Savy

I’m so weak. I want to just die, but I need to get back to Ena and Caleb. They are the two most important people in my life and I want to be around for them. I open my eyes, but it’s still dark. I have no idea what time it is because it has been dark the entire time I’ve been in this room. I have to pee, but I don’t think I can get myself up if I want to. I lay on the cold floor and just lay there. There are no thoughts floating through my head, other than escape.

Eventually my urge to pee is greater than my need to lay in one place. I take what seems like an hour to pull myself up into a sitting position. Paul is no longer in the room and I can’t hear anything on the other side of the door. He was kind enough to leave me a dirty bucket to do my business in, but the asshole didn’t leave any toilet paper. I do my business and shake as much as possible before slowly pulling my pants back up.

This shit hurts.

I sit in the darkest corner of the room and wait. My legs have pretty much lost all feeling, but I know they are still alive because I can wiggle my toes. As I’m flexing my foot, I feel the cold steel in my boot, and a new surge of hope fills my chest. I forgot all about the knife that Caleb forced me to take with me. I try to slide it from my boot as fast as my numb fingers will allow.

Dropping the metal to the concrete floor, I pause with an abated breath, waiting to see if Paul will burst back into the room and take it from me. After a few minutes of waiting, I slowly pick up the knife and cut my bindings. I take a while to cut through the thick rope, but when I cut myself free, tears cloud my vision. I hastily wipe the tears and slide the knife back into my boot. I need to keep it hidden. I will only get one chance to escape so I need to make it worth it. I drape the rope over my wrists, so when Paul returns he will think I’m still tied tight.

It doesn’t take long for Paul to come back into my prison with a large roll of plastic. A shiver rolls down my back and the hair on my arms stand on end. He has come with supplies to clean up the mess he is about to create while killing me.

“Wake up!”

I slide from my corner, careful not to jostle the loose ropes. I will only have one chance at this. Paul leans in close and stares at me, like I’m an animal in the zoo. Just as I’m about to reach up, I hear a loud pounding sound kick in the heavy door.

“Stand the fuck up, mother fucker!”

Caleb.

His voice washes over me and I want to weep, but I don’t. I can’t lose focus now, I reach down and grab the knife tucked in my book and with the last of my strength, I thrust the blade into the side of Paul’s neck. His eyes hold a surprised expression, but I don’t let the knife go, I twist it in further, his warm blood flowing over my hands and forearms. I don’t let go. I’m afraid if I do, he will get up and kill me. So I keep hold of the knife, ensuring he won’t walk away from his injury.

Paul grabs my hand, but he is losing blood fast and his hold is weak.

“Burn in hell, motherfucker.” My whispered words ring out loud and I collapse to the concrete. Before I hit the ground, I’m swooped into Caleb’s arms and his face is scrunched with concern.

“Savannah, baby, where are you hurt?” This is the first time I’ve seen Caleb lose his calm exterior. He’s genuinely worried. I’m having a hard time focusing on his face, my eyes are heavy and I just want to sleep.

“Everywhere,” I whisper. “Sleep, I need to sleep.”

“No baby, stay with me, little bird.” He is whispering against my ear as he brings me out of the house, it is barely light outside. I can’t tell if it’s morning or still the same day.

“Savy, baby, you gotta stay awake for me.”

“Aero! She’s fading fast,” he says.

They put me in the back of a van that looks like an ambulance from the inside and Aero gives me an IV. That is all I remember because again I slip into the abyss, but this time it’s worried loving black eyes that I see before I go.

* * *

Diablo

“How is she, doc?”

Savy has been under heavy sedation for the past week. We had to bring in Doctor Rothstein, a small man with kind eyes. He’s a retired doctor that helps the club when someone needs serious medical attention without the heat coming down on us. We pay him a hell of a lot of money to keep quiet about anyone we bring him in to work on.

“She’s getting better,” he says.

“Why hasn’t she woken up yet?”

