Page 62 of Jacked and Jaded

“Someplace he won’t be getting out.” He squeezed her hand and backed away so they could close the doors. One of the paramedics jumped into the front and off they went.

Jackson scrubbed his hands down his face and exhaled heavily. “Fuck.” If he’d been even five minutes later getting to his house, Clint would have raped Calliope again. The thought made his stomach roll. His hands were shaking as he rubbed them down his face.

Maverick was standing next to him. He clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t go there. You got here in time and now the son of a bitch is being taken to the safe house. You can get your pound of flesh after you take care of Calliope and we check on Chris.” He shook his shoulder a little to get his attention. “Come on, son. Let’s get to the hospital. Calliope will be looking for you.” Jackson got in Bellamy’s car with her while the others hopped on their bikes and made it to the hospital in record time.

As soon as Jackson entered the hospital through the ER, he went straight to the desk and asked for Calliope.

“And who are you, sir?” the suspicious lady behind the desk asked him. The moment she laid eyes on his club cut, her lips had pursed like she’d sucked on a lemon.

“I’m her husband, Jackson West.” He was trying to be patient, really he was, but it was a struggle.

“Her license says she’s Calliope Reynolds, not West.” She raised a brow as if to say “explain that, you big bad thug.”

“It’s new. We haven’t had a chance to get her name changed on everything yet.” Jackson was contemplating reaching across the counter and wrapping his hands around her neck if she didn’t help him find Calliope.

“Are you Jackson?” a middle-aged woman in a lab coat asked. She wore a stethoscope around her neck and her name tag read Dr. Lily.

“Yes.” He moved in her direction. Maybe this woman could give him information.

“Calliope’s been asking for you. Follow me. They’re just getting ready to take her to get a CT,” the doctor was saying.

“Is she okay?”

“Yes. We had to put a few stitches in the back of her head. We’re doing the Cat scan to make sure there isn’t anything going on that we might have overlooked.” She stopped outside a curtained off room. “You can wait here. She’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Thank you. I appreciate everything you’re doing for Calliope.”

“You’re welcome.” The doctor smiled and took off to take care of another patient until Calliope came back and the results were read. He took a seat in a hard plastic chair, his knee bouncing like a jack hammer. He hated waiting, not knowing where she was at and how she was doing. The last time he’d seen her in the hospital, he’d thought it would be the last. He got to his feet and started pacing from one side of the tiny area to the other. It was such a short path, he was making himself dizzy making the turns.

“Excuse me.”

Jackson turned to see a large man in dark blue scrubs pushing Calliope through the curtain in a wheelchair. He stopped next to the bed, locked the wheels, and raised the foot pedals. He stood close by in case she were to fall as she got up and transferred to the bed. He waited until she was situated, then backed up and moved out. She was still dressed in the same clothes she came in and she looked exhausted.

“Hey,” he pulled his chair closer to the bed. He reached through the metal rails and took her hand. “How are you doing?”

“Good. Just have a headache that won’t go away. I had to have some stitches on the back of my head. It’s still numb right now or I wouldn’t be laying like this.” She was lying on her back, her head tipped slightly to the side. He imagined once the numbing medicine wore off, she was going to have to lay on one side or the other for a while. “How’s Chris?”

Jackson smoothed her hair away from her face. “I’m not sure yet. I came straight to you as soon as I got here.”

Calliope pulled him closer. “Don’t forget your promise. I get to see him before he goes away.”

Jackson’s teeth clenched and unclenched as his eyes held hers. He’d hoped she’d forget about the promise after getting hurt again. “I remember,” he whispered back.

“Thanks.”

“Okay, we have the results of your CT scan.” The friendly Dr. Lily appeared out of nowhere. She slipped through the curtain, her laptop balanced in her hand. “Everything looks good. No fractures anywhere. So, you are good to go. Here is a list of things for you to watch for over the next twenty-four hours.“ She handed the paper to Jackson. It was a list of things to watch for when someone has a concussion. “The nurse will be in shortly to go over a few things and get your signature and you’re free to go.“ She smiled at both of them, then turned to leave, pulling the curtain closed behind her.

Once all of the paperwork was dealt with, they joined the rest of the club in the waiting room to get news on Chris. The nurse wheeled her to a stop next to where Jackson was going to take a seat. He waited until she walked away before he leaned his forearms on his legs and asked, “How’s Chris?”

“Not sure. When we asked they said they had him in surgery,” Race told him. The prez’s grim expression said all he wasn’t saying. He was worried about the prospect. “Here, before I forget. Tuck had Darren bring your truck here.” He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Jackson.

“Thanks.” He shoved them in his pocket and settled back in his chair. At the news that Chris was in surgery, Calliope got quiet. “You okay, Calliope? You wanna go home? We can have someone give us a call when they get word on Chris.”

“No. I’m good for now. I’d like to stay for a little longer. I can’t help but feel like this is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, Clint would never have been near any of you.” Calliope held an ice pack to her cheek where Clint had hit her. It didn’t look as bad as last time because apparently last time, he hit her more than once. Regardless, hitting her once was more than enough to fuel the fire of revenge inside him.

It was another hour and a half before someone came out to let them know about Chris. “Chris Dawson’s family?”

Race was up first, heading for the doctor. The rest of the Sons filled in behind him. Jackson pushed Calliope’s wheelchair closer so they could also hear.

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