I don’t want to leave, but I understand where they’re coming from.
“You guys head out. I’ll stay with Brooks until he goes back to the ICU. We can meet back in the mornin’.” Nix comes to stand near us, as Jesse and Bell move in to console Brooks.
“Are you sure?” Beau asks him.
“Yeah, you take her home.” He nods down to me.
“What about Mia?” I ask, looking back at her sleeping form. “We can take her.” I look up at Beau, hoping he agrees.
“We’ll take her back to the clubhouse,” Holly offers. “She’ll be better off waking up there.” Nix nods, deciding it’s the best decision for tonight.
“We’ll stay at the clubhouse, too.” Beau agrees. “You call us if you need anything, Nix.” Nix nods, and then claps Beau on the back, before turning and doing the same with Sy.
“Come on, darlin’.” Beau helps me up and holds me close as we say our goodbyes to everyone. Brooks accepts my hug, and our promise to take good care of Mia before leaning in and kissing her sweet little face.
“You ride with Holly. I don’t have a helmet with me,” Beau tells me as we follow Sy and Holly out of the hospital. “We’ll ride behind.”
I nod and take his kiss before planting my ass in the passenger side of Holly’s car.
After settling Mia into her seat, we set off, and before I can fight it, my eyes turn heavy, and I’m out again, the warmth of the car lulling me back to sleep.
“Darlin’,” Beau’s soft voice calls to me as he releases me from my belt. “You fell asleep,” he whispers as I come back to myself.
“It wasn’t a dream.” I start to cry. The day’s events finally catching up with me. “It’s still real, Beau.” I shake my head, fighting to escape the darkness.
“Come on, you need to sleep. You okay with Mia, Sy?” Beau asks, and I think I hear him reply, but I can’t be sure. Every second of the day, every action, and reaction washes over me as it all plays out in my mind over and over.
Kelly is in a coma. Beau has done something bad, and it’s all because of me.
“Are you ever going to tell me what happened?” I ask Beau three nights later when we climb into bed at home. We just came back from the hospital; it’s been seventy-two hours since the doctors put Kelly in a medically induced coma. Every day we’ve woken up, had breakfast, dressed and headed over to see her. Every day we’ve prayed for her to heal and be okay, but as of today, she’s not ready to come out. As devastating as it is, the doctors assure us it’s for the best. Her brain function is good. Her vitals are strong, but the swelling is still a factor, they’re not prepared to bring her out of it yet.
“The less you know, the better, darlin’,” Beau tells me the same thing he’s told me the last three nights before he flicks off the lamp and curls into me with his front to my back.
“Beau, please don’t keep this from me. I can’t handle it. With everything else going on, I don’t need this between us.” I try to roll to face him, but his hold is too firm.
“He’s not going to give you more trouble,” is all he gives away while pulling me tighter against him.
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” He doesn’t answer me, the room growing eerily quiet. My hands move to his arm that’s holding me and I pry it off me. “Don’t you dare keep this from me.” I sit up and look down at him. “Please.” I’m just shy of pleading, but I don’t care. I need to know.
He lets out a frustrated sigh, before rolling back over, flicking on the lamp and coming to sit up with me. “If he’s not already, then he will be soon,” he says casually, like he’s just given me the time.
“No, Beau.” I shake my head, not okay with this at all. His hands come to my face, stopping my freak out.
“Mackenzie, he fucking put Kelly in the hospital. In a fucking coma. Don’t make this out to be anything more. He fucked up.”
“But what if it comes back on you?” I push, hating that this is all because of me. Two days ago, Jackson came to the hospital to take my statement regarding what I knew. Unless Beau knows and hasn’t told me otherwise, the man responsible for hitting Kelly with the baseball bat is still out there. The cameras at Missy’s didn’t get his face, so until she wakes up, we won’t know who we’re dealing with.
“I promise you it won’t.” He sounds so sure, I don’t know if I should be scared, or relieved. I know Beau is capable of being a dangerous man. I know who his club deals with sometimes, but I also know deep down in my soul he would never hurt me.
“I’m scared, Beau. I’m scared for Kelly. For Brooks. For Mia. For you.” He drops his hands and pulls me into his lap. I don’t fight him. My need to be close to him only grows stronger the more reality seeps in.
“I know you are, darlin’, and I wish I could reach in and take your fear from you, but I can’t. I can only tell you I have your back. Nothing will touch you. You have to trust me.”
“I did this. I made you do this. It’s already on me, Beau.” Bile creeps up the back of my throat, but I force it back down.
“Bullshit, he did this. Not you. I don’t want to hear you say that shit again.”
“For all I know you killed a man for me, Beau. How can you expect me not to react?”
“I didn’t kill him, darlin’,” he whispers, his voice almost disappointed.