or statues, either.
In addition to rotating between ensuring someone was always with Maddie, Kelly, and Ruth, they put themselves to work throughout the hospital.
They helped out the orderlies, janitors, security officers, family members of victims trying to find their loved ones, and answered phones to free up the nurses.
While Bear’s RN license did not work outside of Pennsylvania, the declared state of emergency allowed him to be more hands-on with actual patients.
Cage even traded his cut for a candy striper outfit that he’d apparently found buried in a storage closet.
It barely fit him, but the women patients, and some of the men, got to appreciate his tanned, heavily tattooed exposed skin as a much needed distraction.
Kelly was amazed Angel allowed this, but the other woman just shrugged. “They can look at what’s mine all they want,” she’d explained easily. Then her expression turned very dark. “But the second they try to touch, they’ll wish they hadn’t survived that tornado.”
The burn specialist, Dr. Buckner, who had done Grumpy’s original grafts, was on his way with another doctor.
Keys arranged for them to be flown in, but per the phone call Kelly had overheard between Keys and Ghost, it wasn’t Keys who was paying for their trip.
Kelly suspected it was the Grovetons, Sophia’s parents, who were footing the bill.
Both doctors would be arriving the following day and be with Grumpy through his transportation back to Pennsylvania.
Maddie was getting stronger, but she would still be under careful watch for some time.
Dr. Pedaleck, the OB in Mount Grove who had seen all the ol’ ladies through their pregnancies, was already informed of Maddie’s arrival and her condition.
It was Dr. Lisbon’s hope that Maddie would be able to be discharged the day after tomorrow.
Once the burn specialists were able to assess Grumpy’s condition, the club would have a more accurate timeframe for their return home.
With the additional care Grumpy was going to need, and Kelly no longer able to do any heavy lifting on his part, Kelly and Grumpy were going to need to have a conversation about living arrangements.
Them being together wasn’t up for debate or discussion, but where was the real question.
Neither of their homes were a viable option anymore, Kelly’s due to being a bedroom short and Grumpy’s because of the amount of stairs.
The clubhouse seemed like the best choice until they could build a home in the spring, but would Maddie and Ruth be okay with that?
Grumpy and Kelly couldn’t move into the clubhouse and leave Maddie and Ruth in Kelly’s house because it would be unfair to Maddie to put Ruth’s mobility issues on her.
And to be honest, Kelly would feel better having a doctor a few houses down from them.
However, Grumpy wasn’t up for that discussion. He was managing one or two word answers. And where they would live wasn’t as important as the fact that they were alive. It was a conversation that could be saved until Grumpy was stronger.
Having Kelly and Maddie nearby, even if they were just talking quietly between themselves, did wonders for Grumpy.
The doctors put up with Grumpy not letting Kelly leave his side because it kept him calm without requiring further sedation.
He wasn’t happy when Maddie had to leave, but Kelly knew he would rather she be rested and healing in her own room than with him unnecessarily.
Grumpy unconditionally trusted his club to keep her safe.
Maddie just returned to her own room to take a nap when Keys poked his head into Grumpy and Splinters’ room. “Hey, is now a good time?”