CHAPTER TWO
Deke stared at the paper in his hand and was dumbfounded. It was the initial blood test Charlie asked him to take. His blood was almost a perfect match to Quinn Blackman’s. The little they differed was due to the different mothers they both had but apparently, Sam’s blood type was strong enough in both of them to make it stand out.
Quinn’s doctor had been called in and while Deke and Charlie waited for him to get there, Charlie began telling Deke about his sister. When the results became known Charlie relaxed and opened up. Deke wasn’t so sure. He was reserved about meeting Quinn. He thought Sam should know about his daughter but Charlie was adamant about keeping Sam in the dark.
When Charlie left to get a cup of coffee, Deke called Cassie. “Hey, Baby Girl.”
“Hey, what’s up?”
“I think you should be here for this.”
Cassie frowned and gripped the phone. “What do I need to be where for?”
“I need you to join me at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany.”
“Are you okay?” Cassie whispered.
“Yeah, I’m fine but this is something you need to know about.”
“Should I bring Sam with me? Is this a family thing?”
Deke paused then told her, “No don’t tell Sam, not yet. Just meet me here.”
“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Charlie returned with fresh coffee. As he sat down, Deke told him. “I called Cassie.”
Charlie nodded. “I figured you might.”
“She is my wife.”
“Yeah, I know. I met her the other day at Redemption House.”
Deke stared at the other man for a moment. “And?”
“And what?” Charlie shrugged.
“There was a strange tone in how you said that. Almost like you wanted to say something else.”
Charlie shrugged again.
“If you got something to say, spit it out.” Deke glared at him.
Charlie glanced away and raised the cup to his lips. “I didn’t know what to expect when I got to Redemption House. I thought I’d find something totally different when I got there.”
“Like what?”
“Something more depressing I guess. Some of the second chance houses I’ve seen are very depressing, almost like the world has given up on the people who really need the help.”
Deke frowned. “You almost sound disappointed.”
Charlie shook his head. “No I wasn’t. Redemption House was a welcome change. I found the people there friendly and upbeat. The services she provides are awesome. Everyone there went out of their way to make a person feel good.” He paused then added, “That’s a rare find when you’re poor and desperate.”
“Cassie doesn’t get to spend much time at Redemption House. She’s busy taking care of our twins but now that they’re older, I’m sure she’ll be there more.”
“Your Cassie is a rare person,” Charlie admitted. “I listened to people talking about her all morning, then I met her and I wasn’t sure if she was real or not.”
Deke chuckled as he pictured his Spitfire. “Oh, she’s a real flesh and blood person. She also has big ideas and isn’t afraid to put them to work.”
Charlie grinned. “Yeah, I did notice that about her and I noticed something else that day.”
“And what was that?”
“The people there were happy.” He shook his head. “I saw one of the men there, he was just standing in the door to one of the rooms. He just stood there watching everyone, not talking to anyone. No one went near him but he watched everything going on that day. Then a little girl came in and she was crying. I don’t think she was hurt but she couldn’t seem to find someone and she was scared. The guy watched her then he went over to her and began talking to her real low and she stopped crying. A few minutes later, she was sitting on his lap giggling. Then her mother got there and the little girl jumped off this guy’s lap and ran to her, then she brought the mother over and introduced the guy to her.” Charlie shook his head. “Man, I would’ve been freaking out but not the little girl and after talking to the mother, she wasn’t freaked out either.”
“That would be Harry.” Cassie’s voice interjected.
When she joined them, Charlie frowned but Deke greeted her by pulling her down next to him.
“Harry is the new guy but he’s becoming someone important to the House.”
Charlie glanced at Deke then stared at Cassie for a moment. “What are you doing here?” he finally asked her.
“My husband called me and asked me to meet him here. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
Charlie got to his feet and began to pace. “Oh man, she isn’t gonna like this,” he muttered to himself. “Quinn is not gonna like this at all.”
Cassie frowned. “Who the hell is Quinn?” Turning to her husband, she waited for his answer.
“Quinn is Charlie’s sister and mine as well, if the blood test is accurate.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” she growled. “How can she be Charlie’s sister and yours?”
