Page 58 of Ride or Die
"This is him," Sammi says, and stands off to the side. "Take as much time as you need."
I stare into the room, afraid to go in. Shade gently grabs my arm.
"We go in together," he whispers. We walk into the room. I walk right up to the side of the bed. I gasp and my knees buckle. Shade is right behind me holding me up and tears are pouring down my face.
35
Shade
Cali would have collapsed as soonas she saw him if I hadn't been standing right behind her. As soon as she's steady on her feet, she leans into the side of the bed, staring at his face.
"It's him," she says through tears. "He's alive."
"He is." I can't stop the smile stretching across my face. We may not be blood, but we're brothers regardless. Shit wasn't the same when we thought he was dead. None of the Riders were themselves, myself included. Cali runs her fingers down Buster's arm, stopping at his Savage Riders tattoo. I can only imagine how she's feeling right now. He might not be able to talk to us or interact with us right now, but he's alive.
"They say people in comas can hear you when you talk to them," Sammi says from the doorway. "The doctor thinks having loved ones around and talking to him could help, so don't be afraid to talk to him."
I move a chair behind Cali so she can sit. She scoots it as close to his bed as she can and sits on her knees.
"It's okay to touch him, right," Cali asks, her cheeks turning pink.
"Yes, you can," Sammi responds. Cali grabs Buster's hand and I walk over to Sammi to give her some space.
"I've only been working here for a week, but as soon as I saw him and saw his tattoo, I knew it was him," she tells me. "When no one had been to visit, I knew something was wrong."
"Thank you for calling me," I whisper to Sammi. "We've thought he was dead for the last three weeks."
Cali is whispering to Buster and it makes me smile. I turn to Sammi.
"I don't imagine we could crash here tonight, could we," I ask.
"As much as I would love to let you, I can't." Sammi gives me a sorrowful expression.
"That's alright. We'll stay as long as you'll let us, then we'll go crash at a hotel," I tell her. I shoot Rascal a text.
To Rascal:It's him. We'll need to get a hotel for a couple of nights.
From Rascal:On it.
"Cali, I need to call Bull real quick," I tell her. "I'll be right back."
"Okay," she calls back to me.
I walk out of the room and down the hall a little way before calling him. He picks up on the second ring.
"Talk to me," Bull says.
"We're at the hospital. It's him," I tell him. He lets out a heavy sigh. "The doctors believe he'll make a full recovery, it's only a matter of time."
"Do y'all need anything? Need anyone else to come up there," he questions.
"No, we're good. They have him in an ICU room so we'll have to leave for the night. Rascal is trying to find a hotel for us for a couple of nights. We'll come back first thing in the morning," I explain to him.
"Cali isn't gonna want to leave him," he says.
"That’s for fucking sure," I tell him. "It's gonna be tough, but at least we're not sitting around thinking he's still dead."
"True. Keep me updated. I'll get shit with the hospital sorted out," Bull states.