“Sometimes it takes the mind longer to heal even when the body is on the way to a full recovery.”

“And the babies?” My stomach flips every time I think about them. I found out when the doc came to evaluate Savy’s condition.

She’s pregnant, and she doesn’t even know it yet. She’s about eight weeks along and we are damn lucky they survived the hell Paul put Savy through. Once she wakes up, we will have a rough road ahead, but there isn’t anything I want more than spending the rest of my life with the sweet, sassy curly haired spitfire that captured the heart of the devil.

“The babies are fine. They are fighters, those three. You take good care of them, you hear?” He moves toward the bedroom door and softly closes it on his way out for the night. He will be back to check on Savy in the morning.

“I will,” I say.

Running my fingers through my hair, I look over at Ena who is sleeping on the couch we brought into the bedroom at our house. Ena hasn’t left Savy’s side since I brought her home. Every waking minute, she’s at her sister’s side reading to her, combing her hair and making sure she is taken care of.

The second day, I tried to get Ena to take a break and get some food, but she told me to fuck off because she wasn’t going anywhere. So, I fucked off and let her stay where she was. Not my typical reaction to someone telling me to fuck off, but I know Ena is hurting. I can’t imagine the anguish she’s experiencing, knowing her sister dedicated her entire life to ensuring she was safe.

I climb into the bed next to the woman I love and reach into my pocket, pulling out the four-carat cushion cut diamond ring. It has been in my pocket for two weeks. I wanted to wait for the perfect moment to give it to her, but that moment never came. Taking the ring from its holder, I reach out to take Savy’s hand and slide the ring on her finger. I barely sleep while lying next to her motionless body, every sound or movement from Ena on the couch wakes me.

God please don’t take this woman from me before I get the chance to show her what a cherished life free from fear is like.

I close my eyes and try to sleep, but I don’t. Instead I whisper, “Savy, baby. Wake up. Please, baby. You are so brave. Fight to get back to me.”

* * *

Diablo

It has been almost two weeks since Savy has been in her coma. Doc has her on medication, but not enough to sustain a coma. We are beginning to worry she may be in a coma long-term. This is not something I’m prepared to deal with and when Ena heard Savy may never wake up, she became so inconsolable that Skull had to drag her kicking and screaming out of the room to calm her down.

Once Ena began crying, Savy’s monitors started to beep. It was then that I knew she was still in there. She heard her sister in distress and she reacted, like she had been reacting her entire life. Since that day, we have been telling Savy it’s time to wake up. Each time we do, her heart rate increases, but she doesn’t move, doesn’t wake. We have hope that she will come out on the other side of this. God isn’t that cruel. I just got her. I can’t lose her now.

You don’t deserve her.

I’m a selfish bastard, so I’m never letting her go, even if I don’t deserve her. She’s the best thing to ever happen to me and the club isn’t the same without her. I’m not the same without her.

“Savy, you need to wake up,” I pause, “Baby, I need you.”

“Her eyes are opening!” Ena says.

“Savy, baby. Open your eyes.” It’s the moment my world is all right. The most beautiful brown eyes stare into my black ones.

“Honey, don’t move.” Turning to Ena, I say, “Go get the doctor.”

“No need I’m right here,” he says. “I heard her yelling down the hall.”

The short man moves to the side of the bed, with a small smile. “Well hello there, Savannah. You gave us all quite a scare. Are you in any pain?”

She nods her head and tries to speak. At first, nothing comes out, but then the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard rings loud, though not clear.

“Throat.”

“Here,” Ena says. Handing the doc a cup of cool water. He allows her to drink a small amount of liquid slowly.

“You’ve been in a coma for ten days. Other than your throat, dear, what else hurts?”

She moves her hand to her stomach and with tears pooling in her eyes, she says, “My babies, are they all right?”

Ena takes in an audible breath. It must be true. Savy knew everything that was happening around her. The doc has been telling us she can hear us, but I wasn’t sure.

