Page 101 of Rebel
The other guy, Atom, has been a little more talkative, but he’s still watchful. I’m not sure what they’re protecting us from when the twomen responsible for what happened have been caught. Taylor seems nonplussed by their presence, so I follow her lead.
I fill Taylor in on Colt waking, and she explains to me what they’ll be doing. She’s a nurse, and although she specializes in diabetic care and hasn’t worked in a hospital setting since her placement years, she’s fully trained in all aspects of care. It helps to hear it from her.
Doctors come and go over the next couple of hours. I’m allowed in and out each time and watch Colt like a hawk, talking to him, encouraging him to come back. The last time they let me go in, the tubes are gone from his throat, the machines silent.
He still looks like death has only just let go of the hold on him, but he’s alive, he’s breathing, and it’s hard to stop crying.
This isn’t the person I’m supposed to be, but this man has stood by me through every disaster and triumph in my life. Losing him would have broken me in ways I’ll never be able to describe.
Not being able to call Uncle Joe to be there for him is heartbreaking.
His nurse told me there would be some agitation, confusion, and physical discomfort, all signs which are very common when someone is waking up after sedation with a breathing tube. They will monitor him, but are pleased with his progress.
Taylor has allowed me time to process, but now that Colt is settled in the bed and the doctors have left, she comes in and asks if it’s okay to join me.
“Of course, thank you,” I say, taking the water she hands me.
Rebel did a good job of making sure I ate, slept and drank, but it’s fallen by the wayside again.
“It might not seem like it right now, but he’s making progress.”
“I want him to open his eyes and tell me I’m being dramatic.”
Taylor smiles. “That’ll come, I’m sure. He’ll suffer confusion for a while and still has a way to go to recover, but this is all good.”
She gives me a reassuring smile and doesn’t comment on my sniffling. That is one thing I learned from being around her. Raven too. They each offer silent support and don’t probe like other people would.
“So, you and Rebel.”
“Don’t talk about him in front of Colt. Or Raven.”
Taylor grins. “If you think Raven doesn’t know, then you’re in for a rude awakening.”
“I know,” I slap a hand over my eyes, but Taylor chuckles in response. “Don’t worry about it. I’m pretty sure she’s good with it.”
“Really?” We’ve talked, but I wasn’t sure she was happy about it.
“She likes you. Raven is a beautiful person and helped me when I first got involved with Noah, but she is also fiercely protective of the club. She doesn’t let just anyone into the inner circle. And she is very picky about who gets close to her brother.”
“I’m sure he appreciates that,” I say with an eye roll.
“They’re all the same. They’ll never admit they’re not as tough as they make out. Noah is a different person at home. Keep that one under your hat.”
“That is hard to imagine.”
“He has to be different, he’s the President. He takes that role seriously, even though he has good people around him, he takes on sole responsibility for the welfare of everyone in that MC. It used to scare me to be honest.”
“It did?”
“They’re not exactly… on the right side of the law,” she whispers, making me smile. “From what I’ve seen, their hearts are in the right place. Do I agree with a lot of what they do, not at all. Am I happy that he keeps a lot of things close to that leather vest, definitely not. He does it to protect me. He struggled a lot with his feelings for me, but in the end, he couldn’t stop it.”
She watches me as her words sink in. I’m not like Taylor. It’s clear she still finds it hard to cope with what they do. Not me. I was all for going along to watch what they did to the men who shot Colton.
“I mean, we’re the same in that I don’t like the idea of him keeping things from me. But I do get it.”
“It’s for our own safety,” she nods, then looks at Colt. “Noah speaks highly of him, he likes him a lot, and he’s taken it badly knowing he is responsible for what happened.”
“The men who did it are responsible.”
