Page 16 of Lash’s Love

“You go and see the kids, talk to them, I’ll chat with your mama about what we are going to do, but you know she will more than likely want to come with you. You know your sisters are away at school, so it’s just us here. But you really need to go talk to your kids, especially Declan. He’s been stressed, he knows something is going on because they aren’t home yet with their mama.”

With that I nod and head over to the entrance of the clubhouse. I head to the common room because I am sure that is where everybody is, when I walk in sure enough there are my babies with their uncles. None of them have noticed me walk in, until Declan looks up and makes eye contact with me. You can see that little boy’s shoulders tense, whether it is the look on my face or something he just feels, but you can tell that he is feeling something is wrong. He stands up and walks towards me and everyone else in the room turns and looks. My sweet little Delaney, not noticing anything is wrong, rushes towards me.

“DADDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYY!!!”

As she gets to me I bend down and swoop her up into my arms and reach out for Declan. Pulling him into a hug, he looks up at me, tears brimming in his eyes.

“It’s mama, isn’t it.”

I look into those piercing green eyes so similar to mine and feel the familiar sting of tears threatening my eyes. I look up at everyone in the room.

“Can everybody head out, so I can talk to my kids please.”

There are grunts, there are nods, there are yeses. I know Cannon and Cane want to know what all is going on or maybe they have already heard, I don’t know. I do know that Cane has a lot going on right now personally and this is just something else that is going to throw him into a dark place. I don’t know what happened with the woman he was seeing exactly, but I know he fucked it up on purpose because he thought he was protecting her. I look at my brothers-in-law and before they can head out I grab their attention.

“Can you guys stay? I might need some help after we have this talk to get them all packed up to head to Briarfield. I’m going to have to head to the house for my SUV.” It’s an obnoxious vehicle, but when you have six kids and two more on the way you have to get an obnoxious vehicle. Thankfully there is a car with three rows of seats. If we have anymore we are going to always have to make sure we take two vehicles everywhere. I also know that we will be having more because I’m going to knock her up so many times we forget about the nightmares that have been happening. We were doing great, the counseling was getting us somewhere. I fear that now with all of this, when she wakes up this will be another thing to push her further away from me when all I want to do is hold her closer than ever.

They nod their heads and head back to sit down on the couch next to Dare, Dallas and Dash. Cane pulls Dallas into his lap and I walk over to sit on the chair across from them with Delaney still on my hip and Declan trailing behind us. As I sit down, Declan sits down on the floor next to the chair and Daisy comes up and sits next to her big brother grabbing his hand. I look down at Delaney on my lap, our little Sophie with her beautiful golden curls and enormous blue eyes looking up at me. I kiss her head then look back around the room.

“We’ve got some stuff to talk about guys. Some things have happened and I am going to need you all to be big and strong for me, okay?”

They all nod their heads and Delaney cuts the tension by saying, “I big strong daddy.” As she flexes her little arms.

“I know you are, baby girl. You are my big strong girl, just like your mama.” I kiss her forehead and clear my throat. “Mama, she had a bad accident. She’s in the hospital. Right now she is sleeping and the doctors want her to sleep so that her body can heal and she can get better. So she is going to stay in the hospital about an hour away, hopefully she can move closer so we can see her every day. But right now, papa is with her keeping her safe.”

Declan and Daisy look up at me with worried eyes after they exchange a look that I know too well. They know there is more to what I am saying, but they don’t want to say anything in front of the younger kids. Now they are still babies themselves, 10 and 8 isn’t a big age, but they have been around enough to know that there is something else going on. Before either one of them could ask me a question Dare speaks up.

“What about our brothers?” I look over at my 6 years old and give him a weak smile.

“Well buddy, Lucas and Leon are in the hospital with Aunt Peyton right now. She says they need a little help from the doctors, but they are doing okay. They are strong just like their big brothers and sisters. They are going to be okay, buddy. Your mama and your baby brothers are going to be okay.”

Declan looks up, “Lucas and Leon?”

