Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
WILL
“Oscar, you should go now. This is a private matter.” I heard my mother’s voice.
“Private?!” Oscar hissed. “You wouldn’t even know he was here had I not called you.”
“You called us after you called Alice. We’re his family.”
Oh God. I wish he hadn’t done that. Alice just had her baby boy two weeks ago. Her plate was full enough.
“Because she actually cares about him. Plus, I had to make sure his boss knew what happened. Will loves his job. I would’ve called Granny Nina instead of you, but I knew she had a doctor's appointment today. Either way, you should be thanking me for calling you because I didn’t have to. I’m his emergency contact.”
“He only did that because he was upset at the time. I’m sure he just forgot to change it back.”
Oscar scoffed. “Yeah. Okay.”
Their bickering was stirring me from the deep slumber I was in. My body felt like it had been run over several times. Not to mention the pounding in my head. Everything hurt. Listening to them going back and forth was not helping.
I struggled to open my eyes.
“This is exactly why Will always shuts us out. His friends have no respect for us,” Tabitha snootily butted in.
“Tabitha, eat a dick.”
After hearing a few gasps around the room, I became more determined to wake up before World War III broke out.
I shifted my body as best as I could. It felt like my limbs were about to fall off, causing me to groan like a wounded animal. Someone gently placed their hand on my arm.
“Bestie? Try not to move too much. Can you open your eyes?”
After a few moments, my eyes fluttered open. I scanned the room and saw Oscar, my mother, Elliot, Tabitha… and Jeff! It didn’t take long for me to realize I was in a hospital bed.
My mom and Oscar were the only two watching me with concern.
Elliot, Tabitha, and Jeff had scowls on their faces.
I turned to the left, focusing on Oscar.
I was in too much pain to deal with the other four people in the room.
I didn’t know why they came. It was clear that three of them couldn’t care less about my well-being.
“What happened?” I questioned before I started coughing.
That caused a sharp pain in my ribs. I cried out. I attempted to lift my right arm to clutch my side and hissed. I looked down at my arm. It was covered in a blue cast.
What the fuck happened to me?
“Don’t do too much, Will. You have a broken arm, bruised ribs, and a concussion.” Oscar placed his hand on my shoulder. His eyes filled with unshed tears.
“Who did this to me?”
Oscar sighed, dropping his head. “We don’t know. Someone attacked you after you walked to your car. An employee from the club was taking out the trash and saw a group of men beating you. When he shouted that he was calling the police, they ran off. You don’t remember anything?”
I gulped, trying to rack my brain for anything. I was coming up empty. The last thing I could recall was dancing with Oscar on the dance floor. I frowned, becoming annoyed. I needed to figure out who was responsible for this.
“The last thing I remember is us dancing. Why would someone do something like this?”
Oscar opened his mouth, but Elliot cut him off. “Probably because of the way you’re living.”
“Exactly,” Tabitha chimed in. “We've been telling you for years your lifestyle was going to catch up with you.” Her voice was filled with mock concern. I knew better. This miserable bitch had to kick me at any given chance, even while I was already down.
I didn’t bother looking to my mother for backup. It would never come. I would just end up angry and disappointed.
“Yeah, Will. I think you probably should reevaluate some things. This could have turned out worse than some bruised ribs and whatnot.” Jeff held a taunting smirk while staring at me.
If I weren’t in so much pain, I swear I would unleash hell right now. But I was too weak to fuss with them.
“Red… Roof… Motel,” Oscar said through some coughs.
I grinned back at Jeff as his face dropped in horror. Leave it to Oscar to effortlessly shut him up. That motel was where Jeff spent many hours fuckin’ any man around town who was okay keeping his secret.
Tabitha looked between Jeff, and Oscar, who had his brow raised in challenge.
When Jeff said nothing else, Oscar rolled his eyes, focusing on Elliot and Tabitha.
“And what the fuck are you two talking about? He lives a normal life. He goes to work and occasionally goes out on the weekend. You make him sound like a drug dealer or a pimp.”
Finally, my mother decided to step in. I guess since Elliot and Tabitha were on the receiving end of some harsh words, she could now speak up. “Now, hold on, Oscar. We’re all just concerned about Will.”
I bit the inside of my jaw, resisting the urge to blow up. At the end of the day, I didn’t want to disrespect my mother, but I was at my wits' end with all this bullshit. I didn’t know how she could possibly defend them like they weren’t standing here, blaming me for some deranged lunatics.
No matter how many times this happened, it always chipped away at my heart.
I just wanted her to choose me one time.
Was that too much to ask for? Memories of my mother before Elliot were the only thing that kept me around.
With time, I was starting to accept that the woman no longer existed.
If I wanted her to be a part of my life, it meant accepting being a constant verbal punching bag to Elliot and Tabitha.
As reality set in, I realized that things were coming to an end with my mother and me.
I couldn’t take this anymore.
Before I could kindly ask them all to leave, the hospital door flung open. Alice and Tech were leading the group. Cara, Sara, Big Red, Bear, and Viper were right behind them. My eyes bulged as they stormed in like they were ready for war.
What really shocked me was Tech. He practically shoved Oscar out of the way, lightly palming my cheek. Oscar’s head ping-ponged between us. After a moment, he nodded with a smile before taking a seat on the couch beside my bed.
