Page 66 of Fury
Bethy rolled her eyes. “His first reaction was to have him beaten up.”
“I can see that.” Ty’s head bobbed up and down. “I can see that, for sure.” His tone was sarcastic, biting like acid.
“Stop it. You don’t know him and don’t know how things have been. Davy’s fine with it now.”
“Sure he is, little girl.” Sarge’s sneer wasn’t veiled. “Keep tellin’ yourself that.”
“Sarge, man. Not cool. You can’t let your attitude about what you let slide color this shit. If Bethy says Mason’s cool, then he’s cool.”
“Probably more like Bethany told him tough titty and he didn’t feel like fighting her on every fucking thing.”
Bethy scowled at him, then her attention was pulled to the side when Ty burst out laughing. “What?”
“Yeah, keep tellin’ yourself Mason’s okay with you bein’ with Fury, Bethy girl. Keep it up.” He lifted his bottle, smiling at her around the neck. “Mason’s been clearing the decks for years without you knowing what was going on. Do not be surprised if he’s already mounting a campaign against your man.”
“Brother, watch your mouth.” Bethy glanced at Sarge, surprised to see his face and ears burning red, something she’d only seen from him once before. She considered Ty’s words, and Sarge’s attitude, and everything clicked into place.
“Let me tell you something about my man.” She made a fist, propping it on one hip as she glared at the two men, one of who had been her best friend for years, and one she now suspected of carrying the tiniest torch for her. “My man is not content letting someone else dictate what he can and cannot have. His only concern is me. If I’d told him no and meant it, he would have backed off. Hell,”—she flapped her other hand towards the door—“I’m the one who had to go chasing him, aren’t I?” Pursing her lips, she thought for a moment. “Davy might not like him, and as much as I love my brother, I don’t honestly care if he does, but he respects Fury. It’s a meeting of equals when they’re both in the room. That should stand for something.”
She paused and then decided she was done, letting both hands fall back to her sides. Ty leaned over, hooking an arm around her neck and pulling her close.
“Something I know about my Bethy, she decides she wants something, ain’t nothing can stand in her way.” His lips brushed the side of her head.
“You got that right,” she got out around the tears suddenly choking her. “Damn straight.”
***
Fury
“No, baby. I’ll be back home in two, three days, max. Just unpack your clothes and shove my shit out of your way. Leave the boxes and furniture where the guys put them, okay?” Fury tipped his head down, aware Mason was listening to every word. “I wanna be there for the rest of it. We’ll get you moved in, together.” Silence for a moment on the phone and then he heard a sniffle. “Oh, baby. No, no. Honey, don’t cry.” Mason stepped closer and without looking up, Fury held up a hand, palm out. “Don’t cry.”
“I’m not.” She lied badly, and Fury wondered if this would be beneficial for him in the future. Her not being able to lie worth a shit couldn’t hurt. “I’m just being silly.”
“Well, stop being silly like that. Two, three days, baby. That’s all.” Noises down the hallway had him lifting his head to look, and both he and Mason were on the move a moment later. Two doctors had just exited a room and were standing in the hallway speaking to a man in a wheelchair. “I gotta go, Beth. I’ll call you tonight, tell you a bedtime story.”
She giggled, the sound equal parts watery and bright. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.” He disconnected, shoving the phone deep into his pocket as they came even with where Spider sat in the chair, hands on the grips that maneuvered the wheels. “What’s the news, Doc?”
Accustomed to them after three days of having one or several bikers waiting every time they came out of the room, the female doctor didn’t hesitate. It hadn’t taken much to have them come down on the side of their patient having a large, supportive family like this. “She’s much improved. Her condition is still guarded, but we are pleased with her progress.”
Mason tipped slightly sideways, his shoulder brushing against Fury’s. When he turned to see what had happened, Fury recognized the dark-haired woman pressed tight to Mason’s side, her arm wrapped around his waist. Watcher’s near-daughter Carmela asked, “Mama Nita’s going to be fine, right? She’s going to be okay?”
The doctor repeated her words, “She is much improved, Mela. You can go see her if you want.”
“Push me in there, gal. My arm hurts like fuck.” Spider kept his chin down, face angled towards his lap. If it were to hide tears, Fury wouldn’t blame him. Spider’s quick thinking to push the tiny remote and activate the speaker system at the church infirmary saved Juanita’s life, and ran Pike off. Even with her having rough medical care immediately, it had been touch and go until they got her into surgery and stopped the bleeding. Afterwards, the docs reported they gave her six units of blood during surgery, which was a fuck of a lot.Touch and fuckin’ go.
The bullet from Pike’s single shot had entered just below her arm, punching through a portion of her lung before hitting a rib in her back. The impact had stopped the bullet, and the docs were happy it didn’t bounce around inside her any more than it had.
The door closed behind the pair and Fury turned back to face the doc, seeing the other had left. Mason was staring down at her. “He should have come here.” Her voice trembled with anger.
“Couldn’t, you know how it is.” Mason’s tone was offhand, but something about his posture made Fury look closer at the woman. Petite, she had pleasant features, but wouldn’t be someone he’d recognize without her white coat. “How you doin’, honey?”
“Don’t. Don’t pretend to be the good guy here, Davis.” She shook her head. “Don’t insult me.”
Fury caught voices from behind the door, Spider’s half-heard words a shout, “…damn fool. Anyone…”
The doctor grimaced, interrupting whatever she’d been about to say. Striding towards the door, she was only steps away when it opened, Mela storming out, tears smeared across her face. “Tu stupido!” She turned and shouted, then pulled the door shut with a slam, freezing when she saw all eyes focused on her. “Uncle Spider iscrazy.” Hurley moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her. “Mama Nita’s going to kill him.”
“If she’s feelin’ good enough to kill the man, we’re guaranteed to be taking her home soon.” Mason reached out, resting one hand on Mela’s shoulder. “I’ll just go make sure there’s no bloodshed in the room.”
“She’s gonna be okay.” Fury restated what they were all still praying for. “She’s gonna be just fine.”
