“What the fuck?” Calder walked into Gavin’s room, seeing him struggling with an orderly.

Peyton was watching the struggle with a pale face, as a nurse held her back from getting involved.

“Get off me! I’m leaving! You can’t make me stay!” Gavin managed to get away from the restraining hold of the burly orderly.

“Don’t touch him!” Calder pulled him back when he tried to grab Gavin again. “What’s going on, Gavin?”

“I tried…” Gavin heaved, panting for air. “I need it, Calder. Jesus, I need it.”

Calder turned toward them. “Get out. Leave us alone.”

They looked like they were going to refuse, but thought better of it at his glare.

“Peyton, take the next two days off. I’ll call if he needs you.”

“All right.” Peyton went to where Gavin was pacing across the room, stopping his momentum. “Gavin… call me if you need me to come back sooner.”

He nodded abruptly but didn’t stop the frantic pacing. As soon as the door was closed behind her, though, Gavin stopped.

“Help me get the fuck out of here. I’ll pay you anything you want.”

“You wouldn’t get out the front door. Viper has men guarding you. Moon is out front, and Lucky is out back.”

The man crumpled to the floor, rocking back and forth. “Okay, okay, you can go and score me a hit. I’ll pay you anything you want.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” he shot the suggestion down. He had to keep his face impassive as his heart tore in two.

When Gavin started crying, he sank down next to him on the floor, placing an arm around his shoulders. “Breathe through it. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Now let it go slowly through your mouth.” He started rocking the broken man through the withdrawal that had sent him over the edge.

“Do it again.” He kept telling him to breathe despite Gavin’s pleas that kept barraging him over and over until Gavin went silent and slumped against his shoulder.

Seeing he was asleep, he managed to turn them so he could rest against the bed.

When the door squeaked open, his eyes met Peyton’s as she quietly came back into the room.

“What set him off?” Calder whispered, not wanting to wake Gavin.

“They decreased his medication to wean him off. Then Taylor called. She wants to see him.”

He wouldn’t want the woman he loved to see him in the shape he was in.

“The nurse called Viper. He’s on his way.”

“Call him back. Tell him to stick to the schedule. Tell him I got it under control.”

“Thank God you showed up early. They wanted to give him a sedative.”

“The last thing he needs is someone coming at him with a needle.”

She straightened the room as Gavin slept.

“You want me to help you get him on the bed?”

“No, he needs the sleep. When he wakes up, I’ll get some food down him.”

“He ate much better this week. The doctor said he gained two pounds.”

“That’s good. Go get some rest. You look like you need it.”

“I will. Thanks, Calder.” She left them alone.

Laying his head back on the side of the mattress, Calder was able to snag a pillow to rest his head on. Bunching it under his head without disturbing Gavin, he closed his eyes.

He didn’t know how long they slept, but he felt it when Gavin started to move. Calder lifted his eyelids to see Gavin using the side of the bed to get off the floor.

“Sorry to wake you, but waking up in your arms wasn’t what I was ever hoping for.”

Calder laughed. “I can’t say I blame you. You wouldn’t be my first choice, either.”

He groaned. Every muscle in his body hurt from the position they had been in.

“One of those orderlies punched me when I was out.” Gavin’s groan echoed his own.

“Not unless they got me, too.” He had to use the same method to rise as Gavin had, moving around with stooped shoulders until they could move freely again.

Calder pushed the call button. “I hope you’re hungry. I’m starved.” He requested two trays from the nurse who answered.

“I’m ready for lunch. I’m surprised they haven’t brought it yet.”

“They could have come in while we were sleeping and didn’t want to interrupt our beauty nap.”

“More like they wanted a break from my shit.” Gavin gave him a shame-faced look. “It hit me hard. I would have shoved it in me if I could have gotten it.”

“You wouldn’t have.”

“You don’t know that shit,” he seethed. “I would have!”

“This rehab center isn’t on Mars. Drugs are floating around here, just like there was in prison. You’re on a battleground wherever you are. You won a battle today. Be proud of yourself.”

“Because you were here.”

“You wouldn’t have given in. You would have just asked for your dosage to go back up.”

“I hate that shit.”

“I know. You’re almost off it. Next week, it will be on you whether you can do without it or not.”

“You going to be here?”

“I’ll be here. Peyton will be here this weekend. They normally lower your doses on Monday, so I’ll be here with bells on. We’ll do something to celebrate.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. You tell me. Anything you’ve been wanting? I’ll see if I can make it happen.”

“I want to see Taylor.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I need to see the woman I fought so hard to stay alive for.”

“That’s why I don’t think you should see her. What if it sets you off the way it did today?”

“You said yourself my recovery is a battleground. It’s another battle I’ll have to get through. Might as well be now instead of later. That way, if you’re here, you can keep me from going for those orderlies’ jugulars.”

“You know the biggest mistake an addict can make? Lying to yourself. Brother, I smell the bullshit from over here.” Calder saw the determination on his face and knew there wasn’t a way to talk him out of it. “I’ll talk to the doctor and see what he has to say.”

“Thanks.”

The nurse came in with two trays. The woman gave them an intent glance before leaving.

“She saw us sleeping.”

