Opening my eyes, I turn to look at Bee’s dad. “I am.”
He scowls. “That’s it? My daughter goes missing for years, and that’s all I get?”
“Yep.” I nod. “You need to get the rest from Bee. She had her reasons. But I won’t have you bullying my Old Lady. Spice will tell you what you need to know when she’s ready.”
“Your Old Lady?” He raises an eyebrow.
The room falls silent as all eyes are now on us.
I should probably be worried, but I find I really don’t give a fuck. Bee’s mine. Mine to love and protect, even from her own family.
I sit up straight and look her father in the eye. “That’s right. My Old Lady. Mine to love. Mine to protect, even if that means protecting her from her family.”
His eyes narrow for a few seconds before he chuckles and holds out his hand. “Fair enough. I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier. Name’s Dog. This is my Old Lady and Bella’s mum, Maggie.”
I take the hand he holds out and shake it before turning to Bee’s mum. Maggie is sitting on the other side of Dog, worry written all over her face.
I give her a nod. “Ma’am. Thank you for the clean clothes. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself before.”
She waves her hand as if it’s not a big deal and smiles. It’s then that I see my Spice in her. This is what Bee will look like in about forty years.
“Thank you for looking after my girl.”
“No thanks necessary,” I reassure her. “I’d do anything for Bee.”
And I would. No doubt about it. I’d move heaven and earth to make sure she was safe and happy.
It seems to take forever before we’re told that Bee has been moved to a private room.
She has cracked ribs, a fractured cheek, and multiple bruises all over her body, including her kidneys. She’ll be sore for weeks. They put her on antibiotics to prevent infection, but she’ll make a full recovery.
All in all, the news is a huge relief, considering what could have happened.
“Come on,” Maggie says, taking my hand. “You can wait with us in her room.”
Thank fuck she said that because I was ready to throw down if they thought they could keep me from her.
Bee is still asleep when we enter her room, and I allow her parents to see her first. Dog settles in the armchair next to Bee’sbed with Maggie curled in his lap, and I know they’re in for the night.
I press my lips to Bee’s uninjured cheek and whisper, “Sleep, baby. Love you. I’m going to check on our boy, but I’ll be back.”
Straightening, I turn towards Bee’s parents. “I’ll be back soon. I’ve got to check on the boy who came in with Bee.”
“We’ll be here,” Dog assures me. “He was taken to the children’s ward.”
It takes me twenty minutes to find the children’s ward and explain to a nurse who I am.
“Ah, yes. Rea said you’d be checking on him. I’m on the night shift, and I’ll let the day nurses know. Come on. Let me show you where he is. He’s asleep. They’ve got him on strong painkillers and antibiotics, so we expect him to sleep all night.”
Noah is in a room by himself, the walls painted with a riot of cartoon animals. It’s a cheery room. Bending over him, I notice straight away that he’s been washed. Running my hand over his small head, I ruffle his curls gently, but he doesn’t stir.
“Let us or one of the Crows know as soon as he wakes up. He’ll be scared and will need one of us to reassure him.”
The nurse’s face softens, and she smiles. “Of course. I’ve got Ms Davies’ room number under his name. We’ll take good care of him, I promise.”
“Thank you.” I run my hand over his hair one more time, reluctant to leave him.
I’m not his parent. Yet. So I can’t sit with him.