“Hmm, we both share the same father…” Deke said dryly.
“Sam?”
“Sam.” Deke scowled. “Seems my father strikes again, in his infinite stupidity.”
“What’s going on here?” Cassie demanded.
“My sister is sick and Deke can help her,” Charlie explained. “But she doesn’t want anything to do with Sam, in fact if she knew Deke was donating she wouldn’t want anything to do with him either but I’m not willing to let her die—so I asked him to help.”
Cassie looked confused. “Come again?”
Deke gently patted her arm. “It seems Sam had a fling with Quinn and Charlie’s mom and left her pregnant. Their mom got sick while she was carrying Quinn but refused treatment because of the threat to the baby. After the baby was born, mom got treatment but the damage was done. Now Quinn is suffering the same ailment and her body is rejecting the drugs. She needs a bone marrow transfusion before she can get treatment. That’s where I come in. We share the same blood type. Unfortunately, its Sam’s blood type we share. They don’t want Sam to know.”
Cassie turned to Charlie. “What is your mother’s name?”
“Her name was Junie Blackman. Why?”
“Was?” Cassie questioned.
“She died last year after another go round with this crap. This time, she lost the battle.”
Just then, a nurse stopped by the waiting room and told them the doctor would see them now.
Charlie, Deke and Cassie went to the exam room and sat down.
An older gentleman joined them a few minutes later. In his hand was a file folder and he greeted Charlie like an old friend. “Well, Charlie, I guess you found him, didn’t you?” The older man turned to Deke and held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Ethan Bright.”
“Deke Tory,” Deke stated then turned to introduce Cassie. “This is my wife Cassie.”
Dr. Bright nodded at her then turned to Deke. “I take it Charlie explained a bit about the situation to you?”
Deke nodded. “I understand Quinn won’t have anything to do with Sam.”
“You take that correctly, but I’m afraid she won’t appreciate the fact that you’re here at all either,” Dr. Bright explained. “I’m afraid she tarred you with the same brush as your father. She won’t appreciate the fact Charlie found you and talked you into coming here.”
“Why?” Cassie asked. “Is she so eager to die?”
Dr. Bright chuckled. “On the contrary, she just doesn’t want anything to do with Sam.”
“Well, I can understand that but it doesn’t really help now does it?” Cassie stated.
Dr. Bright settled into his chair and observed both of them. “You have to understand some of the history this family has with Sam Tory.”
“I’m sorry but that information cannot come from you.” Cassie shook her head.
“I think it can in this situation,” Dr. Bright countered. “You see, I knew their mother and treated her illness as well. Junie told me things about her relationship her children might not know. She also gave me permission to tell you…” He looked over at Deke.
“She knew about me?”
“She found out about you, after she had Quinn.” He opened the file and handed Deke a letter. “When I first met Junie Blackman she was very sick with aplastic anemia but she was also pregnant with Quinn. I told her the same as I would tell any patient. If her child had a different blood type, the treatment could cause a miscarriage. The thought of a miscarriage shut her down. She wouldn’t allow anything to cause her baby harm. Just getting her through the pregnancy was tough but the baby was born and she got treatment. Although her body was damaged, her spirits were high. She loved that baby girl. The baby is what got her through everything. She had to get strong again, because she had a baby to live for.”
“Then what?” Deke asked. “Why didn’t she contact Sam about the baby?”
“What makes you think she didn’t?” Dr. Bright asked.
Deke felt an invisible hammer slam into his chest. Did Sam know about his daughter? If so, why had he done nothing about her? Why did she hate him so much? He held the letter in his hand and wondered what was in the letter. He raised his eyes to the doctor. “Why did you give this to me?”
“Junie wanted me to give it to you if you ever came to help her daughter,” Ethan explained. “I also wanted to talk about what’s going to happen now.”
“Okay,” Deke took a deep breath.
