Chapter Nineteen
Dana
Being back home was more comforting than expected, and I turned on the shower as hot as I could stand. Tina was standing guard down in the living room, and I felt at ease for the first time in a long time. I washed away the last few days, and as the dirt and sweat swirled its way down the drain, I attempted to let my fears go with it. Even though Mack and Tom were still at large, something within me told me that they were going to be handled sooner rather than later. With every club across the country notified, both the Flaming Dragons and Wild Wolves were on the lookout and someone was going to find them. There was no way they could hide forever, and eventually I knew they would surface.
The heat of the water began to steam up the bathroom, and I liked the feeling of being hidden behind the fog. It felt like all eyes had been on me the last few days, and I needed a bit of anonymity for a second. Being in the shower made me feel a bit alive again, and my skin burned as I scrubbed away every bad memory from my mind. My body felt so dirty in ways that soap couldn’t fix, and I knew that there were some wounds only time could heal. As the water started to lose its heat, I knew I had to get myself out of this bathroom and back to the real world once more. I’m sure Tina was pacing around downstairs wondering what could possibly be taking me so long up here.
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a gigantic fluffy towel around my body. Soaking up the warmth and coziness, I let out a long sigh. I was so beyond exhausted that it was like my body had come full circle, and I was buzzing with an energy that was false and draining. I knew that I all I wanted was to crawl into my bed and sleep the next month away, but I was needed back at the hospital. Besides, I reminded myself, I wouldn’t sleep well without Jake anyway, so what good was my bed when he wasn’t there to share it with me.
Wiping the steam from the mirror, I stared at my reflection and for a moment I almost didn’t recognize myself. As luxurious as that shower had felt, my face still was etched with the story of what I had been through. Wrinkles I had never noticed before now screamed out at me, and my eyes held a wariness that had never been there before. I understood that with time, I would move past all of this, but it was all still fresh and it was going to take a few more scalding hot showers until I started to feel a bit normal again.
I heard Tina calling out my name downstairs, checking in to make sure I was ok. I called back to give her a sign of life, and went to pick out something to wear. I knew I’d be back in the hospital again, so I threw a couple extra things in a bag and headed back downstairs.
Tina greeted me at the bottom of the stairs, holding her phone in hand, and I got a flashback to the night Jake had been shot. Fear started to prickle the back of my neck, and for a moment an image of Jake lying in his hospital bed shot across my mind. My nervous system was overly trigger happy, and it didn’t take much for me to go from normal to panic-stricken in less than a second.
Tina noticed my face and quickly tried to explain. She grabbed my hand and led me over to the couch, explaining that I was going to want to sit down for this one.
“What is going on, Tina? What happened …?”
A big smile started to spread across Tina’s face, and the twinkle in her eye started to ease my worry.
“You’re not even going to believe this” Tina chuckled, “but they’ve already caught those assholes!”
“What?” I sputtered, completely thrown by the news.
“Yeah, they thought if they could cross past into another state they’d be in the clear. Guess they weren’t as smart as they thought, because they were spotted at a bar and hauled off to one of the clubhouses. Billy is on his way down there now to sort out what’s next. I have no idea if it was a Dragon or a Wolf that caught them, but either way the clubs have agreed to handle this one together. There is no way those two snakes are escaping this time, and Billy swore that this was really going to be the end of this chapter.”
“What do you think they are going to do to them…?” I asked hesitantly, unsure if I really wanted to know. As horrible as everything had been, there was still a softness in me that didn’t want anything terrible to happen to someone else. I knew that if I was there I’d attack Mack with everything in me, teach him a lesson for trying to hurt my Jake. But the reality was that I would never cause the kind of damage that these guys could, and I shuddered at the thought of what might be done to them both.
“That’s not for us to worry about, Dana. What happens to them is their own doing, they made their choices and they’ll have to pay the price for those decisions. As hard as it might be for you to understand, these men handle things their own way and no one interferes with that. Just like the police, these clubs have their own laws and their own dictated consequences. Anyone who joins knows exactly what’s expected of them, and they also know exactly what will happen if they fuck up. Making the choice to shoot a fellow club member is one of the worst offenses Mack could have committed, and I can guarantee that his punishment will match his crime.” Tina’s face didn’t reveal an ounce of sympathy, and I knew that I had to adopt the same attitude. Just like with Mitch, I knew there were aspects to their lives that I would never be a part of, and honestly I was perfectly okay with that arrangement. I supported my husband to be in everything that he did, but that didn’t mean I had to know exactly what he was doing at all times.
