A Family Man (33 page)

Finally and somewhat reluctantly, the doctor agreed to discharge him, with strict instructions to rest for at least another two weeks and to come back in once a week, for the next month for his dressing to be changed. And of course no riding for at least six weeks. If he was honest he would have agreed to anything to get out of there. He felt a little guilty about imposing himself on Beth and Tiny for so long, but they both insisted he was welcome to stay for as long as he needed to, and truthfully, there was nowhere he would rather be. Maybe he was getting soft in his old age, but he was extremely fond of Tiny’s little family.

THIRTY-SEVEN

Amy didn’t particularly enjoy her Saturday job, but it did mean she didn’t have to go to Joe or Beth every time she needed money. Joe was paying for someone to go in every day and take care of his mom, and she guessed they weren’t rich. She would always be grateful to him for taking her in, and she knew he was sending money to her brother’s foster parents, so she liked to be able to help out as much as she could. She was less than an hour away from the end of her shift and all she had left to do was wipe down the shelves and sweep the floor. She heard the door, but ignored it. The new girl was working behind the counter today. “Hey, sugar. How ‘bout you get your skinny ass over here and serve us.”

She looked up and frowned. The new girl was nowhere to be seen. “Hey Joe, Barney.”

Joe paid for his gas and looked around. “You on your own, sugar?”

“No, the girl I’m on with must be out back.” She looked out to where their bikes were parked. “You going on a run?”

“
Not really, just thought we’d take advantage of the sunshine. What time do you finish? I’ll swing by and give you a ride home.”

“
Thanks. I finish at four. I’ll call Samson and tell him he doesn’t need to come get me.” She smiled and watched them leave. It was worth lending her truck to Samson if it meant she got to ride home with Joe.

~ oOo ~

At the sound of the bikes pulling away, her new workmate crept out of the back room and she sighed. “Shit, Candice, where the fuck were you?”

Amy gritted her teeth. This was only the second time they had worked together and already the older woman was grating on her nerves. Despite being at least fifteen years older than her, Candice was nervous and shy with the customers. Even around Amy, she was twitchy. “You can’t just disappear like that.”

“I know, I'm sorry, really I am. Those guys that came in…Do you know them?”

“
Yeah. They’re my dads.”

“
What, both of them?”

Amy laughed. “I guess. Barney, the dumb blonde one, is my biological father. But Joe, the big scary-looking one with the ponytail, raised me. He’s my real dad.” Her eyes narrowed. “Is that why you hid out back? Cuz you saw them coming?”

“I….They….I”

“
Fuck, Candice, If you’re going to work here you better get used to the idea of Freaks coming in. Their clubhouse is less than a mile away.” She frowned. “This about more than you being uncomfortable around bikers isn't it?”

“
I….It’s just….I…” She looked down, not wanting to look Amy in the eye. “It’s complicated.”

“
Please tell me Joe hasn’t fucked you.”

Candice sighed. “No, it’s nothing like that. What I did was much worse. I betrayed him and Samson.” She looked up and her eyes met Amy’s. “They know. I confessed to Samson and he gave me the chance to get away. I was going to make a new life across the border, and then I found out that Samson was staying here and, I dunno, I wanted the chance to see him again.”

“Betrayed them how?”

Candice shook her head. “I can't tell you.”

Amy frowned. “Why did you want to see Samson again?”

“
He was kind to me. He could’ve….” She wrung her hands. “I just wanted to thank him.”

“
So write him a fucking note. You betrayed them. You really think he’ll want to see you? Samson gave you the chance to get away. I suggest you take it.”

“
Spider said he was hurt.”

“
He’s fine.” Amy started to tidy up behind the counter. She looked up and scowled. “You still here?”

“
You want me to go?”

“
You’re a rat. What do you think?”

“
Shit, you really are Tiny's kid.”

“
Yes, I am.”

“
So if he asked you to betray the club, would you do it?”

“
It would never happen. Joe would rip out his own heart rather than betray his brothers.” Her scowl deepened. “I can’t make up my mind whether you’re incredibly stupid, or your planning on ratting on them again.”

“
To who? They killed him.”

“
Good.” Amy smiled. “Now leave.”

“
You can’t make me go. You’re just a kid.”

“
Not just a kid.” Her smile got wider. “Joe’s kid.”

“
Why are you being like this?”

“
When you said they knew. Did they find out or did you tell them?”

Candice looked away.

“Thought so. Look, I’m doing you a favor. How do you think Joe will react when he knows that I’m working with you?”

