The hushed silence that followed wasn’t surprising. In Hawthorne, Cal’s word was law.
“Where are you hurt, baby?” he asked, his large hand stroking over my head.
“I—” My voice was a low croak.
“It hurts her to talk,” Shelly interjected. “She has some significant swelling around her neck. It will bruise. Aside from that she has a good-sized lump on the back of her head and a concussion. Looks like she got a solid hit to the face as well.”
“Motherfucker,” Cal growled, his chest heaving with the effort to control himself.
“She refused the pain meds, but I think she should take them. We should be able to release her as long as you can wake her every few hours tonight.”
Cal nodded. “I’ve got her.”
I looked up into his blue eyes and I knew with every fiber of my being that he did. He had me. And, if luck was on my side for once, then I had him too.
Chapter 17
He insisted on carrying me into the house. With a quick chin lift to Ry and Mack, who were seated at the kitchen table, he continued on to the master where he gently deposited me on his bed.
With expert care he removed my shoes and slipped my scrubs down my legs. When he got to my top, he moved slowly, careful to avoid my neck.
Everything from the chest up hurt like hell, and I couldn’t even spare a thought to the fact that I was in my underwear.
He kept my bra on and slid my sleep tank down my arms and my sleep shorts up my legs.
“Jill.” His tone was stern as he regarded me. “I want you to take the meds the doctor prescribed. Your neck has to hurt like hell.”
I shook my head adamantly.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair in aggravation. “Why the hell not?”
My chin trembled.
“Ah, babe. Please don’t cry.” He sighed in a wretched tone. “What is it?”
“I-I don’t want to be out of it. I’m really sensitive to that type of medicine. I need to be able to take care of Mason,” I rasped thickly. “Tim is here. He’s been watching.” I gulped.
His eyes lit with understanding and determination as his finger reached over to swipe a tear from my cheek. “Jill, I’ll protect you and that boy with my life. The fact that fuck got to you guts me, but it’s not happening again. I’m not letting you or Mason out of my sight unless I’ve got one of my guys with you. The entire club is on this, baby. You’re family and we protect our family.”
I nodded hesitantly.
Sensing I needed more, he continued. “I’ve got the house secured. I have top-of-the-line security and three guys including me watching the house. You can sleep, honey. You need to. I know you want to see Mason. The sooner you let your body heal, the sooner you can be up and around. In the meantime, I swear to God I’ve got him and I’ve got you.”
He knew exactly what to say to coax me. Mason was the best motivator.
“Okay,” I agreed finally. “It’s not that I don’t trust you,” I continued on a rasp. “It’s just… years of habit.”
He nodded in understanding, his jaw clenched. He reached over for my pills and guided me to sit up, handing me a glass of water. “Get some rest, baby.”
I lay back down with a sigh as his hand stroked over my forehead. His touch was like a balm that soothed my frazzled nerves. It didn’t take the pain away, but it calmed something deep inside, something that had been ravaged for years.
In my mind, that was a far greater feat.
****
I woke up disoriented. Cal had woken me up throughout the night but it felt like a distant dream. My throbbing neck soon brought my reality crashing down with every throbbing pulse. The muted light peeking through the blinds told me nothing about what time it was or even what day it was. How long had I been sleeping?
I passed my hand over Cal’s side of the bed. It was obvious he’d slept beside me. I smiled despite myself at the thought. I forced myself up and into the shower. The sooner I made myself presentable, the sooner I could see Mason.
