I grabbed my things and our little group made our way a few floors up to the ICU waiting room. I was shocked to find Copper and Badger sitting there.
Copper stood when he saw me. “Hey there, little cousin. How’s your pop?”
“They say he’s stable right now. I haven’t seen him yet, but they should be bringing him up soon,” I sniffled. “He’s hurt pretty bad. Um, bruises, broken ribs, broken leg, dislocated shoulder, and something about blood in his kidneys. Oh, and he had been pumped full of drugs.” Saying it out loud like that made me feel dizzy. The room started to spin and I felt myself sway to one side.
Dash wrapped his arm around my waist to steady me. “Sit down, baby. You feeling okay?”
I slowly nodded. “Yeah, I just got a little light-headed for a moment. I’m good.”
He looked at me skeptically. “When was the last time you ate anything?”
“I’m not sure.” I couldn’t remember when or what I ate last.
“If you don’t remember, it’s time to eat. It’s been quite a day and I think everything is starting to catch up with you.”
A few minutes later, Badger returned with a sandwich, chips, a banana, and a bottle of apple juice. “I don’t know where you found this, but bless you, Badger. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until food was placed in front of me.”
He winked, “I have my ways.”
I swallowed the last bite of the best bag lunch I had ever tasted just as a nurse came out and told me I could go visit Phoenix.
I stood and Dash did as well. “I’m sorry, sir. Only one visitor at a time.”
“She got dizzy and almost fainted just minutes ago. Unless you can promise to stay by her side the whole time she’s back there, I’m going with her,” he said in a tone that brokered no argument from the nurse.
“Right this way.” She led us to a room full of medical machinery the likes of which I had never seen before. There, in the middle of tubes and wires, lay my father, barely recognizable to my own eyes.
I placed my hand on his, afraid to touch him anywhere else, and just cried. “Oh, Daddy, please be okay. You have to be okay. I love you so much. I just found you. I can’t lose you now. I won’t lose you. You fight to get back to me. Please.” I was ugly crying. Tears, snot, and maybe even saliva dripped all over me, him, the bed, Dash. I didn’t care one bit as I sobbed and wailed at my father’s bedside.
Dash scooted a chair up behind me and instructed me to sit. That’s where I stayed until the nurse told me visiting hours were over for the night. I didn’t want to leave him, but I didn’t have a choice. I placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and whispered, “I love you, Dad. I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”
I walked into the waiting room and was immediately tackled by Reese.
“Ember!” she screamed at the same time I yelled, “Reese!”
“What in the hell is going on?” she demanded.
I sighed, “It’s a long story and honestly, I don’t even know all of it.”
“Give me the short version, a couple highlights, anything.”
“I can’t right here. Let’s wait until we get back to the clubhouse or at least in the car.”
“Fine. Car it is. I’m riding with you,” she stated matter-of-factly and walked out the door. It seemed I would be dealing with sassy Reese.
I filled Reese in on everything that had happened that I knew of.
“Let me see if I have this right. Pete attacked Jamie and Dash and then you killed him. Copper and his crew came to the cabin to take down Octavius and his men who showed up to take you back. Back at the clubhouse, Dash found everyone except Phoenix in the panic room. While you and Jamie were in the panic room, Coal helped the guys find Phoenix. They brought Phoenix to the hospital, let you out, and here we are.”
“That sounds about right.”
She was silent for a beat, eyebrows furrowed. “Hold up. Things are missing. Like, what happened to Octavius? Who is Coal and how did he know where to find Phoenix? Where was Phoenix? And most importantly, why did Octavius take Phoenix anyway?” She held up a finger for each question she ticked off.
“Coal’s parents work at the dairy farm. They live on the property, so he grew up there. Other than that, I don’t have the answers to anything you asked me.” She remained silent, clearly thinking over everything we discussed. I didn’t want to talk about it anymore at that moment, so I changed the subject.
“How’s Duke?” I should have asked about him way before now. I felt awful about that. I’d been so wrapped up in my own drama that I’d forgotten about my best friend, my only friend.
She shrugged, “The same. Awake, but barely speaking. When he does talk, it’s usually so he can say something mean to me.”
