Chapter 3
Hollywood
Aiden met us in the surgery department waiting room on the third floor. He’d texted Knight the info, and since Knight had insisted on driving my car because I was too jittery, I’d been the one to see the message come in.
He held a little girl in his arms. She was barely more than a baby.
Her face was still round, cheeks chubby.
Her red hair was bright even in the waiting room’s dim lighting that seemed designed to soothe people into a troubled sleep.
Her blue eyes looked huge and scared, but Aiden murmured to her softly, patting her back as he jiggled her on his hip, and she held on to him like he was her lifeline.
I came to a standstill, my heart in my throat.
Knight pressed his hand against my back, nudging me forward. “Go get your daughter.”
I expelled a big breath. I’d been fighting with Carrie for the right to see Ruby, but I’d really only seen her from a distance and the occasional social media photo. I was a stranger to her.
The hospital was so cold and sterile. This wasn’t how I’d wanted to meet Ruby. I’d imagined a park, the sun warm and bright, and Ruby’s gleeful giggle as I twirled her up into my arms.
Not…this.
“What if she doesn’t like me?” I asked.
It was a stupid question. She wasn’t even two and a half yet. It wasn’t as if she’d understand my crimes, much less judge them. But the approval of this little girl suddenly meant more than anything.
“She’s gonna love you,” Joyride said. “She just has to get to know you.”
I nodded. Swallowed the lump in my throat. “Right.”
Aiden watched us from across the room, but he didn’t come over. He let me take my time and gather my courage.
“Time to step up,” Knight murmured, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “You’re up to the challenge, and we’re here to help you.”
I nodded. Took a step forward. Then another. Once I was moving, I rushed forward, a sense of urgency taking over.
“How is she?” I asked Aiden.
I didn’t even know if I meant Ruby or Carrie. Fortunately, Aiden gave me both answers.
“Ruby is a little rattled, but she’s relatively unharmed except for this little scrape.
We’ve doctored her up.” He gestured to the small bandage on her tiny arm, and my heart ached.
If she was the one in emergency surgery, I wasn’t sure I could take it.
“Carrie is still in surgery. I’ll go back and try to get you an update. ”
He looked at me expectantly. Right. I should take Ruby off his hands so he could do that.
I ducked down to meet Ruby’s big blue eyes. “Hey, I’m your daddy. I’m going to take care of you for a little while, okay?”
I couldn’t tell if she understood, but she reached out one small finger and poked my nose. Then she giggled. Relief washed through me. She wasn’t too traumatized if she could be silly.
“Hey, that’s my nose!” I cried in mock outrage.
She giggled a little more. I spared a glance up at Aiden. “She really is adorable.”
Aiden smiled. “Yeah.”
I held out my hands and Ruby came willingly enough, letting me tuck her against my shoulder, her butt seated in the crook of my elbow. I hugged her close.
“I’ll go see what’s happening,” Aiden offered. “Is there any other family we can call?”
“Oh, shit—er…” I winced and glanced down at Ruby, who was watching our exchange. “Shucks, I mean. Carrie’s got a sister here. Kelly. I think I have her number buried in my phone somewhere.”
Mainly because she’d called to tell me off on Carrie’s behalf—but Aiden didn’t need to hear all my bullshit drama.
“Okay, why don’t you call her?” Aiden said. “Hopefully, I’ll have some good news to share by the time she gets here.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
Knight and Joyride had hung back, quiet shadows as Aiden and I spoke. As soon as he rounded the corner, leaving our sight, Ruby started crying.
“Aid—” she choked out.
Aw, she’d learned his name. I tried to jiggle her like he had. Patted her back. “It’s okay,” I murmured. “It’s okay.”
My heart pounded, saying it was very much not okay. I didn’t know the first thing about taking care of a toddler, much less one who must be confused and scared. Aiden had become her safe person, the port in the storm, and now he’d just walked out of sight, too.
I turned helplessly toward Knight. But for once, he wasn’t rushing to the rescue. He shrugged. “Only child.”
Joyride tickled her side, and she sucked in a surprised breath. Then broke into another set of wails.
He cringed. “Well, I tried.”
Okay, looked like it was up to me. I continued to jiggle and pat her gently as I walked toward the nearest bank of chairs. “It’s going to be okay, Ruby. Your mommy’s going to get better, and you’re going to be with her again. But for now, you’re safe with me. Safe with Daddy.”
Her cries had softened, and she was sniffling in between hiccupping sobs.
I sat down with her, bouncing her on one knee, and pulled out my phone.
She watched me thumb through my past calls, searching for the number that had come from Carrie’s sister.
