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“I’m not fighting shit. She doesn’t belong in our world and it’s going to get her killed. How do you not see that?”
I straighten my shirt and take a deep breath. Mav is an asshole and I’m used to it. It doesn’t help that a part of me knows he might be right but I can’t give her up. There is just something about her that screams at me. “I know. You’re right but we can also protect her. Something has her afraid and it’s not us. What if we aren’t there and something happens to her? You want to protect her, right?” I know he does. He has a savior complex but won’t admit it. I give him a minute to war with himself before he nods in my direction, slumping back into his chair with defeat.
“She deserves better than us, Xander. What if we do more damage than good?” I know what he is really asking.What if we get her killed?But we rule this town and everyone in it. She will be under our protection and no one without a death wish would come after her.
“What if she is what saves us?” I counter. It’s been on my mind for a while. The night I first met her was unfortunate but the second I laid eyes on her I knew she was perfect for us.
Mav stands, shoving the chair across the floor in a horrible scraping sound. “I will have no part in her death. I want nothing to do with her. So, fuck her out of your guy’s system and move on already.” He goes to storm out of the room but I call out to him before he can leave.
“You better get with the program Mav. She is staying for good, whether you like it or not.” He takes another step. “Oh and make her cry again and I’ll let Jax play with you.” I hear a scoff and then footsteps leading away.
Mav will get over whatever wall he is building for himself or maybe Wren might just come along and demolish it. I can’t wait to watch that happen.
I finish up my list by adding a few more food and beverage items then adding a few other personal items she may need while living here. Things like feminine products to items for her baths and showers. I finish off my email to Marie with a list of my Little Birds clothes size, so she can pick up a new wardrobe for my girl.
With all that done and put into motion I head to my room to grab her a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, knowing it will piss Jax and Mav off seeing our girl in my clothes. With items in hand, I head back down to the medical room quietly to overhear any new information I might come across but I stop short of the room when I see Jax with an irritated look exiting the room. He puts his finger to his mouth in the “be quiet” notion and I nod in understanding before stepping closer and listens in.
“Doc?” Wren’s voice is soft and sounds so broken. My cold dead heart almost hurts not hearing her usually light and bright happy tone.
“Yeah, dear.” Doc calls out absently as I see him run his fingers across my little bird’s head. I know he is just checking her injury; the man has been married to his wife for over twenty years but the possessive caveman part of my brain yells at me to rip off his hands for touching what belongs to me. I must have growled out loud because Jax snaps his head at me, eyes turning to slits and glares. Reminding me we are eavesdropping for information.
“Is my ankle broken? I couldn’t put pressure on it earlier. That’s why I fell.” This time when Wren speaks, she sounds scared. I understand why she thinks we plan to kill her but that’s so far from the truth. I imagine she is also afraid that she might not have a chance to escape if her ankle is injured, not that we would let her.
“Let me take a look in a second, dear. Lean forward for me so I can check to make sure you didn’t injure your back.” Wren leans forward and Doc lifts her shirt and that caveman side urges me to hurt the man that I know is helping her. Everything happens so fast. I can see the widening of Doc’s eyes, an intake of breath and a tear fall from my little bird’s cheek. “Wren.” Doc rushes to the front of Wren and he embraces her in a hug. “It’s going to be okay. Let it out.” Suddenly Wren slumps into his arms and the real heartbreak happens. Little Bird starts to cry like she has been holding in a dam of water for years.
Panic seizes my chest. What is wrong? Is she more injured than we thought? Before I can stop myself, I step into the room Jax on my heels. “What the fuck is going on here?”
Chapter twenty-two
Wren
“What the fuck is going on here?” I jump at the sound of the new cold deep voice entering the room, I push myself back in the mattress away from the very real threat I know is standing in the room. My heart starts racing like it's running a cross country marathon and it plans on winning first place.
I shift my sightless eyes in the direction the voice came from, smelling two new different scents now in the room. One is Xander, a strong whiskey and cigar smell, not the cheap shit either. The other scent is familiar as well, Jax. His scent is just as overpowering, gunpowder with a hint of expensive aftershave.
The scents don’t incite fear like I thought they would. My body heats as I get a stronger inhale of their scents but I tense knowing they just got closer. My mind screams danger and the fight or flight response kicks in. I scramble to the edge of the medical bed and go to throw my legs over when hands grip me from behind pulling me back and into a rock-hard chest.
“Please be careful with her. You could make it worse, careful.” Doc rushes out to my right. I stiffen when I feel the person lean in toward me. “Calm down.” Xander. “Please, little bird.” The tone of his voice is softer than I thought was possible for such a deep timbre but his whispered words give me pause.
“Doc, what is the diagnosis?” Jax asks from my left, making me turn in his direction, making the arms around me tighten for half a second before loosening.
Doc clears his throat, obviously uncomfortable. “Ummm, well. She has a head injury at the back that needed many stitches. As well as a few stitches on the side of her head. I was about to examine her ankle. Wren, sweetheart, can you place your legs back on the bed for me please?” I do as he says as the tightly bound arms finally move away from around my chest and I can finally take a deep breath. “I’m going to place my hands on your foot. I will twist it from side to side and apply some pressure. It’s more than likely going to hurt but let me know when and where it hurts the most. Okay?” I nod in understanding and prepare myself for what’s to come.
As he said he would, he places his cold hands on my right foot. I flinch but not because of pain. It’s weird having gentle hands touching me. Having someone not trying to hurt me or cause my body harm. I can tell just by his soft and kind voice that Doc is a good man but I know that just because a man is a doctor doesn’t mean they all uphold their oath to cause no harm.
A memory starts to float to my mind. It was after a really bad “session”. I could barely move, but I could tell that my small fragile body was black and blue. The monster had called a doctor to tend to my wounds. He removed the barely there scraps of clothing I still had on, claiming he needed better access to my battered and bruised body. It was all bullshit. I left that room with more scars on my heart and soul than my body could ever hold.
I’m snapped out of my living nightmare when my ankle is shifted from side to side and the sharp searing pain from early shoots up my leg. I scream out but bite my tongue when I try to stop the noise from leaving my throat. My eyes water but I force myself to speak as calmly as possible. “There. It hurts right there.” Doc applies a bit more pressure and my body involuntarily jerks back.
“Watch yourself Doc. I would hate for you to have an accident.” Xander barks out and I know what he really means.
Trying to steel my shaky voice, I reach out and place my hand on the warm body next to me. hoping it’s Xander and praying to get his threat and attention away from Doc I say. “I’m okay. He didn’t mean to hurt me. He was just checking where the pain was. Please don’t hurt him.” I couldn’t live with myself if I somehow got someone as kindhearted as Doc killed. I feel the body underneath my small hand stiffen before I hear a snort.
“Little bird, I see you are making new friends everywhere you go.” I hear a scoff from the opposite side of the room but pay it no mind. That night they call Xander boss. He was the one who killed that man in the alley way and I can’t take my focus off him. “What would you do to save dear old Doc’s life?” He asks and icy chills run down my spine.
“Xander.” I hear Jax and someone who might be Maverick from the business meeting yesterday. I take about three seconds to decide, not thinking about the long-term consequences. “Anything. Just please don’t hurt him.”
“Wren, no.” Doc calls out.
