Chapter 16
Ruby
I’m so uncomfortable in this recliner that I shift again. My body aches, but aside from muscle pain, the baby and I are safe and unharmed.
I look at the machines in the sterile room and the man lying on the bed.
My husband.
He thought he was dying, but he lost consciousness from blood loss and the drug that flowed through his system. Boost was declared dead, and I’ll never forget Lyra’s heart-wrenching scream when she found out the man she loved was gone. I haven’t asked her about Lio yet, but there will be time.
We’re in the ICU, and I’m the only visitor allowed to stay with him because I told them they’d have to call security to drag me out. As soon as the ambulance pulled up to the hospital in Smithfield, a helicopter was requested, and now we’re in Providence at their Level 1 trauma center.
Ben remained in surgery for hours, and most of the guys paced the waiting room while waiting to see if he survived surgery. He did, and now we’re in the last of those crucial first 48 hours. They hope that Ben will awaken on his own, so they removed the intubation tube a couple of hours ago.
“Ruby.”
I’m startled by his gruff, scratchy, weak voice and jump up from the chair, moving to his side. While taking him in, I click the button for the nurse.
“Ben, you’re alive. Thank God.” I lay my head on the left side of his chest, opposite his injury.
His good arm wraps around me, and tears spill down my face as I hold him close.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again. I’m never marrying anyone else.
You’re it for me.” I gently smack him on his good shoulder as I sit up and look down at him.
“Baby, I thought I was dying. I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“I’ll never do it.”
“I wouldn’t be able to do it either,” he confesses, pulling me back to him. “I love you, princess.”
“I love you too, husband.” I lean up and softly kiss his lips.
“Hello, Mr. Walker. Welcome back to the land of the living.”
“Hello.”
The nurse checks Ben over while he holds my hand, then she explains his injuries to him. I stand there, just staring at him. It was so close; I could’ve lost him. He could be in the morgue like Boost is right now.
“Baby, stop,” Ben says as he pulls me back to him. “Climb up here so I can hold you.”
“Mr. Walker, only you in the bed. We can move the chair so Mrs. Walker is close to you, but she can’t get in bed with you.”
Ben begins to argue, but I press my fingers to his lips. “It’s okay, husband. Soon we’ll be able to be in the same bed together.” He kisses my lips and nods.
After he’s settled and falls back to sleep, I step out to tell the club that he’s awake and talking.
My parents hug me before Judge does, and I cry for a few moments in each of their arms, still scared I could lose Ben.
I’m so grateful that Judge and the cavalry arrived when they did.
Bersha arrived shortly after to help the club take out the rest of Luan’s men.
When I return to Ben’s room, the chair has already been moved, so I hold his hand and finally fall asleep myself.
The nightmares and dead faces don’t keep me awake as they have for the last few nights.
I’ll struggle with this for a while, but I also know it was a kill-or-be-killed situation.
Plus, Luan deserved to die for everything he did and planned to do to me.
Torch
Being in this hospital sucks, but what choice do I have? When they removed the hook from my body, they found the nick in my lung and repaired it, so I had a chest tube inserted, which was finally removed a couple of days ago.
My lovely wife has insisted I sleep alone while recovering, but I’m holding her tonight. I just need to figure out a way to do that without straining any of the stitches or causing harm to my weakened lung.
Ruby walks into the room after going to the cafeteria to get herself some food. My brother Spike follows behind her.
“You look pissed,” he chuckles.
“How much longer do I have to stay here?” I bark, and Ruby walks to my side. Her hand presses gently on my chest to get me back into bed.
“You’ll get discharged in a couple more days.”
“I’ve been here almost a week so far. I’m tired of it.”
“Stop complaining. Don’t you want to heal properly?”
“I do, but you missed Christmas with your family.” I pull her down, and she tries to wiggle away, but I hold her tightly. “Don’t fight me; you’ll hurt me.” Yes, I pull the pity card, but it works, and she stops.
“Ben, you’ll hurt yourself. Let me go.”
“No, I need you in my arms.”
When the nurse comes in an hour later, she tries arguing with me as Ruby sleeps on my good side. “You wake her up, and I’ll have you fired,” I quietly growl.
Over on the sofa, Spike shakes his head, then rolls away from us and falls back to sleep.
Ruby trembles, so I kiss her neck while holding her tightly.
She settles, and this is why I wanted her with me.
I knew she was suffering from nightmares, and I needed to help soothe her.
She shouldn’t have had to go through what we did, but I’m thankful for her training, or I wouldn’t be holding her right now.
Kurti would have won, and I’d have chosen to die right beside her.
Holding her, I glance over at Spike, who rolls and looks back at me. “How is your mother doing?” I ask. She’s come to the hospital a couple of times, but she won’t talk; she just fusses over me, then leaves.
“She’s hanging in there. Boost was the love of her life. She loved our father but not as much as Boost. Now she’s without him, and she’s worried.”
“About what?”
“What she’s going to do now. I tried to reassure her that she’ll always have a place with the club.”
“She will. She’ll never have to worry about a thing. She’s safe with us.”
“It’s going to take her some time.”
“Then we’ll be there with her as she goes through this. He gave his life protecting my wife.”
“Has she told you exactly what happened?” He nods to Ruby.
“No. I haven’t forced her to talk about it.”
“He took off his safety vest so I could check his wound. At the end, he encouraged me to put it on, but I didn’t want to.
Then Luan came through the door, proclaiming that Boost had betrayed the family and deserved death.
He fired a first shot, then a second right to the heart.
” Ruby’s soft voice speaks from against my chest; I feel her lips move against me.
She swallows hard, then wetness moistens my shirt.
Tightening my arms, I pull her in closer.
“Boost begged me to protect myself and fight. We’d already explored the room, looking for weapons or a way to escape, then Luan began knocking over the barrels of chemicals.
Boost had already lost so much blood from his other two wounds that those shots ended him.
” She pauses again, but I know she’s not done.
“He made me promise to take care of Lyra and someone named Lio. Said it was his only family except for Lyra and you boys.” She sobs, and I pull her up closer, holding her tight enough to keep her shattering pieces together.
Spike walks over and rubs a hand down her back. “I don’t know who Lio is, but he’s family now too,” Spike says as Ruby nods against my chest, and I keep my mouth shut because I’ll become upset, too, if I speak.
Swallowing hard, I close my eyes and think of the man who was there for me after my father was killed—the man who protected my wife with his life. Boost will always hold a special place in my heart.
When I’m discharged from this hospital, I’ll ensure Lyra is protected and have Mal search for this Lio, so that we can bring him under our protection as well.