Dillon

Love stories never end, they’re always beginning–with each new day…

 

 

 

It’s been three months since I looked at the building I wanted to purchase for starting my new practice. I got the call a few days later, the realtor informed me that the seller took my offer. I put in my resignation at the hospital, I gave them these three months to replace me, and train somebody to take my place. I have been gone more than I have been present for work, so I thought I’d do them the courtesy of not putting them into too much of a bind. I did agree to stay on as an on-call emergency doctor if the occasion should arise that they needed someone and have no one to fill in. I can’t in good conscience leave and not be available, I’m trained to save lives. How can I do that if I’m willing to sit back without doing everything I could to lend a hand in doing so? That would make me the type of man I’ve been working hard not to become—someone like my dad.

Today is my last day here at the hospital, I’m not worried about being strapped for cash. I’m not a rich man by any means, but with Ariel by my side I’m not worried about how we’ll survive. I did take Wasp and Tic up on their offer of becoming the club doctor, so I will be getting a monthly stipend from them to tide us over until my practice is up and running and making a profit. I’m clocking out and a feeling of anxiety takes over, ‘am I doing the right thing’? ‘What if my practice isn’t successful, then what will I do’? ‘How can I take care of a family on an income of nothing’? I can feel my chest seize as these thoughts enter my mind. I walk out into the parking garage in a bit of a dazed state. ‘Can I really put my family and myself through this’? None of the answers are coming to me and I feel my hands begin to shake. I drop my keys and bend over to pick them up, as I raise back up and start walking to my car I stop dead in my tracks. My mother is leaning against my car wringing her hands together, looks like I’m not the only suffering from anxiety.

“Why are you here?” I ask her harshly.

“I need to talk to you Dillon,” she says nervously looking around, for what I’m not sure. Probably making sure my old man didn’t follow her here.

“Say what you have to say,” I shouldn’t be so short with her. But after everything she allowed to happen to me as a kid, I’m not excited to see her or talk with her.

“It’s your father.”

“Don’t care,” I say cutting her off. She grabs my arm as I try to shuffle past her and open the door.

“You need to listen to me!” she screams out. “He’s done something, something that affects you.” Now that statement there causes me to stop what I’m doing and turn around to look at her. As I finally take in her appearance I see the deep-set bruises around her eyes and cheeks and I notice fingerprints around her neck.

“He do that to you?” I ask pointing to all the visible bruises.

“These don’t matter,” she says pointing at her face.

“Yes they do!” I all but shout out at her.

“Dillon! Listen to me, I don’t have much time before I have to get back.” Feeling paranoid, I nod my head indicating the passenger side of my car, hoping she’ll take the hint and get inside so we have complete privacy. I have a feeling what she’s fixing to tell me I would want no witnesses to. When we’re settled in the car, I turn around to face her, she’s looking around nervously making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Mom, what’s going on?”

“I was cleaning yesterday and came across some things in your father’s office.”

“What type of things, Mom?” I have a really bad feeling about what her answer is going to be.

“Things that cause me to worry greatly about your safety and that of your wife and child.” The first thought that enters my mind is ‘oh, now she cares’ but then reality slaps me in my face.

“Talk! Now, Mom,” I say grinding my teeth.

“I found photocopies of notes, receipts for purchases of roses and tons of pictures of you and your wife,” she says looking at me worriedly.

“What?”

“We got into a huge fight last night when I told him I was going to tell you. He threatened to kill me if I did. It’s the worst fight we’ve ever had,” she says, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. I pick up my phone and call Carson to make sure Ariel is safe and sound at the shop. When I confirm she is, I then send a multiple text out to Wasp and Tic asking if we can meet. They answer immediately telling me to come to their clubhouse.

“Buckle up Mom, we’re taking a trip.”

“What? No, I can’t Dillon, I have to get home. Your father forbid me from leaving the house today. I have to get back,” she says panicking.

“You’re not going back, not today and definitely not tomorrow. He’s crossed a line and you will not be caught in the crossfires. It’s time for you to grow a backbone and start living life for you, and not for that sorry piece of shit,” I tell her with finality. This time, she’s not going to say no to me and talk her way into staying with him. It’s time for her to start caring about herself for a change.

 

 

As we pull up to the clubhouse Wasp and Tic are standing outside and tell the prospect manning the gate to let us through. They press a button on their end and it slides open and I pull my car into the lot. I park and start to get out, but Mom stops me, “Should we be here Dillon? Your father finds out I’m here and he’s going to be really angry at me.”

“Mom, you’re not going back.”

“But…but, he says he’ll kill you if I ever leave him. I have to go back!” she starts panicking and begging me with her eyes. Wasp must’ve overheard her because he opens her door.

“Ma’am, I promise you no one is going to hurt either you or Dillon. Please trust us and come out and tell us what’s going on. Any and all information will help us keep him and his family safe,” he says taking her hand in his and undoing her seat belt with the other.

“You don’t know him,” she says to Wasp.

“I know men just like him darlin’, trust me, I’ll keep your family safe.”

“I don’t know, he’s a nasty man who uses the law to get away with stuff.”

“Mom, he can’t hide behind being a police captain to get away with crimes, he has to be stopped.”

“I know you’re right, but how?”

“Let’s take this conversation inside,” Tic tells us. I grab my medical bag from the backseat and follow their lead. We walk through the lot and into their main room. They lead us through and we end up in an office. Wasp sits behind the desk letting me know this is his office. Tic sits on the corner of the desk and Mom takes one of the chairs in front of it. I kneel down in front of her and I begin giving my mother a check-over, and find she’s bruised all over, but I can’t tell if anything’s broken without proper equipment. I can’t believe how close I came to losing her. The fingerprints around her neck show that he wasn’t easy on her, it’s a good thing with the strength he has, that he didn’t accidentally break her neck.

“Ma’am…”

“Willow, please call me Willow,” Mom tells him.

“Willow, can you tell us what it is that has you so concerned?” Tic asks her.

“Yesterday I was cleaning the house and made my way into my husband’s office,” she swallows deeply. “I found some things that caused me great concern regarding my son, his wife and unborn child.”

“Grandson, Mom, it’s a boy,” I tell her, for some reason it feels important to tell her this. She smiles, and I see pride in her eyes.

“That’s wonderful news!” she says. “A grandson,” she whispers, “I can’t wait to meet him and hold him.” And deep down I can picture this and want to see it too.

“Tell us about what happened yesterday,” Wasp says to her. She begins her tale, and what she tells us makes me sick to my stomach.