Page 103 of Waging War
Jack shoves his hands into his jacket pockets. “The lucky bastard has finally moved out of the ICU… which means he can have more visitors.”
I don’t move. I can’t even breathe as I wait for him to say the words I’ve been hoping for since the moment they took him from my blood-stained arms.
“He’s all yours, Hazel.”
* * *
Killing my Harley’s engine, I take a steadying breath and squint up at the tall hospital building. People flow in and out of the main entrance, chattering away, but I keep my head low while I make my way through the bodies and into the front lobby.
The elevator in the back leads up to the large circle walkway hanging over the lobby, where more bodies are milling about. There’s a chill in the air as I awkwardly approach an older woman sitting at the front desk.
“Uh, hello. I was wondering if you could direct me to room 607, tower two?”
Her lipstick has set in the deep cracks of her lips, and when she opens her mouth to speak, more wrinkles tug at her eyes. “Yes, dear, it’s right—”
“Hazel.”
Heart in my throat, I spin to see Samantha and Jackie beelining my way.
Shit.
What am I supposed to do? Should I smile? I’ve spent so long hating the guy that I don’t even know how to act anymore.
Sam laughs lightly when they approach. “You look uncomfortable.”
Wow. Prettyandobservant. “Um, yeah. Maybe a little.” I attempt to return a smile, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark.
“Let’s go somewhere more private,” Jackie says, directing us away from the desk and toward a small sitting area near the elevator.
The leather couch squeaks when I sit, and I adjust myself under their prying gazes.
“What?” I ask.
Well, you can take the gang out of the biker, but she’ll always have her bite.
Sam crosses her legs, those bright blue eyes roaming across my face. I drum my fingers against my thigh as I hold her stare to keep myself from bolting.
“I wanted to thank you for what you did,” she says softly.
“It was nothing.” I turn away, unable to take another ounce of praise, but she grabs my hand.
When I look at her again, I see unfiltered hope shining back at me. “You’ve given me a fresh start, Hazel. I’d hardly say that’s nothing.”
Her gentleness is so at odds with who I am, that for a moment, I’m stunned.
“And I owe you a debt that could never be repaid for saving my daughter,” Jackie says.
I can already see the similarities in the shape of their eyes and noses. She even has his lips. “I’ve told Samantha everything—my past and about her mother. It feels good to have someone to talk to and to move forward with.”
Sam smiles at her newfound father, and the bond that’s already forming between them has my heart softening.
“No problem.” I wish didn’t sound as awkward as I feel but, hey, what do they expect from the daughter of a former gang member?
“Did, uh… you two just come from Ben’s room?”
We stand together, and Sam points toward the circle walkway. “His room is across the sky bridge there, on floor six.”
Samantha is sun kissed and glowing with light. Her light-brown hair glistens in the sunlight shining through the domed window above us, and her smile is tender and brimmed with love, even after the abuse she’s endured.