“Yeah, Deck. Mama and I wanted to name the boys Lucas and Leon. Changing up from the D names. Going a little crazy for our surprise twins. Here is what is going to happen, I need you guys to really help me out, okay?”

I get all sorts of nods from my tiny little monsters.

“We are going to pack some bags up, we are going to head to Briarfield. Aunt Peyton and Uncle Knox have gotten the hospital to give the twins a nice big room so all of us can stay there with them. We are going to head there shortly and stay there as long as they are in the hospital. Hopefully we can move your mama to that same hospital or even to the one here in town depending on how long they think she is going to need to stay in the hospital. Grandpa and Grandma are going to be coming with us more than likely and from now on you’re going to have Grandma do school work with you once it is time for school to start. I don’t want any of you fighting me on this, I need you all to stay close to me. We will make sure you see your friends and continue with sports or extra activities. Right now this is how things are going to be and I’m sorry, but we are going to have to be a team. Now, I think we all should head over to the carts that we brought here from home today to head back to our house to pack up our stuff so we can go meet your brothers.”

With that Cannon and Cane take Dash, Dallas, Daisy, Delaney and Dare and head out to the vehicles we use to get around property when we don’t have to leave the land. If I would’ve been planning to go anywhere with the kids today I would’ve brought my SUV, however, I thought I wouldn’t need it and my bike was parked at the clubhouse. Declan doesn’t follow his siblings or his uncles, he sits there looking at the ground. I get out of the chair and sit down next to him.

“What’s going through your head, Deck?”

He looks up at me with tears in his eyes and my heart breaks. “Is mama really going to be alright, dad? I know she wasn’t in an accident. You can tell me, I’m not a baby. Is what happened to MiMi going to happen to mama?”

With that I grab my little boy and pull him to me so that he is on my lap and in my arms. Declan acts older than he is and he doesn’t let himself be vulnerable around many people. He wants to portray himself as a big strong guy. He really doesn’t have to be, he is a little boy and he just wants to protect everyone. It is amazing, but also makes you forget how old he really is. I hold him in my arms while he cries trying to comfort him.

“Buddy, what happened to MiMi is not going to happen to your mama. I swear to you. I would not let anything happen to her. Your papa, your uncles, all of them, they are on high alert. Nobody is going to let anything happen to her. She’s got some good doctors looking out for her right now. Your mama is a fighter, she would never leave you buddy. I promise you it is going to be okay. We will gross you out with all of our sweetness and love when she gets better, I promise you that. She loves you so much, you and all your siblings. Do you want me to schedule a session with Dr. Reynolds? So you can talk to him about everything that is going on? We could do an extra video session with him this week?”

He nods his head in my shoulder and I start to stand while holding him. He does something he hasn’t done in years wraps his arms and legs around me and keeps his face buried in my neck. I head out of the common room and spot my brothers-in-law as well as my parents. My mama has tears running down her face. Dad looks at me and nods and I know that means they are heading out when we do. All of my brothers that have been at the clubhouse are also standing around watching. I know they know what has gone on, most of them look angry and ready to kill. I feel them, Sophie is like their sister, she’s their VPs ol’ lady, their president's sister, their club princess. Her ties to this club run deep, some of them have watched us grow up, no one is going to let this go unanswered. I nod to them as I walk with Declan out of the clubhouse to where the carts are parked and find that Cannon and Cane have already took one with the other kids and headed to the house. I climb in the second one keeping Declan in my lap, which does make things harder to drive, but I will not move the boy when he needs me. I start it up and head home, to pack for who knows how long. So that I can go and meet two of my boys for the first time and pray that soon their mama will be able to meet them as well.

Chapter Seventeen

Lash

When we got to the hospital Grim and Riot were standing outside waiting for us. I’m surprised they are here and not with Sophie and Bulldog. I know Peyton said that the Untamed also had brothers come in from North Carolina, but I did not think it would be the President and Vice President. I get out of the car and head around it towards the back doors and they are headed our way. I wait to open the doors to let the kids out so I can talk to them.

“What are you guys doing here? When Peyton said you sent brothers up here I didn’t think she meant you’d come.”