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“How is he?” she asks, letting Steady take their son from her and give him to Grandma. Camille grabs my wrist.
“Holding his own. Saint’s got him stable, and his friend Dr. Wilcox was waiting for us. He’s in the OR. Saint hasn’t come out yet.” I hate that this is all I have to tell them. Camille drops into her husband’s arms, buries her face in his chest, and begins to sob.
I run a hand over my face, then drop into a chair in the waiting area. I don’t know how long I sit this way, but suddenly, I’m not alone. Charlotte is by my side. Her arms come around my neck, holding me to her.
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault,” she whispers. I gather her close to me.
“There’s only one man to blame, dollface, and he’s gonna pay,” I tell her.
She searches my eyes. “Roscoe says they have him.”
“Yeah. Guard whaled on him. I’ve never seen him this out of control. No one, and I mean no one, touches a brother.”
“Roscoe and Willow brought me, but the whole club is on its way over here,” she says. I scan the room, Camille is sitting across from me, rocking Kyrian to sleep. Steady watches her, probably looking for signs she’s going to crack.
A short time later, the room fills with Satan’s Pride jackets and their women. Ava takes her place by Camille, offering support. Vi and some of the others grab coffees and teas and pass them around. No one really wants it, it’s just something to do as we wait, and wait, and wait.
I’ve been staring at the swinging doors for so long, they become a blur, so when Saint finally steps through, I think I’m seeing things. Camille jumps to her feet, along with Steady carrying Kyrian, and races toward him.
“He’s out of surgery,” he says with a heavy sigh.
“I want it straight,” Camille demands. Being a nurse has its drawbacks. You can’t sugarcoat it.
“Ruptured spleen. Repaired, but we’ll need to keep a close eye on it for infection. Skull fracture. Checked for bleeding and did a CT and will have to do another to be sure, but it looks good for now. His cracked ribs are set. He’s got a couple of broken bones. He’s breathing on his own, but hasn’t come to yet.” He drops his hands to his hips. “All in all, he’s a hell of a lot better than I hoped. He’s not gonna feel that way when the pain sets in, but he’s here, and we’ll get him back to a hundred percent.”
Camille sags in her husband’s arms. Ava takes their son, and many others in the room show their relief with heavy sighs.
“Can I see him?” Camille asks.
“Let them get Priest settled in his room. I asked the nurse to come call us as soon as he’s ready,” Saint says. His wife, Izzy, slings an arm around his waist. He kisses her on the mouth, then waits by her side for word that they can go in to see Priest.
Camille and Steady are the first to see Priest. Camille comes out visibly shaken, wiping tears from her eyes. Guard and Ava are the next allowed in. When Guard comes back out, he huddles with Saint and Orion. All I hear is “He gets everything he needs. We spare no expense. Priest is going to put this behind him, and we’re going to make sure he doesn’t feel the effects. He’s never alone.”
“Camille’s going to want to take her brother home,” Saint adds carefully, knowing that Guard is ready to explode.
“She’ll need help and support. Someone’s with them, either inside or waiting outside the house,” he commands. Ava clings tightly to his biceps, softly calling his name. He looks down on her worried face and his features soften. “I’m okay, angel.”
“I’m staying the night,” I say. “This is all because of me, and I want to be here.”
“It’s mine. I brought this to your door,” Charlotte interrupts. “I’m so, so sorry.” She turns to Camille.
Camille pulls Charlotte close. “There’s only one man to blame. Bad men exist. The Pride has been through rough times in the past. Priest would defend any one of his brothers and any one of their family. We’re lucky that he has brothers who came for him. Once he’s home, the first person he’s going to want to see is you. He’ll want to see for himself that you’re safe.”
* * *
Charlotte’s stayingwith Izzy and Abigail at the compound tonight. I insist on sitting by Priest’s bedside. Part of me wants to head back to the compound and finish Crusher off by wrapping my bare hands around his neck and squeezing until the light goes out of his eyes. But the bigger part of me needs to be here with my friend and brother. Camille wanted to stay with me, but Steady was able to convince her to get a few hours of sleep. They’ll both be back first thing in the morning.
Priest is careful and clever. How they got the drop on him is beyond me. I’m sure he’ll fill in the blanks when he’s able, but for now, he rests. I’ll be here when he needs me. His face is pale. There are bandages wrapped around his chest, a cast around his wrist, but it’s the tubes stuck in his arm that bother me the most. Mainly because if anyone should be lying there, it should be me.
Charlotte’s my girl. We’re making a life together. Why did they go after Priest? Logically, I can’t make sense of it.
This chair is uncomfortable as hell, making it easy to stay awake. Every so often, Priest stirs, but doesn’t open his eyes. Nurses come in regularly, and even the doctor has made an appearance to check in on his patient.
I asked the doctor straight up what Priest will need to get back to his old self. “Time and physiotherapy,” he said. “All the other wounds are minor in comparison. The swelling on his face will disappear. The bruises will fade to nothing. The ribs will set, but he’ll need to work on his lower back and core. The stronger they are, the faster he’ll heal. He’s young, and there’s no reason he can’t lead the life he wants. Sometimes, it’s the mind that takes the longest to mend.”
He left me alone after that. I drag my chair closer to Priest’s bedside, unknowing if he can hear me or not, but I say it anyway. “Brother, you’ve been my rock. It’s time for me to be yours. I will walk every step with you. I swear that you’ll be better than ever.” I sigh, dropping my head, still trying to make sense of why they went after Priest. “I don’t get it. It should be me there in that bed.”
“Stop,” a low whisper says. I jerk my head up to see Priest’s partially closed swollen eyes looking at me. “Not your fault. Not because of Charli.”