“They are fine, dear, perfectly healthy. Those two are fighters, just like their mother.”

She visibly relaxes. Looking toward me, she says, “I heard everything.” And then her eyes close again. “I’m so tired.”

“It’s all right, dear, you need to rest. You’ve been through a great deal and we need you strong so you can get back to normal.”

She is asleep before the doctor finishes his sentence.

“This is good news, Diablo. Don’t look so worried. She was tortured, and she’s pregnant. She will need lots of rest. I’m going back to the living room. I will be back to check on her when she wakes up again.”

Ena and I look at each other and she lets out a happy squeal. Savy is back, and she’s going to have my babies.

* * *

Savy

It’s strange being in a coma. I’m so tired, but I’m often aware of what is being said or done around me. The only problem is I can’t open my eyes, speak, or move for that matter.

The shit sucks.

I’ve heard Ena reading to me, and Caleb whispering sweetly. I also know I’m pregnant with twins. Thank goodness I’m knocked out or I would freak the fuck out.

Twins.

Holy shit.

Twins.

If I could, I would do a happy dance, but alas a coma. I’m exhausted from laying in this damn bed too. I’ve been trying to force myself to wake since I got here, but I haven’t been able to wake up. I’m not sure how long it has been, but I know it’s been longer than a week and the doctor is getting worried about me never waking up again.

I think today is my day. No more lying around letting life happen to me. I will determine what happens to me from here on out. Caleb is near me and talking in hushed tones. I can feel his scratchy beard on my neck.

“Savy, you need to wake up.” He pauses and then continues, “Baby, I need you.”

“Her eyes are opening!” Ena yells.

I’m so tired, but I needed to make sure my babies are all right. I needed to hear for myself, not from the haze of a coma.

After I woke up a second time, it seems my family has relaxed a bit. Ena has left the room to sleep in her own bed for the first time in ten days and Caleb is still right by my side. He’s a stubborn man. Nothing I say will get him out of the room.

Now that he knows I’m on the road to recovery, I begin getting visitors. Joss, Lexa, and the brothers come to visit. When I heard about what Paul did to Tiny, I felt terrible, but thank goodness he’s not dead. A sliced throat is usually a surefire way to kill someone. Lucky for all of us, Paul is the only one dead.

It has been three weeks since my kidnapping. Every night I dream of the time in the basement with Paul and every night, Caleb consoles me by wrapping me in his arms and telling me each day how much he loves me. Preacher has been by the house more times than I can count too. He’s definitely the father I never had. Milly and Preacher have taken Ena and me into their family even more than before, and I’m happy to have them as grandparents to my children.

We don’t know what we are having yet, but we all have a lot of fun arguing about the gender of the twins. Ena, Joss, and Lexa are team girl all the way. Caleb, Nate, and the rest of the brothers are team boy. I don’t care either way. I just want them to be healthy and happy. Each night before I close my eyes to go to bed, I vow to my children that I will always protect them and if god forbid, I’m no longer here to protect them myself, I know they have a whole club of crazy, rowdy uncles that will protect them from any harm.

Laying down to rest, I place my hands on my still flat stomach then I move to the scarred, but healing skin on each thigh. It’s a tender reminder of the horrible past I fled and eventually caught up with me in Sage. It’s a reminder of The Monster that terrorized me since I was a child. Then I look to the pink line on the palm of my hand. It’s the scar I look at often. The only evidence I vanquished The Monster of my childhood. A scar I received when I plunged the knife into Paul’s neck.

It’s a constant reminder that I’m strong. Once I stopped running and faced the past I was so eager to flee, I could face the pain and humiliation of my past. It’s a reminder that I needed no one else to save me, a reminder that the only person I needed, was me.

My scars are a reminder that running gets you nowhere. I tried to run and ended up in the same place I was before. You have to be brave enough to face all the demons and be brave enough to save yourself.