Claiming the Knights (2 page)

             
“Hey babe, I hear you wanted me for something,” she said to him.

             
He looked up, and for the life of him, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. “I thought you were a dream when I woke up, and you weren't here. I thought I was dreaming you were here.”

             
“Nope babe, it's really me, been here the whole time. Me and Meg, waiting for our favorite man to wake up, and be with us again,” she assured him.

             
“You been here the whole time? What about the girls?” he asked.

             
“Drifter and Jewl are playing house with them. They are all on their way, now that you are awake.”

             
They explain to him what happened again, since he passed out the first time.

             
Drifter and Jewl show up with the girls, later that day. After a short visit with Nelly and Jen, they all went to dinner, leaving Drifter and Scooter alone, to do some catching up.

              “Pres, you scared the fuck outta all of us. What the hell, you know better than to be tailin' on the freeway. What the fuck?” Drifter says. It was his own way of opening up the conversation about what the hell happened.

             
“I wasn't tailin' anybody, I swear to fuckin' God. I don't know what the hell happened. I noticed an older truck comin' up beside me, in a bit of a hurry, and then I woke up in this bed, freaking the fuck out. I thought that Nikki being here was a dream, and then there she was, not a dream at all,” Scooter smiled.

             
“I called her as soon as we got word about you and she rod up with me and Jewl. She even brought the girls. I don't think anything could have kept her from you Pres. We offered to take her back, but she wouldn't leave you. Was fuckin' touch an' go there for a day or so, till you brain quit swelling. Your helmet came off.”

             
“Yeah, the whole thing is a blur. Nik said I was talkin' to the paramedics, and then passed out on the way to the hospital. I don't remember a thing.”

             
“What happened to the guy who cut me off?” Scooter asked, as it suddenly came to mind.

             
“He got messed up pretty good, but is at a different hospital. That'll teach him to cut people off, the stupid fuck,” Drifter said.

             
“Well we are all lookin' forward to havin' your ass back in the saddle Pres. You gave us all a hell of a scare. The club is going smooth and Jewl and I are actually doing pretty fuckin' good playin' mom and dad to those kids. What a couple of characters.” Drifter shook his head, thinking about how great those kids had dealt with everything. “Little darlin's are good at bouncin' back.”

             
Before things could get too sappy, Scooter turned on the TV and they found an old western to watch. Conversation over. When the girls came back to the room, they found Scooter and Drifter fast asleep with a John Wayne flick blaring through the bedside speaker.

             
The next morning, after a quick breakfast together in the hospital room, and a tearful goodbye, Drifter and Jewl take the girls back to Vancouver, with promises that their mom will be home soon with Scooter.

              Scooter drifts in and out as his meds take hold throughout the next couple of days. The only thing that he keeps asking for is Nikki. When they can't get him to do something, Nikki talks him into it. He is not a nice patient and some of the nurses refuse to see him unless Nikki is there. He has surgery on his ankle to pin it, and before they know it, they are headed back to Vancouver.

             
Nikki has a hospital bed set up in the living room of her house, so she can care for him. And care for him, she does. The first few days, she stays there around the clock, except to take the girls to and from school. Then he starts using the crutches, and Nikki heads to the garage for a few hours a day to help Georgie with the invoices and time cards.

              Scooter is beyond happy that he has Nikki back at his side. He thought for sure that he had lost her. When Drifter had told him she had freaked out about him being in Seattle, close to his ex, he couldn't get home fast enough, and then it all went black. He doesn't remember a thing after seeing that truck. That was two weeks ago. Now he is in a bed in her living room. She is waiting on him, taking care of him, loving him. He loves her so much and decides this is it. He is going to marry this woman. The thought scares the hell out of him and he pushes it back for a bit. Not yet, he's not ready yet, and she is still married to Sam...

Chapter 1
             

              She rolled over and opened her eyes. Yep, he was still there. She never knew if he was going to be there, or if he was going to slip out in the middle of the night as she slept. With his back to her, she sidled up to him, and wrapped her arm around his middle, snuggling her face into his back, smelling his scent of leather, and his cologne. Mmm, he smelled so good.

             
He felt her there and grabbed her hand
,
lacing his fingers with hers.

             
“Did you sleep good baby?” he asked her.

             
He knew how stressed she had been, so he was doing his best to stay with her as much as possible. He wasn't sure if it was going to last much longer and he had to take advantage of the time they had together, in case it all came crashing in on them soon.

             
As he rolled over onto his back, she snuggled into his armpit, with her head on his chest.

             
“Yeah, I always sleep better when you are able to stay with me all night.”

             
Her phone went off. She reads the text.

Nikki: Your dad is up and wants you to come over like we planned. Anytime in the next hour or so would be great.

              “Well, here goes nothing,” she says, lifting herself out of bed. She heads for the bathroom to get ready.

             
She knew this day would come.

