Page 9

He was tall, a few inches over six feet.

I liked a man to be tall, preferably six inches or more taller than my five-foot-seven self.

He was virile. His skin was tanned, but not excessively dark, rather a medium hue.

He clearly spent time in the sun. His build was muscular.

He was strong enough to carry me easily without huffing and puffing, but his muscles felt leaner, not bulky.

His hair was a medium golden brown. The top was longer and slightly combed over, with the sides undercut.

Bones’ lower face was covered in a sexy scruff that matched the hair on his head, though I did see a few silver hairs in it.

The final thing was his face in general.

It was masculine and sculpted. To accentuate his handsomeness even further, his eyes were a pale green that shone against his hair and skin.

Bones was utterly lickable, and he made my heart beat faster.

Deep down, I asked God why he didn’t allow me to meet Bones and these be our children.

My heart told me he wouldn’t have acted the way Deon did.

I jerked back to reality when Bones stood. He smiled down at me. “We’re in luck. Your cervix is closed. That means it’s unlikely that you’re experiencing a miscarriage, but I still want you to stay here and be examined by Dr. Charming. Obstetrics is her specialty, not mine.”

“You’re too modest, Dr. Phoenix. You know as much as I do,” a woman’s voice I recognized said before the curtain parted.

In walked Dr. Charming, smiling. The doctor was an attractive woman in her forties.

She had a way of putting her patients at ease and was easy to talk to.

Her eyes landed on me, and her smile changed to a frown.

“What happened to you, Blythe?” she asked as she approached the side of the bed opposite Bones.

“Hello, Dr. Charming. Not the way I wanted to see you again,” I answered.

“Mine either. Tell me what we have here. I was told that a patient of mine was in the ER, and Dr. Phoenix requested that I see her. That she was having stomach pains.”

“I did request it. Blythe, do you want to explain, or should I?” Bones asked kindly.

I was exhausted, ashamed, and still hurting. “Would you please do it?”

“Of course,” he said before he gave the doctor the down-and-dirty edition of what Deon did. To say she was outraged was an understatement.

“That man needs to be thrown in jail and have his ass beaten daily. I’ve been reading more about this type of thing lately, but I never expected to see it in person.

I’m so sorry this happened to you, Blythe.

However, you’re here, safe, and have Dr. Phoenix and me to help,” Dr. Charming said kindly. I saw the compassion in her eyes.

“And she has my club behind her,” Bones added.

“Good,” Dr. Charming said with satisfaction. “Okay, tell me what you found so far and what tests have been done.”

Again, it was Bones who laid it out for her. She was nodding her head as he explained. When he was done, she smiled.

“I hate to admit it, but he covered what I’d do.

I’m superfluous, it seems. I would keep her for observation for the next few hours.

Monitor her for contractions and review the bloodwork and urine results.

Depending on what they find, we’ll see if we admit her, or she can go home,” Dr. Charming said.

“I promised Blythe I’d stay and be her doctor. Is that alright with you?” he asked her.

“Absolutely. I trust your judgment, and I’ll be available if you need me for anything.

And Blythe, I know it may seem overwhelming and horrible right now, but just remember, you have two babies growing inside of you.

There is something wonderful to come out of this tragedy.

I know how much you wanted your baby when you came to see me. I hope this hasn’t changed your mind.”

“No, it hasn’t. Two babies are scary when you’re faced with raising them alone, but I’ll never regret having them. I don’t want to lose them,” I confessed.

“Then we’ll do everything possible to prevent it. I’ll be back to check on you,” she said, pausing to say a few words to Eliana before she left.

Bones excused himself to check on a few things.

I hated to have him leave, but he had work to do.

While he was gone, Eliana talked to me about her pregnancy.

I listened to her, which helped me ignore the pain that came and went.

She hooked me up to a fetal monitor that was brought in by a tech.

Dr. Charming must’ve told them to bring it.

I wished I had a notebook to take notes on what she was telling me, so I mentioned that to her.

“Eliana, I wish I had a notebook to take notes. This information is all such good stuff.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll jot it down for you. I give handouts on some of this to people I treat. I work with patients of all ages and conditions. Pregnancy is one of them.”

“Tell me about what you do.” She’d mentioned she ran a clinic.

