“Shit, hey…” he looks over to Fury and then back to us.
“Ash.”
“Ash, can you hear me?” The paramedic asks as he lights up the flashlight in his eyes, but Ash doesn’t respond. The medic then reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, looking at it for a second before he glances at us. “Do you guys know a Daxton Wessex?”
“That’s me.” Khan tells the paramedic.
“He has you listed as his healthcare proxy?”
“Fucking what?” Khan asks as he shakes his head and then I can hear the helo landing next to us. Khan then shakes his head once more before he looks back. “That means I can ride with you guys, right?” The paramedic sways from side to side, and I can tell that he isn’t supposed to.
“Well—” but Khan cuts him off.
“Look, he’s like my kid brother. You can’t just take him off like that. I’m coming with him.” He glares at him until the paramedic team is walking over and they all then agree.
In a matter of a minute, everyone is on the helo, and it ascends into the sky again.
“I’ll call Ace and Tuck and get them to get the bikes.” I tell Fury before he looks to me wide eyed and I can see just how saturated that he actually is by Ash’s blood. He just nods his head.
When he looks at me, his eyes are wide as hell before he stops nodding and speaks. “Fuck, if Billie sees Khan’s bike come back and no Khan… fuck, she’s gotten close with Ash recently. I’ve got to go get the girls and head up there.” I just nod my head.
“Yeah, I’ll wait here with the bikes until they get here and then I can come over and watch the girls for you guys. If that’s okay with you?” He nods his head again, but he doesn’t say much more than that as he stands in shock. Simply just getting back onto the bike and riding in the clubhouse's direction as I pull out my phone and call the guys.
It doesn’t take them long before they make it to where I am.
“Fuck!” Ace shouts as he looks over at Ash’s bike in the metal pretzel that it is. I can see Tuck’s eyes as he looks over at the bike when they widen. “Is he okay?” I feel like Ace is suddenly overly aware of all the fucked-up things he has said to Ash over the years.
“They Life-Flighted him.” I pause when I look up at them. “He was talking to us, but he said he couldn’t see.”
“But he was talking?” Ace asks before adding, “like was he freaking out?”
“Not really.” It may be a bit of a lie, but I doubt Ash would want them knowing what he was saying. He won’t remember it. Fuck, I doubt he will remember most of today.
“Fury!” I hear dad say as he answers the phone and instantly his face falls as he glances over at me. Getting up, he walks out of the room, and I can’t help but tiptoe to the doorway and try to listen.
“WHAT?” He shouts this time, but it’s not his angry shout. It’s a concerned tone, maybe even fearful. “Fuck,” he mutters. I catch his eyes as he turns to look towards the kitchen again and he frowns. He shakes his head and looks back over at me, and I swear I can see liquid forming in his eyes. It’s a weird emotion for him to have. I don’t know what to do with it. “Yeah, thanks, man. I’ll be there soon.” He doesn’t look away as he walks back towards me.
“What’s going on?” Looking up at him, he sighs.
“Kiddo, this is…” he trails as he nods for me to sit down on the couch and sits next to me.
“You’re kind of freaking me out.” I admit to him before he nods.
“It’s Ash.” He whispers out, ironically it’s as if he reflects the tightening that I feel around my heart. I’ve known Ash almost my entire life. I can’t remember a time before I knew him and Dax, but with Ash, he took care of me. Fuck, he probably grew up too fast because he was practically raising me as well. When dad would go off to wherever he went, Ash would babysit me. Read me bedtime stories, check the closet for monsters, take me to gymnastics… everything. Sometimes I feel as if Ash was more of my dad growing up than my actual dad was.
“What happened?”
“He wrecked his bike.” He pauses and my heart sinks some more. “He’s in the ICU.”
My mouth falls open as I look at him again. “Is he going to be okay?”
“Fury doesn’t know yet. They air-lifted him from the scene.” He sighs again, taking in a shaking breath, and I can see just how much this is shaking my dad up. I mean, he’s known Ash just as long as I have. He took Ash in when he didn’t have anywhere else to go. “He wasn’t wearing his helmet.” Dad finally says, and my eyes go wide.
“Why?”
“They don’t know.” I nod my head as I stare at my father, not knowing what to say.
“When are we leaving?” I ask him, and he shakes his head.
