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The pain rises once again and I cry out. The darkness starts to pull me under, and I welcome it. I can't cope with how painful my head is. What the hell did Jed do to me?
CHAPTER23
PREACHER
"She's out of hospital and is at the clubhouse."
Those words have been going around and around my head for the past two hours. I'm glad she's out, but fuck, I don't think she should be. She's had a really bad case of concussion and she's in a lot of pain. Being out of the hospital isn't the best place for her, not if she's still in pain.
My legs have been jumping the entire flight. I'm antsy, and I can't wait for this plane to touch down. I need to be with Ailbhe. I have no doubt that she'll still be pissed, that she'll scream and tell me to fuck off, but I'm not doing it. I'm not fucking leaving. We've got a lot to talk about.
Finding out that she was hurt and in the hospital again, something snapped inside of my brain. I've known since the moment I saw her that she was different. I knew there was something about her that I craved. That hasn't changed. It never faded. In fact, it’s only intensified. I kept my distance to protect her and look how fucking well that turned out.
Going to New York was great as I spoke to Reaper and saw Tyson again. Seeing and hearing how happy he is settled something inside of me. I don't feel as worried as I had once been. I had every faith in Reaper and Esme and their roles as Tyson's parents, but it was my boy I was worried about. But he's doing okay. He's happy and thriving. I feel better about my decision to leave. He's got his parents and that's all I wanted.
"She's goin' to be okay, brother," Reaper says. He's sat beside me the entire flight and hasn't spoken to me until now. He knows me. He knows that I wouldn't have been in the mindset to speak. "She's with our brothers. She's safe."
"I'm goin' to fuckin' kill him," I say thickly, my throat clogged with emotion. The sooner I see Ailbhe and know that she's okay, and I see it with my own two eyes, I'll be better. I'm going to find Jed O'Connor and I'm going to gut the bastard. I'll enjoy every fucking second of it.
"I'll have your back every step of the way. I know how you feel, brother. Trust me, I know. The cunt that took Es..." He shakes his head. "I killed that motherfucker. I watched the asshole who hurt her, burn. I know how you're feelin'. You'll get the revenge you seek. We'll make sure of it."
"What if she lost the baby?" I ask, my words low. It's been on my mind. It's been running through my brain since the moment Ace told me she'd been hurt. If she's lost the baby, I'll fucking lose my shit. There's no doubt about it, I'll go fucking feral.
"Don't borrow trouble, brother," he replies. "Py would have told us had that been the case."
I pray that he's right. I really fucking do. If she's lost our baby, I'll never forgive myself.
The plane touches down thirty minutes later. I'm like a child that's full of energy. I feel caged in and I need to escape. The moment the doors to the plane open, I'm out of my seat and walking toward the plane door, Reaper right behind me, having grabbed my bag from the hold above our heads.
"Preach," Pyro greets me. "You doin' okay?"
I stare my brother in the eyes. He doesn't flinch, but his eyes darken. "What do you think, brother?"
"Yeah, I'd feel the exact same if things were reversed. She's at the clubhouse, and she's safe. She's got a nasty bruise or two on her face, but she's upbeat, though I think that's mainly for the children's sake."
I nod, grateful for the information. "She know I'm comin'?"
He grins. "She does. I can't say she was too pleased about it, nor was she pleased about comin' to stay with us, but she couldn't argue that it was the safest place for her and the family."
"Thank you."
He nods. "Don't thank me, Preach. This is what we do."
He's right, this is what we do. We're a brotherhood. We take care of one another and our families. My family is his and vice versa. I'd lay down my life for any one of my brothers’ families and they'd return the favor.
"Let's get goin'," I say. The urge to see Ailbhe is beating at me. I need to check in on her myself.
It takes almost an hour to get to the clubhouse. Pyro, Ace, and Reaper speak the entire way, catching up. It's been a while since we've all seen one another. Things have been crazy in Dublin since I've arrived. Between businesses and babies, it's been crazy busy, and no one has had a chance to return to New York until me. That was because I ran like a coward. I needed to get my head on my shoulders and see straight. And, boy, have I got my head screwed on. I know what I want and what I need to do. It's not going to be easy, but it'll be worth it.
Ailbhe's worth it.
"Oh, Jaysus," I hear the low rumble of Mikey as I step into the clubhouse. "I was wondering when you'd be back."
I grin at the kid. He's protective of his sister, something that I respect and admire. "It's good to see you too, kid," I say as I move past him in search of his sister.
"She's upstairs in the room, which she said was yours," Mikey shouts at me as I edge toward the stairs.
I turn and grin at Chloe, who's sitting beside Mikey with a smile on her face. Oh, she knows exactly what she's doing. I need to thank her later.
