“Thanks, man. I’ll be sure to text ya’ll what room she’s in and stuff when I get there,” I reply, and he gives a small nod in return. Looking over to Zeke and Eddie, I thank them as well before slamming the tailgate shut and hopping in the truck.
Pulling in at Delgado's, I back up to the bay doors and get out.Gah, it feels weird to be here knowing Luis was just taken from this place.Pulling what’s left of the bike out of the bed of my truck, I lean it against the inside wall, putting all the pieces we could find beside it. As bad as it is, I’m not sure if I wanna try to rebuild it or just buy her a fucking new one.Fuck, that’s if she will ever be able to ride anytime soon.Don’t even get me started on her trying to drive her damn car as soon as she gets out. I don’t think switching gears will be easy for a while. Knowing Raven, she will push all her limits to drive again. She lost her bike, so I’m willing to bet that she won’t stop driving her car on top of that. Looking around before I close the shop back up, I notice a syringe laying on the ground–right where Luis would have been working. Walking over and picking it up, clear liquid drips down the inside of the tube, causing me to furrow my brows. Taking it with me to the truck, I put it in the centerconsole to give to Zeke so he can get me a better idea on how the fuck my brother was taken.
Pulling up to the hospital and parking my truck, I hop out and run up to the front sliding doors. Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I look at the room number again that Damien sent.Room 312.Got it.
“Can I help you, sir?” the nurse at the front desk asks.
“No, I know her room number. Thanks though,” I reply back, walking up to the elevator doors and pressing the button. Rocking back and forth on my heels, my patience wears thin while I wait for the doors to open. I press the button again–a couple times actually–hoping to hurry it up.Come the fuck on.
Finally, I hear the ding, and the doors open. I walk in and press the button for the third floor, anxiously waiting for it to take me up. The elevator slides open and I walk out, looking at the room numbers on the doors as I pass by. Finally seeing hers, I take a deep breath and slowly make my way toward it and peek through the window, seeing Damien asleep, his head laying on their joined hands.Fuck. Why her? Why us? Why can’t we manage to hold on to anything we love?
Quietly pushing the door open and walking to her other side, I kneel beside her bed and gently grab her hand that has the cast, planting soft kisses on it. I officially hate seeing her helpless. It pulls at some part of my heart, knowing how strong and sassyshe is, to see her laying here with tubes running from her mouth and hooked up to IV’s. Just isn’t how I ever want to see her again.
“Babygirl, I love you so much. Please hang in there, not only for us, but for you. You still have so much good to give to the world. It’s not time for your fire to burn out yet,” I whisper against her hand, trying and failing to hold back the tears. I have never felt this way about anyone in my life. She brings out the best in all of us. With her in here, and my brother missing, I’m slowly losing it. I know without them, me and Damien will fall apart.
“When did you get here? You should’ve woken me up,” Damien rasps, his voice heavy with sleep and pulling me from my own thoughts.
“I haven’t been here long. Plus, I figured you needed the sleep.” I give him a tight smile, and stand up.
“How was your first night in the slammer?” he questions, and lets out a surprisingly soft laugh.
“Ha, ha. Laugh it up. Speaking of, they found this in my truck, which is bullshit. Looks like someone tried to frame me,” I say, grabbing the rolled up folder from my back pocket and tossing it his way.
“Someone gave me this folder the day I took Raven out for coffee. That guy works for Eddie, she even recognized him. That has to be who is behind this. Fuck, he’s literally been under our nose this whole damn time,” I say with a frustrated sigh. Pacing back and forth, I lean my head back and pinch the bridge of my nose. This guy has known our every move because he’s been close the entire time.God. Fucking. Dammit.
“Does Eddie know? Jesus. I don’t even have words,” he replies, sounding just as aggravated as I am.
“Nope, but I’m about to send him and Zeke a text. We have to get Luis back. I’m losing it. That’s my fucking brother. I should’ve been there.” I exhale on a shaky breath.
“Look, it'll be okay. Whatever we have to do, we’ll do, and we will get him back! You know this,” he says reassuringly.
“Ok. Why don’t I go get us some coffee and food? You stay here with her. You probably didn’t get shit in that cell.” He lets out a low chuckle and heads for the door.
“Thanks, bro. Yeah, that officer was a dick,” I reply. He shakes his head and walks out. Grabbing a chair, I bring it closer to the bed and sit beside Raven.
Grabbing my earbuds, I carefully put one into her ear and slip the other into mine. This girl loves music, so I’ll lay here and listen to some of her favorite songs with her. Did I make her—her own playlist? Maybe. I’ll do anything to get her to wake up. I’d even sell my soul to the devil to make sure she lives.
Tapping play on my phone,Payphonesoftly starts to fill my ear. I close my eyes and think about the last time she played this song.The windows were rolled down in Damien's Challenger, her hair whipping around in the wind. She’s singing along, and all I can do is sit in the backseat and watch in awe–a grin pulling at my lips at how free she seems to be. It doesn’t matter what she does, she always seems to pull me in. Reaching up between the seat and the door, I reach for her hand and lace my fingers through hers. Watching her do anything has officially become one of my favorite things in life.
Chapter 6
Damien
I’m walking down the hall back to Raven’s room, my hands full of coffee and breakfast sandwiches. My mind wanders while watching the morning sun seep through the numerous windows in this hospital, when suddenly, an arm links through mine. Startled, I look over and see Naomi.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. How is she? Anything new?” she questions, her eyes glossy and red. I can only assume she’s been crying.
“No, Reyes is in there with her now. Some shit went down last night and he had to stay in lock up. She’s been the same though. They have her in a medically induced coma, and I’m not sure when they will start letting her come out of that. I guess when the swelling goes down. Let’s just say it’s been fucking stressful,” I inform her, and she gives my arm a tight squeeze.
“She’s coming back to us. So help me God, I’ll find her in the afterlife and beat her ass if she doesn’t,” she says, which makes us both let out a loud laugh.
Walking in the door, Reyes pops his head up and looks over at us both. Naomi walks to Raven’s bedside and grabs her hand, holding it in hers.
“We will give you a minute. We’ll be right outside if you need us,” Reyes says as he grabs something from Raven’s ear, and we walk out the door.
Watching him, he puts a set of earbuds back in their case and slides them into his pocket. Once we’re fully out of the room, I hand him his coffee and food. He bumps me with his elbow, causing me to look up at him. He nods his head, signaling me to look over my shoulder. Turning, I see Eddie and Zeke walking up in all their bossman-like attire. Zeke, sure I’ve seen him in a suit, that’s an everyday thing for him. Eddie? Hell no, that man’s always in the boxing ring. I take a long sip of my coffee before they walk up, knowing I’m going to need my fix before the bullshit begins.
“Hello, boys. How's our favorite girl doing?” Zeke asks, sliding his hands into his pockets and looking through the window into her room. Sadness covers his face, much like ours, seeing her laid up and helpless like that.