“I want you to go home, have a good supper, get to bed early and no food or drink after midnight. I don’t want you to drink any alcohol tonight and I want you back here at seven in the morning. The best place to gather bone marrow is the hip, so we’ll make an incision there, then we’ll drill a small hole and draw out some of the marrow from your bone. Then we’ll make a serum and after we administer it, we have to wait twenty four hours to see if it worked. If it did, we’ll be able to give her the drugs and her body should accept them.”
“Can we meet Quinn?” Cassie asked.
Dr. Bright shook his head. “I think it would be better to wait until she’s begun her treatments. I don’t want anything to stand in the way of her accepting this course of action. She’s in a fragile state of mind right now and she needs to concentrate on getting better.”
“Can I at least see her?” Deke asked. “I won’t speak to her or let her know I’m watching but I would like to see her.”
Dr. Bright was about to shake his head when Charlie spoke up, “Sure Deke, I can show you where she is.”
Deke turned to him and nodded. Looking over at Cassie he said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Cassie gave him a slight smile.
Charlie and Deke then left the room.
~* * * *~
The silence that followed was awkward for a moment. Cassie broke it when she asked, “You were in love with their mother weren’t you?”
Ethan Bright smiled. “I think everyone loved Junie. She was just that type of person.”
“I can understand that but for some reason, you resent Deke and you loathe Sam.” Cassie cocked her head to one side.
Ethan finally nodded. “You’re right, I did love her. I watched her struggle with this illness while she carried another man’s child. I watched as she fought to accept the drugs after her body had been damaged. As she struggled from day to day, year to year working to put food on the table for herself and her two kids. But Junie never complained, she never whined about being alone. She said as long as she had her kids, she was happy. And yes Mrs. Tory, I resent your husband simply because he carries the same blood type as Quinn.”
When Charlie and Deke returned, she got up and hooked her arm in Deke’s. Then she grabbed Charlie and said, “Come home with us. I want to know more about your sister.”
Ethan met her eyes as an understanding passed between them and he watched them as they left his office.
~* * * *~
Melora sat alone in the main room of the clubhouse. She was drinking a cup of tea and realized she hated tea. She wanted her coffee but knew she couldn’t drink it. Her hand drifted to her belly and she covered her barely there baby bump.
Her stomach was still flat for the most part but she knew the baby was there. No one else did and for now that was okay. She had a feeling Sam was going to be mad but that was on him. Melora was just a little bit afraid too. What the hell did she know about babies?
The back door opened and her friend Izzy came in. When she saw Melora sitting there she grabbed a cup of coffee and came over to sit down beside her. “Morning beautiful.” Izzy smiled and as she sipped her morning coffee. She closed her eyes and groaned as the coffee slid down her throat. Opening her eyes, she stared at her friend. “What’s wrong sweetie?”
Melora shook her head. “Nothing is wrong per say but then nothing is right either,” she muttered.
“Oh, dear…” Izzy whispered as she stared at Melora. “That doesn’t sound good.”
Melora gazed at the wall rather than her friend. She was staring at the white tiger, Cassie had painted there. Could he help her now?
Izzy lifted her hand and cupped Melora’s chin, so she would look at her. “Is there something you need to talk about?”
Melora nodded. “I think so. I just don’t know how to say it.”
“The best way is just to come out and say it. I’m here for you no matter what, you know that right?”
“I do and I thank you for that.” Melora smiled slightly. Taking a deep breath she just blurted out, “I’m pregnant and I don’t know what Sam is going to do about it.”
Izzy fell silent for a moment then she shrugged. “That’s not important right now, what is important is what are you going to do about it?”
“What do you mean?” Melora frowned.
“Do you want this baby? Are you happy with this news?”
Melora’s hand covered her belly and she nodded. “Yes, I want this baby.”
Izzy’s smile grew huge. “Then it doesn’t matter what Sam is going to do or not. This may be his baby but it’s also your child and as you aren’t married, there’s nothing he can do about it.” Izzy sat back in her chair and grinned. “I’m gonna be an auntie. I can’t believe it. Congratulations girl!”
Melora smiled as a tear or two trickled down her face. “It is good news, isn’t it?”
“News of the best kind,” Izzy agreed. She drank another sip of coffee and asked, “What do you think Sam is gonna say?”