Tech looked at me from head to toe. When his eyes landed on the cast around my arm, I swear those bright blue eyes turned dark as the deep sea. I had never seen him so angry, but I wasn’t able to focus on that.
He was touching me… in front of the guys. My mouth hung open when he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Dimples, who the hell did this to you?” he growled.
My mouth was open, but no words came out. Was I in the Twilight Zone? Tech was caressing and kissing me while calling me by my pet name. I looked around the group, and everyone was openly watching us.
“Talk to us, Will. Because I swear as soon as I have this baby, me and Big Bertha are about to comb the streets!” Cara declared, referring to her pistol.
Her crazy ass had named every last one of her weapons. I had been around long enough to know Bertha was her favorite. She rarely left the house without her.
“Well, it’s no wonder you’re getting attacked. Look at the company you’re keeping. A motorcycle club, Will? Seriously?” Tabitha chastised me.
Everyone’s head snapped in her direction.
I shook my head at her. She had just written a check she was not prepared to cash.
My family was so used to only having to go against Oscar.
Things were different now. I had the entire club behind me, and my family was about to see firsthand how much the club had my back.
“While you’re trying to discover why he got attacked, you need to figure out what’s going on with that pH balance of yours,” Cara sneered.
“Ooooh,” Oscar instigated, sitting up on the couch. His eyes were big as he shamelessly tuned in for the incoming show.
“Excuse you?!” Tabitha hissed, placing her hands on her hips.
“You heard me. You’ve got the nerve to stand here being a complete bitch while your pussy smells like a fish tank at Sea World. God equipped you with nothing but oxygen and audacity.”
Oscar and the guys howled with laughter, making me chuckle. Instantly, I regretted it. I winced in pain.
The smile dropped from Tech's face. He turned to Cara with a frown. “Don’t make him laugh, Cara.”
She threw her hands up in surrender. “I’m not even trying to be funny.
Y’all know this pregnancy has my sense of smell like a damn bloodhound.
As soon as we walked in here, I said to myself, damn it smells like more fish than a woman’s prison in here.
Then she’s got the nerve to be wearing a skirt. I have never seen a bolder bitch.”
The guys were cracking up once again while Sara and Alice giggled into their hands.
I resisted the urge to laugh this time, but I did have a huge smile on my face.
To watch Cara silence Tabitha was satisfying.
For as long as I’d known her, she had always torn people down with her words.
She was no match for Cara, though. I didn’t think anybody walking this earth was.
Oscar was losing it on the couch. He clutched his stomach, almost in tears, as he laughed hysterically. “Will, where have you been hiding herrrrr?” he crowed. “I don’t even have a vagina, and I’m offended.”
I rolled my lips together to keep the giggles that were threatening to come out. Tabitha's face was flushed in embarrassment. She turned to Jeff and folded her arms.
“Are you going to allow her to speak to me this way?!” she shrieked.
All the laughter died in the room. Viper moved Cara aside, standing toe-to-toe with Jeff. He looked between Viper and Tabitha. “It's clear we’re not wanted here, so let's just go.” Like the coward he was, Jeff grabbed Tabitha's hand and led her out of the room.
“Will!” my mom shouted in a scolding tone. “Are you really going to let these people attack your family?”
I gritted my teeth and turned to her. “Isn’t that what you were doing before they came in here?” She opened her mouth to say something, but I raised my hand, cutting her off. “I don’t want to hear it, Mom. You stood there while the three of them picked me apart and blamed me for my attack.”
Elliot threw his hands up like he couldn’t believe what I was saying. “You see, Pam. He always does this. Whenever we’re trying to help, he makes it seem like it’s us against him.”
“That’s because it is!” I roared in frustration. “Ahh,” I cried, clutching my head. My eyes filled with tears as the room began to spin. I curled into a ball, trying to breathe through the pain.
Tech smoothed my hair down and kissed my cheek. “I’ll get rid of them, Dimples, okay?” he whispered in my ear.
All I could do was nod. That explosion had me ready to pass out and vomit all at the same time.
“I think it's time for you two to go. You’re clearly upsetting him, and he doesn’t need this.”
“You know what, let's go, Pam. It’s clear, he’d rather surround himself with the likes of these people. We’ve done as much as we can.”
“O-okay,” my mother agreed.
My heart felt like it was being ripped in two.
As usual, she followed the command of her man, regardless of her own flesh and blood lying in a hospital bed, brutally beaten.
I was done. If she couldn’t stand up for me at this moment, I didn’t want her in my life anymore. It was officially time to move on.
When I heard the door slam shut, my body rocked with sobs. This was a long time coming, but it didn’t make it any easier. She was still my mother. But I had to think of myself first for once. I had to do what was best for me, and that was washing my hands of all of them.
Tech engulfed me in his arms, kissing the top of my head. “Shhh, I got you, Will.”
He soothingly ran his hand up and down my back while I soaked his shirt in my tears.
I had so many questions, but I needed this right now.
I needed to feel the safety that only his arms could provide.
So, I allowed myself to enjoy his embrace because as soon as I got myself together, he had some explaining to do.