“Let’s get back to the hospital and celebrate with the others,” Tina suggested. “I’m sure the clubs have already snuck in a few bottles of booze and are whooping up their victory. I ain’t ever been to a Dragon and Wolf party before, so this is certainly something I don’t want to miss!”
I nodded in agreement, and went to stand up and grab my bag. As I walked towards the staircase, I realized there was one thing I hadn’t yet done, and I needed to before I could leave and head back to Jake.
“Tina,” I said, reaching my hand towards her, “there’s something I need to say to you and I want you to listen.”
Tina squeezed my hand and looked at me.
“The last few days have been some of the worst in my life. I have had two major tragedies in my life, and for the first I relied completely on my brother to pull me through. This time I didn’t have my brother, and I didn’t know who I was going to fall back on to get me through. I love putting on an air of toughness, but deep down I’m not, and I’ve been so out of my depth the last little while that I was like a raft out to sea. But you, Tina, you were my anchor, and that is a kindness I will never be able to repay. You have been my guardian, my best friend, my savior and I owe my life to you for what you’ve done. I don’t know how to properly thank you, but just know that I will be eternally grateful to you for everything. Thank you, Tina. Thank you so much.”
Tina stared back at me as tears sprung to her eyes. I had never seen her overcome with such emotion and it made me well up with tears as well. As she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight, I just kept whispering thank you in her ear. I knew there was no way I could ever fully express how grateful I was, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try.
“One last thing,” I said, breaking away from our hug to look her right in her eyes. “A last favor, if you will…”
“What can I do for you, girl?” Tina replied, wiping away a stray tear and smiling back at me.
“With this all sorted, my next big hurdle will be planning a wedding… and every bride needs a maid of honor. Would you do me the honor of standing beside me on the happiest day of my life?”
Tina stared at me, completely dumbfounded.
“Is that a yes?” I grinned. “You were there on some of my worst days. Wanna join me on my best?”
“Yes!” Tina exclaimed. “I’ve never been a maid of honor before, and I would love to be yours more than anything!”
I laughed and hugged her tightly.
“Let’s get back to the hospital and share the good news. We have a lot to celebrate today!”
Back at the hospital, Tina was exactly correct, and the waiting room had been turned into a makeshift bar. The staff looked extremely uncomfortable, but with dozens of 40 bikers packed in it, they were unlikely to say anything about it.
I walk through the maze of people until my eyes finally found Jake, seated on a couch beside Mitch. “I wasn’t expecting this to be over so fast, but I’m sure as hell glad it is,” Mitch said, as I sat on the couch beside Jake.
“Damn right,” Jake responded, draping his arm over my shoulder and pulling me in closely. “Those two were so smug, thinking they outsmarted all of us. But look where they ended up, caught in their own web of stupidity.”
Jake seemed pleased, but there was also an air of anger still in his voice. Being shot at wasn’t something you forgave and forgot overnight, and I knew he may never let go his anger towards Mack. As wonderful a man Jake was, he was not the forgiving type, and a part of me understood and accepted that. I wasn’t in this to change the man, I was only here to love and support him through life.
My eyes gazed around the room at all of the happy faces and hands clasping drinks. It was wonderful seeing the two clubs get along, and it solidified in my mind that a happy future was possible.
I leaned over and whispered in Jake’s ear, letting him know that I was less interested in a group celebration and more inclined towards a more private one. Jake got my hint and cleared his throat, letting everyone know that he was feeling much worn out and needed to go and get some rest. I smirked inwardly, and held his hand as we weaved through the crowd and back towards his room.
What Jake needed right now was some personal TLC, and I knew just the person to give it to him. Giggling like school kids, we fell back into the hospital bed, and there we let the real healing begin. No one could soothe me the way Jake could, and all I needed right now was his touch.
As the hospital room door swung shut behind us, all anyone could hear was the faint sound of laughter as we indulged in the most private of parties.