L. Ann Marie (25 page)

"I could eat, I missed lunch too."  I tell him, trying to calm him down.

He fills a tray and sits down.  He doesn't say anything until he finishes.  Me and Rich know to leave him alone so we do.  I tell Rich about the hysterectomy and hormones.  "Kate will explain it to her; I don't get it."  I tell him.

"I can explain it, but I’ll let Kate do it.  Amanda needs a woman right now, let her have that.  Kate did it for Tess too."  I nod relieved.

"They're beautiful."  Danny tells him.  Rich laughs like it’s the best fuckin joke.  Fuckin guy.  I leave them there and go back to Amanda.

Two months

Amanda

I smile before my eyes are open.  I hear Bob talking to the twins from the monitor.  He's telling them about being clean for their mommy.  I sit up and pull a pillow over, getting ready for them.  I have the studs out and a smile ready when he walks in.  "Mommy is ready.  Morning, gorgeous."  He kisses my lips and hands me my girl first.  I get her eating and he puts Colt on the pillow moving my nipple to his mouth.  "I love seeing you feed them, babe."

I snort/laugh.  "You like seeing my nipples."

He laughs and kisses me again for real this time.  "You're right.  Sexy as fuck, seeing you feed my babies."

"Stop swearing!"  I tell him for the millionth time.

He smiles.  "I'm not becoming someone else cause we have kids.  All the other kids deal with it, mine will too."

I'm never going to win this one so I let it go, knowing I need to stop nagging him.  "How come you're in the brace?  Don't you have to be at work?" 

"Nope, mandatory vacation day."  He says smiling.

I look at him, "You and the fuckin vacation days.  How do you get so much damn vacation?"

"Stop swearing."  He smiles at me.  Fuckin guy.

"I'll stop nagging; it's getting on my nerves, too."  I smile at him then laugh.

"Because our job is stressful, we get vacations to relieve that.  We all hate them but Jess is fuckin nuts with it.  We take them because she gets scary when we don't."

I laugh.  The Badass biker men afraid of little Jess.  "I'm at Doc's today."

He nods; he keeps track of me better than I do.  "I was going to keep them."  He says, like I'd say no.

I pull him closer and kiss him.  "Ok."  I lift Harley to burp her.  He takes Colt and puts him on his shoulder.  He’s so damn gentle with them I always smile.  He’s a good dad.  I was so worried we’d fuck them up but he wouldn’t let that happen.

I get my burp and get back to the feeding.  He takes them while I shower and get ready to leave.  I have to do the pump thing so he has enough for the day.  I take the pump and empty bottles with me so I’m not dripping on my shirt all day.  With a kiss for everyone, I’m out the door.

It looks like the clinic is running a special today.  I mention it to Eva, the receptionist; she shushes me and pulls me closer.  “Doc and Sally are having problems, she didn’t show today.”  Fuck, that’s not good.

I grab a chart and pull my first patient.  I hear Doc yelling on and off all day.  It is too damn crazy to get to my coffee.  I make it back when it’s cold; I use it to wash down an apple danish.  When I’m done I take ten minutes to pump and relieve some pressure.  Going back to the front, I see Doc is pissed, talking to Eva as if she did something wrong.

I grab his arm and pull him to the break room.  “Do you want to manage the waiting room and all these patients?”  He gives me a look.  “Don’t even try to take this out on me.  Calm yourself down before you piss everyone off and have to work alone!  Everyone is here because we believe in you and what you’re doing for these people.  Take a breath and reel your temper in.  Fix whatever you did to Sally and do it damn quick!”

He looks like I slapped him.  “What makes you think I did something wrong?”  He yells at me.

“You are a man.  Sally is sweet and funny and she loves you.  If she’s not here it’s because you pissed her off and from knowing her, it takes a lot to do that.  Fix whatever the hell you did and stop abusing everyone because you fucked up!”  I walk away and grab the next patient that I can see.  It’s my last, Thank God.

I don’t hear any more yelling so I finish my patient and help Eva get the charts filed.  I hear bikes outside and look up to see Danny walk in.  “I need you to come with me, Amanda.”  I give the chart in my hand to Eva and run to the back, getting my diaper bag.  I flip it onto my back and run out.  “Bob is meeting us at the Club with the kids.”  I nod as he rushes me out to his bike.

I stop.  “Am I allowed to get on your bike?”  Bob said this isn’t good.  They fight over stuff like this.