“I don’t know, maybe the fact he’s too old to be a new dad again?”
“Well, he is old, but apparently not too old.” Izzy grinned.
“Yeah…” Melora’s grin faded and she wore a worried look. “Then there’s Deke. What do you think he’s going to have to say about having a brother or sister so much younger than him?”
“I think Deke’s going to be too busy with his own new child to worry about your child.”
“His new child?” Melora frowned.
“Yup, if I’m not mistaken, Deke and Cassie are going to add another one to their brood.”
Melora smiled. “That’s wonderful!”
“Yeah, ya gotta love fertile women.” Izzy sat back and finished her coffee. “And these very active biker men.” She laughed at Melora’s stricken expression. Getting up, she peered down at Melora’s cup and shuddered. “Tea? God girl, how can you drink that crap?”
“Well, I can’t enjoy my coffee anymore, at least for a little while.” She pushed the cup away. “But this is killing me.”
Reva laughed as she came out of the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee and some clean cups. “Then I guess you’ll like this a bit better.” She poured a cup and passed it to Melora. “It’s decaf and maybe not as strong as you like, but at least you can drink it.”
Melora grabbed it up and lifted it to her lips. As the liquid passed down her throat, she groaned. “It’s so good.”
“Yeah, I laid some supplies in last week.” Reva nodded. “As soon as I figured Cassie was going to need the decaf. And now you too? That’s great.”
“She’s worried about what Sam has to say about it,” Izzy explained.
Reva chuckled. “Oh, I can guarantee he’s gonna blow up but it will be okay. Bones is all bluster.” She drank her coffee and added, “It’s not like he did anything to prevent this from happening. He knows how to prevent it if that’s what he wanted.”
“But I didn’t do anything either,” Melora countered.
Reva spread her hands out. “Well, there you are then, this was meant to be.” She sat up, looking excited. “We need to go shopping. We have a baby to get ready for!”
“Don’t you think I should tell Sam first?” Melora wanted to know.
Reva wrinkled her nose. “Ahh damn, do you have to?”
Melora chuckled. “Yeah, I have to. He has a right to know.”
“Well okay,” Reva whined. “If you must. But I want to buy the baby’s first onsie.”
“And I think I need to find somewhere to live,” Melora announced. “Just in case things don’t work out with Sam.”
“Hey, maybe you and I can live together,” Izzy offered. “That way, you don’t have to find a babysitter. You’ll have one already there.”
Melora took a deep breath and exhaled. “Sounds good to me. It will be like old times.”
Just then, the main door opened. Cassie, Deke and a new guy came in. They joined the women at the table.
Cassie poured a cup of coffee. When she took a drink, she spit it back into her cup. “Decafe? Really?”
Reva nodded, then glanced at Melora, then back to Cassie. “Yup, it’s the new drink of the day for both of you.”
Cassie grinned. “Really?” Turning her head to Melora, she gushed. “Congrats girl, at least you won’t be alone in this.” Turning to her husband who hadn’t been following the conversation she announced, “Well, not only did we find Sam’s daughter, Melora and I have something to tell you.”
Deke looked from Melora to his wife and back. “And what might that be?”
“The MC is gonna have new members very soon.”
Deke grinned. “I knew it.” He took his wife in his arms and kissed her soundly. “I knew you were last night and I thought Melora was too, but its good news all around.” Deke turned to Melora. “Have you told Sam yet?”
Melora shook her head, as she looked stunned by Deke’s reaction. “I’m not sure how to.”
“Yeah, I get that but now he’s gonna get hit with a double whammie.”
“You can’t tell him about Quinn,” Charlie protested.
Just then, the back door opened and Gator joined the group.
Deke turned to Charlie. “I know you think that and I can even relate but Sam has the right to know about his kid, whether you think so or not.”
Charlie backed away. “No, he walked out of our Mom’s life a long time ago. Junie raised us on her own and that’s the way its gong to remain!”
“Junie?” Gator started and dropped his cup. “Are you talking about Junie Blackman?”
Deke turned to stare at his friend.
Charlie turned to glare at Gator. “How the hell do you know my mother’s name?”
