Mum rushes in, dropping her shopping bags on the ground and making her way to me. “Are you okay?”
“It’s a little bump,” I say as she examines the throbbing lump on my head. “Riggs knows,” I add.
“You already knew!” yells Riggs and Mum rolls her eyes.
“I guessed. Why are you yelling?”
“Jeez, I don’t know, Mum. Maybe I’m pissed that everyone seems to know that Leia’s screwed her life up except me.”
I stand, gripping my mum’s shoulder for a second because of the dizziness. “Not everyone resents kids like you, Riggs. Some of us are grown up enough to see it as a blessing. And for the record,” I snap. “We are not in the eighteen hundreds. Women have babies and they work. They don’t need assholes to pay their way. I will still be an amazing nurse and a fantastic mother.” I head for my bedroom before he can reply.
CHAINS
There’s no sign of Cobra anywhere. No one’s seen him. No one's heard of him. As I head home, I try to call Riggs but get no answer. Every fucker is ignoring my calls today. As I pull my house keys out, I look up and notice the front door is slightly open. Frowning, I pull out my gun to be on the safe side and carefully push the door open wide enough for me to get through.
Inside, the place is a mess. Things are strewn all over the living room. My heavy boots crunch on broken glass as I carefully step over objects and make my way to the kitchen. I flick the light on and the sight before me takes my breath away. Raven is on the floor with her back to me. Her long hair is stained a deeper red with blood. It’s splayed out around her head in a sticky matter. I stare at her lifeless body for a second before my brain kicks into gear and I rush over, dropping to my knees and carefully rolling her onto her back. “Raven,” I whisper. I gently shake her shoulders. She feels cold to touch and her skin is deathly pale, but I can feel a faint pulse. “Raven,” I mutter, stroking a hand over her hair. I use my other hand to pull out my phone and call for an ambulance.
The days blur into each other. The beeping of the machines that keep Raven alive are my only source of comfort. I watch the nurse as she moves around Raven silently, doing her routine observations and making notes. “She doing good?” I mutter.
“She’s doing just fine. The doctor will be in later to let you know the next steps,” she says and smiles.
The door opens and Riggs enters. He’s been in every day since I called him. We shake hands and wait for the nurse to leave. “How is she?”
“Same.” I sigh, rubbing my tired eyes. “Just waiting on the doc.”
“The cops have put it down as a house robbery gone wrong,” says Riggs. It’s what we wanted. Now, we can go after the person responsible ourselves and give out the justice that Cobra deserves.
“Let me see the note again,” I mutter, holding out my hand.
Riggs gives me the crumbled piece of paper that I found in Raven’s hand just before the ambulance arrived. ‘Now we’re even. You fucked my life up and now I’ve fucked yours.’
“Did the pregnancy and STD results come back?” asks Riggs.
I nod. “All clear, but they want to repeat them in another week or so,” I say bitterly. I only hope to God that Raven was passed out at that point because she doesn’t need any more of those kinds of images plaguing her head after her dark past.
“I’ve got men out looking. So has Vinn.”
“Vinn,” I repeat.
“He owes me after what happened with Leia,” he mutters. He sees me frown in confusion. “He knocked her by mistake last week and she got hurt. Hit her head on a table.”
“She okay?” I ask, hating that I know nothing about what goes on at the club anymore.
“I don’t know. She moved out and won’t see me. I thought you might have seen her on shift here actually,” he says. “Provided she’s still working, that is. Fuck knows what’s going on with her, man. She’s suddenly become this adult who doesn’t listen to anything I gotta say.”
“She moved out? What the fuck, Riggs?”
“Things are a little crazy right now.” He sighs. “But you have enough to worry about. I’ll call if we find him.”
Riggs leaves and I take Raven’s small hand in my own. “Come on, baby. Come back to me,” I whisper.
I hit the side of the coffee machine and it springs to life. The coffee tastes like shit here, but it’s all that's keeping me going. The nurses tried to get me to go home earlier to take a shower, but I need to be here when Raven wakes up. I’ll never leave her again.
“There’s a Costa downstairs. It’s expensive but worth it.” I close my eyes as Leia’s voice washes over me. It’s been months since I heard it and my body reacts just the same. I turn to find her leaning against the wall. The little blue uniform suits her, even though she’s wearing a baggy jumper that would probably fit me. “You look like shit. Go home and shower.”
“Your nurse friends send you here to tell me that?” I ask, taking a sip of the hot liquid and wincing at the bitter taste.
“You’re no good to anyone looking like that. Security might think you’re homeless and kick you out.” She smirks.
“You look good.” The words tumble out before I register what I’m saying and I instantly feel bad on Raven for looking at Leia in that way.
“It’s just something I threw on,” she jokes, looking down at her nurse’s uniform.
“Riggs said you hit your head?”
Leia lifts her hair from her face and I see the remnants of a yellow bruise. “It’s not that bad. A little concussion and a headache. I’ve survived worse pain,” she says and then bites on her lip like that information slipped out.
“I gotta get back to Raven,” I mutter.
She smiles awkwardly and pushes off the wall. “Think about taking that shower. See ya round.”
Another day passes and I’m starting to get impatient. Why won’t she wake up? The door opens and Leia pops her head in. She holds up a Costa cup and steps into the room. It feels wrong having the woman I love and the woman I care for in the same room. All these months apart and I still love Leia. “Thanks,” I mutter, taking it from her.
“Leave it to cool. I have a surprise,” she whispers, taking my hand. I stare at her fingers entwined with mine. She touches me like it’s the most natural thing in the world, even after everything I did to her. I let her lead me from the room and down a flight of stairs. She glances around the corridor before opening a door with her nurse’s badge and leading me in. We’re in a bedroom. “I only have ten minutes and I have to get back,” she whispers, and I frown. What the hell is she thinking? When she sees my expression, she giggles and passes me a white towel. “The shower is through there.” She points to a door and I smile gratefully. “There’s some clothes in there too. I had Cree bring them over from the clubhouse.”
I go into the bathroom and leave the door open slightly so I can hear her. “Why aren’t you and Riggs talking?”