Page 18 of Bart (Hades Rejects MC)
“Pops, relax, I promise if I need anything you’ll be the first one to know. Right now I just feel itching and burning all over from the antibiotic cream they put on all the cuts. It makes sleeping hard.” He knew it was a lie, I could see it written all over his face, but for once he didn’t call me on my bullshit. Instead we quietly watched television, and tried to ignore the giant elephant in the room. It seemed to be working too, that is until Bart showed up demanding entrance to my room.
“I can’t see him Pops, he can’t see me like this. I can’t please, please don’t make me.”
“Bliss, honey, you need to see him, he’s dying to be by your side, let him be here for you. He loves you, let his love help you heal.” I could cry, I could be a whiney little bitch, but that won’t do any good. Eventually I’ll have to face him, seeing his rejection now might hurt less with all the meds I’m on. I can hear him on the other side of the door cursing whoever is standing guard.
“Let him in, let him see what’s left of me.” Pops looks over at me like I’ve lost my head. I haven’t, but I certainly wish I had. When Pops opens the door I can hear whispers between them, yes please warn him about what he’s about to see I think bitterly.
The door opens, and in walks my heart, or what it used to be. All I see now when I look at him is what can never be, knowing that nothing can put this humpty dumpty back together again, not even my biker in black armor. He’s by my side, holding my hand as he sits down in the seat Pops just vacated. I can see the pain shining in his eyes; it twists like a knife in my chest knowing that I put it there.
“I’ll leave you two, I’ll be right outside the door so Holland can have a rest.” So it was Holland who stood between me and Bart, well there was one more sin to add to my pile, coming between friends. I needed to apologize to Holland for putting him in that position, it wasn’t fair of me.
“Bliss, God, baby I’m so fucking sorry. This is all my fault, if I had done what I should have years ago this never would have happened.” What the fuck was he blathering on about? How the hell could he have known Vic would have gone ape shit after I broke up with him? With his head against my stomach I pet his hair, it feels soft against my fingers, making me wish for things I shouldn’t.
“Bart, none of this is your fault, it’s my own stupidity, my own trusting nature for someone I thought would never hurt me. There’s no way you could have known he would do this to me, I never saw it coming.” He’s trying to pull me towards him, but the pain is too much and I hiss in response.
“Oh fuck, baby I’m sorry, shit, seems like that’s the word of the day. He’s gone Bliss, he can never hurt you again.” The way he says it tells me he’s the one who ended him, I should be grateful, but honestly I wish it had been me exacting punishment, I’m almost jealous. Am I supposed to say thank you? I mean what’s the protocol with this sort of thing? How do you say “Thanks for killing my rapist” without sounding awkward? Yeah, I opt for the head shaking in understanding, lame I know, but I don’t know how to deal with this shit right now.
Running my fingers through his hair seems to be relaxing me. I can feel myself drifting off to sleep, even though I’m afraid of what’s waiting for me in my dreams, having him near me has a calming effect on me. Feeling his breath upon my stomach makes me feel like home, it’s such a dangerous feeling to have with him. It’s like a tease of what I can’t have, but my mind says “fuck you” as I fall asleep.
BART
She’s here and she’s safe, that’s all that matters to me right now. I know she’s got a long way to go before she’ll forgive me, but for now I’ll take what I can get. When Holland wouldn’t let me in to see her I thought I was going to kill him just to get to her, no one was going to keep me from her. Then when Pops poked his head out and gave me that look that said “settle the fuck down,” I took a step back bowing my head.
He didn’t give that look often, even though as a kid I deserved it more often than not, he’d been a strict father, but an understanding one too. The look on his face said he was hurting just as much as I was, and that caused me to pause in my actions. Bliss needed both of us to get through this, we needed to be united.
“You need to tuck that shit away right now Bart, she needs patience and a shit ton of it. I’m going to let you in because she gives you permission, but make no mistake if you cause her any pain I’ll personally kick your ass out of this room.” He whispered the words to me, but the lethal tone was there, fuck up and you’re out, no second chances. I wasn’t even angry at him for it, I knew he did it for Bliss’ safety and peace of mind.
“I promise Pops. I’ll do whatever she needs me to do, if that means leave her side I will, but I plan on being here every step of the way as long as she’ll let me.”