“
I didn’t know. Honestly. There was a sign in the window. If I’d known who you were I would never have taken the job.”

“
And now you do know.”

“
Please don’t say anything to Joe. I’ll find something else, I swear. It was stupid of me to come here. But really I meant no harm.”

“
Then you will be okay with me talking to Joe, won't you?” Amy turned on her heel and as she pulled out her cell, everything stopped.

~ oOo ~

“Oh shit, shit.” Candice dropped the fire extinguisher and backed away towards the rear exit, her eyes never leaving the crumpled body on the floor. There was so much blood, it oozed slowly from the gaping wound in Amy’s head and spread across the floor. “Oh shit.” She spun and grabbing her coat and bag, ran out through the back door, jumped in her car and, wheels spinning, sped away. She was so fucked. This was all Dixon’s fault.

When Spider had handed her back her cell
after they had been holed up just outside Seattle for a week, he had told her Dixon was dead and that she was free to go wherever she wanted. Seattle had seemed as good a place as any. Maybe she would bump into Samson. She meant what she said about him being kind. The last thing she’d expected was for Dixon to call. She owed him, he’d made it abundantly clear. All he’d wanted was Tiny and Samson, and all she had to do was find out where Tiny was living then get her ass out of there. He would do the rest.

Her plan had been simple. Spider had mentioned that Tiny’s kid was working at the local gas station, so she’d taken a job there and had planned to follow her home, or maybe hand her over to Dix so he could use her as leverage.

Hindsight was a wonderful thing and as she sped out of town, it was obvious it was a stupid idea. Dixon was right, she really was a stupid whore.

~ oOo ~

Joe grinned as he took the bend slightly too fast. He was late and Amy was going to rip him a new one. As he rounded the last bend, his grin faded. Why was an ambulance parked outside? And where the fuck was Amy? He pulled up and dismounted.

“
Hey, hey.” He grabbed the arm of a paramedic as he jogged to the front of the ambulance. “What’s going on?”

“
Kid that works here had her head caved in. Customer found her and called us.”

“
Fuck! Amy.” He dropped the paramedic’s arm and ran to the back doors of the ambulance and pulled them open. “Amy!”

“
Hey, you can't….”

“
She’s my kid.” Ignoring the paramedic’s protests he climbed inside.

“
Okay. You can travel with us. But please give us some space to help her.” Joe nodded and sat opposite where she was lying. “Just don’t let her die.”

The paramedic nodded but said nothing, just turned back to his unconscious kid.

~oOo ~

No one spoke. The only sound was the ticking of the clock and the footsteps of people as they hurried along the corridor past the waiting room door. Barney sat, head bowed, his forearms resting on his thighs. Next to him Samson, oblivious to the dull ache in his leg, sat with his eyes fixed on the door. On the opposite side of the room, Beth and Happy sat, hand in hand, their fingers entwined. Both drawing strength from each other and both knowing they were a hair’s breadth from falling apart. For hour after hour, they sat in silence. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and the grim faced surgeon walked in.

THIRTY-EIGHT

Forty-eight hours. That’s what the doctor had said. If the scan showed nothing after that time they would have to reassess the situation, whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean. Amy lay, surrounded by her family. She had been placed on a ventilator. Machines were keeping her alive and monitoring her vital signs, an intravenous drip was supplying her fluids, and the medication that would hopefully take down the swelling in her brain.

Joe swallowed the lump that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his throat. He couldn’t stand this. His kid, his little girl looked so tiny and helpless, her head swathed in bandages and one side of her face a mass of bruises. He stood, pushing his chair back so violently that it fell, crashing to the ground. He had to get out before the pressure in his chest overwhelmed him.

As he turned to leave, Beth reached out to stop him, only to be stopped herself by Samson.

“Let him go. He needs some space. He won't go far and he will come back.”

She nodded and sat back down. “I know. But this isn’t something he can run away from.”

It was two miles from the hospital to the gas station where he had left his bike. Joe walked through the streets, ignoring the late night revelers as they spilled out of the bars and oblivious of the frigid night air that clung to him. All he knew was that he had to get to his bike and as far away from that hospital ward as he could.

He rode out of town towards the mountains, desperate to shake off that feeling of helplessness. The doctor's words playing over and over in his head. They had managed to stabilize her, but her condition was still critical and he couldn’t give her more than a twenty percent chance of making a recovery.

He was supposed to protect her, to keep her safe. He had no idea who was responsible for hurting his little girl, but he would find out and he would hunt them down and kill them.