He smiles. “It’s good you asked but it’s an emergency and Bob is waiting with the kids.  He needs to be on his bike, keeping those kids safe.”  I get on behind him, strapping the helmet on.  He drives like a maniac to the Club.  I hold on for dear life, wishing Bob picked me up in the truck.

At the Club, I jump off as quick as I can.  Crazy ass MC guys.  “You’re a damn nut on a bike.  Thanks for getting me here in one piece but next time have him stop for me.”

I hear him laughing as I go through the door.  It is utter chaos.  I see Nancy carrying a baby to the back room.  I run that way; it’s one of mine.  “Hey, Nancy.  Where’s the other one?”

She turns around smiling at me.  “Bob’s changing him.  He’s good with them.”

I smile.  “Yeah.  Should I go get him or take her?”

“He’s in the meeting room.  Go ahead and get him.  They probably need Bob riding right now.”

I nod and run through the common room, figuring I’ll ask someone where that is when I get to the other side.  Bob is coming my way and smiles.  “Sorry, babe.  I need to go.”  He bends to kiss me then hands me Colt.  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”  I tell him I love him.  He says he loves me over his shoulder, getting me smiles from people I don’t know.  He’s cute. 

I take my little guy back to the back room.  Nancy tells me it’s the kid’s room.  We have the little kids in here.  They have everything they need to spend indefinite amounts of time here.  While my babies sleep, I play with Devan, Sandy, Elizabeth and Brenna.  More kids come in but these four always play together.  None of them talk much but they laugh a lot and hug me for everything.  I hear my name and look over at the door.  A Prospect says I’m needed in Doc’s rooms.  I look at Nancy because I don’t know this guy and I don’t know where Doc’s rooms are.

“Go ahead, I have them; take the left at the meeting room.”  I nod like I know where the meeting room is.

The guy takes me to a hallway then to the left.  A guy is on the table with road rash on his right side.  I look around and start opening cabinets and drawers.  They need to label these damn things; it takes me five minutes to find what I need.  I get him cleaned and bandaged.  Before he’s even out the door, another guy comes in for stitches.  I need help getting the first mess cleaned.  I yell for the Prospect, telling him I need help cleaning.  Another guy comes in.  Shit.  A nurse comes in and gets the guys straight and cleans the beds as they leave.  She’s good.  Patches comes in telling me the patch jobs are coming to me; Doc is at the clinic taking care of the more critical.  I nod and go back to stitching this guy.  The guys don’t talk; I’m good with that.  I don’t want to do anything but get them out at this point.

Bob

Danny jumps the car while shooting.  Fuckin guy is nuts.  I laugh and hit the guy that jumped out and ran across the street.

Pres: “LP1, you think you can shoot them from the ground?”

Danny: “I could, Pres, but where would the fun be in that.”

Pres: “Thank fuck you ate before you left.”  I laugh.  “Two blocks west.  Brothers are in a shootout with a truck.  A car is blocking for them.”

Danny: “Roger, Pres.” We run the blocks and split to hit from both sides.  I see Danny coming toward me; a car is coming up on his right.

Me: “Move left!”  He turns and just misses getting hit.

Danny: “Thanks, B3.”  He says, while shooting the driver of the truck.  A Brother hits the passenger.  I go after the car and hit the back tires.  The pussies try to run.  I get two before they hit the sidewalk, Danny chases the other.  He’s letting him run. I follow, watching the pussy slow and puts his hands up.  Danny shoots his leg and gets off his bike.  He wire ties his hand behind him and calls for cleanup.  “Next time don’t run.”  He tells the pussy; I laugh.

Pres: “LP1, why’d you shoot him?  He had his hands up.”

Danny: “He tried to run me down!  He tries to run you down, you can play nice.  Fuckin guy aims for me, I’m not playing nice.”  I hold my laugh because I agree with him.

Pres: “LP1, Club road, pussies following Sally.”  I lift my front tire and turn toward the road.  Danny is already on his way there.  I shake my head and catch up.  We hear a shot and gun it up the hill.  I hit the cars right tire as Danny hits the left.  The car slows; I ride to the side with my gun aimed.  Someone shoots and I hit the passenger.  The driver is yelling.

Pres: “Driver, B3!”  I hit the driver before he can swing his gun my way.  Danny isn’t on the other side.  Fuck.  Spinning, I get to the other side of the car.  Danny is standing up dusting himself off.  “Thank Fuck!”  Pres says.  He’s off today.

Danny rolls his eyes.  “He hit my bike!  Fuckin Asshole!”

