Chapter Sixteen
Jake
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
My eyes slammed open as I struggled against an unknown force. I feel overwhelmed—I don’t know which was reality and which wasn’t anymore. In this new room, the light was so bright and I felt like I was choking on something massive. Everything felt completely wrong and all I could do was muster up enough strength to pull out whatever it was in my throat. I reached up and pulled, and it felt like I was ripping my throat out with each tug. The pain was excruciating, yet I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it was stemming from. Everything was hazy. I felt like spinning out of control. The only thing I knew was that I had to get back to Dana. Fuck the pain; I could fight anything as long as I knew Dana was safe and unharmed.
Dana. My Dana Doll.
My mind flashed back to the crumbling walls and my desperate screams that fell upon deaf ears. My head felt increasingly heavy, and I started to think I might have been drugged again. Suddenly, I felt hands groping all over my body. Strange and distant voices were talking so fast I couldn’t keep up, and I was struggling against these strangers, trying to free myself. I knew I was under attack, and I was in a terrible position, unable to properly fight back. My limbs thrashed about wildly, attacking an enemy I was unable to properly see. My mind couldn’t keep up with my body, and everything became pure instinct. Too many voices were speaking at once that it was all terrible white noise.
All of a sudden, my world stood still, and a voice floated over the rest.
“Jake! Jake! Can you hear me?”
Instantly my body reacted, and I attempted to lunge forward towards the sound of Dana’s voice. If they were holding her hostage I was going to save her, regardless of what condition I was in. They could kill me for all they wanted, but god forbid they lay a single finger on Dana. I would rip them limb to limb before they could take me out, and of that I was certain.
My throat was so raw that I couldn’t call out, but I knew it was her the moment her hand connected with mine. I clung to Dana like my life depended on it, and in a way it did. My mind couldn’t comprehend what was happening, but none of that mattered anymore. All I knew was Dana was with me, and there was nothing else more important than that. Where ever we were we were together, and I knew that from here I could save at least her.
Suddenly, I felt her hand being pulled away, and I began to fight again, desperate to get to her. Was she in danger? I need to save her! As I grew more and more frantic, I felt a surge of strength I never knew existed.
***
“Mister Handleman!” An unfamiliar voice was calling out my name.”Mr. Handleman. Jake. Jake Handleman. Can you hear me?”
All I could do was nod. The adrenaline was subsiding, and something about the voice told me to trust it. I knew immediately it wasn’t Mack, or any of the guys from the clubs. Finally my eyes were beginning to adjust and I took a moment to observe my surroundings. I willed myself to calm down, focusing all my energy on tying things together.
White walls, white floors, and bright lights overhead.
I looked down and saw that I was in a hospital bed, surrounded by hospital staff. How ridiculous I must have looked trying to fight them, thinking I was being attacked by unknown assailants. ”What the fuck had happened,” I thought. “How in the hell did I end up here?”
My eyes darted around until they landed on what could only be described as an angel. Glowing under the harsh hospital lights, Dana stood out like a creature only the heavens could create. Tears were running down her cheeks, and I wanted so desperately to hold her and wipe away her pain. I took comfort in seeing that she was safe, but I couldn’t bear to see her in pain. I couldn’t remember what brought us to this moment, but I knew once I looked into Dana’s eyes that it had been a hell of a journey. Her eyes screamed heartbreak and the deep, dark circles gave away how truly exhausted she was. I could see from her face that she had stayed awake all night with me, and my heart felt like it was going to burst with both love and sorrow.
As reality came crashing down on me, I took a deep breath and tried to speak.
“Wh—What happened?”
“Sir, you’ve been in a coma after being shot,” the nurse said. “You were brought in yesterday. We have just been waiting for you to wake up. I know this is a lot to take in, but I’m going to need you to lay down and let us do our job. We have to get you settled, you’ve pulled out all of your tubes and your IV.”
Shot? When? Who?
I had so many questions but I knew now wasn’t the time. I laid my head back down and allowed the nurses and doctors to get to work.
***
After the doctor double-checked all of my vitals, I was finally allowed a moment alone with Dana. She didn’t leave my side not even once, and I wondered how long she had been sitting and waiting for me to come back to life. I had never seen her look so unhappy and exhausted before, and I felt sick to my stomach that I had been the cause of her pain.
As I gripped her hand tightly, she filled me in on everything that had happened. Patiently she let me ask every question I had, and she tried her best to answer it with what knowledge she had. To some degree, she was just as lost as I was, but together we tried to fill in all the pieces of the mystery.
Learning that Mack had made an attempt on my life filled me with a terrible rage. I vowed to even the score one day. Unfortunately for him I had survived, and I wouldn’t rest until he got what he deserved.