On and on he rode, along deserted highways, praying to whoever would listen and doing deals with both God and the devil. He doubted he had a soul, and if he did, it was already blackened and corrupted. But if there was one lurking deep inside him, he would gladly give it away, if it meant Amy could live.

Slowly the sky lightened, changing from inky black to pink and, one by one, the stars disappeared and as the last of the night vanished, he pulled over at a lakeside stop, dismounted and, squatting by the water’s edge, lit a cigarette. He pulled out his wallet and unfolded a sheet of paper that he always kept in there.

She had been about four when she’d drawn it, but he could remember it as if it was yesterday. He had been away and hadn’t been back home for months and, as usual, Beth and his mom had been taking care of her. He’d been sitting watching TV at his ma’s when she had walked in clutching the drawing and, climbing on to his lap, had handed it to him. “I drawed this for you Joe.” He’d grinned as she had explained in that earnest way of hers. “That’s me an’ I am sad cuz mommy is sick. An’ that’s you.”

“
And what’s that, sugar?”

“
That’s a unicorn. You’re bringing it for me, to stop me feeling sad.”

“
You know I’d bring you a unicorn if I could, sugar.” Her faith in his ability to make everything alright had killed him.

“
Don’t be silly, Joe.” She’d rolled those remarkable blue eyes. “It’s only pretend. Everybody knows there ain't no such thing as unicorns.”

His tears burned like acid on his cold cheeks as he scrunched up the drawing and brought it to his lips. “Please.” He whispered. “Just let her be okay.”

~ oOo ~

Beth sat and held Amy’s hand in hers. There had never been a time she hadn’t loved her. From the moment she has came into the world, that tiny, angry creature that had been born addicted to heroin, Beth had loved her. She had never really been Maria’s kid. It had been her and Sophia that had raised her. Joe too, when he’d been around. It had been them that had ensured that she was the bright, well balanced kid that she had become. And now it seemed it had all been for nothing. As she gazed at her niece, lying there, attached to the wires and tubes that were keeping her alive, it seemed impossible that she would survive. She closed her eyes. This couldn’t be happening, not to Amy. How the hell were they supposed to get through this?

“Samson.” Her voice was hoarse from crying. “You have to find who did this.”

“
No question, sweetheart.” He touched her arm. “Whoever did this is a dead man walking.”

She nodded and fell silent again, her eyes never leaving Amy’s face. How could someone do that to her beautiful niece? She blinked as her tears rolled, unchecked down her face. “Please.” She whispered. “Just open your eyes.”

Samson watched as Tiny’s old lady struggled to hold it together. He wondered if his brother appreciated what a remarkable woman she was. Life for old ladies was tough. They were expected to stand by their men, no matter what, and it wasn’t long that most developed a hard edge. Years of not knowing whether your old man would be coming home every time he walked out of the door would do that to a woman. Beth, however, was the exception. She was tough; of that, there was no doubt. But she was also one of the most caring people he had ever known. Family was everything to her, and he would always be grateful for the way she'd taken him in. His gut twisted as the tears started to fall down her cheeks. If the kid didn’t make it, it would tear her and Tiny apart.

She looked up at him and frowned. “Shit, you look terrible. You really need to get some sleep.” She stood and held out her hand. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

“
I’m okay.”

“
No, you’re not. It won't take long. Barney will stay here. Please, Samson, you have to stay strong. Joe is going to need you.”

~ oOo ~

Suddenly finding himself alone with his daughter, Barney took a deep breath. “Come on, sweetheart. You gotta wake up. How do you think Tiny and Beth are gonna survive if you don’t?” He swallowed. “I know I ain't been much of a dad, and I know that you will never love me like you love Tiny. But I do love you. Every time I see you, my heart swells. You are smart and beautiful and I can’t imagine the world without you in it. I wanna watch you graduate, to see you get married, to play with my grandkids. Shit, Amy. I have so many plans for you. I have so many missed years to make up for. Don’t you dare fucking die on me.” Roughly, with the heel of his hand, he rubbed away at the tears that were threatening to fall. “Just open your fucking eyes.”

~ oOo ~

Joe knew he couldn’t keep ignoring the buzzing of his cell. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. “Samson.”

“
You need to get back to the hospital, brother. Your old lady is doing her best, but how long do you think she can hold it together on her own?”

“
I know. I just… I just needed to be alone for a while.”

“
Well, you’ve indulged that need and now you have to get back and be there for your family. This ain't about you, bro.”

“
I know. I’m heading back now.”