I didn’t get a lot of calls from unidentified numbers, so it didn’t take long.
Ruby calmed down while she watched, distracted by the phone.
“Daddy’s going to make a phone call,” I told her. “You remember Aunt Kelly?”
“Kel,” she repeated dutifully, but I wasn’t sure if it actually meant she remembered her or not. At this age, who knew? She might. Or she might just be repeating after me.
I hit Call and lifted the phone to my ear. Ghost arrived in the waiting room and joined us. Knight filled him in on the very little we knew while I listened to the line ring.
Ruby sagged in my arms, eyes droopy. Poor thing had probably exhausted herself with that crying bout.
I doubted it was her first. A car accident was probably frightening, and then being separated from her mother, surrounded by strangers.
My heart ached for her, and I held her a little closer against my chest.
She leaned in against me, and one thumb made its way into her mouth. She sucked it gently. I wasn’t about to tell her not to take comfort where she could get it. I rubbed her back. “Yeah, you’re okay, Ru-Ru. Daddy’s got you.”
The line picked up on the third ring.
“Who is this? I’m not in the mood for—”
“Kelly, it’s Hendrix.”
“What the fuck do you want? You know what? I don’t even care. I’m not going to let you get to Carrie through me.”
“Wait! Don’t hang up.”
She hesitated. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“Carrie’s at the hospital. She’s been in an accident.”
“What?” She sucked in a sharp breath. “Ruby?”
“Ruby’s okay. She’s with me.”
“Carrie doesn’t want her with you,” she said sharply. “I’ll come get her. Shit. I just…the kids are down for the night. I’ll need a few minutes to get someone to watch them.”
My heart tumbled. Maybe this was what should happen. Kelly was a mother. Carrie would probably prefer that she keep Ruby. But when was I ever going to get another chance to know my little girl?
Was it selfish to want to be her father?
Ruby’s eyes fell shut, and she slept against me. My chest warmed, even though she was probably exhausted enough to sleep on anyone. Maybe when she woke up, she’d trust me more. See that I was still there for her. I didn’t want to hand her off like a stray bit of luggage.
“You should focus on Carrie,” I said. “She’s in emergency surgery. She’s going to need someone there when she wakes up.”
“How bad is it?” she asked.
“I don’t know. A doctor is supposed to come update me soon.”
“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
We ended the call, and I slumped back in the chair, my limbs suddenly heavy. I’d been running on adrenaline, shaking with it, but now there was nothing to do but wait and my body wanted to shut down.
“I don’t have any kid stuff,” I said. “No clothes or diapers or anything.”
Did she even wear diapers? I wiggled my arm. There was definitely some padding under her pants, so probably.
“We’ll figure that out,” Knight said. “Let’s just wait and see what Aiden says. We can help you with whatever you need.”
I snorted softly. “Like you helped me when she was crying?”
Ghost glanced between us. “What? Knight didn’t save the day?”
I smirked. “He looked more scared than Ruby.”
Joyride snickered. “I’ve never seen him so unsure before. It was weird.”
Knight rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth twitched up. “Guess you’ll just have to be the best dad here.”
I smoothed a stray bit of Ruby’s hair from her forehead, gazing down at her.
It was a strange feeling, holding something so precious, this life that I’d helped create.
Already, she meant more to me than any other creature on the planet.
I wondered how I’d gone all these months without realizing she was the center of my universe.
I’d wanted to be her dad. I’d tried to have a relationship.
But it had all been an abstract concept.
I had a daughter, and I should be part of her life.
I’d been unhappy when Carrie refused, when she insisted I’d only get to see Ruby if the courts made it happen.
An ex-con up against a strong single mom.
I didn’t have a chance of winning, and she knew it.
But here and now, finally holding Ruby in my arms, I couldn’t let her go again.
The guys made quiet chitchat while we waited for Kelly to arrive—or for Aiden to return with an update.
We were in limbo. Ruby slept, which was good.
Part of me wanted to wake her up, to see those bright eyes fixed on me, to show her I could be her person.
To maybe see a bit more of her personality come out.
Would she giggle again while I pretended she stole my nose?
Would she want to get down and explore the lobby or stick close?
Was she independent? Was she curious? Dozens of questions crowded my brain.
But Ruby was at peace now, and that was more important than my need to know my daughter better.
The energy of the room shifted as Kelly came in. She didn’t hesitate at all. Just rushed toward me, only stopping when she saw that Ruby was sleeping.
“Carrie?” she asked, voice tight.
“Still in surgery.” I waved a hand toward the guys. “Knight’s boyfriend is a doctor here. He’s going to update us soon.”