“You scared me,” Dana said, lightly hitting me in the arm. “Don’t you ever do that again.” She attempted a smile, but it was still a bit early for that. I could tell she was relieved, but what she had gone through wasn’t going to escape her mind that quickly, and it would be awhile before Dana was back to her light-hearted self. The fact that she was trying meant more to me than she could possibly know, and I tried my best to keep the mood as light as possible.
I chuckled and stared at my beautiful woman. “I’ll try my best not to take a bullet to the back in the future, Dana.”
Dana pouted. She smiled.
“It’s a miracle you’re alive,” she sighed “I was terrified I was going to lose you forever. When Tina got the call, I imagined the worst. And then getting here was another issue in itself. It’s been the longest night of my life, and I haven’t relaxed in what feels like a lifetime. You almost left me, Jake, the one thing I never thought you would do.”
“So long as I have you, I will always have a reason to come back,” I said. “You never have to worry about that.”
Our moment was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. It was Billy, poking his head in.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Billy began, “but you and I need to talk.”
Dana looked at me and I nodded, letting her know that I could handle myself. She knew that this was club business, and she stood up, gesturing for Billy to enter.
“I’ll be right down the hall…” Dana said, before kissing me softly and then exiting.
***
“Fuck, man, you had me worried.” Billy spat out before throwing himself down into a chair beside me. “Don’t you ever fucking go and do some shit like that again.”
I laughed and nodded. Why was everyone acting like I had gone out of my way to get shot? Last time I checked I didn’t have a death wish! “Like I told Dana, I’ll try my best to avoid bullets from now on.”
Billy’s face was dark and serious, but then he smiled.
“You sonofabitch,” he laughed, “if you hadn’t woken up I would have shot you myself!”
As nice as it was having a brotherly moment, I knew there were deeper reasons as to why Billy was here. “I know what you’re going to say…” I began, but Billy cut me off.
“No, I don’t think you know at all. You think I’m going to give you some bullshit lecture about how this girl ain’t nothin’ but trouble and look at what you gone did.” Billy looked at me with nothing but seriousness in his eyes. “Well I’ve got news for you, I might be one old fucking biker, but I’m not a monster. You almost paid with your goddamn life tonight.”
“For Dana, that’s a price I’m willing to pay. I’d do anything for her. Nothing is going to separate us except death.”
“Well, ain’t that the stupidest shit,” Billy said, adding a dramatic roll of the eyes. “I’m sure she’d love it if you were dead, lot of good that’d do her!”
“Look, brother,” I said, “you get my point. I’m not giving this girl up, and if that means I lose my place in the Flaming Dragons then that’s the price I’ll have to pay. I love you all like family, you gave me a place to belong, but family doesn’t force each other to give up the thing that makes them happiest. I’m going to marry that woman, and you can either be by my side or out of my way completely.”
Billy didn’t speak, and I was worried that this might end in a goodbye. As much as I talked a good talk, in my heart I was bonded to the Flaming Dragons and I knew it would hurt me to lose them. I didn’t have a plan on how I would combine my two worlds, I simply knew that I had no choice but to try. I needed my family and my future wife to live together, and somehow that was going to happen.
Billy let out a long sigh before finally speaking. “Goddamn, Jake, you know I ain’t gonna let you just walk away from the club. You’re needed, man, and more importantly, you’re my brother. You done made a right mess of things, but families work together. So let’s figure this shit out so that your little miss isn’t the cause of anymore damn headaches for me.”
Billy’s words resonated with me. I reached over and grabbed him. We had never been the sensitive type, but some moments call for a brotherly hug. As he patted my back, I knew that I had my brother by my side. Ride or die. The next step was figuring out what to do about that snake Mack, and his bitch of a sidekick Tom.
“It’s time we hunt those fuckers down once and for all,” I exclaimed, trying to push myself out of bed.
“Take it easy there, bud,” Billy said, shaking his head. “You ain’t in any shape to be getting outta this bed any time soon. You are right about one thing, though. The hunt is on, and I’m going to personally make sure that those two rats are dealt with properly.”
With that, Billy rose from his chair and gave my arm a final pat.
“I’ll send your missy in here to tend to you. Rest, brother, I’ll take it from here.”
As Billy left the room, I couldn’t help but smile. It shouldn’t have taken me being shot for us to agree on the situation, but I’d take it. I wasn’t sure how Billy was going to fix things, but if anyone could it would be him. He might not be the most diplomatic biker on the planet, but he sure as hell is the most persuasive. One look at Billy’s mean mug and most grown men backed right down.
So much had happened in such a short time, and all at once the exhaustion from it all hit me. My eyes felt like lead weights. I wanted to wait for Dana, but sleep was slamming eyelids down. Letting my eyes close, I fell asleep to a steady, rhythmic sound.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.