             
You see, her dad had been in a serious accident on his motorcycle. He had been in an induced coma for four days, until his brain stopped swelling, and then they let him wake up. He was weak and broken. It was so hard to see him like that. He was the President of the Northwest Knights Motorcycle Club. Mean, tough, her protector, and there he was, completely helpless.

             
Meagan's dad, Scooter, had caught Joe, one of his own club members, hiding in her closet, and was out to kick his ass, but the accident put a hold on that. It was now time, to go face the music. Her dad was so disappointed in her, she was dreading this.

             
She was hoping he would take into account that Joe had helped rescue her, and put a bullet in the shoulder of Sam, her kidnapper, that had tried to rape her. So much had happened in the last couple months and things had just started to settle down. Now it was time to do this.

             
He had to see that they loved each other. He had to understand.

             
Meagan text Nikki back before getting in the shower.

Meagan: Getting in the shower, be right there.

              Nikki was Scooter's girlfriend. It was Nikki's estranged husband that had kidnapped Meagan.

              Nikki had taken care of Scooter since he had come home from the hospital. They had set up a hospital bed in her living room when he came home. He had a broken right ankle, and left arm. He was spending quite a bit of time in bed, at first. Now the bed was gone, and he was getting around on his own, but couldn't ride yet, so Nikki was driving him around in the new car he bought her. She had really shown her love for him in the last six weeks since the accident. Meagan was so grateful for Nikki.               Scooter had kicked Meagan's mom out when she was ten. She was cheating with a man from another club. When she left, she stopped all contact with Scooter and Meagan.

             
Meagan had been attempting to reconnect with her mom after the kidnapping. When her dad got in the accident, she cut the visit short so she could stay at his side with Nikki, until he came home. She hadn't heard from her mom since, so she just let it go. Clearly her mom was not interested in reconnecting. Whatever.

              She kissed Joe goodbye. He was still lying in her bed. “You should probably get outta here until I get this worked out with Dad,” she said, standing in the doorway of her room, the same room her dad had almost strangled him to death in.

             
“I am right behind you babe.” He rolled out of bed, and stood up, stretching. “Let me know how it goes.” He winked at her, and went into the bathroom.

             
While he showered, he thought about how this was all going to turn out. He wanted to be with  Meagan and he hoped that her dad, his president, would find it in him, to be cool with it. He knew he was still in for a beat down, but Meagan was worth it.

             
He had hooked up with a few club whores over the year and half he had been patched in. They were great, for doing what they did, however, knowing they had done the same thing with some of his brothers in the club, was a turn off. It was a real bummer, because one of them was a real sweetheart, Sophie. She was smart and funny and could give a mean blow job. He had almost thought about puttin' her on his bike, but then he saw her heading back to Dean's room with him one day, and he forgot all about it. He forgot about her.

             
Then he started hanging with Meagan. Scooter had sent him over there to help her rearrange the furniture, and after that, he kept coming back. He fell hard and fast for the girl. The whole time, he knew it was going to catch up with him. You can't pop the Pres' daughter, and not have it come back on you at some point. Scooter's accident had bought him time, but that was all over with now.

             
Joe took a big breath, and got out of the shower. Twenty minutes later, he was pulling up to the club house.

              Nikki was picking up, and getting ready to head to JD's Auto Repair, to work. It was the front business for the Northwest Knights MC. She wanted to give Scooter and Meagan some privacy.

             
Just as she was finishing up the dishes from the night before, Meagan knocked on the door. Scooter limped over to the door to let his daughter in.

             
She hugged him, trying not to throw him off balance. “Hi Daddy. How you feelin'?” She looked down at the cast, still on his ankle.

             
“Pretty good, Hun. Be a lot better when I can ride again,” he said, limping over to the kitchen table, and sitting down.

             
He was supposed to be on crutches, but was a stubborn man, and preferred limping.

             
“Maybe if you used your crutches, you'd heal up fas...” Nikki was cut off by him.

             
“I'm not using those fuckin' things. I'm fine,” he said, taking a drink of the coffee Nikki had set in front of him. “Thanks for coffee, Sunshine.” He smiled at her, after his outburst. Feeling helpless was making him moody as fuck.

             
He always called her Sunshine, even when he was being a grumpy asshole. He was so grateful for her, and he loved her. Since the accident, they had professed their love for one another. There’s nothing like a little death scare to bring a couple of people closer.

             
Nikki grabbed her purse off the kitchen chair, and leaned down, and kissed Scooter. “Love ya babe,” she said to him.

             
“You don't have to leave,” Meagan said, hoping she would stay, and help her talk some sense into her dad.

             
“Sorry kid. I have work to do at the garage, and as much as I would love to stay and help you out, this is between you two.” She turned towards the door and Scooter smacked her on the ass.

             
“Love you too, Sunshine. See you in a bit. I will have Meg bring me to the club after we talk.” He watched her walk out.