I listened as she filled me in on the interesting work she did. I didn’t know how long Bones was gone before he returned. “Some of the guys are here, including Agony. If you want to see him, Eliana, I’ll stay with Blythe. The blood work and urine results should be done soon. How’s the pain?”

He took my hand. Pangs of contentment went through me along with something else. His smile made everything better. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling back as I answered him.

“It feels better, but Eliana was talking to me. It helped to distract me, so I can’t be sure. She filled me in on things I need to know as a mom of twins, as well as about her clinic. It sounds so wonderful and ingenious.”

“I’m glad she distracted you. Her clinic is wonderful, and people consistently praise it. This monitor reading is making me feel better,” he said as he studied it.

“Thank God,” I whispered.

“Has there been any more spotting or heavier bleeding?”

“No, Eliana checked right before you came back. Nothing. Bones, Dr. Phoenix, I can’t thank you enough for all you and your club are doing.”

“You’re welcome, and there’s no need to thank us. It’s okay to call me Bones. The staff know I’m part of the Pagans and what my road name is. I’m not ashamed of it. If it bothers them, they can ask me not to work.” He grinned.

I gaped. “Oh Lord, I just realized I made you come in on your day off. I feel terrible.”

He laughed. “I could pretend to be upset, but I won’t.

I work for them as needed, not full-time.

However, when I do, it’s in the ER. I refuse to do it full-time or have a practice.

” The way he said it told me there was a reason for both.

I wanted to ask why, but his expression told me he wouldn’t talk about it, so I left it alone.

“I’ll have to find a way to repay—” My words were interrupted by the curtain opening, and the person entering was someone I didn’t expect, though he wasn’t unwelcome. It was Agony. I looked for Eliana, but she wasn’t with him. His grim expression registered seconds later.

“What’s wrong, Pres?” Bones asked at the same time I questioned him.

“What is it, Agony?”

He glanced from me to Bones and then back. I saw the indecision in his eyes. “I need to know whatever it is,” I demanded.

Agony took a deep breath and then rocked me. “There’s a man in the waiting area. He’s out there demanding to see his girlfriend. The staff are trying to calm him. I snapped his picture and want you to look at it.”

“Deon?” I squeaked.

“We don’t know that. There are a lot of people being treated. It could be someone else, but we want to be sure.”

“Show me.” I waved so he would come closer.

Agony had his phone in his hand. He gave it to me.

I forced myself to look. The breath left my body, and I shook.

That was a face I’d never forget, no matter how old I got.

It was Deon. How did he find me? The phone fell from my suddenly nerveless hand onto the sheet over my lap.

My head whirled, but there were two clear thoughts despite the chaos in my head.

I had to get away. I had to protect my babies.

I snatched up the sheet and threw it aside. I shoved on the partial bedrail, trying to figure out how to lower it. Bones grabbed my hands and held me there. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“What does it look like? I’m getting the hell out of here. That’s him. He’s found me. I’ve got to run and hide,” I said hysterically.

A fierceness came over both men, but especially Bones. “Like hell, you’re leaving. I’ll allow it over my dead body. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll protect you from that motherfucker,” Bones growled.

“ We’ll protect you. My entire club will back us. There’s nothing he can do. He’s one man against an entire MC,” Agony added.

“What if they let him back here?”

“They won’t. I have Eliana talking to someone in charge.

She’s letting them know you were a victim of domestic violence and that man might be your abuser.

Dare and the other brothers are out there and will ensure he doesn’t come back here.

You’re safe. I do need Bones to come with me for a few minutes.

Will you be alright alone for a couple of minutes?

Eliana will be back here as soon as she finishes up,” Agony assured me.

I didn’t want to be alone, but I was an adult. I had to stand on my own. It was time to start moving forward as I had planned. I’d relied on these bikers too much. They’d been fantastic, but I wouldn’t always have them around.

“Yes, go. I’ll be fine. I don’t need a babysitter,” I told them. I forced out a tense smile.

“Lovely, I’ll be back as fast as I can. Just relax. The babies don’t need the stress, nor do you,” Bones added.

I nodded so he knew I heard him. As they left, my nausea increased. It was all I could do to stop from fleeing or vomiting.