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Shield
GETTING KASEY TO agree to come back to the house and let me take care of her, made my fucking day. I want nothing more than to be there for her and our boys. To make sure that our baby girl remains where she is until it’s truly time for her to come out and meet us. She’s getting discharged in a little while and there’s so much I have to do before she comes home. Because I truly hope once I get her and the boys back in the house, she won’t want to go back to where she’s been living. At least that would be the perfect conclusion in my mind. So, as much as I don’t want to, I need to leave her at the hospital with her parents and head out to get everything ready at home for her and the boys. Starting with a trip to the grocery store to make sure all of their favorite foods are stocked and ready to go. I might not be able to cook, but I’m hoping the ol’ ladies and our moms will help out by preparing foods for them to eat.
“Sweet girl, I have to head out. There’s some things I have to take care of. I’d stay with you if I could, but the kitchen is empty at the house and I want to make sure everythin’ is ready when you get there so I don’t have to leave again. I also want to make sure Vikin’ and Venom are good with me not workin’ so I can be there for you,” I tell Kasey as she lays in the hospital bed with the blankets pulled up as high as they can go on her.
That means I’m gonna have to turn the heat up in the house. I’ve been keeping it lower than usual since the boys and Kasey haven’t been there. I don’t need the house as warm as she usually keeps it for the boys. It doesn’t really bother me one way or another. I can put clothes on as easily as I can take them off if the house is too warm for me.
“Okay. Do you want my mom and dad to bring me to the house?” Kasey asks me, her voice muffled with the blankets pulled up so high.
“No. I’m hopin’ I’ll be back before you get released. It shouldn’t take me too long to get everythin’ done that I have to,” I assure her. “My mom is still with the boys at the clubhouse. I think she was gonna head to your new place and grab some clothes and things for you since I’ve already got some of the boys things at the house. I’ll make sure you have plenty of clothes and things at the house so you’re not wearing the same shit every day. And that you have somethin’ to go home in.”
“Thank you, Anthony. I’ll be here waiting. It’s not like I can go anywhere yet,” she says, a little laughter filling her voice.
Leaning over her bed, I press a soft kiss to her forehead and let my lips linger against her soft skin. We still have so much to talk about and work through, but I’m confident we’ll be able to have that talk with her in the house and me not having to rush off to work or anything else. At least that’s my hope. I just want to get our family back and start repairing the damage I’ve done over the last few months with my stubborn ways. I’m ready to get down on my knees if that’s what it takes in order to make sure Kasey doesn’t walk out of my life and open the door for Valor or anyone else to step in and take my place.
Leaving the hospital room, I find Rage and my dad out in the hallway. They’re close to the door and talking about something in hushed voices. Stopping next to them, they stop talking and look up at me.
“Kasey’s gonna come back to the house with me so I can take care of the boys and her. I have to leave to make sure everythin’ is ready to go for my family. There’s no groceries and I have to make sure the heat’s turned up. Mom is gonna head to Kasey’s to grab clothes for her and make sure she’s got somethin’ to come home in. I’ll hopefully be back before she gets discharged and can drive her home myself,” I tell them, my voice low so no one else overhears.
“Okay. I’m warnin’ you right now, Anthony, if you hurt my girl, I’m gonna beat your fuckin’ ass. This is your one fuckin’ chance to make things right with her bring your family home for good. Take your time and don’t rush shit with her,” Rage warns me, his voice low and deadly.
“I don’t plan on fuckin’ up with her again. I’m goin’ to use this time to ensure we have our talk and make sure things get back on the right track,” I promise Rage as I look only at him so he knows how serious I am. “I’m gonna head out so I can get back here. I just don’t wanna leave her alone in the hospital room.”
“We’ll go in and sit with her. If you need any help, call me and we’ll make sure we help you figure shit out,” my dad says, pulling me into a hug before I leave them and head for the elevators to go down to the main floor of the hospital and head out to my truck.
I don’t stop to talk to anyone or look at anything other than what’s in front of me. My steps are quick as I head straight for my truck and don’t stop until I’m sitting in the driver’s seat and pulling out my keys to start the engine. Pulling away from the hospital I make a mental list of everything I have to do in the short amount of time I have. The longest stop that will take me I hope is the grocery store. It’s been a long time since I went shopping for food. Kasey and I used to go together all the time and suddenly I just didn’t have the time to go with her anymore. That’s something I’m going to change and make sure I go with her all the time. Or as often as I can.
Pulling into the parking lot of the grocery store, I get out after parking and head straight inside. I grab a cart and make my way up and down each aisle. Tossing one thing into the cart after another, it doesn’t take me long to fill the entire thing to overflowing. I’ve still more food to get and there’s still several aisles to go down as I continue to toss in the cart. By the time I’m done, I think I’ve bought out most items.
Going to the registers, I quickly load up everything from the cart to the belt as the cashier starts ringing everything up. Looking out the front window, I see a flower shop that’s just opened up. An idea forms in my mind. It’s another stop added to my list of things to get done before Kasey gets discharged from the hospital. I’ll get it all done. I don’t have a choice but to make sure every item on my list is checked off and I’m back before she leaves. If I let her down already, it won’t bode well for us moving forward and that’s not acceptable to me.
