Page 14 of Everlasting

He shook his head. “I ain’t nice, but I’m not about to let anyone stay like this.” He commented, more to his companion than for my benefit. “Help me get him up,” he called out. It didn’t take much, and I was hauled between two men to the bathroom where they threw me in the shower stall and began hosing me down. I didn’t even care that the water was freezing. The cold drove the itch away for a minute and the water ran into my mouth, fresh and beautiful.

“Sacrament!” Someone spit the word into the air and drew my attention. “So pathetic.” I knew that he was talking about me, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Water.

Clean.

The burn in my veins. Maybe a fever.

Shivers.

“Get him out of there before he falls apart completely. He is going to shake himself senseless.”

“Withdrawals.”

If they said anything else, it was lost to me in the foggy state that I fell into. They dressed me, took me to a car, and we drove away from my second hell. The ride to my new hell was lost to me as my body gave up, deciding rest was needed more than anything else.

“What the hell has my little sister done now?” The booming voice woke me from my stupor just as a man grabbed hold of my jaw roughly and twisted my face into the light so he could see me better. “This is him? This is Declan Donavan?”

“Your sister is insane,” someone commented, but I couldn’t see past the light shining in my eyes or the pain it was causing me.

“This is the man that the motorcycle club has been up my ass about?” He asked the question. I wondered why that seemed familiar. ‘Motorcycle club…’ The thought died before I could process it fully. I think I’d once belonged to a family like that. Wind. Freedom. Love… “Find out and make damn sure whether it’s him or not.”

“What will you do if it is?”

“Well, we can’t hand him back looking like this. None of us would survive the drop. We either put him out of his misery or we have to get him healthy enough to give back.”

“Giving him back could have benefits.”

“Yes, but only if he’s healthy. I’m not sure what my family was thinking by taking him in the first place. He doesn’t make the best pawn, and I’m not stupid. I don’t believe my little sister suffered at his hands. I’ve seen evidence that he treats his woman and kids like the most precious things in his life. My father and brother may have played into her delusions, but I learned early on to verify everything where she was concerned.”

“We all know she’s not right in the head.”

“My father and brother don’t want to see that. She’s quite good at playing mostly normal,” the man admitted.

“Your father isn’t an issue any longer.”

“True. Let’s work on getting this poor asshole cleaned up. Maybe, if we play our cards right, the Aces High MC will deal with my brother and sister for me.” There was a brief moment in time where I wasn’t sure if I passed out or if everyone just stilled to take in the situation. “Take him to Durbin, unharmed.”

Arms tried to lift me, but my legs wouldn’t hold. “He can’t even stand on his own. Your sister was drugging him, but I’m certain she never let him up out of that bed either.” The man turned me and lifted the shirt that had been put on me earlier.

“Are those sores?”

“Bed sores, same thing happened to my grandfather when he was in the nursing home and the lazy motherfuckers didn’t turn him.”

“Fuck!” A door slammed, but I still heard the man yell. “Get him cleaned up and healthy. Tell Durbin I want it done as fast as humanly possible without adding to the damage he’s already taken.”

As they attempted to move me once more, my legs gave out. The muscles no longer capable of holding my body up. Something inside of me just snapped and I was down for the count until I woke up in another bed sometime later, this time lying on my side with vomit in front of me, sweat drenching my body, and shakes so violent, I couldn’t tell if I was having a seizure or not.

“Don’t worry, we’re not leaving you like that,” a voice called out to me. I flinched, at first, because it was a woman. She must have noticed my reaction though. “I’m sorry, I thought you were aware I was here. I’m going to get this mess cleaned up and call Durbin in to see you.”

I wanted to ask where I was. Who this Durbin was? There were so many questions, but I couldn’t get my brain to settle on one thought long enough, or my mouth to work, in order to get them out. Honestly, I just wanted everything to end. Everything. I had nothing to live for anyway if I was like this.

“Can you tell me your name?” The woman asked. I just stared blankly at her. While she didn’t seem threatening, I didn’t want to be left alone with her either. “Okay, I’ll just let Durbin try.” I could hear her recounting to someone a little while later that I was not responsive to her, except to feel afraid of her presence. A part of me, somewhere deep down inside baulked at the idea that I might be afraid of a petite woman, but then a little tickle of a memory tried to surface and I knew I was wrong to think that a woman, no matter how small, couldn’t be dangerous. They were the worst enemy because you never saw them coming or the amount of damage they could inflict.

“Declan,” a man called out to me and I turned my head just enough to be able to see his approach from my peripheral vision. “Name’s Durbin. I’ll be your detox expert for the remainder of your stay,” he announced with a slight laugh at the end as if something was funny. I didn’t see any humor in my current situation though.

“Where?” I attempted to get out, wanting to know where exactly I was, how I got here, why I was here, who brought me, and so much more, but the one word hurt to speak.

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