Chapter Twenty-Three
Knuckles
B EEPING. LOUD FUCKING beeping pulls me from my sleep and I blindly reach out to try to find the alarm clock so I can shut it the fuck off and go back to bed.
I feel as if I haven’t slept in weeks. I’m not getting as much sleep as I’m used to since I’ve been staying with Janessa and Kaden, but I wouldn’t give up those moments with my family for anything in the world.
Those are brief moments I share only with my woman and son that no one can ever take or intrude on.
I’m able to bond with Kaden when I feed him or hold him against my bare chest and get him back to sleep.
Janessa is able to sleep more since she’s done so much on her own since learning she was carrying our child.
Thoughts of Janessa pull me from the dreamland I’ve been in and realize the beeping I’m hearing isn’t from an alarm clock.
I’m in the hospital after being shot, crashing my bike, and being held captive.
I try to open my eyes only to find them almost glued shut.
Remembering my time before Omen and Grudge rescued me, I know they were swollen almost completely shut and I can’t imagine it’s gotten any better since being removed from that hell hole.
Time has been something I can’t seem to grasp ever since I was taken down and I don’t know what the fuck day of the week it is or how long I’ve actually been gone.
Hell, at this point, I don’t know how long I’ve been in the hospital.
Everything is a damn blur and I hate that shit.
“J-J-Janessa,” I stammer, my voice broken and graveled as I try to clear my throat.
“I’m here, Baby. Don’t talk,” Janessa’s sweet voice sounds next to me as I begin to feel more of my body and realize she’s holding my hand. “Let me get a nurse to tell them you’re awake.”
“D-D-Don’t g-g-go,” I manage to get out before a coughing fit takes over.
My entire body is full of pain and I can’t help the whimper that escapes.
A strong hand lands on my shoulder to keep me down instead of curling up and I know it’s Tease.
My cousin is here with me and he’ll do everything in his power to make sure I don’t put myself in more pain than what I’m currently in.
“Stay down, Micah. You’re still healin’. There are stitches in your torso and the last thing you need to do is open your wounds. Stay the fuck down or I’ll make sure you can’t get up again,” he says, trying to be funny even though I can hear the pain in his voice.
My cousin will have taken this hard and I wouldn’t be surprised if I hear he was locked down when he learned what happened to me.
Tease loves hard and only lets certain people in his life.
He doesn’t trust easy and when he does let you in, it’s something special.
My cousin is one of the best men I’ve ever met in my life and I’d give my life to protect him.
Knowing I couldn’t protect him from this breaks something deep inside me.
Working again to open my eyes, they finally open and it takes a few minutes for me to be able to see clearly.
Or at least as clear as I can with the swelling.
Janessa is a beautiful mess next to me. Tears slide down her face that’s free of make-up and her hair is up in a messy bun with stray pieces randomly hanging out around her face.
Her eyes are red and swollen letting me know she’s been crying for a while now.
I’m surrounded by sexy women on a daily basis and I’ve never seen one as sexy as my Little Fighter looks right this moment.
She’s real, true to herself, and doesn’t give a fuck about what anyone thinks of her.
No one will ever compare to the woman at my side for as long as I live.
Tease holds a cup of water in front of me and I take a small sip to coat my throat before releasing the straw.
“Thank you,” I murmur, my voice somewhat better than before. “What happened?”
“You’ve been out cold for the last three days. Your body has been through hell and the surgery on top of it didn’t help. You’ve had a blood transfusion and will be here for another week now that you’re awake,” Tease informs me as he pulls a chair closer and sits down.
He’s been pacing the room nonstop. I don’t have to be awake to know that’s what he’s been doing.
My cousin can’t handle not being able to solve a situation and taking control.
Right now, there’s nothing he can do. I have to heal on my own and he’s going to be losing his mind trying to figure out how he can fix this situation. Only time will heal me.
“What else was said?” I ask, looking around the room as surprise fills me.
Mallory is standing behind Janessa with tears falling down her face as she wrings her hands in front of her body. Rooster is leaning against the wall with Marie in front of him as she holds Kaden in her arms. Homicide and Omen stand on either side of them as if they’re guarding them.