~ oOo ~

In half an hour they would be taking Amy down for a PET scan. They wanted to check her levels of brain activity. It had taken all of Joe's self control not to rip the radiographer’s head from his shoulders as he’d told them in a matter of fact way that if the scan showed nothing, her life support would be switched off. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Beth’s hand gripping tightly onto his, he would have lost his shit completely.

Samson leaned on the doorframe, closely watching his brother. He had known Joe for twenty years and would count him as one of his closest friends, and right now, as he watched him and his old lady cling to each other as if their very lives depended on it, he knew, that if the news was bad, he could lose his friend forever. His phone vibrated, and he pushed himself away from the wall and limped a short distance down the corridor before answering. “Spider. Tell me what you know.”

~ oOo ~

“Joe! Wait.” Beth caught up with him as he stepped outside. “You have to stay.”

“
I ain't sticking around to watch you murder my kid.”

“
She’s already gone, Joe. You heard what the doctor said.” She reached out and touched his arm, flinching as he jerked away. “Please. Don’t do this.”

“
You could refuse to sign the consent forms. Demand a second opinion.”

“
A second opinion on what? She’s dead, Joe. Dead. What do you want me to do? Keep her on life support forever? She’s not going to wake up. Ever. We have to let her go.”

“
I can’t.” He turned and walked, head bowed, towards his bike.

Bugs
walked over and touched her shoulder. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll stay with him. You go back inside. I’ll keep your boy safe.”

~ oOo ~

This wasn’t happening. It was all a bad dream. Any minute now, he would wake up and everything would be fine. Amy couldn’t die. She kept him grounded, the one thing that stopped him from being a monster. He needed her. More than Beth, more than his ma. She made him human.

He knew he wasn’t a good person. But when his kid looked at him with those big blue eyes, so trusting, so full of love. It made him feel that maybe he wasn’t all bad, that she somehow saw into his soul and found that tiny piece of goodness he kept deep inside, just for her.

His bike came to a halt and he slumped over the handlebars, unable to ride any longer.

Bugs pulled up a few yards behind but made no attempt to approach his brother. He just sat astride his Dyna and watched Tiny's shoulders shake. He never thought he’d see the day that the big enforcer finally broke. He like many of his brothers had always considered him to be a cold hearted son of a bitch. But this was Amy. His kid. And as Bugs sat there waiting, it occurred to him that maybe Tiny would never come back from this.

~ oOo ~

Beth shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t sign this until Joe gets back. He has to be here.”

“
That’s fine, honey.” The nurse laid the consent form on the cabinet next to the bed. “Amy should have her family around her to say their goodbyes.”

Samson wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close to his chest. “I wish there was something I could say.”

“There’s nothing you can say.” She rested her head against his chest, soothed by the steady beat of his heart. “What if he never forgives me? What if Amy was the glue that held us together?”

“
He loves you, Beth.” He stroked her hair. “I don’t pretend to understand what you and him are going through right now. And I’ve got no idea how it will affect your relationship. But I do know you love each other.”

“
You think that’s enough?”

“
Shit, darling. I don’t know. I hope so. If he loses you as well as his kid, it will destroy him.” Gently, he kissed the top of her head. “I promise that I will be here for both of you for as long as you need me.”

“
Thank you.” Reluctantly she pushed herself away from him and sat back down, taking her niece’s hand. “I am doing the right thing, aren’t I?”

“
There’s nothing else you can do.” He bent and kissed her head. “I’m going out for a cigarette. You gonna be okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

Barney was leaning on the wall outside. Samson stood next to him and passed him a cigarette. “You okay, brother?”

“Not really.” He blinked and a tear rolled down his cheek. “How can this be happening? She’s just a kid. We gotta find the fucker that took her away from us.”

“
Already on it, bro.” He patted Barney on the shoulder. “Leave it to the nomads. You need to deal with your own shit right now.”

“
You know what, brother. I have no idea how I’m supposed to do that.” He pushed himself away from the wall and walked slowly back inside to spend the last precious minutes with his daughter.

Samson turned. “Hey. Who’s with Tiny?”

“Bugs.”

Bugs’ cell rang. With one eye still on his brother, he answered. “Samson.”

“
You need to get Tiny back here. Beth shouldn’t have to do this on her own.”

“
I dunno, man. I ain't ever seen him like this. He’s falling apart here.”

“
And his old lady isn’t?”

“
Okay, I’ll talk to him. Ain't making no promises though.”

He hung up and reluctantly approached his brother. “Tiny. We really need to get back to the hospital.”

Joe looked up with red rimmed eyes. “Ain't going back there to watch them pull the plug on my kid.”