CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Fringe
I’m home alone channel surfing when Peach calls me about Divine.
Fuck.
I don’t hesitate, jumping up and pulling on my boots and coat. I’m out the door in record time to get to the hospital. I’m not eager to see any members of the club but Divine is a friend and I want to be there for her.
It’s different with Angie. She and I never went dancing the other night, the party had just been too much. I drove her home, hugged her tight, and apologized a couple more times. She insisted that everything was alright and we’d get together soon, but we haven’t. I’d thought something good was happening between us, something I could hold on to, something I need in my life. But shit outta luck again, it would seem.
The motorcycle ride to the hospital is cold and quick, the streets mostly empty this time of night. Parking away from all the Harleys in the visitor lot, I hurry to the motion-activated hospital entrance.
But I don’t go in immediately. Instead, I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, focus on clearing my mind, keeping calm.
I’ve stayed away from Lucifer’s and so far the LAs haven’t paid me a visit. A shitstorm is coming, I just don’t know when. The only thing I do know is that I’m going to make things right with Angie just as soon as I figure out how.
I don’t know how the LAs are going to react to my presence, and a fight breaking out in the waiting room is the last thing I want. When I have my roaring emotions in check, I go in.
As expected, the waiting area is packed with LAs and their women. They’re taking up all of the available seating and some are sitting cross-legged on the floor.
Pulling off my heavy gloves, I look around for Peach, hoping to thank her in person for the call and offer whatever comfort I can.
Instead, my eyes land on Dawn and I’m amazed that I hadn’t even considered she would be here, too. She’s slumped in a chair, looking small and frightened, and I rush to her before I even know I’m moving.
“Dawn.” I speak in a library voice and take a knee in front of her. Her eyes are bloodshot from crying as she looks up at me, and my heart both swells and contracts at the sight. She looks sad, yet I’m so happy to see her.
“Fringe!” She utters my name like a prayer and throws herself into my arms.
I take her meager weight and envelop her in my arms, realizing how very much I’ve missed her. “Shh, it’s alright, baby doll.” I stroke her hair. “It’s all going to be okay.”
She doesn’t reply, only hugs me tighter.
Peach is sitting beside her and I reach over and lay a hand on her knee. “Is there any word?”
She shakes her head, looking as morose as Dawn.
I nod and give her knee a little squeeze. “Thanks for calling me.”
Giving Dawn another squeeze, I gently place my hands under her arms and lift her back into her chair. I’m already feeling the tension in the room, crawling across my flesh like an omen. She doesn’t want to let go, and if I’m being honest, I don’t want to let go of her either. The familiar scent of her flowery shampoo is in my nose, bringing a warm rush of memories of better times. It’s only been a few days since I’ve seen her but it feels like an eternity.
“You gotta let go, baby doll. There might be some trouble here. You gotta let me deal with this. Don’t get involved.” Still using my hushed voice but not yet daring to turn around to glance at the LAs, I nod to Peach. “Take care of my girl, you hear?”
Peach nods, nervously biting her lower lip, her eyes darting from me to the space behind me. I give Dawn’s arms a comforting rub, looking into her eyes until she nods. That’s my signal. It’s time to deal with them, the LAs.
Standing and spinning on my heel, I face the mess that has gathered behind me. It’s a big one. All of the LAs are on their feet, some with hands fisted at their sides, all eyes trained on me. Needless to say, they don’t look happy to see me.
I sigh, stepping away from Dawn while not making a threatening move in their direction. In this moment, I know I’d lay down my life for her. It’s a stunning realization, one that almost takes my breath away, but I have no time to explore it now. I have to deal with the situation at hand.
Skull and the nameless punk I punched out are at the forefront of the crowd. One word or motion from Skull and the invisible leash keeping the kid and all the others at bay would be released. They’d be on me in a flash, beating me down, paying me back for the affront I inflicted on one of their own.
Regardless, I stand tall in front of them, holding my head high, not showing any fear. Whatever is going to happen is already in motion, it’s going to play out sometime–why not now. It’s like the approaching tide. It can’t be stopped unless the world starts spinning in the opposite direction, and I don’t claim to be Superman.
“Not too smart of you to show up here tonight, Fringe.” Skull sneers at me. Some of his buddies shift their weight from one foot to the other, like they can’t wait to get at me.
“I’m not looking for trouble, brother.” I keep my tone level, my hands at my sides. “I’m here for Divine, just like you. She’s a friend.”
“You ain’t no fucking brother to me and Divine ain’t your fucking business. You made that plenty clear the other night.” Skull is barely holding it together. I know it, the others know it.
Fuck. At least I’m in the right place for this, a hospital.
“Divine is a friend. What happened the other night—”
Skull raises an arm, stabbing a finger at me, but I don’t hear what he says. Sudden and excruciating pain blocks everything else out and I stagger back, unable to breathe. The punk sucker punched me in the solar plexus, thinking Skull’s motion was the signal to attack. I swing wildly as he comes at me again. I don’t make contact and he tackles me, taking us to the floor. Scrambling up and away, he attacks again, this time with his foot, raining kicks down on me as I curl into a protective ball.
There’s screams and curses, but can’t make sense of them, other than Dawn’s voice. I can’t stand her seeing this.
My lungs are on fire but I manage to reach out, grab his leg on his next assault and swing it away from me. He’s thrown off balance and it gives me a chance to come to my knees. By this time, security is converging on the scene and the room is in pandemonium, hospital staff and other families of patients cowering in corners.
“Piston, enough!” Skull shouts, and motions for the others to drag him off.
