Page 34 of Chaos (Deathstalkers MC)
“Hey, anyway you could give me a hand in the kitchen for a minute?”
He walks away before I respond and all I can do is shake my head. I swear all I am to them is their maid service. I pad across the main room and into the kitchen. Once I reach the doorway, I freeze. In the middle of the island is a chocolate cupcake with a candle in it.
“I’d sing, but trust me when I say you don’t want to hear that shit. Happy birthday, Trace.” He gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.
“You did this for me?” I can’t hide my shock.
“Yeah, I mean everyone should have cake on their birthday. It’s like a rite of passage.” He shrugs like he didn’t just do a really nice thing for me.
We had spent the rest of the night talking and having a few drinks. It was the first time I felt a connection with Torch.
“I love you, Tracie. I’ve just been waiting till you were ready to love me back.”
He kisses me again and I wrap my arms around him so tight as if I’m scared that he’ll disappear.
A small part of me actually is.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tracie
Today I’m going to visit Lucy at the hospital. I’ve tried to get up there a few times, but with everything going on it’s been hectic. Walking in, I spot her sitting in a chair next to Anna’s incubator. It’s so sad to visit her and see her like this, at the same time we all know how much of a blessing it is to have Anna here.
We all still have prospects assigned to us until the boys take care of whatever threat is looming over us this time. A part of me thinks that they must resent being our babysitters.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming for a visit.” Lucy stands up slowly and gives me a hug. She’s still in rough shape from surgery but nothing could keep her from being here every day.
“Yeah, I wanted to stop by and see my little niece. How are you doing?” I sit down next to her.
“I’m okay. Just trying to take things one day at a time. This all still feels so unreal.” She shakes her head as she looks at the tiny baby.
“Have you seen Nikki at all?”
“No.” She wipes a tear from her eye. “She hasn’t been up here. A part of me thinks it’s because Anna survived and Lily didn’t. I think it’s hard for her. I need to get over there and see her soon.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. I can see why she feels the way she does. “I don’t think that’s it, babe. She has pulled away from all of us. No one has really seen or talked to her since the funerals. I’m actually going over there after I leave here if you want to come with me. I’m surprising her because I know if I call first she’ll tell me not to come.”
She seems to think it over before looking up at me. “Okay, I’ll come. I can’t stay for long though. I don’t like leaving her.”
“Deal. I think seeing some friendly faces will do her good.” We talk a little more about the baby and Lucy lets me know some of the progress she’s been making. While her road is still long, she’s doing great.
My phone buzzes and when I pull it out I see that it’s a text. “That was Twisted. He just left the house and we can head over if we want.”
Lucy bites her lip as she looks at her daughter. “Okay. I’ll be back soon, beautiful girl.”
I couldn’t imagine having a baby and not being able to take her home with me. Having to spend her first couple months in a hospital, I know that it’s taking its toll on her.
We don’t talk much on the drive over to Nikki’s, which is fine because the two of us start to hum along to the radio. For the short drive it almost feels like things are back to the way they used to be. When we pull up in front of Nikki’s house, a part of me wonders if just dropping in on her is the right thing to do. When I mentioned it to Twisted, he said it was the only way to see her because she won’t answer the phone or the door if anyone knocks. I grab the spare key from where he told me he left it and head up to the house.
“Do you think she’ll get pissed at us?” Lucy whispers as we climb the steps.
“From everything I hear, at least if she’s pissed she will be feeling something.” I unlock the door and the two of us walk in. The house is quiet, so I walk down the hallway to her bedroom. When I open the door she isn’t in there. Lucy peeks in the bathroom and shakes her head too. My eyes look at the only room left in the hallway where she could be and it breaks my heart.
Lily’s room.
I slowly turn the knob and the sight in front of me instantly brings tears to my eyes. Nikki is curled up on Lily’s bed, sobbing, and holding onto her favorite stuffed animal like it might fly away if she lets it go. The door creaks and she looks up to see us standing there. None of us say anything. What is there to say? I walk over to the bed, lie down next to her and wrap my arm around her. I just need her to know that she isn’t alone. After a minute, the bed dips again and Lucy’s lying on the other side, her hand draped around Nikki also.
The three of us lie there for the longest time. We cry together grieving the loss of someone we all loved. Being there for each other and providing a support system for each other.