Gavin grinned. “I bet she tells everyone in the nurses’ lounge.”

“Could be worse. At least you’re not ugly. Those two pounds look good on you,” Calder wisecracked.

“Fuck you.”

After lunch, they walked around the grounds. Calder was glad Gavin’s stamina was improving. He was walking longer distances without resting as long. They even worked out thirty minutes in the gym before Gavin was ready to go back to his room.

When it grew dark after dinner, they went to sit on his back patio. Calder unrolled his smokes from his shirtsleeve, taking one for himself and giving one to Gavin.

“You ever miss them?”

“The drugs?” Calder flicked his ashes away, staring down at the burning tip.

“Yes.”

“It used to be every minute, then every hour. Now I can almost get through a day.”

“That’s disheartening.”

Calder gave a low laugh. “I told you I wouldn’t lie to you. That’s why so many go back to them. That’s why you count the number of days you’ve been clean.”

“How did you keep yourself from using again once you were out of prison?”

“I figured I had disappointed Stud enough.”

“Viper is used to me disappointing him.”

“Bro, there’s a big difference between me and you. I chose to do drugs; you didn’t have a choice. Viper isn’t disappointed in you. He would trade places with you in a fucking second to keep you from getting hurt again.

“When I was at my lowest point, Stud tried to get me help. I threatened never to see him again if he interfered in my life. It took me going to prison to see that I was stupid enough to think that I could avoid falling into quicksand. I thought I was too smart, that I was Superman and could move so fast my feet wouldn’t touch the stuff. As my use grew worse, I grew so arrogant I thought I could walk right over it and not get dragged down.” Calder shook his head at his stupidity. “Then, when I was caught, I was too stupid to reach out and let Stud help me. Don’t make that mistake. If I had to do it over, I would do things differently.”

“What if I drag him down with me?”

“You really think you’re going to be dragging Viper down? That man is solid. Not only do you have Viper, but you have all The Last Riders.”

“You’re right. So, what’s going on with you and Crazy Bitch? She still hate you?”

“No, we hooked up the other day.”

“Was it as good as you thought it would be?” Gavin’s envious smile gleamed at him from the light inside.

“Better. We’re spending the weekend together.” He didn’t mention the game the clubs were playing, not wanting him to feel left out.

“I guess I can do without you for the weekend.”

“I’m a phone call away if you need me.”

“I know.” Gavin stood up. “You mind if I go to sleep? It’s been a long day. I’m going to call Peyton and tell her good night.” Despite his words, he made no move to leave. “I don’t know what I would have done without you today.”

“You would’ve fallen asleep on your bed.”

“Do me a favor?”

“Sure.”

“You don’t want to know what it is?”

“Don’t need to. What do you want?”

“Bring Crazy Bitch here. I’d like to meet her.”

“Then I’ll bring her.”

“Night.”

“Good night.”

Calder stayed outside, smoking his cigarette and giving Gavin time to fall asleep. He was about to go inside when he saw a dark figure slip out of the room.

“Checking on him?” Calder asked Viper when he took the chair next to him.

“Peyton said he had a bad morning. Since I was on my way, anyway, I hung around to speak to you. The doctors say he’s doing better. What do you think?”

“He’s eating and growing stronger. That’s about all I can tell you.”

“That’s the same thing the doctor said.”

“Sorry.”

“No, you’re not. I want to bring him home.”

“I know you do, but he’s not ready yet.”

“Ton is getting married to Winter’s aunt. He wants Gavin to come.”

“Either they wait or get married without him there. Gavin being there isn’t going to be good for anyone. He has to face one person from his past before he can move on and face the life he has ahead of him.”

“Taylor.”

Calder nodded. “He wants her to come next week.”

“Damn. If she comes down, it won’t go well. She’s seven months pregnant. It might send him over the edge.”

“No might about it,” Calder said grimly. “But at least he’ll be in a controlled environment, versus you and Shade dealing with it.”

“Don’t underestimate Gavin. Any other man would be dead with the concoction of drugs they were giving him. His nickname in the service was Reaper for a reason. The only other person I’ve seen go off like Reaper is Shade when he gets pissed off. When Shade goes off, he can take out six or seven men. Reaper can decimate whoever he comes into contact with.”

Calder gave a low whistle. “I’ll bring my helmet when I come back on Monday.”

Viper narrowed his eyes on him. “You’re not coming this weekend?”

He could kick himself for dropping his guard. “Peyton wanted a couple of days off, so we switched,” he lied.

“Really. Hmm… you and Crazy Bitch having any luck with Greer’s clue?”

“Which one?”

“The one where you have to eat that fucking mess Greer dreamed up.”

“Oh… that one. Not yet.”

“You’re lying. That’s fine. I don’t blame you.” Viper stood. “I need to get home to Winter and Aisha. See you around.”

Calder stood. “Tell Greer he needs to take precautions.”

Viper grinned, unconcerned. “The brothers thinking of getting even?”

“The bitches. Sex Piston is getting pretty graphic on what she wants to do to him.”

Viper gave a vindictive smile. “I’ve had to eat that recipe two nights in a row, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be having it for lunch tomorrow. She can have him.”