“What are you all doin’ here?” I ask, trying to adjust myself on this horrendous hospital bed.
“We’re here for you, you big dumbass,” Mallory says, her voice lacking the venom anyone else would get. “Tease called me and I’ve been here for the last three days waiting on your stubborn ass to wake up. I’ve never met a man worse than you, Micah.”
“You’re lucky you’re my sister, Mal,” I say, trying to smile as she moves closer and wraps me in a loose hug.
“Micah, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing. You’re nothing more than a big marshmallow who cares more than the world will ever see,” she returns, making everyone in the room laugh because that’s not who they see when I’m not incapacitated.
“Keep dreamin’, Mal. Are my nephews and niece here?”
“No. They’re home with my husband. Now that you’re awake, I’ll call him to come so they can see you.
We’ve all been so worried about you, Micah.
Don’t ever do that shit again!” she says, stepping back as fresh tears slide down her face and I know she’s hurting and remembering times from our past when I was beaten bloody by one foster parent or another.
“We need to talk about things, Knuckles. Mallory and Janessa can you go to the cafeteria with Marie to get somethin’ to eat?” Rooster questions and I know he’s wanting to get all the details of what I’ve been through out now before anything else happens.
I don’t know if the guys have been captured or if they’re still running free.
Fear consumes me with the knowledge they’ll be after Janessa too.
I turn my attention to Rooster long enough for him to see what I’m thinking and his response is to shake his head slightly.
Turning back to Janessa, I reach out with one hand and pull her down to me.
I don’t give a fuck what injuries I have, the need to kiss my girl is consuming me.
It’s been forever since I’ve been with her and had her lips pressed against mine.
Janessa doesn’t hesitate to kiss me, our lips pressed tightly together and I know she’s as desperate as I am for this.
I hold her cheek in my hand just to prove to myself she’s real and I’m not dreaming this is happening.
When I go to deepen the kiss, Janessa pulls back and I groan in response because the last thing I want is to break the kiss and be separated from her.
“I’ll be back soon,” she promises me, giving me one final kiss before disappearing from sight with Marie and my sister.
“Is she gonna be safe on her own?” I question Rooster with pure fear filling my voice and body.
“She’s safe, Knuckles. They’re all locked up in the cells at the clubhouse waitin’ for you to get out to deal with them.
The guys are havin’ fun checkin’ on them each day and givin’ them the same treatment you went through.
No one’s gonna hurt Janessa again. You can count on that.
Need to know what happened,” Rooster answers me, moving to stand at the end of my bed while grasping the bed frame and leaning forward slightly.
“I went and had lunch with Mal. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to meet up.
I spent a few hours with her before headin’ back home.
You all know I check my mirrors and surroundin’ obsessively.
It’s been ingrained in me to be aware for as long as I can remember.
No one was followin’ me until I got back in Frostford.
They were drivin’ an older, rusted out car that was meant to blend in and not stand out.
Unfortunately, those cars always stand out to me because you don’t see many of them on the roads all over the city.
“I knew they were gonna try somethin’ and I couldn’t have innocent people get hurt.
That’s when I drove to the backroad. I was about to go around a curve when I was shot the first time.
It was in my arm and little more than a graze.
When the second shot hit, that’s when my bike went down.
I couldn’t keep it up. I slid into a guardrail and it wasn’t long before I passed the fuck out.
I’m not sure how many people were there or what kind of vehicle I was taken away in.
It could have been a car or some other vehicle.
“When I woke up, I was chained to the chair Omen and Grudge found me in. I wasn’t given anythin’ to eat or drink the entire time I was there.
Never once left the chair or room. I can’t even tell you how many men were there or what truly happened.
I was beaten and spent more time out of it than I was awake.
I can barely recall any of the conversations I overheard.
The one thing I do know is that they were plannin’ on gettin’ Janessa and Kaden too.
You’re positive all of them have been captured and no one’s left out there to get their hands on my girl to use as a bargainin’ chip?
” I ask, trying to sit up in bed until Tease stops me once again.