Page 13 of Ours

The hours tickedinto the small hours of the morning, and Ellie refused to eat, sleep or move. Just drink caffeine. I sat beside her the whole time. Told Chief what happened. He said he couldn’t come back without upsetting the deal. So I told him I’d handle it. But how the fuck I was going to handle it, I don’t know.

Ellie was so wired, and I saw herself working herself up—getting into her own head. I didn’t want her doing worse case, so whenever it looked like she was thinking the worst I’d bring up a story. Maddox and I, we grew up together. The man had cheated death on more times then I had.

If anyone could survive this. He could. Wasn’t saying that to be kind. I was saying that and reminding her of it, because her life depended on him breathing.

Finally it had to be nearly twenty four hours later, a surgeon walked through the door. And it wasn’t just the surgeon, there was a woman in a suit, and then the police behind them. Fuck. This wasn’t good news. I gave Ellie a reassuring smile, as she looked at me before looking back at them.

She stands up, does the formalities. And then the surgeon looked at me, then glanced back at the police. Yeah buddy I get it. I’m to behave.

“Maddox has suffered extreme injuries, we have done everything possible, however…” And the surgeon paused, and Ellie’s hand went for mine, she had a death grip on my hand. “The surgery last night, early this morning, was just the beginning of us trying to repair the damage. We will have many more ahead of us,”

“So he’s awake?” Ellie cut the surgeon off.

“No, sadly,” and the surgeon glanced at me, and I let go of Ellie’s hand, wrapping my arm around her back “He’ll be kept in a coma, as we continue the surgeries. However, when this is all over with, there is no guarantee that Maddox will breath on his own again.”

There it was the news they didn’t want to deliver. Gabriella stared at them, then nodded her head.

“We have counselling services for you, and this is just one of our leading specialists…”

Gabriella raised a hand. “I don’t talk about my problems to strangers.”

“Miss you can’t go through this alone.” The surgeon said.

“I won’t be,” And she squared her shoulders back, her eyes flickering to the police and then back to the surgeon. “I’ve got the club.”

The surgeon stared at her then nodded his head. “Well I’m ticking on the form that counselling was offered but refused.” And with that said, he extended a hand. “We’ll be working closely together to get you through this regardless of whether you have counselling. I’ll be Maddox’s treating surgeon. So, any questions, concerns, come straight to me.” He then smiled at her. “I’ll do everything in my power to get your fiancé through this Gabriella.”

And that wasn’t a reaction I was expecting nor was Ellie, cause it broke her. And when she pulled her hand from his, she turned, burying her head in my chest.

The surgeon looked at me, as if asking did I have this covered and I did. I gave him a head nod, and they left, so did the police.

I ran my hand down her back. Don’t know how I was going to do it. But I was going to run the largest north chapter, be the national president—a role I took so I didn’t have to lead men, just deal with the presidents. And now, with Gabriella in my arms, crying. I had to be the man she needed, and fuck, I couldn’t be that man all those years ago—so how the hell was I going to do it now?

7

Gabriella

Two Months Later

“Gabriella I made this for you, you’ll damn well eat it.” Hudson growls at me from across the table, in the club kitchen. “Now.”

I looked him straight in the eyes, and pushed it away from me. “No.”

He sighed, and it didn’t matter what he said. The reality of my situation wasn’t going to change. Maddox wasn’t going to wake up. My life wouldn’t go back to normal. Things just weren’t… worth living for.

“Gabriella,” He said my name and I looked up into his eyes. “I’ll force it down ya fucking throat.” He doesn’t say it with a scary tone. But I know he means it, and he will get that toast and force it down my throat. I gritted my teeth and pulled the plate back. “Good girl, now what time are we going to the hospital?”

Tears swelled in my eyes, but I didn’t say what I was thinking. I didn’t say what decision I had come to last night.

“Gabriella?” he says my name for my attention and I looked at him. Hudson, is known for being irrational. Had no control over his temper. He didn’t have theheart to heart conversations and he didn’t care. That was no lie. And I believed all that. The Hudson in front of me, well it wasn’t the man I knew. This man, he cared if I ate or slept. This man, reminded me of the man I fell in love with all those years ago. But I wasn’t going to be fooled by him again.

Hudson was a player of hearts, and he killed my last heart.

His eyes are still on me and I realized I have to tell him, because he was just going to keep asking me all day.

“I’m not going.”

He frowned.

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