Page 58 of No Mercy

Once he was gone it grew quiet. The next hour was going to be the longest hour of my life until I could see Allie for myself. I wanted to touch her warm skin, and feel the pulse throbbing at her wrist. I wanted to bury my hands into her silky hair, and run my hands all over her body. Not for sexual gratification. I needed to feel her life beneath my hands.

“You’re going to be a dad again,” Audra said softly next to me.

I was glad she hadn’t said congratulations. It was too early to tell if everything was going to work out, though my gut told me that it would. Allie was a strong woman, and she was healthy. There wasn’t any reason she shouldn’t make it through this pregnancy.

I felt a smile curve on my mouth. Audra matched it with one of her own. I glanced up at the clock, impatient to see my woman. Fuck, it had only been ten minutes since the doctor had taken off.

Like I said, it was the longest hour of my life.

I’d wait longer if I had to.

Chapter 31

Allie

Something was beeping, a persistent sound that reached the depths of my subconscious and refused to let me slip back into the welcoming void. It was dark and cold there, but it was a place that I felt safe, unreachable, and there was no pain. Something prevented me from wanting to face the reality of what awaited me if I opened my eyes, as if I were being protected from something horrible. Gradually, I let the annoying sound drag me into unwanted consciousness, and with that came growing awareness.

I felt pain, but it wasn’t unbearable. A heavy heat seemed to encase me from my neck to my feet, preventing me from moving. My mouth was dry, as if I’d slept with it open all night. My throat felt raw. But it was the hand holding mine that meant the most to me. Hard, warm, callused. Gripping mine as if to never to let me go. I tried to open my eyes, but it felt as if they were glued shut. I refused to give up, and after a few tries I was able to keep them open.

I turned my head slowly, my heart nearly bursting with deep emotion at what I saw. Rock was there, sitting next to my bed. It was his strong hand grasping mine against his whiskered cheek. He was bent forward slightly, eyes closed, mouth locked in a tight line, his jaw just as tight. He was dressed like usual in his tee and cut, yet he looked disheveled, as if he hadn’t changed in days. His long, uncombed hair was hanging against the sides of his jaw. I needed to know why my big, bad biker looked so destroyed.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came. I wet my lips and tried again. “R-Ro-ck?” His head snapped up, his beautiful blue eyes opening to mine, and I saw cautious relief fill them. I cleared my throat. God, I needed a drink. “Wa-water,” I rasped.

He moved immediately, jerking to life and getting up to pour me a glass from the plastic pitcher sitting next to my bed. He then gently lifted my head and put the glass to my lips.

“Sip slowly, babe.”

I did as he asked, feeling instant relief as the cool water coated my mouth and throat and hit my belly. Rock seemed to know when I’d had enough. He removed the glass and sat back down, taking my hand in his again. He kissed the back of my hand, and I felt tears fill my eyes at his tenderness.

“I love you,” I said softly, my voice coming out stronger.

“I love you so fucking much, babe.” He turned my hand over and placed a kiss in the palm. “I almost lost you.”

I found the energy to smile. “Sam?”

“Sam is good, babe. He’s been staying with Audra and Hawk. He knows you’re in the hospital, but he doesn’t know why.”

“Oh, God.” I was so relieved over that. “Wh-what happened? The last thing I remember is being stabbed in my stomach. I think I must have blacked out after that.”

“Cooper heard your scream and got to you in time, that’s all you need to know.”

“Who was she, Rock?”

“She was no one, babe.”

“I remember seeing her at the club the day you took me there.” A tic appeared in his strong jaw. “I know she was a club girl.” I hesitated. “She said things, about you and her.”

“Babe, we’ll talk about this later, when you’re home.”

His tone was so serious and final that I knew there was no sense in pressing him, and besides, I was too tired to fight, and something warned me that’s how this conversation would end up. “How long have I been in the hospital?”

“A few days, babe. You’ve been in and out of consciousness since surgery. The doctor said you’re going to be okay. Just need to rest and heal up.”

I wiggled a little, realizing that the heavy blanket that was covering me was the reason I was hot and couldn’t move. With moving also came pain. I winced, and then moaned. Rock seemed to know what I wanted and pulled down the heavy blanket, leaving me with just the sheet. “Surgery?”

He nodded. “Yeah. You were stabbed a few times. The doctors were able to stitch up most of the wounds, but they had to go in and repair your spleen.” He hesitated, and I could tell that there was more. What wasn’t he telling me?

I squeezed his hand, silently encouraging him to go on. “When can I go home?”

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