Page 71 of April 5

Jagger toppled over. She couldn't hold him up.

Men came forward, dragging Jagger to his feet. She looked back at her dad, but he was gone.

"Kat?"

She turned to Jagger. "I'm here."

"Looks like you're stuck with me." He coughed, spitting blood. "Get me some Jack."

She spotted Dio and told him to get the alcohol. There was no way she would leave his side, not for a long, long time.

They helped him to the table and dropped him in the president's chair. She kneeled at his side, afraid to touch him.

"He needs ice and wet towels." She looked around. "Where's Cord?"

Bane stepped forward. "He's grabbing his bag."

Jagger wheezed. He'd closed his eyes.

"Tell him to hurry." She grasped Jagger's hand, probably the only part of his body that wasn't hurting.

"Calm down." He squeezed her hand with more strength than she believed he had left in him. "I'm not going anywhere."

She muttered, "I'll never forgive him for doing this to you."

"He did what had to be done." Jagger groaned, pitching forward. "If you were my daughter, I would've killed..."

"Stop." Her head swirled.

Cord arrived and pushed everyone back. Bane kept the men moving until everyone was out of the clubhouse.

"Where's it hurt?" asked Cord.

"I'm fine."

"He's not breathing right." Katrina stood. "His mouth is bleeding."

Dio returned with a bottle of whiskey. "Here you go, Prez."

Jagger grunted and then lifted the bottle to his mouth. Katrina watched his every move.

He coughed and lowered the bottle. Dio stepped forward and lifted the drink to Jagger's lips. Katrina shook her head. While she agreed that he needed something for the pain, something wasn't right with the way Jagger moved.

Cord leaned over and poked Jagger in the side. He stiffened, turning red in the face. She came up on her toes. He wasn't breathing.

"His ribs are broken." Cord grabbed Jagger's jaw and opened his mouth. "Well, you haven't lost any teeth. Yet." Cord stepped back. "Call me if anything else comes up."

"Wait." She waved her hand over Jagger in the chair. "Do something for his ribs."

"Not much you can do for broken ribs. They'll heal."

"But he can't breathe." She stayed close to him.

"He can breathe." Cord picked up his bag. "It'll just hurt like hell. The whiskey will help. Keep him propped up in bed for a couple of days."

The men stepped away to talk. Katrina returned to her knees and put her hands on his thigh. All she could do was pray the whiskey helped with the pain.

Jagger patted her hand. "Kat?"

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