“Fuck!” Piston growls and rears back for one more kick but I’m able to turn and he lands only a glancing blow to my shoulder before being pulled away and restrained.
Hospital security and newly arrived police officers roughly herd the LAs away amid more curses and promises of retribution. I go down onto my back with a thud I feel in my teeth, gasping for air. Small hands tug at me, trying in vain to pull me up. I can’t sit and roll onto my side, holding on to my chest.
“Fringe!” Dawn’s voice rings through the chaos. She’s crying, on her knees in front of me.
I try to smile but I think it’s more like a grimace. Hands pull her away and I look up through my haze of pain to see a couple of nurses taking care of her, another kneeling in front of me.
“Try to relax, sir. Your diaphragm is spasming.” She lays a hand on my chest. “Don’t try so hard to breathe. You just got the wind knocked out of you. Don’t panic. Breathe easy, you’ll be alright.”
She’s an angel, breaking into my stunned senses. I stop gasping for air and force my body to relax. I wind up coughing, but it’s a welcome improvement. Feeling the need to move, I come up on all fours and slowly test my lung capacity. More coughing, but I’m heartened by my small success.
A little ball of energy grabs hold of me—Dawn has broken free of the nurses—and I manage to give her a thumbs-up.
“I thought they were going to kill you.” I nod and bring her in for a one-armed hug. “You were amazing, how you held Piston off.” She’s smiling through her tears, pride shining in her eyes.
What a crazy fucking life.
In another couple of minutes, I’m able to stand and walk gingerly with Dawn to a chair that I ease myself into. She sits beside me, her warm hand wrapped in mine.
All of the LAs are gone from the waiting room. Only a few of Divine’s female friends remain to hold down the vigil.
The hospital is probably breathing a huge sigh of relief and I’m figuring it’s better this way. No sense in overwhelming Divine when she’s ready to have visitors. I refuse to think of any other outcome. Divine will be okay and she will be able to have visitors soon.
“Are you okay?”
I look into Dawn’s worried eyes and try taking a normal breath. My lungs scream a bit but allow it. Time to try talking. “Yeah, I think so.” I squeeze her hand. “That was fun, eh?”
She laughs and squeezes back.
That’s when there’s another commotion at the door, and I tense, thinking the LAs are trying to get back in. Instead, I catch a glimpse of flame-red hair, just like Dawn’s.
She follows my gaze and gasps. “I called my parents a little while ago.”
We release each other’s hands out of pure instinct—or is it self-preservation?—but we’re too late. Dawn’s parents descend on us and I stand to take the brunt of whatever fresh hell this will be.
“What is going on here?” Rachel St. Claire demands while Brandon frowns at us.
“Mom, Dad, nothing…”
I wave a hand toward Dawn to stop her and turn to her parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Fahr, I’m not here to see your daughter or to insult you by going against your wishes. I’m here because Divine is a friend of mine.” I take a breath and wince. “Dawn…” Both of their frowns deepen and I realize my mistake. “Raven is a friend also. I was offering her comfort, nothing more.”
“Mom, please.” She holds out a hand to her mother and Rachel takes it. Dawn pulls her down into the chair next to her and burrows her face against her mother’s shoulder. Rachel rubs her daughter’s back while looking up at us, her face creased with worry lines.
Brandon motions to me. “You and me. Over there.” He points to the far side of the room. “I think it’s time we had a little talk.”
I nod and follow him. When we’re out of earshot of the women, I turn to him. “Sir, I’m very so—”
He shakes his head and cuts me off. “What are your intentions?”
“Sir?”
“Toward my daughter.” He sighs and offers a small smile. “There’s obviously something going on between the two of you.”
I feel like I’ve been punched again and continue looking at him, probably with an I’m-a-moron expression on my face. He waits, maybe feeling as awkward as I do.
Finally, I find my voice. “Sir, your daughter might just be the single most important person in the world to me.”
He nods and looks thoughtfully across the room at her. “Does she know that?”
I look at her, too. “I don’t know, sir. I think I’m just starting to realize it for myself.”
He turns back to me with a little knowing smile. “The heart is a delicate yet headstrong organ, isn’t it?” I nod. “Raven is a special young woman. So like her mother in so many ways. I’ve been blessed twice. Don’t waste too much time figuring out what your heart wants. There’ll be hell to pay if you hurt her.”
My mouth drops open and we both look her way again. A nurse is leaning over her talking, then Dawn crumbles into her mother’s arms. A strained noise comes out of my throat and I straighten, wanting to rush to her, held back only by my obligation to finish this conversation with her father.
He doesn’t make me wait. “Go on.”
I don’t wait for him to clarify and dash across the room despite the steady ache in my chest. “What’s wrong?”
Dawn looks up at me, fresh tears in her eyes. “Nothing, Fringe. It’s all good. Divine is going to be okay!”
I heave a relieved breath as the nurse confirms the news. “She’s resting comfortably now. It was touch and go for a minute but it looks like she’s come through the worst of it.”
“Can I see her?” Dawn’s eyes beg the nurse.
“Not tonight, dear. Go home and get some rest yourself.” The nurse smiles down at her in a motherly fashion. “You can come back tomorrow for a visit.”
“Come on, sweetheart.” Dawn’s mother puts an arm around her shoulders and pulls her up. “Let’s get you home.”
Dawn nods but breaks away to turn to me. Standing on her toes, she plants a chaste kiss on my cheek. “Be careful. Promise me.”
A little uncomfortable with the display in front of her parents, I nod, but can’t help breaking into a warm smile. “I will. Promise.”
It’s a promise I intend very much to keep.