Pres: “Prospects pulling a bike from the garage.  It will be at the gate when you get there.”  Danny’s pissed his bike got hit.  I laugh and ride by his side up to the gate.  A Prospect is waiting with a bike for him.  He gets on and we run down the hill. 

Danny: “Where to, Pres?”

Pres: “Come in to Security, LP1.”  Danny looks at me.  I shrug; I have no idea what’s going on.

Danny: “Roger, Pres.”  Running eighty-five, we get in the building and go right to Surveillance.

Pres is talking to another team.  I look at VP.  He’s watching Pres but talking to Rich.  I see him jump a car while shooting; he’s just like his father.  I smile, he’s fuckin good.  Not much is going on now.  We had a run on the town by a gang from Worcester; it looks like they’re no longer running.  Pres takes his headset off and looks at Danny.  “Are you alright?”

Danny looks at him for a minute.  I step back; VP is watching.  I sit at the table and watch the boards.  “Tell me you didn’t pull me in to ask that.”  Danny’s voice is low.  He’s fuckin pissed.

Pres looks at him like he’s nuts.  “He fuckin shot at you and you went down.  It was just a question.”  VP calls Rich in then gives his headset to Sticks.

Danny looks at him.  “From now on, you run my Ops.”  VP nods, pulling Pres out by his arm.  Danny walks out the door.  Fuck, everyone is pissed.

I’m not sure what I should do here.  I stay in Surveillance just in case they need something.  Rich comes running in.  He looks around and grabs a headset from Digs.  He talks to someone then looks at me.  Answering whoever is in his ear, he walks over to me.  “What the fuck?  No one is running Ops?”

“VP pulled Pres out a few minutes ago.  I think everything is done, just cleanup now.”

“Where is my father?  He could have taken care of the cleanup.  They still need direction, it’s not like they can see the fuckin boards!”  Now he’s pissed.

I put my hands up.  “He left, he was pissed Pres called him in.  Look, I would have done it but I didn’t know.  Maybe you should teach me so I can fill in if you need that.”  Shit, I don’t need to explain this shit to him.  I don’t even know what the fuck is happening.

He takes a breath and answers someone.  He flips his set off again.  “Sorry, Brother.  I’ll teach you.  Right now, Driscoll and my father are the only two that can run Ops.”

“Little Ben can too.”  I say.  He looks at me then smiles.  He flips his button and answers someone.

VP comes in.  He looks at me.  “You’re Pres’ tag.  He’s walking out the front now.  Make sure he stays at the Club.”  As I’m running out, I hear him tell Rich to find Danny.  Fuck.

Pres is riding a Ducati; he almost gets clipped by a car.  “Pres, slow down before you get yourself killed.”  He guns it going up the hill and almost wipes out.  What the fuck is going on?

The Prospect opens the gate and we fly through.  He stops in the back and stomps up the steps.  I tell a Prospect to lose his bike before he tries to ride it again.  He’s in the meeting room; I close the door.  “What the fuck are you thinking, Pres?  You could have killed yourself!  You’re worth more than fuckin death by stupidity!  You’re too smart for what you just did!”

He looks at me.  He can either punch me or shoot me but I’m pissed and up for either one right now.  His shoulders drop.  Thank fuck, he isn’t going to shoot me.  “Sorry, Brother.  You’re right; I put you in danger because I was pissed.”

“What the fuck is going on?”

He runs his hands in his hair.  “He takes too many risks.  I can’t do his Ops anymore.  VP is fuckin pissed.  I could have gotten someone hurt because I can’t deal with the risks he takes.”

“What changed?  You had no problem all the other times.”  He’s never had a problem before.

His hand is in his hair again.  “You, Casper, Ty, Petey, Cal.  He knows what you went through and still takes the risks.  He almost got hit by a fuckin car and still kept going to get almost shot!”

I sit down.  “This isn’t about Danny.  I’m back and working.  I have his back; do you think I can’t keep him safe?”  Fuck, that’s what this feels like.

“No!  You’re fuckin better than ever.  What the fuck do I do if he dies taking crazy fuckin chances with his life?”  He sits putting his head in his hands.  I’m so fuckin relieved.  My Pres thinking I can’t do my job felt like shit.

“He’s fuckin good at his job Pres.  If something happens then we go on.  We can’t give up so no one gets hurt before we start.  Danny would give anything to keep every Brother safe.  He’d give his life and do it smiling because that’s who he is.  He’s a soldier in the MC’s army; you can’t shield him from his job.  That’s who he is.”