“Finally! I’ve been needing baby therapy since I woke up and Butch refused to bring the kids. He didn't want to scare them.”
He wiggled his fingers, demanding I hand Isla over to him. I shook my head with a snort.
“No way am I handing you a baby when you’re too injured to hold her. You can have your baby therapy without making it worse.”
“That’s what I said,” Mel agreed, scowling at him. “Butch isn’t bringing the kids around because I told him not to. You need to heal and rest, not act like a jungle gym. Honestly, I should just let him bring them to teach you a lesson. One boney elbow to your ribs will make you realize the error of your ways.”
His wide grin was too innocent, which made me think this wasn’t the first time he’d complained about it. He was lucky Mel was so nice. If it’d been me, I would’ve lost my temper already. Dude had no sense of self preservation.
He looked toward the door, then back at me. “Where’s Jasper?”
“Therapy. He’ll come visit after.”
The request to see the therapist alone had surprised me, he’d vehemently refused to do so before now, but apparently the threats to Isla had shaken him up enough that he realized he needed to talk about it. I dropped him off before coming up here and told him I’d go get him when his appointment was up. He wanted to see Rooster too, and I wasn’t about to tell him no. I liked that he cared about my crew.
Isla squirmed in my arms, growing frustrated with being carried around. She was close to walking and didn't like when I held her anymore. She wanted to cruise and practice her walking.
“Someone’s getting bored,” Mel cooed, putting her hands out for the baby. Isla went willingly to the new face, happy to be free of me. “Come on. Let’s go introduce you to the other nurses. I know of at least one who’s been considering getting knocked up by a biker. I bet someone as cute as you will tip her overthe edge,” she teased, leaving the room with Isla babbling at her enthusiastically.
Rooster frowned at her back. “Why do I feel like I should warn the guys about that?”
I rolled my eyes. She was joking. Probably.
“I’m sorry.”
Rooster whipped around, then sucked in a sharp breath, grimacing from the pain. “Ah, fuck.”
I stepped forward, hands out to help, but I didn't know how. He waved me away, taking a few deep breaths before his pained expression eased and he looked at me with a confused frown. “Sorry about what?”
“I shouldn’t have let you go by yourself. You’re my crew, and leaving you alone to handle business was fucked up.”
He shook his head, reaching to rub the back of his neck and grimacing again. Idiot would need to figure out how to function without overextending himself. I got the feeling he’d be complaining for weeks until he was back to rights.
“You did the right thing getting the kids out. I should’ve called it in and waited.”
“Yeah, you should’ve,” I agreed. “What the hell were you thinking getting out of the car, Rooster? You said you’d stay back and only track their location. You knew how dangerous they were.”
His face twitched, like he was fighting a scowl, and his words were rough with emotion when he said, “They were trying to lure him out. Jasper. It was so fucked up, I couldn’t even think straight. I got out of the car to demand to know what they wanted with him. He’s just a goddamn kid. Who targets a kid?”
“Criminals,” I answered flatly. “Like the assholes you decided to confront unarmed and without backup. You’re lucky someone saw what was happening and called the cops, you know. The Hellfire Riders have no issue with killing.” I found that out lastnight. It didn’t take a genius to know what they meant when they said they ‘handled’ the situation. I was glad I left when I did.
“I know. Prez and Butch have laid into me about it already. It was stupid.” His normally jovial expression was dark, his eyes locked on the window as he avoided eye contact. “I just couldn’t stand by and let them think they could get away with hurting the kids. Jasper’s a good kid. Snarky as shit and a cheat at air hockey, but you saw the way he stood in front of the other boys. He’s good. He didn’t deserve to be threatened like that.”
Drawing in a deep breath, I let it out slowly. I grabbed the visitor chair, pulling it next to his bed and dropping into it heavily, scrubbing my hands over my face. I understood his reasoning, and if I’d had somewhere to stash the kids where they’d be safe, I would’ve probably gone to confront them myself. But I hated that Rooster had gotten hurt because of this. I hated that I was the last person to see him before it happened, that I could’ve stopped it if I’d been able to think clearly.
“Z.” Rooster’s firm tone drew my attention. I dropped my hands, looking up at him with a frown. “This isn’t on you. I made the choice. Nothing was going to stop me from seeking them out. The only thing you could’ve done was delayed it. I swore when Ellie came into the picture I’d protect those kids. I don’t care if I get hurt doing it. This is on me, not you.”
It was the same thing Butch and Axel said. Rooster wouldn’t have been stopped, no matter what I did. Hearing it from him only solidified that fact. I had to accept that and move on.
Huffing out a breath, I leaned back in my chair, studying him. “It’s fuckin’ weird hearing you all serious, you know. Did that concussion scramble your brain enough that you’re finally growing up a little?”
The firm expression melted into a shit eating grin. “Fuck you, man. I’m awesome just as I am. If Butch hasn’t beaten me into submission by now, what makes you think anyone else can.”
“Maybe that’s it,” I murmured thoughtfully. “You got pounded so much by our Sergeant-at-Arms that he permanently damaged your brain.”
He barked out a laugh, then spent the next few minutes cursing and clutching his side. Laughing was off the table for him. I felt bad enough that I called Mel back. She handed me Isla and took over, helping Rooster get comfortable again while chastising him again. I eventually let him get some cuddles in with Isla as an apology for causing him more pain and she was sweet enough not to hurt him extra when he leaned in to let her hug his head and play with his bright red hair.
He’d be alright. He was still the same shit-stirrer the crew knew and loved. He just needed someone to teach him some caution. Dude was going to get killed one day in his determination to protect the kids. Maybe I’d take up the mantle of watching out for him for a little while after he was better, keep him out of trouble. It was the least I could do after he got hurt protecting Jasper.
