Page 70 of Thrown Off Balance

There’s a knock on the door and we all turn to see Derek walking in with Uncle Mason behind him. I wonder if he already dealt with the police and got everything taken care of. I'm sure our house is already clean or he’s called cleaners to come. I have no doubt the place will be spotless before we get out of the hospital.

“How are you feeling?” Derek smiles as he checks the monitors.

“Really tired,” Sloan says softly.

“That’s understandable. You lost a lot of blood. I think you’re getting two more transfusions.” He taps on the bag of blood hanging from a metal pole. “You’ll feel weak and tired until your blood volume is back to normal. The anesthesia will also make you tired and weak for a few hours. Either way, within the next few days, you should feel back to normal. Just take it easy. Your leg is going to be sore and you might not be able to put much weight on it. Make these two nurse you back to health.” He motions to me and Jax. “I’ll be back to check on you before I head home.” He squeezes her foot before disappearing out the door.

“You should’ve told us the plan,” I growl as soon as Derek’s gone.

Uncle Mason nods his head as he tucks his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He’s waiting, letting me get everything I want to say out.

“I thought as soon as Jude got in the house, you were going to make your move. You had no right to go behind my back and put her in danger like that.”

“Are you done?” Uncle Mason asks in a bored tone.

“Probably not,” Jax mutters.

“For now. I'm sure I’ll think of more to yell at you for later.” I sit back in my chair and fold my arms over my chest, more than annoyed with him.

“Sloan asked me how we could make sure he did jail time and couldn’t cause any problems for the three of you ever again. This was her plan, Cody.” He nods towards Sloan.

“What?” My attention snaps to my girlfriend and my brows furrow. “Seriously?”

“I knew he wouldn’t hurt you or Jax. I just wanted you two to be free from him and his craziness. I was willing to do anything to make sure he couldn’t go near you ever again.” Sloan reaches for my hand and I thread my fingers through hers again.

“Uncle Mason made sure he’ll never go near anyone again,” Jax chuckles.

“Stop it. He was still a person. I'm not happy he died.” Uncle Mason folds his arms over his chest and glares at Jax.

“So, you’d rather if one of us got hurt?” Jax throws his hands up in the air and lets them fall to his sides again.

“No, which is why the idiot is dead,” Uncle Mason growls out through clenched teeth. “I wouldn’t risk my family or friends. He was a little too trigger happy when it came to Maddox and Sloan. He shouldn’t have been. His sole focus should’ve been on Sloan, which means he was at his breaking point.”

Jax opens his mouth to say something, but Uncle Mason’s glare makes his mouth snap shut with an audible sound.

“And before you start on me, I never would’ve let anything happen to Sloan, but if his attention was only on her, it would’ve been easier for us to take him down without anyone else getting hurt in the process… I’m sorry you got hurt, Sloan.”

“It’s ok. In the long run, everything will be better, right? No more crazy stalkers and no more worrying about anything.” Her smile is stiff and doesn’t reach her eyes. I'm sure she’s struggling with everything and I’m going to be there every step of the way.

After talking for a few more minutes, Uncle Mason says goodbye and Jax gets up like he’s going to head home too. Before he can say anything, there’s a hesitant knock on the door.

“Come in,” I call, my brows tugging together. Everyone has already called or visited Sloan, I can’t imagine who else could be here.

Mr. Carpenter peeks his head in before taking slow steps into the room. His features are full of sadness and regret. I'm sure he feels at least slightly responsible for Jude and his actions.

“Hey, Sloan, how are you feeling?”

“I'm ok… I think there are enough pain meds pumping through my IV that I can’t really feel anything though.”

“I'm… I’m sorry. About everything. I should’ve stopped you from dating Jude when I found out. I should’ve stepped in when I saw the signs of him going off his medication. There’s so much I could’ve done and I didn’t.” He hangs his head as a sob fills the air. He sucks in a trembling breath and shakes his head. “I should’ve been a father to him, instead I ignored everything because it was easier than dealing with upsetting my son.”

“It’s not your fault,” Sloan says softly.

“Yes, it is, Sloan. Don’t try to make me feel better… I know this is probably the last thing on your mind, but I don’t want you to come back to work for a few months. Take time to decide what you want to do. I’ll make sure there isn’t an issue with your paychecks for at least the next year. I know there will be a lot of rumors around the office and I don’t want you to have to face that. Just worry about getting better. And if you decide you no longer want to work for me, I’ll understand that as well. I still want you to collect your paycheck from me until you decide what you want to do and are able to find a new job.”

“Mr. Carpenter, that’s too much.”

“No, it’s not. His son almost killed you because he didn’t step in and make sure Jude got the help he needed,” Jax hisses.