Now here I sit, holding as much of her as she’ll allow, praying I can help her heal. I’m praying she’ll forgive me for not stopping her father when I had the chance, maybe then we can start anew. Just listening to her breathing calms my nerves, brings me peace, and it feels like home. I never want to lose it.
“Son, she’s stronger than she even knows, she’s going to come back from this, just be patient.” I hope he’s right, but if he’s not I’ll be strong enough for her, I’ll help her battle whatever demons she has.
“I should have ended him years ago; this would have never happened if I had ended him when I had the chance. I hesitated and he got away, to do this, I won’t make the same mistake twice, he’s a dead man when I see him.” I grip Bliss a little tighter, but let up when she whimpers in her sleep, shit I need to be more careful she’s so fucking fragile.
“You were what twenty when that happened, give yourself a break, there’s no way you could have seen the future, no way you could have seen this. Her father is a sick son-of-a-bitch that’s not your doing. We will find him, we will put an end to him, and we will make her safe for good.” I should find comfort in his words, but seeing Bliss all black and blue, makes me doubt him.
Remembering the day, I could have put an end to Jack Finch makes me cringe. He’d shown up at Bliss’s high school graduation scaring the shit out of her. Seeing her fear, I knew we had to do something. After she’d passed out in the truck we got her in bed and set out. Pops stayed home in case she woke up; we didn’t want her to be alone. I finally found the lowlife throwing back drinks at his usual bar, when he saw me he grinned like the cat that swallowed the canary. We quickly pulled him out the back door into the alley.
“What the fuck were you thinking Jack, showing up like that? You should have stayed away, she’s not yours anymore.”
“Oh, and you think she’s what, yours? That’s a fucking joke, she’ll always be my little whore, eventually she’ll come crawling back to me, just watch and see.” Punching him in his face was very satisfying, but it only lasted for a second before someone came barreling down the alley. Jack ran as soon as the car made us jump out of the way to avoid being hit, he was gone, poof like magic when we chased after him.
I fucked up that day, he should already be dead, we should have hunted him to the ends of the earth, but we didn’t. The club voted against any further action, unless he actually did something against us. To say me and Pops were pissed about the decision would be an understatement, but we couldn’t go against the vote unless Pops wanted problems within his ranks. That was something he couldn’t risk with the deal in Italy needing to go through, he needed all his men united. I bitterly wondered if they would change their vote now.
BLISS
Waking up without fear felt funny, looking around the hospital room I notice Pops asleep in the chair opposite my bed, snoring softly. He looked tired and worn; this whole ordeal must be taking its toll on him. I feel so warm it takes me a minute to realize the cause of it, practically lying across my stomach is Bart, sleeping away like a child. He’s clutching me like I’m his lifeline to the world, I can’t help but stroke his hair. Taking a moment to enjoy the softness of his hair against my fingertips, the moment is ended when my doctor comes in the door, Bart jumps up like he’s ready to fight; Pops is a bit slower but just as ready.
“Whoa there big boy, it’s just my doctor.” He looks over and scowls at the doctor, I can’t help but shake my head at his antics.
“Hi Miss Finch, I see you have your own body guard unit, between the big guy outside your door and these two inside, anyone stupid enough to try to come in here and do something to you would be in trouble. I’m happy to report you can go home soon, all your tests have come back negative, and none of your injuries are life threatening. You’re going to need to be retested in six months, and we’re sending you home with antibiotic cream and antibiotics to fight any infection you might get from all those cuts. Do you or your family have any questions?”
“How often does she need to put the cream on?” Leave it to my Pops to go all parent on me, I couldn’t help but smile; this man would always be my dad as far as I was concerned.
“At least twice a day, many of the cuts are shallow so they should heal without any scarring, however there are a few deeper ones that might leave a small one.” Bart and Pops are nodding as the doctor gives his instructions; the head bobbing is almost comical. In no time at all the nurse brought in my discharge paperwork, she went over the instructions again eyeballing Bart the whole time. She was practically eye-fucking him while she talked as slow as possible, I briefly pondered if I could I knock her out if I hit her with the bedpan.
“Alright, can we get the fuck out of here already before Bart gets thrown across my bed.” That gets the nurse's attention, yep bitch I’m talking about you. Bart and Pops are laughing so hard I think they might fall over and need medical help.
