Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“I get you, sweetheart,” Tank said. “He does, too. He deals with kids with cancers, so he understands.” He looked at Reaper. “Get her home and let Doc do his thing. The sooner you know what her prospects are, the better you can decide on what to do next.”
I heard Swan whimper beside me and pulled her into my arms. “It’s all gonna be OK, baby. No matter what, I’m here. I’ll always be here.”
“I’m scared,” she whispered. “I’m so scared.”
“I know. But remember, you’re not alone. I’m here. My club is here. We’ll all be with you no matter what.”
I wanted to howl in pain. I’d hoped for her first bike ride to be a joyous time. Instead, though she had her arms around me the entire time, I felt the dampness of her tears on my shirt where it clung to my back while she cried. At every stop, I rubbed her hands and her leg, trying to soothe her. By the time we got back to the clubhouse, I’d had all I could take.
I stopped the bike in the front lot and climbed off, taking Swan with me. She clung to me and cried softly.
“I know, baby. But I swear to you, I’ll do everything in my power to take care of you. No matter what. You can count on me.”
“I know,” she whispered, trying to get herself together. “I know.”
I’d just scooped her up in my arms when Doc came from inside, his gaze focused entirely on Swan. Holly skipped along beside him, chatting lightly, oblivious to the dynamics with Swan. Mama and Blade tried to distract her, but the girl had a hold of Doc’s hand and wasn’t letting go.
“What’s a matter with Swan? You gonna fix her?”
“If I can, sweetie,” Doc said absently, his attention only partially with the girl. “I need you to go back inside now. I need to take Swan to the clinic and see what’s goin’ on with her.”
“I wanna go too,” Holly pouted. “She’s my best friend.”
“Come along, dear,” Mama said, trying to pry Holly’s hand from Doc’s. “You need to go back to your mother for a while. When Doc’s finished with Swan, I promise I’ll bring you to her. OK?”
“I wanna see Swan first,” Holly said stubbornly. “I’ve missed her!”
Swan sniffed, swiping her hands across her face. “I’m OK. Let me down to see Holly.”
“You sure? She’ll be all right. You don’t have to deal with her just yet.”
“No. It’s because of her I have you. I owe her more than I can ever repay.”
I just grunted, knowing it was true, but I was riding the edge of my control at the moment. If Doc came back with bad news, I wasn’t sure I could hold my shit together.
The second I put Swan on her feet, Holly ran into her arms. Swan knelt down and hugged the child.
“Hey there, squirt,” she said, trying to sound cheerful when anyone could see she’d been crying.
“Don’t worry,” Holly said with confidence. “Doc there can fix anything. You’ll see.” She wrapped her skinny arms around Swan’s neck and hugged her fiercely. “When you’re done, I’ll come see you. And just remember: Needles hurt, but sometimes they can help you get better.”
“Thanks, sweetie,” Swan said, kissing the child on the cheek. “If I can’t see you tonight, I’ll see you tomorrow. I promise.”
When they were done, I picked Swan back up into my arms, carrying her the distance to Fury’s clinic. Doc didn’t say a word the whole time. No one did. Alizay and Blade were already there. They talked in hushed voices as they moved around the office collecting items and taking them into what Fury called his procedure room.
“We’ve got everything ready,” Alizay said softly. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“What’s going on?” Swan still clung to me. I sat and she stayed in my lap. I wasn’t sure that I didn’t hold on to her as tightly as she held to me.
Doc pulled up a stool and sat in front of her. “Two things,” he began. “I want to physically examine the knot on your upper thigh. I’ll ask you some questions, and you need to answer me as truthfully and accurately as you can.”
“OK.”
“Second, I want to do a biopsy. I need to see exactly what kind of cells you have in there and in what concentration. That way I know what I’ve got to work with.”
“I don’t want you taking out my leg and pelvis and shit.” Swan was more sulky than stubborn. It was almost as if she’d resolved herself to doing whatever Doc said, no matter what her wishes were.”
“Baby,” I said before Doc could say anything. “No one’s gonna make you do anything you don’t want to. I swear to you on my life, I won’t let that happen. I’ll kill a motherfucker first.”