She glanced at Knight, eyes widening as she took him in. The leather and tattoos didn’t exactly say I date a doctor, so I got it. Her gaze flitted to Joyride and Ghost next.
I introduced them by name, but she didn’t really take it in. Instead, she just paced restlessly. “Why can’t they tell us something? Maybe I should go find someone.”
She started toward the door, but it swung open before she got there, and Aiden came in.
We all stood reflexively. Kelly glanced at me. “Is that—”
“Yes, that’s him,” I confirmed.
Ruby stirred, and I jiggled her in the hopes I could soothe her back to sleep. Kelly looked torn between snatching Ruby from me and getting information about her sister.
She finally turned to face Aiden. “What can you tell us?”
“Carrie’s still in surgery,” Aiden said.
“What’s happening? What are her injuries?”
“She’s in critical condition,” Aiden said softly. “There’s some internal bleeding from her crush injuries. Her ribs broke, and one punctured her lung. Her pelvis fractured in multiple places.”
“Oh my god.” Kelly clutched at her chest, and my chest tightened with a quiet echo of what she must be feeling. Kelly had never liked me, but she loved the hell out of her sister. “They can fix all that, right?”
“They can,” Aiden said. “The trauma team stabilized her, but now an orthopedic surgeon is performing an open reduction and internal fixation.”
“What does that mean?” Kelly asked.
Aiden looked sheepish. “Sorry. I’m used to the doctor jargon. It means they’ll operate to realign the bones of her pelvis, and if needed, they’ll use plates and screws to secure them in place.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Knight murmured.
“It’s not the easiest recovery,” Aiden said. “But she’ll get through it with your help.”
Kelly swallowed and nodded. “What should I do?”
“She’ll be going into ICU tonight. Once the doctors are certain there will be no complications, she’ll move into a regular hospital room for a few more days, then transfer to a rehab facility.”
Kelly paled. “It’s that bad?”
“She’ll need physical therapy. A lot of it. But how much will be determined by doctors above my pay grade,” Aiden said. “This isn’t really my job. I’m just a go-between because I know Hollywood.”
“Hollywood,” she said blankly.
I cleared my throat. “It’s a nickname.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course it is.”
She muttered something under her breath that sounded like vain bastard, but I hadn’t chosen the name.
I’d just rolled with it when Tex gave it to me.
The other guys at Redemption Road had prison nicknames, and I didn’t want to stick out even more as the guy who got off easy with a short minimum-security stint at a prison that looked like a country club to them.
“You probably won’t see her for a few more hours. It’s late.” Aiden glanced at me. “You should take Ruby home.”
“Okay, I—”
“No,” Kelly said quickly. “I’ll keep Ruby here with me. We’ll stay until Carrie can see us.”
I reflexively held Ruby a little tighter, and she stirred again, blinking sleepy eyes at me. She raised a hand, touching my mouth as I said, “I’m not leaving Ruby.”
“Well, I’m not leaving Carrie,” Kelly said, “and she would want Ruby to be with me.”
“You’ve got a full house, Kel. Four kids, right?”
She glared. “So? I’ll always do what’s right for Ruby.”
“I know, but I’m her father. Give me a chance to show that I’ve changed. I’ll take good care of her.”
Kelly looked conflicted.
Aiden cleared his throat. “I don’t think seeing Carrie like this will be good for Ruby. She’s been through a lot today and needs some proper rest. But your sister could use a friendly face when she wakes up. This is going to be rough for her.”
Kelly reluctantly nodded. “Okay. Yeah. I have to stay.” She smoothed a hand over Ruby’s hair. “Auntie Kel will watch over your mommy, okay?”
Ruby squirmed in my arms to face her, eyes lighting up with recognition. “Kel.”
Kelly smiled. “That’s right, baby. I’m here now.”
I waited for Ruby to cry for her, heart constricting with doubt. Maybe I wasn’t the best choice. She didn’t even know me.
But other than patting Kelly’s shoulder, she seemed content to stay where she was. Maybe she was just tired of being passed around, but I’d take it.
Kelly’s eyes narrowed on me. “I’m trusting you to take care of her. Don’t screw this up.”
A crushing weight pressed down on me, my shoulders curving under the pressure and my heart sinking. This was my one chance to prove I could be a father to Ruby. What if I messed up and lost her for good?
I tried to find my voice and couldn’t. But someone else spoke up for me. A deep, honeyed voice that I’d tried and failed to forget over these past three months.
“Don’t you worry, darlin’,” Tex drawled. “Ruby is exactly where she needs to be. Her daddy will take excellent care of her.”