He watches me for a few seconds. "Can I see Nova?" he asks.
I reach for him; he lets me take a hold of his hand. "Not yet, buddy, she's still resting. But I promise that we can see her as soon as she wakes. But until then, if you don't want to tell us what happened, why don’t we tell you about us? That way you know who we are."
"Okay," he says quietly. The kid is stressed, and I get it. I want to make it as easy for him as I can.
"Okay, so I'm Max. I'm twenty-nine and I have a younger, annoying sister." I give him a cheeky smile and he giggles at me.
"I'm Mason. I'm nine,” he tells me. He looks like he wants to tell me more, but he's not sure. So, he looks over to Nitro.
"I'm Kai…"
"Why do they call you Prez?" he asks, surprising us.
"Well, because I'm in charge of these big idiots. We're in an MC, The Soulless Knights, and I'm the boss. Max here, known as Ice, is my Seargent at Arms. And Tyler also known as Wrath, is my my Vice President." Mason gives Nitro a small smile, but he looks confused, so Nitro leans forward. "How about when you get out of here, you can visit the clubhouse, and we can tell you all about the Soulless Knights?"
Mason gently nods at him then leans back on the pillow. "Could I please have some water?"
"Of course, buddy, I'll go get you some. I'll be right back," Nitro says, getting up and heading out to grab him some.
He shuffles, trying to sit up in the bed. I reach for him, gently helping him sit up.
"You wanna tell me anything?" I ask him.
He watches me for a few seconds and then nods. "Nova is my sister." I nod, having guessed that bit already, but he keeps talking. "She’s my hero."
I'm surprised. Kids always say people are their heroes, but there's something about the way he said it. He really does mean it.
A few minutes pass in silence before Nitro appears with the water. I watch as Mason drinks half of the glass then hands it back to Nitro, who places it on the table.
"Mase." His eyes shoot to mine. "Wanna tell me where you and Nova were headed?"
He shakes his head, not saying anything.
"Okay. How about you tell me how you got the broken arm?" Another shake of the head. I glance at Nitro who shrugs his shoulders. The kid seems to have a rapport with Wrath, and part of me wonders if we should wait for him to come back.
I slip a quick glance and wink at Nitro. He gives me a little chin lift, letting me know I'm good.
"Okay. You don't have to tell us anything. Nova is still resting. But as soon as they say it's okay, we'll take you in there to check on her. Erm, we think they are going to let you go home soon. Nova might have to stay here for a few days, but you should be able to go."
The minute I say he can go home, the colour drains from his face, and his demeanour changes. He's afraid. He doesn’t want to go home.
I keep pushing, hoping not to push him too far. "Hopefully Nova will wake up before you go, but if not, I'm sure that you won't be apart for too long."
"No. I can't go home. Please, I need to see Nova. Ice, please." Mason sobs as he scrambles from under the covers, his hands grabbing at mine. The kid is fucking petrified.
"Hey. Mase, breathe," I tell him, pulling him into my lap. “You’re safe, you can trust us. But I need you to tell me what’s going on. We can help you and Nova, but you have to be honest." I beg him to tell me but he just sits in my lap, gripping at my cut as sobs wrack through him.
We sit here for almost an hour. He's stopped crying, but he hasn't let me go. Mind, I haven't let go of him either, and Nitro has sat in a chair by the door the entire time.
"Hey, little man," is called behind me.
Mason sits up, looking over my shoulder, and I turn to see Wolf and Acid standing in the doorway. "You okay?" he asks, and Mason climbs off my lap and moves to the bottom of the bed where they meet him. Wolf picks him up and hugs him, while Acid ruffles his hair.
"What happened? Is Nova, okay?" Wolf quietly asks him. I sit on the bed disappointed, waiting to hear his answer when I hear shuffling, and a few seconds later he's climbing back into my lap.
Nitro smiles as I hold the kid closer to me. I'm so fucking pleased he came back to me; I'm so pleased he trusts me. I glance down and see his eyes fixed on my face. "It's okay," I whisper, loud enough only for him to hear.
"Please don't make me go home." His eyes are pleading.
