Page 14 of Revelations

“She’s wakin’ up,” Doc says, pulling me out of my head as I look down to see him still on the edge of the bed with Genesis.

Raptor isn’t here so I have no clue how much time has passed. Especially with Matie still in my arms and fast asleep. I say I zoned out, but I was aware of Matie in my arms and the room around me. It’s like I just became super focused on Genesis and couldn’t see past her. It’s probably not the best time to be holding Matie in my arms, but I was aware enough that nothing would’ve happened to him.

“Where’s Raptor?” I question Doc, looking around the room to find no one else with us.

“I’ll get him now. Let her wake up slowly,” Doc tells me, leveling me with a look to show how serious he is right now. “She might be confused, but there’s nothin’ we can do until she’s fully up. Don’t pester her with questions and let me be the first to talk to her.”

“Okay, Doc. I don’t want to do anythin’ to upset her,” I tell him, my voice soft as Matie stirs in my arms and snuggles deeper into my chest.

“I know you don’t, Devil. We’ll get this situation figured out. I’ll be right back.”

Doc leaves the room like his ass is on fire. He leaves the door open as I listen to him calling for Raptor from the hallway as he races toward the stairs. My eyes are locked on Genesis as she opens her eyes and moans as the full force of the pain hits her. I’ve been in enough situations to realize that’s what is happening to her right now. I sit on the end of the bed carefully and wait for Genesis to look at me.

“Hey, Sweetness. Doc will be right back. Don’t try to talk until then. I don’t know if your throat is sore. Maybe he’ll give you some water to drink,” I warn Genesis with a soft voice when she looks at me.

Thankfully she doesn’t try to respond as her eyes flutter closed for a second again. When they pop open, I watch as her gaze darts around the room and I know she’s looking for Matie while trying to figure out where she is at the same time.

“Sweetness, I’ve got Matie right here in my arms. You’re in Raptor’s room at the clubhouse. We’ll talk about why in a few minutes. For now, try to relax as much as you can. Doc and Raptor will be right back,” I tell her as her chest starts rising and falling rapidly with fear and panic.

Raptor races into the room just as I finish speaking and he stares at Genesis in his bed before stepping up to the side and dropping to his knees so he’s on the same level as her.

“Angel, thank fuckin’ God you’re awake. I’ve been so worried about you,” he tells her, his voice cracking with the emotion flooding his body as he only has eyes for Genesis.

If it were anyone else, I’d say I was jealous. Considering I’m feeling the same as he is right now, I can’t be upset. Even with the uncertainty between the Raptor and myself. Doc enters the room slower and steps up next to Raptor.

“Genesis, I’m Doc. I have a practice in the city and work for the club. I’ve been takin’ care of you since you were brought in a few hours ago. You’re quite a lucky lady. I’m sure you’re in pain and that your throat is sore. I’m guessin’ you were screamin’ and that caused slight inflammation to your throat, but it will heal just fine. Your shoulder was dislocated and I put it back in place. That’s why your arm is in a sling right now. You have some cracked ribs and that’s gonna take a while to heal. I’ve got them wrapped for now but there’s nothin’ more I can do for them. Every other injury is superficial. Bruisin’ and cuts all over your body and some scrapes along your legs.

“Morgan cleaned the blood from your body the best she could. You do have two lumps on your head from bein’ hit there. For now I don’t want you to take a shower. I’m sorry to say that Morgan didn’t get the blood out of your hair. In a few days, we’ll get that taken care of. You’ll have to have help and I would prefer you to take a bath instead of a shower at this time. I just don’t believe you’ll be steady enough on your feet for a shower. I’m gonna give you some water to help your throat. You shouldn’t have any issues talkin’ if you don’t overdo it. These guys are gonna have questions and after answerin’ them, please don’t talk anymore tonight. I will leave some pain medicine andyou won’t need any more of the antibiotic until tomorrow when I come back to check on you. Do you have any questions?” Doc informs her as Genesis looks on with eyes as wide as they’ll go considering the swelling she has going on there.

“How long will I need to recover?” she asks, her voice raw and raspy as she winces.

Doc quickly grabs a bottle of water as Raptor helps her sit up a little more so she can drink without making a mess on herself or choking on the water. I remain at the end of the bed with Matie sleeping in my arms.