“You’re Junie’s kid?” Gator looked stunned. “I thought she had a girl?”
“She does.” Charlie growled. “She also had me. How do you know my mother?”
Gator sat down hard next to Reva. Running his hands through his hair, he stared at Charlie. “I haven’t heard that name for thirty years.”
“Yeah, well you wouldn’t have heard it again, if Quinn didn’t need Deke’s blood,” Charlie grumbled.
Deke sat down and stared at Gator. “So you knew Junie Blackman back in the day?”
Gator nodded. “I told you I’ve known Bones a long time. He met Junie shortly after he got out of the service. You have to know Sam was a totally different man back then. He was brash and a hell of a lot more stupid. He and I made it back from Nam when a lot of our friends didn’t.”
“You knew him in the service?” Melora asked.
Gator nodded. “I’ve known him for a long time. We met in boot camp, then served together and when we both came back alive, we just sort of stuck together. We both joined the same MC and have been together until I left to join Jr. here. Now, it seems like we’re together again. Anyway, we were riding through New York when we met Junie and her friend Paula. Bones went for Junie and I hung around Paula. We were there all that summer and when the days got shorter, Sam decided to go back home to Maine.”
“Yeah, well when he left, he left Mom and the baby behind,” Charlie groused.
“Yes, he did.” Gator shook his head. “I never could figure out how he could leave them behind but he did. I told you he was stupid back then.”
“He knew about the baby before he left?” Deke asked.
Gator nodded. “Yeah he knew, but he left anyway.”
“He’s made a habit of that.” Deke growled. “Did he know about me before the day he found me again?”
“Hell kid, I don’t know.” Gator shook his head. “With Sam you never know.”
“Well, I guess I know what’s coming then don’t I?” Melora stated solemnly.
Gator frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“If Bones runs true to form, he’s going to walk away from her,” Reva told him.
“Why would he do that?” Gator asked. “He’s been so happy the last few months.”
“Because she pregnant,” Deke informed him. “Sam likes to walk away from the women he gets pregnant.” He turned to Melora. “You don’t have to leave you know. You can stay right here and raise your child with the protection of this MC.”
Melora shook her head. “As much as I appreciate that I couldn’t stay where I’m not wanted. Izzy and I are making plans to live together.”
“Izzy is welcome here as well,” Deke assured her. He pointed at her belly. “You’re carrying my sister or brother and I want to know he or she is safe. It doesn’t matter what the hell Sam does or doesn’t do. Hopefully, he’ll man up but if he doesn’t, you and the baby are welcome to stay right here.”
“Not sure I can do that but I appreciate the offer.”
“Hey, I for one will be glad for the help.” Cassie patted her own belly. “Little Sam and Jemmia are such a handful I don’t know what I’m going to do with another one.”
Deke wrapped his arms around her. “We’ll love this one just like the others.”
“Damn right we will.” Cassie grinned.
“So what’s wrong with Quinn?” Gator asked.
“She has aplastic anemia just like Junie. Junie was sick with it when she was pregnant with her and held off treatment until she delivered the baby,” Deke explained. “Apparently, the anemia was passed on to the baby and although dormant all this time, it presented itself now. The only thing is her body is rejecting the drugs because of her rare blood type. She needs a marrow transfusion to build herself up enough for the drugs to work.”
“What does Junie think about all this?” Gator asked.
“My mother is dead,” Charlie informed him. “The anemia finally killed her the last time around. I couldn’t put Quinn through all that, so I went behind her back and contacted Deke. She’s gonna kill me when she finds out.”
“While Sam might not care about family, I do,” Deke stated. “Quinn, whether she wants to admit it or not is family, my blood, my family.”
“You two aren’t alone anymore, is what he’s saying,” Cassie backed up what her husband meant.
“Let’s hope Quinn sees it that way. She can be most stubborn when she believes in something strong enough,” Charlie assured them.
“Now, why does that sound so familiar?” Deke asked as he stared at Gator.
Gator wore the same grin on his face. They both were thinking it sounded just like Bones. Only Sam could be that stubborn.