Page 25 of Unruly Defender
He doesn’t say anything else but gives my hand a quick squeeze in return before I have to put my hand back on the wheel.Time seems to drag on while we drive over, park the car, and get inside to ask where Maggie was brought to.
We’re sitting in the waiting room in silence for about twenty minutes until a doctor strolls inside and holds his hand out to Henley and introduces himself and asks, “You’re Mrs.Pierce’s son I presume?”
“Yes,” Henley says as he takes the doctor’s hand.“How is she doing?What happened?”
“We’re still waiting on some results to rule out certain conditions and we are monitoring her closely.The results we are waiting on can explain why your mother had a sudden drop of heart rate and blood pressure which caused her to pass out.At this point we are trying to rule out cardiac conditions.We will keep her here overnight and when all the results have come back we will fully brief you about her condition.”
“Can we see her?”I ask and bite my bottom lip right after.I’m intruding.I’m not even family and I shouldn’t be here.
The doctor keeps looking at Henley when he says, “You can go in and see her for a few minutes but she needs to rest.”
He holds out his arm to lead the way and Henley follows him.I have no clue what to do.My feet are rooted to the floor and somehow Henley notices and steps back to snatch my hand and drag me with him.
When we get inside the room and see Maggie lying in a bed surrounded by equipment, wires, and beeping sounds, it’s Henley who is rooted to the floor this time.I squeeze his hand and make him follow me to the bed.Maggie is sleeping and since the doctor mentioned she needed to rest we’re being as quiet as possible.
I place my other hand on Maggie’s and lean in to tell her, “You gave us a huge scare, Maggie.Don’t do it again.Get better soon, so we can have some tea on the patio.You hear me?We need you.”My voice cracks at the end and a sob slips past my lips.
Henley wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close.He places a kiss on the top of my head and addresses his mother as he too lowers his voice.“Love you, Mom.Get some rest to get your strength back.The doc told us we need to leave but we’ll be back soon, okay?”
He reaches out and lets his knuckles brush over her cheek.Henley lets me go and steps closer to his mother to place a kiss on her forehead.He murmurs some words in her ear and I watch how his throat bobs as he swallows hard.
“Come on, we need to leave,” he croaks and clears his throat.
I nod warily and follow him out of the room.When we get to the car Henley takes the keys from my hands and slips into the driver’s seat.For a split second I remind myself I should be the one driving, but I guess what happened to Maggie hit us both hard and we just function on autopilot.
My mind suddenly does come to life when Henley drives up to the gate of his MC and punches in a code.I’m not going inside; he doesn’t need to unlock the gate because I’m going home.I start to sputter and think of what to say but he’s already parking the car.
I dash out of the car and rush around to face him.“What are we doing here?I need to go home.”
“I need to handle a few things here, and I can’t go home now or I’ll just rip my mind out thinking about my mother.And I need to know you’re safe and I won’t know for sure unless you’re right here with me.Rush might have been arrested and not walking the streets, but his three buddies are out there.If they want to hurt me, they will take you, and I can’t let that happen.”
“I don’t need to tell you I have connections, right?Didn’t you hear Yates?He basically implied it’s the whole reason you gave me that stupid old lady title.So, just let those idiots know all it was is a title, there’s nothing between us.So, excuse me, I’m leaving.And besides, I have to go to pick up Finn because he’s staying with two complete strangers for me and for him.”Spinning around, I bump right into a hard chest.“Ouch, dammit,” I snap, and see it’s Yates.“You really need some social skills, peckerwood.”
Yates snorts a laugh.“Sorry, doll, that’s never going to work.But I’m hoping you’re going to stick around to point out the errors of my ways.You being the Pres’ old lady and all.And I’m going to start with offering you my apology because I’m a dick.A big one that didn’t think and wanted to lash out to Rush how we had the upper hand with you at our side.It came out wrong.When I met Henley earlier today, he said he had an old lady.And when I asked who, and heard it was you...I was the one who told him he needed to ask your half-brother for help because he would because of you.So, you see, he already claimed you before everything was set into motion.He really does care about you.As a person.Not your contacts, name, whatever...you.”
“Right.”I roll my eyes.“Nice try.If he said he claimed me first, how the hell did you know who my half-brother was, huh?It’s all a load of crap.My life is a load of crap.This whole world is crap.”My voice is shaking and tears are streaming down my face.
Yates winces and says, “Henley?I think you better hold her because I’m pretty sure I broke her, and I don’t know how to fix it because everything I say is coming out wrong.”
Henley smacks Yates on the back of his head before he takes me in his arms.“She’s not broken you idiot; she’s consumed with emotions.All the stuff going on in her life and add what happened at the clubhouse, and now my mother in the hospital.She just needs to catch her breath so back the fuck off.”
“I need to get Finn.I’m okay,” I mutter through my sobs and try to push away from Henley.
He feels so right but in the turmoil of everything I don’t know what’s right or wrong anymore.
“No, you’re not okay, darlin’.Come on, let me get you some water and we will take a moment to catch our breath and decide what to do.”Henley doesn’t give me a choice but guides me into the clubhouse.
“Rhett, give the lady some water,” Yates bellows.“Hudson, make some room.”
Bikers left and right move out of the way and act as if I’m in dire need of all the help they can give.A glass of water is being offered from my left and tissues from my right.And there’s a hand holding out a piece of chocolate.
I follow the arm that’s offering the piece of candy and see it belongs to a rough looking biker with reddish hair and a long beard.I can’t really tell how old he is, if I’d have to guess I would go with early thirties.
The chocolate doesn’t look chewed and his fingers look clean.Who cares, with the stuff going on in my life, who the hell cares about germs?I reach out and take the piece of chocolate and put it into my mouth.I swear the guy is now sporting the biggest grin on his face, as if I gave him the world by picking what he offered.
I have to close my eyes to savor the sweetness.“Damn, this is so good.”
“I know,” the redhead rumbles and pulls the rest of the chocolate bar from his back pocket and hands it over.
