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I knew what would come after I woke up.
Doctors.
Police.
My kids.
Summer.
But as soon as I learned the extent of my damage, gave the police the bare minimum, held my woman, and reassured my kids, I would need to be back in business mode.
I would need to talk to my brother, to learn what the fuck was going on, what they knew, what they didn't know.
Then I needed to sign my ass out of here, brushing off doctor's orders, my wife's concerns, and my own desire to give my body a rest.
Because shit had to be handled.
People had to pay.
We had to take our power back.
We had to get our supply chain back.
I needed to figure out the plan for the future of the club.
So I let myself have the extra twenty minutes.
"There you are," Summer's voice said, soft, but I could hear the tears she was holding in.
Turning on the pillow, I found her sitting in the chair at my side, a worried smile tugging at her lips.
I didn't know how many years we had in—Summer was better with that shit than I was—but I never got sick of waking up to see her there. And I would never get used to the way she worried about me, fretted over me when I was sick or injured.
"Missed you," I told her, going to lift my hand to reach toward her only to realize I couldn't.
"That's your bad shoulder," she told me, reaching across my body to take my other hand. "I missed you too. How are you feeling?"
"High," I admitted, getting a watery chuckle out of her as the first tear fell. "Is everyone okay?"
"Yes," she told me. "Well, your son is about to burn down all of Navesink Bank, but other than that, yes."
"He's a good kid."
"He pulled a gun on Colson, I hear."
"He what?" I asked, feeling a lot more sober with that information.
"It's a long story. And I'm sure Cash will be happy to tell it. But right now, I'm worried about you. So let's talk about you. Before they transfer you and the kids and your brother and the police all steal you from me."
"Okay," I agreed, nodding. "What about me?"
"I know that something has to happen because of all this," she said, waving over my body. "But I am going to need something from you."
"What's that?"
"I'm going to need you to come back to me," she told me, eyes leaking freely. "I knew what I was getting into. I did. And I think I have been pretty damn good about all this so far. And I know you are angry. And your men are angry. And you need to do something about that. But I need you to be fully you first. And I need you to plan it out really carefully. Because I need you to promise me you are going to come back to me."
"Babe..."
"Nope. Don't 'babe' me. I want a promise."
"I always come back to you."
"Not good enough."
"I promise I will let myself heal and that we will be smart." She knew that was all I could give her.
"Can I interest you in semi-retirement in the near future?" she added, reaching up with her free hand to wipe off her cheeks. "You're not as young as you used to be, you know. And you are a mess right now."
"Been a while since I've had my ass handed to me," I agreed, nodding. "Can't say I was a fan. This though," I said, jerking my chin toward my shoulder. "That was from falling on it. I could fall at home too, if I were semi-retired."
"I think we both know that you didn't just—" she started, getting interrupted by the nurse.
Then the doctor.
And then I was being moved to a normal floor.
"Cash is chomping at the bit to get in here," Summer said, fussing over my blankets and pillows after shooing the kids out after they all got a good look at me, were sure I was going to make it.
They looked beat.
It was an interesting transition in life.
To go from worrying sick about your kids to having them get worried sick over you.
"You should eat," I told her, knowing it had been a long night. "But stay with someone."
"Wolf is here," she told me, giving me a tired smile.
"That'll do." If there was one person I knew would protect Summer like she was his own, it was Wolf.
"I'll be back in half an hour. And then you need to sleep."
That was one promise we both knew I couldn't make her. It all depended on what my brother had to say.
"What is this I heard about Fallon pulling a gun on Colson?" I asked as Cash walked in, eyes a little sunken under puffy, exhausted eyes.
While I always knew Cash was capable of being the boss—which was why I had him as my vice president—I also knew he didn't want it. It had only been a few days, a week, tops, and it was already wearing too much on him.