“Your shoulder will need to be in the sling for up to six weeks. It can take up to sixteen weeks for you to fully heal from that injury. The cuts and bruises will fade over time and shouldn’t take more than a few weeks to disappear completely. Your ribs will take about six weeks to heal. Honestly, your shoulder will be the longest part of your recovery. I don’t want you returnin’ to work until it’s healed completely,” Doc answers her before handing the water over to Raptor and letting us know he’ll be in the common room.

“Sweetness, can you tell us what happened tonight? I know you probably don’t want to with how we’ve treated you, but we need to keep you safe and we want to catch the bastards who messed with you,” I ask her, turning to lean against the wall so I can get more comfortable.

“I don’t have a choice but to trust the club I guess. Tonight made me realize I can’t handle this situation on my own and that I need someone at my back. Thank you for finding me,” Genesis begins, her voice still raspy and raw sounding as she takes a minute to gather herself and rest her throat. “I grew up in foster care. None of the homes were necessarily bad and I didn’t get beaten or anything like that. It wasn’t until I was placed with the Pratts that I finally finished bouncing from one place to the next.They already had a daughter of their own. Her name is Melinda and she’s a year older than I am.

“Melinda is selfish and only cares about herself and getting what she wants. Shortly after graduating from high school, she met a man named Ricky. I never liked him, but kept my mouth shut because I knew saying anything wouldn’t work with Melinda. She got pregnant with Matie and I was checking on them as often as I could. Ricky doesn’t like me either. Thinks I interfere too much and said I was trying to take his family from him. He’s not a good man.

“Ricky got Melinda hooked on drugs after she had Matie and started to pimp her out to all of his friends. I found out and tried to get her to stop. It didn’t work. That’s when Ricky banned me from showing up to see them. The day after I helped Morgan here with the wedding, Melinda showed up to my apartment. She handed Matie to me and told me she couldn’t be with Ricky anymore. Melinda had been beaten to hell. I made sure she wasn’t going to change her mind because there’s no way in hell I was going to turn Matie away. I love him and she knows that. She handed over a folder with paperwork I’d need. Including signing away her rights to him. I’ve had Matie since then and have tried to hide it because this definitely didn’t go through the proper channels.”

“Fuck, Angel. I’m glad you’ve been there for Matie. It’s been hard on you though. We’ve both seen the strain you carry,” Raptor says, a frown on his face as he looks at me and I nod in agreement with him.

“What happened tonight at the club, Genesis? Who did this to you?” I ask her, keeping the rage out of my voice as much as possible.

“Ricky showed up at the club before you came outside. He wanted to know where Melinda is. Didn’t really ask about Matieuntil I was away from the club. His only concern is Melinda. Honestly, I don’t know where she is. The night she brought me the baby is the last time I’ve had any contact with her. At this point, I’m not even sure if she’s still alive. Her parents don’t even know I have Matie with me because I’m afraid they’ll take him from me.

“Anyway, Ricky doesn’t ever get his hands dirty unless he’s beating up Melinda or one of his other women. He’s cheated on her from the second they met. Two of his guys stepped out of the shadows and they held me while Ricky questioned me. After they hit me in the head, they dragged me into the forest you told us to never go in. Ricky slapped me like the bitch he is before asking me again where Melinda and Matie are. When I went off on him, he released the two assholes with him to beat the fuck out of me. I don’t know how long they beat on me, but Ricky told me he’d be back before kicking me in the ribs and leaving me alone. I thought I was gonna die out there. Thank you again for finding me,” Genesis answers me with tears rolling down her face.

I carefully lean toward her and use my finger to wipe a few away so they don’t soak her, the pillow, and the sling around her arm.

“Do you know Ricky’s last name?” Raptor asks her as Genesis’ eyes start fluttering closed again.

“Ricky Carmichael. He’s the one who had this done to me,” she says, her voice fading to nothing as sleep claims her once again.

Raptor and I sit in silence with Genesis until Matie wakes up as Morgan enters the room to grab him from me. She lets us know she’ll be in her room with him so he can get fed, changed, and some more sleep. With a nod in response from us, Morgan leaves us alone in the room again. My best friend and I remainfocused on Genesis as she sleeps fitfully, nightmares clearly plaguing her. I move closer to her the best I can without getting too close to her injured arm. Raptor lays his head down on the bed by her hip and we slowly let our eyes slide closed to join Genesis in sleep. Neither one of us worry about anything since we’re both light sleepers and will wake up if she does again.

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