Josie

Caden moving in bed registered before the sound of ringing from his phone. “Hello,” he answered, his voice sleepy. In the next second, he sat up. “Yeah, we’re on our way.” He threw the sheet from his body and got out of bed.

“Caden?” I questioned, sitting up. My hands gripped the sheets because from the way his body tensed, I knew something was wrong.

“Eli,” Caden yelled and then turned to me after donning a tee and jeans. “Get up, precious, we gotta get going.”

I rose to my knees on the bed. “What’s going on, Caden?”

“Please, baby. Please just get up and get dressed.” His tone was gentle, but his jaw was clenched tightly.

God, no. It was something bad.

“Eli,” Caden yelled again.

The bedroom door banged open and Eli stumbled in from sleeping in Parker’s room wearing only boxers. “What’s all the yelling about?”

“Get dressed, wake Simone and get her ready. She’s coming with us. We gotta get back to Ballarat, now.” Caden faced me. “Precious, move. Get dressed, something warm. We’re ridin’ out in five.”

“Pick?” Eli queried.

Caden shook his head and barked, “Now!” Eli disappeared from the doorway. I heard him open Simone’s door with a bang, next her scream of surprise and then Eli ordering her up and dressed.

“Josie. Get up, woman.”

“It’s something bad, isn’t it?”

“Baby, come on. I need you focused for the ride. Please just trust me.” He reached out his hand toward me. I looked from his face to it. He needed me to stay focused for the ride. He didn’t want me a mess on the bike in case it caused an accident. Which meant it was heartbreaking news.

Oh, God. Who’s hurt?

Be strong.

Get there and stay strong.

For now.

“Right,” I uttered and placed my hand in Caden’s. He pulled me from the bed and helped me get dressed in jeans, a tee, then a thermal long-sleeved top as well as a hooded jumper. Looking to the clock it said two in the morning, no wonder he was dressing me warm. But if I didn’t get outside soon, I would pass out with the amount of clothing I had on.

We walked from the bedroom, with Caden behind me leading me with his hand on my lower back, down the hall to the living room where Simone was already waiting with a panicked look upon her face. Her hands restlessly played with her hair and she gnawed on her bottom lip.

“Josie?” she asked.

Shaking my head, I said, “I don’t know, honey. Something’s happened in our hometown.” I felt Caden’s heat from his hand on my back disappear. He walked back down the hall to, no doubt Parker’s room, where Eli was, to fill him in on what was going on.

Stepping up closer to Simone, I whispered, “Whatever it is, it’s bad, Simmy.”

Before my eyes, Simone took a deep breath. Her hands went to my shoulders and her eyes hardened. She was preparing herself for whatever it was because she knew she’d have to be there for me. It was why Caden chose to wake her to come with us and also the fact that Cameron was still out there somewhere. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal, yeah?”

“Let’s move,” Eli ordered as he strolled into the living room dressed in jeans, his biker boots and a leather jacket zipped all the way up. He didn’t need to turn for me to know the back of his jacket held the logo to the Hawks MC.

“Where’s Caden?” I asked.

“He’s coming, sweetheart. Just had to make a call.” As he passed Simone and myself, he bent and lightly touched his lips to mine. “We’ll meet him outside.”

“Okay,” I mumbled and started for the door after him.

Simone got close and whispered, “Have I told you lately that you’re so goddamn lucky?” I tried for a smile over my shoulder, but it deflated. Simone took my hand in hers and squeezed it as we descended the stairs.

Outside, Eli helped, first Simone, with her helmet and then me. Just as we were getting our gloves on as well, Caden appeared wearing similar clothes to Eli. Without a word, he straddled his bike, placed on his helmet and gestured with his head for me to climb on the back.

“Looks like I get to have my arms around you, handsome,” Simone said to Eli.

I couldn’t help myself from saying, “Just this once.”

Eli chuckled, ran his hand down my arm and went to his bike. I watched him climb on and then Simone slipped on behind him before I got on Caden’s bike. As soon as my arms were wrapped around him, Caden kicked his Harley to life and we roared off into the early hours of the morning.

The ride, what would usually take an hour and a half only took us an hour. I was grateful there were no police on the roads with the speed Caden and Eli had been doing. I presumed we would be heading to a family member’s house, or even the compound. However, when we pulled up out the front of the local hospital, my heart dipped to my stomach.

Simone and Eli were already at our side before I even unstuck myself and found enough courage to slip off the bike. Eli came right up to me and helped me remove the helmet and gloves. I stood still and stared up at the entrance of the hospital.

“Why here?” Simone uttered the question that was on my mind.

Before anyone answered, my eyes brimmed with tears when I spotted a familiar face striding toward us. “No,” was whispered past my dry lips.

Zara, my sister with her baby bump belly, came out the front doors and then ran to us. Her eyes red, her face blotchy from crying hard. “Josie,” she sniffed before flinging herself at me. Her arms circled my waist, but shock weighed down my reaction to embrace her back. Instead, I stared over her shoulder to see her husband Talon walking our way.

Zara pulled back, her hands going to my face. My eyes sought out her face as her eyes filled with tears.

“No,” I uttered.

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “It’s Dad. H-he...” She took a deep breath just as Talon stopped behind his wife. He leaned around her to kiss my cheek briefly and then stood tall, his arms winding around Zara’s middle.

“I-I, what?” was all I could manage.

Zara, unable to speak as she started sobbing, wrapped me into her arms again. Talon’s hands went to her sides, at her waist. He met my watery gaze and said, “Richard had a heart attack, Josie. They’re not sure he’ll live through the night.”

Richard.