I managed to get everything done and arrive back at the hospital just as Doc was going over Kasey’s discharge paperwork with her. I listened to the end of their conversation while making sure I heard every word Doc was saying. I’m not going to let Kasey do something she’s not supposed to because she’s stubborn and thinks she can do everything on her own. That’s partly my fault after the last few months but she’ll learn I wasn’t lying when I said I’d do whatever it takes to ensure she knows I’m going to fight for our family and prove to her I’m serious about our relationship.
Rage, my dad, and I waited in the hall while Keegan helped Kasey get dressed. I wanted to be the one helping her, but I don’t think she’s ready for that just yet. I’m already going to have to help her in the bathroom when she wants to take a shower. Doc did mention she doesn’t want her to shower alone. Plus, she’s not allowed to get her head wet just yet because of the stitches and bandage on her head from the accident. Maybe it would be best for her to take baths instead of showers until the stitches come out of her head. Something to think about.
“Did you get everythin’ taken care of?” my dad asks me, his voice low.
“Yeah. I’ve gotten everythin’ taken care of and ready for Kasey and the boys. The only thing I’m gonna need help with is making food for Kasey and the boys. You both know I can’t cook for shit and I don’t want to poison them because I’ve tried to cook somethin’ I know nothin’ about,” I tell them, trying not to laugh at my pathetic attempts at cooking in the past.
“We can’t have that happenin’. I think the ol’ ladies should be the ones to cook and make sure you all have things to eat. You can handle lunch and they can handle breakfast and dinner. Snacks can also be gotten by you and handled for the boys,” Rage says, thinking of the time I tried to cook Kasey dinner.
I tried to make her a chicken dish. The chicken was practically raw and had to be thrown out. When I tried to mash the potatoes, they were hard as hell and I knew they were undercooked. Pulling the rolls out of the oven, they were burnt to a crisp and shattered when one fell off the pan and hit the floor. There wasn’t a single thing we could eat. Even the peas were stuck to the pan I cooked them in. It was a horrible disaster and I’ve never lived it down. Everyone knew about it and if I even step in the kitchen and pull things out of the refrigerator, a comment is usually made about making sure the fire alarms are turned on and that no one eats anything I cook. I’ve heard it all over the years and Kasey does nothing but laugh whenever she thinks about it.
Keegan finally pokes her head out of the room and lets us know Kasey’s ready to go. We’re just waiting on a wheelchair to be brought in for her to leave. The three of us head back into her room to find her sitting on the edge of the bed. She’s wearing a pair of black leggings and one of my tee-shirts. Her hair is a complete mess because she has to be careful brushing it out with the stitches. There’s no make-up on her face and I’ve never seen her look more beautiful than she does right now.
It doesn’t take long for the nurse to bring in the chair and Kasey to get in it. I step up behind her to push it for her as the nurse glares at me. I glare right back at her and push my sweet girl out of the room. We meet Lyric at the elevator. The two friends talk and laugh as a young woman and I push them into the elevator when it opens. Our parents and the nurses get in behind us and everyone else waits or takes the stairs.
“I’m going to call you every day,” Lyric promises Kasey and she gives her an awkward hug from the wheelchair.
“If you don’t call me, I’ll call you. I’ll be back next door before you know it,” Kasey says back, her voice making me pause in my tracks. She’s still thinking about going back to her place once she’s better.
The two talk for a few more minutes as Rage pulls my truck up and a car pulls up for Lyric. I didn’t even notice her sister leaving our side as we stood there. As soon as Rage brings my truck to a stop, I step forward and open the passenger side door. The only reason I had it here is because Venom brought it over last night when he realized I wouldn’t be leaving the hospital for any reason and rode with my dad and Rage when we took off. He forgot about that when we were all waiting to get taken up to the waiting room for the floor Kasey was taken to.
Lifting Kasey from the wheelchair, she wraps her arms around my neck and holds me tight as I put one arm behind her back and the other under her legs. I’ve missed having her in my arms and I plan on fixing that shit. Setting her carefully in the seat, I make sure she’s comfortable before pulling the seatbelt across her lap and buckling it. Kasey simply looks at me because this is the shit I used to do all the time for her. We’ll get back to this shit. I’ll make sure of it.
Giving Kasey a small smile, I close her door and head around the truck to get in the driver’s seat.
“Since we don’t know what the fuck is goin’ on, you get in the middle of all of us. We’re gonna send someone over to keep an eye on Kasey’s friend too. I think Kevlar is takin’ the first shift at her friend’s house. He’s gonna follow them home. He really hasn’t left her side since we went to check on her,” Venom says, his voice issuing orders and demands as he looks around our group. “For everyone goin’ to the compound, make sure you keep Shield and Kasey surrounded. Rage, I want you directly in front of them and Glock you in back. Everyone else spread out in front of and behind them.”
