Page 33 of Creed (Satan’s Fury MC- Little Rock #6)
I tried to focus on breathing and keeping my eyes open, so I didn’t worry my mother.
But everything hurt, and the bright lights were absolutely blinding.
They took me for the CT scan, and I was waiting for the results.
Mom was with me, but having her there did little to help with the knot in my stomach.
“You okay over there?”
“I’m trying to be.”
I wanted to see the kids and to see for myself that they were truly okay. It was the only way my nerves were going to settle. And Mom knew it. “The kids should be here soon.”
“How did we get here?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart, but I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason.”
“But the kids didn’t deserve this.”
“You didn’t either, but that didn’t stop it from happening.”
“I think Brian did some bad things, Mom.”
“What kind of bad things?”
“The kind that could put him behind bars.”
“Oh, Devin. Surely not.”
“It’s why he lost it. I confronted him about it, and…”
Before I could finish my thought, the door opened, and Jameson appeared with Chrissy and Austin at his side.
His eyes immediately locked on mine, and they remained there as the kids came rushing over to me.
He stood there frozen, just staring at me like he was trying to convince himself that I was really okay.
Austin was hesitant, but after a second, he came closer and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, sweetie. I just hit my head. I’ll be fine.”
“I can’t believe Dad did this to you.”
“It was an accident. He didn’t mean to hurt me.” I was still doing it. I was still making excuses for Brian, but I wasn’t doing it for him. I was doing it for the kids. “But let’s not worry about that right now. I’m okay. I’m more concerned about you guys. Are you okay? Did anything happen?”
“No, we’re good.” Austin glanced over at Jameson as he added, “Dad was being a real tool. It was so embarrassing. I don’t even get why?”
“It’s a long story, but he was wrong to do what he did tonight.” Jameson rested a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
“I’m sorry he hurt you, Momma,” Chrissy whispered.
“I know, sweetie, but I’m okay. I’ll be up and out of here in no time.”
Jameson reached over, and his hand found mine. I let out a shaky breath as I squeezed it. “Thank you for bringing them to me.”
“They’d have my ass if I didn’t.” Jameson chuckled, but his smile faded as he said, “You scared me, woman.”
“I scared myself,” I admitted, managing a slight wink. “But I’ve survived worse.”
Before he could respond, the doctor came in with a clipboard in his hands and a tired smile. “As I thought, your CT scan shows a pretty severe concussion. I’d like to keep you overnight so we can monitor you for any changes.”
Panic flooded Chrissy’s eyes as she gasped, “She has to stay?”
“I think it’s for the best,” the doctor replied.
“Just for tonight, sweetie,” I said quickly, brushing the hair from her face. “They just want to keep an eye on me.”
“Can we stay with you?”
“No, sweetie. You need to go home with Nana and get some rest. I’ll be home tomorrow, and you and Austin can come see me first thing, okay?”
“And you promise to be home tomorrow?”
“I’ll do my very best.”
“Okay, boys and girls. Let’s give your mother some breathing room.”
Mom stepped over and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Call if you need anything at all.”
“I will. Thanks, Mom.”
With that, the kids hugged me goodbye and followed their grandmother out of the room. Once they were gone, Jameson sat down on the edge of the bed and asked, “How you doing? Really?”
“Not that bad, actually. I think the pain meds are finally starting to kick in.” I inched up on my pillow as I asked, “What happened with Brian?”
“He’s been handled.”
“That’s all I get?”
“ For now,” h e answered flatly.
It was clear he didn’t want to talk about it, but I had to know. “Did Shep get the video?”
“He did, and the footage was there, including your piece of shit ex running you over with his truck.”
I ran my hand over the enormous knot that was protruding from the back of my head. “I can’t believe he did that.”
“I can’t believe you pushed him like you did.”
“I needed to get proof.”
“Fuck, Devin. I told you I’d handle it.”
“I know, and I should’ve listened. Maybe then, the kids wouldn’t be scarred forever.”
“They’ll be fine.”
“But…”
“They will be fine, and you will be, too.”
Emotion washed over me, and when Jameson noticed I was suddenly on the verge of tears, he said, “Alright, that’s enough for tonight. You need to get some rest.”
“I hate all of this so much.”
“I do, too, but we’ll get through it. You’ll see.”
Jameson leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead, letting them linger there for a moment.
I closed my eyes and let his warmth engulf me.
After a few seconds, I looked up at him and said, “You know when you’re driving out on the interstate and it’s raining really hard, and it’s hard to see and loud, and then you go under a bridge and everything goes silent. ”
“Yeah?”
“You’re my bridge. You always have been.”
“Damn, woman. You trying to gut me over here?”
“Just trying to tell you what you mean to me.”
“Love you, too, babe.” He cocked his brow. “Even when you almost get yourself killed.”
“Just trying to keep things interesting.”
“You definitely do that.”
“You do, too.” I eased down on the bed and tried my best to avoid the knot on my head as I curled into my pillow. I let out a little yawn as I whispered, “Thank you for looking out for the kids.”
“I’d never let anything happen to them.” He leaned back, giving me that small, crooked smile I loved so much. “Now rest, baby. I’ve got you.”
I closed my eyes, and I didn’t even fight it. I let my exhaustion take over, and I fell fast asleep. And I did it knowing that Jameson would be there looking out for me.