Dad.

Heart attack.

Dying.

No!

No, no, no. Not him. Not Dad, not the man who took me in, who showed me I was worth loving. No, please.

My lips went between my teeth to try and stop the onslaught of emotions. I bit down on them, finally wrapping my arms around my sister.

He has to live. He has to. The man, my dad was too good to die.

“Josie,” was called from behind Talon.

Lifting my head from Zara’s shoulder and wiping my eyes, I saw Mattie, my brother, standing just outside the doorway, looking defeated.

“Honey, he wants to see you.”

No. I couldn’t. It was too much. I couldn’t see him. Oh, God. It will wreck me. I’ll be lost once again.

Not my dad. Please.

“Come on,” Zara whispered. “You can do this.”

But I couldn’t.

My head shook back and forth. No words came to me though.

Zara either stepped away or was shifted from in front of me. Caden and Eli filled her spot instead. Each took a hand of mine.

“Precious,” Caden said sadly. “You need to see him. You need to say goodbye.”

My eyes shut tight, my head bowed, and I shook it again and again.

“I-I can’t,” I sobbed.

“Sweetheart, he needs you.” I felt Eli kiss my head. “Be our strong girl just for a little longer. For your dad, baby. He wants to see his girl.”

In the background, I heard Zara wailing, no doubt, into Talon’s chest.

Dad wants me in there.

Oh, God.

He’s dying.

“Josie,” Mattie called with a pleading tone.

My balled fists went to my eyes. I rubbed them hard. My body wouldn’t stop shivering, my eyes wouldn’t stop crying and my stomach would not settle. Still, I had to ignore all of it for my dad. I had to walk in there...somewhat composed.

Straightening my shoulders, I removed my hands and reached out to my men. They both took a hand each and together, we walked into the hospital, only to pause when I hugged my brother tightly.

We’d made it to the fourth floor and out of the elevator before my composure slipped when I saw my mum striding our way. My hands were dropped just as Mum wrapped her arms around me, one hand to my waist the other to the back of my head, where she pulled it forward into her shoulder.

“I-is he in pain?” I asked.

“No, darling. They’re taking good care of him.” She pulled back and wiped my fresh tears away. She bit her bottom lip. Tears filled her own eyes and I knew what she was about to say was going to wreck me. “I-I think he’s holding out to see you, sweetie.”

I sucked my lip in and bit down. My head falling back, my watery eyes to the ceiling.

Yes. That wrecked me.

Because it meant he wasn’t going to be with us for much longer.

Oh, God. Please, please no, please don’t take him.

“Mum,” Mattie said. “Come sit down while Josie’s in there.”

Glancing down, I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as Mattie whispered the room number in my ear. I took hold of my men’s hands again and they walked with me down the hall. We stopped outside the room and already I could hear the machines beeping away, keeping my dad alive.

“Go in, precious. We’ll be right here.”

Nodding, I squeezed both their hands and turned the corner into the room. A need to run back out was strong when I saw my strong, sweet, funny dad laying in the hospital bed looking pale, withdrawn and tired.

His head turned slowly and, oh God, he smiled a big smile at me like I had just hung the moon for him.

My bottom lip trembled, but I bit it. I wiped furiously at my eyes.

“Baby girl,” he uttered, his hand shifted on the bed and stretched out to me.

I ran to him, to his side, my hand circling his where I gently pulled it up to my cheek. “Dad,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face.

“Oh, baby girl, no crying. God must need me up there.”

Shaking my head, I said, “But I need you here.”

He smiled sadly at me and my heart cracked. “No, baby girl. You no longer need me. You’ve grown into...” he took a deep shuddering breath that shattered me. “G-grown into a beautiful strong woman and you have not one, but two men willing to take on the world for you.”

“I still need my dad.” I sobbed, my head resting gently onto his shoulder. His hand slid to the back of my head.

“You have always deserved much love in your life, baby girl, and I was glad I got to be one of those people to love you.”

Oh, God, my sweet dad.

It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair.

“Now, I...” Looking up to him, I saw he was struggling with not only words but keeping his eyes open. He cleared his throat. “I need you to know, having you come into our lives, baby girl, it made it that much richer. I love you and I don’t want you to be sad. I want you to live your life to the fullest and you tell those boys of yours, if they don’t take care of my girl, I will come back and haunt their arses.”

A burst of laughter left my lips.

Sobering, I said, “I love you, Dad. You know I appreciate everything you’ve done. You and Mum taught me the world wasn’t dark. You showed me I could be loved and cared for.” I broke off on a sob when I saw tears in his eyes. They fell like mine. “Dad...”

“My sweet, baby girl, grown so much.” He took a deep breath. “Your mum will need some help after...” Oh, God. He clenched his jaw as his lips trembled. “After I pass.”

Nodding, I whispered, “I’ll help her.”

“I know, Josie. I know. I’ve been a lucky man having such great kids. A very lucky man.” He reached for my hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it. “Baby girl, when...when I go, I’ll go in peace.”

Shaking my head, I cried, “Dad—”

“No, Josie. I want you to know, I’ll be going in peace because I have lived a life full of happiness and love. You helped make that happen.”

Taking in an unstable breath, I nodded again and again.

“Love you, kiddo. So much.”

My other hand went over my mouth to hide my choking sob. Once under control, I leaned down, kissed Dad’s forehead and told him, “I love you so much, Dad.”

The door opened behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Mum, Zara, Talon, Mattie and Julian enter. Not only them, but my gorgeous men with concern for me in their eyes, silently walked in.

Two hours after I arrived, my dad drifted off to sleep...never waking again.