“He’ll bring a little of everything then and you can pick and choose what you want,” Cali says, resting a hand on my lower leg as Kreed gets up and adjusts the blankets on me when he notices me shivering.
I don’t stop crying as Kreed and Cali keep me company.A nurse brings in a different machine and lets me know it won’t be long before the blood is brought up and the transfusion starts.She’s an older lady and smiles at me through my tears.The nurse tries to reassure me that everything will be fine and I’ll feel so much better once my levels start to return to normal.I don’t even know what normal feels like any longer.It’s been so long since I felt anything remotely normal.Kreed asks for a warm blanket as the nurse takes in my trembling body and agrees to get one immediately.When she brings it back in, Kreed uncovers me long enough to put the warm blanket on my body before adding the other blankets on top of that one.He tucks my arms under them and only leaves my head uncovered.I close my eyes and listen to everyone in my room as they move and talk.I’m trying to go to my safe place, but I can’t quite get myself there as I focus on the nurse telling me everything she’s doing while the blood transfusion is started.This is not how I ever saw my life going and the fear filling me today is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced before in my life.
Chapter Eight
Link
WAKING UP, I know immediatelysomething is wrong.There’s a feeling deep in my gut as I jump out of bed and rush to put on the first pair of jeans and tee-shirt I grab.I don’t even think to pick up my cut as I run out of my room and to the door of Annistyn’s room.Knocking, I wait a minute and listen for any signs of her being in bed or the room at all.There’s nothing but complete silence as I turn the knob and open the door.The bed is made perfectly without one single wrinkle on the blanket and the pillows are in a straight line across the top of the bed as normal when Annistyn isn’t sleeping.My eyes find the bathroom door wide open and I know she’s not inside the small room.Even when she’s showering, Annistyn leaves the door open a crack because she wants someone to hear her if something happens when she’s under the warm water.Annistyn never uses hot water because it makes her dizzy and she’s too afraid of falling in the shower and needing help while she’s naked and at her most vulnerable.I can’t blame her, but it does make me wonder what she’s truly been through over the years for that level of fear to fill her.
Rushing out of her room, I head downstairs hoping I’ll find her in the common room.Several men are sitting around with plates of food in front of them.This isn’t a breakfast Annistyn has made because the food is burned.I can smell it as I race through the room and head for the kitchen.Again, Annistyn is nowhere to be found.The Feral girls are moving around the kitchen as if they’ve never cooked together a day in their lives when this should be something they do daily.
“Reckless, what’s up?”Viper asks me as he walks in the kitchen behind me.
“Have you seen Annistyn?Has anyone seen Annistyn?”I question, my voice hard and cold as I look around the room as if I missed her somehow.
“I haven’t seen her since she walked upstairs yesterday afternoon,” Viper answers me as I turn to face him and find fear and worry in his eyes while he looks around the kitchen.
“We haven’t seen her either,” Suki says as she pulls a tray of bacon from the oven.“She was planning on cooking breakfast this morning and we came down to nothing being started.If Annistyn says she’s going to do something, she usually does.Did something happen to her?”
“I don’t fuckin’ know.I have no clue where she is!”I yell, my voice echoing in the room as I turn to leave and almost run right into Caleb.“Have you seen Annistyn?”
“I haven’t seen her, but I know where she is.Cali woke me up in the middle of the night.Kreed, you’re gonna need to hold yourself together before I tell you this.Let’s go to my office.Viper, you can come too,” Caleb says before turning and leaving me to follow behind him on my own.
If Caleb won’t have this conversation in the open, I know whatever happened to Annistyn is bad.Really bad.He doesn’t want anyone to gossip about her or whatever has happened and only a select group of people will know what’s going on.Caleb doesn’t really do that for anyone.However, he’s been like this repeatedly with Annistyn and Laurie since they arrived at the clubhouse.The only difference is Laurie is more outgoing and he knows how I feel about Annistyn.Even if I don’t say a single word to him about my feelings, Caleb already knows because that’s how close we are.After the shit we’ve seen over the years between all the clubs we’ve been part of, we learned early on never to discuss anything regarding the women in our lives out in public.Especially someone who is healing and dealing with trauma.
The three of us walk into Caleb’s office and he walks around his desk to take his seat while Viper closes the door behind him.The two of them have some kind of silent conversation as I remain standing in front of his desk.
“Caleb, not gonna fuckin’ wait all damn day to find out what happened to Annistyn.If you know what’s goin’ on and where she is, tell me.Otherwise, I’m leavin’ here so I can find her on my own,” I yell as my eyes remain locked on my best friend while I feel Viper step up closer to me.
“Kreed, Annistyn was taken to the hospital in the middle of the night by Cali.She was cleanin’ in the common room again when Cali went down to grab some water or somethin’.We weren’t plannin’ on stayin’ here last night, but Cali got a little too drunk and didn’t want to go home with the kids.Anyway, she saw Annistyn collapse as she was wipin’ down one of the tables.She couldn’t get to her fast enough to stop her from hittin’ the chair and floor.Cali couldn’t get her to wake up and came up to get me.We got her loaded in the SUV and she took off.I’ve just been waitin’ for you to wake up so I could let you know what’s goin’ on,” Caleb informs me as he waits for me to explode.
“Why the fuck didn’t you wake me up when Cali took her to the hospital?I could have taken her on my own and Cali could have stayed here to get some sleep.I should have been fuckin’ woken up!”I yell at my best friend, slamming my hands on his desk so hard it causes a few of his pens and pieces of paper to fall to the floor.
“This is why we didn’t wake you up, Kreed.You’re way too involved when it comes to Annistyn and we needed to have her truly checked out to find out how bad the situation is before you got there.She’s had bloodwork done and a few images because she did land on her wrist.Cali just called me a little while ago to give an update.Annistyn hasn’t even woken up yet.She’s still passed out and Doc is worried.You’re free to head out whenever you're ready.Viper, you’ll be there on guard duty today.Put plans in place before you head out so no one thinks you’re just out doin’ your own thing.No oneis to know where Annistyn is or what’s goin’ on.This is her private business and I refuse to have anyone gossipin’ about her.Cali will stay until Annistyn is moved to a private room.Doc already said she’s bein’ admitted and he can’t get around it this time,” Caleb says as he keeps his eyes locked on me.
“I should’ve already fuckin’ been there, Caleb.That’s all I’m sayin’.Not gonna be in contact with anyone until Annistyn is awake and I know what’s goin’ on with her.My phone will be on silent.If mom calls you because she can’t get a hold of me, let Cali know and I’ll call her back.That’s the only reason I wanna be disturbed,” I say before turning my back on my best friend and racing back up to my room so I can grab what I need for the next few days.
